King of the Nerds

TBS aired a new show last week called King of the Nerds. It is a reality show, but it is unlike any others that exist.

The first episode welcomed the eleven contestants to Nerdvana, a dream house for nerds. They were then divided into two teams with the traditional "schoolyard" pick, something that nerds fear. Members were picked for teams based on that nerdy qualities they had, from physics, gaming, pop culture, etc. One nerd was not chosen. She was to pick the team who had chosen the best people based on what skills they had to offer. She chose the orange team, and was awarded a spot on the blue team. Because of her choice, the blue team were the losers of the week and were forced to send a member home.

Each week, the losing team must have two of their members participate in a nerd-off, which is a head-to-head challenge. During the first nerd-off, two members of the blue team played chess to determine who would continue into the next week. Of course, this wasn't your average chess match. A life-sezed chessboard was set up, and when a piece was lost, a man dressed like he was from 300 destroyed it. The way that they set up the chessboard reminded me of Harry Potter, when the trio played wizard chess on their way to the Sorcerer's Stone. 

So far I am enjoying this new show, as I am a nerd myself. However, I think that the number of people watching this is limited, because they make many obscure references that the average viewer wouldn't understand. But I also think that there are enough nerds out there who will tune in week to week to see what nerdy adventures will happen in Nerdvana.

The contestants are battling weekly for the chance to win $100,000 and the title of King of the Nerds.

King of the Nerds airs on Thursday at 10pm on TBS.

• TBS's King of the Nerds page

Merlin

From left to right: Angel Coulby as Gwen, Bradley James as Arthur Pendragon, Colin Morgan as Merlin, Kate McGrath as Morgana, and Anthony Head as Uther Pendragon

I feel like it is appropriate to start out by talking about Merlin, a fantasy show on BBC America, which began in 2008. Merlin just went into its fifth, and unfortunately final, season. The show takes the Arthurian Legends that we are familiar with, but retells them in a refreshing way. Instead of the old wizard that we know from the stories, we have a young Merlin, and also a young Prince Arthur. Merlin is sent to Camelot because of his talents that he must keep hidden: his magic. It is perhaps even more dangerous in Camelot, because he is near King Uther, who has a personal vendetta against anything magical. On top of that, he is made the servant of Uther's son, Prince Arthur. I have been watching Merlin since it began, but even I can admit that sometimes the special effects can seem a bit outdated. But despite that, the show is still able to draw the viewers in week after week. The show focuses on the relationships between the main characters and how they adapt to the problems that they face each week, which usually involves a monster conjured by magic, someone trying to kill Arthur, or a combination of the two. The shows producers have said that from the beginning they had planned to only make five seasons of Merlin. For the Merlin fandom, that isn't enough. This would be a show that loyal fans would continue to watch, even if was on for fifty years like Doctor Who. 

Syfy's Merlin Page

Welcome!

This is my blog specifically for ENGL 431. In the coming weeks, I will talk about all things nerdy, from Harry Potter to Doctor Who and beyond.