King of the Nerds

After hearing that this show was a successor of sorts to "The Big Brain Theory," I figured I had better check it out. Sure, "The Big Brain Theory" had the usual stupid reality TV components that will rot your brain and lower your IQ, but they counter balanced that with some really great challenges which got those neurons making plenty of new connections.

WELL, the "King of the Nerds" is basically just 100% brain rot. The winner did NOTHING the entire show other than sit in the corner. The runner-up was shockingly good at everything yet didn't win the final popularity contest due to simple revenge by the losers. My IQ went down quite a few points during this show's run. Fortunately, I've kept all my college textbooks and was able to recover in about 10 minutes of studying.

If you analyze this show carefully, you will realize the producers really don't have the proper background to make an "intelligent" program. They simply have a reality TV formula that they are regurgitating over and over. Our taste in entertainment these days IS quite a sad commentary on our culture and proof that there is little innovation but plenty of exploitation.

A final thought: of the participants that got enough screen time to get to know, I have to say Ivan really stood out. Not only did he make an impression in the challenges, but his commentary was shockingly intelligent and enlightened. If I were CEO of a large corporation, I'd hire him in an instant. This guy is an asset.

The show is nothing special, i mean we have shows about cooks, shows about hunters, shows about people who buy storage buildings, shows about truck drivers, so a show about who is the "best" nerd is nothing special. The problem with the show is two-fold. First and foremost as they recognize there are many types of nerds yet the goal of the show is to sit atop the "Throne of Games", a twist on the popular "Game of Thrones" which is a much better show to watch than this one, but I digress. The show tries to cover a lot of types of nerds as as such most contestants are at a disadvantage most of the time since the challenges cover a diverse range of skills. On a cooking show you might be asked to make desserts one week and Italian food the next but you still use the same tools and the same skills. Creating a cos-play costume is NOTHING like piloting a drone, winning at chess, or answering obscure trivia. The second problem is how the winner is actually chosen. The whole concept is to focus on nerds, people who are perceived as social misfits, the kids never chosen for sports or to be prom queen, yet in the end the winners chosen BY A POPULARITY CONTEST! Epic Fail.

The first season was alright, I quite enjoyed it. There were a wide range of "nerds" and the Nerd Wars and Nerd-Offs were quite interesting. Another thing is that it was the first season, therefore, nothing was expected and nobody knew about the twists and turns. Many of the competitors seemed more passionate about their nerdiness and strong bonds were made. It felt like most aimed for the title of "King of the Nerds" rather than the prize money. But personally, I feel like in season 2 and 3, competitors were more willing to stab each other in the back for the money. Besides, they had an idea of what was going to happen and so they came into the challenges much more prepared. So that made it a lot less exciting to watch.

This is a must for me because I am a total nerd. King of the Nerds combines many internet celebrities with countless other brains to compete for the ultimate reward. I am especially surprised for their pick on nerds. I knew Jovenshire, or Joshua Ovenshire, one of the nerds on the show, as he was a host and producer over at Smosh Games. He was one of the most loved people ever for everything he did and how he would sacrifice himself countless times to be the one getting hurt on their hilarious...and somewhat humiliating games. But hey it's the internet. Joven was awesome and too see him on King of the Nerds was definitely one of the greatest highlights of this show for me. I was in the biggest state of shock in the history of the state of shocks when I saw himself, his face, on the show. I didn't move for at least 15 minutes. I think for people who are a part of the internet, this is one of the best, or the best show ever for them because there's a good chance for people to know the contestants for this show and the looks on their faces are priceless when they see for the first time Joven or Danielle or anyone else they "know" on that show. They are in a state of shock and the memory of it will last them a lifetime. This show is undoubtedly one of the greatest things TV directors have ever created.

I don't know what the first reviewer was expecting, but if you're a nerd, you should be well-acquainted with "lowered" (i.e. realistic) expectations. True, nerds come in many flavors, so a reality-show competition is going to be putting up apples against oranges, but so what? What are you going to do, have them all sitting around the campfire, singing Kumbaya and giving speeches about why they're nerds?

Look, it's all in fun, rather tongue-in-cheek overall (losers are "destroyed" by special effects as they leave), although it's serious enough for the contestants, apparently. And really, is it any surprise that someone whose only claim to being a nerd is being a cosplayer can't compete with rocket scientists, chemists, or even dedicated/pro gamers who are also up on all the sci-fi shows and fantasy books?

It is unfortunate, sad, and ironic that there is a "popularity contest" aspect to it, even if it is popularity among fellow nerds, but then, it is entitled "The King of the Nerds," not, "The Nerdiest of Nerds." The final decision comes down to a head-to-head contest.

SO, if you're nerdy, like or are interested in sci-fi, fantasy, science, video games, LARPing, cosplay, musicals, logic puzzles, math, tinkering, robotics, horror movies, superhero comics and movies... I call this a "must see" show! Imagine you are one of the competitors -- match your knowledge to theirs -- cheer on the one most like you, or that you like for some other reason. Just don't get too emotionally attached or take anything too seriously.

Enjoy being a nerd!