Beauty and the Geek

Sam and Nicole represented a Beauty and the Geek first. They were the first team in the history of the show to be composed of a male beauty and a female geek. They proved right from the start that they were going to be formidable competition to the rest of the teams, winning five out of the eight challenges this season. Not only that, they both became objects of romantic affection from other members of the house. Sam got together early on with Rebecca, and Nicole was the most desired inhabitant in the entire house. They made it all the way to the final two teams, but in the end, they did not receive enough audience votes to beat out Jasmine and Dave.

Sam and Nicole spoke to BuddyTV today about why they wanted to be a part of Beauty and the Geek, whether they thought Sam, who is an actor, had an advantage over the other beauties, and what their romantic lives are like now. Below, you will find an audiofile and a complete transcript of the interview.

Hey everybody. This is Debbie at BuddyTV, and I'm talking to Sam and Nicole, the runners-up on this season of Beauty and the Geek. First of all, congratulations on making it all the way to the end. What did you think when you found out that the final elimination would be determined by vote instead of by answering questions?

Sam: Well, me and Nicole always talked before challenges and stuff, trying to predict what we thought they might be. It actually went through our minds that there was a good possibility that it would be determined by votes from America. And so, we weren't caught that much off-guard. And, we thought it was a really interesting idea too, so, you know, it was good.

Were you hopeful about it? Did you prefer one to the other?

Nicole: I mean, sure, if we had had an elimination quiz, I would have been thrilled because that would have been something that we were strong at and had already faced two times. But, I thought this way was, I guess, a good way of making sure that transformation really was the crucial element in the decision.

Okay. What made you two decide that you wanted to be on Beauty and the Geek in the first place?

Nicole: I had seen this show in previous seasons, and I actually have some friends who were friends with Tyson Mao from season 2, so I knew all about the show and loved it. And I thought it was awesome that they were doing a twist, so it just seemed like something that would be a great opportunity, and I'd maybe be able to do something to stand up for other female geeks and represent them.

Sam: I had never seen the show before. I mean, I had heard about it and seen little bits and pieces here and there. I don't watch that much TV. But, I just thought, I mean, they couldn't tell me everything that was going to happen, obviously. I thought that it was going to be all male beauties and female geeks this season. But I definitely could tell that it was going to be an interesting experience. 'Cause I'm big on, like, really vivid memories, and so I knew that I was going to get a lot of them out of the experience.

What was the most difficult part about being on the show?

Nicole: For me, I think the first maybe days or weeks were very difficult because I stress a lot. So, right before the first challenge, the rap challenge, I was just freaking out and I'm thinking to myself, "Why am I on a reality show?" I'm not the type of person who enjoys pressure, but once I crossed that hurdle, I think I learned a lot from it. But that for me was definitely the most difficult part for me, just adjusting to live in the house.

You had said that one of the things that you were afraid of when you first got there was that you would feel like the ugly duckling in the room. Did that feeling eventually go away?

Nicole: Definitely, it did. I got to know the beauties better, one-on-one, which helped me feel a lot more comfortable with them. So I didn't feel like I was in a different world from them anymore. We could sit down and have a conversation. And the geeks still liked me because I'm a geek, so at that time, beauties don't feel like their being judged by your looks because you're with yours peers who you have something in common with.

And Sam, what was the most difficult part for you?

Sam: Well, I always felt fairly comfortable. I mean, the studying did just throw me out of my element. I hadn't seen the show and I definitely didn't realize that there was going to be that much material and that much reading in such a short amount of time. I mean, it's really absolutely ridiculous. So, that definitely was shocking at first, but Nicole, you know, motivated me. And I was definitely surprised that I could get through all the material and actually retain it and understand it enough for each and every challenge.

Sam, there's been a lot of discussion on our boards about whether your background in acting gave you an unfair advantage that helped you win all your challenges, and what do you think about that?

Sam: Well, I mean, I definitely do feel that actors know how to build rockets better than normal people. Or, bring bugs through a cave. But no, I think that that's absolutely ridiculous.

But, you know, you have to memorize a lot of lines as an actor. Did that help you in your studying? And also, there was a lot of performance aspects in the challenges as well.

Sam: I mean, performance-wise, I think it's less acting and more that I'm a really outgoing person and I don't worry about stuff. I'm like 110 percent all the time, you know. And I think that's more of just my social quality and that's just the reason why we're beauties. You know, I don't have a problem going up to a group of people that I don't know and striking up a conversation. I think that's less of the acting and more of just being a really social person and feeling comfortable with myself and the stuff that I do.

Nicole: Can I comment on that?

Yeah, go ahead.

Nicole: One thing I would say, having seen Sam, especially in the debate and in the Comic-Con, is that his, I guess, outgoing-ness and his entertaining-ness, they're just the icing on the cake. He has sound thought underneath it. Metro-Man wouldn't have been funny if it hadn't had that really hilarious backstory. And in the debate, if he had the worst argument in the world and was as funny as he is, it wouldn't have gotten him anywhere either. So he really does have the skills it takes to win those challenges, not based on how well he presents himself.

I agree: George Hamilton's spray tan was, like, one of the funniest things that I had ever heard. And, what was your favorite part about being on the show?

Nicole: The friendships for me. I was just going to say, the friendships. Coming out of there, and especially now that we can talk to each other again... I've been on the phone so much this week and sending off emails and it's just great because it's like your social circle just multiplied, and you have all these people who are a lot like you that you can talk to, and then I have someone like Sam, who I would never meet in my daily life. And, you know, in that time when I really need Sam's opinion on something because I know all my friends are going to say the exact same thing, that's what I have. I have someone who thinks completely differently and can give me this perspective that I'm not going to hear from anyone else I know.

Sam: Yeah, I'd have to agree completely. The friendships, you know. I mean, I came in there already being comfortable with myself and confident and all that. But I feel like I grew even in those parts that I didn't expect to. You know, I thought that was my purpose of being there, was to bring people up to where I was in that part of my character. But I feel like I've grown a lot and I'm so thankful for the experience.

When you guys went to Davis and Boston to meet each other's friends and families, what did you enjoy the most about those visits?

Nicole: I loved that. That was by far my favorite challenge. And I think the best thing was that it was really this benchmark where we could see how far we've come. When I saw Sam's friends and his brother and they were rehashing old stories from their childhood, I knew those stories. Sam had told me those stories over the previous five weeks. And when he was talking with my friends, they kept joking about all my strange little quirks, and Sam would jump in and say things. I remember specifically, we were talking about my Diet Coke addiction, and my roommate said something about that, and Sam was like, "Oh, and she collects their caps too for points," and they were joking, like, they both knew me the same amount. They were familiar with me, and I was like, "Wow, we really are close." Look at all the things we know about each other. We're really inside each other's heads at this point.

Sam: Yeah, that definitely was really cool. And I was so excited to introduce Nicole to my brother and my friends and bring her to the bar in Davis. It was definitely really, really cool, and I think me and Nicole need to plan another trip back and forth.

Nicole: Didn't I tell you?

Sam: Yeah, you sent me a message, saying that you want to do the Davis thing. Yeah, I am all about that. We definitely have to do that.

Cool, cool. And Nicole, Dave has pretty much given up all hope of pursuing any kind of romantic relationship with you, and does he have any chance with you?

Nicole: I really like Dave, and having the full amount of time in the house with him, I thought we got really close. But I just don't know if there's a romantic connection there for me. But we have plans to go LARPing, he promised he would take me LARPing, and I met a lot of his friends at the finale party, so I'm sure we'll be hanging out a lot in the future.

And Sam, what's the status of your relationship with Rebecca?

Sam: Well, we definitely live really far away from each other, but I think that our relationship has grown immensely in the several days we spent after shooting the show. Obviously, there weren't cameras there, and I'm sure people would have loved to have seen that. But you know, we're working on it, and there might be a possible move one way or the other, in which case, there would definitely be a relationship.

Wow, awesome. And, what's next for both of you?

Sam: I mean, like I said before, obviously there's a lot of opportunities arising from the show in the nightlife world. And I want to go to school. I might do a couple of acting projects and who knows? We'll see.

Nicole: I'm finishing up my Masters this year, and I decided that before I apply to Ph.D. programs, I'm just going to take a year off and be a normal person and not have to study 24/7, and maybe have a little bit of a nightlife like Sam has.

Great. Well, it was a pleasure to watch you this season, and good luck in the future. Thanks for your time.

Nicole: Thanks, Debbie.

Sam: Thank you.

-Interview conducted by Debbie Chang