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NICOLE MORGAN (with her ''Beauty,'' Sam Horrigan) ''By looking at him, I expected him to be lackadaisical, uncaring, out for a good time. But he does care and by the end of it we got really close''
Joseph Viles

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On tonight's premiere of Beauty and the Geek, (8 p.m., The CW), geekdom goes co-ed. The show's standard mating game of socially awkward male genius meets ditzy female hottie gets a twist this season, when self-proclaimed scholar-for-life Nicole Morgan comes on as the series' first female geek and vies for the attention of Sam Horrigan, a weight-lifting, party-loving L.A. club promoter. Fans of the show's first three seasons, worry not — there will still be nine male geeks doing their best to win over nine beauties. But with Morgan and Horrigan thrown into the mix, on-set chemistry could be decidedly different!

With impeccable geek credentials, Morgan has no qualms about being the inaugural female nerd. Her elite academic career started at St. Ignatius College Preparatory School in San Francisco, continued through both the California Institute of Technology and the University of Southern California, and now finds her at Tufts University, where the 25-year-old is pursuing a master's degree in musicology. There's no end in sight, either: Morgan said she hopes to get a PhD in music theory and become a university professor.

In a rare moment when Morgan wasn't studying or in classes, she caught up with EW.com to fill us in on all things geek.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did you get involved with the show?
NICOLE MORGAN: They actually found me on MySpace. I talk a lot about academics on my profile. That is what interests me, so they could see I was ensconced in that world.

So, can we assume you think of yourself as a geek?
I do. I might define it a bit differently than other people. I think it's someone who's very focused on a specific thing, and for me it's academics. Traditionally there's this sense of geeks having social awkwardness and no fashion sense. Those are often part of it because when you're so focused on one thing, you don't pay attention to everyday, normal things.

Are you like that?
I'm like a lot of geeks in that it takes me a longer time than the average person to warm up to someone. I come across nerdy right off the bat and awkward probably.

What are your geekiest interests?
I'm a huge fan of Star Wars and Star Trek. I've probably seen every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I love Wesley Crusher [Wil Wheaton]. He was my main crush when I was a little girl. One of my main hobbies is music. I've been taking classical voice lessons for about 10 years. Some people consider that geeky.

Being that you're into music, did you ever go to band camp?
No, but I was president of my school's California Scholarship Federation. I was also president of the math club. I was in choir. I was in a bell-ringing choir. Looking back on high school, I'm not sure that I did a whole lot. It was just schoolwork. I took a lot of AP classes, I was always in the sciences.

Growing up, did you always think of yourself as a geek?
I was a goody two shoes. I was always trying to follow the rules. Still, at the beginning of every term, I obsess over homework assignments. If my notes aren't neat I'll start them over again. I was always the student who wanted to help the teachers set up in class. I just loved being around school. Like right now I live in the library; I spend five hours a day in the music library. I feel like life revolves around school. That's why I want to teach eventually. It's just the place to be for me.

NEXT PAGE: ''As a girl geek I definitely have a different way of relating to guys. I notice that on the show. I don't do flirty or cutesy things. If anything, I like to assert my independence''


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