Well, this ain't American Idol!
From what I understand (I never do watch the show), Idol often features a "wildcard" that somehow makes it too far in the competition despite fans seemingly supporting a different direction. Then again, that reality is based on the perception of a few fans that happen to be my friends and also happen to take the results of the show a bit too seriously.
My feeling on reality shows is that many of the contestants get chances in life they never would otherwise due to their time spent on television, so I never feel sorry for any of them when they get eliminated. Heck, looking at Tough Enough's original incarnation, the most successful contestant from that era was a runner up in Mike Mizanin, now of course known as The Miz. Clearly, winning these competitions is secondary to the impression you make on the fans and more importantly, the people who can hire you.
Still, what I like most about this new version of Tough Enough is that fan perception was not taken into account. The results are purely based on the opinions of the trainers and of Stone Cold Steve Austin, all accomplished professional wrestlers that know what it takes to be a success in the business. Thus, the results are pure and as we came into tonight's episode, the final 3 was pretty much exactly who it should have been.
With the notable exception of Martin, who succombed to an injury a couple of weeks back, the competitors still left were the best of the best in terms of natural ability and work ethic. Each guy deserved to be there and it made for an excellent show tonight. That said, it was pretty obvious to me from the beginning who would be eliminated.
While both Andy and Luke were guys you could easily picture in a WWE ring, Jeremiah was not. He's busted his ass to show that he belongs until this point, but his short stature, odd look, and lack of business savvy seemed bound to catch up with him. This was that time.
For me, it was over when Jeremiah showed up for the photo shoot without his teeth. No, that's not a typo. This dude is pure redneck and lost his teeth in a fight I believe, leaving him blank in the front. He uses fake teeth most of the time, but clad in a black suit, he decided to defang if you will. Guest star The Miz got a big kick out of it, but I knew it was the beginning of the end for the kid. Part of wrestling is "the look" and unless Jeremiah goes to TNA and pitches an idea to be Abyss' long lost brother, the toothless thing doesn't really work.
For me, that was part of the downfall, but the main reason that Jeremiah became the odd man out was that his lack of experience finally caught up with him. In the skills competition, Jeremiah slammed the dummy in the wrong position and had to alter himself in midair to execute an elbow drop. That miscue combined with some minor ones when working with Luke mad the trainers and viewers realize that this kid simply isn't ready for the big-time.
It's very possible that we'll see Jeremiah in the future. He is very focused and has learned a lot in a short amount of time, but I think I share WWE's sentiment in that they would like to see the winner of the competition not fade into obscurity. That means a quick television debut most likely, so the winner should be able to work at least a simple television match as the case may be. I think the consensus was that Luke or Andy could handle that task while Jeremiah simply isn't ready for that.
There was no talk between the trainers and Austin as to who they would eliminate this week. I suppose the decision was all Austin's and he was entertaining as usual. I'm not a fan of all the competitors throwing each other under the bus as it could set a bad precedent for how they need to handle business in the future. Performers need to work well with others no matter what they think of them, so constantly badmouthing people is probably not the best way to go. My guess is that they were instructed to do so for better TV, but I'm sill not a fan of it.
While Jeremiah held his own in front of Austin, his green-ness had sealed his fate. When he was eliminated, I was not the least bit surprised. Actually, I was happy that the right two guys made it to the finals. In my opinion, both Andy and Luke have a lot of potential and it really could go either way. While Andy's size and drive are appealing, so too are Luke's looks and technical proweess. I also think Luke's attitude could make for a great heel character in the future.
The contest will be settled as it should, in Mortal Kombat.
No, I'm totally kidding, though I did love those games and movies! It will be settled in a ring with the best performance determining the winner. I like this idea as experts will tell us, the fans who know less, which performer did the little things right. It should make for a great final episode. After that, who knows what will become of Tough Enough, but I suspect the show will get picked up again. I sure hope so as I've really enjoyed it.
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