While the women of Beauty and the Geek may be gorgeous, the show itself is guilty of the exact opposite - it's ugly to watch. Despite that assessment (I've seen a few episodes and never got hooked), the Ashton Kutcher produced show is currently in its fifth season; so somebody is watching it. Not enough people, though. Variety is reporting that the upcoming fifth season finale may very well be the show's last... for now anyway. The CW might actually just shelve it for a few seasons until they can bring it back and make it feel "new" again.
That's a smart idea if you ask me. Other reality shows that have reached the "stale" status should take a hint. I'm looking at you Survivor and American Idol. Most of these reality programs have done all they can to re-invent formulas and sometimes the only thing that works is an extended absence. Here's to hoping this one stays permanent.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-29-2008 @ 1:07PM
lucyfan62 said...
They think a format change will re-invigorate the show, but they had a major format change the first couple of weeks this season with BEAUTY VS THE GEEK and that obviously was not what fans wanted to see! I like the show when it's couples learning from each other so I'd rather not see something major change, but I do realize there's only so much they can do with the show. Leave it off the air for a year or two then bring it back in all its glory without messing it up!
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4-29-2008 @ 1:08PM
Christian said...
I actually do enjoy the show. But I think the show got weaker every season. And this is just because it tries to re-invent itself every time. I liked the pure, simple premise of season 1 and 2. But then they changed it up a lot and everything that makes this show good went down the drain: Sympathy for the characters and their bonding.
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4-29-2008 @ 1:59PM
Malren said...
B&TG is one of the only...no, it *IS* the only reality show on TV that is even close to real. The scum are easily identified, and those who really truly come on the show to learn and change are also easily witnessed. Every season has resulted in *ACTUAL* human beings making *ACTUAL* changes in their lives, good gets rewarded and bitter, nasty bitches get the boot, not a bajillion dollars.
The show has a soul. Even with the changes this year - which have already gone past, the show is basically running in the "bonded pairs" format it always has now - it's still about real people making significant growth in their lives. That's not to say that the show doesn't set up certain situations - they do, it's a TV show - but the winners generally get to the end by being decent people and actually trying to understand and bond with the opposite group. It's the only reality show I know of where the goal is to win by becoming a *better person.*
It's no wonder that some TV bloggers hate it. Appreciating the show actually requires more than watching a falsely-manipulated train wreck or ogling some boobs.
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4-29-2008 @ 2:03PM
Jonathan Toomey said...
Malren -
I'd argue that The Biggest Loser is a bit more *real* than this show. Producers can still script people/scenes to get it going in the direction they want for the good of the story on Beauty and the Geek. With Biggest Loser... you can't script a 100lb. weight loss or the person's physical/mental reaction to it. As far as Beauty and the Geek goes, I didn't say I hated it, but I'll certainly be OK with it's cancellation.
4-29-2008 @ 2:36PM
PB said...
Aw, I really like this show and look forward to it every season. I hope it doesn't get cancelled, but I do think it should go back to the more duo-oriented challenges like in seasons 1 and 2. That said, CeCe made season 3 pretty fun! :-)
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4-30-2008 @ 10:24AM
Michael said...
I can't disagree with you more PB, CeCe was a first class Bitch on S3. Out of all the women cast that season, she was the worst of all of them, a plastic phony who refused to change. Sorry...
4-30-2008 @ 3:31PM
PB said...
Oh, I completely agree that CeCe was a complete and utter b*tch! All I'm saying is that her total inability to grow and learn was fun to watch, mostly because it really emphasized how much everyone grew and learned from one another. I also loved everyone ganging up on her at the end. That made for interesting watching. CeCe was a heinous person, inside and out, no doubt about that!
4-29-2008 @ 3:24PM
Sarah said...
i've always said that B&TG was one of few real reality shows, but the fact that they have it every year has allowed it to be picked up by reality scavengers (people who go on the show just to be seen, in hopes that it will spark their modeling/acting career, hint: Cara). my feelings is that most reality shows could stand to be on a bi-annual schedule. there are enough of them to spread out. lets face it... i'd be more willing to watch Idol if it came on once every couple of years than to be pissed off that they moved Lost around so ratings won't suffer under the Idol eye/ear assault every year.
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4-29-2008 @ 4:32PM
I miss my stars! said...
I got pissed at Beauty and the Geek last year when they planted an established actor and tried to pawn him off as an air-headed party promoter. It lost a lot of its credibility.
I have watched a couple of the episodes this season, but am not as into it as I was two seasons ago.
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4-29-2008 @ 6:19PM
Bob Mc said...
My wife and I watched every episode of this show up until the second one of this season. We didn't like what they had done with the format, so we got an extra hour to do something else each week.
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4-30-2008 @ 10:23AM
Paul said...
They reverted back to the original format after about 3 or 4 episodes, and now things are exactly as they should be (beauties helping geeks gain self-confidence, geeks helping beauties realize they can do more than just "look good" if they put in the work and effort).
7-02-2008 @ 10:10AM
Jess said...
I actually think "Beauty and the Geek" was far from ugly. It was one of the few reality shows that had a real heart.
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