The fifth season of "Beauty and the Geek" features two beauties and a geek who lived in the East Valley. That's not the only twist - this year also features the oddly Machiavellian element of pairing the beauties versus the geeks, instead of pairing them up and having them work together. So how well will our local beauties, and geek, fare in this environment? (Spoiler alert: One of the three won't be back next week!)
On TV
“Beauty and the Geek” airs 7 p.m. Tuesday on the CW.
'Beauty and the Geek’ premiere party
Watch the season premiere with cast members Cara Goldberg, John English and Amanda Corey
When: 9:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Six Lounge, 7316 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale
How much: Free, reservations “highly suggested”
Information: (480) 663-6620 or 6az.com
GEEK: John English
From: Tempe
Age: 25
Claim to geekdom: The CW Web site dubs him a “recovering Microsoft addict,” but the on-screen graphic during the episode itself uses the much less specific tag of “child genius” (though no explanation or evidence of this status is given). Not as cool as Tommy, the “sweater vest enthusiast.”
Memorable moment: Awkwardly shouts out “girls suck!” during a toast in an attempt to be playful.
My take: Compared with the eight other geeks this season, John seems like a pretty normal guy. Which might be a blessing in the real world, but isn’t likely to get the job done on “Beauty and the Geek,” where the more socially awkward fellows are the ones that usually succeed (and get more screen time). And in this job market, is knowing about computers “geeky” or a “vital skill”?
BEAUTY: Amanda Corey
From: Queen Creek (originally, West Warwick, R.I.)
Age: 23
Claim to beautydom: Hawaiian Tropic model.
Memorable moment: “My worst subject in school is definitely history,” Amanda admits. She goes on to illustrate this fact in an ill-fated attempt at naming the last five U.S. presidents: “Bush, Clinton, Nixon, Theodore Roosevelt, Higley.” Yes, “Higley.” Perhaps she was mixed up with the unincorporated community neighboring Gilbert.
My take: Amanda isn’t featured a whole lot in the first episode, other than being perhaps the most distraught over the first challenge (ug-ifying the beauties and sending them to a club to try to get numbers). It’s never good to fade into the crowd on these shows.
BEAUTY: Cara Goldberg
From: The Arizona State University graduate splits her time between Scottsdale and Temecula, Calif.
Age: Depends on whom you ask. The CW’s Web site says 21, her own MySpace says 26.
Claim to beautydom: “Aspiring soap star.”
Memorable moment: Consoles Greg, the self-proclaimed “gaysian” (yes, that means gay Asian), who feels out of place and alone inside the “Beauty and the Geek” house. Turns out, Cara feels that way, too! The kind of precious moment that only an aspiring soap star and a gaysian can share.
My take: Of the women, Cara gets among the most face time in the first episode. That alone should make her a potential contender to win the show’s $250,000 grand prize.
