Tough Enough #6: It’s Getting Down to Nut Cuttin’ Time

Hi everyone. It’s AP week, as some of you may know, and I’m exhausted. I just took my AP Government/Politics exam and I have an Economics exam on Thursday, so I’m planning on being tired all week. That being said, this blog will be shorter than usual, I imagine, but I really enjoyed this episode for the most part, so who knows? I might ramble a bit.
Tough Enough #6: It’s Getting Down to Nut Cuttin’ Time
Intro
Skidmarks is gone, in case you forgot. I liked him at one point, but by now the only reason I’d want to see him stick around is to get pummeled by Booker T. Also, in case you forgot, the contestants played basketball with dwarfs. Yep. Anyways, Luke and Christina return from the bottom 3 and immediately, there’s some huge teenage-girl passive-aggressiveness going on between Ivelisse and Christina. Both girls want to be the only girl left, and instead of working with each other and letting the better lady win, they’re just quietly bickering. Didn’t you girls learn anything from dwarf basketball?!
Daily Training
Looks like we’re back to the basics here, with some regular workouts: squats, situps, push-ups, and all that. To the shock of no one, Eric can’t keep up with everyone else and gets winded fairly quickly. I still don’t know why he would go to Tough Enough out of shape. This whole episode really favored the smaller, fitter guys, and while I’m not saying that fitness isn’t crucial to the business, I doubt capable wrestlers like Bill couldn’t keep up too well either. I’m not just making excuses for Eric, though. He should’ve showed up in shape, or at the very least, done what Rima did and asked for extra training (conditioning, in his case).
In the ring, Jeremiah gets slammed awkwardly and starts spitting up blood. He still didn’t want to stop. Go Jeremiah, you might be new favorite. I have a feeling that determined attitude is making him a favorite among the trainers too. Then there’s finally a focus on AJ, which is ironically, on his blandness. He’s been close to keeping up with the top guys for most of the competition, but he hasn’t shown much personality. On top of that, he’s slipping today in the challenge.
Elbow Drop Training
This is one of the things I was talking about earlier when I said this type of training favors smaller guys. Although now that I think about it, being a nimble performer while still being big is a great trait. I’ve heard about Big Show being able to do a moonsault at one point, I remember guys like Manu and Umaga doing some cool turnbuckle stuff, and Kane goes up to the top rope nearly every match. So it’s not pointless training for the big guys, I guess. It should just be taken with a grain of salt. Anywho, Jeremiah looks all right, but green as ever. I’d much rather be in the ring with someone like Martin or Luke who seem to have experience over Jeremiah. Ivelisse is having a hard time being injured, and she’s making sure everyone knows it. Considering just about everyone in the WWE is working through pain at all times, I don’t know what Ivelisse is thinking. Booker T says that Ivelisse is using her leg injury as a crutch. Unintentional pun!
Ropes Course
John Morrison is here to talk to the contestants about focus. Stone Cold puts him over, but it’s just weird to hear Austin say “Shaman of Sexy.” We get a shot of the ropes course, and man, that looks like fun. Ivelisse is having a hard time, so Morrison nonchalantly says “I’m gonna go climb up to that beam.” He’s still sort of awkward when he talks, but he does some pretty cool stuff. Ivelisse eventually makes it, and luckily for her, she won’t be the laughingstock of this challenge, because Eric’s coming up soon. Eric slips and gets hung up on some steps, and eventually Christina passes right over him. Luke said it before me: what a metaphor. Eric doesn’t want Austin to send anyone up to help, but he sits up there for over 90 minutes. Eric gets help and gets lowered down and looks really pitiful doing it. I’ve been pulling for Eric since the beginning, but he really hasn’t done anything that impressive. What a shame.
Skills Challenge
This challenge consists of the contestants squatting while standing on the top turnbuckle. Again, the low centers of gravity benefit the smaller guys at the expense of the bigger Eric and Andy. Andy gets eliminated after falling behind and gets mad. Andy seems like a less weird and more tough version of Ryan. That coupled with the fact that he really seems to want to be in the WWE makes me cheer for the guy. Everyone does okay until AJ gets to a turnbuckle. He loses his balance almost immediately. The final four have to balance while Andy and Eric run the ropes. It’s a cool little twist, but in kayfabe, doesn’t hitting the ropes make the person on the top rope fall onto their crotch? Whoops. The final two are Luke and Jeremiah, who are always near the top. In a weird revelation, it seems that Luke thinks of both he and Jeremiah as the co-top guys, Jeremiah thinks that he’s the top guy. I think the bromance might come to an end down the road because of that. Jeremiah ends up looking really sloppy and eventually loses to Luke. You just can’t be sloppy when you’re taking care of someone in the ring. If Jeremiah’s going to win this season, something needs to be done about his sloppiness.
Judging
Both Jeremiah and Luke get praise from the trainers, and Bill echoes my sentiments about Andy. He’s probably never going to be on the top rope. Booker says Eric has been a disappointment, and I hate to say it, but I agree. With so much riding on this show, I can’t believe that Eric wouldn’t push himself harder. The trainers think that Ivelisse might be milking her injury a bit, which I see. She’s acting the way I used to act when I pretended to be sick so I didn’t have to go to school. They don’t see a superstar in AJ, but I don’t know if I agree. Maven didn’t look like a superstar, and I loved him growing up. He eliminated The Undertaker at the Royal Rumble! I digress, but I’m still pretty high up on AJ, at least from an athletic standpoint.
Elimination
The bottom three this week are Eric, Ivelisse, and AJ. Austin starts with AJ, saying that he’d probably like AJ as a neighbor. I’ll level with Austin there; I have a hard time seeing AJ show emotion in the ring or anything like that. AJ sounds as fake as Ryan when he says why he should be here. No one buys those inspirational one-liners. Those belong on bumper stickers, not in wrestling rings. Eric says he’s pushing himself to the limit every day, and I don’t buy that either. Austin agrees with me. He brings up the fact that Eric basically took a 90-minute nap on the ropes course. Austin asks Ivelisse to rate her pain on a scale of 1-10. Ivelisse does the whole pretend-to-hold-back-tears thing and says 8. Austin says that if it weren’t for her leg, she wouldn’t be in the bottom three, but he has to do what he has to do and takes the belt. Meanwhile, Ivelisse continues holding back tears and choking up. Stop that right now, young lady. You look ridiculous. Austin tells AJ and Eric that he’s actually taking two belts tonight. Eventually, Austin takes Eric’s belt as well. He says Eric has flashes of brilliance, but they’re just flashes.
Conclusion
All in all, I thought this episode was a lot more entertaining than last week’s. The occasional silliness is good, but I prefer it when the challenges are more serious and physical (like the ropes course). It adds to the seriousness and sells the show’s importance. I really liked Eric, and I’m sad to see him go, but it was his time. He had a lot riding on this competition, with his family situation, but this isn’t a charity. It seems as if all of the fat has been trimmed, so to speak, so the real shocking eliminations should start next week. As of writing, I believe Martin and Jeremiah are the only two contestants who haven’t been in the bottom three yet. With Jeremiah becoming dangerous though, I think we might see him there soon. I hope not, though. I’m guessing Luke will be the “bad guy” left at the end along with a nicer guy, probably Martin or Jeremiah. They all deserve to still be in this, and the good vs. bad is perfect for a reality TV finale. It’s certainly more compelling than “two buddies have a respectful competition to see who the better man is.”
In any case, I’m sorry if I rambled or if you’re disappointed with the length or quality. I was writing essays on Supreme Court cases and political theory all morning, and I’m crazy tired. Thanks for reading.