The Average Joe jilted yet again

NBC's second installment of the reality series Average Joe concluded tonight. I don't really watch the show because I necessarily like it; I found myself drawn to it because, as Toby from American Splendor says, "I consider myself a nerd." I was curious whether or not the Beauty Queen girls would give these average dudes a chance. I thought NBC was a bit exploitative at times, as they made a point to repeatedly show the footage of the average dudes sans shirts on the beach along with the footage of the "hunky" dudes, muscles all oiled up, hair perfectly coiffed. The average guys (ranging in size from spindly skinny to super large) were made to look ridiculous in comparison. Seeing both Melana and Larissa's reactions to their entrance into the show pretty much confirmed all the negative and jerky things I've thought about super-vain girls all along. The fact that they did go out eventually and put their best face forward and actually got to know these guys only struck me as them saving face. They'd agreed to this project, they were probably bound by a contract, and they didn't want to look like the shallow assholes that they were by walking off. When they finally mingled with the average joes in the first episode it didn't strike me as someone poised to make romantic connections, but as some Beauty Queen doing precious outreach work. It was more akin to Princess Diana visiting a hospital full of amputees or like Miss California judging performances at The Special Olympics. When they smiled at the nerds, their hearts filled with hope, even if that smile was extended from a deep sense of pity or even obligation. And it was kind of sad to watch these guys -- most of them smart, funny, interesting and quite capable of finding a girl like themself -- fall into the trap of thinking that a girl like that would really seriously consider dating them.
NBC did a good job of making us believe that both of these ladies would actually walk away from the show with an average joe on her arm, but in neither case this didn't happen. In both instances, the women chose men who just as vacuous, shallow, boring and vain as themselves. So I guess we shouldn't be surprised that they both are no longer with those dudes.
Tonight average joe reject, Brian from Boston, really had no clue he was going to be rejected in the end. And I couldn't figure it out either. Larissa's dates with Gil seemed about as exciting as watching paint dry.
And speaking of the "hunks"-- what a bunch of maroons! Could NBC have picked more irritatingly boring guys? I guess this only illustrated the fact that these women really did end up basing their decision on looks and not on compatibility or anything of that nature. Larissa asked one of them once, "What's your favorite book?", to which he replied, "Uh, I don't read." She pressed to see if he had a favorite from years past, but the guy couldn't even come up with a sole title he had read in his 26 year life. Hint anybody?
I guess it only makes sense that "Larissa's Big Secret" was that she had once dated Fabio. FABIO?!?! WTF???? Um, whoa. Definetely wasn't expecting that. I thought she was gonna say she had a kid or AIDS or something along those lines. But she dated Fabio! And Gil dumped her because of it! I don't know which is weirder.