TLC, the network that brought us Sister Wives, Say Yes to the Dress, and 19 Kids and Counting, now brings us Geek Love. From the press release:
(Los Angeles, CA) – Dating’s never easy, but try dating in a Darth Vader mask or Wonder Woman ensemble. Now meet nerd-tastic Ryan Giltch, founder of Sci-Fi Speed Dating, who will bring viewers into the fun, quirky and sometimes bizarre world of geek-focused speed dating on TLC’s new special GEEK LOVE. Two half hour specials have been ordered and will air back to back on December 18th at 9PM (ET/PT).
Glitch sets up speed dating at events like Comic-Con, bringing like-minded people together to embrace their quirkiness and find love. When comic and sci-fi fans can’t find someone to share their passion, they turn to Glitch. Viewers will get an insider’s look at the stories behind the daters and witness their journey throughout the speed dating session at New York’s Comic-Con.
I honestly don’t know what to say about this, other than geeks dating geeks isn’t as simple as one would imagine. For example, there are many different kinds of geeks. Can true love blossom between a Star Wars fan and a Star Trek fan? Possibly, but when it comes time to expose their children to a franchise, which one would be shown first? This is an important question.
What if one person is into Marvel and the other DC? Candlelit dinners where Batman and Superman come up in discussion can turn the romantic mood into one of bitter debate. I know what I’m talking about—I used to frequent a comic book store. Geeks are very defensive of their fandoms.
And I know a lot of geeks who look for a partner who is into the exact same things they’re into, and that doesn’t always work, either. I’ve dated guys who are almost as into Star Wars as I am, and for one reason or another things didn’t last. A mutual love of the Saga does not always a relationship make.
I even tried Star Wars speed dating at Celebration last year, just to see what would happen. In truth, nothing much. A few of the attendees were just there with friends and weren’t into Star Wars, and the music was so loud it prevented us from having a decent conversation, but I did meet some interesting new people.
Still, I can’t imagine ever dating a guy who doesn’t know which ship made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs or that the original ending to Return of the Jedi had Ewoks singing Yub Nub.