Game show spotlights media geeks
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 23, 2002 9:00 p.m.
 Comedy Central Paul Goebel, Marc Edward Heuck and Andy
Zax are the geeks to beat on Comedy Central’s "Beat the Geeks."
By Amanda C. Suffecool
Daily Bruin Contributor
“Beat the Geeks,” the game show on Comedy Central,
gives everyday people a chance to go head-to-head with professional
geeks.
The weapon of choice ““ sharpened wits. But beware; these
aren’t ordinary geeks. Paul Goebel, Marc Edward Heuck, and
Andy Zax know more about television, movies and music,
respectively, than most people. A sardonic symphony of knowledge
unfolds in each episode as host (formerly Keith van Straaten with
new host Blaine Capatch appearing in the May 8 premiere of the new
season) and co-host Tiffany Bolton conduct an array of trivia
question-and-answer sessions.
So who are these geeks to be beaten and why do they subject
themselves to such labeling? Were they those seventh grade kids
enrolled in high school calculus? No, those were the dorks. Were
they the tuba players in the high school marching bands? No, those
were the nerds. Were they just those guys completely devoid of all
social graces ““ that guy on Bruin Walk who responds
“I’m feeling quite gassy today” in response to
the simple question of “What’s up?” No, not them
either.
The “geeks” are just those guys who know way too
much and are anxious to tell everyone about it. And they have
finally broken into the world of national television.
“Technically the show is based on me,”
self-proclaimed movie geek and co-producer of “Beat the
Geeks” James Rowley said. “I have some sort of problem
I think. I have a tattoo of Alfred Hitchcock.”
The help of golf buddy and co-producer Mark Cronin assisted in
making movie geekiness the premise of the show. With the idea
solidified, the only thing left was to find the geeks.
Some geeks are selected via reputation ““ such as the
“Star Trek” geek who was spotted in a trekkie
documentary ““ geek status confirmed. For others, the process
is lengthier. The geek-hunter (In this case the producer) finds one
geek in a certain genre. This geek knows of an even more
knowledgeable geek who in turn knows of an even more knowledgeable
geek.
“Finding a geek is a very interesting process,” said
Rowley. “Eventually the chain ends with the guy who knows
everything.”
Movie-geek Marc Edward Heuck is a prime example of this
all-knowing final link. Heuck has not only worked in film for over
10 years but he also goes to at least two movies per week and rents
a variety of others.
“He’s unbelievable,” Rowley said.
“It’s his life.”
Famous for their intelligence, the geeks are paid to be on TV,
and they get to spend all day talking about the thing they love.
The only drawback? Perhaps the permanent classification as
super-geeky. But doesn’t being super-rich, super-famous and
super-smart make such a classification inconsequential? The
super-TV geek himself doesn’t think so.
Paul Goebel, husband and proud father of two, is the TV geek. He
has been with the show since it first aired in December of
2001.
“Ninety-eight percent would have to go toward being
good,” Goebel said, in regards to the good and bad sides of
being a geek.
Goebel knows everything from the minutia of the “Brady
Kids” to the year in which “Sesame Street”
debuted. The only bad thing Goebel had to say about being a geek is
that the public has a constant desire to stump him.
With such a stubborn group of geeks, geek warfare seems
inevitable. On the contrary, they get along quite well.
“The three of them all hang out,” Rowley said.
“They all get sad when one of them loses and they are all
psyched when one of them wins.”
And the winning occurs often. But don’t think the show has
no surprises. Contestants are given enough advantages to walk away
victorious without needing to know more than the geeks ““ a
condition that can sometimes be seemingly impossible, considering
the amount of the information these geeks have. However, regardless
of their knowledge and egos, it is still possible.
“I don’t know everything about TV, I just know more
than you,” Goebel said.
“Beat the Geeks” airs on Comedy Central weekdays at
7:30 p.m. with repeat episodes weekdays at 11:30 a.m. To be on the
show, call the contestant hotline at (323) 860-5481.
