Beauty and the Geek Australia

It's a reality TV show called 'Beauty and the Geek', so yes it's a bit cheesy and a little embarrassing at times, but isn't that why we watch reality TV in the first place? I know that's why I do.

The Australian version also shows a nice cross-section of people, who aren't soulless Survivor-type contestants and actually seem to develop the odd, fairly sweet relationship from time to time.

It also has a lot of nice messages about confidence/self-esteem, body image and getting to know someone before making judgments.

That, combined with hot girls falling over and geeks getting make-overs makes this just a fun, secretly enthralling reality show.

The conditions the participants are subjected to should be considered criminal, even prisoners in jail/prison are not subjected to such things as sleep deprivation etc etc that happens in this show to these people.

Oh the the geeks are told not to cut their hair for 3 months before filming and when they show up they are dressed by the producer, are not arriving in their own cloths. The make overs are a sham where most of them are just given back their own cloths etc etc.....

I wish they had geek girls and hot guys too. The other thing is if they spent less time all hugging every scene the shows running time would be 50% less! Other than that quite enjoyable.

This is a show. All of us need more money, but doesn't look like those 16 (20 on the last seasons) ladies and gentlemen selected are in danger of dying of starvation if they don't win the prize, so clearly the "beauties" are in the show for publicity, so national TV exposure (and this is great for them), and the "geeks" for living a dream (and the setting and the female company is a dream for them), not necessarily for the money (oh well, publicity doesn't hurt them as well, as plenty of contestants declared on instagram...). There were comments that the competitors are exhausted. Oh well, of course you have to pay for this in a way or another, but it's just fair. You don't sleep plenty of nights during the exams period, so I wouldn't complain about it at all.

The expenses must be enormous if you do the simplest possible calculations, and the network wants a profit, so of course they offer what the people want. Is the show edited? Which reality show ever is not? Are there subjective decisions for selecting the contestants in the elimination stage? OF COURSE, in order to get the desired outcome. Is the show stereotypical? Please go to a high school and check the beauties and geeks realities there. I would be amazed if you would find a single beauty being attracted to a geek in probably over 100,000 schools on the planet; even if someone would be inclined to, the social pressure is unbearable! Is the show entertaining? Yes, very! Do absolutely all contestants gain from it? Yes, absolutely! So, we enjoy, they enjoy, it's a win-win situation with no victims. A full 10!

By the way, seasons 7 and 8 are different than the others. Sophie tries hard to help the 20 nice people involved - while gaining audience for the show, of course :) - so I liked them more.

BEAUTY AND THE GEEK Australia had the advantage of several years of the US version working out the bugs. It came across as friendlier, more targeted, and over all worked better.

The whole concept is definitely a geek fantasy, and one wonders what the girls really sign up for, (apart from the money.) They pair off and live together in the same room and bed for 6 or so weeks in a mansion setting. (They refer to the events as weeks apart, but who knows the actual filming schedule.) Everyone seems to make friends easily, and that is probably the greatest benefit for all involved - these socially awkward young men learning how to talk to and be around women that heretofore would not give them the time of day. Without question, the emotional and physical transformations are genuine and highly appropriate.

Yes, the geeks are probably coached not to shave or cut their hair for weeks before the filming, all to encourage the greatest physical transformation at their makeovers, but the point is well taken - the better you look, the more confidence it can give. Proving the old maxim, perception creates reality.

I think the girls grow as well during their time with the geeks. After spending so much of their youth in social circles containing male wolves and jocks, it is probably a breath of fresh air to be around men that are gentle, sensitive, and genuinely appreciative of womanly company. They find themselves liking these men for who they are, helping them penetrate the social boundaries that have hindered them for years.

The Australian version comes out a little cleaner and more polished, whereas the US version is more rough around the edges. Without question, the Australians are much more friendly and closer bonding than Americans, (and I found that very interesting.) I had always heard Aussies are very friendly, and the contrast between the two versions definitely bears that out. They genuinely pull for each other, whereas the US contestants generate much deeper rivalries and game playing.

I enjoyed this series, as I think it creates a universal interest and attraction between the two groups. (Almost makes me want to visit Australia.)