Former Tough Enough champion, Jackie Haas blogs on the new series of Tough Enough. Read her insight and opinion on the series every week exclusively here at Diva Dirt.
Editor’s Note: These are pretty late going up. My apologies. – Melanie
Week 8: “I’ve Been Bamboozled and Flabbergasted”
What can I say – I’m disappointed in Christina, period. Seeing that she evidentially did not just want it enough, I’m glad that she did not make it all the way to the finals. Nothing personal girl…maybe you’re your just “too sweet of smile” and loveable character is just not strong enough to impress me and the trainers. She did indeed put up a great “fight” but in the end, still way too weak for this competition; maybe some other opportunity will come along and we will see her like a lioness like her big sis but for now, she needs to harden up for this business.
As for A.J., told ya’ll so. He did put up a decent fight but you need to be able to execute the moves and be respectful; and a whole hell of a lot more. A.J. just fell so short for me in this regard that that’s all he was, decent in the ring and a respectful kid but not strong enough to become the next WWE Superstar. Maybe if I’d ever see him in the ring live, I’d be surprisingly shocked to see some fire lit under his ass but after nearly 2 months of waiting and nothing, it was beyond time for Stone Cold to take his belt. Best of luck kid, afraid he may be “Indy A.J.” for the rest of his life though.
Andy, big ol’ Andy…finally he got pissed off and showed what it is that Vince wants out of a WWE Superstar, rage. Silent Rage – perfect. He’s the specimen that all the WWE brass are looking for out of this competition. He’s got size, pretty good movement in the ring, the long hair with the “hard lookin’ face” and he is of course respectful. Glad to see him come out of his shell when his livelihood depended on it. Proud of him for making his presence known and giving Stone Cold exactly what he wanted to see from him, some rage! I think I may be beginning to take a liking to him, especially respecting the fact that he is there to work and no bs; feel it’s really going to be working in his favor now that we are down to the nitty-gritty and the last few men standing. I smell character development here at it’s best.
The two “boy toys” as I am now referring to Jeremiah and Luke as, continue to impress me and if they were not to be in the final three, then this competition would have to be definitely rigged. Jeremiah is my favorite still to take home the title of Tough Enough, especially seeing that this is so new to him and he’s excelling so quickly. However, this could turn against him as quickly as he is picking it up. And the missing teeth gimmick never gets old to me – how great would this be for vignettes and finishes to matches to gross out (or at least throw off opponents) for the tides to turn in the match…instead of giving a move, he takes out his teeth and gives a big ol’ grin, insert valet into the equation and hell of a start to the heat. Crap, I should be writing some of this junk…
Luke, he’s in it to win it. His attitude is strong and arrogant, just what keeps you alive at WWE. Lord knows good guys (and ladies) always seem to finish last in the business more times than not…at least in this company. Who else smells definite presence in the WWE?….
Week 9: Now We Face the Rattlesnake
And then there were three.
Time to get down and dirty. Honestly, sad to say that this season actually disappointed me somewhat on the “fun” of it all. Guess it’s another thing to live it all first-hand! I mean, I am so glad that they showcased wrestling and not drama, you can totally tell this this was all WWE involved in the creative process and not an outside production with MTV. I’d love to see the comparison of the ratings of Tough Enough seasons being on the USA Network (however having a huge edge to be placed right before Monday Night RAW in the lineup) verses when it aired on MTV. Curious as to see the demographic differences, etc. With that being said, I really hope that this “rebirth” of Tough Enough can spark some interest in the general population with professional wrestling. That was one thing that I liked with it being on an outside network not having to do so much with wrestling, is that it brought in a new genera of fans. Still to this day, more people recognize me from “that reality show with wrestling” and less than wrestling as a whole. Which is fine with me, it’s just funny how things are “put down on paper” so to speak.
Getting back to this week’s episode, wow Andy, wow. Does anyone else totally see a new breed of Kane developing here??… This is so great in my opinion, love Kane himself but just by his movements in the ring alongside his size, I was totally picturing Kane the entire second half of the episode. This is what WWE wants, a new Superstar to brand. A body to make into someone/something, to make Vince even richer…ha!! I just pray that in the long run, no matter if Andy walks away from his next week’s exhibition match with Luke a winner or not, that he never forgets why he’s in that ring – what he personally stated over and over again and that is to give a better life to himself and his expanding family; congrats to you and the Mrs. by the way (hugs)! This business is like nothing else on the planet and nothing can prepare you for what’s to come but Andy seems like the type of guy that can make it big as long as he stays focused…exactly what he has done since day one on Tough Enough. Hey, maybe there is some hope for good guys in this business after all. Go Big Andy, rootin’ for ya big time here at the HaasHold – even my oldest daughter who said yesterday, “Mommy I want him (meaning Andy) to win.”
Luke, he already thinks he’s going to walk away with the trophy – who knows, maybe he will. But maybe he won’t. What a huge shock to the ego if he were not to be named the champion. I think he needs to lose to make sure that his attitude is put in check so he won’t get his legs broken by the boys if he comes into that locker room with a fresh win under his belt. It’ll be good for ya Luke. However, he does have what it takes to make Vince happy though – seems like just his kind of guy. Maybe a little small but nothing that the “wellness program” can’t fix right up!
Jeremiah, hope to see you again soon bud. As Stone Cold said, pray that this competition wasn’t just another thing for him to excel at and conquer (well almost) and not go any farther with it. Hope this isn’t the last we see of him in a wrasslin’ ring, he’s got too much talent and potential. WWE is all about risk, hopefully the smarter risks the better, and that’s what Jeremiah seems to be to me. Hell of a talent to go to waste and not continue in this business…he could last a long time with his agility and total character.
So, question now is – WHO DO YOU THINK WILL TAKE HOME THE TITLE AS TOUGH ENOUGH CHAMPION (whatever actual number this is)… My bet is Andy, think he will pull it off – or best of luck trying dude, go at it and expose every second of that match next week as Silent Rage!!!!
For more on Jackie visit www.justjackiehaas.com and www.hmb.org. You can also follow Jackie on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thejackiehaas.
