Chris Saroki is not your average “Joe Millionaire,”
“Fear Factor” contestant or “Survivor”
hopeful.
“Reality shows are the bane of society,” the 2005
UCLA graduate said.
It’s a little startling to hear these words, considering
that Saroki, 22, can currently be seen on TV as one of eight geeks
on the second season of the WB network’s reality hit
“Beauty and the Geek.”
The show follows eight pairs ““ such as the duo of Saroki
and cocktail waitress Tristin ““ fighting to win $250,000
through challenges that keep both sexes on their toes, such as a
room makeover for the geeks and a computer-assembling test for the
beauties.
“Reality TV gets its laughs out of people’s
dignity,” Saroki added. “But I think it was pretty
important for me to go on the show.”
After leaving UCLA with degrees in psychology and history,
Saroki auditioned for the show for personal reasons.
“I thought going on the show would help me become a more
balanced person and improve my social skills,” he said.
“At the end of the show comes a transformation, which I think
is a good thing.”
But he doesn’t see himself or his fellow geeks in such a
stereotypical fashion.
“There are two types of geeks. Some are a little unsocial
but then there are the cool geeks. They may not be Mr. Cool Guy but
they’re fun to talk to,” Saroki said. “Most of
the guys this season are “˜cool geeks.'”
Many of Saroki’s family and friends seem to agree.
“I was confused in a way as to how he was placed in that
hole. I don’t think of him as a geek or a nerd in a
traditional way; it labels him incorrectly,” said friend and
fellow UCLA alumnus Michael Brown.
As confused or surprised as his family and friends may have
been, they were excited about the news.
“My family was really supportive and my friends thought it
was really cool. When they heard I was trying out, they helped me a
lot with the casting video. I was surprised they were so
enthusiastic. I don’t know how I would react if my friend
said he was going on reality TV.”
The show has also benefited Saroki by helping him put together a
T-shirt company. Saroki made T-shirts before the show to help
himself stand out, and ended up garnering a large amount of
attention during his interviews and with the cast and crew of the
show, including celebrity executive producer Ashton Kutcher.
Saroki’s line “geek fitters” will begin sales
online in March after “Beauty and the Geek 2″ ends its
televised run. Shirts feature amusing slogans such as “I put
the stud in study.”
Saroki still looks back fondly on his days at UCLA.
“Not getting into some of the other schools I applied to
turned out to be a major blessing,” he said. “I love
UCLA and I also like the Texas Longhorns right now.”
While he said he regrets spending too much time focusing on
grades during college, he was still able to devote time to both the
Office of Residential Life’s ResTV station and the arts and
entertainment section of the Daily Bruin.
“One of the most important things,” he said,
“is to get out there, get involved and get a full experience.
Don’t get too crazy though; you want to remember
college.”