Reality television has become an unavoidable facet of today’s culture. Until now, however, the reality scene has been dominated by cookie-cutter characters with similar stories and lifestyles.

With big muscles, big egos and even bigger personalities, reality stars have become synonymous with the evils of television. In an effort to show a new side of reality, TBS has pioneered a reality competition series entitled “King of the Nerds.”

The contestants are self-proclaimed nerds eager to profess to the world just how nerdy they are. While the word “nerd” itself has had its own negative connotation in the past, shows such as “The Big Bang Theory” have brought nerds into the spotlight as aloof and lovable characters.

The hosts of “King of the Nerds,” Robert Carradine and Curtis Armstrong, have acted as vanguards of the nerd culture by introducing it to popular culture nearly 30 years ago in the comedy “Revenge of the Nerds.” Carradine also played actress Hilary Duff’s dad in the popular Disney Channel sitcom “Lizzie McGuire,” which makes him an instant draw for any ’90s child.

The series started with the wide array of nerds meeting in “Nerdvana,” a mansion decked out with every nerd’s favorite things. Within the first few minutes of meeting, the diversity of the contestants could be felt. Some are scientists like Moogega Cooper, an engineer for NASA. Others like Celeste Anderson are video gamers. Every shade of the nerd spectrum was covered while casting these contestants.

The episodes involve a “Nerd War” and a “Nerd-Off.” Both of these challenges are designed to test the talents of the contestants, which range from speaking Elvish to reading textbooks for fun.

Split into two teams, blue and orange, the nerds compete in the Nerd War. In the second episode, this was a cos-play competition in which the teams had to create their own fantasy universe and present their cosplay designs to three judges: professional cos-player Yaya Han, actor Adam Busch and the infamous George Takei known for his role in “Star Trek.”

After the judges determine which team full of star-struck competitors wins the Nerd War, two nerds enter the one-on-one battle that is the Nerd-Off. These two members are chosen by the competitors. Both the losing team and the winning team vote for a person on the losing team to send into the Nerd-Off. Already this has led to reality drama comparable to any episode of “The Real World.”

“King of the Nerds” has opened a door in reality television that has not been explored yet. Because that is so rare, the fact that it is not getting as much publicity as other shows should not dissuade watchers from tuning in. Instead, the quirky nerds are a refreshing break from the usual reality contestants and deserve a chance to win audiences over. After all, everyone has a little nerd in them.