Wax On, Wax Off

A makeover can only change a person’s outside appearance. Unfortunately for Chris, his spiffed-up exterior didn’t have any effect on his grumpy, insensitive interior. He and his partner Tristin were the latest couple eliminated from Beauty and the Geek.

This week’s challenge was for the guys only, and the winner was allowed to select both of the teams to send to the elimination challenge. It was a fitting prize for the most difficult challenge yet: speed dating.

Before the guys went on their dates, each of the beauties gave her geek a makeover. The girls picked out new clothes, which were invariably a combination of blazer, printed tee, patterned oxford shirt, and jeans. Then the ladies guided stylists through the process of altering their geeks' hairstyles -- and other grooming issues. In most cases, those issues were solved with wax.

Based on the results of the makeovers, the producers cast a bunch of geeks they knew would clean up well. With the floppy hair gone, and Ankur's chest and unibrow completely waxed, all of the guys looked really good. The ladies especially liked Wes, who lost the glasses and turned into a hottie.

The speed dating challenge took place at a bar. Guys were sent into a room in groups of three, and each guy talked with a date for five minutes before moving on to the next girl. The dates rated each geek’s performance, and the geek with the highest total rating won.

In another part of the bar, the beauties listened in on their geeks' dates. Sarah almost lost her mind when Wes defied her instructions and told one of his dates that he tracks monkeys with lasers. But Tristin heard more than she wanted to, when Chris told one of his dates that it was nice to talk to a smart girl for a change after spending so much time with Tristin.

Chris's apology to his tearful partner was one of the worst apologies in recorded history. He explained that he wouldn't be upset if someone called him socially awkward, because he knew it was true. Likewise, Tristin shouldn’t be upset that he called her dumb. When that didn’t work, he clarified that "academically uninclined" was more accurate than "dumb." At that point, Tristin left the room.

Wes got the highest scores from the speed daters and won the challenge, with the now mostly-hairless Ankur placing second. One of the girls even left her phone number for Wes. He and Sarah picked Josh & Cher and Chris & Tristin for the elimination round, claiming that the two teams matched up better than anyone else. Tristin was stunned to be sent to elimination for a third consecutive time.

With some encouragement from Ankur, Chris attempted to apologize to Tristin again by making one of his crappy homemade cards. Realizing this was the best she was going to get, Tristin accepted the apology and the two prepared for the elimination challenge. The guys were quizzed on dating etiquette, and the girls answered questions on any topic they’d studied since the first episode.

Tristin put her team at a disadvantage, answering only two of three questions correctly, as Cher got all three. Chris missed his first question: What nickname, given to guys who date lots of women, comes from the name of a famous Italian adventurer? Chris guessed Lothario. Tristin, who was watching on closed circuit TV, said, "Who’s Lothario? It’s Don Juan de Marco!" (The correct answer was Casanova.)

Although Chris answered his second question correctly, Josh aced both of his, sealing a victory for Cher and him. On their way out, Tristin told Cher, "Remind everyone what it’s all about. It's not about winning." Hopefully, Cher will take the advice to heart and relax.

Chris left the show having realized that you can something from everyone, not just other nerds. Tristin came to a similar conclusion, and said, "I didn’t think I was going to fall in love with everyone in the house." With this season’s villain team gone, will Cher and Josh take their place as the least beloved?

Next time, the beauties and geeks hit the road for an overnight trip to Las Vegas. The girls play strip poker, but it's the guys who disrobe. Also, the newly made-over Wes makes a move on Cher. Looks like Josh will have to sleep in the closet again.