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Tough Enough 2
Original airdate: 5-16-02Sorry to be late, it was TE2 or EP2. Guess which won?
After falling off the mechanical bull, jumping into the ocean, taking crap from Hardcore Holly, being everyone's favorite whipping boy, talking to himself, sucking in the ring and shaving his head, Hawk had finally had enough. And about damned time, probably.
Hawk quit last week, claiming he couldn't handle it emotionally anymore, he was hurting inside, and that above all else, he isn't crazy. His performance in the ring is suffering because of it, and he knows it. There's a lot of reference made to his inner demons and his insecurity, but not a lot to the unnecessary grief the others heaped on him.
But that grief can be a big part of the business, as Al Snow should well know. (Read either of Mick Foley's books if you want proof.) Al and Big both acknowledge that the mental part of wrestling is more difficult than the physical part at times, and if Hawk isn't ready emotionally, then he just isn't ready.
Sun City is still a vacation, so they continue to eat good food, relax at a waterpark, and go out dancing. Kenny even gets some action, which may be detrimental to his performance the next day in training.
Even with the unexpected departure, the trainers still intend to make good on their promise to cut someone. In the final evaluation, the contestants have five-minute matches against each other in the amphitheater, in front of a gathering impromptu audience. No one looks as good as the first Tough Enough cast did at this point in the continuity of the show, but again, it's unclear what point that is in the training, and it's frustrating as a viewer.
The contestants also serve as referees for each other's matches, which is probably one of the best ways to learn the right timing of moves and the flow of a match. It's much easier to observe things like that when you're able to maintain some distance but not so much that your attention can wander.
Immediately after the matches, Big announces that they can't make a decision and there will be no cut in South Africa. If Hawk hadn't quit, though, I'd have put my money on Pete getting the boot in that promised cut. He and Kenny are about on par in the ring, but I like Kenny's energy and look better. Pete bugs me. I still like Jake to win, and any of the three female contestants would be fine undercard workers.
After a traditional African feast and luau-type evening, they return home to Trax. Bob is disappointed to see Hawk not with them, and admits to liking him quite a bit, no matter how hard he rode him. They forge ahead with the training, and announce that there will be cuts in the coming weeks. Jackie screws up big-time in the ring against Jake and badly injures her leg.
If I'm reading my press info correctly, this week is the last pre-taped episode of Tough Enough 2 before the live announcement of the winners during Smackdown next week, but I could be off by one week. MTV and the WWE are not the easiest sites in the world to navigate. And time is running out to apply for Tough Enough III - the deadline is May 31. Go on, tell 'em Fanboy Planet sent ya. Because we're all too old now to do it ourselves.
