An article about me in the Herald News (Joliet IL)
25 Questions with Joe Block
Joe Block, a former Shorewood resident, recently came in second on the WB reality show, "Beauty and the Geek" with his partner, Brittany Knott of Elgin.
Joe, described on the show as a speed chess champion, recently answered 25 questions posed to him about himself and his experience on the show.
1. When is your birthday?
Aug. 7, 1981.
2. Where were you born?
Joliet.
3. Where did you go to school?
Minooka Grade School and Minooka Junior High; Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest; undergraduate at University of Chicago (degree in philosophy); Ph.D student at Northwestern in mechanical engineering.
4. You are in a band, Gnome Attic. When did you start playing drums?
I began playing in the fifth grade. I was in the marching band in Minooka, and began taking private lessons around age 12. In high school, I played in the orchestra for four years. We didn't have a marching band.
5. When did you join Gnome Attic?
We started it in 1999. Then Matt, the guitarist-singer guy, went to study abroad. It's been off and on with different lineups since 1999. We've been going at it very seriously for about a year or two now.
6. How is the band going now?
We're doing really well. We're working on our next CD. We just played a sold-out show at a local bar in Chicago. We're looking to tour this summer again. The Web site is up (gnomeattic.com), and it will send you over to MySpace for the e-mail list.
7. Did the TV exposure help the band?
I think so, yeah. It definitely got us more recognition. (But) we haven't played enough shows to see what effect the show has had. I didn't really do the TV show to help the band, per se. I knew it wouldn't hurt, but that's not why I did the TV show."
8. Why did you do the TV show?
I just felt like there was a lot I could learn about myself, about dating, about being social and interacting with good-looking girls. I just thought it would be a fun way to document my life, to look back and say I did that. The main thing was to fill in the gaps in my knowledge base.
9. What went on behind the scenes of "Beauty and the Geek?"
There's plenty of stuff. Part of the thing about the show itself, with only so much footage in the given episodes, a lot of it focuses on conflict. They didn't show how much fun we had being there. As for the actual specifics of behind the scenes, the first thing is Cher and Wes are still dating. They moved out to L.A. together and Wes is going to pursue acting."
10. Did that surprise you?
It's amazing they made the whole long distance thing work and that they're serious enough to live together.
11. What else?
The finale. They only showed like 14 questions, like 12 regular ones and two sudden death. But there were 25 regular questions and five sudden death, and we were tied at end of 20. Because of time constraints, they couldn't show them all. We filmed for like 18 hours. I was tired and drained at the end — it was ridiculous. That morning I woke up at 6 a.m. because I couldn't sleep, so I worked out really hard. Then we had two dates (him teaching Brittany how to play speed chess, and her taking him ice skating.) The challenges were suppose to start at 5 or 6 p.m., but they didn't start 'til 8 or 9, and we filmed 'til 1 a.m.. I got back to the hotel around 2 a.m., and I was completely exhausted and drained.
12. What was your reaction when you didn't win?
It wasn't that big of a deal. Brittany and I had braced ourselves. I was fine, but then what happened was, a couple of the crew people that worked on the show, like the casting PA's and the camera guys, they said to me, 'You should've won.' That's what got me emotional in the finale, feeling like I let a lot of people down. Everyone wanted us to win. When the (other couples) would go home, they would say, 'Make sure you beat Cher and Josh.' And that's where the emotion game from in the finale, not wanting to disappoint other people.
13. What would viewers be surprised to learn?
Just that we were all really good friends, it wasn't nearly as competitive as they made it look. We all still keep in touch with each other. Also the girls are really quite intelligent, (but) they would say some peculiar things and that's what they would show on camera. There were all these questions (from viewers) — was it rigged? Was it fair? It was fair, for sure. Nothing was rigged. They did a really good job of letting us be ourselves.
14. Did Brittany ever forgive you for answering incorrectly?
There was no need to forgive. At that point, after so many hours of filming, it came down to two options and I picked the wrong one. Honestly, after each sudden death question, I kept asking to split the money, give it to the girls...I didn't really care.
15. Who became your best friend on the show?
On the show, Wes my best friend. He brought out a certain side of me that I liked, a certain jovial, carefree side that was really fun. He inspired me to be funnier and such. After the show, (it was) probably Carl. He and I hang out all the time and talk all the time. He's from Chicago. There are five of us from Chicago. That was definitely pretty interesting. I don't know what that says about Chicago.
16. Did you know Wes and Cher were hooking up?
Yeah, Cher was definitely flirtatious with everybody, but you could tell she had a thing for Wes.
17. Are you dating anyone from the show?
No.
18. Are you dating anyone?
Not really, I'm pretty much single.
19. Do you think you're better equipped to deal with good-looking girls now?
For sure. I feel lot more comfortable around good-looking girls. The holdup for most guys — myself included — is just meeting them and holding a conversation. After you know them, it's not nearly as difficult. The first introduction, that's the hardest.
20. What's been the fallout from the show for you personally — any acting opportunities?
Not too much. I sort of looked into maybe finding more work. I had so much fun on the show, that it makes me want to consider that as an option. As for specific offers, nothing so far. My background isn't TV or film, so to some extent I'm a novice. On other hand, I'm a quick learner so I shouldn't have too much difficulty if I want to pursue it.
21. Would you do reality TV again?
Yeah. I definitely had a blast. I thought it was a great experience. It depends on the context — (if it was) to try and prolong my 15 minutes, probably not. But this show was a learning experience, to put yourself out there and try to learn something about yourself, as opposed to other reality shows.
22. What's your advice for someone who wants to get on a reality TV show?
Everybody always says, 'Be yourself.' I think there's more to it than that. If you are a little creative and have a sense of ingenuity, I think that will help. I invented a dance called the Contra dance — it was me dancing to the Contra (video game) music. I think for the most part, they (producers) can read through people trying to be someone they're not. I think people who react well under pressure, they like that. They know you're not going to freeze in front of the camera.
23. What has changed most about you since being on the show?
I think I'm more comfortable with myself. I'm also more confident in how I approach things. Before the show, I knew what I needed to do, but I wasn't doing them. Now I feel I'm doing the right things — like dressing better and not being as intimidated or fearful.
24. Anything else you'd like to add?
It was really fun. I'm thankful for everyone's support. In general, I'm glad I did the show. Think it was good experience for me.
25. What's next for you?
I'm still in school, so finishing up my PhD. Also, I'm currently working really hard with my band. Other than that, I'm just really enjoying life.
Joe Block, a former Shorewood resident, recently came in second on the WB reality show, "Beauty and the Geek" with his partner, Brittany Knott of Elgin.
Joe, described on the show as a speed chess champion, recently answered 25 questions posed to him about himself and his experience on the show.
1. When is your birthday?
Aug. 7, 1981.
2. Where were you born?
Joliet.
3. Where did you go to school?
Minooka Grade School and Minooka Junior High; Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest; undergraduate at University of Chicago (degree in philosophy); Ph.D student at Northwestern in mechanical engineering.
4. You are in a band, Gnome Attic. When did you start playing drums?
I began playing in the fifth grade. I was in the marching band in Minooka, and began taking private lessons around age 12. In high school, I played in the orchestra for four years. We didn't have a marching band.
5. When did you join Gnome Attic?
We started it in 1999. Then Matt, the guitarist-singer guy, went to study abroad. It's been off and on with different lineups since 1999. We've been going at it very seriously for about a year or two now.
6. How is the band going now?
We're doing really well. We're working on our next CD. We just played a sold-out show at a local bar in Chicago. We're looking to tour this summer again. The Web site is up (gnomeattic.com), and it will send you over to MySpace for the e-mail list.
7. Did the TV exposure help the band?
I think so, yeah. It definitely got us more recognition. (But) we haven't played enough shows to see what effect the show has had. I didn't really do the TV show to help the band, per se. I knew it wouldn't hurt, but that's not why I did the TV show."
8. Why did you do the TV show?
I just felt like there was a lot I could learn about myself, about dating, about being social and interacting with good-looking girls. I just thought it would be a fun way to document my life, to look back and say I did that. The main thing was to fill in the gaps in my knowledge base.
9. What went on behind the scenes of "Beauty and the Geek?"
There's plenty of stuff. Part of the thing about the show itself, with only so much footage in the given episodes, a lot of it focuses on conflict. They didn't show how much fun we had being there. As for the actual specifics of behind the scenes, the first thing is Cher and Wes are still dating. They moved out to L.A. together and Wes is going to pursue acting."
10. Did that surprise you?
It's amazing they made the whole long distance thing work and that they're serious enough to live together.
11. What else?
The finale. They only showed like 14 questions, like 12 regular ones and two sudden death. But there were 25 regular questions and five sudden death, and we were tied at end of 20. Because of time constraints, they couldn't show them all. We filmed for like 18 hours. I was tired and drained at the end — it was ridiculous. That morning I woke up at 6 a.m. because I couldn't sleep, so I worked out really hard. Then we had two dates (him teaching Brittany how to play speed chess, and her taking him ice skating.) The challenges were suppose to start at 5 or 6 p.m., but they didn't start 'til 8 or 9, and we filmed 'til 1 a.m.. I got back to the hotel around 2 a.m., and I was completely exhausted and drained.
12. What was your reaction when you didn't win?
It wasn't that big of a deal. Brittany and I had braced ourselves. I was fine, but then what happened was, a couple of the crew people that worked on the show, like the casting PA's and the camera guys, they said to me, 'You should've won.' That's what got me emotional in the finale, feeling like I let a lot of people down. Everyone wanted us to win. When the (other couples) would go home, they would say, 'Make sure you beat Cher and Josh.' And that's where the emotion game from in the finale, not wanting to disappoint other people.
13. What would viewers be surprised to learn?
Just that we were all really good friends, it wasn't nearly as competitive as they made it look. We all still keep in touch with each other. Also the girls are really quite intelligent, (but) they would say some peculiar things and that's what they would show on camera. There were all these questions (from viewers) — was it rigged? Was it fair? It was fair, for sure. Nothing was rigged. They did a really good job of letting us be ourselves.
14. Did Brittany ever forgive you for answering incorrectly?
There was no need to forgive. At that point, after so many hours of filming, it came down to two options and I picked the wrong one. Honestly, after each sudden death question, I kept asking to split the money, give it to the girls...I didn't really care.
15. Who became your best friend on the show?
On the show, Wes my best friend. He brought out a certain side of me that I liked, a certain jovial, carefree side that was really fun. He inspired me to be funnier and such. After the show, (it was) probably Carl. He and I hang out all the time and talk all the time. He's from Chicago. There are five of us from Chicago. That was definitely pretty interesting. I don't know what that says about Chicago.
16. Did you know Wes and Cher were hooking up?
Yeah, Cher was definitely flirtatious with everybody, but you could tell she had a thing for Wes.
17. Are you dating anyone from the show?
No.
18. Are you dating anyone?
Not really, I'm pretty much single.
19. Do you think you're better equipped to deal with good-looking girls now?
For sure. I feel lot more comfortable around good-looking girls. The holdup for most guys — myself included — is just meeting them and holding a conversation. After you know them, it's not nearly as difficult. The first introduction, that's the hardest.
20. What's been the fallout from the show for you personally — any acting opportunities?
Not too much. I sort of looked into maybe finding more work. I had so much fun on the show, that it makes me want to consider that as an option. As for specific offers, nothing so far. My background isn't TV or film, so to some extent I'm a novice. On other hand, I'm a quick learner so I shouldn't have too much difficulty if I want to pursue it.
21. Would you do reality TV again?
Yeah. I definitely had a blast. I thought it was a great experience. It depends on the context — (if it was) to try and prolong my 15 minutes, probably not. But this show was a learning experience, to put yourself out there and try to learn something about yourself, as opposed to other reality shows.
22. What's your advice for someone who wants to get on a reality TV show?
Everybody always says, 'Be yourself.' I think there's more to it than that. If you are a little creative and have a sense of ingenuity, I think that will help. I invented a dance called the Contra dance — it was me dancing to the Contra (video game) music. I think for the most part, they (producers) can read through people trying to be someone they're not. I think people who react well under pressure, they like that. They know you're not going to freeze in front of the camera.
23. What has changed most about you since being on the show?
I think I'm more comfortable with myself. I'm also more confident in how I approach things. Before the show, I knew what I needed to do, but I wasn't doing them. Now I feel I'm doing the right things — like dressing better and not being as intimidated or fearful.
24. Anything else you'd like to add?
It was really fun. I'm thankful for everyone's support. In general, I'm glad I did the show. Think it was good experience for me.
25. What's next for you?
I'm still in school, so finishing up my PhD. Also, I'm currently working really hard with my band. Other than that, I'm just really enjoying life.
posted by Joe Block at 10:02 PM
10 Comments:
Thanks for another nice post.
Nice questions, nice answers.
dang 18 hours of filming is prettty crazy how did it feel meeting ashton kutcher in real life haha
i only met ashton once during the initial interview process. he was there when we filmed the speed dating though I didn't see him. he was also in the control room for some of the eliminations, but again he didn't say hi. i think it was good that he was hands off. he put the right people in place and let them do what they do. im told by some of the people on the show he's a pretty reserved and reclusive guy, so this seems consistent with their opinions.
on a side note, i was out with one of my friends last night (who's a beautiful girl) and got spotted at dinner and then later at wicked. ok that's about it. good times.
i was just on your bands myspace and the songs are pretty tight keep up with the good work.and also the blog i hope lol.
I really enjoyed your insights into the show. Should I keep an eye on this journal as well as your myspace? Which one will have the most updates? For that matter, which myspace account should I check?
Congrats again on making it so far. I wish the show were not an elimination show. That seems to work against the idea that it is truly a social experiment.
scifigal from myspace (the one with the Wonder Woman picture)
I have to say, I rooted for you from the beginning. Thanks for representing the engineering geeks out there! My school, a big engineering school, is currently working on a Beauty and the Geek fundraiser for charity, so thanks for being a social inspiration to Engineers, mechanical and computer(me).
i'm so sad that we're not email buddies anymore. boooooooooo.
hey, when's the new gnome attic site launching?
[url=http://gallery.veafoorea.ru/fat-american-men-and-russian-girls.html]fat american men and russian girls[/url] [url=http://gallery.veafoorea.ru/sex-and-russian-women.html]sex and russian women[/url] [url=http://gallery.veafoorea.ru/hot-ukrainian-women.html]hot ukrainian women[/url] [url=http://gallery.veafoorea.ru/index95.html]russian girls naked pussy[/url]
[url=http://song.hamee.ru/big-breasted-mail-order-bride.html]big breasted mail order bride[/url] [url=http://song.hamee.ru/russian-girls-sexi-videos-free-watching.html]russian girls sexi videos free watching[/url]
Post a Comment
<< Home