Beauty and the Geek 5, Episode 4: For the Love of Science

We pick up where we left off last week, with Tara about to choose her partner from the last two remaining guys, Joe and Jonathan. They are both nervous as they await her decision, which is… Joe. She chose him because he has a big heart.

Jonathan would have liked to stay, as he had more to accomplish, but he is looking forward to going home to see his mom. I am sure I speak for many when I say it really is too bad he left before the makeover portion of the show, because I am sure there is one very cute guy underneath that beard.

Matt feels bad that Jonathan is leaving, but isn’t sure Jonathan did as much as he could with his time in the house. Jonathan knows that there’s a lot more to him than being a geek, and the real him is waiting to be discovered. Some girl will discover it, no question, and she’ll probably introduce him to the concept of shaving.

Joe is extremely relieved at his chance to remain in the game.

Tiffany interviews that she was supposed to have chosen Jonathan, but picked Jim instead due to an overwhelming feeling that he is meant to be her partner. I guess he does need some guidance, as we see her explaining to him how to use conditioner. The tutorial continues as she tells him the next step will be to sleep in pajamas instead of the clothes you have been wearing all day. Talk about starting at square one.

Meanwhile Tara brings the most grateful Joe to the bedroom to set up their new sleeping arrangements. There’s a little bit of discussion of Joe’s snoring, where he claims that even though they are in week four of the Great Snoring Crisis, he doesn’t snore that loudly.

This caused quite the lively discussion in my house, as it’s a pet peeve of mine when people who snore claim to know how loud they are and that it isn’t that bad. If you’re one of these people, let me tell you as gently as I can: You’re sleeping whilst snoring, so only the person trying to tune it determines how loud you are. Got it? Good. Snorers, they are a different breed.

Tommy and Amanda have a discussion about game play, probably because there are no pressing sinus issues that need immediate attention. Tommy wants a clearly defined mission statement for their team, which baffles her since she thinks “to win” should work. He seems somewhat affronted by her mercenary attitude as he explains that if they follow his mission statement, which is to learn as much as they can from each other for personal growth, the inherent side effect will be winning. They got to the same place, he just took a longer path.

Amanda claims to be a quick learner who just doesn’t happen to know much right now. Her confidence is impressive, to be sure. I do wonder why she wouldn’t know more, if she was indeed a quick learner, as I am sure she has been exposed to information at least peripherally. And don’t schools still teach things?

Thank goodness we can head to the Challenge Meeting now, so I can stop thinking about the cognitive dissonance which is Amanda.

Mike, the most awesome TV host, makes a little small talk asking Jason what he’s learned by the recent pairings. Jason now knows that there are beautiful girls who are willing to accept him, and we learn that Jason has a great smile. On to the challenge set-up: The ladies will be creating and presenting projects for The Beauty and the Geek Science Fair. They will be applying theories based on geology, solar energy, and the laws of physics to explain alternate fuel sources. For their part, the guys will learn about the science of love by joining Dr. Drew for his radio show, Dr. Drew Live, and will be giving callers advice on love and romance.

Matt notes that he doesn’t give romantic advice, he takes it. He begs for it.

As Mike wraps up the challenge meeting, Joe is lapsing into his military shtick. Randi was in the military so this particular affectation bothers her. It bothers me, too, and I never enlisted. He’s trying too hard to be “on,” whether with the cowboy or the military stuff, as if he’s playing a character and doing it badly. I hope this is something he drops as the game progresses, because it’s somewhat painful to watch.

Leticia is excited about the challenge; she’s into the whole science thing. Cara is choosing to do a project on earthquakes. Chris explains that when he helps with a project, he doesn’t want to take over, as the project needs to be hers. He realizes that he has his work cut out for him as he explains that we live on the outside of the earth, rather than inside the liquid core.

Jason is nervous about the teams of Cara/Chris and Jim/Tiffany, the latter due to Jim’s strength in science. Tommy, meanwhile, is prepping for his part of the competition by reading the study materials on romance. Amanda gives him excellent advice, telling him to focus on the practical and work less on memorizing the Latin root for the word “romance.”