I think the words have evolved over the years, and people who were once included are no longer under the umbrella. Yet they cling to those labels because it became their identity growing up.
The terms used to be interchangeable and cast a much wider net. Mainly because nerds are often geeks and geeks are often nerds. Besides that, because they suffered at the hands of the same oppressors there was a certain solidarity that made them proud to claim both labels. That solidarity has largely disappeared now that the enemy that united them has become almost extinct. Those who could once claim to be nerds now try and distance themselves from those who could once claim to be geeks at every opportunity because the elitism that comes with being intelligent, educated, and passionate about their field means they want to avoid sharing labels with fans of the Marvel movies and JRPGs.
The interests that would have set some people on the fringes of society twenty years ago - hobbies and pursuits that are looked down on as having some kind of social stigma - are now entirely mainstream. Society as a whole has become more tolerant, too.
I'd argue that the true geeks/nerds now - they existed then, too, but were mixed in with those who fell under the old definition - are those whose social skills are seriously and permanently damaged independently of their hobbies or because of them. They may have autism, they may have had a *beep* childhood away from other kids, they may have been bullied for some physical deformity...Often, those with developmental disorders end up chasing those same hobbies or attaining those same book smarts that would have identified traditional nerds, but they're often pushed towards above average engagement with escapist pursuits because they're excluded from normal society.
So modern geeks/nerds aren't geeks/nerds because they heavily throw themselves into comic books, go to science camp, play videogames or study hard. These things are all currently acceptable and would maybe even make you popular. No, the real nerds/geeks do those things as a result of having an actual social development issues or develop social development issues as a result.
This show is antiquated in how it defines geeks/nerds. A lot of the contestants don't suffer a social stigma because of their interests and intelligence. They may have done when they were growing up, but their social skills definitely haven't been permanently damaged by the ordeal and they have no clear behavioral disorders. Any attempt on their part to appear marginalized come across as slightly embarrassing and definitely offensive to those who are still marginalized.
Like Colby. Or Zack. People who genuinely struggle to integrate into a group and obviously have behavioral oddities.
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