Before diving into a recent article he wrote for Time Magazine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate student Andrew Radin, armed with a microphone and electronic belt flashing lyrics, performed a rap Saturday at The Estate to the tune of Chamillionaire’s “Ridin’ Dirty.”

The performance was nerdy, at best, he hopes.

“I want to hang out with the beauties, but it’s obvious I’m white and nerdy,” Radin rapped. “I’m a geek like Harry Potter with glasses and a cape. I get less action than professor Snape.”

Ivy Leaguers — quirky and quizzical – crept out of dusty libraries and study halls to join a handful of picture-perfect portfolio and lip gloss-toting models to audition for Beauty and the Geek, a reality TV show that gives eight socially awkward geniuses the chance to capture the hearts of leggy blondes who would not normally give them the time of day.

“Boston’s a great place because you’ve got a lot of young people, and it’s really a hot bed for the types of guys we’re looking for,” said New England area marketing director Ross Kramer. “With schools including MIT and Harvard close by, you can find quite a few very smart, focused students — geeks who would be great for the show.

“L.A. and other cities are where we tend to find the beauties, but Boston – that’s where we find our geeks,” he added.

Alongside the bespectacled and nervous, local bombshells took a break from their modeling gigs to size up their potential mates and answer a two-page application that included questions like “What would your ideal man be like?” and “If you were a contestant on Jeopardy!, what category would you choose?”

The beauties, ranging from high school seniors to women pushing 40, were seasoned veterans to the audition process after trying out for parts in other hit reality shows like America’s Next Top Model and Flavor of Love.

“I’ve been to a lot of castings, so I’m pretty used to all this,” said 21-year-old Long Island native “Tara,” who said she was an extra in Kevin Spacey’s upcoming movie, 21. “I’m pretty sure I know what they’re looking for.”

She said her experience is not based on any intellectual advantage.

“My friends call me Einstein sometimes, but it’s a joke because I say really dumb things,” she said.

Producers said the show is a hit with TV audiences because it presents a unique opportunity for its contradictory characters.

“It’s a social experiment, really,” said Associate Casting Producer Dana Tomsic, “and that’s what sets it apart from other reality TV shows.”