Joe Block

The latest

2010-02-21T22:26:00.003-06:00

Hey all-

I know, I know... no updates. I was reading my friend's blog and was inspired to post. I've come to realize that blogs are only as good as their pictures. So sit back and enjoy the text...

I've tried to provide interesting stories and anecdotes about batg and the people involved, but sadly the show hasn't aired here in the states in quite some time. I haven't heard anything about additional seasons, so who knows. The best I can do is a little where are they now:

-Karl is in Chicago getting his PharmD. It's not the same here in LA without him, but I have a feeling he'll end up coming back here. He may be in love... :)
-Brit is in NYC. She's doing well and sees celebs all the time. I think she applied to be on the bachelor... we'll see how it turns out!
-Danielle is getting her degree in nursing. I get occasional calls about boys and see her when I'm in town, but I definitely owe her a call.
-I saw Nadia (season 3) the other day at her work here in LA. She's originally from Chicago too and has been hanging out with a famous athlete. I was excited for her when she told me, although you never know with those kinds of situations.
-I'm probably going to see Cara (season 5) next weekend for her friend's bday. It's been a while so it'll be good to catch up with her.
-David Olsen (season 4 winner) visited us here in LA. He was hanging with his Survivor friends. Through him, we got to go to the Survivor finale party. We met a guy who was on the bachelor. He was a smooth talking, suave guy. It's not a surprise they chose him.
-Oh ya! I saw Tyson (season 2) last night at the magic castle. We were invited by John George (http://www.johngeorge.com/) who is an amazing magician. It was good to catch up with Tyson. He may be moving back to the west coast, so hopefully we'll see him more often.

That's about it for updates on the batg front. I recently joined a new company, Roll International (http://www.roll.com/). It's a great company with awesome people -- I couldn't be happier. [aside: I wonder if I write our products on here, if it'll show up on my Google alerts. Let's try: Fiji Water, POM Wonderful, Cuties Oranges, Wonderful Pistaccios... I'll report back].

Update: I made it into Google alerts!! I thought certainly I wouldn't generate enough traffic to warrant it, but apparently Google is insensitive to how boring my blog is. Ok, that's all for now.

Oh ya, Karl's moving back to Chicago

2009-08-03T02:13:00.002-05:00

I totally forgot. I still live with Karl, but only for like 1 month more. It's really sad. I've lived with him for like 3 years now. It's been amazing. I really hope to stay in touch with him, but he's not the greatest with that. He's move back to Chicago to get his PharmD. It'll be good for him to get his new career going, since he's been a scientist for quite some time now. I'm sure I'll see him when I'm back in Chicago. I'm sad, but it's for the best.

Updates, Life, Etc.

2009-08-03T01:54:00.003-05:00

Hey all-

An update is well over due... to the boringest blog in the world.

So I'm still living in Los Angeles working for an amazing consulting firm called Keystone Strategy (www.keystonestrategy.com). We are always hiring superstars if you know anyone who is interested. I can't say enough good things about the impact and work that we do on a daily basis.

On to the interesting stuff. So I had dinner the other night with Cara and one of the story producers from her season (5 I think; they all blur together for me). We had some Mexican food at a place in Beverly Hills that was frankly mediocre at best. I won't even give them a shout out because they charged us for a pepsi we didn't order or drink. Oh well. So the point is that I learned that Beauty and the Geek (batg) was possibly picked up for a 6th season. I thought they had opted to end it, but apparently they just needed to find a new home. The rumor was that it'll be on VH1, but I honestly can't confirm/deny either way. We'll have to see. The show has been played out quite a bit, but I could see it being a huge hit on VH1. I think we got more attention and fandom from MTV and VH1, than we did from the WB (now CW). So either way, that's exciting if the franchise lives on. I really do feel like shows that provide a benefit to society (I know... it's arguable) should be subsidized and made sure they continue on. The prime example is Home Makeover. That show is great for what they do even if it's become trite and formulaic.

I digress. So apparently seasons are still starting in other geographies. I got a message from Australia from someone asking me for advice. That's great that the show has penetrated other markets so well. I've gotten messages from all throughout Europe too about seasons there. I think there's even a worldwide batg alumni group on facebook. I never check it, but I remember signing up for it. Now that I mention it, there's quite a weird alumni network from batg. I don't know if other reality shows are like this, but it's pretty cool. I still talk to many people from my season and have become good friends with many others. Over time, it's harder to stay up with everyone, but I try to check in periodically. Here's a quick update of my batg interactions (hopefully no one minds me sharing their whereabouts):

Wes: Moved out east sadly. Was in LA and decided to go back to his SW roots.
Brittany: Lives less than 1 mile away. She's working her way up through the acting scene. She just got her third SAG voucher the other day.
Danielle: Just got accepted to nursing school. She's been working as a librarian but is looking forward to the career change. She's single too guys! (Hopefully she doesn't mind me saying that).
Tristin: Sadly I don't talk to her much any more these days, but I check in on Facebook occasionally. Still living in IL methinks.
Chris: He's doing well. Working for a talent agency here in LA. I see him from time to time.
Amanda: I texted her when I was in Chicago. She was out of town but it was good to chat with her briefly. It sounds like she's doing well.
Nadia: Has been doing well out here in LA and I see her sometimes. She came to a party at my house not too long ago.
Cara: She's doing well working for William Morris in LA. She's one of my good friends out here.
Nikky: She's also at William Morris out here. I never see her any more, but it seems like she's doing really well. I hope to hang out with her soon.

I'm sure there's some people that I'm missing, but that should suffice for now. It'd be fun to do a 'where are they now' episode. I don't know what I wrote in earlier posts, so I'll include some other run-ins here. I ran into Richard from season one at the Really awards a while back. I ran into Lauren a long time ago, but not managed to hang out again sadly. I talked to Sarah a few months ago and it sounds like she's doing well. Been working as a dental assistant and living in Florida (she may have moved, not sure). I got invited to an event by Cher, but sadly had to go out of town and couldn't attend. Josh is MIA, but hopefully doing well here in LA. I spoke with some of the season 5 peeps on facebook, but only met a few. I'm sure there's others, but I'll move on.

That's about all. If you have questions or comments, leave me a msg here. I'll try to be more attentive. Stay in touch (that includes you mom!)

A few tidbits

2008-12-03T18:56:00.003-06:00

Hey all-

I have a few pieces of BATG news I'd like to share. First and foremost, my partner and good friend Brittany is moving to LA after the new year. She's very excited and nervous, but looking forward for a change. I don't want to say too much on her behalf, but she's looking to pursue some opportunities here in LA that aren't available for her in Chicago. It'll be nice to have her out here.

I also heard (thanks comment posters and intergoogle and batg friends) that they're doing a BATG 6. I remember reading one of the concerns about the show is that it had played out, but apparently they're looking to go back at it again. There's no reason they couldn't stick to a lower-production formulaic series to make it work (c.f. bachelor). The reception of the show is driven by characters moreso than plot in my opinion. Case in point, Richard is probably the man solely responsible for getting the show picked up for a second season. Without his crazy antics, there would have been no BATG 2 and so forth. While I'm thinking of it, I actually met him a few months ago...

I went to the Fox Reality Channel Really Awards. They already aired so I don't have to worry about giving anything away. But spoiler alert if you are reading. Some of the highlights included having Hugh Heffner walk right past me as well as his playmate girlfriends. I was standing next to Ron Jeremy when the night ended. Got to meet a few of the random reality stars including people from all those VH1 shows that I'll never be able to name for you, some twins from sunset tan or something (you can see I don't watch that much tv) and Nigel from So you think you can dance. I went to the event with Brittany and Aleks (season 2, so you think you can dance) which was cool. Aleks has become a close friend and was a childhood friend of my girlfriend's, so the reality circle has widened slightly beyond batg. I also saw plenty of other random celebs including Traci Bingham, Jerry Springer and Shane Sparks. The tall guy from Top Model was there too, but kept a low profile. I ran into some execs from Fox Reality that I had pitched to previously, so it was nice running into them.

That's all I have by way of an update for now. I don't think I have any pics from the Really Awards but maybe there's one online somewhere. Drop me some more comments. I enjoy them. Glad you guys are still keeping up with the batg world.

Long time no post

2008-08-04T16:32:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone-

I saw there were a few comments for me to post some new batg news. So here I go...

There's no more beauty and the geek. After the 5th season, the ratings had plummetted and the format was a bit tired. The variations on the team pairings and the twists were not very well received by the viewers, so far as I could tell. I enjoyed it because it kept things interesting, but part of the original intention of geeks learning from beauties was (some would argue) lost along the way. I personally felt the casting was responsible for the degradation of the show. The show went from 14 people having no idea what they were getting into on season one to 16 people who genuinely cared for each other in season two. But alas our season was too friendly and cordial that the producers opted to seek more competitive/cutthroat types. That's not to say that all of the people were like that, but it particularly stood out with some of the females on the show. A few from each season. The cast strippers, escorts, playmates, moms, etc. for the following seasons, which turned beauty and the geek into just another vh1 reality show. I should mention that I have no problem with moms being on the show and I'm told some of them were the coolest girls on there, but it is weird thinking about virgin geeks getting advice from hot moms. Maybe that's the direction the show needs to go? I should disclose that I am friends with many of the people from these seasons and I can tell you they are awesome people. There were just a few rotten eggs that in my opinion ruined the spirit of the show, much more so than any format changes.

You can read about the end of the show online. They'll probably have more answers for you than I do. I know the show aired internationally as well. I got messages from people watching our season as well as geeks from other international versions. Some day they may bring it back when it's had more time to become novelty again or they redevelop the format. So you know typically these shows do 5 season contracts when starting, so to re-up with a new one would have been very costly. [insert funny comment about Ashton needing the money to feed his family here]. But it was a great experience and I'm really glad that I got to be a part of it while it lasted. I made some great friends along the way from all of the seasons. I guess I could recap who I talk to and where they are now kinda deal:

I still live with Karl from my season.

I had lunch with Cowboy Joe, Matt (season 5) and Dave (season 4 winner) not too long ago here in Los Angeles. They are some really funny characters. I played this awesome board game called 'shadows over camelot' with some of the guys. It's gotta be the geekiest game I've ever played. It's a collaborative game where you fight the evil forces attempting to take over camelot.

I talk to Brittany and Danielle from my season regularly. Danielle came to visit Karl and me in LA a few weeks ago. Said it was the best vacation of her life. Who would have thought geeks could show a beauty the best vacation of her life?

I met up with Tristin, Brit and Danielle when I was in Chicago last. Tristin is doing well. Married and working in the medical industry.

I talked to Sarah from season 2 as well. She graduated from school as a dental assistant I believe. Don't quote me.

I see Wes and Chris from my season regularly. They're doing well out here in LA.

I visited Nadia from season 3 the other day at work. She's doing well here in LA.

I've been playing phone tag with Cara from season 5. She seems super sweet but I've never met her, only talked to briefly.

I talked to Tyson online earlier today. He's doing well in NYC as a trader.

I occasionally speak with Amanda just to see what's new with her. She's doing well back in Chicago.

I talked online with a few of the guys from season 5 including Jason and Jonathon.

I talked to Ankur a bit in the past but haven't heard from him lately. I wonder what he's doing now... blowing stuff up or creating robots to take over the world?

I talked to Dave from season 4 online sometimes. He's a cool dude.

Nicole is moving to LA. I talked to her a little. Hopefully she'll come hang when she's in town.

Sorry if I missed anyone. I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting, so just ask and I'll tell you if I know them or met them or talked to them. Honestly, all of the people that I've met are friggin awesome. I hope someday we can do a season-wide reunion. We were the only season not to get one, which sucked. Their loss. We would have killed on the ratings. I heard season 4 had a mini-reunion in Chicago. It stinks that I missed it, but I'm not going to trade in the LA weather any time soon.

Maybe I'll post an update on myself here one of these days. That's the latest for batg. Thanks for reading.

I was on TNT!

2008-01-05T12:18:00.000-06:00

Ok... it's not quite what you think. I was at the Bull's game the other night (the double overtime one) and our seats were so amazing we got on TV! I didn't tape the game or anything, but I got a text message from a friend saying he saw me. I also have had a streak of getting recognized by random people. I thought I was far removed from getting recognized, but alas it still happens a bit. I think MTV has reaired some batg seasons too, which probably helps. The guy behind me at the game wanted a picture of me because his 'wife' was a big fan. And then last night at a bar in Chicago called Crimson lounge, I got swarmed by like 6 people at once being like I think I know you from somewhere; before I knew it, I was taking pictures with everyone. I still enjoy getting recognized, but I kind of wish I was still doing things in the industry so I could promote an upcoming project or something. Maybe some day.

I'm in Chicago now for work. It's pretty cool to be home and chill at my old place w/ my friends. Oh ya, tonight I'm celebrating Brittany's birthday in Chicago! She just turned 24 on the 2nd. Can you believe that? I first met her on the show when she was 21. She's certainly come a long way since then. Anyhow, going to get sushi and then head to some local establishment. Should be a fun time. Danielle is coming too. Karl is back in LA w/o me, so he won't be joining us. I called Amanda to see if she wanted to come, but she didn't answer. I spoke with Nadia yesterday too; she's doing well in LA. Has a manager now, but still looking for work. It's a tough business out there, especially with the strike. I also heard Shiree (sp?) from batg3 moved to LA to pursue acting. I also heard CC and Megan from batg3 are in Chicago and maybe living together. I'm not sure if that's true at all, but it's what I heard. That's about all on the batg front. Hope everyone had a happy and safe h0liday.

Consulting

2007-12-23T04:21:00.000-06:00

I joined an amazing company called Keystone Strategy (www.keystonestrategy.com). They are always looking for very talented people. They do IT strategy consulting and some expert witness work as well. If you want to know more, drop me a line. I'm friendly, at least according to my mom (hi mom!). You can always follow the instructino for applying on the website and just drop my name too. Just don't tell them you found it on here, cause then they might start reading this super amazing awesome blog and find out I'm super awesome and give me a huge raise and such. Or realize I have poor grammar skills and a lack of audience awareness. Anyhow, let me know if you want to know about the world of consulting or the company I work for in particular. Woo.

Quick update on me

2007-12-23T03:57:00.000-06:00

I know most of you read this for the juice gossip on batg. Unfortunately, being 2 seasons removed now means I know less people involved in the whole process, but it has still turned out to be quite the fraternity (?) or rather alumni club. Do you like my self-editing as I go? I am actually still really close with Nadia from season 3 as well. But part of the reason I talk to her semi-regularly is because she too recently moved to LA. Right around the same time I did. I must have mentioned that in a previous post, but if I didn't... oops. I moved out here after I graduated. Well, that's not completely true. I took a two week vacation first. Went to London, then Girona Spain, then Barcelona, then Prague and finally Belgium for a night before heading home. I really liked Barcelona and Prague, although Belgium was probably the best. Played chess in some bar/restaurant against really good players, boughts tons of chocolate and ate yummy french/belgium food. I actually don't have any pics from the trip, but I imagine my sisters do. Maybe I can track those down. Probably time for a new paragraph eh?

So I moved to LA in September. I'm really enjoying. Got an amazing pad with 4 of my buddies. 4300 sq ft in Century City. Couldn't ask for anything better. Right now, one of my roommates is playing Mass Effect on the 60 inch tv. It's an amazing game. Halo meets rpg. A little overcomplicated inventory, but great gameplay, story and graphics. I like the concept of leveling up. In fact my roommate and I talked about how leveling up characters can be more rewarding quicker than leveling yourself up. I don't think I'm expressing it clearly, so I'll move on, but I'm sure you D&D people know what I'm talking about. Speaking of, Karl got me playing. I hadn't played since I was a kid. Like decades ago. Can I say that about a single decade+? Anyhow, I'm enjoying it but it's a little slow and I began to realized like my other roommates who tried playing it with us, is that we're at an age where we need to be productive and can't sit around pretending to have 18 strength. Well, we can wish right? haha. But it's a good time nevertheless. I found out Dave from batg4 plays too. I told him we should join forces some day to try it. A boy can only dream.

So living it up in LA. It's kind of sad not having as many friends and connections and knowledge and invitations, but it did take me like 9 years in Chicago to develop that, so hopefully it won't take me as long here. I don't think I've really been to a true LA club, but I'm sure I will at some point. I'm not much for clubs anyhow. But I notice they don't have many chill lounges like Chicago does either. Mostly restaurants with liquor licenses and some clubs/bars. I also don't like how they don't have a good assortment of gyms. Let me explain. LA has the lower end ones, like 24 hour fitness and LA fitness and Ballys and Powerhouse... you get the point. They are all like 20-45 bucks a month. Something like that. Then there's Bodies in motion for $60 bucks. I'll probably join that one at some point. But then it jumps to $130 a month for equinox and $170 for la fitness club. I'm no economist, but David Barton needs to open one here and price it right between the 60 and 130. I'd definitely join. Someone talk to them about that, ok?

Apple pan. Supposed to be a great LA burger. Eh. Bad service and only decent. In and Out. ok. Overrated for sure. Islands. Love it. Big burgers, slightly higher priced but worth it. I get this teryaki chicken w/ pineapple and swiss that's amazing. I could talk food for hours. Any chance I could get paid for that? I love food network too. I like Iron Chef, more out of awe than anything else. I got to watching top chef a little. It's much more palatable dishes than Iron Chef, but not the same sense of urgency. I'm going to try to make red snapper tomorrow. Wish me luck.

I can't believe the Bears suck this year. Who would have thought? I know that whole statistic about the losing superbowl team (wait, do I owe money for saying superbowl?), but I thought they'd at least be .500. I could talk sports forever too, but I don't imagine anyone wants to read that here either.

I think this is a good start for me getting back in the swing of posting again. If I get just one comment, I'll keep posting. I had no idea people were still checking this. Thanks for reading the most boringest blog ever. You rock, whoever you are anonymous.

I suck at posting

2007-12-23T03:42:00.000-06:00

Ok. I haven't gotten back to this here blog in a long long time. I really have no excuses, but alas I'll try to catch you up to speed.

First and foremost, I found out someone actually read my blog and found it handy. Yippie. I wouldn't have posted it if I didn't think someone could benefit, and finally someone did. Any guesses? No not me. C'mon, this is the $64,000 (post taxes and lump sum that is). Well, if you haven't figured it out by now, see below

That's right. I got to hang out w/ Dave and Nicole at their finale party in Boston. It was really random because I happened to be in Boston for work and got out early enough to actually go. It was quite exciting. So Dave was the one that said he found my journal and blog quite helpful. That totally made my day. Here I thought I was only writing it to keep my mom up to date. Boy was I wrong. And Nicole, she's super awesome. Here's a picture with her and me:

In this picture, she kind of reminds me of this girl I knew from Iowa when my band was on tour there. But that's another entire post. She was recently in LA for a night, but I wasn't really feeling up for going out. I think they went to Beauty Bar. I guess someone is making a smooth transition from geek to beauty in no time. haha. Actually, she's still plenty geeky too, as all of us geeks on the show were.

So that's my update on batg4. Actually, I met Jen briefly in Boston too but she was with a dude and seemed disinterested. I honestly don't blame her. But it was still cool to meet her. She was much taller than I anticipated.

Hope this quenched your batg appetite. I actually just got a text from Danielle (batg2) who was hanging with Karl and Brittany tonight in Chicago.

Fox Reality Re-airs BATG2

2007-08-28T10:13:00.000-05:00

Just a heads up. All week Fox Reality is airing our season of beauty and the geek with extra commentary and footage. I only caught the end of the second episode last night, but there was some funny commentary after the episode. i suggest checking it out. you can see how we look post-batg and hear what we thought during the show.

enjoy.
Joe

Lots to discuss

2007-08-06T03:34:00.000-05:00

Hey all-

Sorry that I haven't been keeping up with the updates. I'm glad to see there's still a few of you still interested in everything happening in the world of geek. I'm going to post bullet points to keep it short.

1) I am finishing up grad school this month. Thus, not many updates. My thesis defense is Aug 23rd at Northwestern University if anyone is interested in attending.
2) In other happy news, I accepted a job in Los Angeles doing IT strategy consulting. I start in Oct. If anyone is looking for a job in this field, drop me a line.
3) Moving to LA in Sept for the job. Can't wait. I love it out there.
4) A production company has picked up one of the TV shows that I and one of the producers from BATG2 came up with. It's still very early, but it's exciting.
5) Still going strong with the girlfriend. It's been almost a year and a half, which is the longest relationship for me by far. It feels very nice to have someone so great in my life.
6) You might see Karl and I in the casting special for BATG4. We just showed up, hung out with Mike (the host) and got taped a little. It was quite fun whether it makes it to air or not.
7) I heard this season is going to be crazy (this was pre-shooting). Lots of surprises.
8) Sorry I buried the lead, but our season should be reairing on Fox Reality sometime this summer (which is almost over... maybe I/we missed it). Supposed to be 1hr 30min episodes with extra commentary and footage. I'm curious to see what they include. We gave them suggestions, but you never know with these things. They'll probably just add a lot of our commentary like a documentary of sorts.
9) Tuesday is my bday. Not sure what I'm doing for it yet. Suggestions?
10) Ok 10 is a good number to end on. I hung out w/ Danielle, Karl and Brittany this weekend. Still living with Karl. Not sure if he's moving to LA yet, but I'd like him to. He's an awesome person. He's been seeing this girl from cali too. Good times. Oh ya, I finally won at Yahtzee! Danielle is a monster at that game. Dominated us like every game, but I finally won!

Ok sorry for the chaotic post. Back to my thesis. It's almost 4am. Go Bears!

A possible BATG2 Reunion?!

2007-04-18T13:37:00.000-05:00

I can't discuss too much of the details, but it seems a filmed reunion show for our season of beauty and the geek is possibly in the works. I don't think the entire cast will be in attendance, but a good majority will be. That's all I should probably say until it is confirmed. But it's pretty exciting since we were the only season to not really have a reunion show.

Rumor also has it that there will be a casting special for the fourth season. They are also looking for geeks and beauties for the fourth season, so if you are one, know one or know where to find some, please pass this information along. I will be posting a bulletin on myspace and on this blog about how you can contact the casting people to be on the 4th season. If you are serious about being on or know someone who is, I wrote some tips for getting on the show in a much earlier entry in this blog.

That's about all. I'll post more when I know more. Cheers.

BATG2: The never-ending season

2007-04-13T13:29:00.000-05:00

So I guess MTV thought they'd reair our season of batg again. It's awesome that they do it. I just never thought they would do it so often. I guess people really enjoy it. I've only seen some of the episodes only like once and I was on it, so I don't know who's watching it multiple times, but thank you!

And word has come to me that Fox Reality will also begin airing our season in the summer. The greatest part: they're having some of us from the season do commentary on the episodes. How cool is that? All those show write-ups I never got around to, you can just listen to me talk about the episodes instead! When I learn more, I'll keep you guys updated. Cheers.

Wes

2007-04-13T13:21:00.000-05:00

I don't remember if I mentioned anything or not, but Wes from batg2 stayed with Karl and I last weekend. It was really good to see him. I had actually seen him the week prior in LA, but it was a short dinner at UWink where we all stared at computer screens and only spoke briefly. For all you geeks in LA that are reading this... eh, who am I kidding. UWink.com is an interesting idea (one I've had myself in some capacity), but poor execution. Good food but bad service. Interesting concept though: electronic food ordering, electronic consoles at tables to play video games, large tvs to watch, eclectic america food menu. Ok that's enough time on UWink.

So Wes. My band played last friday at an art gallery in Bridgeport. Turned out to be a really cool show with good sound and great crowd. In fact, Danielle, Brit, Karl, Drew, Wes and I were all there. The artwork there was interesting to say the least. Much of it was not to my liking because I felt I could do what they did, but to each their own. I heard some of the big pieces sell for 350,000 dollars. I don't know who would pay that or why, but I think I'd rather have a house. Wouldn't you?

Ok so I still haven't talked about Wes. He's doing well. Living in LA. I guess he's no longer dating Cher. He's moved on. Works as a computer programmer now. Likes sushi and tequila and cheap toy guns. Wait, is this a dating ad for Wes? What's wrong with me today.

Greetings from Los Angeles

2007-03-26T03:13:00.000-05:00

Hey all (aka hi mom)-

I'm out here in LA vacationing with the girlfriend. Going to grab dinner with Wes from batg2 tomorrow. I'm planning on seeing Chris and Tyson while I'm out here too. Should be a fun time.

We're staying with one of the producers from batg2. I don't know if I'm supposed to say anything, but he's going to be working for Steven Spielberg tomorrow. Anyhow, it's a great central location to get around although it is only day 2 now. We flew in late last night. I really like it out here. Perfect temperature for me: 70's and breezy. Just below beach weather unfortunately... unless beaching means playing chess on the beach. Maybe I should invent a drink called chess on the beach. Would it be sex on the beach but without the alcohol? Would it have some sort chess themed liquor or sand in the bottom of the glass? Who knows. But at least I coined the drink here first.

So that's the minimal update. It's like 1am here, which means 3 am back home. I did take a nap earlier after we perused the flower gardens in Pasadena. Beautiful scenery. Lots of crazy cacti; in fact, one thing looks like a cacti tree where it was a conglomeration of cacti together. Maybe I can post some pictures when I get back to the chi. It's kind of sad that I'm going to miss Bow Wow's bday party. My roomie is going. But we will find some fun stuff to do out here I'm sure. Ok that's about it. Thanks again to everyone who still reads this.

Season 3 is over already?

2007-02-23T13:10:00.000-06:00

Well Beauty and the Geek Season 3 flew by this year. I think the fact that they had two episodes on the first night and barely skipped any weeks with new episodes made for a really quick season. Everyone I spoke to was somewhat disappointed with this season. From a producer of my season to relatives of a cast member from my season to a fellow cast member this season... the list goes on.

I really only got a chance to hang out with Nadia and occasionally Erin this season. Nadia is an absolutely awesome person and should have won. No slight to Megan. Erin was a really cool chick as well. I missed the night at Drew's family's restaurant unfortunately. I saw Megan on the premiere episode party... I heard she was engaged. I'm not sure why that didn't make it into the reunion episode. In fact, I'm not sure why a lot of stuff didn't. It was really lame that they didn't put all the cast members in one room. The solo or duo interviews were kind of lame. Congrats to Mario on getting married. I find it hard to believe that he wasn't already dating the girl when he came on the show if he got married the following october. I guess it would hurt his credibility so the producers told him to present it that way. Which brings me to my next point. If I were the head person for Batg4, I'd fire the casting people for season three. This is a little bold, but I'm definitely in the majority when I tell you people didn't relate to the cliquish, backstabbing nature of this season. People enjoy the show because it's a vacation from the cliques and abuse typical in high school and many social situations. It's a chance to show people who want to learn, improve and make strides.

I think that's all I have about this season. Now I'm one more year removed from the show, so I imagine life will return to even more normalcy soon. I did get recognized at dinner the other night and signed a cd for our waitresses daughter. That was kind of fun. No discount on the food though :( She waited til after we paid. Doh. Hopefully they pull it together for next season and/or do an all stars season. That'd be so awesome. Cheers.
Joe

Who do I still talk to from batg2?

2007-02-23T13:09:00.000-06:00

Some of the people have been MIA. I can go through the list of people and how much I personally keep in touch with them.

Brittany: talk to her almost every day, see her somewhat regularly
Danielle: talk to her regularly, see her occasionally
Amanda: receive random forwards from her and see her seldom
Tristin: talk to her seldom, see her even less seldom
Ty: talk to her online sometimes, haven't seen her since the show
Cher: haven't spoken to her in a long while, haven't seen her since the show
Sarah: talk to her on the phone seldom (my fault, she's good about calling back), see her very rarely
Jennifer: got one email from her right after the show, haven't heard from her since in any capacity

Karl: live with him. see him every day
Tyson: talk to him regularly. he visited once
Chris: talk to him regularly, visited once as well
Ankur: talk to him occasionally, visited once
Brandon: used to talk to him occasionally, has kind of disappeared since he isn't at umiami nor is my little sis any more
Wes: talk to him online sometimes, haven't seen him since the showjosh: a couple emails after the show, haven't seen him or spoken to him since

So that's everybody. Jennifer wins the award for most reclusive. I try to stay in touch w/ everyone and there's still mass emails here and there. I agree our season was awesomer. I have no idea what next season will hold, but i think they should fire the casting people for this season. Pretty bad job in my opinion, although they were more backstabbing, which made for more conflict than our season. I heard they couldn't air some of the crazy stuff that happened too, like a lesbian kiss or something. Who knows, I wasn't there. I could be wrong as well. Hope that helps.Joe

March 2nd... Come witness Rock!

2007-02-15T16:41:00.000-06:00

Hey all. We just got added to a bill at the Double Door here in Chicago on Friday, March 2nd. If you could come and bring all your friends, or tell your friends who live in Chicago to come, you'd be my heroes! Seriously. It's a big show. I don't have details of when we go on, although we're not supposed to be last. Someone else is headlining this time. A cool band called Blackout. We're also playing with one of the same bands from last time, Moxxy. Really cool dudes and band. I think its $7 and supposedly going to sell out. You can buy advance tickets on ticketmaster, although I'd wait until they add our name Gnome Attic onto the www.doubledoor.com website. You can listen to our music or drop us a line at www.myspace.com/gnomeattic. Hopefully we'll see all of your smiling faces at the show! Woo!
Joe

Finale

2007-02-15T16:26:00.000-06:00

I watched the finale last night. I actually had predicted the ending. In fact when I was watching an episode with Nadia, I told her that I thought that's what they would do to prevent the 'less favorable' team from winning. I wish they would have done that for our season. Can I say that? It's kind of sad that the fate of your winning is not determined by you, but in someways I guess it still is. I'm glad Megan and Scooter won, although I think other people on the show were more deserving. But I'm biased because I had the priveledge to watch some episodes with Nadia and co. I thought she made it to the end or that Drew's team did. It's kind of crazy that the team that kept the lowest profile won. It's a good strategy. In fact I think I talked about that in my blog about strategy for winning beauty and the geek, did I not?

I really don't have too much more to say about this season. I watched it. The survivor style tasks were my favorite ones, moreso than getting phone #'s or building things. I'll probably watch next season, but with less enthusiasm than even this one. Unless of course there's more Chicago people that are really cool. If you want to be on batg 4, I have a previous blog entry about how to get on the show too. And how to win if you're into that sort of thing. haha. Ok time for another entry!
Joe

Two updates in one week?!

2007-01-18T02:41:00.000-06:00

Hey guys-

Just got back from watching batg3 w/ nadia and erin at a place called the debonair social club. I really dig the girls' honesty about things. They're calling other people from the show different names while we watch and telling us fun little stories. I'm not sure what I can or can't reveal unfortunately. This most recent episode definitely gave you more insight into the personalities of the people on the show and probably why they picked some of them. I have to reiterate, I'm so glad the girls on our season wanted to learn and weren't super competetive (for the most part). In fact, the producers didn't like us for that aspect. on another note, i heard cher and wes are no longer an item. im sad to hear this as they are both great people.

i'm starting to feel better now from the surgery. still a little congested, but definitely manageable. i started wearing a scarf to keep warmer, but i still haven't gotten used to it. ok that's all i have for complaining.

thanks to everyone who still wastes their time reading this blog. it seriously must be the most boring thing ever. my writing isn't great. i feel like i write like a computer would, very logical and dry (and that's even a compliment). if you want to know more about anything, drop me a line on myspace or facebook. you guys are resourceful, i'm sure you can find me. i respond to everything, although not always right away.

oh ya. if im not lazy tomorrow, i'm going to fill out an app for karl and i to be on the amazing race. i think it'd be fun as hell. he's a marathon runner and awesome dude, so we'd get along super well. we're both competetive, but not enough to start throwing camel dung at each other... at least i hope not. ok it's 3 am. im going to bed. you guys rock!
Joe

Long overdue update

2007-01-13T13:35:00.000-06:00

Hey all. A lot going on in my life. Let's get you caught up.

1) I recently had surgery for a deviated septum. The surgery went well but then I had a complication and had to go the ER the last couple of nights. I'm doing well but I'm pretty much stuck in my house until Monday. Which amongst other annoyances means that I won't be able to attend the Bears game. So they have to win so I can go next week!

2) The most recent time my nose acted up was on my way to see the 3rd episode of batg3 with Drew (the Trekker) at his dad's Polish restaurant. I unfortunately did not get to go but I did eat some leftover food. Very good! It's at 9200 w brookfield in broadview for those interested. I did make it to the premiere party of the show at Rockitbar. Erin, Megan and Nadia were all there, although I only really spoke to Nadia very briefly. So I really couldn't tell you much about this year's cast. I know Brit and Karl have talked to them more than I have.

3) I had a really pleasant Christmas. Spent it at the gf's relatives because I am Jewish, so there was no argument about who's party to attend. They had some of the most amazing Polish food. We ended up playing Cranium, Connect Four and video games all day/night long.

4) For New Years, a big group of my friends and I went to Grand Central in Lincoln Park. It was a really fun time: not too packed, plenty of food and great drink selection for an open bar. Ended up just coming back to the house afterwards where apparently I missed some late night festivities, but nothing too crazy.

5) As for the new season, I find it entertaining. Compared to our season, the girl's seem more promiscuous, cliquey and less willing to learn. I'm glad the girls on season 2 were so willing to work at it like the guys. And I felt like we were a little friendlier, even though they make Chris look like a jerk. Most of us still talk and hang out. It's quite awesome.

Also, it's too bad they did it in the same mansion again, other than I know the house pretty well. The mansion shows well but it's not the nicest inside. I guess the real premise is that the show is about the people and not the location, but I saw the start of the new Apprentice and saw their badass mansion. At least we weren't in tents. I have my predictions about who will win, but I should probably not say.

6) If you're still reading at this point, thank you. Oh ya, my band Gnome Attic had their cd release show at the Double Door. It was a great show so thanks to any of you reading this that came. You can buy our music on itunes if you search for gnome attic or listen to and purchase songs at www.myspace.com/gnomeattic.

7) I'll respond to the chess questions later. I'm actualling on ICC, handle gnomeattic if anyone wants to play me or talk to me on there. Corus just started, so that's pretty exciting. I'm rambling. If you want to know more, just ask.
Joe

you didn't get this from me

2006-12-06T14:10:00.000-06:00

hey. check it out. entertaining for sure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3siYMNqpVfo
enjoy.
Joe

A few pictures

2006-11-29T15:29:00.000-06:00

guys. i finally got some pictures to post. not quite what you guys wanted, but hopefully they'll hold you over until i get the pictures from my trip to florida. ok enjoy .

A group shot when Chris came to visit a couple weeks ago. We went to a club here in chicago for some event where Kelis sang. We didn't stick around to see her though.

Same setting, different angle. It was Chris' demand that we get his good side in this one. Just kidding. Now I can't remember if it should be Chris' or Chris's. The former looks right but maybe someone can correct me.

This was at Rock Bottom Brewery before an intense game of Cranium. The geeks beat the beauties in the close game, although Chris and I got beat twice a few nights before by my girlfriend and her two friends. Actually, when Tyson, Ankur and Chris came to visit, we all played Cranium. Ankur was dominant. Tyson was really good too. And well... Chris and I sucked at the blue category. Couldn't draw or sculp for the life of us.

Chris and I enjoying the night at Enclave. It was a fun night. Lots of free drinks and beautiful people. Present company excluded. haha.

More pics coming soon

2006-11-20T02:23:00.000-06:00

Hey guys-

Couple quick things.

Chris was in town this weekend. So a lot of the batg2 crew came to hang out. Friday was Brit and Karl. Sunday was Amanda, Tristin and Karl. There's some pics from both days, I just have to get them from other people.

We went to a fun event at Enclave (a club in Chicago here) where Kelis was performing on Fri night. We didn't stick around for her as we were a little overserved. Everyone had a blast. Today (Sunday), we watched some football, went to an Addidas sale and ate Chicago's finest food (the Chicago style hot dog). Great day since the Bears (now 9-1) and Chris' Charger (now... who care), both won!

Finally, I guess they're reairing our season and the first season of beauty and the geek on MTV now. This was news to me when I found out today. It's pretty cool. Means we're officially on minute 14 of our fame, but I'm completely cool with that. I've made a lot of great friends from the show and that's all I can ask for. Oh ya, Ankur was in town last week too, so there should be some pics from then that I can track down. Not sure who took them tho.

Welp. Hopefully I can update more soon. Been busy. Love you all and thanks for posting your comments. Means a lot to me. Even if it's just to say hi.
Joe

Do you miss my voice?

2006-10-12T18:27:00.000-05:00

Hey all-
I'm helping some friends out with a little radio show and tv show called Geek Love. You can check it out at www.geeklovenetwork.com. It's an advice show of sorts aimed towards young and/or inexperienced people, providing direction from experience and insight. the radio show is live on monday nights 930-11pm cst, and can be dl'd usually a day or two after.

my band's ep will be finished in the next couple weeks for those that were inquiring. it's getting mastered now. when it's done, you can find out more at www.myspace.com/gnomeattic. we'll have some shows coming up too around IL. stay tuned.

AND NOW FOR THE COOLEST NEWS!!!
Karl is moving into my place. Yup, that's right. Karl is going to be my roommate in a couple weeks. It's so exciting. He's one of my favorite people in the world.

long time no update

2006-09-18T14:24:00.000-05:00

ok bunch of stuff going on. here's a couple things:

1) bears are dominating this year. went to the game yesterday vs the lions. it was so wonderful.
2) i still don't have the pics back from florida when i hung out w/ sarah. i'll have to hunt those down. it was a good night hanging w/ her.
3) tristin is officially married. i wasn't able to attend the wedding but karl, danielle and brit were. maybe i can track down some pics from brit.
4) my old cpu crashed, so i lost all my old pics. it's kind of sad, but i should have backed the stuff up. hopefully i can get a lot of the batg pics from brit. she's good at keeping that stuff.
5) my fantasy football team is pretty good this year. got a lot of young players, like antonio gates, ronnie brown, frank gore and always interesting chad johnson. i'm 1-1, having won the league last year.
6) karl's bday was last sat but i missed it because i had a batchelor party at starved rock. i lost at a flippy cup tourney but won at scrabble and poker at the party. he came to tour show at double door on his actual birthday w/ danielle. it was good to see them. felt like it had been a while.
7) this is almost a top ten list of what i've been up to! i know she doesn't really want me to mention her, but i've dating my gf for half a year now, which is my longest relationship. she's an awesome girl and i couldn't be happier. also im certain this wouldn't have happened w/o beauty and the geek. it gave me a lot more confidence and helped me be more comfortable with myself, in turn making others more comfortable. so just thought i'd mention that.
8) my band is working on their new cd this week. www.gnomeattic.com can keep you updated on all the latest info. i think it takes you to our myspace page currently.
9) i'll be doing some radio and tv segments for a online show called geek love radio and geek love tv. previously, i went to LA to pitch the show to some various people, but we decided that the online is potentially more lucrative and flexible for us at this current point. so when i have more information, i'll make that available.
10) thanks to any of you that still read this thing. i really appreciate it. and i apologize for not updating more. cheers.

Pics of Tristin's Visit! Part 2

2006-07-20T14:16:00.000-05:00

Ok here's the rest of the pictures. Enjoy:

Here's Karl pretending Brit is 7 ft tall. You'll be happy to know that we went out on a Friday and Karl didn't have dungeons and dragons so he was able to join us!

Here's Brit with Tristin's fiance. We got invited to their wedding in August and we're thinking about making the trek. It's on the east coast, so we're thinking of going and having lobster for every meal? Sounds like a plan eh?

Here's the final group pic outside of the Apartment, a cool bar in Lincoln park that has beds and couches and video games inside. It's above an irish pub. The crowd there is always really good and I'm always surprised at how many single people are there.

So this concludes the pics from Tristin's visit. I hope you enjoyed them. There's a couple other random ones, but I think these were the most telling.

Tonight, I'm going to this really cool event as part of Gen Art. It's a national nfp that hosts some really cool parties. I think we're going with Mongo from the '85 Bears, which is awesome because I'm a diehard Bears fan. Mongo and his wife are really sweet people. Should be a blast tonight. Hopefully there's some pics from tonight too! Have a good weekend all!

Pics of Tristin's Visit! Part 1

2006-07-20T13:30:00.000-05:00

In my effort to make my blog a little less boring and hubristic, I finally got the pictures back from Tristin visit last weekend. So here they are:

Here's the batg2 group at my house before we went out. Aren't we a bunch of cuties? It's funny, cause the whole night brit was like I wish I was wearing danielle's top. I'm wearing one of the shirts I picked up at the Ben Sherman store in LA. Karl is rockin some fine threads too and Tristin has those hot white pants on. Every girl should own at least one pair of them!

Here's Brit with Danielle at the map room before getting hit on by some old guy from the OC. No, not the TV show... I highly recommend the map room for the widest selection of import beers in chicago. There's also the beer bistro (especially good for monday night pizza night!!).

A beauty sandwich. This is still at the map room. I had some exotic wheat beer, of which I'm an avid fan. Danielle and the girls had kettle tonics, her drink of choice if you ever run into her!

Ok so right before taking this, Tristin was like make a funny face. Apparently the other two missed the memo and I just look like a goof... per usual. Look how tan Brit is compared to Karl and I. And how long my tongue is ;)

I'll post the rest of the pics a little later. Thanks for reading.

Back to Sunny Cali

2006-07-06T14:51:00.000-05:00

So I recently returned to Los Angelos to visit some friends among other things. It was crazy how much I remembered my way around still from being in the mansion almost a year ago. For those interested, season two filmed for most of october last year. Btw, season 3 just finished taping. the finale was last friday i understand. Rumor has it this season will be a lot crazier, but I honestly have no idea. Our season, in hindsight, was particularly tame, since we all got along so well. And only one hookup with Wes and Cher, who I understand are still happily dating and living in LA. I unfortunately wasn't able to meet up with them, though I did meet up with Chris. I bought a couple of shirts from him that aren't even available to the public yet! I'm probably not supposed to talk about it, but check www.geekfitters.com for the latest. Also, he's been working on some cool projects as well that are really exciting.

Cool story time! While in LA, we decided to go to a taping of Jimmy Kimmel, cause we drove by the theater and saw a sign with the number to call for tix. I asked for 4 tickets and got them for that night! So while waiting in line, they handed out blue sheets of paper where we could write the best joke about Rush Limbaugh getting caught with viagara illegally. The top three made it on air to tell their joke during the monologue. And guess what? MINE GOT PICKED! The joke goes as follows:

When authorities arrested Rush Limbaugh at the airport, they told him to 'stick em up', but were apparently 4 hours too late!

I couldn't think of any good jokes in line, but when my buddy laughed at that one, I knew it was good enough. Anyhow, so I was on TV again and it felt good. They said it takes 160 people to run his show each weekday. That's nuts. But then again, I think batg took a lot too. Probably 50+. I still talk to some of the people from the 'crew' side of the show. In fact, I met up with some for lunch and we traded stories about the show and cast. It was fun. I also had dinner with Kevin, who is the host of G4's Attack of the Show. He was exceptionally nice. I guess I met him at a charity event the Sunday before as well, but we didn't have long to chat. I was surprised at how knowledgable he was on tech things since I thought he was just a well spoken host. His gf is a really cool chick too; models in LA and is now featured in Target commercials.

My buddy who I went to LA swears he saw Ron Jeremy pull out of the condo building next to where we were staying. I have no reason to believe otherwise, so that was kind of cool.

We did way too much shopping in LA. I found a Ben Sherman store, which is like designer clothes heaven for me. It's all Brit's fault. She got me a Ben Sherman shirt during our makeovers and now I love their clothes. It's an expensive affinity, but I really appreciate the originality in their designs.

There was a place on Santa Monica beach called the lobster that had an amazing tuna dish, with cavier on top and a side salad with scallops and shrimp. so good. Also played some chess there a couple times. I hadn't lost until this Master came over and then got my butt beat Still won a couple.

Dear Anonymous

2006-07-04T22:44:00.000-05:00

Hey all. Hope you're having a wonderful 4th of July weekend. Just got back from the Sox game. I'm going again tomorrow. While I do root for both Chicago teams, I find it much easier to be a Sox fan. In the batg2 mansion, I begged them for a radio so I could listen to the games. Karl and I were glued to it.

I appreciate all the comments to my previous post and for reading this boring ass blog. I'll try to clarify some points, as I have no problem initiating a dialogue. As for grammar, it's quite funny because I pride myself on using proper grammar, although i was getting lazy with the journal. I'll try to work on it for next time.

As for all the stuff with Brittany, she and I are still very good friends. We hang out regularly and talk about all sorts of things. I also see Karl, Amanda and Danielle often as well. Last friday, a couple of us went out for some drinks in Chicago. I met up with Chris the other day as well, which was awesome. He's a funny dude, cracks me up. In short, for as bad as I might seem in my journal, on tv and in this blog, the people who were actually there in the mansion would probably strongly disagree with you.

I don't really have time to respond to all the remarks, unless of course anonymous would like to join me for a drink or a sox game or even a brief phone chat. I think you'll find that if you get to know me, I'm not nearly the egomaniac that has been described. The premise of the blog is to give people insight into some thoughts during the show via my journal and to fill in what the episodes didn't cover, while also letting people know about life post batg2. I was always curious to understand how real reality tv is and hoped the journal would help clarify some of that. Unfortunately, some of you have taken my remarks much more seriously than they were intended. That's all I really have to say. But I thank you for reading and having an opinion. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have posted anything, but if just one person benefitted from reading the blog, then I'm happy.

summer at last

2006-06-09T10:21:00.000-05:00

this weekend looks to be quite busy. saturday, im going to the old town art fair and then to my bandmate's graduation party. the night is still open. sunday, i have a dance recital to attend and then going to have people over to watch entourage. the third season starts!! i still have to figure out my friday and saturday nights, but im sure i'll find something fun to do. suggestions?

i've been spending a lot of time at north ave beach. playing chess. getting some sun. i've been playing chess shirtless actually; im the only one who does it. but i don't care. may as well multi-task. i've been playing a lot better chess. against the A players at the beach, I'm playing them even.

so i got brit an internship with a casting company here in chicago. i met the guy at this rooftop party a little while back. played poker with him and a bunch of others til like 430 am. i won money that night too. i got 2nd the first game and won the 2nd game. they invited us back next time they have a party. hopefully she likes it. seems like a great company.

i hang with karl ocassionally but i haven't seen amanda or danielle that recently. amanda works crazy hours now and danielle sends me regular forward emails. that's the batg2 update i guess.

i haven't heard much about batg3 lately. i know a couple ppl trying out for it that are still in the running. it'd be cool to know someone that's going to be on it. i asked to be the host of the 3rd season but i should probably follow up on that to let them know im serious.

Gnome Attic is going well. the guys are tracking vocals downstairs as i write this. we have some shows coming up in joliet and chicago. should have a new cd soon too. exciting stuff. ok that's about it from my camp.
Joe

do you like reality tv?

2006-05-17T00:34:00.000-05:00

well the first ever reality tv convention is happening june 2-4th. i still have decided if I'm going or not. my band is playing june 2nd at the note in chicago, so i would just come down the 3rd if i do. the chicago crew (brit, danielle, karl, amanda and i) are thinking about roadtripping down there. i don't know what we'll do about hotels. they aren't paying us but said we can sell stuff. i already sold my soul to be on the show though :(

so i hear josh, thais, chris are confirmed for the convention. other than that, i'm not sure. there's also tons of other reality people. i'm too lazy to find the link for the website for the convention. just google first reality tv convention in nashville and you should find it. and then post it in my comments for everyone to enjoy. thanks.

apparently my shift key(s) are broken. good band practice tonight. worked on a new song for a while. listened to some new mixes. still gotta keep working on them. ok im gone. poof.

Ramblings

2006-05-15T11:21:00.000-05:00

So I don't really have a topic, so I'm just going to share some stories.

1) returned some clothes to marshalls. i don't know why i bought them in the first place. i ended up keeping a pair of shorts and two tshirts though.

2) after marshalls, i stopped by the restaurant that my roomie works at. turns out he was just telling a table about me being on the show. apparently they loved me and were rooting for me. so my timing was impeccable. i hope i scored him a bigger tip.

3) i bought some clothes from _____. can't say where cause it's my secret place. i don't want to be fighting w/ you at the racks. there's a gay guy there that helps me find the new stuff that people are buying. i make him my personal shopper when i don't have a girl to go shopping with me.

4) i had pockets yesterday. it was pretty good. the ranch was too runny though.

5) our show at nevin's the other day was fun. lots of people. great response. we didn't win the battle of the bands, but im not sure that's what kind of band we are. we're not like 'the most popular' or poppy. we're kind of a niche market. i call it intelligent rock, but the other guys prefer melodic rock or alt rock. i was told i was very entertaining to watch. i sweated through one of my favorite shirts. i played like crap. my kit was too close to the back wall

6) i invented a new fashion idea. this is so ironic because my fashion sense is still nil. i don't want to disclose anything because it's going to be the fad of 2009. you'll see. i'll be retired by 2010.

7) speaking of creating new stuff... no im not pregnant... im working on an idea for a tv show. who knows if it'll ever happen. but i think it could be fun. i've decided i have to become a better actor. it's hard. my hands never do anything right. darn gesticulations.

8) also going to try a movie this summer if there's time/money. all this stuff is very early, so i probably shouldn't say anything, but sometimes people are curious what's going on in my world.

9) still doing the phd thing. i got lots of work done last weekend. mostly algebra, but still necessary. if anyone is good with maple, drop me a line. we can make out.

10) apparently this turned into a top ten list. i got new glasses. people like them. i haven't shaved in a while, mixed response. i was at a art/music party sat night for some local bands. it was a good time. karl and danielle met me. karl seemed to enjoy himself. danielle was a little out of place but a good sport. we got recognized by a bunch of ppl, which is always cool.

i suggest reading this blog starting w/ prime numbers and then working backwards through the numbers you've missed. then it's like choose your own adventure, except a lot more boring. i think i should rename my blog, the most boring blog ever. i make ben stein look like a lively malcontent. out.

Milwaukee

2006-04-25T10:34:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I was in Milwaukee giving a talk about life as a reality contestant at the national scholastic chess tournament. After my talk, I played a bunch of kids at blitz. I beat them all. I didn't say like anything while I played because I normally trash talk and thought that would be inappropriate. But I played some of the chess teachers that were there afterwards; I had a plus score and definitely got some good trash talking in.

While I was there in Milwaukee, I played drums on my bandmate Matt's solo project stuff (www.myspace.com/forewordmusic). It was me, Casey (one of my roommat'es frat bro's) and Matt. The first night we played in Appleton. It was a long trek. The venue was newer, so it didn't have a regular crowd or sufficient sound system exactly, but we made due. The band we played with had some amazing musicians. The drummer was playing Tool songs, the guitarist listens to and could play Dave Weckyl band and the bassist was amazing as well. But when it came time for them to play their own music....... bad. We didn't stick around because we had a show the next morning in Milwaukee at the Mirimar. Luckily, that show got moved back to 115 pm, so there were a good group of kids there. They were very supportive and enjoyed the music. The label that put on the show liked us and said they'd have us work out some future dates. So that's awesome. Connections in Milwaukee are good. It's not really that far from Chicago, I always envisioned it being further.

I unfortunately don't have any pictures from the weekend to make this blog entry more interesting. The highlight had to be when the three of us all got our own pies from baker square and proceeded to eat them for snacks throughout the day. I opted for the triple berry, Matt had french silk and Casey had lemon marangue (sp?). mmmmm. I had been wanting a triple berry pie for quite a while and in fact we drove out of our way to get it cause Casey saw a baker's square on his way into town way up north side of the city.

This weekend is going to be a busy one. Friday, I have an art show that my neighbor is participating in. He paints on cardboard. Then I'm going to meet my lunch buddy Chandu out at a bar in wicker park. Then saturday I have the Bears draft party with my father. I can finally wear my Rex Grossman jersey proudly!! Then that night I'm going to root for Danielle in the WLUP 97.9 Rock Girl Contest at Joe's on Weed st. And then probably get dinner and see a play that I wanted to see for a while. Then Sunday, I'll watch the draft and do some housework.

That's about all for now. Maybe I'll see some of you out at Danielle's event? I have no idea who reads this thing besides my mom. Hi mom.

How to get on a reality show!

2006-04-11T11:13:00.000-05:00

Hey all-
There has been some interest in how to get on a reality show. But honestly this is only one third of the equation. Not only will you want to get on, but you probably don't want to look stupid should you make it. And finally you're probably hoping to win or at least do well on the show. I'm going to give some pointers--but of course not all--about how to get on a reality show. I'll save the other two topics for if I ever decide to write a book or something! Ok here we go.

How to get on reality tv. Most shows are looking for something different than the next, though there are some consistent things. Unfortunately, some of my suggestions are geared toward beauty and the geek for obvious reasons. I listed a bunch of questions here that will help determine if you're a good candidate (and the questions that the casting people are thinking about when interviewing you):

1) do you freeze under pressure? camera shy?
This is very important. Many quality candidates can't deal with cameras or end up trying too hard and don't come across well. The best approach is to be 'aware' of the cameras, but don't think about it or let it get to you. Also, if they ask you hard questions, don't be afraid to pause briefly or to say I don't know. In some ways they want you to say stupid things, but honesty is the best policy.

2) are you a lost cause? can you be helped?
This question is moreso for potential geeks, but has larger implications as well. For geeks, it means that are you stuck in your ways or so far ingrained in geekiness that you're not going to change or welcome change. More generally, it means are you willing to listen, change or participate in various activities.

3) do you have a story? a niche?
Everyone loves a story. This question basically asks are you one dimensional (do you have hobbies and passions?) or was something in your life out of the norm. A story or niche gives helps in defining your tv persona and so a viewer can connect with you on some level.

4) are you creative? clever?
There's always an opportunity to be creative clever. In fact, maybe I should have included funny. Being spontaneous or witty or innovative never hurts. My casting video had all sorts of cool stuff in it, so I think that really helped get me on the show. I invented a dance called the contra dance. I've been meaning to put it on the web, so maybe I'll do that soon if I have enough space somewhere. The premise was dancing to the video game Contra's music while performing a dance that integrated the most famous password of all time. Need I say more? But being able to think on your toes is of the utmost importance; no one wants someone who freezes under pressure (see finale... haha).

5) are you genuine? and personable?
They don't always want nice or sincere people, but they do want you to be consistent, i.e. be yourself. If you try to act your way onto the show, it almost always shows. Most often because you're trying too hard. If you approach people and interactions from a personable and honest way, it'll get you a lot further, even if your way is dogmatic or critical.

6) do you have the 'geek' look and talk to you?
Ok so this one is specifically aimed at geeks. My apologies. But if you want to be a geek, you have to talk and look like a geek. I wore polos to all of my interviews. In fact, I'm wearing a polo as I write this. I don't suggest wearing a polo and i in fact got questioned about my shirt being a brand name 'polo' but luckily i stole it from a friend and liked how it fit on me. As for the talk, Karl and I were talking on the phone yesterday and used alliteration in a sentence. If that sounds like something you would do, then you have nothing to worry about. Using computer speak will only get you so far.

There's a lot more to getting on a show. Patience is important. Not looking hideous is important. Eye contact is important. Hydration is important. Tone of your voice is important. The list goes on, but these are less important than those listed above. As for being a beauty on batg, the main theme was saying stupid things. It wasn't actually being stupid, but rather being unfamiliar with something or not asking good questions or pretending to know something you didn't. The consistent instinct was to talk before thinking; I'm guilty of this too. The girls provided the one liners and the guys provided fear.

I hope this helps. If you think you have what it takes, comes to the open casting calls for Beauty and the Geek 3. Or come hang out w/ some of the Chicago cast members at the Chicago one. We'll be going out on the town looking for potential people as well. If you want to suggest someone, email bg3casting@yahoo.com.

Beauty and the Geek 3 Open Casting Calls

2006-04-11T11:12:00.000-05:00

I will be at the Chicago casting call, as will some of the other Chicago cast members from season 2. Also, we will be going around the city to various clubs, bars and geek spots trying to find more potential beauties and geeks. If you know someone, tell them to come to a casting call. If you or someone you know can't make it or there isn't a casting call near you house, don't worry. There will be more casting calls and you can also submit via snail mail. Info and requirements are available on www.thewb.com. Thanks everyone.

CHICAGO, ILOpen Call Saturday 4/15 10-4pmRock Bottom Brewery 1 West Grand Avenue Chicago, IL 60610(312) 755-9339

MIAMI Open Call Saturday 4/15 2-6pmPurdy Lounge 1811 Sunset Harbor Drive Miami Beach, FL (305) 531-4622

INDIANAPOLIS, INOpen Call Saturday 4/15 5-9pmSlippery Noodle Inn372 South Meridian Street Indianapolis, IN(317) 259-7029

DALLAS, TXOpen Call Saturday 4/22 2-6pmUptown Bar & Grill2523 McKinney Ave(214) 969-9433

BOSTON, MAOpen Call Saturday 4/22 12-6pmThe Rack24 Clinton Street Boston, MA(617) 725-1051

PITTSBURGH, PAOpen Call Saturday 4/22 12-5pmBoomerangs Bar and Grill3909 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213(412) 578-8491 www.boomerangsbar.com

TEMPE, AZ: Open Call Friday 4/28 12-5pmTavern404 Mill Avenue Tempe AZ(480) 967-5887

ATLANTA, GA Open Call Saturday 4/29 12-5pmCJs Landing270 Buckhead Avenue NE Atlanta, GA (404) 237-7657

Is it pictures you want?

2006-04-04T19:54:00.000-05:00

So I've been informed by Chris (from batg) that my site is the most boring blog ever. After looking at it, I agreed. I don't know how you guys have the time or patience, but I've decided to repay you with lots of cool pictures. Some of you have seen them on my myspace or facebook, but some you've probably never seen. I hear pictures make blogs better... well, pictures of beautiful women.

This pictures was taken on our way to Vegas; I was teaching the girls Texas Hold 'Em. We won that challenge, which was awesome because I didn't have to be naked for too long.

This picture was taken right before the final elimination. I begged the wardrobe people for a new outfit for the finale. They got me that amazing blazer; originally they said i couldn't keep it, but they let me in the end. I look really tan in that picture. As many of the people got eliminated, Brit and I spent more time tanning outside, which is something I never did before the show. I can't wait til this summer for chess on the beach, volleyball and warm weather.

This was right after our makeovers on the way to speed dating. Not the most flattering pic but it's kind of fun.

This is Karl, Brit and I at her birthday dinner at Chevys. It was quite a fun night. Ended up playing ping pong against Brit's sister. She beat me badly. Ok this caption sucks. Onto the next picture.

Just to remind you how geeky I once looked, here I am during the makover episode shopping w/ Chris and Wes. I look really chunky in this picture. I think when I started the show, I was around 170 lbs. I worked out almost every morning at the mansion and have been doing pretty well since returning home as well. I'm down to like 155. Ok this caption just got really self-agrandizing. Why can't I just say, "look at the fat geek." Would make a much better caption.

Two of my most favorite people in the whole world. I have some cool stories from the vegas episode. I've just been too busy to review all the episodes. Part of it is that I don't feel like rewatching them all. You like how this caption now has nothing to do with the picture? I like lobster.

This picture was taken at my house before one of the episodes. I don't remember which one. You can see barely see the kegerator over amanda's shoulder. That's key for making new friends. What attractive people. They'd make a hell of a baby...

If you thought Sarah was hot, how do you feel about Danielle on top of Sarah? Enjoy guys. This was when Sarah and her bf came to visit over winter break. It was at a club called Level in Chicago. I saw Brad from the Real World there one time. He was a jerk to Danielle I guess.

One more pic from when Sarah was in town. We went to a lounge called Plush first. That's where this was taken. The picture is after a couple bottles of wine and some spirits as well.

So I wasn't really going to post stuff about my personal life, because I'm not a very public person. But I figured it would at least explain why I haven't updated much. Between my band, school, socializing and the girl on the left, I've been keeping quite busy. She's awesome. That's all I have to say. Oh ya, beautiful too.

I'll have some more stories and news soon. The new Gnome Attic site should be done soon. The guy doing it is slacking a little. In the meantime you can visit with us on www.myspace.com/gnomeattic. Hope my blog is no longer the most boring ever.
Joe

An article about me in the Herald News (Joliet IL)

2006-03-19T22:02:00.000-06:00

25 Questions with Joe Block
Joe Block, a former Shorewood resident, recently came in second on the WB reality show, "Beauty and the Geek" with his partner, Brittany Knott of Elgin.
Joe, described on the show as a speed chess champion, recently answered 25 questions posed to him about himself and his experience on the show.
1. When is your birthday?
Aug. 7, 1981.
2. Where were you born?
Joliet.
3. Where did you go to school?
Minooka Grade School and Minooka Junior High; Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest; undergraduate at University of Chicago (degree in philosophy); Ph.D student at Northwestern in mechanical engineering.
4. You are in a band, Gnome Attic. When did you start playing drums?
I began playing in the fifth grade. I was in the marching band in Minooka, and began taking private lessons around age 12. In high school, I played in the orchestra for four years. We didn't have a marching band.
5. When did you join Gnome Attic?
We started it in 1999. Then Matt, the guitarist-singer guy, went to study abroad. It's been off and on with different lineups since 1999. We've been going at it very seriously for about a year or two now.
6. How is the band going now?
We're doing really well. We're working on our next CD. We just played a sold-out show at a local bar in Chicago. We're looking to tour this summer again. The Web site is up (gnomeattic.com), and it will send you over to MySpace for the e-mail list.
7. Did the TV exposure help the band?
I think so, yeah. It definitely got us more recognition. (But) we haven't played enough shows to see what effect the show has had. I didn't really do the TV show to help the band, per se. I knew it wouldn't hurt, but that's not why I did the TV show."
8. Why did you do the TV show?
I just felt like there was a lot I could learn about myself, about dating, about being social and interacting with good-looking girls. I just thought it would be a fun way to document my life, to look back and say I did that. The main thing was to fill in the gaps in my knowledge base.
9. What went on behind the scenes of "Beauty and the Geek?"
There's plenty of stuff. Part of the thing about the show itself, with only so much footage in the given episodes, a lot of it focuses on conflict. They didn't show how much fun we had being there. As for the actual specifics of behind the scenes, the first thing is Cher and Wes are still dating. They moved out to L.A. together and Wes is going to pursue acting."
10. Did that surprise you?
It's amazing they made the whole long distance thing work and that they're serious enough to live together.
11. What else?
The finale. They only showed like 14 questions, like 12 regular ones and two sudden death. But there were 25 regular questions and five sudden death, and we were tied at end of 20. Because of time constraints, they couldn't show them all. We filmed for like 18 hours. I was tired and drained at the end — it was ridiculous. That morning I woke up at 6 a.m. because I couldn't sleep, so I worked out really hard. Then we had two dates (him teaching Brittany how to play speed chess, and her taking him ice skating.) The challenges were suppose to start at 5 or 6 p.m., but they didn't start 'til 8 or 9, and we filmed 'til 1 a.m.. I got back to the hotel around 2 a.m., and I was completely exhausted and drained.
12. What was your reaction when you didn't win?
It wasn't that big of a deal. Brittany and I had braced ourselves. I was fine, but then what happened was, a couple of the crew people that worked on the show, like the casting PA's and the camera guys, they said to me, 'You should've won.' That's what got me emotional in the finale, feeling like I let a lot of people down. Everyone wanted us to win. When the (other couples) would go home, they would say, 'Make sure you beat Cher and Josh.' And that's where the emotion game from in the finale, not wanting to disappoint other people.
13. What would viewers be surprised to learn?
Just that we were all really good friends, it wasn't nearly as competitive as they made it look. We all still keep in touch with each other. Also the girls are really quite intelligent, (but) they would say some peculiar things and that's what they would show on camera. There were all these questions (from viewers) — was it rigged? Was it fair? It was fair, for sure. Nothing was rigged. They did a really good job of letting us be ourselves.
14. Did Brittany ever forgive you for answering incorrectly?
There was no need to forgive. At that point, after so many hours of filming, it came down to two options and I picked the wrong one. Honestly, after each sudden death question, I kept asking to split the money, give it to the girls...I didn't really care.
15. Who became your best friend on the show?
On the show, Wes my best friend. He brought out a certain side of me that I liked, a certain jovial, carefree side that was really fun. He inspired me to be funnier and such. After the show, (it was) probably Carl. He and I hang out all the time and talk all the time. He's from Chicago. There are five of us from Chicago. That was definitely pretty interesting. I don't know what that says about Chicago.
16. Did you know Wes and Cher were hooking up?
Yeah, Cher was definitely flirtatious with everybody, but you could tell she had a thing for Wes.
17. Are you dating anyone from the show?
No.
18. Are you dating anyone?
Not really, I'm pretty much single.
19. Do you think you're better equipped to deal with good-looking girls now?
For sure. I feel lot more comfortable around good-looking girls. The holdup for most guys — myself included — is just meeting them and holding a conversation. After you know them, it's not nearly as difficult. The first introduction, that's the hardest.
20. What's been the fallout from the show for you personally — any acting opportunities?
Not too much. I sort of looked into maybe finding more work. I had so much fun on the show, that it makes me want to consider that as an option. As for specific offers, nothing so far. My background isn't TV or film, so to some extent I'm a novice. On other hand, I'm a quick learner so I shouldn't have too much difficulty if I want to pursue it.
21. Would you do reality TV again?
Yeah. I definitely had a blast. I thought it was a great experience. It depends on the context — (if it was) to try and prolong my 15 minutes, probably not. But this show was a learning experience, to put yourself out there and try to learn something about yourself, as opposed to other reality shows.
22. What's your advice for someone who wants to get on a reality TV show?
Everybody always says, 'Be yourself.' I think there's more to it than that. If you are a little creative and have a sense of ingenuity, I think that will help. I invented a dance called the Contra dance — it was me dancing to the Contra (video game) music. I think for the most part, they (producers) can read through people trying to be someone they're not. I think people who react well under pressure, they like that. They know you're not going to freeze in front of the camera.
23. What has changed most about you since being on the show?
I think I'm more comfortable with myself. I'm also more confident in how I approach things. Before the show, I knew what I needed to do, but I wasn't doing them. Now I feel I'm doing the right things — like dressing better and not being as intimidated or fearful.
24. Anything else you'd like to add?
It was really fun. I'm thankful for everyone's support. In general, I'm glad I did the show. Think it was good experience for me.
25. What's next for you?
I'm still in school, so finishing up my PhD. Also, I'm currently working really hard with my band. Other than that, I'm just really enjoying life.

I swear I'm trying; episodes 1 and 2

2006-03-18T17:27:00.000-06:00

So I'm trying my best to keep up with the blog, but alas I'm slacking. Here we go:

So life since the show has been quite cool. Even though we didn't win the money, people are still approaching me and telling me that they're sorry we didn't win and that they were rooting for us. Seems to be the consensus. Someone asked me what Josh was doing... I looked at my watch (subtracted 2 hours for CA time) and said "he's probably brushing his teeth." It was 1 am. Do you think I have a future as a professional guesser? I've always wanted to be one. So last night, we went to Four for the Chicago Style Magazine pre-release party. Can you believe yours truly was featured in any magazing with style in the title? Anyhow, there was a great picture of Brittany and I (and Karl and Danielle) with short little interviews below from when we watched the show at the Funky Buddha Lounge a couple weeks ago. Check it out at www.thechicagostyle.com.

After Four (which was quite dead because it's an afterhours place), we (me, karl, brittany, matt, annette) headed to the new Barleycorn's, where Karl had befriended the entire staff. That = cheap drinks. We had watched an episode there a couple weeks back as well and the bar staff just loved him. How could they not? Hell, I love him and lamp. So we got there and it was completely packed with NCAA patrons. They have more tvs than bestbuy there. It's insane. At first I was kind of skeptical because it was so packed, but the music picked up once the games ended and everyone was soon dancing everywhere. Some more people ended up joining us so it was quite a delightful time.

Let's backtrack further (how's this whole working backwards thing working for you). I forgot to mention earlier that day, brittany, danille, karl and I did a live remote at bourbon st on the southside. amanda met us there. we were guests on the eric and kathy show, which is the most tame radio show ever. I've always been a Mancow fan. We had the pleasure of going to Mancow to promote the finally, which was definitely one of the highlights of this whole celebrity experience. Turns out a girl that I went to grade school with that was in playboy works there. So she was busting my balls a little about being a geek. Turns out the token hot chick Mancow hired also knew Karl from when he worked by Depaul. So the remote was cool; we got gold vip cards which apparently get us into the upstairs vip area. We met Steve from Sex and the City and the Fonze (sp?). Better than Ezra sucked... I mean played. I think it's time for them to retire. They weren't bad, but just bland. If I ever look like a rigamortis on stage, tell me to retire too.

That was Friday night and day (in that order). Thursday was kind of empty without an episode. We had a sleepover with Brittany, Danielle, Karl and I at my house. We're all really good friends now which is awesome. We watched a couple movies and passed out early because we had the live remote at bourbon st at 6 am. Which reminds me I have to go return the movies tonight. Darn.

Ok now onto the good stuff. I wrote up some quick reviews of the first two episodes of batg. If you guys let me know if you find it educational, I'll keep doing it. I don't know how I feel about rewatching all the episodes cause it seems kind of lame to me at this point, but I would do it if people want to know what they didn't show in a given episode or how things were edited. Oh ya, we (karl, danielle and I) had a meeting on friday lunchtime with a guy that might be interested in using us for something. Can't say what, but if it happens, could be awesome. Right up our alley. I'll keep you posted. Ok here's my thoughts on the first two episodes:

Episode 1)
1) the golf carts sucked. ran out of batteries and seemed funnier than they really were
2) all the geeks sorta met during the golf cart thing because there was a lot of hurrying up to wait
3) i was most nervous going out to see the girls. in fact, brit's answer to one of the finally questions was right (not sure if they showed that question)
4) i made a joke since i was the 2nd to last person that the two remaining girls could come with me as my partners. they (b and sarah) both stood up. of course they can't show that because it's me being too suave but it was to hide my real nervousness.
5) didn't know that room selection was based on the order we went out to meet the girls
6) the girls weren't snobby at all. i was really impressed with the girls they picked. they all wanted to learn and participate
7) some people said tristin was fake at first and she admitted it to i guess. i didn't really pick up on it until watching the episodes at home.
8) i thought the pairing was amazing. i don't think the producers could have picked better themselves. the best thing that happened to me was being paired with brittany.
9) during my first interview in the house, i could barely answer the questions because i thought josh was a plant. part of the reason is because one of the casting people mentioned that one of the geeks was somewhat different when we went out for drinks. that made me a little more aware of my surroundings. the thing that tipped me off was when we were waiting to go meet the girls, josh asked wes if he was mexican. clearly he's not. but then after wes being like are you retarded, he asked again on camera. that's when i could tell that it was some really bad acting. so i told th producer that if he's a plant or acting, just take me off the show before it's too late. they guarenteed he wasn't, so i gave josh the benefit of the doubt thereafter. i wasn't the only one who thought that either. i should say, josh is an awesome person. i think he's a lot more aware of film and writing lines having been in the film industry and press. since his title was museum critic and he was very laconic with his upbringing, it was as evident as it is having watched the episodes now. he's a very clever guy and very well spoken. we had some great chats about movies and screenwriting. i also told him there was no mario party 4 yet, which was something i saw looking over his shoulder in something he was typing up. ok this is turning out to be way too long. in short, he's a cool guy. i'd like to hang out w/ him outside of the show, but alas he's in CA and hasn't returned my call or email :(
10) Brit made the first introduction so easy. She talked about how we're both from IL and have younger sisters and such.
11) I must have helped just about everyone carry their bags up the stairs. I don't think they showed me though.
12) the first night karl did a body shot off one of the girls in the hot tub. of course they can't show that because then karl would be too cool. none of the girls wanted to do it proper. i was like, this is gonna be a really tame season at that point.
13) I made sure not to drink too much the first night so I didn't say/do anything stupid. Moreover, it was just tequila and wine which aren't my drink(s) of choice. A couple people did get really drunk though and were so funny. I think if I were involved in the next season, I would suggest having more alcohol on hand. They limited us for obvious reasons, but I think we handled ourselves well.
14) 1st challenge brit and i got like 6 questions right. chris got 8 in a row! so we're not all that socially stupid. they just showed the ones we got wrong mostly. b and i went back and forth so that we could both be involved.
15) the meeting that chris called was stupid. made him an easy target. if you're ever going to do reality tv, note this: THE FIRST PERSON/TEAM ELIMINATED IS ALWAYS THE ONE THAT SETS THEMSELVES APART. I was certain brit and i were going to get picked, but thankfully we didn't.

episode 2
1) On the trip to karoke, we sang the whole way. all the guys in one van. we sang everything from bohemian rhapsody to guns and roses. it was awesome. our voices were shot before we even went on stage. they switched the order of us performing, which they often did on the show. brit and i went first actually. i think we performed too well so they couldn't show too much footage. we were dancing w/ each other and the crowd and harmonizing and everything. you should have been there!
2) i think i was the one that told B that the song was from the 80s and suggested dressing as such, even tho a bandana seems much more 70's anyhow.
3) a lot of the geeks were pissed that tyson used a rubik's cube to win. that's why when we picked them the 2nd round, it was a shocker. though i did realize that using outside stuff could work in your favor if that ever came up. as an aside, tyson is an awesome dude. really well spoken. in fact, he gave like a goodbye speach on the episode. i was the one that suggested it. i suggested it to all the people because after amanda and brandon left, i felt like they didn't get to say their final words to everyone. also, the strategy for picking was to pick the strongest teams because that meant competition would be easier later in the show. tyson and ty were a strong team so getting them off early was probably good. so it sucks because we liked them and america loved them, but that's why they had to be picked. we phrased the strategy as "wanted people on top of their game" instead of strongest teams in the choosing ceremony. in general, it sucked picking anyone. i wish we didn't have to pick and that you just won prizes each week instead of going home.
4) The speeches were really funny. here's some highlights i remember. after each person gave their speech, the geeks got to ask 3 total questions. they didn't show it cause there wasn't enuf time in the episode and cause we decided to ask funny questions instead of serious ones. i wish they would show it in outtakes or on dvd or something. the producers actually yelled at us for being so funny; they wanted us to bust the girls balls (if that's possible), but alas we felt we didn't want to be ignorant. it was already hard enough for the girls. i think brandon asked sarah about to large points she raised while gesturing to her upper half (it was hillarious). jen talked about her neighbors cat dying from eating a straw. cher's speech was better than one i would have given. after i/we heard it, all the geeks were like WTF? thais said karl's children were her children or something in response to karl's question about future generations. it was funny as well. amanda was not speechless; they used a lot of footage of her before she even started her speech though she did probably say the least.
5) the toga party was wes' idea. and a great one it was.
6) the walkoff was part of the night, though i did get drilled with 20 questions by the girls. there was no truth or dare, but it was a lot more risque night than they show.
7) the walkoff was a zoolander reference, which we quoted like the entire show
8) sarah's toga didn't always properly fit so to speak
9) i always guessed the winner of the eliminations wrong. i sucked at guessing. there goes my career as a professional guesser eh
10) the producers said we couldn't randomly pick the teams to be eliminated. we thought that way it wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings or whatever. i didn't like that idea anyway. why not control what you can? also, the first elimination was not based on our study materials necessarily, which is something we complained to the producers about. because if we're studying and such but the elimination were just based on previous knowledge, it didn't seem fair. that's why the then rephrased the questions, according to your study materials.

in response to one of the comments to my journal about sleeping in the same room as brit and our convo's, here's what i'll say:
The first night of sleeping in the same room was a little weird for me. more because i had to get used to bunk beds. i have had gf's before, so sleeping in the same room wasn't too crazy for me. i was worried i might snore or wake her up often. we had a good conversation on how i wanted to her to open with me and i would do the same with her. that i wanted to be her friend first and foremost. and that i thought we had a good chance at winning. and also thoughts on the different people in the house. we also talked about our upbringings, families, etc. as for the other interesting conversation we had, i remember one in sarah's room where we talked about college and jr. college. i was arguing that the point of college is to teach you how to think or to learn how to learn and not just about getting a job or learning facts. as for my thoughts on jr college, you can consult the many diatribes by adam corolla on love line; i concur with him. bottom line, jr college good as stepping stone or to save money, but often gets misused and isn't for everyone. a trade school might be more appropriate and lucrative, as they often do in europe. there were other conversations about exs, dating and the like. i won't get into details however. hope that helps.

Ok that's about it for the first two episodes. if you have questions, i'll try to answer them. thanks for your time. enjoy. thanks again to everyone.

Crazy weekend

2006-03-12T23:00:00.000-06:00

Let's work backwards through my weekend. Ok sounds like a plan.

So I just got back from the South Side Irish parade not too long ago. Went with my roommate Josh and his lady friend. We left around 11am and got back around... well we made it back. It was craziness everywhere. It was like a huge frat party with everyone dressed in green drinking in the streets. The police didn't care at all; in fact, they were messing with some of the drunk people. I happened to run into a couple of Brit's [alum] sorority sisters, with one of whom I went to jr high. So somehow I ended up wandering around with them through the south side streets no idea where we are going. End up going to some house party and being at an apt party all day. I ate corned beef sandwiches and way too many chocolate chip cookies, which I don't even normally eat. The point is, somehow I lost Josh and company. But managed to find my way to my bandmate Dan's van, where he hadn't slept all night and was filming the most goofy stuff. He was sitting at a police baracade just filming the flashing lights/sirens of the many police and emergency vehicles. Somehow I found Josh, found my car and made it home. Mission accomplished.

Saturday, I ended up just hanging out around my house and the neighbors. We honestly have the coolest neighbors ever. I just had spaghetti and meatballs she made: best chef ever. So we played a little poker. Just a nice low key night.

Friday, must have been fun, because I can't remember what I did. I know I got spotted at home depot and target. The target guy was polite because he just came up and said I was rooting for you and it's nice to meet you. The home depot people were just kinda pointing and snickering and texting their friends. I didn't mind, but I'm friendly. Just come say hi.

Oh ya, I remember now. It was awesome. My band Gnome Attic had a concert. We played to a sold out crowd at a lincoln park bar. One of the best shows we've played. Great response. People couldn't move it was so packed. We video taped the whole thing w/ 3 cameras. Gonna make for some awesome live footage. Check www.gnomeattic.com for the latest. We should have a new cd and release show here soon.

I'm really sorry this post is boring. And I should really be talking about the episodes. Ok here's some information about the finale that you should you still be reading, you might enjoy:

The finale was not 12 questions or whatever like they showed. There were 25 questions in total. 10 for the guys, 10 for the girls and then we actually had 5 sudden death questions. That's right, 5!! After each sudden death question, I asked the producer to just split the money or to give it to the girls or the other team. I really didn't care. It had been the longest day. I was up at 6 am cause I couldn't sleep. Then we had both our dates that day (chess and ice skating). And the elimination was supposed to start around 5 pm, but it really started closer to 8 or 9 pm. And since it went sudden death, they had to come up with more questions for us and figure out the logistics of it all. But I finally begged for the producer at one point between the 3 girl questions of the 5 sudden deaths we did. I asked why we couldn't split the money; I dared them to be different. They said categorically no. It's too bad cause I think people would have liked that. Apparently, Ashton was in house too in the control room.

But I was so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open and the light was blinding. I wanted to take my contacts out or just sleep, but there was no way really. They didn't feed us til like midnight, which was crazy too. I was just dying that whole final elimination. I knew most those answers. In a lot of ways, I feel like I blew it, but it's all good. Some of the other questions they didn't show were pretty easy too. As for the question picking process, it was the same as all other eliminations where we picked #'s and they read off the questions. It was completely fair. They didn't show the # picking because like I said, there were a lot more questions than they showed and because it woulda taken too much time. I can't remember all the questions, bu some were like 1) if you won the money, what would u buy first. 2) what would you change about your body 3) what animal would your partner describe you as 4) which person is most influential in your life. I remember the sudden death questions too: 1) who changed the most 2) would you partner pick fame, money or (can't remember) 3) if you had to pick who you'd give the money to, who would it be. At this point, I actually yelled at the producers for picking questions that all had to do with money, which was simple for cher and josh because cher made it clear she was just there for the money. So then the next batch of questions, they asked us 1) brains or intellect 2) something person needs to change (final question) 3) super power: flight, invisibility or super strength (which is a really stupid question).

So in short, the finale was fair. I missed some questions I shouldn't have. I can't believe they showed the answer about wes. but after he said that, when picking the next question, I said "in honor of wes, I'll take ten please mike." that didn't make the air. in fact, it's pretty amazing that they didn't show me making any jokes on the show (except that whole mans/ladies best friend). I had some really good ones. Like the first day when I was the 2nd to last person to go out to see the girls, I was like "ok you both can come with me since I'm the last one." brit and sarah both stood up. But they can't show me being suave, especially on the 1st episode. In fact, they never really did show me being suave on the show; that's probably why josh had a lot of footage and I didn't, which is probably for the best.

I'm sure there's a lot more to say. When I finally rewatch it, I'll post more if people even still care. Oh ya, Thursday (the finale day). We watched at a local establishment called the Funky Buddha lounge w/ karl and danielle and tons of friends/family. It was so much fun. Beautiful girls everywhere. The best thing about being friends with good looking girls is that they often have good looking friends too! So I may not have won the money, but I now have some life long friends which is awesome. We got a free bottle of belvidare, a couple bottles of champaign and some shots too. I signed a couple of posters for ppl and took some pics with people too. WGN was there filming. The sun times did a nice article too. I did an interview for E! online too, so when that comes out, there will be a lot of cool info in there. I'll probably copy and paste it into the blog so you don't have to search for it.

Ok I'm exhausted. I'll write more soon. Thanks to everyone that has written comments. I will respond once things slow down a little. As for where you can see me next or what I'm doing next, no idea really. Still in grad school; still playing music with my band; still hanging out with the chicago cast people (amanda, danielle, karl and brit); waiting for it to get warm to play chess on the beach. I'm way backed up on responding but I read everything and will respond soon. I promise. Love you all.

My Journal from the Show: Everything you wanted to know and more!!

2006-03-10T10:46:00.000-06:00

Notes on the my journal. All of these entries are verbatim from my journal I kept regularly as a contestant on Beauty and the Geek 2. They are my thoughts at the time during the taping, and thus might have changed since then. I tried to be as objective as possible and to give insight into my experience and impressions.

The show filmed from Oct 10-Nov 4. The entries were dated to let you know when they were written; I tried to keep up with them though some are weekly recaps of everything simply due to the lack of time. My asides and comments will be in red to differentiate from the journal entries themselves. [Missing words or things will be in brackets.] I hope you enjoy this and find it beneficial.

Day 2, 10/11/05

First, we were told the producers did not predetermine the girl/guy pairs. From speaking to the girls, this was true. However, I don’t think the producers could have done a better job matching if they tried. There’s one team with two Ty’s on it and others with early love interest. With respect to myself, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. She’s so awesome in many respects, some of which she doesn’t even know yet.

The next page is all information about Brittany that I wanted to remember, but out of respect for her, I will not include it.

Ok, onto my analysis of the other contestants. It is clear to me that 2 of the contestants are imposters. They’ve done everything they can to hide it and try to fit in, but the acting is just way too bad. I imagine they figured geeky guys and supposedly ditzy girls would overlook or not use common sense, but I feel I might be the only one to really be ready to point the finger. I have been around a lot of people and seen a lot of bad acting, and there is nothing I am more certain about than their bad acting (I didn’t include names here, but one guy and one girl stood out to me). Here’s some examples: calls a guy a Mexican when clearly he’s not; though on the reshoot, says it again. Bad acting. Or how about the girl that won’t admit her college or intimate details of her life, yet there is 0 reason not to.

The rest of the contestants seem really nice and friendly, though the competitive edge is starting to show through. How do I know? Watch them around the girls; find out who plays or played sports growing up; see the look in their eye that they don’t want to leave. So the strategy at this point is to keep a low profile, be friendly but listen, and outwork everyone on the show. I’m already up at 6:15 am after everyone was up late drinking. I sipped on a coke and tequila, which was probably the best thing because I dislike tequila, coke and wine (which were the only alcoholic offerings). I hear the birds chirping and I love it. Some of the cools things about the house are the vintage vibe, yet the fridge is nicer than my one at home. No dishwasher, so I did the dishes by hand for everyone today. I can imagine right now that the camera is focused on me in the kitchen with the subtext that I’m working out an evil plot. I wish that were the case but unfortunately I [am] just jotting down those notes so I don’t forget. It’s kind of a chilly day so far, but I’m sure things will heat up.

7:20 am: After doing the dishes for the last however long, I feel a lot better. I’m thinking about enjoying the sunrise and doing some stretching, though I don’t know if the outside if off limits. If I were smart, I’d do some laps [in the pool]. By then people should be waking up so I shouldn’t be too loud. The food so far has been great; hot tub works; most girls here have boyfriends; life is good.

10/16/05 Sunday of Week 1

I haven’t had much of a chance to write in here because things have been quite busy. Let me catch you up to speed.

Day 1 recap:

Monday, we spent most of the day getting to know everyone and doing a lot of ‘staged’ activities for the show. The first couple days are always like that because they need promo shots and such. I think I definitely kept an open mind, but I was certain at that point that two people seemed different: Josh and Jennipher. I thought maybe they were actors because of how weird and even unnatural things they said and did were. E.g. Josh not telling where he got his clothes from, some of which were definitely name brand; also repeating certain things for each take whereas others would mix it up a bit [and be natural and spontaneous each take]. Jennipher wouldn’t say where she went to college and she highlighted the black-white thing too often, like when she kept saying she couldn’t find the crackers [in the pantry].

By this point though, things were very different from the initial introduction to the beauties. I remember walking out there on day 1 and being speechless even though only 2 girls were left. I made a quick joke about both coming with me and then proceeded to stumble through my life achievements. I was stunned by their looks then and still am as I write this. I think the most remarkable part is that they’re in such good shape and take such good care of their bodies. I’m an ‘ab’ guy and was definitely not disappointed. After thinking Josh was a little unusual and somewhat morbid and asking the producer is he acting, next thing I know is…

Day 2 Recap:

Chris starts to show another side none of us knew about. In the first challenge, we answered questions to see if the winner would switch teams. Chris got all 8 questions right without his partner Amanda’s (who is maybe one of the hottest girls I’ve ever seen) help. The way in which he did it and later acted in a self-called meeting showed his truly competitive and aggressive side. I think I have one too, but I can control it and hide it on demand. For me though, learning trumps competition, at least for now. So day 2 gave me a chance to really understand the other contestants, but especially my own partner Brittany ([called] B from now on).
Day 3 recap:

We found out about our challenge today. [I erased the challenge and don’t include the winners because I figured it’d be bad etiquette to put the challenges and winners in the journal in case someone got a hold of it]. After turning to B, we realized these were both strengths for us. Bottom line, B and I performed really well, enough for probably 2nd or 3rd place in each competition, which was the best possible result. If you win, you’re the ass and if you lay low at first, you make it further. The fact that B is so nice and friendly with everyone means we’ll last longer as well. At this point, I feel confident we could win, though everything is a crap shoot, especially based on how the elimination works. I think if I got picked, I’d send the people who are complaining about missing their boyfriend’s. It’s a stupid strategy, but has the advantage of not making us look bad. Otherwise, I’d just let B pick which groups she’s least friends with.

Day 4/5 recap:

The competition went well. I’m sure that’ll be the main focus of the show. After watching episode one [of beauty and the geek 1 on Tyson’s laptop], there’s very little character development. [The producers later took away our laptops and told Tyson not to show us the other episodes, which was a handicap for me and others who hadn’t seen the first season; guess I should have prepared better]. I think if the producers were smart, they’d dedicate most or all of an episode to developing character so that people can feel how we did about losing people and how the game should be played. We’ve already had runins with the producers and let them know that we’re all friends and we refuse to sell our reps or experience for the winning prize because frankly it’s not worth it. All of us are good friends by this point, sharing stories, talking about the opposite sex and dating strategies. There’s no reason for anyone to really be an ass because it wouldn’t be productive or conducive to learning or winning. The honesty here is amazing.

So after the elimination, we find out [Amanda] and [Brandon] are going home. Here’s my thoughts. Whoever ends up with [Amanda] will be one of the luckiest guys in the world. I remember patting her ass cause she had something on it and being like, damn, asses don’t get better than that. The highlight of my stay here thus far and of the toga party we threw was when she and I did confessionals together. I don’t think things got funnier than that. She was so amazing, sitting on my lap interviewing me with some pencil she found. I was a little tipsy so I don’t remember everything, just a lot of laughing and general good times. [Brandon] was maybe the most patient and understanding guy here; also my chess partner and go to guy. He will be missed; I don’t think he had enough time to change, though he did start wearing a belt thanks to me.

Weekend recap:

Having lost two people sucked, but [having] no real goodbyes made it worse. The girls cried a little and I was close, but in the end we all pulled through and began bonding even more. I began learning a lot more about the other people, especially Sarah, B and Cher and the guys. I feel like it’s my obligation to get to know everyone well and to really be genuine with them (thanks roomie (this is a reference to my now roommate josh and his advice before going on the show)). I try to make my rounds and pitch in when I can. I made two big lasagnas for dinner last night. They were completely finished and very well liked, so that was nice. We watched some movies, some of which the girls got and others which made no sense. I love a girl that can laugh and appreciate good humor; I’m not sure that girl is here.

At this point, I decided to spend a page doing a adjective associate game with all other 15 people; I tried not to repeat adjectives for people. This was just currently how I felt after the end of the first week and do not reflect how I currently feel, but I thought you might find this interesting, as we were all trying to feel each other out at this point.

Name Association Game (note: all girls hot as hell assumed here)

Girls:
Cher: negative, flirtatious, pessimistic, tease, smart, eloquent, easily irritates, possibly liar.

Jennipher: blunt, hard to please, see things in black/white

Sarah: laugher, sexual, risky, carefree, friendly

Danielle: initially cocky but later easily approachable, used to getting things, bold, forward

Thais: reserved, cautious, conservative, assistive

Tristin: one of the guys, courteous, useful, honest, trustworthy, easy going, would make a good wife

Amanda: chill, down to earth, complete package, sensible, comfortable, hopefully longterm friend

Guys:
Brandon: patient, understanding, helpful, willing to change

Chris: competitive, aggressive, strong willed, idealist (refers to our conversation about girls and dating)

Wes: outspoken, hilarious, sleeper, good guy

Karl: confused, passive, uncertain, good listener

Josh: he’s all over the place but coming around nicely, was pessimistic and weird and negative but now he’s social, experimental, supportive, changed

Tyson: well spoken, huge heart, didactic, concerned

Ankur: louder, obnoxious, indiscrete, repetitive, personable

I left out Brittany because the next couple pages are about her. First day running away; first interaction at stairs; sleeping in same room

Brit’s Page:

I couldn’t have asked for a better partner, both to win the game and in learning. At first, I was kind of keen on winning this here little game. But after seeing how random elimination and picking are, I’ve decided to create a game inside this game. Some might call it pursuing B, others might call it learning about girls, but I call it helping B see the world. She’s like a naïve ball of clay in some respects, having had no brothers, a dad often gone for work and having a house full of sorority girls on which to rely. I am certain even after a month she wouldn’t let things progress though I am confident that I can get her to see the world and guys differently, namely for the things you can control.

Would I date B? Yes. Would it work out in the end? Probably not. She has so much to learn about guys, her family is pretty Catholic, though she doesn’t like going she said. Moreover, she doesn’t really know what she wants. I guess that’s where I come in. When asked in a room full of people what she’s looking for “in” (keyword ‘in’) a guy, she stuttered and finally responded 6’ 3”. C’mon, you want a tally guy, yet you don’t have a single requirement for personality? Furthermore, 6’ 3” is not something a guy can control and it limits what kind of guys you can get cause taller guys tend to be asses cause they get naïve, insecure girls like B. It’s a sad state of affairs. So hopefully we’ll get some more time to bond because I love so many aspects of her person, like her ability to tell me to stop or her willingness to try things or that shy/friendly look in her eye that says approach, but slowly.

Let’s talk about the interaction between B and I. I started on the wrong foot by coming up w/ theories about the other contestants. She probably thought I was crazy. I just wanted to protect her from getting hurt, in case they weren’t real or genuine people. And the fact that I had two crazy theories makes me seem even more stupid. But it was just protection against people fooling us. It showed I observe people, but maybe that I’m too out there. I just keep thinking, how would my bandmate Dan play the game, because he sees things very different than I do. He’s more paranoid and skeptical. I just wanted to keep the game in front of me at all times because winning could be a really good thing. But I digress, back to B.

So I don’t think there’s a chemistry between B and I, though sometimes I wish there was. For a lot of the show, we are required to stand close to our partners or to work closely. After initially asking if my hand around her was too much, which she replied was fine, she later told me otherwise. She was worried that no one else was showing much affection and she didn’t want to look like the physical trendsetter, who is now clearly Cher, but that’s for another page. So after the toga party when sitting down to talk, she made it clear that I was not to be so tactile (which to me is really nothing), which says to me, not interested, scared and self-conscious.

Here’s the sad thing. I know one little moment, one little kiss, one little flash of chemistry could change her life in so many ways. People love to see an underdog win. I’m that underdog. People relate to me; I’m always getting that I remind someone of a friend or ex or something. Further, I’m that short, stout guy at the bar who is passive and underachieving. I think that’s one of the reasons I did this show. Put simply, she could be famous if we went beyond friends. We’d be doing post show interviews and would make a cute couple. I know because the photos we shot for the WB were just awesome. I don’t know if that’s what she wants though. She’s a pretty simple, yet surprisingly smart girl. Her image and chastity are much more important to her I think. Summarizing: One kiss would change both our lives in so many ways for the better, though I wouldn't do anything to make her uncomfortable.

10/23 Sunday after Week 2

It’s somewhat difficult to find time or energy to write during the week because we’re doing confessionals and interviews almost every day. A lot of my thoughts come out then, most of which they probably won’t use. I feel like I put a philosophical spin on everything, which makes my answer too long and meandering. They’d be good thoughts for the final episode. I feel like I’ve gone about my business very well. People really like B and I, because she’s so sweet and I am friendly. We are getting a little house sick, but we’ll pull through. WE thought we’d be able to leave more than we do. And when we request stuff, it usually doesn’t happen or takes 5 requests or takes a week. Only the choice of food happens when we ask. But things are still good.

Recapping the week.

Monday was the start of the 2nd week. We found out our challenge was going to be [room design and computers]. I was already knowledgeable in that and B was good at hers too. So that’s 2/2 with challenge preknowledge. People predicted I would win this challenge. They were right; it was close but I won. I made the mistake of too much chocolate, but still pulled through. B did very well on her challenge as well, but didn’t win. I was proud of her anyhow. With winning came the horrible power of sending someone potentially home. This part of the game has really been a sticking point because how can people transform if they’ve gotten booted. Besides, I think transform indicates that it’s not already inside you to develop, which is untrue. External motivation merely prompts or recorders the internal wiring to adjust aspects of you that are not as strong as others. As far as making progress, I see Josh making the most, followed by B and then Chris. Chris quickly learned that being competitive and aggressive gets you nowhere. Josh came in the most sarcastic and skeptical and has really made improvements in all respects: more social and friendly and cooperative. B is really opening up and learning that guys aren’t this evil thing trying to always sleep with you, but can be very helpful and seek out friendship as well. I try to make that clear to her semi-regularly, so she feels comfortable talking to me.

So on Weds, one team went home [Ty squared]. This team was real sweet and caring people and prepared as well as they could. The girl helped me make lasagna last weekend and the guy taught me something I thought seemed impossible to learn. In a way, they knew they were going home and prepared accordingly, giving some great final words and really putting things in perspective. It sucks that we played a part in their departure, but I also think they understood our decision. There were other teams we easily could have picked, but we wanted to pick someone at their best, not worst. It’s rough to expose someone at their worst because the show is already going to do that.

After the elimination, B and I moved into the loser’s room because it was much larger and nicer. I was happy in the old one because you could keep a low profile [because it was off to the side and tiny], but now we need to befriend people even more. I feel like everyone is friends, though I really relate to Wes and Karl the best. I like that Chris laughs at my jokes and has developed his own sense of humor loosely based on my own. The amazing thing is how us guys are always funny and trying to instigate fun things and all are so friendly even with money on the line. I think the producers didn’t expect that, that winning a challenge is losing a friend. We hope to use the winnings to maybe start a movie or do something cool together because it’s not even enough to change someone’s life really.

I really hope the friendship and bonding come through in the episodes because that has been our angle the whole time here. No one thought in this short time that we’d grow so close. I laugh at people on tv who do, but it’s amazing how we have. We haven’t really had any falling outs except for last Friday. Thurs we got makeovers. B told them how to spruce me up and pick out an outfit. She did so awesome. I couldn’t believe all the things she wanted done or even that she noticed them on me. I thought it was so cool that she actually thought about what to fix on me. And I think she was right!

Throughout the week, B and I have had some conversation before bed and even throughout the day, she’ll point out things like goofing around when we’re supposed to be quiet is immature, joking too much is a turnoff, enthusiasm is key to showing you’re listening, don’t tail off before someone is done talking and that my jokes are funnier w/ short hair. It goes to prove the famous point that good looking people can do very little wrong. Jokes are funnier, flirting is not sexual harassment and you can get what you want easier. Discussing our conversations again, I feel like I’ve helped B as well. She wasn’t comfortable around guys, let alone sleeping near one. I think I’ve made her transition into talking to guys much easier, at least I hope so.

Some of the topics we’ve discussed are her reservedness (shyness), her inexperience with guys, her relationship with her family and how that might affect dating, her willingness to learn and listen, her feelings on the other people here, my feelings on the other girls here, our thoughts on picking a team to potentially go home, etc. I think the most interesting stuff is her innocence and lack of exposure. She wants to work at a bar when she goes back home. I think it’s a bad idea because she’ll see the worst in people. And right now she sees so much potential and optimism in people. I could see her getting really hurt from some jerk guy because she doesn’t know what she wants and thinks some hot guy is it. Hopefully, she finds someone patient and caring like me, so that she is treated with the dignity and respect she deserves. She wants to be a soap star. She has the look, but I think she doesn’t have the cut throat attitude that permeates Hollywood. Then again, if she didn’t become a bitch after joining a sorority, maybe she’ll be ok. I know so many nice girls that change for the worst when couped up in a house full of girls. I imagine having sisters and a supportive family helped guard against that type of thing though. There’s nothing I enjoy here more than my chat’s with B. I feel like each time we both come away better people. It’s like having a gf but w/o all the physical stuff and emotional drama. I personally try to incorporate what she says into my life. I’ve never had the luxury of a hot girl telling me what bothers her and probably other girls as well. My rep here is that I’m the funniest one of the guys, thanks to Jen declaring it. And if Jen says it, the other girls start believing it too. I don’t feel like I’m trying too hard or that I’m forcing things; I feel that I can truly be myself here, which I was worried about when I signed up. Last night (sat), we made chicken parmesan. It was so amazing. Maybe it was the Miller lites I consumed beforehand, but I think we have a future in cooking. I was kind of hoping one challenge would be cooking. On a side note, I found out why they don’t have smart guys on tv often. 1) they’re smart and can always think of better ways to do something 2) they figure out the challenges before it’s going to happen 3) they care less about material things and more about learning and growing 4) they make jokes and references often over the layman’s head. I am glad they finally do have a show for smart guys. My only regret is that there really isn’t chemistry between anyone, sexual chemistry that is. I think part of it is that no one wants to be the first of the group to be accused of dating a geek or that they have bf’s. This is not a dating show, but you’d think with people trapped in a house, anything can happen.

Flashing back a little, a 2nd elimination occurred on Friday. It was very upsetting to everyone because one of the best people in the house was sent home. I think last elimination was about teamwork. The teams that worked the least together were sent home. The consensus was that one team prevail (Ty and Tyson) and they unfortunately did not. I think everyone would be happy not winning so long as one person here (cher) did not win, a person who claimed she’s not going to be any different upon going home. A couple other things: had a fun cake bet last night. Finally had some booze, well needed and deserved. Excited about White Sox. Glad to talk to Josh [my roommate in Chicago]. Thanks buddy for your help. I think I’ll make you proud. (My buddy Josh is a good influence in my life. I only lived with him one and half weeks before the show but he has really helped me hone my social and dating skills since the show. I highly recommend surrounding yourself by successful people, which leads me to my next section of the journal.)

My partner Brittany and the rest of the people on the show were critical to my development and learning. However, I found that it’s important to surround yourself not only with the opposite sex and other geeks in similar situations, but successful people as well. So while on the show, I sought out one of the production assistants named Ryan. I got to talking to him maybe during the speed dating challenge? Either way, he was a well built smooth talking guy. I could tell by the way he carried himself. So I begged the producers to let him physically train me each morning because he used to be a body builder. I was waking up at 7 am every morning to do confessional and then swim laps and run a couple miles. There was a period where I would work out with Tristin and Chris, but they got eliminated which meant finding new resources. So finally the producers let me meet with Ryan for physical sessions… what they didn’t know is that he was helping me with mental training as well. Below are some of the physical and mental things we discussed. Hopefully he doesn’t get upset at me for revealing some of his secrets, but I think they’re very helpful. Here you go!

Journal Interlude to recap today’s lesson w/ the trainer Ryan

I requested to have one of the crew members help with physical and mental training. (The producers laughed at me when I asked for him in particular.) Here’s some of his ideas for me physically:

1) use an exercise bike for cardio
2) strengthen core w/ abs and back exercise
3) eat 5 small meals a day
4) walking heal to toe
5) standing w/ arms at side
6) breathing into the muscle
7) hold the last one
8) feel the muscle
9) no more than 10 lb weights
10) cardio key for me

While the physical is important, it’s really about the mental that’s also helpful:

1) Smile as much as possible, you can get away with more
2) Be confident; tell yourself and practice good posture; don’t worry about failing
3) Don’t always look directly into eyes
4) Contact, like hand on shoulder
5) You make your own breaks; it takes dedication and commitment
6) No more “I’m sorries”
7) Don’t be so easy/available

Sunday, 10/30, Week recap

This week was probably the longest but one of the most enjoyable. We woke up early Mon to find out our next challenge, which meant we were all going to a different location for 3 days. It was my first time to said location [vegas], so it was very exciting. We had 15 min to pack and very little idea about what the trip would entail. The whole bus ride there, I taught the girls poker, breaking only for a southpark episode or two, one of which included the maury povich show boy with balls on chin episode, a personal favorite. That Sunday night previous, I had hurt my heel jumping from landing to landing to get away from the whipping of [Ankur’s] wet towel.

So my mobility was and somewhat is still limited. I probably need to see a doctor, but I don’t really want to. I think its just a stress fracture, but not sure. Anyhow, we arrive at the hotel. We ran upstairs to enjoy the offerings and have a couple festive shots. I did oatmeal cookie shots noting that they go down much easier than the tequila everyone else was drinking. This meant however that I was in for a long night of babysitting, especially since B was putting drinks back fast. So after a bunch of drinks, we made it up to the nightclub where shit hit the proverbial fan. Everyone was drinking and dancing and having a great time. I got to sit in with the live band for 1 song, smooth by Santana, so that was quite a treat. Everyone was dancing while I drummed. It felt good to play live again. Then things started to get out of hand, mostly due to one girl being out of hand. She had been flirting with the ENTIRE crew since day 1, and now she found herself grinding on a dancefloor with all the crew. This inspired even the 47 yr old camera guy to become a sleeze, dancing with girls in inappropriate ways. All the big wigs were there or around and could have easily preempted this situation had they spoken to certain people individually and not as a group, because this one girl doesn’t get it. [I left the name out here but some deductive reasoning could determine said girl].

That night closed with room service, champaign in Wes and Sarah’s room and a waterless, bathtub makeout session with wes and cher (Their story differs, but it’s really moot at this point). I didn’t tell people about it because it wasn’t my business, but it did get leaked. They had hooked up the 2 previous nights as well (back in the house that is. They were part of the late night crew, which also included Ankur. I tried to say up with them, but was often too tired from working out early in the mornings). Gotta love alcohol. I had already put B to sleep cause she was wasted. Couldn’t even open her suitcase. Like the good friend I am, I made she drank water and was on her side before I left. Most guys would have or did take advantage of the situation, but I didn’t. The one thing I noticed about the situation is that she took a liking to both Wes and Karl on the dance floor. I really had no idea how she felt about the guys here. I probably should have inquired earlier, especially since she asked me what I thought about all the different girls. It didn’t really matter as B and I are just friends. I’m not quire sure how to write about the situation because there’s still some show left and we’re so close to winning. Basically, I wanted to be friends from the get go; I told her that. She’s taken to that as well. I don’t really see her and I talking much after the show unless I’m hanging out w/ other contestants. I plan on being good friends w/ karl and Amanda and then maybe Danielle and hopefully long distance with sarah and wes. The latters are probably my 2 fav people here. Anyhow, I like everything about B’s looks and smart, but there’s just something missing there that’s just too much work for me to do. She reminds me a lot of where I was freshman year of high school. Luckily I pulled out of it, but most don’t. I had to work really hard at what I would call common sense, because frankly I just hadn’t. My grades suffered and I slept much less, but I’m glad I did it. I feel like the only thing missing in me now is assertiveness/aggressiveness. I need to start trying more and less being nice. On TV, you don’t want to be a dick cause it’s timeless, but in real life, being as verbally prude as I am physically would work well. Anyhow, that was Monday night. The highlight being either drumming or sarah telling me that if she didn’t have a bf, that she’d be all over me.

Sarah’s page
So I’ve made it a point to get to know everyone, but somehow I decided to take sarah under my win. I really liked that she smiled and laughed a lot and was easily approachable. Oh ya, and she’s hot as hell. Besides maybe Amanda, she was the prettiest one here. B is hot too, but it’s really personality that does it for me. So Sarah tells me intoxicatedly (new word) that only her bf of two hears is keeping us apart. Could be just playing nice, but I am good with boundaries and would not want someone to do that to me. She reminds me a lot of my bandmate’s mom in a lot of ways.

So Monday was crazy but Tuesday was fun. After a long day of challenges, we started drinking in the hotel yet again. We were wanting to leave the hotel but couldn’t but then casting changed their mids and we went to the MGM to a club. We couldn’t get in cause B misplaced her ID. But it was still fun cause the whole way Sarah and I were holding hand and frolicking. I gave her a piggyback ride at one point all in good ole fashion fun. We left that place and headed back. I had to keep an eye on B as a good person and cause I didn’t want her to miss out on stuff. When we got back to our hotel, after yet more drinks, Sarah remembered she had to get something for her bf. The funny thing is that she had 3 things picked out for herself before even she looked for her bf’s gift. One of the highlights was Sarah trying on basically panties in the store [the were short shorts]. I had to fend off the sales lady and convince her Sarah was not a hooker, because what was a girl like that doing w/ me. Don’t know. Haha. Anyhow, we went back to the club [in our hotel], did a little dancing and drinking and flirting. B and Karl were hanging out which was cool. Karl is a really good guy. He’s just very passive. Night ended with Sarah flashing her new underoos 3x before security made it clear she had to leave. That ended our stay in said location basically. We left early the next morning. I enjoyed it a lot, thanks mostly to Sarah, but could have had more fun had we not been confined to the hotel.

Weds recap (Back to regular writing)

The finale of the trip also meant sending two friends home, people with which I was particularly close. I imagine I’ll see them soon as we live near each other. This week had some good conversations about race issues, look for in bf/gf, beauty definition in Sarah and Wes’s room. By the hot tub we talked about dating and exs and the like. It’s too bad it wasn’t on camera really, but it was still very fun. I really enjoy the talks I have with B before we go to sleep. To some extent, it’s become habit forming, which I think is more due to me making the effort. Yet I’m usually the one to doze off first. We talk about the other teams, strategy and our own issues. If it weren’t for those talks, I’d have not enjoyed my time here nearly as much. AS has been stated, one of my goals is to get B comfortable talking to guys.

As more and more people are sent home, the dynamic of the whole group keeps changing. Each elimination has been hard, but the last couple have really gotten to me. I’m not going to ramble too long on this, but I’m kind of upset that they cast Cher. She’s just as smart as the geeks and is not learning from the experience. Hopefully they air my confessional cause I just rip into her, which is somewhat out of character, but vodka and rum will do that to you. I don’t see any way the producers can stop her from winning, since she knows most the answer before studying. I don’t think anyone wants Cher to win, including the producers but I don’t see how they can stop her. The worst part is now the game transitioned into a game and not just hanging out with friends.

I feel the least connection with the remaining teams. B is starting to get slightly annoyed with me but it’s really just that we’re spending so much time together. I’ve learned to not let little stuff pester me so much, but it’s inevitable even hanging with my best friends back home. As I write, the weather is absolutely amazing. I spent time today and yesterday laying out, which is completely out of character [for me]. So Friday was an amazing challenge. We did something that we wouldn’t normally do. And then the girls challenge was supposedly humiliating, but the point was that that’s how guys often feel. Turns out girls are very similar to guys if not more self-conscious. This weekend has been restful, though we’ll be going out on the town for the 1st time without cameras. I’m really hoping to do some cool things like shopping, eating well and hitting a club to try out my new skills. I’ve never been one to leverage my own self but tonight I might try and see how it goes. I’m wearing some nice clothes and feeling good. The fact that we’ll have hot girls with us will help too. What sucks is that I don’t have a wingman or the like, because the remaining guys are very inexperienced [it seems]. Maybe that will make me look better. At this point, I just want to try. It’s devil’s night (night before Halloween) so hopefully people will be out.

Switching topics, the last two people sent home were my closest friends here. It really hurt to see them go. I imagine we’ll stay in touch. The guy [wes] always stuck up for what he believed and brought out the best in me. The girl [sarah] was so amazing. We had one date; I enjoyed every minute of it. I feel like all that’s left to do is win. Sucks.

11/5/05 Final Recap

This final recap could be very long or very short. I’m amazing vulnerable right now. I’m on the plane flying home listening to Muse [absolution cd]. I just want to scream. This last week was so crazy. It’s so hard to put into words. With now fewer and fewer people here and most my friends gone and everyone pushing for win made it so much more stressful. I just want to tell everyone on the plane about everything but I can’t and won’t. I’m an honest and open person so keeping this in is that much harder. Let me recap. I really hope my writing won’t be different because B has read my journal, some aloud on camera. That was last Thursday. At one point, she asked to and I thought I’d wait til after the show, but since I thought it would help I let her read it. I’m glad I did.

As the Muse pounds into my ears, I’m already feeling better. I was really missing music in the house. I think I only lied once in the house. I told Cher and B that I wasn’t sexually frustrated, but come to think of it, I probably am. I feel even awkward talking about this but with cams and mics everywhere, I felt a little uncomfortable and the fact that the show specifically was not a dating show made it harder. Half the girls had bfs, some girls didn’t interest me, which really only left B for potential relationship. But I felt that the friendship was so much more important for her development. I don’t think I said a single bad thing about her the entire show. She could do no wrong. On the final interview, I said we had basically love w/o the physical stuff. The fact that she said after reading my journal that we’d hang out after the show and even holding her hand ice skating was amazing.

The thing with B is that she goes after the unavailable guys and I’m too available. That’s going to change though. I know I can find a great girl. I also think now if B and I were to date, it could work out in the end, so maybe I lied earlier in the journal. I love Muse. I wish every time I was shown on TV, Muse would play. But I digress. Let me do a quick recap of the week before I forget. Monday we got our final challenges, which were kinda vague. They got tired of us guessing the challenges. But we did the challenge on Tues. The house was really quiet and kinda unfun, but we made the best of it. The challenge was so f%*$ing close. My heart was pumping more than any other time on the show. I wanted to win so badly. It was heartbreaking. It also meant going to the elimination room for the 1st time.

All I can say is that B is awesome. She studies so hard and puts in so much effort. We’re not supposed to give anything away, but clearly there’s more to write about still. This week with the potential of going home and such, it was really a chance for us to expose Cher and to get to know each other more and more. B and I began talking about sexual stuff one night; she saw I wasn’t nearly as much of a perv when the 3 guys from the control room came up to chat, now on a regular basis. 3 of my favs, Brad, Sam and Kevin. So they started the topic, so B and I felt a little more comfortable talking about it. I tried to tell her that I wanted to be overnice on the show because that is something they could never take away. If I was an ass, I could have gotten more [face time], but I didn’t want to be known for that. Josh [my roomie] told me to be genuine, be nice and be myself. The best advice I could have gotten. I could have played their f*&%ing game, but I didn’t. I came to learn and love, and maybe I loved and lost, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. So Thurs was a chill day. B and I studied each other so much, layed out, drank alcoholic drinks (pina colada’s and corona’s) and just savored te last 2 days in the mansion. I think at this point and after B reading my journal, we knew each other so well that it was like we were dating. I can’t say enough how glad I was that she was my partner. I thought about kissing her thurs night as we layed in Jen’s old bed. We had a few drinks and she gave me some signs, but I didn’t want to guess wrong.

So Thurs ended and on came Friday, the final day. This day was like no other. I couldn’t sleep the night before, cause there was so much to think about. I was up around 6 am, just like the first day in the house. Ryan’s 7 am training had ended on Weds, since we were busy and he got cut early from the show. His last couple of lessons were really helpful. Not only did he bust my ass working out, but he let me know what I needed to do to get girls. I kinda always knew, but now I know. To be the part, you have to look it, feel it and be it. [His theory:] There’s 4 things to use as leverage for girls: 1) looks and look 2) finances 3) personality and humor 4) well endowed.

While I see that some of those might find me the wrong kind of girl, at least I’d be meeting and maybe getting with girls, so to speak. I know I am not bad looking, but there are clearly thing I can do to benefit me. As for finance and personality, those are my strengths. And since the latter is not a weakness, I should be in good shape. I know what I have to do to meet girls. It’s sad but before I left, I met some, only to have to leave to be on the show. That’s why I’m most excited to go back home [or at least justify leaving]. That and my amazing friends. There’s so much I want to accomplish. I just went through my stuff. I’m going to frame B’s picture of Minnie we did on Thurs. Who would have thought drawing cartoon characters could have been so much fun? I can’t even like eat or drink now. I’m so exhausted from the last day. I can’t even describe it fully. The morning involved B and I going on date’s together. I’m glad we called them dates because any other term would have been cheesy. I took her to the beach to play chess, my favorite thing to do in the whole world. And the fact that she cared and took to it made me so happy. My ex almost ruined it for me, made me walk past sometimes without playing. But maybe because B was on the show or thought we could be quizzed on it, she really picked it up and participated. After chess came her date, ice skating. She teased me about playing hockey but soon admitted we’d be figure skating. We talked about it the 1st day but I was still surprised and delighted. I hadn’t skated in a long time and she was amazing. Doing stuff I never dreamed of doing on ice [not like that you pervert]. The best part was holding her hand skating around the rink. I wanted it to last forever, but we had to head back for the final elimination.

At this point, I was just exhausted and we still had to beat the final team. I don’t want to talk about the elimination here really. Other than that, it was grueling. In the end I wanted to just split the money and be done. Or give the money to the girls. I didn’t care. It was never about the $ for me. Thankfully, I’m financially stable and make good decisions. B comes from a well to do family as well. In some ways, maybe other people did need the money more. The thing I’m glad about is that I didn’t sell out for the money. I was true to myself and B and that in the end, playing the game right will probably mean an even better pay day. B is amazing in front of a camera and I feel like maybe I have some talent as well. I’m sure we’ll get some offers to do stuff; I might just try it. Fast forwarding after the elimination, having not eaten, slept or taken my contacts out, I was actually doing ok. I wasn’t shocked. I wasn’t angry or happy. I was just thankful. So I was doing fine until one of the casting people whispered to me: you deserved to win. And then a sound guy came over to add his support. It was clear that everyone was on our side [from the audio, to the video, to the host, to the producers, to the casting people to the other cast members]. That’s what got me. Each team as they left was rooting for us and wanted us to win. That’s what made me ball like a school girl. I just lost it. I’m even tearing up as I write this. We had everyone on our side, rooting for us and cheering. They all bought into B and I and how we approach things. It was finally the philosophical confirmation and affirmation that I’ve been looking for my whole life. All those years of theory and hypothesis, with B as my believer and companion, finally seeing that I/we do have people in our corner, rooting for us and cheering us on. That’s why I cried and that’s why I did this silly show!

The End of Beauty and the Geek
Joe Block
“I left nothing on the stage”

Myspace considers buying OurSpace.com

2006-02-21T14:46:00.000-06:00

So you know how you hear stories about sexual predators going onto myspace to abduct little kids. Let me just say that I think those people should be shot and killed. I know it's a little harsh, but their wiring is messed up and very seldom do you hear of a recovering child molester. I could be wrong, but I'm not.

How come you never hear about the chick with a kid who is using myspace to try to find a husband for her baby? That's what I want to know. I feel like I'm the one being abused here. I see a nice picture of her. She's got like an awesome dance song and lots of pretty customized backgrounds. And then you click more pictures and it's just like bam... all pictures of you and your kid. Now don't get me wrong, I love kids. I'm a little young to have kids for various reasons (including but not limited to my affinity for 10 minute hand stands until the blood rushes to my head and makes me knock myself over, sliding down bannisters and drinking from the milk carton). But here's what I'm thinking. Bear with me. We call it... OurSpace. A place for families. That's right, OurSpace. No more surprise pictures. No more isn't my kid so cute pictures. Not exactly the kind of threesome I had in mind. Sorry.

Which leads me to my next thought... Last night I went to the Gin Mill. Just to grab a quick drink or two. Well I was just about to wrap up the night (after said drink or two), when upon returning from the bafroom, I saw people in the back doing standup comedy. So I walked back there and started listening. It was quite amusing. Fastforward a couple hours, I'm not intoxicated and laughing hysterically. So then when this one guy goes on who just sucks, I start heckling him. But instead of heckling back, he just pauses and says nothing. And then the later comedians felt like they had to stick together and support this guy (and of course they're the only ones w/ the mics) so they started poking fun here and there at us, not realizing that we were their ONLY audience besides the other comics. But it was quite amusing.

So now I'm a kick thinking I can do standup. We all know this is proposterous, but it's something people have ocassionally suggested to me (thanks mom and dad). But here's the other untapped resource I realized... CHICKS! I have always wanted a funny gf. Why not go to the comedy hour to meet one then? And monday nights are tame enough that it's easy to approach people. So I finally put two and two together and decided im going to do the standup circuit... until they realize im just a short circuit (ok that was bad). but ya. There's something really attractive about a funny girl. I mean if you can laugh at your huge ass mole and your disfunctional family, what can't you laugh at in life? That's rhetorical.

Another friend down, another new blog

2006-02-19T16:42:00.000-06:00

Hey-

Even though no one is reading (yet), I'm posting anyhow because i have trouble going back in time... sometimes. Other times, I just take my time traveling mini-van. You don't believe me? No seriously, I have a minivan. It's silver. And last night it fit me and 7 other girls. Don't hate... it's like karma for driving a minivan around the city. And onto the good stuff. (as if 7 girls aren't good stuff)

Karl and Danielle, who are both my homies, got eliminated the other day from beauty and the geek. Wait, that's not good stuff. Anyhow, it was a very sad day, because it was very cool hanging out w/ them on the show. Luckily, they're both from Chicago, so we still hang. In fact, we're all really good friends... now replace 'friends' with 'lovers' and replace 'really good' with 'indefatigable.' Don't try it at home though. Oh ya, check out Karl's awesome blog: http://kmachiavelli.blogspot.com/. And for those of you that don't get the triforce reference, it's time to beat up your parents. Zelda owns. In fact, I think Contra is responsible for getting me on batg. I'll explain later. In fact, i'll post it when i get a chance.

Ok that's about it for now. I'm really excited about Tuesday, as I will be eating Indian food at my neighbors. She's the most awesome neighbor ever.

Oh ya. So I got spotted last night. On girls who knew someone who knew Danielle. Some guy who my dad lawyers for. And then another dude at another bar. And then another dude. And then two more dudes. Then a phone call from my buddy's friend who again thought it was cool to know me. And as I was talking to her on the phone, got spotted by another girl at this table. I think I'm enjoying it, but when I want to tell other people about it, they're just like whatever. So I've kinda learned to keep it to myself. I do like people randomly coming up to me. Very seldom do they buy me a drink (except in Champaign), but that's probably healthier. I think just once I'd like a very attractive girl to spot me. It's bound to happen right? Or do hotties watch batg? That's not why I did the show at all, but can't we mix it up a little and not just random dudes? MMm random dudes. That's a joke btw. Ok time to grade homeworks. Thanks.

Couple quick things

2006-02-08T12:34:00.000-06:00

I know no one is probably reading this yet... at least I hope not. Anyhow we're going to Champaign this weekend to watch the 5th episode. Vegas baby! I am actually quite excited for this episode, moreso than usual. I'm kind of just keeping track for myself until I post a ton of stuff. But until then, enjoy the show and life.

Check out Chris' blog at www.chrisgeek.com. He's also currently selling shirts he wore on the show. All I have to offer is my band, gnome attic. His commentary is really insightful, but since he was booted last episode, you will only have his reaction and not insight.

So much to say, so little time. But I'll say it all soon. Really soon.
Joe

Gotta catch up

2006-02-02T13:58:00.000-06:00

It's Feb 2nd, which means the 4th episode is airing tonight! 5 of us (Brittany, Amanda, Karl, Danielle and I) are all from Chicago and often meet up to watch the episodes at different places. Tonight is the FBL, which is a hip little place in the West Loop. Should be a blast.

This news also means that I'm way behind schedule in posting commentary and updating the latest happenings. I didn't think we could keep a blog, but I saw Chris from the show had one, which made me very jealous. I will try not to overlap his commentary too much, but he does a great job of explaining some behind the scenes stuff as it relates to himself and some others.

I have to get on it. Maybe I'll have Brittany do a guest reaction as well!
Joe

Welcome

2006-02-02T13:06:00.000-06:00

Thanks for reading my blog. I decided to do this blog for a couple of reasons.
1) I thought I could add a little more insight and commentary to the Beauty and the Geek 2, seeing that I was one of the Geeks on the show. Of course, I have to be careful in what I write until after the final episode airs.
2) I kept a journal while I was on Beauty and the Geek which can maybe clue you in to how I was feeling at the time and what different thoughst I had. Some will seem dated or off base, but when you're in the middle of everything, it's sometimes hard to be objective. I did try though.
3) I play drums in an amazing rock band called Gnome Attic (www.gnomeattic.com). I figured I may as well plug my band and post some of the new happenings, since there's a lot going on in that front. If you would like to help with promotion or contacts, don't hesitate to contact me. I'm friendly... says my parents.
4) Some people wonder what it's like to be a 'psuedo-celeb' and if we've really changed from the show. I'm hoping to add some insight in that as well, though much of it will have to be fake names and places just because I do like to keep some sense of privacy.
5) This is no longer a 'couple' reasons and now quite a few, but I guess I'm just that interesting... to my parents. Being a philosophy major and an aspiring Renaissance man, I'm hoping to impart some different lessons and maybe tips I learn, as often times the little stuff gets lost in life.
6) I might also keep track of how badly I beat my friends at chess, as trash talking has become a real pasttime of mine.

Thanks for reading.
Joe