INTERVIEW: 'Beauty and the Geek's Hollie Winnard, Josh Bishop dish

Hollie Winnard and Josh Bishop believe they got a raw deal in becoming the second couple eliminated from Beauty and the Geek's fourth season.


On Wednesday, Hollie, a 26-year-old theme park performer from Orlando, FL, and Josh, a 21-year-old UC Berkeley mechanical engineering student from Oakland, CA, talked to Reality TV World about how they ended up on Beauty and the Geek and what they thought of each other; which two of their fellow fourth-season cast members were hooking up in the house; and why it will eventually come back to bite both those teams in the butt.

Reality TV World:   How were both of you cast for Beauty and the Geek 4?

Josh:  They actually found me on campus.  I was just walking out of one of my classes -- talking about the theoretical limits of a black body as an energy source and then World of Warcraft -- and one of the recruiters came up and thought that I'd be perfect for the show.  A bunch of interviews later, I just ended up on the show.

Reality TV World:  How about you Hollie?


Hollie:  I actually didn't even know they were casting.  I received an email from them saying they were interested in having me come and audition.  I auditioned, and they gave me a thing and told me to fly to LA.

Reality TV World:   What were your first impressions of each other?

Hollie:  (laughing) You want to go first Josh?
Josh:  (laughing)  No I went first last question...
Hollie: Okay... I thought Josh was really funny.  I like his laugh.  He was really easy to get along with.  He was one of the first people I talked to.  We're both very outgoing and very friendly.
Josh:  Hollie I just immediately realized was so much fun and was just such a bubbly, nice personality.  You could just tell immediately that she's really smart and just so much fun to be around.
Hollie:  Awwwww....

Reality TV World:    If you could have chosen your own partner, who would you have picked?  Hollie you seemed to initially take a liking to Luke.

Hollie:  I told [Joshua and Shalandra] I wanted Luke, and Luke told them he wanted me.  So it was kind of like they went out of their way to not make us happy (laughing)... But I'm happy I got Josh in the end.  In the beginning I did want Luke, but you know.  I'm glad I got Josh.  I learned a lot from him.


Reality TV World:  How about you Josh?  Did you have yours eyes on anybody?

Josh:  I actually asked for Hollie (Hollie laughed).

Reality TV World:  So I guess it worked out well for you then.   Hollie, the show's broadcasts kept calling you a "professional Betty Boop" but your The CW bio says you're an Orlando theme park performer.  What type of stuff do you do?

Hollie:  I actually play [Shrek character] Princess Fiona and [How the Grinch Stole Christmas character] Cindy Loo Who.  I play different characters.  I did Betty Boop, but that was like, a really long time ago.  But the network liked the voice...
Josh:  It was a cute voice...

Reality TV World:  How long have you been doing that for?

Hollie:  Six years... I've been there for six years.


Reality TV World:   Josh you told the beauties you're the president of a rubber band club.  What exactly does that entail?

Josh:  The only rubber band club.  Basically we run around and shoot rubber bands at each other and play rubber band-based games -- like capture-the-flag-like games -- with shooting rubber bands at each other.  We come up with new rubber band shots.  Teach people how to shoot rubber bands.  We just have lots of fun...

Reality TV World:  That sounds a lot less "geeky" than I originally thought.

Hollie:  We actually did it in the house.  Remember when we did it in the house?
Josh:  That was so much fun.
Hollie:  But they didn't film it because the cameras weren't there.  Oh my God it was so funny...

Reality TV World:   Hollie, some of the geeks described you as "geeky."  Do you agree with that and if so, what are some of the "geeky" things you're into?

Hollie:  I'm a huge geek.  Not like a smart geek, but like a sci-fi, fantasy geek...
Josh:  You are, you are.  Face it...
Hollie:  (laughing)  No! No!  I'm a huge comic book fan... a big comic book geek.  I love Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.  I go to Comic-Con, fantasy conventions.  I guess that's kind of geeky (laughing).... More girls should do it!  It's fun!


Reality TV World:    What did you think initially about the fourth-season twist of including Sam as the hunky guy and Nicole as the nerdy girl?

Hollie:  Yuk!  I don't think Sam's good-looking at all.  I like geeks.  Like I think geeks are hot.  I thought he was not cute at all.  It threw-off the dynamics and it threw-off the chemistry a lot because they were just... Having that guy beauty, it sucks because all the girls are giving him attention -- not all the girls, but you know some of the girls are giving him attention.  The whole point of the show is to like root for the underdog and root for the geek because... I don't know.  I just felt like there was too much camera-time on Sam...
Josh:  Nicole was cool though.
Hollie:  Yeah Nicole was cool.  We got along with Nicole really well.

Reality TV World:   What did you think when you first saw Sam and Rebecca were getting romantically involved?

Hollie: (laughing)  Josh you want to comment on that?  I don't want to get myself in trouble.
Josh:  (laughing)  It was definitely strange for us to see that.  I mean, everyone sort of saw it coming but...
Hollie: (laughing) It was gross.  The things they were doing,  it was just so gross.  Like the things you could hear?  Oh my God.  It was disturbing in so many ways.
Josh:  Rebecca's room was right next to ours...
Hollie:  There was no door so...

Reality TV World:   Hollie, you commented that if you had "slept" with Rebecca, you and Josh might not have been nominated.  Were you insinuating that Rebecca and Sam had sex in the house?


Hollie:  That was the best line of the show so far. 
Josh:  (laughing)  Yeah!  That line was...
Hollie:  (laughing) Did you like that Josh?
Josh: ... Yes!  Yes!  That's my Hollie...
Hollie:  But it's so true... I know, that's the Hollie we all know and love (both are laughing almost uncontrollably).

Reality TV World:  So that is what you were insinuating, right?

Hollie:  Of course.  Because if you, I mean, everyone knew it and if you... If you heard his comment at the end of that show where he says, "Oh, Rebecca won the challenge so I guess I don't have to worry about being eliminated."  It was like he knew if he messed around with her he would be safe and he knew [Rebecca and Will] that they were the strongest team at that point in the game.  So [Sam] was working it.  I mean he was definitely working it and she was just playing....

Reality TV World:   Do you think it will catch-up with both Will and Rebecca as well as Sam and Nicole later in the competition?

Hollie:  Yeah, definitely for Rebecca and Will.  Them eliminating us put them instantly in the elimination room...
Josh:  That was the worst thing they could have done...
Hollie:  That was the worst thing because honestly, we were the favorite team out of everyone in the house.  We were the funny ones, the cute ones, the nice ones.  We were the ones that everybody loved.  So for them to put everybody's favorite people in the elimination room, it's just stupid.  It was the dumbest thing they could have possibly done.

Reality TV World:  So you think it will strain their relationship with the other cast members?


Hollie:  Oh yeah.  For sure...
Josh:  Yeah...
Hollie:  We know that for a fact.  The last thing Jesse and Erin said to us was that they would avenge us (laughing)... You know, they would make things right for us.
Josh:  Yup.

Reality TV World:  Unfortunately, you two went 0 for 4 in the challenges as a couple.  Were there any of the challenges you felt confident going into?

Josh:  We can't talk about anything that didn't air...

Reality TV World:  Yeah, I mean the ones you participated in that aired.  Did you feel confident in any of them?

Hollie:  Anyone has a shot at any one of those.  We just know how to play the game.  We're not going to go out and win the challenges at the beginning because that would show that we're a strong team, and look at where Will and Rebecca are right now.  They're pretty much on their way out for winning back-to-back.  Why would we do that?  Why would we put ourselves up like that....
Josh:  I tried on the rap competition but I don't listen to music ever.  I can't even clap to a beat.
Hollie:  He doesn't even own a radio!
Josh:  Yeah, I don't even own an MP3 player, any CD players or anything.  So I knew I was kind of screwed on that challenge.

Reality TV World:  How did you do with the gift basket?  What were some of the things you put in it?


Hollie:  Oh God...
Josh:  I liked my gift basket!  I thought it was nice.  They said make it fun and romantic.  So I made half of it fun, and the other half of it romantic, and I put roses down the middle.  So the fun stuff was like a visor and Frisbees and fun stuff and the other side was candles...
Hollie:  It wasn't a bad basket... It wasn't a broken pie! [A reference to Joshua's basket, which had a smooshed strawberry pie in it.]

Reality TV World:  Hollie, were you able to tell which basket was Josh's? 

Hollie:  No, not at all.  Everyone was teasing me, saying that the one that was Joshua's was Josh's.  The one with the pie.  Josh is such a slob...
Josh:  No!
Hollie:  Our room was such a mess!  It's so true...
Josh:  I cleaned up!  I cleaned up!
Hollie:  Yeah, after I had a heart attack and cried!  He did clean it, he did clean it... after a week.  Everyone was teasing me that was Josh's basket.  I'm just glad it wasn't his (laughing). He tried.

Reality TV World:   Do you think the fact Will and Rebecca have been immune from elimination both weeks has gone to their heads?

Josh:  Will's personality is going to get him eliminated faster than winning the competitions.

Reality TV World:  Can you explain what you mean by that?


Josh:  Will had a tendency to argue with anyone that was around him (both he and Hollie laugh).  So that didn't exactly help get other people in his favor.
Hollie:  He's got a strong personality... I liked Will for the most part.  We had a couple tiffs, but for the most part, we got along pretty good.

Reality TV World:   What was your reaction when Rebecca explained her reasoning for nominating you two for the elimination round, basically saying she didn't think you needed the transformation?

Hollie:  We were shocked because it was all a bunch of bull.  We knew she was just full of it.  I don't know what her problem was with us but that was bull.  She had no reason behind anything.  She had put herself away from everyone in the house.  She secluded herself away because her and... You know, she was fine before her and Sam started hooking up.  Then no more Rebecca.  She wasn't helping Will with anything, she was off making out with Sam for the entire time.  How is she to say what was going on with Josh or I because she would be doing other things?  She was busy doing other things to even realize what anybody in the house was doing, so she had no reason behind it.

Reality TV World:   Do you think it was fair?

Hollie:  I honestly think she wanted us eliminated because our rooms were joined.  She probably wanted Sam to move into our room so she could be closer to him.  That's what I think (laughing).

Reality TV World:  That's not a bad theory.


Hollie:  Well if you notice in the previews, Sam and Nicole are in our room Josh.  They took over our room after we left... Coincidence, I think not (laughing)!

Reality TV World:   How confident were you heading into the elimination round against Jesse and Erin?

Hollie:  We actually all studied together.  Jesse, Erin, Natalie, John, Josh and I were so close.  We were together all the time the six of us.  We studied together... It was hard because we studied together so we all knew the same stuff.  It could have been anyone's game.  I didn't want to go to the elimination room with them because we love them so much.

Reality TV World:    Is there anybody in the house you'd like to see win? Anybody you wouldn't want to see?

Hollie:  This is you Josh... You know who I want...
Josh:  I have people I think might win.  Just as a prediction, Dave and Jasmine I think will go pretty far.  Just because I talked to them, I know their personality types and strengths will get them pretty far.  Will and Rebecca...
Hollie:  Are gone.  Gone next week.
Josh:  Yeah... The first challenge they lose, they're going to elimination.
Hollie:  Yeah, they're going.  I personally want John and Natalie [to win].  I love them.  I think Jasmine's playing the game, acting really dumber than she is.  Don't you agree Josh?  She was pretty smart.
Josh: (imitating Jasmine) She talks like this all the time...
Hollie:  She did it on purpose.

Reality TV World:    Do you think participating in the show really had an impact on the way you look at other people who are different from you?


Josh:  I never had the preconceptions that beautiful people are stupid or anything (Hollie laughs).  No I didn't!  But I'm still amazed Hollie was smarter than some of the geeks that were on the show.
Hollie: Awww....
Josh:  So I was just surprised how smart she could be.  That bubbly-personality type, to be that smart, it was so impressive.
Hollie:  Awww... Thanks Josh!

Reality TV World:  What about you Hollie?

Hollie:  I never thought bad about geeks in the first place.  I never stereotyped.  I think I learned more about not judging the girls then I did the guys.  I love geeks (laughing)... I didn't have any negative, like, "Oh, they're going to be so geeky, stupid and dorky."  I didn't have any preconceived notions about that.  I was more scared about getting along with the girls and if they were going to be catty or anything.  I learned a lot from the girls.

Reality TV World:   So what's next?  Got any plans?

Hollie:  (laughing)  Josh you want to go first?
Josh:  What?
Hollie:  What are you doing?  What are you doing now Josh?
Josh:  I'm still in school!  I was the only person still an undergrad on the show!

Reality TV World:  When do you expect to graduate?  In the spring?


Josh:  Yeah.  Spring I'll graduate from undergrad.  I have plans to go to grad school.  Plan to get a PhD.  Going that route the next few years.

Reality TV World:  How about you Hollie?

Hollie:  I have a movie coming out this month.  It's a horror movie.  It's a pretty big role.  I've had a couple people interested in me, they really liked how I was in the show, and they're interested in having me in more movie stuff, acting stuff.  So I probably want to move out to LA and be in a soap opera (laughing). Just to be in a cheesy soap opera.

Reality TV World:  What's the name of the movie?

Hollie:  It's Zombies! Zombies! Zombies!.  It's like a Shaun of the Dead.  It's really funny.






About The Author: Christopher Rocchio