Rachelle Leah Talks Existential Instantiation; Godel, Escher, Bach

by Luke Thomas on Oct 16, 2008 11:43 AM EDT in News Comment 15 comments

“It makes you nervous (to do the nude photos),” Leah said. “The thing about America in general is that people pass judgment so easily. But my deal with it is, getting naked around people I don’t know is very scary. I already have a hard time putting on the octagon girl outfit in front of an arena. The only time I’m comfortable being semi-nude or in a bathing suit like that is on a beach."

Hard. Hitting. Journalism.

This is from a profile piece on Yahoo by Kevin Iole where said author describes Leah as " brash and thoughtful and introspective and witty and plenty crafty". According to Iole, Leah also has "the quick wit and the courage to trade barbs" and " the playful spirit and exuberant personality" and so on.

And while Leah actually wears midriff bearing tops, sometimes skimpy outfits and yes, the occassional bikini, Iole contends the show she hosts ("UFC All Access") is "a ratings hit, even though there are no shots of Leah in a bikini." Leah doesn't saunter around the screen always partially nude, but her sex appeal is part of her hosting duties.

Now, let's be fair. Leah does fulfill the obligations of the job, is probably quite bright and I'm sure is a very nice person. But the success of the show isn't so much Leah as it is the show itself. She is the enticing eye candy to keep steady wandering eyeballs, but is not the lynch pin or the raison d'etre of the show's success. The show thrives on the intimate look into the life of celebrated fighters and their pre-fight ritual. Quite literally, it's the "all access" of "UFC All Access" that accounts for its well-deserved success.

And while Leah is certainly an asset to the UFC, Spike and the sport of MMA (believe me, it helps that she's on the cover of Playboy), I just don't think it's necessary we stretch ourselves to great lengths to portray her as a renaissance woman. I congratulate her on her success, but I'm a little tired of trying to pretend every publicly positioned beautiful woman can talk the ins and outs of string theory.

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Comments

"it’s selling Leah short to believe she’s making a living solely from her looks. "

No, not really.

If she was 250 pounds and hog-like she would be working at Walmart.

On the other hand, I know plenty of hot girls with an IQ of a retarded squirrel that are gainfully employed.

I’m pretty sure her vast knowledge of science is put into question as she carries around those giant signs that display numbers.

Also, I heard spreading your ass in a magazine requires a PH.d.

by DirtyML on Oct 16, 2008 12:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Now now

Play nice.

by Luke Thomas on Oct 16, 2008 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice.

by SplitBreast on Oct 16, 2008 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Does every article written need to be of Watergate-esque seriousness and importance? Nope. I bet that story got far more clicks than, say, the latest Meltzer analysis of Elite XC ratings.

by andherewego on Oct 16, 2008 12:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

In other news, American Idol is more popular than PBS and Brittney Spears outsold Mozart.

by DirtyML on Oct 16, 2008 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And not even the people that came up with string theory can “talk ins and outs of string theory” without confusing themselves and everyone around them. I get Luke’s point, but asking her is she knew what rubber guard was or maybe her take on Hamill v. Bisping judging may be more apropos to her skills set and job. I mean we don’t question Joe Rogan’s ability to do calculus.

While Iole’s peice is awful and lacks any substance, your post is a little sexist. While Iole got a little face time with a hot chick, you just come off looking bitter.

by szucconi on Oct 16, 2008 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m fine with your other complaints, but to think I am bitter because Iole got face time with a good looking female and I didn’t is something I can’t even begin to wrap my head around.

by Luke Thomas on Oct 16, 2008 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No, not bitter about face time, I don’t know really. Maybe bitter that you can’t simply survive on good looks alone?

by szucconi on Oct 16, 2008 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think that’s called a stretch.

by Cannon Jacques on Oct 16, 2008 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I really didn’t mean to imply that anyone ever in the history of the world would be or should be jealous of Iole.

by szucconi on Oct 16, 2008 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

no one said Iole wasn’t allowed to write a puff-piece. but did he have to go hyperbolic praising Leah’s dubious intellectual merits?

by boxingstudent on Oct 16, 2008 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And you know it’s dubious…because?

by cyph on Oct 16, 2008 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can’t say I’m really surprised at the Iole piece. Maybe my expectations aren’t high enough. I don’t know. I will say that when I read or hear certain members of MMA media, I feel like they’re trying to sell me something. This really isn’t just confined to MMA. I try to be fairly straightforward, so maybe I don’t need Kevin Iole to go to such great lengths to emphasize that Rachelle Leah is more than just an attractive woman. I’d rather hear from the person and draw my perception on my own.

This specific example doesn’t look like it’s of great importance, but unnecessarily building up the image of a person isn’t without its consequences.

by Cannon Jacques on Oct 16, 2008 1:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Dammit

I thought she actually talked about Godel, Escher, Bach – it’s a phenomenal book, though total mindscrew. Seriously, I’d be so much more interested if she joked about Godel’s Incompleteness Theorem than just stripping (though if she did both simultaneously…).

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by themachiavellian on Oct 16, 2008 1:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs