Episode 8 begins with a lowlight of Schultz vs. Yarbrough from last week’s episode. Afterwards Dana calls Schultz "phenomenal" in the first round. I was immediately convinced that Dana had confused him with David Schultz (who went E. Honda on John Stossel for being called a fake).
Since we get a recap of that fight we also get a recap of the hard feelings that resulted from it between Forrest and Rampage. Forrest is jumping around and trashing the gym which now prohibits him from scolding any of the guys for trashing the house.
A still-bitter Rampage accuses the judges of either being on Team Brown’s payroll or just plain asleep at the wheel. Schultz mans up afterwards and apologizes to Forrest for his unwelcome remarks when the fight was called after two rounds.
Back at the house Matt Riddle gives CB Dolloway his seal of approval. Nick Klein sees himself as the weakest link. Nothing like a surge of self-confidence before your big fight.
Forrest shows up at the gym with a net gun and of course the team decides the best idea is to shoot Rampage. They come up with an even better idea and suggest running after the shot.
Our first commercial break is for Spike’s new show called 1,000 ways to die. The SpikeTV website describes it as a show that "Combines the science of living and the randomness of death with a dash of Darwinism." Unfortunately they left out the infringement of Troma’s War from their description.
So Forrest likes the idea of going Spiderman on an unsuspecting Rampage and nets him like a Maryland crab. An embarrassed Rampage suggests that Forrest instead net his "Chicken faced assistant coach who needs to go sit on some eggs" before promising revenge.
Dolloway gets his camera time and actually refers to himself in the third person. Rampage thinks he has a big head and wants to put his 12-inch foot straight into Dolloway’s butt. I lost count, but this show has to have set some kind of record for consecutive references to penetrating the anus.
Rampage then gets tapped by the former All-American while sparring and grudgingly admits that he has some skills.
Nick Klein tells the world he became a man pitching cow-crap and working on the farm for his dad. Somewhere in TV land Matt Hughes is smiling. Coach Beecher advises Klein to put Dolloway on his back where all wrestlers hate to be.
At the weigh-ins, both fighters make weight without incident. Dana leans towards CB in his fight assessment. We get our second third-person reference of the night. Some of the guys from Team Brown think that Dolloway is overrated and Klein is underrated.
Team Blue’s CB Dolloway (6-0) vs Team Brown’s Nick Klein (4-0)
Round 1: A Klein kick is caught by Dolloway who immediately goes for the guillotine like the one that tapped Rampage in training. Klein gets out but gets pummeled in the process. Klein locks in a nice kneebar but the Dolloway kicks out. Dolloway on top now landing punches. Klein rolls and looks for a kimura. Big swing and a miss for Dolloway but Klein still on the defensive. Dana compliments Dolloway who drops into top position and Klein goes to guard. Another armlock but Dolloway is too strong to stay trapped. Dana likes what he sees and compliments Dolloway again. Klein getting outwrestled but doing a nice job of staying out of danger. Dolloway back to the top and lands a few punches. Klein starting to take punishment. Dolloway firing at will and Klein manages to roll out of it but Dolloway is right back on top. Klein is bleeding and ties up an arm as time expires. Round one is all Dolloway.
Between rounds Dolloway is warned by Mazzagatti for being too close to the back of the head on his punches. Rampage begs him not to give up any points and takes a shot at the judges by saying: "I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave him that round."
Round 2: Low kick by Dolloway. Three more. Klein jabs and they tie up. Klein jumps into guard - much to Forrest’s dismay. Klein against the cage punching upward. Dolloway looks like he‘s taking a breather as he rests on top. They squirm back to the center and it’s a repeat of round one: Klein looks for an armbar and Dolloway lands punches. Dolloway looking tired but spins out and when Klein tries to recover position gets trapped in a guillotine. Klein taps and Dolloway gives Team Blue its second win.
Afterwards at the house Yarbrough calls out Riddle and Dolloway for wearing specs that look like 3-D glasses from a 1950’s drive-in. Dolloway is tired of the cracks and wants him in the quarterfinals.
Forrest turns out to be a man of his word and lets Amir Sadollah shave his head for winning his fight (and their bet) from last week. To add insult to injury, Rampage is waiting outside and gets his revenge on Forrest with a super-soaker.
Time for the quarterfinal picks and the round table calls in the fighters to get their input. They all have their reasons for calling out who they think are the best match-up. For some it’s about winning, others it’s about punishment.
The quarterfinal matches are:
Jesse Taylor vs. Dante Rivera
Amir Sadollah vs. Matt Brown
Daniel Cramer vs. Tim Credeur
CB Dolloway vs. Cal Yarbrough
Stay tuned next week as Dana breaks out the coin toss (and reassigns teams), Jesse Taylor battles Dante Rivera, and Matt Brown tries to eliminate Amir Sadollah.
See you then!
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