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Vote for Dave and Jasmine on "Beauty & the Geek"

There, I said it. I've made it known where my allegiances are: squarely with Dave and Jasmine.

Last night's final elimination room on Beauty and the Geek proved not to be that at all, instead for the first time "in the history of Beauty and the Geek" booting the final two teams back to their hometowns for a change, allowing them the opportunity to see their teammates in their natural habitat.

It was a nice twist in a reality competition that seems hellbent on redefining its own rules and twists, what with cash on the table to walk away (which no one actually ever picked up), a male beauty and a female geek this season, and the final twist: that "America" would decide who would walk away with the $250,000 prize. (Half of me just wanted the adorably clueless Jasmine to ask if Ugly Betty herself really had that much sway over their final fate.)

It's pretty remarkable to me to see just how far Dave and Jasmine have come over the course of the season, considering how very much at odds they were in that first episode. I certainly couldn't have predicted that a team comprised of LARPer Dave and babysitter Jasmine would ever be sitting in the final two and yet they quickly learned to put aside their many differences, to find common ground, to support one another and to communicate. If that doesn't best sum up the entire shared goal of Beauty and the Geek (along with, yes, that cash prize at the end of the rainbow), I don't know what does.

Throughout the entire competition, both Dave and Jasmine have been able to push each other out of their comfort zones, to strive towards a better understanding of their own strengths, and to help them accept who they are as fully functioning adults. I am sure that Jasmine kissing Dave helped this immensely, as did Dave's striking transformation: gone is the scary 'fro and oversized novelty glasses and instead we find a guy who is more at ease with himself, even when that guy has a tendency to LARP for eight hours at a time in medieval costume. (A son gout, as the French would say.)

I was thoroughly impressed that Jasmine threw herself wholeheartedly into the LARPing experience when Dave took her to Boston. You could tell that she wasn't totally comfortable with playing an elf named Evergreen in a quest to obtain a potion from an evil baron at first, but she soon got into it in the adorable fashion she does everything. And wasn't Dave super chilled and relaxed when he visited Jasmine's family in Columbus, Ohio?

Meanwhile, I'll be honest and say that I don't really think that Sam has changed much as a person. He's leaving this competition just as cocky and self-absorbed as when he entered it (just look to last week's challenge lose--and his childish sulking--for proof of that). Yes, he learned how to study and to "read things and remember them" but this series has always been about challenging stereotypes and people's perceptions. It's also about leaving the series crying about how much you've learned and how you've come to regard your teammate as a friend, etc., and I just don't see Sam doing either of these things. Did he learn from this experience? Sure. But it hasn't altered his entire personality, world view, or confidence per se.

I do like Nicole. I was impressed with how relaxed she was getting on stage at Tufts and singing to Sam but I also saw how much more herself she was with her friends than she has been this entire competition. She's come far but still has a lot more work to do.

So, here's the deal. I intend to vote for Dave and Jasmine as the winners of Beauty and the Geek 4 and urge you to do the same. (Of course, I'll be voting online via this link to the CW's Beauty and the Geek subsite, rather than paying the $1 per vote via mobile.) I think that they embody the virtues of the series and have made the most in-roads in meeting the brief originally set out for them.

Next week on Beauty and the Geek ("And the Winner is..."), it's the return of all of this season's teams for a reunion as the winner of Beauty and the Geek 4 is unveiled after America's votes are tallied.

Comments

Anonymous said…
At first, Dave and Jasmine were one of my least favorite teams. I thought that Jasmine was nothing but an airhead and that Dave was rude and an idiot when he told Jasmine that she was last on his "mental list" of partners. (That's why it's a mental list. You're not supposed to say those things out loud, Dave!)

I really didn't see much potential in either of them but was happy to be proven wrong. Jasmine may still be clueless but adorably so. Plus, she seems to genuinely care for Dave and has been a real sport through this whole ordeal. And Dave's confidence has soared in the last few episodes. He's also learned to loosen up and have a good time.

These two really have come such a long way and I would be shocked if they don't come in first.
Anonymous said…
bella spruce pretty much said it all. I never would have thought this would the couple I'd be rooting for to win. I am happy to get the chance to vote (online, of course), but slightly annoyed there is one more week, which is sure to be nothing but filler.

I really turned around on them. I don't mind Sam & Nicole, but I just think Dave and Jas benefited so much more. She was so great in the LARPing segment. Surprisingly great. When the season first started, I honestly thought there was something wrong with her.

I, too, would be surprised if they didn't win.
Anonymous said…
Hell, yeah. Dave and Jasmine all the way. I might even spend a buck on texting my vote.
The CineManiac said…
I'm in the same boat. Although I like Sam and Nicole more than you seem to, and think Sam has changed a lot, although i do agree he's still cocky (but if nothing else I'm glas he made it to the final two just to see that Matrix dance, that was damn impressive! I mean Keanu had wires when he did that!) I agree that Dave and Jasmine deserve to win.

I'm in the camp that couldn't stand either one of them in the beginning, but I'm glad to see how much they've changed and am really impressed at their progress.

My one complaint: "Dave please talk normally! We know you can talk without the lisp/accent/whatever that is, you did it several times throughout the season. It makes you sound weird and just isn't normal, which is clear as it seems somewhat forced. So please just drop it!" That is all.
Anonymous said…
I feel that Jasmine was not a beauty, she was the least attractive of all the girls of this season (she reminds me of Jen from the movie "The Dark Crystal"), and has she really learned anything? Dave has really progressed. Jasmine needs to get with a dialect coach and get rid of that baby voice (unless she plans on doing porn, staying a babysitters, or cartoon voices for the rest of her life). I think no one will ever take that poor girl seriously.

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