By Chris Shore

Tough Enough on USA Network
Taped in Simi Valley, Cali.

The show opened with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin putting himself over with his history and said that he was on a personal mission to find someone to continue his legacy. He introduced two men and women as they got off a bus and told a little about them complete with video clips. He said he was looking for someone who was the complete package, someone who was tough enough.

They were in an empty arena with a Tough Enough wrapping on the ring and all the contestants came out on the ramp. Austin was in the ring and told them all to imagine what it would be like to work in that ring with the arena filled. He said most of them wouldn't make it. He said he was going to challenge them each and every week, and if they pissed them off, he would send them packing.

He said their first challenge was about commitment. He said the arena would be filled with 15 thousand people and he was going to see who was serious about making it. A video showed Austin sitting in a big chair and said they needed to learn what it was like for all the people who work behind the scenes.

The contestants were put in coveralls and had to deal with trash and cleaning the arena at 1:00 in the morning. They all complained a little about it but did the work…

Shore's Slant: That was kind of lame. They just didn't show much.

The contestants were on a bus and taken to the house. The three trainers, Trish Stratus, Booker T and Bill Demott (Hugh Morris) met them on the stairs of the house. They introduced themselves and told the contestants to get inside and get changed into training clothes.

Each of the contestants found a title belt on their beds and a note from Austin saying that each time a person is eliminated they would have to turn in their belt. Three of the guys checked out the rest of the house and the view which, of course, was awesome.

Some of the contestants were talking with Rima and she told them she was Miss USA and one of the guys said she shouldn’t be there. Then other guys and girls came in and Mickael said that all the women needed was booty and they would be fine. The women and he got into it and started throwing pillows. Drama on the first day, the producers have to be happy…

The contestants finally went to the training room and started doing calisthenics as Demott screamed at them and Trish and Booker tried to encourage. Austin drove in on a motorcycle and the trainers said they already had a few who wanted to quit. Austin said they better be ready because only one of them would make it.

They had everyone get in the ring and do rolls and front bumps as Demott gave everyone nick names. Ariane was the first person who couldn't do much, and then Rima struggled too. Michelle (Jonny Fairplay's wife) said she had been wrestling for eleven years but arguably looked the worst. She was the last contestant shown for the first day…

All the contestants were shown partying the first night with the exception of one contestant who instead drank protein shakes and worked on the treadmill…[C]

Shore's Slant: Typical kind of chaotic start to a reality show. It's tough at this point because there are so many people and we've seen about 30 seconds of each. But this certainly feels like something that will be fun to watch.

The next morning, several of the contestants were shown sleeping while others were already looking out. They all filed into the training room for the first skill challenge. Demott treated one of the contestants he calls Skid Marks like shit just for the hell of it. Austin came to the ring and said their first skill challenge was to run the ropes for three minutes and they would be graded on not only their endurance but how hard they ran.

Eric, the large black guy, was terrible and got yelled at by everybody. Austin said he has a great look and size, but terrible shape. Jeremiah, the southern kid, had his dental partial fall out. Demott thought it was his, funny. Michelle hit the ropes real soft which pissed off Austin. Ariane kept pulling her pants up which pissed off Trish. Rima did well, but she had a pad on her hip/ass which pissed off everybody…[C]

Shore's Slant: Nobody threw up? Oh where is the fun in that? So far, the women look terrible, but hey, it's WWE. I know a lot of the Divas are very tough, but they don't wrestle like they did when Trish was around. Want proof? Ever seen Kelly Kelly run the ropes?

The trainers all went into Austin's office and talked about the contestants. They really panned Michelle and Eric for their lack of skills, and Rima for cheating, though Booker T took up for her. They came back out and had Michelle, Ariane and Eric come forward. He said everyone should go back to the house, and those three needed to pack their stuff and bring their belts back to the training room.

Back in the house, Eric and a few of the guys were complaining about Michelle. Eric voiced over that this was the biggest thing in his life. Michelle said she would throw someone under the bus if necessary, and Ariane said she did not want to be the first to go home…[C]

Shore's Slant: Jonny Fairplay's wife would throw someone under the bus to win? I shocked! Seriously, she is my pick because she claimed 11 years and couldn’t do hardly anything. We'll see.

Austin said the contestants need to convince him they should stay or they were gone. He asked Ariane what this contest meant to her. She said she's given up her job and her house to be here. She said she had no experience, but she wanted to work hard. Austin said she had powder puff written all over her.

He asked Michelle about her dedication. She said she got distracted and off track by getting married and having a daughter. Austin said he was a father himself and he was never father of the year because he was on the road. She said she could do this and Austin said if she had 11 years she should be ahead of the curve.

He asked Eric what was wrong with him. Eric said, "Why don't you tell me." Austin said he would tell him. He had Eric come out and pretend like Eric was the host and ask Austin why he should stay. Eric did and Austin cut a typical promo about grabbing the business by the throat and not letting anybody take it away from him.

He sent Eric back to the line and asked him why he wanted to be here. Eric said he had to be here because he had a mom with five kids on her own and a disabled brother. Austin asked him if it was BS to make him feel sad and Eric assured him it wasn't.

Austin walked over to Ariane and asked what she thought of Michelle. Ariane said she was better than Michelle and Michelle went off saying that all Ariane wanted was an experience. Austin asked her what her passion was and she said her new passion was WWE.

Austin mocked the "new" part of her answer and asked her what her favorite match was. She said Melina vs. Alicia Fox. The look on Austin's face was priceless as he said, "Excuse me, who?" She repeated herself and he asked her if out of all the wrestling matches that was really her favorite. She said yes so he asked if she had another favorite. She said she couldn’t name one.

Shore's Slant: WAIT, I want to change my pick!

Austin said he had made his decision. He told Michelle and Eric to go back to the house and for Arinae to give him her belt, she was not tough enough. Ariane ran her mouth while getting out of the ring and left. Austin told Michelle she had too much experience to be a bottom feeder and that Eric had too much potential. Ariane had a final sendoff interview, like most reality shows, to end the show…

Shore's Slant: Well it certainly seemed like the right person went home. I don't have any clear favorites yet, but the women are the least impressive of the two groups. A lot to digest in one episode, but I am looking forward to the rest of the season.

Now I am not a big fan of reality television. In fact, I generally loathe it. And this had all the look and feel of a reality TV show. But believe it or not, that's a good thing. While it may not be what I as a hardcore fan want to see, this show is not intended for the hardcore fan. It's intended for the casual fan like my wife. And buddy she was glued to the set. So while it isn't my preferred cup of tea, I thought they did a great job of creating that reality feel. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next week.

Questions? Comments? Anyone, anyone? Let me hear from you. Email me at css3238@gmail.com or on Twitter @the_shore_slant with whatever is on your mind.

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