Jens gets some time to brag on being 5-1. But if you saw the commercial for this episode, you saw that already.
Concerned over how BJ will emerge from this season, Dana pulls him into the office for a pep talk. Dana basically tells BJ that reports emerging from Camp Penn have BJ not doing proper cardio training, and BJ not leading his team properly. Dana warns BJ that he "doesn't want to be the Ken Shamrock of this season," burying Shamrock, who is, of course, now coaching the Nevada Lions of the IFL. Dana tells BJ that he has to be a team leader, and lead the team.
(Note, for full effect, read that paragraph again, but add fuck as every second word.)
BJ then says that he thinks that he will need to beat Jens down and retire him at the finale. What BJ's personal success has to do with the success of the people that he chose to train is unclear, but it does demonstrate what could possibly be part of the problem with Team Penn.
Back at the house, Emerson celebrates being a two-time loser with a keg and a hookah. Evidently Noah got them by putting them on the grocery list. Geraghty joins in the fun by indulging in a few beer bongs.
Taking Dana's words to heart, BJ calls his team together, and kicks Andy 'Weeping Warrior' Wang off the team for not listening to BJ's advice, and disrespecting BJ. Stunned, Andy is taken away by Tony DeSouza and the other assistant coach. Andy comes back and asks for an explanation. BJ tells him that it is a waste of time, and that Andy never listens. BJ doesn't come across very well here.
Dana is summoned to the gym, where BJ and he discuss BJ's attempts to assert some level of control over Team Penn. Dana tries to explain to BJ that he, in fact, actually can't kick someone off the team, particularly when BJ not only chose the team, but prompted that whole hand raising thing during the team selection. BJ is adamant, and Dana realizes that he has to find an Option B.
Dana calls Jens into the office, and asks Jens to take Andy on the team. Jens agrees, so long as the rest of the team concurs. Interesting. BJ kicks Andy off the team without consulting anyone, and while he's still upset over his tongue lashing from Dana. Jens, on the other hand, seeks the input from his team on allowing a new member. Curiouser and curiouser.
Jens asks the team if they would be willing to take on a new member who has been kicked off Team Penn. Everyone assumes the person is Noah, and say no. Jens tells them it's Andy, and they do a 180, expressing nothing but respect for Andy as a nice guy.
Dana and Jens inform Andy of his status as a member of Team Pulver, but Andy seems resistant. Part of Andy's trepidation seems to be because Andy was one of the hand raisers from the first episode. Jens says that wasn't an issue then, isn't an issue now, and won't be an issue in the future.
Despite this, Andy is still less than enthusiastic about this switch. He mumbles about loyalty to BJ, and still owing BJ something. This prompts an incredible Dana tirade, featuring liberal helpings of the word fuck. The essence of the tirade is that Andy should a) shut the fuck up, b) stop being a disrespectful little twerp, c) start thanking Jens for the opportunity, and d) try to make the most of it.
Jens finally takes Andy out to meet his new team, who greet him with hugs. Everyone walks toward the ring. Cue happy ending music.
Everyone gathers at the gym to announce the next fights. Jens picks Wayne Weems to fight Gray Maynard, which means that Marlon Sims will fight Matt Wiman.
Despite tearing Weems a new one on a previous episode, Jens has nothing but good things to say about him now, commending his willingness to learn, and the progress he has made in the past few weeks.
The fight starts at 10:30, which ordinarily would suggest that the fight was going to go the full two rounds, possibly even three.
The fight doesn't last that long. Gray knocks Weems down, and the fight goes to the ground rather quickly. Gray is on top, and Weems tries to get Gray's head, but can't do much. Eventually Weems gives up his back, and Gray starts raining down punches while Weems covers up. After a minute or so of this, Herb Dean calls the fight about halfway through the first round.
Weems loses his temper in the locker room, upset with his performance. Unfortunately, he doesn't cry. Pulver commends Weems for, among other things, actually getting into the ring, unlike other unnamed contestants.
With over twenty minutes to go, we prepare for the second fight of the evening. This would have been a good surprise, if they hadn't advertised that two fights would be aired on this episode, thus robbing the episode of the surprise factor.
Marlon is cutting weight in the sauna, while regaling Manny with his street fight tales. For example, Marlon has never been knocked out by a person, only by an Oldsmobile.
At the fire pit, Matt Wiman and others are discussing Marlon's stories.
We also get Matt telling us about his nickname "Moderately Attractive," which used to be "Handsome" but Matt changed it because he wanted to come across as humble on the show. BTW, Marlon's nickname is "Mr. Indestructible."
The fight starts at five minutes to the top of the hour, suggesting another short fight. Matt starts the fight by rocking Marlon with a hard right hand to the face. Marlon stumbles, and Matt pounces. He takes Marlon's back, and locks in a rear naked choke. Less than a minute in, Marlon is unconscious. Matt - "So much for Mr. Indestructible."
Marlon takes his loss well, and he actually doesn't come across as a giant tool for once.
The Good
- Matt and Gray both had strong showings. Even better was their lack of bravado or ego. Team Penn may be 5-3, but those three are probably the strongest fighters.
- Jens' willingness to take on Andy "Ronin" Wang was yet another example of Pulver's strength as a coach. Particularly with Pulver's insistence on consulting the rest of the team. How is this guy friends with Matt Hughes?
- Dana's unloading on Andy Wang was thing of brilliance. As Ralphie says in A Christmas Story, "My father worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium, a master." That was Dana's rant.
- BJ's kicking off of Andy seemed like the act of a petty, vindictive child, lashing out at someone weaker after being called out by his daddy. I'm not saying that BJ wasn't justified, but nothing on the show thusfar had given any indication of deep rooted problems between Andy and BJ, save for Andy's shoddy fight performance.
- I am so sick of that stupid standings chart. Dear Dana, hire a real graphic artist and get something that both looks good and serves a purpose. Or do you enjoy looking bush league?
- As my roommate pointed out, if Dana is so concerned with how the fighters are training, and their conditioning, then why are they given a hookah, a keg, and a beer bong?
- For the longest time, one of my biggest complaints about the show has been the fact that the start time of the fight indicates how long the fight will go. This time, the first fight started at a time that indicated the fight would go the distance. But instead it was over in two and a half minutes. This would have been the perfect example of the type of swerve I was hoping for, keeping us unsure of how long the fight would be. Would have been, had it not been for the fact that Spike TV advertised that the episode would have two fights! Instead of swerving us, the episode just told us that neither fight would last very long when the first fight started half an hour into the episode. Incredibly poor planning on the part of the show producers and the Spike TV promotions producers.
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