Series synopsis
WWE Tough Enough is an American reality television series that premiered on USA Network on June 21, 2001. It ended on August 25, 2015. It was created by Vince McMahon. It stars Allen Sarven, Christopher Keith Irvine, Steve Austin and Lisa Moretti.
WWE Tough Enough is a professional wrestling reality television program produced by WWE where in participants undergo professional wrestling training and compete for a contract with WWE.
Premise
WWE Tough Enough is a professional wrestling reality television program produced by WWE where in participants undergo professional wrestling training and compete for a contract with WWE.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Allen Sarven as Al Snow
- Christopher Keith Irvine as Chris Jericho
- Steve Austin as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
- Lisa Moretti as Ivory
- Renee Jane Paquette as Renee Young
- Patricia Stratigeas as Trish Stratus
- Booker Huffman, Jr. as Booker T
- Bill DeMott as Bill DeMott
Supporting cast
- Robert Howard as Hardcore Holly
- Saraya Bevis as Paige
- Bryan Danielson as Daniel Bryan
- John Hennigan as Self
- Monty Sopp as Billy Gunn
- Peter Senerchia as Tazz
- Amy Dumas as Lita
- Amanda Saccomanno as Self
- Linda Miles as Self
- Jacqueline Moore as Jacqueline
- Jackie Gayda as Self
- Kenny D. Layne as Self
Guest cast
- Jamie Burk as Self
- Jonah Adelman as Self
- Matt Cappotelli as Self
- Jill as Self
- Chad Angeli as Self
- Justin as Self
- Kelly as Self
- Lisa as Self
- Nick Distelbrink as Self
- Rebekah as Self
- Scott Chong as Self
- Josh Lomberger as Self
Episodes
This series spans 7 seasons with 73 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 3 | July 6, 2001 | June 16, 2015 |
| Season 1 | 13 | June 21, 2001 | September 27, 2001 |
| Season 2 | 14 | February 28, 2002 | May 30, 2002 |
| Season 3 | 14 | October 17, 2002 | January 23, 2003 |
| Season 4 | 9 | October 21, 2004 | December 9, 2004 |
| Season 5 | 10 | April 4, 2011 | June 6, 2011 |
| Season 6 | 10 | June 23, 2015 | August 25, 2015 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cast Submission Tapes | July 6, 2001 |
| 2 |
WWE Tough Enough 2 Soundtrack Special The songs featured on the "WWE Tough Enough 2" Soundtack are shown with songs from such bands as Cold, Rob Zombie, Staind, Unwritten Law, etc. |
May 26, 2002 |
| 3 | Tough Enough Competition Special | June 16, 2015 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Are You Tough Enough? With over 4,000 tapes sent into the WWF, 230 hopefuls come to WWF New York to audition for the show, but only 13 are selected to make the trip to Stamford, Connecticut to find out who is tough enough. |
June 21, 2001 |
| 2 |
Down and Dirty The group meets Al Snow, Jacqueline, and Tori and begin their training. They also meet Tazz, who comes to their house unannounced one morning and forces them to wrestle in the mud and jog behind him while riding in a Hummer. |
June 28, 2001 |
| 3 |
The Rules of the Game Triple H lectures the group about the reality and the integrity of the wrestling business; a reality that Jason decides he is not willing to be a part of and respects too much to waste. |
July 5, 2001 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Season 2 Casting Special The Casting Special for WWF Tough Enough 2. 250 contestants were invited to audition in Las Vegas, Nevade for WWF Tough Enough 2. The trainers narrowed it down to 25 contestants. The 25 did a physicial challenge with running on a hot day in the mountains. The final thirteen were then picked - Aaron, Alicia, Anni, Jackie, Jacob, Jessie, Kenny, Linda, Pete, Robert, Hawk, Matthew, and Shad. |
February 28, 2002 |
| 2 |
Reality Check The announced thirteen participants are brought to their new home where, and Shad didn't show up because he didn't pass the required physical, so Danny replaces him. The thirteen start training on the beach where Aaron blacks out and is driven away in an ambulance. |
March 7, 2002 |
| 3 |
It's Hard To Be Humble Al Snow announces that their will be a cut the next day. The thirteen continue their training and Aaron returns with no injuries. They are training at Trax, when The Big Show enters and competes with them. They go on the beach again, and do their last physical challenge. The Tough Enough crew cuts Aaron & Robert. |
March 14, 2002 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Are You Tough Enough? Who will be the next Maven, Nidia, Linda or Jackie? The road to name the next Tough Enough Champions began Thursday night when WWE Superstars Al Snow, Ivory and Bill DeMott, alongside Big, narrowed the field of 75 hopefuls down to 13 cast members. This year, rather than throwing the extravagant casting gala, Tough Enough chose to make the Casting Special more intimate. Judges spent more time evaluating the hopefuls as people. Once they saw what they liked, they selected 25 finalists to go through a torturous several days of training, both in and out of the ring. Some of the 25 didn't make it to the end. The ones who did were there to hear the final 13 names called: Chad - Jamie - Nick - Jill - John - Jonah - Eric - Justin - Kelly Matt - Lisa - Scott - Rebekah |
October 17, 2002 |
| 2 |
This Is Not a Game Show Last week on Tough Enough, the 13 members of the cast were chosen after a long and strenuous tryout process. As this week's show kicked off, Big told the cast members that their challenges were not done yet. He then pointed to a gigantic mountain-side house and told them they had to run to it because it was where they would be living. Even before everybody settled in, the drama of season three began. Apparently, Scott rubbed everybody the wrong way right from the start, especially his roommate Jamie. Before Jamie was even unpacked, Scott asked her if she was a lesbian. Jamie was clearly not excited about the question. Scott's insane comments intensified as the show went on. His most offensive comment to the house members came when he asked if there were a lot of fags in a certain location. |
October 24, 2002 |
| 3 |
Jonah Makes Impression Like last week, Scott managed to annoy everybody in the house on this week's episode of Tough Enough. His biggest target was Jamie. On top of calling her and a few of the guys in the house faggots, he also asked her a very personal question -- ""have you ever used a female condom?"" It was later learned that Jamie's dislike for Scott comes from when he saw her naked. Apparently, Scott just barged into the bathroom without knocking when Jamie was getting into the shower. Scott also managed to get on Eric and Jonah's nerves. The two guys made a bet with him, stating that if he was able to score a girl's phone number while out on the town, they would go to the beach the next day in bikinis. If he failed, however, Scott would have to do the act. Unfortunately for Eric and Jonah, Scott was able to pull two phone numbers. Eric and Jonah tried to talk their way out of the bet, but Scott wasn't budging. |
October 31, 2002 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 37 In this episode, WWE cut the 50 Tough Enough finalists to eight finalists. One guy lied about his age and was kicked off. There was a weight lifting contest, and during the contest one guys hurt his arm. The next day he returned and did a task where you have to use your arms. All of the WWE people running it thought that show tremendous dedication. In the ring, Al Snow told him he was cut. Like a true sport, the guy thanked WWE for the opportunity. As he left, a WWE official gave him a OVW wrestling contract. The eight finalists are: Chris Nawrocki, John Meyer, Mike Mizanin, Ryan Reeves, Daniel Rodimer, Nick Mitchell, Justice Smith, and Daniel Puder. See more about the final eight in our recap. |
October 21, 2004 |
| 2 |
Episode 38 All of seven of the Tough Enough contestants went into the WWE locker room. Big Show said they didn'y pay their dues and they had to leave the locker room. He pushed Daniel puder into a locker. The seven guys and Al Snow cam out to the ring. Al introduced them all. All of the seven guys had a personel message to the Big Show in the ring. After the seven gave Big Show his personel message, Al Snow said they could now do it to his face. Then the Big Show gave each guy a body slam! The Big Show even gave Justice Smith an extra elbow drop for the fun of it. He also gave some other guy a knee drop to teach him respect. Later in the show, it is discussed why there are only seven contestants tonight instead of the planned eight. John Meyer, quit during the first and second episode. |
October 28, 2004 |
| 3 |
Episode 39 The show starts off showing the last few hours for the seven contestants. They had to do several hard tasks, eat a huge amount of pasta (like Fear Factor huge), and then have to continue doing the hard tasks. Then the seven contestants come out to the ring with Al Snow. Al Snow introduces them to Kurt Angle. Kurt Angle asks every guy for the guy's name and then makes fun of them for some reason. Kurt Angle then shows them an excercise. Kurt has a contest with them to see who could do the most (Kurt wasn't in the contest, see more on the contest in the recap). Chris Nawrocki won. The prize was to have a match with Kurt Angle. Angle quickly takes him down and wins. Then he asks if any other Tough Enough guys want to face Kurt. None raise their hand accept Daniel Puder. Puder goes into the ring and gets some cheers. It takes longer for Angle to beat Puder because Puder is in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), yet he eventually does. Then Kurt says they aren't Tough Enough and leave |
November 4, 2004 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Get Your Teeth Out of My Ring WWE legend "Stone Cold" Steve Austin has selected 14 men and women to compete to become the next WWE superstar or diva. Steve welcomes them at the WWE Smackdown arena, but their visions of stardom are quickly dashed when they learn that the only part they will play in tonight's show is doing clean up duty backstage. Their commitment is tested as they set up chairs, prep food, handle garbage and clean up after the show. And it's only just beginning. |
April 4, 2011 |
| 2 |
Five for Flinching After surviving elimination, Eric and Michelle come back to the house and tell the other contestants how difficult the grilling from Stone Cold Steve Austin was. Reality hits the remaining 13 that the stakes are high as they compete to become the next WWE Superstar. The next day at the training center, Steve Austin introduces courage as the theme for this week's challenges. If the contestants are afraid to get hurt and take risks, they'll have no chance in the WWE. Trish Stratus puts Matt, a ten-year pro, through a personality drill. She's so impressed with him, she sends him to the ring for an exhibition match with the cocky but capable Luke. But Matt fades into the background as Luke takes total control of the match and shines instead. Ryan struggles during training, incurring the wrath of Bill DeMott who likes nothing about "Skidmarks." Miss USA Rima gets a real culture shock when she takes her first hard bumps and body slams in the ring. John Cena, the top WWE Superstar in the world, arrives to watch training and give advice about how to succeed in the business. Outside of training, Luke forms a fast friendship with southern livewire Jeremiah. The drunken antics of their bromance lightens the mood and entertains their fellow housemates. On the other side of the equation, Ryan and Mike won't ever be friends. Thinking Ryan is too nice and soft, Mike kicks off their feud by teasing him about writing letters to his girlfriend. The next day, Steve Austin really puts the courage of the contestants to the test when he brings them outside to try to outrun police attack dogs. Steve and Bill take great pleasure in watching the cast get taken down one by one. But it's Miss USA Rima and big Andy who take the hardest hits when the trained dogs bite into their protective gear. Surprisingly, Eric excels at the challenge, singing and skipping to the finish line as a dog tries to bite through the protective gear. Miss USA Rima is 20 minutes late for to the skills challenge, raising red flags about her commitment for the trainers. In the skills challenge, the contestants' courage is pushed to the limits. They will be squashed in the corner and then body slammed 5 times by the 300 pounds plus Bill. It's an agonizing and bruising exercise that shows how physically demanding the business is. After deliberating on the best and worst, Steve announces the Bottom Three � Ryan, Rima and, the veteran Matt. In the ring, Steve Austin grills Rima about her lateness but concedes her mental toughness. While Ryan might be too nice for the business it's Matt saying that he's "waiting for his moment" that seals his fate. Matt pleads as Steve Austin takes his belt but it's too late � Matt missed his chance and he's going home. |
April 11, 2011 |
| 3 |
Bad Day, Real Bad Day The contestants are shocked when Ryan and Rima return to the house after surviving elimination. Mickael, in particular, is furious that Ryan would outlast a veteran like Matt. The next morning Bill sends the contestants on a grueling run that clearly separates the weak from the strong. Luke comes in first, Rima beats all of the girls and even some of the boys, Michelle's body starts to fail her, and Eric's poor physical condition puts him in last place. With no time to recover, the contestants are sent to the gym for a hardcore training session. In Trish's group Michelle continues to struggle, and it's obvious that her head is not in the game. In Bill's group Mickael shows sloppy technique and is sent back to work with the beginners. Steve rewards rising star Luke by locking up with him in the ring. Luke is on cloud nine as everyone looks on with jealousy. Special guest, Big Show, makes a surprise visit to the gym and watches the kids at work. He singles out Eric for a chat, expressing disappointment in his lack of conditioning. Later that night Michelle calls home and has a meltdown when she learns her daughter isn't there, and it's clear the contest is starting to wear on her. On day two as the contestants warm up, Steve enters to announce the life lesson. But Michelle interrupts and announces she's quitting! Her daughter is more important to her than the competition – a decision Steve says he respects. Out on the field, the rest of the contestants take on a new Life Lesson – learn a cheerleading drill AND perform it at Universal City Walk! Trish brings in former WWE diva and NFL cheerleader Stacy Keibler to help coach the contestants. A toothless Jeremiah steals the show, while Rima continues to struggle, taking an embarrassing fall in front of the crowd. On day three it's time for the Skills Challenge: Chain of Command. Before they begin, Rima approaches Bill and asks for some one-on-one training time, to which he agrees. Steve sets up the challenge, and after each round people will be cut based on poor technique until only one remains. Rima and Mickael are cut in the first round, and shockingly Luke is cut in the second. In round three Ryan falls back on the hokey schtick he's been warned about, which results in him being booted. Martin and Eric, who has made an incredible turnaround since his talk with Big Show, steal the trainers respect when they are the last two standing. But it is Martin who is declared the winner, emerging as a new contender against Luke. Steve and the trainers announce the bottom three – Ryan, Rima and Mickael. Back at the house Rima is furious, and Mickael is beyond pissed that he has been lumped in the same category as Ryan. In frustration, he strips Ryan's bed saying he won't need it since he'll be the one going home tonight. At the elimination, Steve is impressed that Rima asked for one-on-one help. Steve promises her she will get it, and soon, sending her back to the house to get ready. Steve pits rivals Ryan and Mickael against each other in a promo duel. Mickael simply sounds desperate while Ryan finally shows some fire, and Steve sends a stunned Mickael home. |
April 18, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Boot Camp or Bust Over the course of 10 weeks, 13 male and female competitors will train both in and out of the ring and in a series of rigorous competitions for a one-year, $250,000 WWE contract. Competitors will quickly learn the depths of their physical, mental and emotional strength with rivalries and power dynamics emerging at every turn. The intense first challenge proves that boot camp is meant for the toughest contender, and fans will decide who stays and who is sent packing. |
June 23, 2015 |
| 2 | Swamp Stories | June 30, 2015 |
| 3 | Who Are You? | July 7, 2015 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | USA Network |
|---|---|
| First aired | June 21, 2001 |
| Last aired | August 25, 2015 |
| Runtime | 42 minutes |
| Status | Ended |
| Schedule | Tuesday at 20:00:00 |