Tough Enough #7: Running With Wolves

Tough Enough #7: Running With Wolves
Intro
As usual, there’s a recap of the major events of the previous week: Ivelisse’s injury, Eric’s dismal performance on the ropes course, and the two of them getting eliminated. Again, they were the right people to go home, regardless of any bias you may have toward the contestants (I had a pretty obvious bias toward Eric). The closer we get to the finale, the more people are going to get upset about the eliminations, since only the people we’ve really gotten to know are left. AJ makes his way back to the house and breaks the news of the double elimination, and immediately, the focus is on Christina being the only girl remaining.
Christina: Last Girl Standing
I would never have guessed that Christina would make it this far, or even be the last girl still in the competition. I think most people, myself included, figured Rima would be the female to go the farthest (or maybe even win) due to her mainstream appeal, but as we know, that wasn’t the case. It’s taken until the 7th episode, but we finally start to really meet Christina during this yoga segment with Trish.
Daily Training
AJ, the sole survivor from last week’s bottom three, has to step up here or he’ll be gone like that. It seems as if Bill’s lightening up to the final few contestants as well, giving Christina a pep talk before training starts. Austin stops the contestants during kick-out drills to talk about creativity. He talks about adding a little je ne sais quoi to the moves, which is the second time this season that he’s used that phrase, for some reason. They do fireman’s carry drills and the trainers really get on AJ’s case for being timid. It was pretty ridiculous if you ask me; nothing looked that bad to me. Jeremiah starts doing some kind of MMA takedown which doesn’t go over well with the trainers. The greenness of Jeremiah is starting to shine through, and if he doesn’t make his movements more crisp, he could be gone as quickly as AJ.
The next drill involves the contestants tossing one another out of the ring. While it is one of the more contrived parts of wrestling, it still seems like exposing the business more than they should be. The people being tossed land on their feet, completely unaffected, which is perfectly fine (and safe), but that’s not what happens in the kayfabe world of WWE. Andy stiffs Luke right in the face with a forearm and tosses him haphazardly (although it looks “realistic”) over the top rope. It was surprising that Andy botched so badly, but it was even more surprising that Luke didn’t get mad and start fighting back.
Andy Misses His Family
Andy is seen looking at a video of his baby daughter trying to walk. He obviously misses his family, but I hope he sticks it out longer, instead of ending up going home early like Michelle. Luckily, it seems like Andy realizes that this competition is where he needs to be. I imagine the hardest part of being a wrestler, more than the physical pain, is having to be away from loved ones for so long. If Andy can’t make it through this, there’s no way he could make the WWE schedule.
The Divas Stop By
Kelly Kelly, Eva, and The Bella Twins, probably running from Kharma, stop by. I don’t mean this to demean the divas or anything, but merely from the one-dimensional state of the division, having them teach creativity seems a little far-fetched. “This is how you stand in the corner and cheer during a random 6-diva tag match!” It seems like instead of just an inspirational speech, the divas are here for a morale boost. They all go out to dinner and once again, the one person abstaining from drinking is Andy, who promised his wife and daughter he wouldn’t drink. I know that in social situations, he’d be looked at as a wet blanket, but it makes me really like the guy. Not that I’m militantly straightedge or anything, but keeping a promise in the face of peer pressure is something that should be commended. Luke doesn’t have the same opinion as me, and makes fun of Andy for it. Shocker.
PLUG TIME
The contestants head to THQ to create their own superstar in WWE All Stars. They’ll be playing WWE All Stars. WWE All Stars, you guys! Look, WWE All Stars! To be fair, All Stars was an incredibly fun game that I played for a good 6 or 7 hours one weekend with a friend of mine, but this is very obviously nothing more than a plug for the game. Austin talks about his transformation from The Ringmaster to Stone Cold Steve Austin, which I believe was very much his own doing, but there was much more freedom in character development back then. Especially in the undercard, there’s just not much in the way of character. But I guess that makes standing out all the more important. This was a silly segment, but I’m glad to know that playing video games for several hours while eating pizza bagels got me closer to being a WWE Superstar.
Surprise Training
Austin immediately sent the contestants back to the training facility for a session with Bill and Booker. AJ gets singled out for being timid once again, and I still think it’s overreacting on the trainers’ part. Everyone else seems to be doing well until Martin gets up and turns his leg awkwardly. A medic comes to tend to him and he wants to get back in the ring, but can’t. You have to pity Martin at this point. He was consistently around the top of the pack and an ankle injury may have compromised everything.
Martin returns on crutches the next day with the news that he has a fractured ankle. The doctors won’t allow him to continue, and Martin’s on the verge of tears. Stone Cold leads Martin into his office for a chat. After the talk, Austin shows Martin the wall holding the belts of the eliminated contestants and allows Martin to put his own belt on the wall. I really do feel bad for Martin, but I believe him when he says that he’ll be in the WWE someday.
Two-Minute Exhibition
Each rookie will have two minutes to show what they’ve learned, with the stipulation that they must perform one move from the top rope. Christina seems confident, moreso than usual, after Bill gives her another pep talk. She locks up with AJ and everything looks fine until she climbs the turnbuckle. She jumps and lands way too close to AJ, who was close enough to the turnbuckle as is. She’s hurt and the trainers immediately fault AJ, but it didn’t look like AJ’s fault to me. This episode is just filled reasons for me to defend AJ. They’re being harsher on AJ than anyone else, but that may just be my perspective or a perspective made in post-production editing. Christina’s hurt badly, and a medic is called once again. It’s another tragic accident for someone that was really improving as a character and a performer.
Conclusion
The show ends with Christina’s future uncertain as she’s sent to the hospital. Is this show cursed or something? Two leg injuries in one show is crazy. We’re down to 5 people now (possibly 4, depending on Christina’s health), and every single one of them could win this realistically. Martin was my favorite to win, so my new favorite to win is Jeremiah. I don’t know about his chances due to his inexperience and sloppiness, but I’ve really started liking him as a person. I like Andy, AJ, and Christina as well, so as long as Luke doesn’t win, I’m happy. Although, if Luke wins, a young cocky heel from Tough Enough would be a great gimmick for a newcomer like Luke. I just don’t like his attitude.
In any case, it’s down to the wire. Put your predictions or favorites down in the comments section, along with any feedback or questions you may have. As always, thanks for reading.