We are at the end of the road. Another season of Beauty and the Geek is over and we have a new winning team. But that also means someone had to come in second. I had the chance to talk to the team that eventually finished in second right before the finale episode. That team was Sam and Nicole. They were the first twist this season. I talked to them both about how fair this twist was, what they thought about America voting in the end, and of course, all of the relationships they made in the house. Here is what they had to say…
Josh Clinton: Hey Sam and Nicole.
Sam Horrigan: Josh, what’s going on man?
Nicole Morgan: Hi Josh.
JC: How are you doing?
SH: It’s doing good man.
NM: I’m good, how are you doing?
JC: I’m doing well. So I’m interested in knowing how you got on the show? Did the producers come find you or how did that all work?
SH: They approached me. I promote at the clubs and so I guess they saw me. Normally when I’m there I’m just partying and being the life of the party and everything. SO I think they just saw me there and approached me at the club. I still had to go through the interview process and everything. It wasn’t like a “you got it!” (Laughs).
JC: (Laughs). Right, I understand.
NM: The casting director actually contacted me on MySpace and said she had a reality show that she thought I would be good for. I was highly skeptical at first, but I kinda went along with it because I was curious. And that ended up being Beauty and the Geek.
JC: Right. If you weren’t on the show yourself and were just watching the show, do you think it was fair to have this twist of a male beauty and a female geek in the first place?
SH: Yeah, I mean it definitely throws a huge twist to the show. Rather than having all the teams be the same like in the past seasons, it definitely does make a huge difference all over the place. You have Dave and Nicole and this whole relationship going on. Then, me and Rebecca. That’s extra aspects added to this season because of the twist.
NM: I do have to say that I think it is fair, because each person has their own advantages and disadvantages. Some people have had more education that others, some people have had more experience performing or doing different things than others. So I think that gender is just one more advantage or disadvantage that a team could have.
JC: Yeah. So Sam, you did a little acting earlier in your career, correct?
SH: Yeah.
JC: Did the producers of the show know about all of that?
SH: Yeah, they did. When I was younger I used to act, but I stopped doing all of that awhile ago. Now I’m just doing the clubs. But it’s something that I did and it definitely was enjoyable while I was acting. I’m glad that people recognize me from stuff like that.
JC: It would seem like your acting background would help on this show. You are used to memorizing lines, so that could help you study for the material on this show and you definitely are used to being on stage. Do you think your acting background helped you on this show?
SH: I don’t know. That’s hard to say. I guess there is a possibility, but I don’t really think so. I think the reason why I did so well on the challenges was because I studied hard knowing that if we didn’t win, we would have been going into elimination. So instead of studying for each challenge, I was studying for elimination right from the get go trying to learn absolutely everything, knowing that if we didn’t win me and Nicole would be in there every single week.
JC: What about you Nicole? Do you think Sam had an advantage because of his acting background?
NM: Honestly, I think a lot of the girls had acting backgrounds or acting experience or modeling experience. Sam might have some more innate intelligence about some things that set him apart. But I think everyone has their different skills. I know that there were some geeks that had more performing experience than others and were more comfortable in front of crowds and things like that. I mean the same thoughts on the flip side. Different people have different skills.
JC: Right. But also it seemed like some of the challenges were made for Sam to win since some of them, like the bug challenge, seemed to be geared towards men more than women, since most women don’t like bugs…
SH: And neither do I! (Laughs). With that whole thing, in my head I was thinking that we had to pick up the bugs. There was no choice. To finish it, you have to do it. In my head, I thought if it was going to sting me or bite me that was going to happen. I’m just going to be postponing, so I might as well get right in there. And me I started off with what I thought were the “worst” ones as I made my way down to the “easier” ones. I assumed that if I got stung by a scorpion, then bit by a snake, picking up the frog afterwards wouldn’t that bad of a deal.
JC: Right. That makes a little sense. So you don’t think you had an advantage at all in any of the challenges going into them?
SH: Well obviously people with past experiences would have a little more of an advantage in some of the challenges. It’s hard to say. Who knows, I just always believed in not holding back at all and doing my best. Sometimes that didn’t work like in the anatomy challenge. I went in there not knowing my right from my left. (Laughs).
JC: (Laughs). Yeah, so Nicole, what were you thinking when Dave came up to you and said he liked you?
NM: I was a little bit surprised by that. I heard that some of the other geeks had liked me, but I didn’t really know that Dave felt that way about me. So I was a little bit surprised and I’m always a little bit awkward and flustered in social situations like that.
JC: Right. Did you think any of the other geeks were attractive?
NM: Oh yeah, I had my crushes on the show. I thought Luke was really sweet and he reminded me a lot of guys that I had liked before.
JC: Yeah, but also way back you had to pick a prom date and you could have picked anyone. You chose John. What was the reasoning behind that decision?
NM: At that point I think I gravitated towards John, because he was always real low-key. Sometimes being on the show is stressful when you are competing in challenges, and John was just easy to hang out with because he was always easygoing. So he made a great prom date, because he was just in the moment and was enjoying things as they came and not worried about the future and different challenges.
JC: Yeah, exactly. Alright, Sam. Explain to me how your relationship with Rebecca began?
SH: Well when we first got in the house, it was actually funny. Right after we were introduced, we were told to choose our rooms. Will was actually the only one that came over and introduced himself to us, because everyone else was just running around trying to find the best room. He says “hi” and then he introduces Rebecca, and Rebecca pulled him away to go find a room. So our first impression was kinda odd. I didn’t know what her intentions were or if she wanted anything to do with me. But then we started talking after we were both safe and had to pick people for elimination. Once I started talking to her, I knew that she was definitely a girl I would like to get to know.
JC: Yeah. Obviously all of the beauties in the house are beautiful, but were there any other beauties that you were attracted to that we might not have seen on the show?
SH: They are all beautiful, because they are “beauties”. I liked them all, because they all had really good personalities. But Rebecca definitely stood out in the crowd.
JC: So you think you will keep in touch with her then?
SH: Yeah, I would love to. I would love to keep in touch with everybody. I’m going to do my best to try and keep everybody in Los Angeles as long as possible. We spent a lot of time together and we went through a lot of crazy experiences that normally people who are friends or are in a relationship don’t get to do. So I think we bonded, even though we were only together for a short amount of time.
JC: Right. So after they announced the final twist, did you think your chances of winning decreased since you really had no control over it?
SH: I mean yeah, if it wasn’t a straight elimination based on questions. Me and Nicole never missed a question during elimination. I think we would have been set. But at the same time too, I liked the twist. I think it’s a great idea and hopefully the public thinks it’s great idea too. Those are the people that keep the show going.
NM: I thought that it might be hard for Sam and I, because I feel Dave’s transformation was very easy to see on the surface. I felt like some of the changes that I went through were more internal. I just didn’t know who America would think transformed more. You know, because everyone’s transformation is different. Some are easy to see on camera and some you might not see until you see that person reacting to day-to-day life.
JC: Exactly. Have you changed from this experience and if so, how have you?
SH: Yeah, I think I definitely have. I realized that there were a lot of things that I would have never even thought of getting into or even attempted to do. Like the whole debate thing, I never have done that in my entire life. That seemed to work out well. I don’t know if I will go into building rockets or anything, but I definitely want to go back to school and get involved in some of these things that I got a little sneak peek into on the show because of the challenges. See what happens. See if I can find another field. But I would still do the clubs and go out and party and everything. So a little bit of balance all around.
NM: I’m definitely learning to relax more, taking some of Sam with me, that easygoing attitude. I’m definitely trying out more things that I kinda missed out on. I’m buying more clothes, I’m trying out jewelry, which I had never worn any accessories before. So it’s like I’m starting adolescence where I am trying out all of these new things.
JC: Alright, cool. Sam just said what he plans to do, but what are your plans now, Nicole?
NM: Right now, I’m finishing up my Masters degree and then I will probably take a year off. I eventually want to get my PhD, but I will take a year off and kinda regroup. And then, I will be applying to PhD programs in music theory and eventually teaching.
JC: Alright, very cool. Well that is all I have for you, but thanks for your time and good luck with everything.
SH: Hey, no problem man. Anytime.
NM: Thank you.
– Beauty and the Geek airs on the CityTV network in Canada on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
– Beauty and the Geek airs on THE CW in the U.S. on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
