The season finale of VH1's newest reality television show, Tool Academy, aired on March 8, 2009. Hosted by Jordan Murphy, Tool Academy's first season ended with a surprise as Josh and Ashley not only won the $100,000 prize; they also got married!
Tool Academy - The Tools Arrive Thinking They're Mr. Awesome
The men ofthe Tool Academy cast arrived on the show thinking they were the cat's meow, as they were lured onto the show by their desperate girlfriends.
The men of Tool Academy initially thought the VH1 reality television show was called Mr. Awesome, but they soon discovered that they were far from wonderful; they were brought on the show for being extremely bad boyfriends - tools.
The original cast was comprised of nine couples, listed in the order they were eliminated.
- Dimitri and Jill
- Joey and Ashley L.
- Clarence and Cameron
- Rob and Karine
- Margo and Mega
- Krista and Tommy
- Shawn and Aida
- Jenna and Matsuflex
- Josh and Ashley
The Tool Academy Tools Work On Their Relationships; Just One Turns Into a "Mr. Awesome"
Through couples therapy and couples challenges, the men on the cast of Tool Academy slowly began to work through their relationship problems.
The couples on Tool Academy cast faced an array of relationship issues, including infidelity, dishonesty, a lack of trust, poor communication and self-centeredness.
Couples therapist Trina Dolenz counsels the troubled couples of Tool Academy, ultimately eliciting dramatic change in some of the men, especially in the three tools who remain on the reality show the longest: Shawn, Matsuflex and Josh.
Ashley and Josh Win Tool Academy and Get Married!
When he arrived on the show, Josh was insecure, self-centered and ignorant to Ashley's emotions and needs. He even threw Ashley under the bus at one point, making fun of her weight to get a laugh from the other (male) Tool Academy cast members.
But as Josh and Ashley complete challenge after challenge, and Josh earns his Tool Academy badges for fidelity, romance and family values, among others, gradual but significant change occurs in the way that Josh and Ashley relate.
In the final challenge, Ashley and Josh defeat Matsuflex and Jenna with their slow-and-steady-wins-the-race attitude and exemplary teamwork. Meanwhile, Matsuflex and Jenna fail miserably at the challenge despite an early lead, as Masuflex completely forgets to use the communication and teamwork skills that they learned during couple's counseling with Trina.
Josh and Ashley not only win Tool Academy and the $100,000 prize, but the sole Tool Academy graduate and his girlfriend are presented with a chance to get married at the end of the show. It's a chance that Ashley and newly-reformed Josh decide to seize and the reality TV show ends with a wedding.
The Tool Academy Reunion Show
Wondering which Tool Academy couples stayed together? And which couples broke up after the filming of Tool Academy? The reunion show is scheduled to air on Sunday, March 15 at 10:00 p.m. on VH1.
Reality television fans may also enjoy two other VH1 reality shows - Rock of Love Bus andI Love Money 2.
Mia Carter - Mia Carter - Journalist, Producer/Editor & Web Writer. Carter's work has appeared on CBS and CNN.com.
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