Underdog couple—and just plain nice people—Shay and Josh were evicted this week on Beauty & The Geek, but not before some creepy moments.  The beauties’ challenge was something more akin to Fear Factor, forcing Sam and the girls to carry seven panic-inducing creatures to their correct cages (labeled in Latin), including 4-foot snakes, scorpions and tarantulas!  Shay was scared to death, and Jasmine cried, unable to complete the task.  Frankly, I would’ve refused and just taken my chances in the Elimination Room.  Now we’re left with three teams—Dave and Buckeye-gal Jasmine being my clear-cut favorites.  William and Jen despise each other, while odd couple Sam and Nicole are the most-formidable.  I got an inside tip that there’s a game-changing twist ahead that will help determine the eventual winner!  Stay tuned…Meanwhile, Ambreal’s unexpected reprieve lasted just one week, and she bid adieu last night on Top Model.  The remaining six are psyched to be jetting to Shanghai, China for their next stage.  Even Tyra has never been to the socialist country, home to roughly one-fifth of the world’s population!  The nation is a divergent mix of sights, ranging from an almost Jetsons-like cosmopolitan district…to the ancient city shrines and Great Wall; so these episodes should be very intriguing.  Among the final six contestants, Bianca, Heather and Saleisha appear to stand out.  Your thoughts? 

Among all networks, The CW may be the most equipped to endure the current work-stoppage by film and TV writers. Everybody Hates Chris began taping early this year due to its young star’s growth spurt, and they’ve completed all 22 episodes. The other Monday comedies are also far ahead in production, says Variety, and new sitcom Eight Days a Week—with Justin Hartley, Mario Lopez and Christina Milian—has 13 episodes ready for midseason. On the drama side, One Tree Hill has a good portion of its 22 episodes (or scripts) ready to roll in January; Smallville will have seven new stories to air after tomorrow night; and Supernatural has four more in the can—with another five scripts ready to shoot, according to the LA Times. Gossip Girl producer Josh Schwartz says the hit soap has five fresh hours completed, following tonight’s jaw-dropper, while Friday Night SmackDown is new every week and not affected by the writers strike. Where The CW is especially strong, however, is in popular reality series…five, to be exact. New cycles of Top Model and Beauty & The Geek are in the works, along with season two of Pussycat Dolls, in which they’ll be assembling a brand new group. The mother-daughter beauty pageant show, Crowned, looks hilarious (click here for a preview); and you can scroll down a bit to read about Farmer Wants a Wife—a must-see for NE Ohio cowpokes. Nobody likes a strike, especially the talented folks carrying picket signs in freezing temperatures, but we’ll get thru it on-air…hopefully without missing a beat.

Do you have the looks, brains or social skills needed to help out members of the opposite sex? The CW begins a cross-country casting call tour this week for the next cycle of Beauty & The Geek. Which means they’re on the prowl for some stunning females who don’t rely much on their brains…and some nerdy Mensa-type guys with wide-open dating calendars. As we’ve seen, quirky and eccentric can be a bonus! Contestants must be at least 21, and everyone will have the chance to apply via mail. However, we thought we’d give you a heads-up about the closest in-person CW Casting Call we’re aware of: Saturday, December 1, from 5-10pm at the Mynt Ultra Lounge in Columbus. The address is 445 N. High Street. Perhaps after finding current season stars Jasmine, Luke and Jesse in Columbus, the network decided our state capital is a goldmine for talent. Anyway, if you’re up for a two-hour road trip, you’ve got a month to plan it! Click here for more details and info about applying online or by mail.

Beauty & The Geek’s John revealed he’s had the same floppy-bangs haircut since 4th grade, which only goes to show, folks: find a good stylist. His makeover on Tuesday’s episode was so striking, he easily won the Prom King challenge because none of the high school kids voting could believe he was a “geek.” Shay is such a sweetheart, I was sad she didn’t get asked to the Prom—but thrilled that she won the teaching challenge, where her beauty cohorts unfortunately proved to be dumber than 3rd graders. Other thoughts: Jesse looks terrible as a blonde, and William’s new red hair doesn’t cut it…a fact that his surly partner, Jen, pointed out. Will David ever act upon his feelings for Nicole? And how’d you like Jasmine’s dinosaur drawings depicting herbivores (“We’ll call him Herby.”) and carnivores (“And we’ll call him Meaty.”)?

Meanwhile, over in Top Model fantasyland, the funniest moment of the night was Ebony trying to convey “sorrow” while being held by a figure skater. She’s also afraid to flash her gummy smile, which could be a real problem in this industry. Someone needs to stick a sock in screaming Lisa, who took the best gargoyle pose photo, but whined about jealousy in the house. In the end, perky Janet was sent home, allowing plus-sizer Sarah to stay, despite a horrendous shoot in which, according to Nigel, “she missed the whole point entirely.”

A highlight of every Top Model season is the makeover episode, and this year’s surprising “buzz cut” victim was Bianca. The purple hair is gone, in favor of a nearly-bald high-fashion ‘do, which she alternates with a blondish Beyonce-like weave. Heather, who suffers from Asperger Syndrome (a mild form of autism), received only minor tweaks, as the judges seem genuinely taken with her exotic features. She can be annoying—don’t miss her biting model critiques next week—but she’s a darkhorse to win this thing, with no other girl separating from the pack. Last night’s nature realm photo shoot turned Victoria into a cactus, and for the third straight week she turned prickly with Twiggy at the panel session, earning her a one-way ticket home. Her parting shot? Fashion modeling is “ludicrous.”

The guys on Beauty & The Geek will get some stunning makeovers themselves next Tuesday. This week, revenge was sweet for Jesse and Erin—and yes, Nicole—who rid the house of windbag Will and crybaby Rebecca. Was Becky more upset about eviction or ending her tryst with Sam? Who cares…good riddance. Funnier still was geek Nicole (sick of the romance) conning Sam into pitting his girlfriend against “sure losers” Jen and William. Turns out, the quiet couple wasn’t so dumb, after all.

Beauty & The Geek’s pompous Will has to GO, man. Trouble is, he keeps winning immunity challenges and evicting other couples. Last week he caught Jasmine eavesdropping and stomped off, actually scolding her: “Tsk, tsk!!” Tuesday, as if Will’s story hour (lisping thru Poe) wasn’t annoying enough, the house really turned against him when he sent Erin and Ohio-boy Jesse to the Elimination Room, wrongly declaring that Erin wasn’t interacting with others—which reduced her to tears. Their sudden-death survival, coupled with the tension “beauties” Sam and Rebecca have created with their steamy romance, bode well for a dramatic upcoming massage and rocket-science episode.And speaking of drama, the queens cranked it up a notch last night on Top Model. Miss Jay put them all in straight-jackets to open the show—and should’ve left ‘em that way! My early favorite to win, Bianca, showed her true colors as a loudmouth 18-year-old who tanked badly in the photo shoot and was nearly booted off. Her increasing jealousy of polished Saleisha makes Bianca even less attractive. Though, for sheer nerve it’s hard to top mousey Victoria, who twice has gone into “Twiggy attack-mode” at the panel sessions—which both amuse and confuse the icon’s fellow judges. Your thoughts?

I’ve cried several times this past week…and it’s all Jasmine’s fault! She’s the Beauty & The Geek cheerleader-turned-babysitter that is so utterly clueless, I laugh til it hurts. Series creator Ashton Kutcher, himself, can’t keep a straight face when talking about her in interviews—he knows a comic goldmine. I watched the season premiere twice, just to see the Ohio gal reveal that she doesn’t speak French, but tells people she does…then walks away before they ask her to. Admitting she’d taken “an IQ and A.D.D. test” (ACT, maybe?), host Mike Richards asked how she did. “I didn’t even know they were giving it!” she gushed, with a naiveté that cracked Mike up. Her verbose geek, Dave, said when he learned Jasmine would be his partner, “I was worried. I didn’t know how we’d communicate.” Yes, the gap is that wide. Jasmine’s initial reaction? “My first thought was, wait…who’s Dave?” The challenges begin tonight, and I’ll have the Kleenex handy.

Beauty & The Geek All-New! Tuesday 8pm on WBNX

Since the first round of Beauty & The Geek, executive producer Ashton Kutcher has toyed with the idea of doing a role-reversal…a hunky guy and a geeky girl. When the fourth season premieres tonight, the twist has finally been added! “Mystery Couple” Sam and Nicole are guaranteed to stir the pot, as they allude to in their preview interview here. What can a hot party animal like Sam teach the ultra-smart nerds? And will the beauties embrace—or be intimidated by—a girl who’d never make the social A-list, but certainly scores high in the brains department? We laughed out loud many times watching these contestants’ pre-show chats. Tell us what you think of Sam and Nicole…and your impressions of how they’ll affect this new season on WBNX.

Beauty & The Geek - Season Premiere Tuesday, 9/18 from 8-10pm (encore Thursday at 8pm)

The fourth season of Beauty & The Geek premieres tonight, and there’s an added attraction for WBNX viewers—four of the 20 contestants are from Ohio! The Buckeye “geeks” are: Jesse, 26, a software engineer from Cincinnati; and Luke, 23, also from Cincy, who’s an electrical engineering student at Ohio State. Jesse says his family and friends all told him, “You’re just like the guys on that show…you should try out!” That’s what you wanna hear, huh? The Ohio “beauties” are: Amanda, 25, a model and self-described “diva tomboy” from Warren; and Jasmine, 22, a ninny…err, nanny living in Columbus. The young challengers will compete for a $250,000 prize—and some “social growth” along the way. We think this may be the best group the show has assembled; it looks like an extremely fun season coming up.

2-Hour Season Premiere - Tuesday, 9/18 at 8pm