I should know better than to expect much from reality TV makeovers, because they tend to be like reality TV: cheap and with a false sense of what's popular now. First of all, very few girls in real life like it when guys dye their hair. And on a lesser note, waxing seems unnecessary, except for the yuks of seeing flabby pale guys writhe in pain. But moreover, a dumb "modern" haircut looks no better than a dumb "dorky" one. Hence, Greg looked completely ridiculous with the stripes in his hair (he resembled a wanna-be Kanye West, and he himself has not been dressing so great these days). Tom wore a dippy jacket and his hair didn't seem like that much of an improvement. Chris, whose hair was previously stupid in an endearing way, now has hair that is stupid in an inscrutable way. Matt looks exactly the same (better than a downgrade). Jason got a good, low-key makeover though (he somehow looks a little taller and not as no-necked). And Joe, like David last season, got the surprisingly good makeover.
Of course, Joe hated his makeover. This would be understandable if he was being forced to wear Greg's red sunglasses or Tom's color-block jacket, but he looked normal, and decent—you could actually see him being a striking person if he lost a little weight and gained some confidence. However, Tara exemplified some insight and talked to him about how his stupid cowboy outfit was a security blanket that he needed to let go of. They're an interesting pair. Some props must be given to Tara—she could be more gracious about how she feels about Joe but she also seems like she's trying, with him. And he obviously has some self-esteem and possibly identity issues but unfortunately with him it comes out as obnoxiousness, and not shy cuteness like with Matt or Greg.
Then, the show got kind of random. The teams had to perform soap opera scenes (the teams who blocked out their scenes were the best) as the challenge, but a tie-in to the movie Prom Night seemed awkward and shoe-horned in. Then, after Leticia and Matt won the challenge, they picked who should go into elimination, but found that no one would be going home that night—they could pick someone to go with them to the premiere of Prom Night, and then the remaining teams had to pick someone to go into elimination the next week. So what did they do? Hold a drag fashion show to determine the loser. Obviously, the other girls were gunning for Joe, but it didn't help that his "drag show" was a grotesque drunken mess. How these random twists get worked into the next episode is still unclear, as will whether Joe will develop much sympathy amongst viewers. He certainly needs the show but that doesn't mean he's likable.
Grade: B-
Stray observations:
—Randi and Greg are growing on me as a team. Their "shut up, bitch!" exchange made me laugh out loud.
—The intro to the BATG soap opera was cute, with the soft focus and dramatic turns. I like it when the editors of the show get cute.
—Leticia mentioned that she was a little jealous of some of the attention Matt was getting, which I can believe, but I'm not sure if I believe it from her. I could see there being romance there but would Leticia be faking it?
—Can someone explain to me the correlation between geeks and body odor? I know not having the wherewithal to walk into a cool salon, but why does being a nerd mean avoiding showers/deodorant?