9/2/2009

in

'Tool Academy' returns for a second season to VH1

Sarah Folmar

Last year viewers watched egotistical boyfriends compete for what they thought was a "Mr. Awesome" contest. Their hopes were crushed once they all realized they were actually going to compete on a show called, "Tool Academy," and attempt to build better relationships with their girlfriends. If you happened to be a fan of the show like I was, you probably thought there could be no season two considering the biggest "tools" had already been removed from their boxes. If you watched the season two premier this week, then you were probably flabbergasted to realize you had been proven wrong. Bigger egos, worse relationships and more hair products than a drag show awaited American audiences.  
  
The most enjoyable moment of this show was watching the 12 male contestants prance around wearing their egos on their sleeves while believing they were on an energy drink competition. Instead of competing to win money and a role as a spokesperson, these testosterone-filled men faced their deepest fears: their girlfriends. If that wasn't bad enough, the couples then had to sit down for group therapy with a counselor. Each couple had their turn to bring out their issues, and all of the girlfriends had to endure the fake audition tapes the boyfriends made for the energy drink spokesman job. Almost every boyfriend admitted to infidelity, and one even had the nerve to blame his girlfriend for not being there for him. Josh, looking as if he came straight out of a roasting pan, proceeded to blame his girlfriend for all of their problems, when clearly his spray-tan must have been getting to his brain.  
  
After an excruciating group therapy session had ended, the contestants took part in a challenge that would test their relationships. Each couple removed plugs from a boat and had to stay afloat the longest. Some sank right away, which symbolized their Titanic-like disaster of a relationship, while others did what they could to win the challenge. One contestant stood their holding his paddle while his girlfriend did all of the work.  
  
Hopefully that isn't a metaphor for their intimate relationship, but we'll never know.  
  
The elimination ceremony had all of the men standing inside with the host and the therapist, while all of the girlfriends waited outside to see which contestant was eliminated. The procedure is for the eliminated boyfriend to go outside to his girlfriend and stand together to have a make-or-break relationship moment. When Josh was told he was "just a tool" and needed to leave the house, he refused to follow order and go out the front door. Maybe he assumed the cameras wouldn't follow him during his pompous tirade around the grounds of the mansion, but nevertheless he continued to make a complete fool of himself. Once the host intervened and screamed at Josh to leave, the body guard stepped-in as a final effort. Being the true "tool" that he is, Josh skimmed past the ladies waiting out front and quietly called for his girlfriend to meet him where no one would be watching. He then proceeded to tell her exactly what to say to the cameras once they took off in the limo together, as if he didn't have a microphone on the entire time.  
  
The new season is already off to an entertaining start, and it is exciting to see what other "tools" await us this season.