Alison Haislip: TV Host, Gamer, geekGIRL (and Jedi?)

geekGIRL is a new regular feature that highlights the most amazing, brilliant, bold and of course, fabulous women who are making a splash and inspiring others to let their geek flag fly; however, there hasn’t always been this culture of pride and solidarity. Labeling a girl as a “geek” used to mean almost-certain schoolyard teasing and exile, but thanks in part to television‘s Alison Haislip, future generations of girls will be able to wear this as a badge of honor.

As the funny and unabashedly nerdy host of G4′s Attack of the Show and American Ninja Warrior, Alison keeps viewers up to date on the entertainment and gaming news, as well as the latest high-tech gadgets. From swimming with sharks to stunt training with ninjas, Alison is always game for whatever the producers throw her way. With a confident no-holds-barred attitude, tech know-how and awesome gaming abilities, this former model totally proves (much to the delight of her hoardes of male fans) that a.) girls totally kick ass at video games and b.) geeky can be sexy.

But make no mistake – beneath that supermodel exterior, Alison goes way beyond the mainstream geeksphere of computers and smartphones: four years at Space Camp, a ‘Philosophy of Tolkien’ course in college – she even owns a copy of Hamlet written in Klingon. “My midi-chlorian count is through the roof”, she adds. So I should add the title of “Chosen One” to that list? “Okay…that last one is a lie, but it would be AWESOME if it were true.”

A funny, sexy, video game-playing TV host paving the way for future geeky girls and a lightsaber-wielding Jedi? Uh, totally awesome.

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geekGLOSS: What’s a typical day like for you at G4?

Alison Haislip: There is no typical day at G4. My schedule is different every single week. I could be doing something a simple as The Feed one day, and the next, training with a stunt team to learn how to be a ninja. And then after that, I’ll fly to Australia to swim with sharks. The only thing “typical” at G4 is that it’s always changing.

gG: For every 10 guy fans, how many female fans do you think you encounter? Or is it just a neverending queue of easily excitable guys at Comic-Con?

AH: I’m shocked every time a girl walks up to me to tell me she loves the show. At my signing at Comic Con last year, I believe I made it through 100 people in an hour. And in that 100, 6 were girls. They’re few and far between, but I appreciate every one of my sisters!!

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gG: What do you think about geeky being the new black? “The more the merrier” or does it make you slightly bitter?

AH: It’s ironic that the more people who become geeky, the less geeky it is, don’t you think? IT’S LIKE RAIN….ON YOUR WEDD….alright, I’ll stop now.

gG: One can only imagine how fierce the competition is when you play video games at G4. Does it ever get out of hand with crazy bets? Bodily harm inflicted? Friendships ruined?

AH: I’d say the only place there’s any real competition at G4 is on iPhone games such as Farmville and Angry Birds, but since I have not fallen into the treacherous grasp of the phone which cannot be a phone cause of the crappy network it’s on, I’m safe from those battles.

I definitely game with Blair Herter and Kevin Pereira, but we normally play “with” each other as opposed to “against”. I’d say there’s more competition to be the first to get a cool new product, like a game or an iPad or something of that nature, than any actual competition within a game. We like to show off our stuff.

gG: What are your top picks from E3 2010? Does it blow your mind to see the kind of technology they’re developing? I remember being in awe of the graphics in Street Fighter II on SNES and now look what they have!

AH: Obviously the big things in gaming right now are motion control and 3D. Both still feel pretty gimmicky to me, although I believe Kinect is headed in the right direction. It’s funny that the only game that made me want Kinect is the Ubisoft title, Child of Eden. That BLEW MY MIND when I saw it. It’s an absolutely fascinating blend of gaming and art. Other than that, I’m pretty excited for Goldeneye and Gears of War 3. Give me my shooters!

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gG: You’ve mentioned the robo invasion numerous times. Are you talking Singularity here? What personal utopia will we find you in when Singularity happens?

AH: I don’t know if I’m talking Singularity as much as I’m talking Terminator. A war with the machines. And if they all end up looking like Sam Worthington, I think I may have found my personal utopia right there.

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5 Things a geekGIRL Should Never Be without:

1)  MacBook Pro
2)  A Twitter account. You’re not a geek if you don’t update the world on your life in 140 characters or less.
3)  A smartphone from which you can update said Twitter account.
4)  One piece of incredibly geeky jewelry like a Nintendo controller necklace or stormtrooper earrings.  I have both.
5)  A healthy dose of competition. Those boys need to be put in their place sometimes.

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For more information, visit Alison’s website or follow her on Twitter @alisonhaislip. She can be seen every weeknight at 7pm on G4′s “Attack of the Show.”