An Ode to King of the Nerds
There's a mistaken belief out there that reality television is a cheap substitute for scripted programming: you don't have to write anything, the cast is generally replaceable after fifteen minutes or a season (whichever comes first), and product placement is even easier here than on, say, a game show because contestants pull double-duty as "celebrity" endorsers. This is perhaps true for follow-cam shows: you know, t…