By Jake Barnett

WWE Tough Enough on USA
Taped in Simi Valley, California.

[Q1] A video recap from last week aired including Michelle quitting and the cheerleading challenge. It also showed the conclusion of the show with Rima being told she would get one on one help and the elimination of Mickael.

Christina welcomed Rima back into the house, while the rest of the housemates took shots at Ryan and said they were sure he was gone. Ryan then walked back in, and the housemates were both relieved that they no longer had to compete with Mike, and wondered what Ryan has that would have kept him alive. The Tough enough theme then played.

After the theme played, Rima was getting dressed to go for her one on one training with Bill. The training was to take place at midnight. Bill seemed concerned that Rima wasn't picking up the basics. She continued to struggle with the rolling exercise. She bumped around a little bit with Bill, doing basic falls and slams in an attempt to pick up the basics. She got hurt toward the end when she attempted a rollup on Bill. Rima cried after the training, and Bill instructed her to think about if this was something that she wanted to keep doing. A video then aired that hyped a tough training session and a wild night out...[C]

Barnett's Brief: Rima is a tough cookie, but she's just not picking up basics like you would hope she would. I wish her success, but she needs a lot of work and self determination to reach a level where she could get on WWE TV.

Stone Cold walked into the training room and welcomed the contestants into the ring for a training session. Steve gave a brief introduction and praised Bret Hart as one of his favorite opponents. A video aired of his laundry list of accomplishments, and the contestants clapped and welcomed him. Luke was especially taken with him, and called him a legend. Bret Hart said the most important thing he learned in the wrestling business was agility. He always took pride in not injuring anyone he worked with, and told the contestants to never give up on their dreams and to work hard no matter how many people you wrestle in front of.

Austin mentioned that Booker T wasn't there this week. He reiterated the importance of agility, and handed it over to Bill for the "In and Out" drill. The contestants were told to jump in and out of the ring multiple times. Martin was athletic but had poor technique. Eric strugged mightily, and Ivelisse and Rima tried very hard but were unable to complete the drill. Christina was by far the best femaile, and Luke and Jeremiah both showed great athleticism. A preview aired of the Drive-in challenge that is coming up next...[C]

Barnett's Brief: There was quite a separation there. A lot of people struggled, and only Luke and Jeremiah really showed that they were in great shape. I think they have to be the odds on favorites from the perspective of having the physical chops to get in the ring.

Bill stopped by the house and told everyone to meet down in the gym. He then instructed the contestants to get dressed and go meet Trish. The ended up at Frisco's Bar and Grill for today's "Life Lesson". The waitresses were on Roller Skates, and the contestants were informed they would be getting a crash course on agility, and they all got dressed as car hops. All the contestants served food, just about everybody took a spill, and Eric dropped about 11 plates of food.

[Q2]Trish gathered everyone and let them know they all did pretty well. She thanked Frisco's for the use of their restaurant, and then everyone was able to get free drinks and have a night out. All the contestants danced on stage and took some shots, and Rima even did a table dance. Jeremiah decided to do a strip tease for some of the customers, and Andy decided to sit in the corner and pout about his commitment to sobriety. A video aired of the skills challenge, which is coming up next...[C]

Barnett's Brief: Well, people who drool over Rima will definitely be happy with that segment. Her table dance stole the moment. Watching people fall all over the place on rollerskates isn't my brand of humor, but I'm sure some got a kick out of it.

[Q3] Everybody bumped around with Bill for a moment before Stone Cold walked in. Austin said this week has all been about agility, and then Bill introduced a chain of moves that all contestants will have to do. Steve said the goal is to keep the drill moving rapid fire until someone screws up, and then they will be eliminated. Rima was the first to be eliminated after she screwed up a number of moves and appeared to not want to give an effort. Eric was the next to be eliminated after he failed to do a leap frog.

AJ and Christina ad libbed the series and both got eliminated. Ivelisse and Ryan were eliminated next. Jeremiah was next when he screwed up a hip toss. Andy was eliminated next, not because he failed, but because Austin though Luke and Martin were better...[C]

[Q4] Luke and Martin cotinued the drill after the break. Bill commented that Luke was too selfish. It seemed like Trish and Bill favored Marcus, and then Austin said Luke was eliminated. Bill told Luke that he was eliminated because he did what he wanted to do rather than what he was told. Austin then excused himself and the trainers went into the office to talk about the bottom 3.

Steve mentioned that Ryan started out well, but crumbled. He also said he wasn't impressed with any of the girls. All three trainers agreed that Rima likely can't take it, but that she had a lot of heart. Bill and Trish were asked for their bottom three, but they didn't answer on camera...[C]

Steve walked back into the ring and called out Rima. He said normally at this time he would select two other people. He told her she was beautiful, smart, and she has a lot of heart, but that she's physically just not able to do it. He told her that if she really wants a future in this business, she'd likely accomplish it, but that she wouldn't win tough enough. He told her to say her goodbyes and leave her belt in the ring. Everybody complimented her on her commitment and her heart, including Trish who encouraged her to keep going.

Back in the ring, Steve asked her if TE was a good experience for her, and she said it was a great opportunity. He gave her a hug and told her to keep fighting, and that she has the heart to do whatever she pleased. Steve said he wished her well, and he hung up her belt to close the show.

Barnett's Brief: A very good show this week that had the right ending. Rima is tough girl who showed a lot of promise, but she didn't have the physical capabilities to compete at a high level on tough enough. The intrigue continues to build on this show, and I think they are doing a good job in comingling reality show concepts with Pro Wrestling.

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