Producers switched the premise behind the cast’s back
What most of us didn’t know – at least until she blabbed on national radio – was that Finlayson took Cosgrove’s virginity. During an interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show (via ), Cosgrove was tight-lipped when asked if the pair had ever gotten “naked with each other.” Finlayson wasn’t as discreet and told Australian listeners that the star had been a virgin and is “secretly proud” of their behind-the-scenes hookup. According to The Fraser Coast Chronicle, Finlayson’s disclosure of the nitty gritty details almost “derailed” her relationship with Cosgrove.
The breakdowns were darker off-screen
Unlike most reality shows that use editing to carefully craft intense drama, Beauty and the Geek might have actually cut out the most intense moments. The show was occasionally even more grueling off-camera than it was on (despite the exaggerated love affairs). We already know Season 3 of the Australian version saved us the details of a castmate’s lost virginity, but the American version was also equally as dulled down.
Niels Hoven (above), who appeared on Season 3 of The CW series, told Alloy that the show actually “toned down” his near Springfield chicas escort breakdown and a lot of what was said in the house. The star was cut off from his phone, the internet and anyone who could give him outside support, making the situation particularly difficult. As a result, his near-nervous breakdown lasted 12 heated hours. Producers cut it down to just 10 minutes.
“It just didn’t come through as intense as it was really,” he said. “It was really tough because we were cut off from outside contact.”
It’s one thing to cut off your reality stars from the outside world (that’s just the cost of doing business). It’s another thing to mislead them and put them on an entirely different show. That’s pretty much what happened during Season 5 of The CW series when the geeks awaited their beauty teammates. Instead, producers decided to pit beauties against them rather than with them.
Beauties vs. geeks apparently didn’t go down that well. The geeks signed up for the series to better themselves with the help of the beauties. This wasn’t really possible if they were batting for different teams. In an interview with Reality TV World, Season 5 contestant John English admitted that none of the 18 contestants appreciated the unexpected twist. The boys weren’t thrilled about sharing beds with each other and felt the premise was unfair because they “were the kids that were picked last at dodgeball.”
“We were pretty disappointed with the whole thing,” he said. “I think after we got in the house and the girls got to know us a little better, I think they really did start thinking, ‘You know, we’re pretty disappointed about this too.'”
Some of the challenges made contestants feel dirty
Though Beauty and the Geek didn’t require contestants to live in the dirt and gulp down insects like Survivor or Naked and Afraid, the series still made contestants feel dirty in different ways. Shawn Bakken (above), a geek who appeared on Season 1 of Ashton Kutcher’s series, admitted that one of the challenges made him really uncomfortable because it went against his morals as an assistant scoutmaster.
During the episode in question, the geeks had to walk around a mall and get phone numbers from women who were shopping. Not only did Bakken resent the idea of “interrupting people when they’re busy,” but they had to lie to obtain the phone numbers.
“We could tell them anything except the truth. ‘If you say it’s for a reality show, it doesn’t count.’ Boy Scouts are supposed to be trustworthy,” he told Stacy Juba in an interview. “Getting phone numbers under false premises . I honestly felt dirty afterward.”
