Ratings

It's all about ratings. I was curious about Beauty and the Geek's ratings, so I looked 'em up. The results are interesting:

(in millions)
Ep. 3 (Jan. 26th): 4.42
Ep. 4 (Feb. 2nd): 4.56
Ep. 5 (Feb. 9th): 4.08
Ep. 6 (Feb. 16th): 4.18

Tristin and I were eliminated at the end of Episode 4. Then, after we left the show, the ratings dropped by almost half a million viewers. I avoided the initial temption to assume that Tristin and I were the reason for the drop. I've taken too many psych classes to know that there are several ways to explain a correlation. (yes, I did actually learn a few things from my psych classes.) At first, I thought: "Well, maybe Smallville (which is right before Beauty) had a great episode on Feb. 2nd and that carried over to BATG (Beauty and the Geek)." But it turned out the opposite was the case:

Smallville Feb. 2nd: 5.36
Smallville Feb. 9th: 5.41

I also thought: "Perhaps more people watched the fourth episode because it was the makeover episode. I mean, Ankur got his chest waxed!" I think that's partly true, but it only accounts for .14 mil. of the viewers (episode 4 only brought up the previous amount of viewers by .14).

Perhaps there was a special on in that time slot just for that week. If there was, I haven't found out about it. (This was before the Olympics).

Now, I realize that there are a lot of other factors, but I'm still left with my initial theory: Tristin and I brought in some ratings. Not a half a million, but part of it. Now, this is just a theory, but it has some merit. These are the reasons why I think Tristin and I brought in some ratings:

First, I think Tristin and I created a lot of drama. Well, I created most of it, and Tristin magnified it.
Second, people really liked Tristin.
Third, some people really disliked me... and wanted to keep watching until I lost.
Fourth, some people really liked me and enjoyed my sense of humor.
Tristin and I kinda attracted a wide spectrum of viewers: Tristin attracted people who are more sensitive, sentimental and maybe a little softer. I attracted people who are thick skinned and rough around the edges. (Since I've been going out recently, I've found that most guys, and girls who are thick-skinned, seem to really like my sense of humor.)

The other thing I've noticed while going out is that most people have a definite opinion of me. I evoked strong emotions one way or another.

(I got the ratings from the LA Times.)

Heads up: I will be on Reality Remix on Thursday, on Fox Reality Channel. It should be pretty interesting -- Kennedy asked me some tough questions. You can actually watch it online after 5pm (well, at least you are supposed to be able to watch it online at that time, but sometimes they take longer).

Are you a veterinarian?

...Cause these pythons are sick!

I've missed you all. I know you were devastated after I got my ass handed to me in the elimination room and said goodbye to America. Well, you don't have to live in severe depression any longer, because I have braved the cameras once more.

On Sunday, I'll be on the Reality Chat show on the TV Guide Channel, where you might see the softer side of Chris.

And, sometime next week (probably Monday or Tuesday -- I'll let you know when I know) I'll be on the Fox Reality Channel's Reality Remix, where Kennedy will try to steal my second kiss, and I'll reveal I'm president of a very selective club!

I also did an interview online. I realize it repeats some of my blog entries, but there's also some other great questions.

Coming soon: My recap of an interesting trip to LA.

Two things to check out:

Tyson is hosting a one man Rubik's marathon -- one guy cubes for 24 hours! It will finish sometime today (Saturday).

And finally, you've met his friends, Thunder and Lightning. Now meet the man himself, Karl!

Episode 4

First, Geekfitters t-shirts is now open, with special sale pricing for the month of February.

Now, to the Episode. I'm not going to go in order this time, I'm just going to list what comes to mind. My overall opinion is that this episode wasn't nearly as "edited" and biased as the first episode. In fact, I think the editors treated me pretty fairly this episode, (with a few exceptions):

• The speed dating mistake: Why did I say what I said? The short explanation: I'm an idiot. The long explanation: I'm an iiiddiiiiiiooott. If there’s one thing I learned on the show, it’s that I hate karaoke. But if there’s a second thing I learned, it’s that when I screw up, I should just accept responsibility and apologize right away. Explaining will only make things worse. What do I really think about Tristin: Tristin is a sweetheart, and besides Cher, she was the smartest girl in the house.

• My main problem with this episode is that they didn't show my positive interactions with people in the mansion. Karl called me up a few days ago and told me he was upset. I asked why, and he said, "They didn't show the time you tried to teach me to play guitar." Karl is a really cool guy, and me and him got along really well. We talked a lot at the mansion, and we still do talk. I was pretty upset too, but I know how the show works. That interaction doesn't really fit into the villain image that the producers wanted for me. Also, Joe and I ran on the weekends. Well, Joe ran, I just struggled to keep up. Joe was in a lot better shape than I was. And after we ran, we just hung out and talked. Also, I did end up going into the hot tub, but only when I wasn't super-tired and/or studying for elimination. Josh and I had some "kindred spirit" moments too, times where we'd both feel the same way about something. And he'd make a comment, and I'd commiserate. For example, both Josh and I were going to die from anxiety before the karaoke competition. And, one thing they didn't even tape, was the van rides... girls were in one van, guys were in another. Us guys had a great time just joking around. On the ride over to the karaoke competition we sang every song we knew.

• My other problem with the editing was that I know I said some nice stuff about people, both to other cast members and in the interviews/confessionals, but none of it made it to the final show. I know I said nice things about Tristin, but all you see is my mistakes. I remember specifically saying that Tyson was very genuine and had a good heart, but that didn't make it in either.

• The makeover. The reason I put my head on Tristin's shoulder after Mike announced the challenge was that he said there was going to be waxing. When Tristin heard this, her eyes lit up like a Reggae band on April 2oth. I knew I was in for it. Although Tristin gave the orders, I gave the stylist some input too. During the makeover, I just told the hairstylist to do whatever she wanted, and that I trusted her judgement. She knows what kind of haircut works for my head. It took me a few days to realize that it looked good. The eyebrows was another story. I said the same thing to the aesthetician: "take off whatever you think is best. You're the expert on how eyebrows should look. But please, please bear in mind this one thing -- do not take off too much. Eyebrows should be manly. I do not want to look like the Gotti brothers." So she does her thing, and it looks good -- nice and cleaned up, and well balanced. I say, "Great job." Just then, one of the producers comes in and tells the aesthetician that the director wants her to take more off my eyebrows. He said I didn't look different enough. I was upset... I didn't want the director deciding how my eyebrows should be waxed. What does he know about it?

• The rest of speed dating: The "prostitution" commentary... We were at a restaurant called "the Geisha House." And I had taken a history class on the subject of prostitution. I thought it was fair game for conversation. Anyways, I think the girls we "dated" were pretty cold. I'm not Dave Chappelle, but I said a few funny things and I got no love in return. Oh, I was glad they showed that I was a psych major.

• I think we all kinda knew Wes was going to win. We were judged on three criteria, and one of them was appearance. Unless I did amazingly awesome, I was going to lose. I was kinda upset, because I didn't feel like I had a legitimate chance at winning the karaoke or the speed dating challenge. Also, Wes went before us, so he was the standard of comparison.

• Getting eliminated. I felt okay. It's funny, because if I had been eliminated any earlier, I would have felt crappy. First, I was feeling really bad about hurting Tristin's feelings. I made a comment on the show which summarizes how I felt: "Once I realized I screwed up with Tristin, I couldn't have cared less if they sent me to elminination room. I wasn't even thinking about that." Even though we had made up, I still felt emotionally drained. Also, I didn't feel bad about elimination because Tristin and I had already survived two trips to the elimination room. And Josh and Cher got all their questions right. When I got home, I looked up Cher on the internet and found out that she was a genius. Plus, there's a certain element of luck in there. I knew both of Josh's questions, but I didn't get those questions. So I didn't feel so bad... what could we do?

• I didn't blame Wes. I would have picked the same two couples if I were in his shoes.

• Lastly, I'd like to apologize to Tristin publicly, for marring our exit video with clips of me flexing. To the editors: That was a cheap shot. No need to cut pictures of my scrawny body into our goodbye montage.

• Okay, one more thing. We filmed this before the marketing for the film, Casanova, started.

• Alright, one more thing: People keep asking what I learned from the experience. It’s not about what I learned, it’s about how I grew. I grew as a person, because I’ve become stronger and more sensitive all at the same time. Just imagine how much you would grow if you were put in a strange environment, with fifteen strangers, being watched by 5 million people, all the while competing for 100 grand. Us geeks are good at learning, and a lot of us know who we want to be. The show helps us to become that person.

Overall, I felt like the first few episodes were really skewed, and this, by comparison, gave a somewhat fair portrayal of the events and people involved.

Episode 3

Ahh...the third episode. Didn't think I'd make it this far. Coming into this episode, I really toned down my competitiveness, even if that wasn't readily apparent.

1. The catfight: Last episode, if you recall, it was Cher/Josh and Ty/Tyson who sent us to elimination. I wasn't really hurt or insulted... I knew that I had ruined the game for myself the halfway through the very first challenge. What did upset me, though, was that I was being accused of being the only person who was competitive (it wasn't just Cher). I mean, at least be honest with me and admit that a hundred grand is a nice chunk of change, and that you're actually trying to win. I was the only person who was openly competitive, but I felt like other people were competitive, just not open about it (which was a much better strategy). Cher wanted to talk to Tristin and I. I can't remember, but I don't think she gave us a genuine apology. I think part of the reason she convened the meeting was that she remembered my "threat" and she wanted to do some damage control. Again, I don't blame her, she was just playin the game. I didn't really think she needed to apologize, at least not to me. Maybe to Tristin, but not to me. I screwed the game up for myself. Anyways, she made a bad move, from a strategy standpoint, by indicating who she wanted to win before knowing the outcome. I think she was trying to remedy that. What's funny about that conversation is that they just show Tristin and Cher talking. The whole situation was a lot more complicated than that, but there's only so much complexity a one-hour reality show can handle. Basically, it looks like I'm just sitting there in my wife-lover [okay, it's a wife-beater, but I'm trying to change that]... anyways, it looks like I'm just chillin' while Tristin stands up for us. That's not all that happened, but I respect and appreciate Tristin for doing that. Tyson was also in the room, and I remember talking with both Cher and Tyson. What stands out from that is that Tyson said something like: "the prize is only $100,000, and, after taxes, it's like 60 or 70 grand." He was right. The prize was a lump sum of just under 100 g's. Then he said, "We're all brilliant guys, and we'll all probably be making more than that by the time we're 30 or so." And I agreed. He was right. It's funny because I think of myself as being a little smart, but I never really thought about how little the money actually was. That's when I toned down my competitiveness. If you think about it longterm, 60 grand isn't that much. I give props to Tyson for that. I think Tyson was the only person in the house who genuinely was not that interested in the money.

2. We leave for the decorating expedition to Bed, Bath and Beyond. Just curious, did anyone notice Tristan saying: "Mwhahah... Now they bring in the beautiful men for the evening." And all the girls cheer. Meanwhile, Josh, the last guy out, looks back with a classic face of disapproval. Anyways, I guess no one really notices that, but they basically just said we were all ugly. Jennifer tries to cover by saying "The beautiful men just left, what are you talkin' about?" but she has a look on her face that seems like she's joking around. Is it okay to make fun of geeks, but not beauties? Just curious.

3. Shoppin: We only had about an hour to get all the stuff for one room. I'm kinda slow, I wish I would have got more stuff.

4. The rooms. We all make mistakes, especially under pressure. It's just more embarassing when it's caught on national TV. Wes isn't psycho, he just didn't have enough time to think out the clock thing. I think this was the first time someone else said the f-bomb other than me [Danielle, after Karl barely lost.]

5. The computer challenge: That one was bittersweet, cause Tristin did really well. She almost won, but she got a little impatient and double clicked the add song button. So the CD took longer to burn because it had two copies of the same song instead of one.

6. Ty Pennington: Other people in the house knew that. We would have found out anyways.

7. Elimination again! I've got to say, the questions used int the elimination room don't really show how much someone has changed or transformed. It's a pretty arbitrary way to make a decision, but that's how it's got to be. I think it would be better if they made it the team who did worst in the competitions goes to elimination. Anyways, all I gotta say is: Tristin tore it up. I gave her props then, and I give her props now. She knew her stuff, and she nailed it. If it weren't for her, we would be gone, because Tyson had his stuff down cold. Regarding the questions, someone said one of Thais questions was incorrectly deemed wrong. However, the questions were according to study materials, which were "...for dummies" books. I think the answer was wrong according to the study materials. I don't have the books with me. Anyone else know?

Episode 2

Episode 2

I know I'm a little behind here, so I'm going to try to catch up. I'm not really going to focus just on me this time, because there's less need for it and there are other thoughts and insights I'd like to share. If you want to see my apologia, look down a few posts.

1. The apology -- They showed it! I'm surprised.

2. The karaoke thing: If there's one thing I learned from the show, it's that I don't like karaoke. Josh and I were really nervous while waiting to get on... I think a few more minutes and we both would have had a heart attack. For the record, I hate the song Hot Blooded. I think it was weak that Brittany got singled out for thinking Hot Blooded was from the 80s... I think ALL of us thought that, she's just the one they caught on camera saying it. Some of the other geeks, as well as myself, were a little perturbed by the manner in which Tyson won -- the use of the Rubik's cube. I don't blame Tyson; if I could solve a Rubik's cube, I would have done it too. Besides, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have won anyways. I can't speak for the other guys, but afterwards, I just felt like my effort was wasted, that's all.

3. The speeches: Tristin tried her best. It wasn't her fault she lost. Truth is, Cher came out and blew everyone away. She spoke eloquently and gave a great speech. In fact, I think Cher would have done better than most of us geeks. I think Tristin could have came out in her bra and panties while throwing bricks of hundred dollar bills at the audience and she still would have lost. I'm glad Tristin decided to be silly and have fun with it. The girls speeches were edited to make them look worse. A lot of the girls made some good points that were cut out. The guys were allowed to ask the girls questions, but that didn't make it to TV. I was a little upset, cause Brandon asked this hilarious question, and the whole audience erupted in laughter, but it got cut. I can't remember his exact words, or if he'd want me to mention it, so I'll keep mum.

4. The toga party: I did go to the toga party, but not til later. You can see me in Amanda and Brandon's exit video, if you look closely. I didn't do the walk-off. In case anyone was wondering why the walk off was done, it was a homage to Zoolander. I didn't do it because I was studying like crazy for the elimination room. I did get down there later, and we all just chilled. I think Tristin asked me to take a break and go hang out with the others. Are you seeing a pattern here? Tristin gives me some social advice, and I listen... well at least some of the time.

5. I'd like to say, first off, that I didn't choose for Brandon and Amanda to go to elimination with Tristin and me. People make it seem like I went out of my way to eliminate them. I didn't. It just worked out that way. The elimination was super intense. We started the match 0 and 2... and I was pretty much thinking we were going to be gone. I was a little upset at myself, because Tristin and I had went over ALL the other bills except the 10 spot. This might be a good time to point out that if you don't know a question, you are still required to answer. Tristin didn't actually think that Thomas Jefferson was on the ten dollar bill, but she had to say something.

Well, that's all I can think of right now. Ep 3 coming soon.