April 13, 2008
Representing on Reality TV: Extreme Makeunder
Beauty and the Geek: The episode Jim was so cruelly denied unfolded this week as the geeks received their makeover. But MIT Chris and Sweater Vest Tommy didn't really need makeovers. Well, Chris needed to lose his Hawaiian shirt, but that was about it.
Somehow, the makeovers wound up being makeunders. Chris' new haircut emphasized his receding hairline and gave him more than a passing resemblance to the thick-necked Jeffrey Sebelia of Project Runway 3.
Speaking of celebrity Doppelgangers, Sweater Vest Tommy busted out from his makeover looking like Ben Stiller in Zoolander. He even did "blue steel." But we're not sure if he knew that he was doing "blue steel," nor are we sure if anyone told him that his crazy-quilt jacket didn't work.
After the guys were made over, the teams engaged in perhaps the most blatant product-promoting challenge ever. The contestants were forced to watch a little bit of the new movie Prom Night, and then they had to prepare a prom-inspired skit in front of actors from the soap Young and the Restless. Neither Chris nor Tommy won, but Chris made a mark on the judges when he ran with the abusrdity of soap operas by inserting a line about his partner, Cara, being kidnapped by pirates. We're still not buying that he's a geek, but at least he's fun.
America's Next Top Model: This week was just a clip show of everything that's happened up until now, so we haven't seen Lauren possibly cutting off her finger, which may or may not have been the result of bad karma from her fight with Fatima. What we learned is that we are envious of SFist because Marvita is from there, and she is kinda crackers.
Sweater Vest Tommy, we liked you better before. Image from the CW.


