might be all geeked out. The ratings show that this program, now in its fifth season, cannot compete with those on other networks at the same time (Tuesdays 8/7 central).Beauty and the Geek is a reality show that pairs nine “gorgeous but academically impaired women [with] nine brilliant but socially challenged men,” according to its website. The program aired for the first season on the WB, until this network merged with UPN to form the CW, where it airs today.
According to a poll taken on TV.com, television viewers ranked Beauty and the Geek the following way:
It doesn’t appear that there is anything fundamentally wrong with the show; it just cannot compete with more popular shows airing simultaneously, such as Fox’s American Idol. The chart below shows the number of viewers and the rating versus share among 18-49 year olds for programs aired during the 8:00 time slot on Tuesday, April 1:
Time Network Show Viewers (Millons) 18-49 Rating/Share
8:00 FOX American Idol 25.19 9.3/25
8:00 CBS NCIS (Repeat) 10.21 2.1/6
8:00 NBC The Biggest Loser 8.22 3.3/9
8:00 ABC Just for Laughs 5.51 1.4/4
8:00 CW Beauty and the Geek 1.57 0.7/2
As you can see, no shows even come close to American Idol. Beauty and the Geek, however, comes in with the fewest viewers. Rating versus share also shows minimal interest in the show when compared with programs on other networks at the same time.
The chart below shows the average number of viewers per episode of the five seasons of Beauty and the Geek:
Season Timeslot Season Premiere TV Season Viewers (in millions)
1st Wednesday 9/8C June 1, 2005 Summer 2005 3.8
2nd Thursday 9/8C January 12, 2006 Mid-Season 2006 4.2
3rd Wednesday 8/7C January 3, 2007 Mid-Season 2007 4.0
4th Tuesday 8/7C S September 18, 2007 Fall 2007 3.3
5th Tuesday 8/7C March 11, 2008 Mid-Season 2008 So far: 1.7
If Beauty and the Geek wants to get its numbers up, it should go back to a Wednesday or Thursday night timeslot. Also, with the exception of the current season, a mid-season premier seems to be the most popular. The reason why the numbers are so low this season, at least thus far, can most likely be attributed to American Idol. This is the first season that Beauty and the Geek is on at the same time as this show. A Beauty and the Geek fan posted on TVGuide.com that, “You can’t expect anything on The CW to stand a chance against the Idol machine. The CW’s ENTIRE demographic tunes in to see Seacrest & Co.”
Basically, for Beauty and the Geek to survive, it needs to be given a time slot that does
not clash with America’s most popular show at the moment. If it moved back to Wednesdays or Thursdays, it would be competing with reality shows more on its level, such as Big Brother and Wife Swap, or games shows such as Deal or No Deal and Don’t Forget the Lyrics. This will be a sure step to getting back the ratings it enjoyed during past seasons.
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