Somewhere in the past several years being a nerd became cool. It's difficult to pinpoint a particular reason, but perhaps it was due to films based on comic books becoming extremely popular or shows like The Big Bang Theory glamorizing nerd culture. Whatever the reason, TBS has decided to capitalize on this demand for "nerdom" with the unscripted reality competition series King of the Nerds.
Hosted by famous nerds Robert Carradine and Curtis Armstrong (both from the Revenge of the Nerds film series), the show features 11 contestants spanning the nerd spectrum competing first in teams and then individually to win a $100,000 prize and the honor of becoming King of the Nerds. The contestants live in "Nerdvana," a huge mansion with everything a geek could ever imagine. Each week a competitor is eliminated following a variety of challenges. Having watched the premiere episode of the program, I would conclude that the show is both hit-and-miss.
All of the contestants are under the age of 30 and come from various backgrounds such as being a professional gamer or working for NASA as an engineer. The only person viewers may have heard of is Virgil Griffith - a well-known hacker. Most of the nerds can be compiled into three groups: socially competent, nerd-stereotype, or just downright annoying (I'm looking at you, Alana). The series began tediously with everyone meeting one another and having Survivor-style discussions before a challenge had even taken place. Two team captains were selected and ordered to pick teammates. In a fun twist, the last person left that neither team selected was named the true nerd and earned immunity from the upcoming challenge. Two members of the losing team then competed in a life-size game of chess where the defeated participant was banished from "Nerdvana."
Being a self-admitted nerd, I found myself somewhat enjoying the show. There is something strangely satisfying about seeing socially awkward people thrust into public situations and challenges. On the other hand, it's hard to root for someone to win $100,000 when they are already a physicist or an MIT grad student. TBS seems to be after the nerd demographic between this program and nightly repeats of The Big Bang Theory, so this show could do well nudged between it and Conan. Although it borrows heavily from other reality competition shows, King of the Nerds did enough for me to warrant a second episode viewing.
Be sure to catch the premiere on Thursday, January 17, at 10 p.m. (ET)!
