The competition is raging something fierce on Beauty and the Geek these days. Now that the field has been narrowed to three teams, the babe/genius duos know that they have to keep their eyes on the prize. Even though I know these people are playing to split $250,000 (before taxes), I can’t help but laugh when they scrunch up their faces as the host asks them questions about P. Diddy and computer cables. They take it so damn seriously! And though the contestants are only quizzed on information from their study materials, the arbitrariness of the questions makes the final challenge resemble a junior high pop quiz from a petty, sadistic little troll of a teacher (oh, no personal experience with that). I suppose that for the sake of time and budget, the question and answer challenge makes the most sense, but I would like to see more action-oriented challenges, like the ones the contestants participate in to keep themselves out of the elimination room.
The challenges this week were particularly entertaining, although they didn’t leave much room for the women’s dignity. First, the guys directed a photo shoot of the girls in lingerie and evening wear. Then, the beauties were sent to a bar with no make-up and a hilariously hideous wardrobe selection, where they had to mingle with some L.A. pretty people and attempt to score as many free drinks as possible. I actually felt a bit bad for the ladies, even though they had a bit of embarrassment coming their way after they gambled with the guys’ clothes last week in the poker challenge. It was fascinating to watch their terror morph from “Ohmigosh, I haven’t even blow-dried my hair” to “Damn, I have to rely on my personality to charm people.” My initial reaction to the situation was, “Cry me a river, girls,” but as the challenge wore on, my sympathy grew for them. Sarah and Cher in particular showed a very vulnerable side and were lost without their usual shield of eye shadow and halter tops. Jennipher won handily, mainly because she didn’t let the lack of cosmetic cover shake her. Of all the women on the show, she strikes me as the most confident.
When I first saw that the geeks were going to play Barbie dolls with their partners, dressing them up any way they liked and then photographing them, I questioned the use of the term “challenge” to describe what they had to do. However, I was pleased to see that a panel of fashion and photography experts were on hand to judge their work in a serious way. And even though Joe weirded out his partner Brittany when he asked her to strike juicier poses, their victory was well-earned. Unlike the other men, Joe actually appeared to put some thought into the composition of the photographs. He admitted that he didn’t have any experience, but neither did any of the others, so that wasn’t a huge detriment. Wes definitely did the worst job. It didn’t help that Sarah was incredibly uncomfortable during the studio session, but Wes didn’t do anything to make her more at ease, either.
A word about the most recently eliminated team. I have to say that out of everyone, I think that Sarah and Wes were the most overrated players on Beauty and the Geek. The guys were all drooling over Sarah, but only because her fake jugs drew attention away from the nasty expressions that she often had on her face. And while I’m not saying that Sarah was supposed to sport a permagrin like Brittany, her wrinkled little nose and squinty eyes revealed that she doesn’t have the most pleasant disposition because she doesn’t need to. As for Wes, I learned that there was actually a cute face hiding under all of that hobbit hair. But why did everyone think he was so damn charming? His date with Cher proved his week that he’s actually more of a doer than a talker. If Wes and Cher think that they have a future together, they can keep dreaming. Sorry guys, but if you can’t relate to each other outside of the bedroom, it ain’t gonna last. Their date was transparently pathetic, as they fished for conversation topics. Funny how they related to each other much better once their shirts were on the floor. I’m not predicting that Ashton Kutcher will produce a wedding special on these two.
But I do have predictions for the remaining teams. Here they are:
Jennipher and Ankur
I’m betting on a third place finish for these two. Out of everyone on this show, these two need the least help in changing themselves for the better. Jennipher is a bit ditzy, but she clearly has common sense and a healthy dose of self-esteem. It doesn’t appear that she worries about coming off as a dumbass terribly much. And although Ankur recently went on the first date of his life with Brittany, he did a great job holding up his end of the conversation. Furthermore, Ankur doesn’t appear especially down about his lack of romantic conquests and why should he? He’s only 22 and went to M.I.T., which is not exactly known as a hook-up school. Ankur will be fine, definitely not the star of The 42 Year-Old Virgin.
Brittany and Joe
Here are the runners up. Although Brittany’s speech and mannerisms imply that she’s vapid, her performances in the challenges have shown that she has a good head on her shoulders. Particularly in the poker challenge last week, Brittany kept an impressive amount of focus and didn’t let the cutthroat nature of Cher intimidate her. I think Brittany has a ton of potential. She’s only 21 and still in college, so hopefully this show will give her the boost she needs to believe she can make it in the real world. She and Joe have never been to the elimination room, which speaks well of their combined skills and knowledge. As a grad student, chess, champion, and drummer, Joe is one of the more well-rounded men on the show. However, he also strikes me as an incredibly nice guy who needs to get more of a clue about the dating scene. His dinner with Sarah this week was excruciating to watch as he repeatedly blew his nose at the table. Excuse yourself, dude! Despite this dating debacle, Joe has a lot of promise.
Cher and Josh
They’re going all the way. At least, I hope they are for Josh’s sake. While Cher hasn’t won many sympathy points for her aggressive game tactics, she has managed to keep herself and her partner out of the elimination room a few times. Even though she hooked up with a geek, Cher still comes off as shallow, although not dumb. In fact, she doesn’t have a problem in the confidence department, but hopefully she’s learning that arrogance shines through, even under mounds of body shimmer and lip gloss. Josh, on the other hand, needs a self-esteem boost so badly, that I don’t think I could handle it if he were eliminated. Of all the guys, Josh is changing the most and needs this experience more than any of them. And if all goes well, our little Carrot Top/Woody Allen will emerge victorious at the finale.
