Beauty and the Geek Australia

Ellie & Brooke

18, Queensland

Identical twins Ellie and Brooke are about to bring one lucky geek twice the luck in the house. 

Even though both work part-time in retail roles – Ellie as a menswear consultant and Brooke as an ice-cream scooper – and do need to count change back to customers, you won’t find either of them pursuing a job that involves maths in the future. 

Explains Brooke: “I am so bad with numbers and never did anything in maths class.” 

Ellie and Brooke both dropped out of school early but recently returned to try and finish Year 12. 

“I sort of just dropped out of school because I didn’t like it,” confesses Ellie. “I love art, drawing and being creative, but really hate maths.” 

Brooke fancies herself as a good dancer, but her worst fear is spiders … and running out of fake tan! 

“I hate having no fake tan on and I can’t go anywhere without it. I hate not having extensions in either,” she confesses. 

Ellie, who credits her single status with “being too picky”, says she’s looking for her first real love. Her dream date would be Brad Pitt simply because “he’s hot”. 

“Looks are important otherwise I’ll just get too bored. I do judge people based on their looks sometimes which is so bad. I get judged a lot too. It makes me angry. It’s annoying they think you’ve got all looks and nothing else.” 

Brooke says she hopes the geeks will make boring subjects more interesting for her, and that hopefully she can help them to be more comfortable around girls. 

“A lot of things like maths or science I normally wouldn’t want to learn about because it just goes over my head. I don’t really care about that sort of stuff so hopefully they’ll make it more interesting for me.” 

Donna

22, NSW

Earthy, hippie chick Donna sees beauty in everything and enjoys the beautiful things in life – she’s also determined her good looks will be appreciated for quite a while yet. 

This English rose, who moved to Australia from Birmingham at the age of two, has a strict all-natural, anti-aging regime to maintain her glowing youthful looks. 

“I think you are what you eat, so I’m so strict about what I put in my body. I don’t smoke and only drink occasionally. I make sure I drink two litres of water every day and do a face mask once a week. I wear sunscreen – I don’t want to get wrinkles!” explains Donna. 

“I’m all for aging gracefully. I want to be a MILF!” 

To supplement this, Donna leads a highly active lifestyle involving surfing, skateboarding and yoga. 

“I’ve always been told I’m a beautiful person. I think I have a kind, approachable face.” 

After leaving school at Year 10, Donna completed a hairdressing apprenticeship – which she thinks will be a handy skill come geek makeover time. 

“I like to bring out the quirkiness, the confidence, in people. I think I could help the geeks dress nice and look fresh. I often get complimented on my taste in fashion. And all my ex-boyfriends have used eye cream and cleansers – they would do weekly face masks with me.” 

However, Donna’s also looking for some advice herself – she’s currently on a quest for the perfect kiss. 

“I’m yet to find the perfect kiss. I thought I’d found it but now I don’t know. It’s a connection – a really beautiful moment when you just ‘know’.” 

Beauty and the Geek Australia is returning with geekier geeks, sexier beauties, super-sized challenges… and a pair of beautiful twins for double the fun! 

There’s no doubt our Beauties are gorgeous. They are vivacious, fun-loving women who love shopping, socialising and being the centre of attention. Their hair, make-up and outfits have been thought out carefully. They’re preened and ready to take centre stage. But ask for their opinions on politics, to solve a mathematical equation or maybe how to rebuild your hard drive and they’ll more than likely be stumped. 

Then there are our Geeks. Undoubtedly, they are academically gifted. They love sci-fi, comics, gaming and computers. They are socially awkward, conversationally challenged and many are still waiting for their first date. But they certainly have academia covered. 

Throw our Beauties and Geeks into a house together, team them up to compete in a series of challenges to test their brains and charisma and watch as they evolve throughout the process. 

There will be plenty of fun, laughter and teamwork along with miscommunication and frustration as our teams bond and struggle to overcome their differences in pursuit of a $100,000 prize. 

But the ultimate prize is their personal journey. Each contestant will need to share their strengths with their partner, who will hopefully overcome their own weaknesses, in order to succeed. We’ll see the girls study up on aviation, mathematics, archaeology and legal issues. For the guys, there will be sweaty palms when they’re faced with being auctioned off for a date, performing in a boy band, learning how to massage or pose nude for a photo spread. Throughout it all they’ll be working together to keep themselves safe from elimination. 

Says host Bernard Curry, “We can’t wait to give these new geeks the opportunity to transform their confidence and for the beauties to prove they really do have the capacity to learn. And I’m betting there could be a little romance as well.

“This show has a warm-hearted centre and it’s all about celebrating our differences. The challenges are so wide and varied and test the skills the contestants may lack, but they’ll hopefully complement each other and come out of it successful in so many ways.”

Updates to Seven programming.

From July 4, Seven are bringing back their ratings winning combination of Bones and Castle, after Dancing with the Stars at 8.30pm. This move comes after several weeks of movies which have not done too well for the network. Bones and Castle will be repeats as there are no new episodes available for the next few months.

Recently announced comedy program “Australia Versus” will air at 9.30 Tuesdays, from July 6, following Packed to the Rafters. Read more about the show here.

Seven’s programming issues continue on Thursdays nights, with True Beauty being pushed back from 10pm to 10.30pm from July 1. Although not rating well, Cougar Town will play in double episodes from 9.30 that night – which may be an attempt to burn off episodes, as the first season has concluded in the US. How I Met Your Mother remains at 8.30 – the fifth season of this show has also concluded in the US – with a repeat at 9pm. Why not do the same – play double new episodes?

Beauty and the Geek Australia will most likely return to Thursday nights on Seven at 8.30pm some time in September.

Now we know Minute to Win It will take over the Australia’s Got Talent timeslot, what about all the other timeslots about to be vacated by finishing shows in Seven’s prime time programming? With the amount of one off programming coming up on Seven, it would be easy to think there is a winter non ratings period coming up in time for the June/July school holidays.

Australia’s Got Talent, Private Practice, Grey’s Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters and Find My Family will all finish over the next two weeks. Desperate Housewives a few weeks later. So far – with Bones and Castle finished on June 6, no definite programming has been planned for Sunday nights other than movies.

As for Wednesday night, last Wednesday – the first week since the Pacific concluded – saw Seven offer two factual specials which did not rate very well at all. Next Wednesday – against the State of Origin – Seven will play the movie Schindler’s List – which will be a four hour ordeal, thanks to ads in what is already a long movie without breaks.

On Monday June 14, 7.30pm, there is a special called Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magic’s Secrets Revealed – which essentially is one of these shows that appear every now and then discussing how magicians perform certain tricks and illusions.

On Wednesday June 16, 7.30pm, another one off Medical Emergency, billed as a one hour special episode called Rescue Special.

The following week is still filled with “to be advised” timeslots. Timeslots yet to be confirmed include: 8.30pm Sunday June 20 (2.5 hours), 9.30pm Monday June 21 (1.5 hours), 7.30pm Wednesday June 23 (1 hour), 8.30pm Wed June 23 (2 hours) and 10.30pm Wed June 23 (1 hour).

8.30pm Tuesday June 22 also shows as “to be advised” but should be confirmed as the two hour finale of Grey’s Anatomy.

With school holidays in many states spanning June 27 – July 11 or July 4 – July 18, there may be more on off specials in some of these timeslots as Seven may chose to launch new shows in one big week in July. Packed to the Rafters will definitely return in July but a date is not yet set (I tip Tuesday July 13). Other shows almost certainly likely to return to Seven in July include City Homicide and Dancing with the Stars.

Shows still to come on Seven this year include:
Beauty and the Geek Australia (probably not until September)
Hung (now being promoted, so could be soon)
Beat the Star (another game show)
Australia Versus (new comedy show announced this week)
World’s Strictest Parents (rated well last year, so expect it back probably soon on Wednesdays)
Highway Patrol (Most likely to return to Monday nights)
RSPCA Animal Rescue (Most likely to double up with Highway patrol on Monday nights)
My Kitchen Rules season 2 (most likely a September return but being held until 2011 is also a possibility)
Criminal Minds (new episodes)
Damage Control
Parenthood

Unlucky-in-love geeks will have the opportunity to transform their confidence, their wardrobes and hopefully their single status with Channel 7 announcing an exciting new series of the hit reality show Beauty and the Geek Australia.

Last year audiences fell in love with the socially-challenged geeks and their beautiful partners as the show become Thursday’s most-watched program for all key demographics in 16-39s, 18-49s and 25-54s.

Winners Emma Cam and Jeremy Reading walked away with $100,000, unlikely friendships and a new appreciation of their once socially opposite worlds.

Jeremy says, “I had the best time of my life and would do it again in a heartbeat. There’s no other place where you get to try such crazy new things on a daily basis surrounded by such incredible people. All the geeks got along so well in the mansion and it was great to have their support where we could talk about our lives without being judged.”

Likewise Emma adds, “I would definitely encourage other girls to apply. I learnt so much about myself and the world. It’s such a rewarding experience no matter how far in the competition you progress.”

Melbourne geeks and beauties are invited along to auditions on Saturday, June 12.

If you’re an academically-gifted yet socially awkward geek or a gorgeous, fun-loving girl who’s definitely more into your looks than your books then this is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Fill out an application form (download it from www.yahoo7.com.au/beautyandthegeek) and bring it along to:

Stamford Plaza Melbourne

111 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

Geeks audition is from 8am–12noon.

Beauties audition is open from 2pm–6pm.

In the ultimate social experiment, the glitzy girls and genius guys will live together and be teamed up as they compete in hilarious and heart-warming challenges to test their intellect and social skills. Along the way they’ll grow and learn as they battle it out for $100,000.

Applicants must be aged over 18.

Beauty and the Geek Australia will premiere on Seven later this year.

The first series of Beauty and the Geek Australia has been won by Jeremy Reading and Emma Cam. The pair outscored the other remaining team Corin Storkey and Lisa McMahon when Lisa got caught out with a question that asked what sport caused Corin to have a broken bone in his arm when he was at school. She said badminton, the answer was Rugby.

Jeremy and Emma walk away with $100,000 in prize money and the honour of being the first couple to win Beauty and the Geek Australia. Many of the contestants who took part in the show praised the experience as being uplifting and helping them learn more about themselves. For the girls, they saw there was more to life than just looking good and found out they knew more than they thought they did. For the guys – some of whom have never dated before – learnt important life and socialising skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

A second series of Beauty and the Geek Australia will air in 2010. Potential contestants can enter at www.yahoo7.com.au/tv and follow the links. The US series, on which the show is based, had run for five seasons.

8:30pm – Thursday, November 26 on Seven

In the BEAUTY AND THE GEEK AUSTRALIA Grand Final, the teams pair up for their own amazing race challenge.

Armed with cryptic clues, they’ll work together to track down three eliminated contestants scattered throughout the city. The first two teams to find their friends and return to the mansion will battle it out in the final elimination quiz for the $100,000 prize.

BEAUTY AND THE GEEK AUSTRALIA is hosted by BERNARD CURRY.

Beauty and the Geek will have a second series.

During the show last night, on screens captions invited potential geeks and beauties to apply online for the second season of the show.

Beauty and the Geek has been a surprise success so far with the show attracting over a million viewers each week and doing very well in key demographics.

Beauties and Geeks can go to www.yahoo7.com.au/tv to apply.

The season finale of the current season airs at 8.30pm Thursday Nov 26.

8:30pm – Thursday, November 12 on Seven

In this week’s episode of BEAUTY AND THE GEEK AUSTRALIA, the Beauties become tour guides for a night at the museum.

The girls study up on dinosaurs, giant wombats and insects as they prepare to give a guided tour of the Australian Museum. But will they know their Stegosaurus from their Tyrannosaurus Rex?

The Geeks will take matters of the heart to a new level as they host a special radio Love Hotline. What sort of advice will these unlucky-in-love geeks have to dish out on relationship matters?

The winning teams will be safe from elimination and nominate a team each to go into the eviction room.

BEAUTY AND THE GEEK AUSTRALIA is hosted by BERNARD CURRY.