From extreme makeovers to cross-country races, reality television has become an omnipresent force in today's society. Viewers rush home for their prime-time doses of "The Bachelor," attend neighborhood "American Idol" viewing parties, and TiVo the latest episodes of "The Apprentice."
Whether we like to admit it or not, reality television has become, well, a reality in all of our lives. Yet this phenomenon that we've deemed "reality" is ironically perhaps as unauthentic as it gets. We've created a piece of pop-culture that viewers are almost afraid to reveal that they enjoy. It's become a guilty pleasure; we know it isn't real life, yet we call it "reality" all the same.
So for the stars of these popular shows, one wonders can a real life truly be created after life in "unreality?" Is it possible to develop a career by switching from "reality star" to "star?" While the latest "America's Next Top Model" may never see another runway and "The Bachelorette" may be giving back her ring, the entertainment world has found a beauty and a geek who've managed to keep it real.
For Cher Tenbush of the WB's second season of "Beauty and the Geek," being a reality star was simply a fun way to pay off her student loans.
"The WB sent a fax to the restaurant I worked at," Cher explains. "It said they were looking for attractive, out-going girls who could help a geek become a stud for a large cash prize... I thought, 'Hey, I could do that!' "
The shows concept was to pair up beautiful girls with what they claimed to be "less than stellar IQ's" with stereotypically geeky guys that needed a little help in the social department. The coupled-up teams would compete to win a huge cash prize.
Through the show, Cher happened to meet the geek of her dreams, Wes Wilson.
"I thought it would be a great chance to meet new people, visit a new place, and maybe take home some money," Wes explains. "I'm not going to lie though, living in a mansion in L.A. with all expenses paid sounded like a great vacation from computer programming."
For Cher, a simple quest to make some cash turned into a life-changing experience, and otherwise geeky Wes was surly coming out of his shell.
"I did not realize that it was going to be such a personal-growth experience," Wes confesses. "The show pushes you out of your comfort zone and makes you think about your shortcomings and how to improve on them. I assumed that we would be learning how much a Louis Vuitton costs and what Paris Hilton's dog's name is. I had no idea that I would be overcoming my fear of risks. And now I know that the Louis Vuitton Theda is around $2,000 and Tinkerbell is a cute Chihuahua."
But self-confidence wasn't the only thing that these two cast members found.
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