Tough Enough RE-Cap show #5

Tough Enough Report for July 19, 2001


This week's episode is fraught with both tension--as it is the week of the first official cut--and laughter, as we will see with 'The Bread Incident'. It opens with a re-cap of last week's show.

Then on to The Trax, and a montage of wicked bumps peppered throughout with Al's comments to each contestant, which are both funny and on the mark--IE: "Whoa! Ridalin boy, whoa!'

They are not so funny when directed at Darryl, though, who just doesn't seem to 'get it'--they show him going on and on about how confident he is, both in the gym and in the ring, and confident about being the 'overall winner'--when it is apparent to everyone (even to us uneducated marks at home) that he simply is not trying. He just seems to flop around like a huge sack of potatoes in his bumps--and dangerously so.

Paulina is losing what little confidence she had, she is really hurting, and feels that she is not able to give 100% in the shape she is in.

We find out then that they are scheduled to cook dinner for Pat Patterson, and are given a little history on him, for those who don't know who he is and his current role in the WWF. Naturally, they want to impress him with a good meal--and we see them all on a mega-shop in the grocery store. They go all out, and end up spending a little more than they had budgeted. Harvard Chris puts up the difference--and no one has a problem with that--except Darryl, who argues with him about it, refusing to pay the extra (I think it is like, eight bucks)..and Chris ends up giving him all his money back in disgust. (Come ON, Darryl..)

We see them cooking their little hearts out--pasta and salad and cocktail weinies, I think--and they seem to have a good time with Pat, talking after dinner--and we hear Paulina's opinion that Taylor is a 'Big Suck-up'--I had to laugh, but couldn't really blame Taylor for wanting to stand out. Pat tells his story about how he got into wrestling, and we hear the contestants' reactions. Pat toasts them all, and wishes them luck.

Off to the Trax again, for more flip practice--and we hear that AL has a comment for each one--mostly honest encouragement, even asking an unconfident Shadrick to

'do it again' as Al is 'amazed by him'..-click for wav

so, of course, he screws up then---

and Al comes over to him and pulls his ears-click for wav

..to me, they all seem to have come a long way..all except for our favorite...Mr.Darryl. Al just covers his face in his hands, you can see that his patience is being tried..

He discreetly calls Darryl out of the ring to talk to him, and once again, Darryl is mumbling under his breath.. 'No, no, no, no..', AL cuts him off

'That was horrible.' He tells him that he is going to end up hurting himself, that he is going to end up hurting somebody else..and that he cannot allow him to continue to do it like that. He tells Darryl that he is going to keep him out of the ring, and make him watch until he feels comfortable letting him back in--click or wav

and asks Darryl if he wants that. Darryl just looks at him, all innocent eyes, and says no..Al is being very patient with this kid, but starts to lose his temper a little when he realizes that he is just not getting through to him.

Naturally, we next see Darryl saying that 'he feels like he could win'---Al lays it on the line here to him, gives him a chance to get it right--but it just does not sink in..

Then it's more training, more bumps, more worrying by the contestants. Can't say that I blame them--the pressure must be tremendous. And the pressure is on more than a few to not go home a failure. In the Hummer, we hear Darryl complain about his neck--and how he needs 'a boost' to get the flip right..no comment.

We then see them laying in the hall of the house, and hear Darryl complaining yet again--how everyone is talking about him, and that they must be jealous of his size...okey-dokey. For what it is worth, Shadrick is being really nice about it.

We then see 'Big' telling them how disappointed he is that the house is getting a little sloppy--they all look guilty--and then he asks the guys to go out. They go out to play darts..The catch is that, whoever loses, has to give ten push-ups to the others in the game--ten to each--at any time, any place--while saying that he is 'whomever's B*tch'--!!! Darryl is bragging how good he is, and naturally--loses...He is not happy, but the others are estatic...Apparently, if he refuses to do the push-ups, he is 'automatically out of the house'..

Meanwhile, we see Taylor at the house, writing in her journal--saying how unhappy she was before she came here--and how much she wants this--we see her talking to her parents (presumably) on the phone, who are not happy with her venture..She makes it clear that she does not want to go home to 'that rut' again..

Meanwhile again..We are treated to the highbeam-lit sight of Darryl running up the darkened driveway--and what a sight it is!--to the promise of push-ups 'knocked off'..The guys are laughing like mad, and so was I..

Next morning at the Trax

Big' explains to the others about the push-ups---and gallantly bequeaths his set to Al--who has more than earned them...and intends to dole them out one at a time..-click for wav

He then turns serious--speaking of the chairs against the wall as

'Tombstones of that person's hopes and dreams'...and tells them that today, they need to show them what they need to show them--so that their chair does not end up a tombstone in the cemetary--click for wav

'It's time to get serious.'

We then see them going at it again--working out--Shadrick, until he actually vomits, telling us how much stress he is under..

Then more and more flips and bumps--with Darryl going on about how his 'presence gives him such an advantage..and more worrying by Paulina, who rates herself last among the girls.

And there are, of course, a few instances of Darryl

'being someone's B*tch'--click for wav

which is hilarious...

We then see the trainers and 'Big' making the decision--showing each contestant's picture and airing their comments on each one. They are trying to be fair about it--and you can see it is a tough decision for them. This brings us to...

.."The Bread Incident"...In the van, the guys come up with a plan to further humiliate Darryl, for the price of a few push-ups..They make him go through a grocery line--shirtless, no less--and give a sort of victory dance, shouting, 'Breakdown, Huh! Breakdown, huh! Breakdown!'--and then spike the loaf of bread to the floor..all in front of the confused clerk and customers in the grocery store..

While they are scheming, we see the girls all trying to encourage Shadrick in the hot tub--poor, poor suffering lamb Shadrick...

Darryl performs his stunt--we see the guys literally rolling on the floor laughing, and is pronounced 'debt free'...Afterwards, we see Darryl pulling on his shirt in the parking lot saying, 'That was easy.'...Oh, Darryl..

The next morning, we see them all getting ready to go to the Trax, knowing what awaits them..Once there, the trainers shake their hands, and Al tells them

that the decision was not an easy one, nor an enjoyable one, and that they are to go look into their lockers--where the one being cut will see a 'Red Tag'--the signal that he/she is the one being cut...-click for wav

Nervously, they go in and look..and the one finding the red tag (we see his face through a camera in the locker itself) is....Darryl.

The look on his face would break your heart. Not that he didn't deserve it--they were more than fair--but it is just so forlorn as he pulls it out...that I start feeling sorry for him. He hugs every one goodbye--and for once, during this whole ordeal, doesn't complain! He says that he will be going back to 'a blank canvas' and will try to get a job or go to summer school...

good luck, dude..you may need it.-click for wav

The mood is sombre as Al adds his chair to the cemetary. The show closes on Darryl's lost puppy-dog face..and the van pulling away..Another one bites the dust.

Personal note from your Webmaster:We should all give Co-Webmaster Indigo a big hand for her great re-cap reports from the shows

Second we all need to give a big hand to those at MTV who seen it in their hearts to fix it so that the Closed Captions for the show still are on the screen when their adds are posted at the top of the screen.....I'm sure deaf folks around the world are giving the "Yea" sign

My thoughts from the show are that I was a little surprised that Darryl was the first cut,only because I was thinking they would keep him alive so that people would keep watching.....I for one didn't think the Bread thing was that funny.....and I'm sure everyone was sure that Darryl would be cut more sooner then later