‘King of the Nerds’ exclusive: Jacob Rubin on elimination, smashing buildings, Deadman, much more
Season 3 of “King of the Nerds” is officially underway, which means for us a chance to move into our next phase of coverage: Exit interviews! We’ll be doing these every week via email with the eliminated contestants, so check back for them following every exit from Nerdvana.
We start today with Jacob Rubin, who really came across pretty on the show despite only being there a short period of time. He was likable, smart, and also completely blew up some of the predictions that we made about him going far in our pre-show podcast. (In other words, it’s the Kelsey tragedy all over again.) Sometimes you just can’t see an elimination coming, and there was no way for him to even detect he was a candidate to enter the Nerd-Off.
CarterMatt – You were put into the Nerd-Off, and you seemingly had NO IDEA it was happening. Looking back, was that moment frustrating to watch, and do you consider it flattery that you were that big of a threat?
Jacob Rubin – Seemingly?! I had NO idea! Every piece of information I was given leading up to that reveal led me to believe it would by Colby, Heather, or Amanda. Sure, there were alliances made (which I didn’t know about at all), but you never know what the other team will do until it’s happening. Even if you told me it wouldn’t be any of those three, I would have assumed Jonathan over me, since his math skill set and other nerdy knowledge seem like a much bigger threat. It’s hard for me to really consider it flattery when much of it was based on the lack of data they had on me. (I hoped actually watching the episode would reveal a bit more of their motive behind the whole thing… it did not.)
Do you think the end result would have been different had the challenge involved a buzzer, or some component where you could beat Ori to answering some of the questions?
HA! No. I write trivia in the pub quiz format, where there is no time or speed-related requirement. And I’ve said this over and over, that Nerd Off was Ori’s to win. He was arguably the biggest anime-head in the house (Raychelle may disagree, I’d love to see them go head-to-head in anime trivia, blood would be shed) and would have beaten anyone on S.M.A.S.H., including Colby. I’m just glad there were questions about things I knew about (Power Rangers, Dragonball), and I didn’t look like a total idiot. I don’t think buzzers would have changed anything. Now, trivia with a point-grabbing element, like in the Nerd Offs that eliminated Jon, Kelsey, and Chris in previous seasons, could have changed things.
Why do you think Ori seemed to struggle with connecting with the team? Was it just the performance in the Nerd War?
Ori is a great person with a very specific personality. He brought a youthful exuberance to the challenge that didn’t vibe with the rest of the group, who were much more dedicated to creating a narrative and sense of cohesion to the project. Additionally, he made a very off-color comment to Heather about women, which was the final nail in the coffin.
While it was probably a bummer to be sent home, was it was it at least fun stomping on the buildings in that costume?
Yes! I hope the ten cast members who didn’t get to play that Nerd Off were at least jealous I got to go full chaotic super beast on some buildings. That was a total blast.
You were portrayed in a very positive light. Is there anything you wish that was shown on TV that wasn’t?
No particular moments spring to mind. I’m glad it’s clear that I’m a fun person who will be missed as the show goes on. They left in my line about wanting to just party since it’s the last time everyone would be all together, and that’s how I felt about this cast.
Since you talked about working at a comic shop on the show, this seemed like a fun question to end on. We’re sort of in the middle of this TV comic-book craze, so what’s one overlooked character you would like to see star in their own show?
Deadman! I love Deadman. I think he’d be a PERFECT fit for a supernatural procedural drama. It could be like Quantum Leap, where when he possesses someone, the audience would see him as him but others in the show see him as who he’s possessing. His past as a circus acrobat would likely have to be ditched in favor of something a little less random (probably a cop, which is a boring answer but also a likely option) but I think he’d be a great fit for a network drama. They could even insert him into Gotham and then give him a spin-off! LISTEN TO ME, WARNER BROS. I’M VERY IMPORTANT. (Ed. Note: Hey, the last we heard, The CW was thinking about adding another DC Comics show!)
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We’ll have some further scoop on the show soon moving into Friday’s episode, but for now, a massive thanks to Jacob! You can also sign up to grab some further TV updates via email courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: TBS.)