Tough Enough S1 Final 3 Episodes
Our final Tough Enough S1 review!
Tough Enough Pilot review
Episodes 2-3-4 review
Episodes 5-6-7 review
Episodes 8-9-10 review
To recap: After injuries, Al Snow’s Circle game, and visits with Team Xtreme and Mick Foley, Maven’s stepped into the forefront. Now that Greg and CK have bowed out, there will be no more cuts – we have our finalists: just 2 women (Nidia and Taylor) and 3 men (Nowinski, Maven and Josh).
EPISODE 11 “The Rules of the Road”
• The gang take a 3 day trip to Milwakee & Chicago for Backlash, RAW & Smackdown tapings.
• They help set up the ring, we get to see referee/ring crew Jimmy Corderas, Mike Chiota, announcer Tony Chimel.
• Without the support of her parents, Taylor gets shit-faced drunk and tries to wear Maven, who has none of it.
• The next morning, since they live close by, they go to Nowinski’s parents house for breakfast.
• Backstage, PAT PATTERSON! Brooklyn brawler (keeping kayfabe, not Steve Lombardi) has them cut 20-second promos backstage. Nidia’s promo is standard, Taylor’s was very poor. Josh is made to cut a promo as “the sponge”, calling out Rhyno, who walks by and they watch it back together. Great stuff! It’d odd to go back to an era where you had to fight for TV time, as opposed to the lumbering 25-minute opening promos on RAW each week. They continue to haze Chris like he’s already one of the boys. Maven does the best and gets a round of applause.
• Josh gets an Al Snow wig. It’s actually really funny, complete with makeshift fanny pack!
• They eat at catering around the wrestlers. Josh nonchalantly admits he’s 130 pounds.
• We get to see some WWF Metal Tapings, Jackie vs Molly and Al Snow vs Essa Rios. Next time they tape matches with Tough Enough trainers, watch for non-regular moves – the trainees are allowed ask them to put in moves, e.g. Maven asked for a Hammerlock suplex.
• Refreshed and optimistic, the gang start their training back at “Trax” (WWF’s training facility).
The promo segments, backstage at WWF events and Josh’s Al Snow impression is great, definite up in quality from the last few.
EPISODE 12 “No Hill Too Tall, Nor Water Too Deep” with AUSTIN & DEBRA, also IVORY
• A limo pulls up, out pops feminine legs… Can’t be Steph… blonde hair… It’s Debra! And Austin! Oddly they filmed this right after Mania; and the stock footage is of heel Austin post-Mania.
• Stone Cold talks of starting wrestling school and spending his last money on tuna fish and eating raw potatoes. Oddly they splice a DVD extra where he tells the same story. Austin says he knows his career can’t last but would like to work in creative and merchandising.
• Josh asks about how long he spent in ECW – he circuitously admits to 8-9 weeks total. THAT PROMO ON BISCHOFF! And…THE PROMO! Austin immediately pegs Josh for high spots since he’s so small.
• Josh asks Al to learn how to do a moonsault. WWF turn this into a storyline, edited to show that everyone except Josh can do one.
• Swimming! Josh smokes everyone. Rock climbing! Maven squeaks a win. In both competition Nowinski does (relatively) poorly.
• IVORY shows up at Trax. Weird having two sets of guests in one episode. Her outlook & worth ethic is drastically different than Debra’s (which is ‘you’re there as eye candy & the men bring in the money’) She teaches forearm blows in the corner and back elbows.
• Nice to see them trying some more complicated moves & sequences e.g. hurricanrana, corner dodge and sunset flip. Moonsault without a mat – Chris nearly necks himself. Josh gets the moonsault in the end. I’m suspicious of that whole storyline, and the one-off girlfriend doesn’t want to be a wrestler’s wife, because he really hasn’t had any drama this season.
If you’ve heard Austin talk about his career it’s nothing new but it’s always great to see him talk, he has such star presence and you could easily tell the TE crew were in awe, as we’d be! Still a fun episode, and next up is the FINALE!
EPISODE 13/14 Finale: “That’s Not the Story” / “The Beginning” with Vince McMahon & Kevin Dunn!
• Live from WWF New York! Hosted by Coach and Trish. The finalists are at dinner tables with their families. Everyone gets a polite applause, Nowinski gets notable boos.
• The show is a lot of video packages that everyone in WWF NY must watch.
• Footage from the final week: the guys create a tough enough board game; mentioning Tori hip-tossing CK, but he causes her an injured hamstring and shoulder.
• OH SHIT IT’S VINCE! AND BUCKY BEAVER! Kevin Dunn. If you’re sensitive about your teeth then CLOSE YOUR ****ING MOUTH! Kevin marvels at what they’ve done in 10 weeks creating these guys from scratch.
• Another lengthy interspliced video package: the finalists are interviewed by Vince and Dunn at WWF HQ. Always great to see footage from inside the building. Josh has been a fan since Mania 2. Nowinski hasn’t gotten close to anyone as they’re not the type he associates with (Ach, condescending, should’ve said he’s there to win a contract, which is a reason he gave before for not socialising). He suggests the heel Harvard stereotype (which they do go with). No-one else has anything interesting to say.
• 23 minutes in we get to hear the proper Tough Enough theme. Lots of “this is from MTV’s Tough Enough Soundtrack” musical montages. Lots of faff like the trainers work quite stiff with them, Jackie delivers nasty clotheslines and wow, Maven’s XFL tee. I wonder if they make failed contestants sign Non Disclosure Agreements and pay them not to release results. Fairly sure this happened in a future season where a contestant started taking indie dates whilst the show was still airing.
• When they show the male 3 contestants’ faces in one shot, someone slaps Josh and he bats it away, inaudibly shouting “fuck off!”. Hilarious.
• JR announces the winners: FEMALE WINNER NIDIA! Taz interviews loser Taylor, she’s just another victim and prods her for a reaction. She says WWF don’t want her and Taz steers her to say she won’t quit. (Her final hype video questioned if wrestling is right for her, which is a huge sign that she wouldn’t last – she stuck with doing indies for 2 years)
• MALE WINNER MAVEN! Nowinski tries not to sneer. Maven’s got a proper grateful speech prepared, and the crowd lap it up, great job. He ends it with “mom this is for you, I love you”. Taz interviews Josh, he’s pretty sad and gets past his interview. Nowinski tries a face promo, saying it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Both male losers look genuinely upset.
A fun show, great idea to have a live finale (definitely aided by the WWF New York crowd) and interesting to see the finalists’ interviews afterwards.
Screengrabs from the last 3 episodes:
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SEASON 1 CONTESTANTS?
Josh Matthews (Josh Lomberger) did the best out of everyone, getting a long-time gig in WWE as a backstage reporter & commentator on their C-shows, now the lead announcer for TNA.
Jason Dayberry quit early on due to the rough road schedule. He’s a pro bodybuilder now.
Bobbie Jo Anderson & Victoria Tabor quit together due to the physicality.
Maven Huffman Tough Enough S1 male winner, best known for eliminating the Undertaker at the 2002 Rumble (which was an amazing, shocking spot). He was D-Von’s best friend in the business and was released by WWE in 2005. He worked on the indies and was seen selling things on the Home Shopping Network. He’s a NY bouncer now.
Taylor Matheny married Brian Kendrick, works as Make Up Artist in Hollywood.
Chris Nowinski quit wrestling after suffering post-concussion syndrome, and now is the exec director at the Sports Legacy Institute, a concussion research group.
Shadrick McGee was cut due to poor in-ring performance.
Chris “CK” Nifong is now a graphic designer and screen printer.
Paulina Thomas was TNA’s bodyguard for Disco Inferno for a 2 shows in 2002 and is now a Product & Market Manager in NY.
Nidia Guenard, the female winner of Tough Enough S1, best known for her Smackdown gig as Jamie Noble’s trashy girlfriend. Now works in culinary arts.
Darryl Cross is now a web graphic designer in Iowa.
Greg Whitmoyer pulled out due to herniated discs in his back, but worked for hardcore indie company CZW and a few 3PW dates.
Latest on OSW:
• New Video! Jay & V1 review THE CONDEMNED for Lionsgate: OSWreview.com/media/movie-the-condemned
• RAW & Triple H interview thoughts: OSWreview.com/raw-feb2-aitch-interview
• Wrestling News Packet (Feb 1st): OSWreview.com/2015feb1st
• OSW latest episode updates: OSWreview.com/updatejan29
• Royal Rumble 2015 & RAW review: OSWreview.com/rumble2015andraw
• Royal Rumble 2014 match review: OSWreview.com/rumble2014