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Are Those Average Joes Really So Average? (by Sarah Smiley)

Category: Life:Romance
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More Details at: http://www.SarahSmiley.com

I’ve recently developed a crush on several men. Maybe you’ve heard of them: Ted Rowlands, Bernie Grimm, and Chris Pixley.

Sound familiar? If you’re a news junky like myself they probably do. Rowlands, Grimm and Pixley are commentators on shows like CNN’s Larry King Live and Fox New Channel’s On the Record with Greta Van Susteren. These men are hip and seductively smart, and while I have no facts on this, I’d dare to guess none of them were “Mr. Cool” in high school.

So as a girl has been known to develop crushes on men such as these and stars like Doogie Howser and Bill O’Reilly, NBC’s new reality television show Average Joe sparked my curiosity.

Average Joe offers a twist to popular dating reality shows. During the preliminary screening for this series, the beautiful bachelorette ranked “looks” far below “personality,” and some would say she got what she asked for. The sixteen bachelors she has to choose from are considered to be average in looks, but exceptional in personality and intelligence.

The idea of a matchmaker show based solely on personality is interesting. The fact that none of the sixteen eligible men are considered desirable or attractive got me curious. Can the bachelorette really see past the surface, I wondered. Will these men have enough spunk to make up for the enormous let-down the bachelorette will face when she realizes her selection of men is far from Trista’s pick on The bachelorette?

And more importantly, would this stunt ever work the other way around? Could a bachelor be given sixteen average women to choose from and still be happy?

I knew my husband Dustin in grammar school, and I can attest to the fact that he was far from “Mr. Cool.” With large front teeth, funny clothes, and a position as the school’s “safety patrol officer,” he was the kid I avoided and dreaded running into.

I know, I know; it sounds so mean now. But here’s the truth: I never could have been attracted to my husband in grammar school or high school because I was not smart enough to see his potential yet. It’s a good thing we didn’t try to date when we were teenagers because it would have ended in disaster.

Dustin left grammar school to attend a series of what I like to call “smart schools” or “nerd schools.” He was accepted to a prestigious, mostly male high school specializing in technology. Next he went to the United States Naval Academy and graduated with an engineering degree.

Meanwhile, I, his future wife, was floundering back and forth between majors, dating losers (albeit some very handsome losers), and whining, “why can’t I just meet a nice, smart guy?”

When I ran into Dustin again after ten years of not having seen each other, I didn’t even recognize him. I thought, Can it really be the same Dustin Smiley who used to yell, “Walk, don’t run” at me from his post as Safety Patrol Officer?

Since getting to know each other again in 1997, Dustin seems like a totally different person than the awkward kid I used to know. But did he really change that much? Could he really have morphed from a geeky boy into a stunning man?

When the truth finally hit me, it was shocking: Maybe he had not changed at all. Could it be that I have changed instead?

We married shortly after meeting again, and I’ve never looked back about my changed perception of “nerds.” David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Donald Rumsfield -- These men might have been geeky or overlooked as kids, but darn they’re sexy now!

So, for all you “Average Joe’s” out there, don’t despair. Soon enough all the girls will see your potential and the true appeal within. At least, the smart girls will.

Sarah Smiley may be contacted at http://www.SarahSmiley.com sarahsmiley@mchsi.com. Click here to view more of their articles.
Sarah Smiley is a freelance writer, Navy wife and mother of two in western Florida. Her syndicated column “Shore Duty” appears weekly in newspapers across the country. Smiley's website http://www.SarahSmiley.com is a portal of inspiration and advice for women, military and civilian.

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