THE BEAUTIES...AND THE GEEKS BRING NEW YEAR'S CHEER TO THE CW THIRD SEASON OF "BEAUTY AND THE GEEK" BEGINS ITS EIGHT-EPISODE RUN WITH A SPECIAL TWO-HOUR SEASON PREMIERE ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3 (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET)

HIT REALITY SERIES FROM ASHTON KUTCHER AND JASON GOLDBERG RETURNS WITH A NEW GROUP OF BEAUTIES AND BRAINIACS

BURBANK, CA (November 28, 2006) -- The breakout hit reality show BEAUTY AND THE GEEK will return to The CW for its third installment with a special two-hour season premiere on Wednesday, January 3, (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET) with eight consecutive episodes, it was announced today by Dawn Ostroff, The CW's President of Entertainment. Beginning January 10, the series will air in its regular timeslot on Wednesdays (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET), with encore telecasts on Sundays (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET).

"In BEAUTY AND THE GEEK, Ashton and Jason have created a compelling and entertaining examination of how society views appearance and intelligence, and the third edition is easily the best one yet," said Ostroff. "This series is the perfect companion to seamlessly bridge our two cycles of 'Top Model' this season and continue The CW's momentum on Wednesday nights."

The producing team of Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg ("Punk'd") recruited an all-new group of eight gorgeous but academically impaired women and eight brilliant but socially challenged men for the third installment to test intellect and social skills. This cycle will remain true to the series' format -- pairing eight gorgeous but academically impaired women with eight brilliant but socially challenged men to test intellect and social skills -- for a chance to win a $250,000 grand prize. Among the challenges, the guys will be required to deliver a stand-up routine in a comedy club and test their artistic abilities when they sketch a drawing of a nude model. The women will brush up on current events for a television newscast and research history books when they act as museum tour guides. The past two seasons saw an unlikely connection between a beauty and a geek, and the third time could be the charm for another lucky couple.

During each competition, the geek tries to pass brains on to the beauty, while the beauty helps the geek overcome social awkwardness. At the end of the eight-episode series, each contestant comes out a changed person, and one couple will walk away with a quarter of a million dollars.

The second season of BEAUTY AND THE GEEK was the number one series on The WB in adults 18-34 last season, delivering gains over its successful first season by +32% in adults 18-34, +22% in women 18-34, +47% in men 18-34 and +35% in adults 18-49.

BEAUTY AND THE GEEK is from fox21 and is produced by Katalyst Films and 3 Ball Productions with executive producers Ashton Kutcher & Jason Goldberg ("Guess Who," "Punk'd"), Nick Santora ("Prison Break," "The Sopranos"), J.D. Roth ("The Biggest Loser," "For Love or Money") and Todd A. Nelson ("The Biggest Loser," "For Love or Money").

Contestant Hometowns:

Beauties:

Erin -- Chicago, Illinois

Cecille -- Los Angeles, California

Nadia -- Burr Ridge, Illinois

Megan -- Boca Raton, Florida

Andrea -- Kansas City, Missouri

Tori -- Elk Grove, Illinois

Jennylee -- Sherman Oaks, California

Sheree -- Live Oak, Florida

Geeks:

Sanjay -- Westminster, California

Piao -- Lorton, Virginia

Alan -- Cambridge, Massachusetts

Neils -- Berkeley, California

Matt -- Goldens Bridge, New York

Drew -- Chicago, Illinois

Mario -- Bridgeport, West Virginia

Nate -- Evergreen, Colorado