I’m generally not a fan of reality TV shows: they tend to be geared toward maximum exploitation of the people on the show, vapid entertainment based on sex appeal or cruel humour. The reason most of these types of shows are popular? It’s the same reason why people driving slow down to watch the aftermath of a car crash. We have a strange desire as humans to witness the suffering of others. I’ve ignored 95% of the shows in this genre, having never watched more than a couple of episodes of Survivor, The Amazing Race, Big Brother, etc. When I first heard about Beauty and the Geek a couple of years ago, I just knew that I had to check it out. I wasn’t disappointed, because the first season was hilarious. I found that I could identify with the geeks on the show, which gave me an instant connection to it – while some people watching the show doubtlessly laugh at the geek, I was definitely laughing with them because I know what it’s like (and I managed to marry my own beauty). The third season of this show just kicked off last week, and it looks just as entertaining as the first two seasons (though nothing will ever be as funny as watching Richard in the first season). If you’re a jock or were popular in school, you won’t grasp this show. But if you went home most days after school to play Ultima IV by yourself (like I did), you’ll find this an entertaining TV show. The cast this year is a good mix of geeky geeks (like the guy who leads a Star Wars tribute band) and beauties (some of the women look incredible) – and, true to form, some of the geeks are incredibly socially dysfunctional (some in their 20’s and never having kissed a girl), and some of the beauties are incredibly clueless (like the one who thought the satellite was a telescope). I’m definitely glad this show came back a third time!