University Challenge: Is Corpus Christi’s Trimble Smug or Sexy?

By ShinyMedia on January 27th, 2009 29 comments

TV Scoop’s erm ‘favourite’, University Challenge contestant Trimble, was back on our box last night and boy she didn’t let us down. There has been such a strong reaction to this woman, yet all she’s doing is going on the show, answering questions and getting them (mostly) right! What is it about her that makes me want to throw things at my telly? How has this student caused such a reaction?

Now, as much as I want to be fair to ~~the annoyingly smug~~ Trimble, last night, I was watching the show while playing about on Twitter. Here’s just a few of the Tweets that I spotted around the place:

“If Corpus Christie win University Challenge, I will not be happy. Their smug team captain is the female version of Starter For Ten’s Patrick”

“Trimble is killing it, Exeter didn’t turn up.”

“God Woman! Shut Up!”

“Trimble is on University Challenge again! Will want to punch the telly.” – OK, I wrote that one.

She’s not a popular lady right now. There’s no doubting that she’s clever. Far from it. Last round, our Mof wrote a post about his random hate towards her. And you guys have had a few things to say about that today. You charmers even called him a loser! See! See what this woman does to people? But there’s a different angle in the comments now. You think she’s hot!

“Just watched University Challenge tonight and saw Exeter slaughtered by Corpus Christi, I mean Trimble, as the rest of the team were surplus to requirements. I was fascinated by her, and I must admit that I found her sexy.”

“I thought Trimble was fantastic. Fabulous brain. She had an incredible breadth of knowledge. She virtually won the competition on her own. What a stunning looker too. Very sexy. And a gorgeous smile. With normal luck she will go on to conquer the world. I wish her every success in everything she does. How pitiful are the poor morons above who are devastated by their own pathetic jealousy.
Is she related to Trimble the neurologist? Anyone out there know her first Name?”

“mmm – Did you see her tonight? She is sexy! She was different tonight – more nervous. I wonder what her name is? Could it be Gertrude?”

So, it seems that either you ‘can’t stand the smug cow’ or, you’re all quite turned on by her. Now, I’m not that way inclined so I’m still in the ‘smug cow’ camp, but, sexy, really? I’m not seeing it.

All of the other contestants deserve to have their own spot in the limelight. (Not Exeter, they were rubbish – how funny was the guy who was thrilled when he got a question right after twenty minutes?) But Trimble’s team members go to Corpus Christi too! They got in! They work hard! I hate that this woman seems to think it’s all about her. On the other hand, she’s not going to get the questions wrong on purpose, is she? But couldn’t she answer them with a little more humility? Just a tad?

The nail in the coffin is Paxman sounding exasperated with her. “My god, you’re laughing because they’re too easy!” Trimble mumbled a comeback that didn’t sound convincing to anyone. She clearly thinks she’s above the show and that ain’t sexy, it’s smug.

So, over to you guys. Settle this for us, because we’re having trouble seeing her as sexy. Do you think we’re horrible for calling her smug? Tell us what you think and we promise not to beat you with a stick if you call us losers.*

*Not really. We will beat you with sticks.

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Category: BBC 2
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Zebra

She’s awesome, leave her alone
http://never-enough-shoes.blogspot.com SelinaC

Smug. Notice how she nominated someone else in the team to answer when she didn’t know the answer but was pretty sure they were wrong. When they were wrong, she was smug about being right about that but when they were right, she looked sulky.
Simon

Get Kirk & Spock on the phone. They sorted out all those Trimbles that clogged up the air-con on the Enterprise that one time. This smug, lone survivor shall pose no problem for them.
Paul

I find young Miss Trimble fascinating. I have been thinking about her all day. It is not a sex thing. She has such a brain – so quick and such an amazing breadth of knowledge. A real blue stocking if ever there was one.

Lets hope she will go onto great things and that we will see more of her. Truly she is a credit to England
Oxford Scholar

This thread is pathetic.

She is very bright, works hard and is successful. What the hell has she to apologise for and what has she done to deserve the vitriol from the half wits who have written about her on the internet?

Leave her alone and get back to your 2:2 in pointlessology from Holloway University (formerly North Circular Polytechnic).

Declaration of Interest
Went to local comprehensive school, worked hard and went to Cambridge, now in Oxford. Dad worked in car factory until Thatcher made him redundant. Just to stop you chippy idiots getting all class conscious.
anne

Smug? Hardly! Confidence is more like it. I would hire her in a minute. She would be my Phone a Friend if Stephen Fry were not available.
Simon

I like the way Oxford Scholar has cleverly high lighted the evil nature of people slagging off people they have never met on the interweb by slagging of someone they have never met on the interweb.
That was the point right? The bitter and oh so delicious irony of it all?
Charlie

I thought her knowledge was amazing. As to smug; not 100% convinced. I thought she looked somewhat embarrassed at times. Given that she is probably about 21, I’m guessing she’s a mixture of – pleased with herself (for her knowledge – I’m pleased when I get pub quiz questions right), awkward (I assume she has had a fairly sheltered existence), competitive (wanting to win, annoyed with failure), and innocent (being young and sheltered, if she thought her expressions conveyed smugness she would probably attempt to change those appearances).

I assume that if you met her she would strike you as all of these things, and be quite shy – a show like UC just gives her a chance to show off her knowledge; otherwise you’d never be aware of her existence – as most likely she’ll end up as a contented librarian somewhere, to be coaxed out occasionally to do things like Mastermind. Critics should just try to enjoy the fact that she is very clever, I don’t think she’s trying to look down at anyone from a point of intellectual superiority; but in the UC format she may appear that way as she is so obviously the most knowledgable contestant.
SRW

The comeback was utterly convincing. Far too many of the questions were based on Latin or Greek language and literature. For a doctoral student in Latin they ought to be easy!
LadyLuck

Here’s a little definition for you, ring any bells?: Cyber-bullying is when someone repeatedly makes fun of another person online or repeatedly picks on another person … using online forums and postings online intended to harm, damage, humiliate or isolate another person that they don’t like.

You didn’t expect a backlash against your hate piece and instead of admitting you might have been a bit harsh on the poor girl you write another to try and justify your position and win over your readers. I too think you are a loser. I’m student at Oxford myself and I would be very upset if someone wrote about me like that. You should at the very least leave her alone and ideally apologise.
http://www.sianyland.com Sian

Thanks for all your comments guys!

I didn’t write the previous piece, so I certainly can’t say if I expected a backlash on something I didn’t write. I’m absolutely not trying to justify anything; I don’t think I need to justify my position. TV Scoop readers are intelligent enough to form their own opinions – I’m not going to win them over, or try to for that matter.

Fact is, I do think Trimble came over as smug. But it’s OK that I think that! It doesn’t matter what university I went to. Someone smug, no matter how clever is going to wind me, and several other people up – they’re not all my opinions in that post. When people put themselves in the public eye, they have to expect criticism. Trimble is a very clever woman and I imagine she would expect that.

Some people disagree with your opinions. That’s the best thing about TV, and the best thing about discussions like this on the internet. You don’t always agree with people. Even losers who write about the telly for a living.
LadyLuck

MOF and you are anonymous that is why it is not fair if you attack her online. It’s not a debate as she has no voice to defend herself. Imagine if someone presumed to know your whole life from watching you answer a few question on TV? You are not discussing Iran or globalisation but a graduate student. She is not a celebrity and opting for the college quiz team (and ending up on TV) is not the same as choosing to be a public figure. The original piece was wrong on many levels. I think MOF is a loser. You are just stupid, and you have no friends… hey are there any jobs going at tvscoop.tv?
http://www.sianyland.com Sian

I’m not anonymous. You can see my name at the end of the post.
LadyLuck

Hi Sian. I’ve been doing some thinking, and i see you your point I think I may have been wrong, and of course I don’t think you or MOF is a loser, I don’t know either of you. The only article I had read on here was MOF’s piece about Trimble and as such was judging it by the same editorial standards I’ve become accustomed to from the Guardian (my only other source of TV knowledge). I’m sure you can imagine my shock when i read MOF’s review. I realise now (by the shear number of adverts on the site) that this isn’t mainstream media, it’s new media offering a view traditionally only shared in private. I’m abit behind the times that’s all.
Paul Hirons

OK people, enough’s enough. Thanks for all your comments, that’s what this site is all about – people watching TV, writing things about what they saw and how it made them feel (good or bad), and then involving other viewers who watched the same thing and allowing them to comment on whether they agreed or disagreed with the original viewpoint. LadyLuck, I think you may have missed the point about what this site is all about, and the very fact you took the time to post a few comments kind of proves that this isn’t a closed shop. Thanks for all your comments, it’s much appreciated. Keep them coming!
LadyLuck

I promise this is my last comment. My previous comment wasn’t meant to be sarcastic in anyway, I think I do now understand better what this sites is about. It’s more like a private conversation but in public. Because I don’t consider our protagonist a celebrity it raises the interesting isssue (i’m sure it has a name) the internet is powerful enough for a normal member of the public to become unwillingly famous. The classic example being the “star wars kid” apparently he was so badly bullied that he had to seek psychiatric help. I think there is a balance between the freedom people have to share their views and the freedom of individuals not to be humiliated. I’m just glad I don’t have to figure out where that balance is.
Des Elmes

I certainly disagree with the views that Trimble seems to think it’s all about her, and that she clearly thinks she’s above the show. It’s just that she is so bloody brilliant – how often do you get a contestant on University Challenge who consistently buzzes in before Paxman has finished the question, and comes up with the right answer without hesitation?!

And just because a game show contestant blows his or her opposition off the floor with an astounding display of knowledge doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she is arrogant and full of himself or herself (although CJ de Mooi from Eggheads is an obvious exception).

I’d say even Trimble herself was blown away by her performance against Exeter – and I’d say too that she was embarrassed it played a huge part in them finishing with just 15 points.
Trimble

Hey leave me alone! Just because I am smarter than you, and better looking than you, there is no need to slag me off.
J.KAY

She isnt smug at all. She is realy shy. Im the brother of Kay in the corpus christi team and i can tell she deffinately isnt smug. she is one of the most polite people to meet. your bound to look a bit smug if you seem to know almost every answer. But im not on the side of the sexy people either here. she is neither smug or sexy.
Stein

Sweet Jesus. I didn’t think she was smug or sexy. She was just utterly brilliant. I don’t understand how masterful displays of knowledge of quiz shows have become a signifier for smug bastardy. Ooh he/she thinks they know everything! They’re answering every question! The sheer, bleeding arrogant effrontery of it all. HOW DARE THEY?!

I say blame Eggheads’ viewers, I suppose, and the rising tide of internet snark it engendered. Hating CJ and Daphne for showing off has somehow bled its away into other televisual arenas.

Anyway, what’s up with TV Scoop always dishing out barbed comments and downright slander to quiz show folk. I’ve seen this nasty, gittish attitude handed out to Barry the new Egghead, whom the poster envisioned eating beans out of a can all on his tragic, nerdish lonesome.

Well, he’s actually married with two kids and now earns about ten times as much as you do in your job (whoever watches the Eggheads round here) writing insulting commentary thanks to his becoming a said Eggie/Smug Git/Nerdlinger.

How do you like dem apples?
Rootz

Sexy! And all the more sexy because she doesn’t appear to realise how sexy she is. But then again I’ve always been attracted to women with brains. She honestly gives me the shivers…
Anna Dickson

shes amazingggggggg
SubPop

A stunning intellect is revealed on TV and all the anti-intellectual brigade come out in force.

Arrogant? Smug?

Only in England would someone be labelled these things for being the best at what they do.
Phil Keenan

This is a British psyche thing going on here. As soon as someone like Trimble is seen to be smart, we all put her down. She is good, and I can’t for the life of me imagine her to be arrogant or smug, she’s just answering the questions, mostly correctly.

The only people in Britain allowed to be smug, are the intellects Woss and Brand.

Yes, she is smart, and flying the flag for Oxford, and beat my favourite team, St. Johns last week, so well done to her and her team.
http://www.twitter.com/mattywhi Wibble

Looks like Trimble didnt bother until they were 60 points behind with 7 minutes left at which point she storms through and takes the final. Manchester were unlucky!
Bassista

Would this discussion be happening if she was a man? The woman is really really clever. It´s a sad confirmation of the anti achievement, quick and easy cheap fame culture that is so endemic in England.
This is why I live abroad!
carl

oh no. the chavs are upset with clever people.

did you do rubbish at school?

oh shame, you should’ve seen the bigger picture and tried harder eh?
Kevin V Russell

I just heard about this on the wireless. I also heard the team has been disqualified but not because of the delightful Ms Trimble. It’s not a british thing that she is being kncoked the way she is. In Australia we call it the tall poppy syndrome. FWIW, I was amazed when I heard her rapid fire answers. I don’t know about her social skills, I don’t even know if she is smart enough to come inout of the rain but she certainly has a prodigious memory. Okay, it’s just a party trick but it’s fun. I wish her well in whatever she decides to in future I would like to see her on more game shows. She should clean up I reckon.
Chris

I watched all of Corpus Christi’s UC rounds and never at any time did I think Gail Trimble was in any way smug.I’m the first to hurl abuse if I think someone’s getting above themselves but she never came across as anything other than exceptionally clever. She was a great captain, quick on the buzzer (it’s all right knowing the answer but you’ve got to buzz in first too) and it’s tragic that her efforts were in vain.
I’m almost tempted to call it another BBC cock- up – doesn’t anyone check that the students taking part are eligible? Surely the situation that Sam Kay found himself in must be a common problem and needed to be addressed alot earlier.
The subsequent outcome does nobody any favours -
Manchester will never be happy they won by default.