“Such a stitch up,” another individual wrote. “Just grow some facial hair, get some baggy clothes and talk about science … Anyone can be a geek.”
“It’s amazing what a haircut & a shave can do!” another added.
The scrutiny over Michael follows questions raised during last year’s seasons, when one geek on the show, George Goldfeder, was found to have an acting history, and cleaned up much better than how he was styled to look on the show.
And Michael isn’t the only new ‘geek’ to get fans questioning.
Batman fanatic Mike Gambaro might be sporting crustacean-themed clothes and a wild beard in his Beauty and the Geek promo shoot, but a snap of him dressed as a Ghostbuster for Halloween last year has him looking much more well-kempt, and even handsome.
Maths teacher Alexander Waters also seems to be sporting a fairly new beard, with his not-so-recent photos showing him also looking very put together.
But does this really prove they’re not ‘geeks’? We don’t think so.
While the show might play up their ‘geeky’ looks to visually support the narrative of the show, we’d probably still think of these dudes as endearingly geeky – and a second look at social media supports that theory too.
Alexander can be spotted posing with a replica of Glamdring, Gandalf’s sword from Lord of the Rings. And Mike? We see that Spider-Man costume and your Batman comics.
Robert Pattinson lookalike or not, we believe the true geek lies underneath the surface.
Beauty and the Geek premieres on Sunday, July 17 on Channel Nine!