After a successful reboot last year, Beauty and the Geek is returning to Aussie screens from Sunday, July 17, at 7.00pm on Nine and 9Now. Sophie Monk will be at the helm once again, overseeing the 10 new Beauties and 10 new Geeks as two very different worlds collide.
Mediaweek spoke to the show’s executive producer AJ Johnson about bringing one of the country’s most heartwarming shows back to Australian screens.
Having taken the plunge by binging the format back in 2021, Johnson says that there were some major takeaways that the crew got from last season.
“We learned that it works. When these characters from completely opposite worlds come together, it is really interesting and compelling and they genuinely do learn a lot from each other.
“We found out what challenges really worked and what was fun – they take on a dog agility course, mediaeval fighting, role playing, they even take on Today Extra. We just channelled what worked in terms of the really funny stuff, threw them in the deep end, and watched them try and survive.”
Beauties and Geeks 2022
There will also be some stand out differences from last year’s series.
“We’ve gone further into everybody’s backstories this year – especially the Beauties, who all have their own dating horror stories and background as to why they’re single.”
Casting a show like Beauty and the Geek is no small task, and Johnson says that there were certain criteria they were looking for when making the final choices.
“With the Geeks, they’ve got to have that superpower: their passion that they’re so focused on and so enthusiastic about. That is so compelling to watch. They’re so passionate, that a lot of the time they’ve shut out the rest of their lives – be that dating or meeting other people – because they are so enthusiastic about Harry Potter, or YuGiOh cards, or Batman.
“With the Beauties, it’s just the heart – big hearts that haven’t found love and that have been looking in the wrong places. They haven’t been respected properly or looked after properly. All the girls are beautiful inside and out, we really looked for heart over anything else this season.”
There is no shortage of dating shows out there in the world, but for Johnson, the thing that makes Beauty and the Geek stand out is bringing together people who may otherwise never cross paths.
Beauty and the Geek host Sophie Monk
“The visual of taking a dancer or a cheerleader or someone who lives on Instagram, and putting them next to someone who is a Harry Potter enthusiast that has never been on a date in his life or never kissed a girl. You put them together to have a conversation, and it’s really interesting – it’s something that you will never see on another show. It’s compelling viewing, it’s fun.
“The complete opposites coming together in this world is what makes it so special, and then you throw together some really fun challenges. This season is just so funny, and so heartwarming.”
Ultimately for Johnson, being involved in Beauty and the Geek means being able to bring something truly positive to the screen, and that is something that comes with a great deal of pride.
“It’s more than a dating show. It’s two worlds colliding and learning from each other in a really unique way.
“There are some really some genuine connections and lifelong friendships made. There are not many shows that you can work on where you can say that happens, and that you can be really proud of. I love it.”
Beauty and the Geek: Sunday, July 17, at 7.00pm on Nine and 9Now.