Matt McGann '00 | June 20, 2006
"Reality TV"
My old Baker House dormmate, Ed Miller '00 (a.k.a. "Ed Miller, Noted Poker Authority"), will be on the Bravo reality television show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."
Yes, tonight (Tuesday, June 20) at 10 p.m., Ed will get made over by the Fab Five as part of their new season in Las Vegas (see photo of Ed "before," with Carson Kressley at right). The episode is being advertised with the tag line, "Turn a Poker Dud Into a Five Card Stud."
Ed double majored in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and Physics at MIT. After graduation, he took his skills to Microsoft, but has since moved to Las Vegas, where he became a professional poker player and currently is an author. He has published three books and one DVD set about Texas Hold 'Em:
Ed recently spoke to the MIT Alumni Association about his MIT experiences:
Miller said MIT helped him develop the analytical and communication skills he needed to write about the logic, math and probability inherent in the game. "Most people who write poker books aren't as technically minded, so sometimes they have trouble expressing what they think about and what they do in a precise way," he said. "My MIT education has taught me to think logically about poker, it's taught me to think from a technical perspective, and it's much easier to communicate that way with other people."
Ed won't be the first MIT alum involved with reality television. Some others:
- Another of my dormmates, Ankur '03, was on Season 2 of Beauty and the Geek.
- My current housemate, Lisa '04, was one of five MIT students featured on the Discovery Channel's "Crop Circles: Mysteries in the Fields."
- Cameron '04 and Rayna '06 were featured on an episode of TLC's A Makeover Story.
- Andrea Wong '88 is the executive at ABC who is responsible for all reality programming, including "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
- A bunch of Mechanical Engineering students were on the Archimedes Death Ray episode of MythBusters.
- Randal Pinkett S.M. '98 M.B.A. '98 Ph.D. '02 was hired on season 4 of NBC's The Apprentice.
- Jennifer Johnson '98 decided not to sign a contract to appear on MTV's The Real World: Boston (season 6).
- Chris Vu '04 (a.k.a. Vudoo Soul) was a semifinalist on season 2 of American Idol.
- Professor Henry Jenkins frequently writes about, among many other things, reality television.
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The author has filed this entry in the "Notable Alumni" section; check it out for further reading on this topic. |
Responses To This Entry:
(Please note that comments are closed after 30 days to reduce spam.)
Should we be worried that most of these TV appearances are on makeover shows?
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on June 20, 2006 01:10 AM
poker on reality tv? makes me feel a lot better about bridge tournaments in slovakia. hm, ed sounds full of wist.
Posted by: little miss demosthenes on June 20, 2006 05:05 AM
"His curtains look like a wedding dress exploded." LOL, can't wait to see that!
Posted by: leftcoast mom on June 20, 2006 12:19 PM
I love Carson--I met him a few years ago and he is so hysterical! I can't wait to see this episode.
Posted by: Claire on June 20, 2006 02:02 PM
Hi Matt! I would like to know when wheather we would know about the number the applications per country and/or the number of acceptance and/or enrollment.
Posted by: Anonymous on June 21, 2006 02:18 PM
Hi there! I just had a quick question.... I know a while ago you said you would answer a bunch of questions that people had in a Questions Omnibus, and I was just wondering if you were going to do that soon or if you already did and I just missed it. Thanks!
Posted by: Anonymous on June 21, 2006 05:43 PM
Hi Matt. I’Äôm Abdul Qadir Munir from Pakistan and I will be joining the MIT team as freshman this fall.
I took my GCE A-level examinations in May/June 2005 and applied for admission to MIT in December 2005, after my A-level results were available. When I sent my admission packet to MIT in December 2005, I enclosed the results of both the Mid Year Exams and the Send-Up Exams administered by my school in my senior year. I also sent a photocopy of my CIE A-level Certificate showing the result of the A-level Examinations that I took in May/June 2005.
In the Next Big Mailing (NBM) that MIT sent me in the beginning of this summer (May 2006), you have also included the ’ÄúFinal School Report’Äù which is to be filled by my high school. Since I have already sent copies of all of my school transcripts, and I am no longer studying in school because I took my A-levels last year, please tell me if I am required to send copies of all my transcripts to MIT again. Also please guide me what I should do with the ’ÄúFinal School Report’Äù that MIT has sent to me in the NBM, so that I can follow whatever procedure you recommend as soon as possible.
I will be waiting for your reply impatiently.
Posted by: Anonymous on June 22, 2006 02:08 AM
Hi Matt. I’Äôm Abdul Qadir Munir from Pakistan and I will be joining the MIT team as freshman this fall.
I took my GCE A-level examinations in May/June 2005 and applied for admission to MIT in December 2005, after my A-level results were available. When I sent my admission packet to MIT in December 2005, I enclosed the results of both the Mid Year Exams and the Send-Up Exams administered by my school in my senior year. I also sent a photocopy of my CIE A-level Certificate showing the result of the A-level Examinations that I took in May/June 2005.
In the Next Big Mailing (NBM) that MIT sent me in the beginning of this summer (May 2006), you have also included the ’ÄúFinal School Report’Äù which is to be filled by my high school. Since I have already sent copies of all of my school transcripts, and I am no longer studying in school because I took my A-levels last year, please tell me if I am required to send copies of all my transcripts to MIT again. Also please guide me what I should do with the ’ÄúFinal School Report’Äù that MIT has sent to me in the NBM, so that I can follow whatever procedure you recommend as soon as possible.
I will be waiting for your reply impatiently.
Posted by: Anonymous on June 22, 2006 02:11 AM
Hi Matt. I’Äôm Abdul Qadir Munir from Pakistan and I will be joining the MIT team as freshman this fall.
I took my GCE A-level examinations in May/June 2005 and applied for admission to MIT in December 2005, after my A-level results were available. When I sent my admission packet to MIT in December 2005, I enclosed the results of both the Mid Year Exams and the Send-Up Exams administered by my school in my senior year. I also sent a photocopy of my CIE A-level Certificate showing the result of the A-level Examinations that I took in May/June 2005.
In the Next Big Mailing (NBM) that MIT sent me in the beginning of this summer (May 2006), you have also included the ’ÄúFinal School Report’Äù which is to be filled by my high school. Since I have already sent copies of all of my school transcripts, and I am no longer studying in school because I took my A-levels last year, please tell me if I am required to send copies of all my transcripts to MIT again. Also please guide me what I should do with the ’ÄúFinal School Report’Äù that MIT has sent to me in the NBM, so that I can follow whatever procedure you recommend as soon as possible.
I will be waiting for your reply impatiently.
Posted by: Abdul Qadir Munir on June 22, 2006 02:12 AM
Hi Matt. I’Äôm Abdul Qadir Munir from Pakistan and I will be joining the MIT team as freshman this fall.
I took my GCE A-level examinations in May/June 2005 and applied for admission to MIT in December 2005, after my A-level results were available. When I sent my admission packet to MIT in December 2005, I enclosed the results of both the Mid Year Exams and the Send-Up Exams administered by my school in my senior year. I also sent a photocopy of my CIE A-level Certificate showing the result of the A-level Examinations that I took in May/June 2005.
In the Next Big Mailing (NBM) that MIT sent me in the beginning of this summer (May 2006), you have also included the ’ÄúFinal School Report’Äù which is to be filled by my high school. Since I have already sent copies of all of my school transcripts, and I am no longer studying in school because I took my A-levels last year, please tell me if I am required to send copies of all my transcripts to MIT again. Also please guide me what I should do with the ’ÄúFinal School Report’Äù that MIT has sent to me in the NBM, so that I can follow whatever procedure you recommend as soon as possible.
I will be waiting for your reply impatiently.
Posted by: Abdul Qadir Munir on June 22, 2006 02:21 AM
Sorry for posting the same message over and over again. It seems as if there's some problem with my internet browser. I couldn't see the messages once I'd posted them...
Posted by: Anonymous on June 22, 2006 02:26 AM
Hi , my name is Stefan Dan , now i'm on high school at Technology School "Mircea Cristea" senior year in Brasov ,Romania. I have an MIT account since last year and i read all the texts,news to find out more about this institute. I really want to be admitted here at MIT ,this is my place so i want also to increas my chances on admission process. Romania does not have an MIT Educational Counselor and my question is that if can be done something about this because i want to increase my chances to MIT as much as i can and also to express my needs and what i really want from my life which MIT can help me to achieve. So if will be a way to introduce MIT EC in Romania how and when. I will aspect a message ,thank you for reading this.
Posted by: Stefan on June 26, 2006 04:06 AM
