It’s hard to believe, considering the WB caters to reality lovin’ 12-34-year-olds, but the network has never had a hit reality show, mostly poorly produced bombs like “High School Reunion” and “Boarding House: North Shore.”
   But with the sharply focused, surprisingly sweet “Beauty and the Geek,” the WB may finally have found a successful reality franchise.
  Last night’s third episode of “Geek” earned series highs in adults 18-49 and total viewers, according to Nielsen overnights, posting a 2.0 among 18-49s and averaging 4.26 million total viewers.
   The premiere episode of the series two weeks ago averaged a 1.6 among 18-49s and 3.17 million viewers, while last week’s episode averaged a 1.8 18-49 rating and 3.75 million viewers.
   That slow build is very promising for the WB, which has also struggled to program a successful summer show the past few years. Even UPN found a summer hit with “America’s Next Top Model” two years ago.
   But “Geek” could be headed on the same path. Last night “Geek” was actually the second-highest-rated show in its 8 p.m. timeslot. 
   That’s a rarity for the WB during the regular season and the summer. It was the seventh-highest-rated show of the night on any network.
   While “Geek” won’t make an Emmy run, it’s a fun show that actually offers some innovation. Couples made up of one hot but not-so-smart beauty and one smart but not-so-socially-conscious geek teach each other various skills in preparation for challenges, which ultimately decide whether the couple stays on the show.

   ABC’s summer reality hit “Dancing with the Stars” was last night’s highest-rated show among viewers 18-49, averaging a 4.7 during its 9 p.m. timeslot. That helped ABC finish first for the night with a 3.1 average rating and a 10 share. NBC finished second at 2.3/7, CBS third at 2.1/6, Fox fourth at 1.7/6, the WB fifth at 1.6/5 and UPN sixth at 0.8/3.
   ABC led at 8 p.m. with a 2.2 average for a repeat of last week’s episode of “Stars,” followed by the WB’s 2.0 for “Geek.” Fox was third during the hour with a 1.9 average for repeats of “That ‘70s Show” (2.0) and “Stacked” (1.8).
   At 9 p.m. ABC led with its 4.7 average for “Stars,” down 0.1 from last week’s average. It averaged 15.3 million total viewers, up slightly over the previous week. NBC was second in 18-49s with a 2.2 average for a repeat of “Law & Order” and CBS third with a 2.1 for repeats of “King of Queens” (2.2) and “Yes, Dear” (2.0).
   NBC took the lead during the 10 p.m. hour with a 2.9 average rating for another hour of “Law & Order.” CBS was second with a 2.7 for a “CSI: NY” rerun and ABC third with a 2.4 for a repeat of “Lost.”
   ABC took the night among households with a 6.9 average rating and a 12 share. NBC was second at 5.5/10, CBS third at 5.0/9, Fox fourth at 2.7/5, the WB fifth at 2.2/4 and UPN sixth at 1.3/2.