Tough Enough Report for August 16, 2001 A good show, as always, but a disappointing one for me personally. The show opens, of course, with a re-cap of last weeks'show. First off, at the Trax, we see the contestants doing a series of bounces off the ring ropes, and then the shocking results. The bruises/welts under their arms are pretty brutal--raw and bloody-looking, but admired and praised by the trainers. I guess that is what they meant by them getting their bodies conditioned to the bumps, and building up a 'callous' of sorts. Then we see Greg at the hospital being tested by the doctor, and hear him say that he feels a bit better. The doctor comes in and says that his back looks pretty good~~on x-ray..and that what he appears to have is a sprain. Just to be safe, he orders a MRI, to be done later that afternoon. We hear a few thoughts from the others, and Greg's thoughts, as well--he seems so good-natured and optimistic at this point..and so does the doctor. Then, back to The Trax for more bumps and instruction--these kids seem to be coming right along, and it is exciting to watch. At the wWF fitness Center, we see them all working out, and hear Al's thoughts..That the kids are getting pretty beat up and how they need something to 'take their minds off all the abuse and the pain', so he decides to teach them 'The Circle Game'~~played by most everyone in the WWF, apparently; from Shane and Steph to the crew members. The object of the game is to put your thumb and forefinger in a sort of circle--like an 'okay' sign--and make someone look at it--below your waist. It is supposed to be a way to occupy one's mind, and a good killer of boredom. They all have fun trying to 'get' each other. Well, Maven insists that AL could never 'get him'~~oh, Maven, Come On...So Al decides to take him up on it, as a wager. The catch being that the loser has to sit upon the back of this white horse statue in the center of town--wearing women's lingerie...Bustier, wig..the whole nine yards..for all to see. That's at a busy intersection during rush hour, folks. Good Lawd. Harvard Chris is on the sidelines, egging them on and laughing, and Al busts him about it. Chris tries to say that Al is just trying to pit them against each other, to make them fight, but Al aint having it--and makes him join in the bet (Good for you, AL!). We then see Harvard saying that it is 'no big deal'and that you have 'nothing to lose but maybe a little pride'. (At this point, I have to admit that I am hoping so much that he loses...) Then, we go back to the house and see Greg and Josh fooling around, and hear that Greg sort of thinks of him as the little brother he never had, and that he was really glad that Josh's name was picked from the hat for a visitor (although he wishes he had a chance to see his girlfriend also). Almost as if to rub it in--we then see Chris talking on the phone to his girlfriend..and hear her all squeaking with joy at her impending visit. The next day, we hear and see Josh anticipating the arrival of Jamie, his girlfriend, a cute, seemingly down-to-earth chick.They see each other and hug, all happy and stuff, and look really cute together. (I cannot wait to see Harvard's girlfriend) We are not kept waiting long, for out of a shiny new car emerges Christine, Harvard's girl--and she seems as preppy and perky as he is..a good match, at first glance. It is interesting to see how they interact with each other--Josh keeps telling Jamie that he cannot believe that she is really there, holding her hand..while Harvard calls Christine a 'nerd' to which she squeakily agrees, smile firmly in place.. We then see Greg talking to his girlfriend, updating her on his condition and missing her. Greg says that he is gonna 'grind it out' as best as he can. Next, we see the contestants all out on the town, dancing, etc..and hear Harvard saying how hard it is to 'bring back out' his boyfriend side, and how it feels like she is 'visiting him at work'...He looks so stiff dancing with her, it is almost unreal. Let's just say that he is really focused on winning.. Then, we see Josh and Jamie in the parking lot having what must be the classic argument in this business~~him on the road, and her at home, raising the kids; and how she is not too sure about that--that she 'doesn't care if he is Tough Enough or whatever'-that it aint the size of the rock on her finger, or the size of the house..'it just aint gonna happen'--and you all can take it from there.. The following morning, we see them all in various states of getting up--and Harvard making breakfast, presumably for Christine. At the Trax, we hear finally what will take place if Harvard loses the 'Circle Game' bet, heh, heh..He must go to Yale (*gasp!*), and, in his Harvard shorts, carry a sign stating that 'Harvard sucks', that 'Yale is Number One'---and walk up to every student that he sees and shake their hand, congratulating them for making the 'right choice' and going to Yale...You can see that Al is loving this..and I am, too. They cannot play the game at the Trax, but can only play at the Workout Center--and the first one to get 'caught' three times is the loser..The boys sort of band together against Al, but come on--they should know better to mess with the Master...At least Maven admits that it is obvious that neither one of them is going to 'get' Al, as he has been around the game too long..and hear Harvard admit that he is no good at it at all, and that Al is 'quite clever'..Al says that he has gotten Harvard twice, 'and quite easily, I might add', hahaa..Then the Final Splat--Al had a picture taken of himself with both hands in the 'circle'below his waist--an instant 'Gotcha', as is written at the bottom of the paper--pretty slick, Al..He 'gets' Maven with it--and Maven 'turns on' Harvard, who loses, hahaha..Al is loving it--Some days, it is good to be Al... We then see the others oh, so happily making Harvard's signs to carry on his mission--while Harvard sits there and corrects their grammer, etc--he just cannot stand not to be in control, it seems.. Meanwhile, we see Greg sitting in the hot tub, struggling with what is happening to him, and what he might lose. I kind of got a sinking feeling when they busted out with the montage of Greg with the various Superstars, the dramatic music didn't help, either..and we hear all that he has to say..that he feels like this was 'why he was put on this planet'..We then hear him on the phone with the doctor. The doctor tells him that he needs to see the old MRI results, as there IS a herniated disc where there was one before--and there may be an additional one. Oh, man. The look on Greg's face..he maintains that he will just keep giving it what he's got, until they get rid of him.. Then it is on to the 'Humilation at Yale', as Al says--'a moment they will share for the rest of their lives'---he puts a big red 'H' on Harvard's back and chest in tape, and revels in parading him up and down the street, making sure that he says what he has to say..over and over and over..Our cult hero is loving life..I had to laugh with the others when Al said that'He should have gone to Yale, then he would have been smart enough not to make the bet'..We then see Psycho Chris state that he is 'not making any bets with Al'--smart man.. We then see Josh and Jamie saying a tearful goodbye, and Harvard and Christine do the same--he doesn't even walk her to her car--and hear their much different takes on the situations..Josh says how it is scary how much he loves Jamie, and that if he wins they will have to sit down and have a talk..Harvard stresses how 'weird'it was having her there, and that work and relationships must be kept separate.. Back at the Trax again, for more ring action, and interspersed with that--the two guys' thoughts--Josh saying that if Jamie doesn't want to sit at home and wait, then he doesn't know...Harvard, on the other hand, says that he wants it, has found that he has a passion for it..and if he has to 'make that sacrifice'(meaning Christine, of course), then so be it..man.. Then, back to the doctor's with Greg--and the diagnosis is not good--his original MRI showed two herniated discs---now, it appears, he has three...Good ol Dr. McGinniss says that 'it is in Greg's best interest..to stop.' Like a lead ballon the words fall..and Greg's face shows it. He is in shock, and says that 'he can't win for losing..' Poor kid. Then, the long drive back to the Trax, where he delivers the news to his fellows that he not only should quit, but he should have surgery. Everyone is stunned, including Al, who says that he really had an 'investment' with these kids, and that 'it broke his heart'..and his eyes show it. There is a very teary goodbye to all--trainers and compadres alike--and especially with Josh, who had become like family to Greg. Even 'Big' looks close to tears. I cannot believe that Greg was still smiling and trying to be mature about it--it really showed his strong character--I myself was crushed by his departure. We then hear Greg's parting words--that he had managed to gain the respect of the Trainers--and that that, in itself, was an accomplishment. I am inclined to agree, and wish him well. The show closes then with some wisdom from our cult hero--that Greg had put his heart into it--and that something would come back to him as a result..that anytime one puts their whole heart into something, something is bound to come back to you.. They then show Greg's chair against the wall, and hear AL say that Greg had nothing to be ashamed of. And so it goes...