Jeremy’s geek triumph

A bit of a tangent from the World Cup, but I have to write about my mate Jeremy Reading’s recent win on the television reality show ‘Beauty and the Geek’. The series, overwhelmingly popular in the US and UK, teams stereotypical ‘geeks’ with ditzy ‘beauties’, and then pits these artificial couples against each other in a series of slightly insulting quizzes. Outside of these challenges, the participants romp around a mansion, Big-Brother style, with the occasional romance or drama as you would expect from a reality series.

I auditioned for the show when the casting call came out (with Fi’s reluctant permission, I might add, and a clause that, if I won, I would take her on a holiday to South America…), but was ultimately unsuccessful. Jeremy, however, made it through all the audition rounds and got selected as one of only eight geeks. Unfortunately, and somewhat surprisingly in my opinion, Jeremy suffered a mixed reaction from the Australian chess community to his participation. About half the polarised chessplayers felt this was degrading to Australian chess, and reinforcing negative stereotypes. The rest of us saw it as ‘any publicity is good publicity’, as well as a chance for chess players to rise up the coolness stakes of the geek world in which we have been involuntarily thrown.

Anyway, Jeremy has silenced his critics (one of whom notably participated in a reality show herself…) by not only outshining his fellow competitors, but even winning the whole thing! He leaves the series not only with his head held high, but $50,000 richer, and with the new title of the most famous Australian chess player of the moment. Whatever your opinion of the show, noone can deny that he’s done remarkably well. And the next time a gorgeous girl is faced with a choice between an online gamer, an astro physicist and a chess player (as so often happens), perhaps Jeremy’s success will convince her to play for mate, as it were. Congratulations Jeremy!