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Tough Enough 2; 04/11/02 Hello, and welcome to this week's SCANDALOUS episode of Tough Enough 2! As usual, they start with a recap of last week's episode, focusing on Matt's departure and the whining of Jess and Alicia.. We open at Trax, with the two aforementioned girls mixing it up in the ring..and Alicia re-iterates how badly her back hurts and how much she dreads getting in the ring. They show Jess, and Al says that you look at her, and just think there is no way she could possibly withstand this competition, but that inside she is, like made of iron..as she leaves the ring to Al's compliments, she says that she does not know what is going to happen. Quick edit to a nightclub..and 'Big' saying that part of being a WWF Superstar is how you conduct yourself outside the ring..okay, let the brouhaha begin! Apparently, they got trashed and Kenny and some guy got into a fight..no..wait..The story unfolds..We see Pete and Kenny doing shots, and Kenny telling the cameras to get away..No, wait..We hear Kenny saying that he has been told that he is an 'angry drunk'..No, there's more...next we see the flash of a police car's lights and Jake signing something, then singing, 'Breaking the law' by Judas Priest...Pete is worried that 'Big' will hear about it..and oh, great--there is Kenny crawling up the steps...This is a real mess. Cut to 'Big' says that there needs to be some rules, and that there will be a warning, and that he has had enough..and the story boils down to this: Jake was driving recklessly and was stopped for speeding, and didn't much care about the safety of the passengers..Alicia was wearing her headphones while driving, even after she was told to stop..Kenny indeed got into a fight at the club, and 'disrespected' the production crew (in footage that seemed gleaned straight from, 'Cops')..and Pete has been drinking 'way too much', and was even drinking in the car...Oh, my...looks more like a segment of 'Jerry Springer--When Contestants run WILD!' than, 'Tough Enough 2', eh? At Trax the next day, 'Big' wants an explanation, gets one, and they are lectured but good by the trainers..Al says that the kids need to be punished, to establish and maintain some kind of control..the punishment doled out is to get their butts kicked in the ring by Bob (crushing Kenny into the mat, yelling, 'You think you're a star? This ring? This is how I make my living, I'm not going to let punks like you come in here, and screw it up for ME!') and then to have to stay and sleep on the floor at Trax...no working out, no ring work, just mats and bags on the floor. Jake, Kenny, Alicia, and Pete look thrilled at the prospect..and maybe realize what they may be throwing away. We hear their thoughts to that effect. As Al says, hopefully this will give them a new appreciation for what they have been supplied...for real! I mean, come on, guys.. Back at the house, the others hear of their punishment, and we hear Jess on the phone to her boyfriend---saying how she is winded and has no energy, and how much she loves him, and that that is the only thing she is sure of at that moment. The next morning at Trax, we see Bob come in with a look of malicious glee on his face as he eyes the sleeping contestants on the floor..and wakes them up..Jake is naturally up first; and Kenny is the last to drag out of his sleeping bag..Guess he knew what was coming..they get clobbered. Next we see Jess being really unsure as she gets up from her bumps, and it is obvious from what she says and is doing that the doubts are creeping in, and she says as much. Al looks almost as if he is being careful with her..and then says that 'Jess struggled, she fought--and then she started questioning herself. As the physical demands progress, she aint gonna be able to keep up.' Well. Cards on the table.. Cut to Alicia, saying how much her back is hurting her--and she looks genuinely in pain, as the trainers urge her on. They wrap up what they were doing, saying 'That was terrible.' Next we see the girls in a spare moment, wondering of there is going to be a cut this week.. We then see Al talking emphatically to 'Big' on the sidelines, overlaid with 'Big' saying that normally they have a meeting to decide who is to be cut..BUT---at any given time, the trainers can decide to cut anyone ON THE SPOT---if they feel it is necessary...Uh, Oh...I didn't know that...The camera lingers on both Alicia and Jess before going to commercial. After the break, we see Alica talking to Al--telling him how her back is just 'throbbing'...Al tells her, 'I can't keep you here, if your back is like that..'cause I just cannot--I can't take that chance..It puts me in a bind because I can't ask the same things of you that I ask of them, because I've got to keep in mind of your back.' She says that she is doing everything that the doctor told her to do. Al replies, 'I think for your own sake, we're gonna have to let you go..' KA-BLAMM!!! For the first time since this started, I feel sorry for her--that must have felt like being hit with a lead pipe wrapped in velvet...Al takes full responsibility for the cut and is as nice as he can be--saying, 'I don't have a choice, either.'..They show a little farewell montage..and she is in tears as she says her goodbyes. The next day morale is low as they go to Op Fitness, and meet a new trainer---Renee', Rafael's evil counterpart...and they are drilled mercilessly on technique. They struggle through it...although Jess says that by the end of the day, she cannot even breathe and doubts that she can do this. Fast forward to next morning, and Jess is shown on the phone with 'Big', telling him she wants to go home..he tells her to hold off until she comes in to Trax. She does not even dry her hair, and cries all through breakfast, and the others pretty much know what is coming, it seems. Hawk comes to this conclusion due to the fact that she is in jeans, hahah.. She tells the others that she is getting sick in the bathroom, and they seem to think that she is mostly homesick, and missing her boyfriend. It is a big drama-fest as she debates between feeling 'ashamed'--for quitting, or 'afraid'--to stay..At Trax, she tells 'Big' that she cannot do it, and that the 'slower path' would probably be the better path for her..he looks solemn, and does not try to talk her out of it. 'Big' announces this news, and she says her tearful goodbyes--as she leaves, says that she will try to find a wrestling school and pursue that 'slower path'...Buh--BYE. They get back to work, and the focus has switched to the remaining women, who take some mean bumps, and are working like dogs. As their reward (hahah)...In walks Chris Jericho! His visit is cut short, perhaps, due to the drama of this episode; but still he makes a good showing---the montage they air of him is one of the best they have shown so far, and he seems to be revered (as it should be, haha) by the contestants as he speaks of his training in Calgary with Lance Storm---and puts Kenny in an 'old-school' Liontamer! They are all inspired because of his size, and the fact that 'size doesn't matter'--it is determination and positivity. As the trainers watch them demo some ringwork, Al nabs the line of the episode; saying to Hawk, 'Gotta pull yourself out of the rabbit hole..'--hahaha...They thank Chris, and he tells them not to quit, and is on his way.. They are free for the rest of the night, and the watchwords are 'Be responsible'...They go to the club again..and trouble comes in a different form. Jackie and Pete, it would seem, have struck up quite a friendship that we have not been privy to until this moment..they get pretty d*mn down and dirty on the dance floor...I mean, really, now..and it is on to the next scandal--as they are all over each other...and Pete (Mr. I-Usta-Be-A-Fat-Kid-and-have-no-self-esteem) is having the time of his life, saying that he can give her what she needs; and so is Jackie--even though she has a boyfriend--'In another area code'----Gee, I sincerely hope he saw this...I almost had to change the channel, it got so ridiculous... On the way home, they continue this little show (Kenny is jealous, and Linda is just laughing at them), and then, once at home--decide that they are up for a little hot tub action...and that is where they cut us off..and according to Pete, 'All I can say is, 'Stay tuned''....uh, huh... That's it, folks...Fade to black.