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Previously on Tough Enough: Harvard Chris was really concerned about Josh acting immature outside the ring, even though Harvard Chris was the one who came off as a jerk. Al Snow admitted that Josh's smaller stature puts him at a disadvantage in the competition.
House of Pain. Tazz observes the contestants practicing suplexes and chuckles, commenting, "Why do you have to practice? You're great!" It really is amazing how far they have all come over the course of the competition. I hope that, in the finale, they show a montage of all of the remaining contestants as they appeared at first, and how they appear now, so we can really see the improvement. (As a programming note, there is currently a Tough Enough marathon scheduled for Sunday, September 23rd starting at noon, but MTV changes their schedule around all the time, so check your local listings. But if you want to catch up before the finale, it would be a good opportunity.) Al sits the contestants down and reminds them that there are only seven days left in the competition, and that they are constantly being evaluated to determine a winner. In an interview, Josh says that none of them knows exactly what the terms of the evaluation are, so it will be intense. Al explains that he'll be evaluating them all "on a lot of different levels."
First up for evaluation (for the audience -- the contestants don't see these interviews, I'm assuming) is Harvard Chris. Tori points out that his size is an advantage, especially since he's big without being fat (*cough* Big Show *cough*). Al points out that Chris has "a good grasp of the intellectual part." I'm trying to read between the lines here, and I notice that they basically said he's big and smart, but didn't say anything about his wrestling skill or his personality. I think his personality is a big deficit for him -- they don't want to sign yet another wrestler who will be a pain in the locker room (*cough* Shawn Michaels *cough*).
up is Josh. Al Snow describes Josh as having a lot of passion and a lot of heart. Tori says that while Josh doesn't have a lot of "heighth [sic]," he has a good sense of what to do in the ring. Could someone pull Tori aside and explain to her that the word is "height"? That there's no "h" on the end of it? Because she said it that way about ten times in this episode, and it bugged me.
Al Snow thinks that Maven has a lot of charisma, and that he has a certain look in the ring. That's all we get to hear about Maven. Are they downplaying him because he's the winner, or setting us up for the fact that he's not going to win? Only time will tell.
Jacqueline thinks that Taylor is a lot like Jacqueline was when she was just starting out, especially with her determination. Looks like Jacquie is firmly in the Taylor camp. No one else has anything to say about Taylor.
Big says that Nidia has "a little bit more feminine qualities," which can be an advantage. Is he trying to say that she's got a nice rack? That's what I got out of that comment.
Maven says that they are all trying to help one another in the ring, and make each other look good. Aw. This is truly the nice reality show. Except for Harvard Chris. Nidia and Taylor do some crazy-looking cradle roll thing in the ring. Al wonders who will have "that X-factor." Please don't bring X-Pac into this. Al says that they have to try to pick the contestant who has "that thing" that will make you want to sit up and watch him or her. I vote for Maven.
The contestants lift weights in the gym. Josh asks Al when they are going to learn to do moonsaults, and Al promises that they will learn them tomorrow. Harvard Chris voice-overs that since Josh is small, he's been very excited to learn about the more high-flying moves, because he's looking for something he can do that the others can't in order to distinguish himself. In an interview, Josh admits that he is hoping to stand out doing the "high spots."
Harvard Chris expositions that Big told them to be ready to go somewhere on Friday, so they were all just sitting around Josh's room waiting. Scenes of the contestants making small talk are intercut with scenes of a limo pulling up to the house, and Debra and Stone Cold Steve Austin getting out. Stone Cold's entrance music and video plays, for those of you who aren't familiar with his work. I kind of miss his old entrance song, though. I don't know if this was filmed before or after his heel turn, either.
In an interview, Taylor says that they were just chatting about stuff, because they had no idea that any wrestlers were coming by, and they heard a weird sound. Stone Cold rings the doorbell, and upstairs, someone asks whether that was the doorbell. Josh is sure that it's just a clock, so they ignore it. Harvard Chris asks, "We have a clock?" Hee! Stone Cold keeps ringing the doorbell. The contestants argue about what the noise is, and finally decide to go outside and check it out. Harvard Chris and Josh go out to investigate. Stone Cold yells out, "I'm not gonna wait out here all day!" Josh tells us that his jaw dropped when he saw Austin. Harvard Chris says that Stone Cold was "kind of cold to [them]." Josh shakes Stone Cold's hand, and Stone Cold bitches about being left on the porch. Josh and Harvard Chris walk into the house, and Stone Cold bitches about the fact that they didn't let his wife into the house first. Man, I like Stone Cold, and I'm sure he's supposed to be in character, but he's kind of being a dick. Maybe they were just trying to show him around and thus leading the way in?