The 2021 reboot of dating show Beauty and the Geek will see 10 beauties and 10 geeks paired together, and seemingly unlikely love connections form — with a few makeovers and WTF moments thrown in for good measure, naturally.
The show’s host, Sophie Monk, previously said in a statement that “a lot has changed” since Beauty and the Geek was last on our screens.
“Today, geeks run the world and beauties are far more than just a pretty face,” she explained.
Speaking to POPSUGAR Australia ahead of the series premiere on Channel 9, Monk assures viewers that they will both laugh and cry watching the singles try to find love.
“You’re definitely going to laugh,” she said. “It’s just so hilarious watching opposites coming into each other’s worlds. You won’t laugh at them, but you will laugh because it’s just so funny. And then the next minute you’re just in tears! It’s such a gorgeous show, so innocent and beautiful.”
Of course, Monk is no novice when it comes to reality television dating shows, having enjoyed a stint as The Bachelorette and then taking up hosting duties on Love Island. So, what role does she play on Beauty and the Geek in helping the participants meet their match?
“I was definitely more involved than I thought I would be,” Monk admitted. “It was kind of on me to re-pair them and make sure they were bringing the best out in each other and, if I saw a connection there, to kind of encourage that along as well.”
“There were times that I felt like Dr Phil,” she laughed, noting that she doesn’t consider herself an expert as she was 40 before she found true love.
“Like, I’m not trained for this! But I just tried to give them the best advice from my own experience of being on shows and growing myself, so it was a very rewarding role for me — except for when they weren’t happy with the re-pairing because then I couldn’t blame anyone!”
Regardless, Monk cites the cast as being the absolute highlight of her experience on the show, saying that it would be hard to top them.
“They all came in for exactly the right reasons and just how much they grew and what they took away from it. A lot of them ended up saying it was the best thing they had ever done in their lives which is so refreshing for a show.”
Describing the show with the three words “goosebumps, comedy and tears”, Monk said that what sets Beauty and the Geek apart from the plethora of dating shows out there is that element of opposites attracting.
“A lot of these people would probably have never socialised or bumped into each other because their interests are so different,” she said. “Also, there’s not the pressure on romance at all. If that happens, that’s amazing and if it doesn’t and they just grow in a friendship and bring the best out in each other then that’s great too.
“You don’t have to have a romantic connection…although there is, there is a lot,” she finished, with the promise of a few real love stories.
As for Monk’s own love story, which finally saw its happy ending with her Christmas Day engagement to partner Joshua Gross, the singer and host said that the wedding could end up being more of a last-minute affair.
“COVID has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works but I’m also just generally disorganised,” she said. “I’m very much last minute — like, the engagement party, I think we organised about a week and a half before and I actually got the art department from Beauty and the Geek, because I love their parties so much, to do it. So, I’m a bit of an eleventh-hour person anyway.”
Beauty and the Geek premieres on Sunday, July 11, at 7.00pm on Channel 9.
