The WB reality series, Beauty and the Geek, is back for a second season and University student Brittany Knott could not be more excited to have been a part of the new social experiment.

“I watched the show during its first season without knowing there were any plans to do a second,” Knott, a senior in Business said. “But when a friend saw a notice for auditions and called me, I knew I had to at least try.”

After being called back for an individual interview following the first group session, Knott was asked to fly to California where the show was taped.

“I was more excited than nervous during the entire process, even though it was a little stressful not knowing if I would be in school that semester,” she said.

Knott’s friend, Jackie Warrick, senior in Communications, couldn’t believe that Peter Knott would allow his daughter to miss a semester of school.

“I know she was a little hesitant about doing the show because she would have to miss an entire semester for the taping,” Warrick said.

Mr. Knott said his main concern was ensuring his daughter would be well cared for.

“I had a lot of concerns about the agreement the contestants had to sign, but ultimately it was her decision,” he said.

After watching the first few episodes and talking to his daughter about the experience, he has been very pleased.

“I’m holding my breath a little, but her excitement tells me I don’t have to worry too much,” he said “What I have seen so far is Brittany. That’s her personality, who she really is.”

Dubbed “the innocent one” by the show’s website, Knott admits that she isn’t exactly street smart.

“There’s a big difference between memorizing facts for a test and answering questions on the spot during the challenges. There’s a lot of pressure!” Knott said.

Friend Leigh Vales, senior in Communications, adamantly defended Knott’s intelligence.

“Brittany is probably smarter than 95% of the people at this school. She’s just innocent and people unfairly label that sometimes,” Vales said.

During the time the “beauties” and “geeks” spent together, Knott believes they all had to let go of stereotypes.

“(The ‘geeks’) had ideas of what we were going to be like too,” she said.

Knott’s partner on the show, Joe Block, a graduate student at Northwestern University, admitted he expected the beauties to be ditzy or self absorbed but quickly realized otherwise when he met his partner and the other girls.

“Brittany made things much easier for me,” Block said. “She was easy to talk to, welcoming and friendly. The little things she did really helped me, even just telling me when she liked my hair.”

Despite any nerves she had when the show began, Knott enjoyed the experience.

“Those guys taught me that it’s not all about looks, and that I should look for people who like me for me,” she said.

According to the WB’s website, the show features eight “academically challenged” women pairing up with eight “socially challenged” men. The pairs compete in challenges that test intellect, fashion savvy and social skills, with the ultimate goal of passing their skills to their partner and winning $250,000.

Beauty and the Geek airs Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. on the WB.