Elsewhere: Matt said that when he got his knee checked out again when he got home, they found out he tore his MCL. And Jake says, after what happened at RAW, he practiced promos every day - wonder if they'll bring that up on the show. 

Hypothesis: As far as the WWF picking the winner, Tough Enough is NOT about learning to be a wrestler - it's about proving that you have the capability to be a wrestler. It only matters if you show you can learn how to do things - not how well you've learned to do them or how quick you pick things up (like Danny.) The winners will be retrained at the developmental territory from scratch; anything they learn is just enough to get through a couple heavily scripted and rehearsed matches on Smackdown. It doesn't help being really good at one specific area, just showing ability and potential at all the different areas. 

This is why, right now, Hawk is well ahead of Jake - Jake's got the better physique and maybe even the better in-ring stuff, but Hawk can work on that. Jake's not showing any potential in the character area, so he can't compete.

TV PG L open

Previously: Matt hurt his knee, and had to quit. Jessie could feel her hands or her feet, because of her heart. Alicia has a muscle spasm and a strained back muscle but this is Tough Enough.

As it turns out, Alicia and Jessie are wrestling in the ring right now. Alicia tells us she's dreading landing on her back. Al says, if you looked at Jessie, you'd think there'd be no way she could make it through this competition, but inside, she's made of iron. Jessie's not wearing the heart monitor anymore. She says mentally, she's into it, but physically, she can't take it.

Night. Driving. Club. Big says being a WWF superstar is not just how you are in the ring, but how you conduct yourself out of the ring. Pete and Kenny do shots. Kenny swears at the camera crew. We see lots of blurred faces and some bouncer type dude pulling Kenny, and Kenny explains that (people tell him) he's an angry drunk and someone started to fight with him. Kenny swears angrily. "We had a good time, and it's a release." We also see a cop having pulled a Tough Enough van over in a parking lot - looks like Jake got a ticket and ends up laughing about it. Pete figures they'll hear from Big, but hopes he won't be too angry. Kenny crawls up the stairs (I'm supposed to point out he's drunk again but I've seen people do that when they're not) and here's a montage of their night.  

Next day. Well I guess it's the next day, you don't really know, you know? Kenny, Pete and Jake are in the same van, Kenny half sleeping in the back. Big says that in any situation, there has to be some rules - give them a warning, and then that's it. And he had enough. In a very scripted sounding voice over (with relevant video clips), Big lets us know that Jake was driving recklessly and speeding, and didn't even seem to care that he was putting his passengers in danger. Alicia was wearing headphones while driving, even after she as warned not too. Kenny gets into fights and "disrespects the production crew." I guess that's why Kenny's not on the show ever - screw with the production crew and they'll screw with you in the editing room. Pete's been drinking way too much, and even drinks in the car. Whoa, Pete's got a problem. 

You know the funny (as in odd) thing? Outside of the ticket (and outside of someone ratting out people), there's no way Big even knows about any of that if he didn't get to see the relevant video tapes. When he says they're being judged all the time, I guess he really means it.

Big, in TRAX (and wearing electrical tape over whatever logo is on his shirt, the latest Paris fashion), asks them to tell him what happened Saturday Night. Kenny says they went out to a sports bar (Yankees' Doodles) and then when they left there, a couple of them went to another club. And while they were in the car, a couple of them had a couple drinks. Big reminds them that's a pretty big offense in the state. Al asks if anyone said anything to those who drinking? No one says anything. Bob says everyone has good potential "and you're screwing it up." Al tells us that the kids need to be punished, to establish and maintain some sort of control.

In the ring, it's how stiff can can you work day. Trainers only. They make it look like it's only the four suspects up there that got it, but I'm sure everyone felt a little for not saying anything. After one last shoulderblock, Hardcore cinches on a wristlock (with additional forearm to the face) on Kenny, while Kenny's flat on his back. "You think you're a star?" "No sir." "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!" Hardcore shoves Kenny out by the neck. Kenny says he's kinda disappionted in himself. 

Later that night, Al welcomes the Four back to Trax - for now, they'll be living on the warm-up mats. Pete says they agree they deserve the punishment. Al tells them not to use the equipment and not even to think about going in the ring. Alicia was worried what this would do to her chances of winning. Everyone makes a bed on the mats.

Back at the House, Linda, Jackie and Anni talk about how what happened to them. They notice that everything - mattress and all - has been taken off Alicia's bed for the time being. They're all about awed about the power. On the phone, Jessie says she's been feeling really winded. When they're slow, she's fine, but she doesn't have the second gear. Big was getting on her to eat more today, and asking if she had an any anorexic problems (I hope he found a better way to ask then that) and Jessie was all no. All this boils down too that Jessie would quit if she wouldn't feel she'd be missing a huge opportunity. And then there's relationship problems and Jessie's all "don't even think about breaking up with me now because I'm not gonna be able to deal with it anyway." That's a nice way to end a conversation.

Morning. At TRAX. They show the vans pulling up even though they obviously aren't there yet. Bob's there, and he yells at the kids to wake up - Kenny's slow and apparently not a morning person. They get up and ready for work.

Ring stuff. Jessie has absolutely no energy and is totally out of it. She talks abut it a little bit but you can just stick a fork in her, she's done. Alicia and Hawk (Hawk's still on this show? Couldn't tell this week) and doing mat wrestling. Linda says Alicia didn't eat that day, her back was acting up on her, and with everything else she was going through... Back to mat wrestling. Alicia very obviously is taking a bump on her side (which makes it look bad) to protect her back and everyone calls her on it. "That was terrible." Outside the ring, Alicia and Linda discuss them being a cut today - Linda's kind enough to come up with reasons they might not be cutting (Alicia) this week, but her body language totally says "pack your bags, you're going home." We see Big and Al talking - actually whispering. Big: "Normally when we make cuts, we talk about it a day ahead of time, to talk about out who we're going to be cutting. But at all times, if any trainers think someone's not keeping up to speed, and working hard enough, they can cut anyone on the spot during Tough Enough." I guess that policy makes sense, but they could've mentioned it sometime before now. As you might guess, we see quick shots of Alicia and Jessie before we head to break.

TRAX. Alicia to Al (and between lines, this conversation is obviously condensed): "As soon as I get in the ring, and start doing the attacks you want, my back is just throbbing the whole time." "I can't keep you here, when your back is like that. [Alicia's eyes bug out of her head here] 'cause I just cannot...I can't take that chance. Puts me in a bind, because I can't ask the same things of you that I can ask of them, because I've got to keep in mind your back." "I've done everything that the doctors have told me to do." "I think for you're own sake, I'm gonna let you go." Alicia started crying before but she's really started crying there. We get a black and white montage of Alicia highlights, while in the locker room, Alicia tells us that everything happens for a reason "and maybe this isn't for me, you know." Not "this isn't the time for me", you might note. Al tells everyone else - why is Jackie bending over like that while he's talking? Alicia says she's going to miss everybody - we see her hugging everyone. "I'm excited to go home to my normal life, and I know when I go home I'll, you know appreciate, you know, like, living a normal life more than I did before." Jackie says that Alicia had a lot of growing up to do, and she did some here and maybe realized this wasn't for her.

Jessie: "Now, I'm afraid, with Alicia leaving today, I don't know how to say 'Just suck it up and stay.'" While Alicia and Jessie make up and hug goodbye, let's make an easy guess and say, because of their fight, Jessie was only sticking around so she could beat Alicia and now that's she's gone, so is the motivation. (She's knows - or at least she thinks she knows - she can't win, so that doesn't count.) Alicia wishes Jessie good luck.

Beach. Jessie thinks they are trying to be a little harder with her, because they think she needs to get stronger. She says she's nervous about things. It's a cold day on the beach. Al says he thinks the morale of the group went way down - it is their second person in a short time who lost because they got hurt. Raphael talks but says nothing we don't already know. Raphael has a yelling partner today, Renee, but it doesn't really matter. Nothing we haven't seen times before - it's a tough to tell if these things are harder or easier each time, because it's just a montage of differently lit clips. Jessie says that near the end of the day, she couldn't even breath any more.

Night. Jessie is crying on the phone to Big - she wants to quit. That took very few hours. Apparently, Jessie called Big and left a message and then went as far away from the phone as possible for a while. "You're a dingdong. And now you're crying." Big is not a sensitive sort. She's ready to go home, tonight. Big wants to wait till tomorrow at Trax. So let's go to tomorrow, where everyone takes pains to notice that Jessie is not dressed to work out. Don't cry into your cereal! That's yucky. Hawk gets in his one line of the week. Jackie notices too and tries to convince Jessie otherwise - Anni, Jessie best friend a the first week, just goes about her morning business in the background, seemingly without caring. Maybe they talked last night, though. "I throw up in the bathrooms." Huh? Jackie thinks she's homesick. Jessie: "I'm ashamed to be going home. But I'm afraid to stay here. So what do you pick? Being ashamed or being afraid?" That's a pretty good line. Break.

Big and Jessie (crying duh) talk. "It's just too hard for me. Everyone says I have such a big heart, well my heart isn't carrying me through the day." I get it, she went over these lines last night with Anni. "The slower path would probably the best path for me, because this is too much to me." Big says he's not going to talk her into staying - because it's not fair to her or the show - and Jessie says again she wants a slower route through this. 

Big announces to everyone. Hugs and tears for everyone. "I'm definitely going to miss Petey and Kenny the most, just because they're the funniest people ever." "I didn't see Jessie leaving so soon at all. She really made time around her fun, and I'm really sad to see her go." Jessie says she's going to find a wrestling school and do more - she can only grow from this. Jessie walks out the door. Why didn't we get an Alicia walks out of the door scene? Eh.

Ring work. You know, it occurs to me around here that we are now left with seven people - Jake, Hawk, and five people we barely know. Jackie clips - what her stumble into a shoulderblock. Linda. Anni. 

Hey, it's Chris Jericho. Limo. Montage. Everyone's awed. Fozzy shirt. He's got a bandage on his head - must've been busted open recently. Pete says Jericho's one of his favorite wrestlers of all time. Jericho notes that's 6 people are gone - "Bob's beating you all up, huh?" Jericho says when he trained in Calgary (with WHO), they started with 18 and ended up with him and Lance Storm. You can't give up, and you've got to be strong mentally. You have to keep your mind open and be acceptable to change. "Like I said, they [things?] blow up in your face, but what are you going to do? Complain about it, cry about it, or just...or just keep going on, right?" Kenny talks about Jericho being a champion, even though he's not seven foot or six ten. Sometime later, Kenny asks Jericho why he changed from the way he used to do the Lion Tamer to the do the way he does the Walls of Jericho. Jericho offers to put Kenny in it the old way and show him. Sure why not. Double leg takedown, turn it around, one knee on the mat (or, for Kenny, pressed into the head) and one knee bent - we see it on Kenny, and then we see it on JUVIE, SuperBrawl, the mask against title match! We don't get to see Juvie surrender, sadly, though Tony, Tenay and the Brain live on - actually, I think he's just giving up as we leave the shot. Kenny talks about being a Jericho fan from way back. We don't get to find out the difference (which, I presume is no knee on the mat/head) but I think Jericho changed it because he's working with bigger guys. 

Ring work. No don't land feet first Kenny. Kenny and Pete don't do the lockup right, but I think we're supposed to be paying more attention to them now. Linda asks about how it's like for him going through wrestling when you're not big (like say Kenny and Pete), and Jericho says that when he first started out, it was all about size and it didn't really matter if you could wrestle. "Now, it doesn't even matter - size means nothing." Hahaha. Pete: "Obviously the little guy has a disadvantage, but look at guys like Tazz and guys like Chris Benoit who are not above 5' 8". I'm 5' 9", I have one inch on them." Everyone says goodbye to Jericho.

Big says everyone's free for the night - just be responsible. "Just learn how to be an adult about it." I'm just quoting that because it's a line in every commercial. Kenny says he's not a troublemaker - he screwed up once, learned his lesson, and he's not gonna do it again. Pete promises to have a good time and try to get girls.

Club. It's Pete, Jackie, Kenny and Hawk, though when Kenny tries to list the people who are there, he gets cut off before Hawk's name because I don't think Hawk's really on this show anymore. He just kinda hangs around the camera or something. Jackie does a butt dance. Kenny thinks there's obvious physical attraction with Jackie because she's hot. Pete and Jackie do the "I'm doing you, but we have clothes on and there's music playing" dance. Pete says they're just flirting. Jackie says she has a boyfriend so it wouldn't go past flirting. Kenny dances with a girl. "One girls great. What's better than two? Three maybe." Jackie says if she was single, something definitely might (huh) happen. Either it was one of those weird coincidences or life, or this is how the MTV people like to have fun, because now Pete and Jackie are all over each other Like They Do On the Discovery Channel. Pete quotes one of the stupidest concepts going, the Area Code rule - if you're not in the same area code as your significant other, you're free to do whatever you want. Even if that wasn't stupid in itself, THEY ARE ON TV RIGHT NOW. I understand how you'd get used to the cameras but I think you'd always remember they're there and what they mean. Apparently Jackie, who's giving some oral action to Pete's zipper, works differently. Linda (who I guess was there) says she doesn't know if it was hormones or love, but they were having some fun and stole the night. As Kenny looks (gawks) on, Jackie bends backwards so her head can go into Pete's groin. Thanks for that. What am I recapping again?

Van, on the way home. Pete: "I think Jackie is very sexual attractive. I can give her what she needs." See, this is where I wish TWoP was still doing their Tough Enough recaps, because then I could steal their dislikeful nickname of him, and he surely would have earned one by that line. I have no creative nicknames of my own, but Pete? Kinda want him to go far away. Jake (who was also apparently there, but is not a star in the new WWF show "Two Guys, a Girl and Al Snow" that's replaced Tough Enough here) says Kenny might have been jealous, because Pete had someone and Kenny has no one. Kenny asks who's up for the hot tub and people say yes, so this is actually Blind Date, sorry.

Kenny: "You're all killing me. You're all killing me." They're not actually killing him, no, he was just awed at their moves. Pete (all calm): "I know for a fact that something's gonna happen between me and Jackie, because there's too much sexual tension for something not too." Jackie's wearing the same bikini we saw before. Pete, not so calm: "These were her exact words: 'I want to (bleep) you.' Her exact words! " Well, good for Pete - though I'd like to hear Jackie's side on that. Jackie says she's a flirt - her towel "accidentally" comes off in the boys room, she does have something underneath, though. Jackie slides down the stairs for fun - you know, that is fun. A quote of Jackie seems to be used totally out of context so I'll ignore it. Pete: "I'm trying to give her that little taste of difference and hope she likes it. All I can say is stay tuned, because I don't know what's gonna happen." Jackie joins Kenny and Pete in the hot tub. Break.

Next: Jackie and Pete fool around in the hot tub. Anni says - from what she heard (and I sure hope she means gossip) - "they were pretty frisky." Jackie starts talking about her parents and family, which means she probably did something or is at least thinking about it. Jackie's Mom: "My god Jackie, that's what you want to do? Throw away your whole life?" Pete and Jackie (on everyone wear black day) don't know what's going to happen. 

Tough Enough episodes air Thursdays on MTV at 9pm CST, give or take three minutes and rerun a few times during the week (including right before Sunday Night Heat). Tough Enough's website is wwftoughenough.com. I guess the Fozzy concert sucked.