BJ compares his team to the Bad News Bears. Two unusual things before this episode even begins. First of all, in the last weeks previews, they already announced that Cory Hill has challenged Gabe Ruediger. Secondly, my TIVO actually has a title for this episode (the previous descriptions have been somewhat generic) labeled “Put Me Back In”. As always, the highlights from the previous weeks fight are shown. You’ll recall that Brandon Melendez defeated an incredibly stubborn Andy Wang, who despite being a black belt in BJJ didn’t try to take the fight to the ground. Everyone was quite puzzled, but Team Pulver isn’t complaining either. Team Penn is pretty frustrated at the moment. BJ compares his team to the Bad News Bears. Noah Thomas isn’t taking training as seriously as coach Tony DeSouza would like. Noah is constantly joking, even when training with Tony. Tony is fed up and proceeds to go very rough on Noah. Noah is far less jovial in the post training interview as he admits that Tony dominated him. Noah angrily declares that at 25 years of age, no one needs to tell him how to learn. The team feels that Gabe is going to be picked, and the concern is that he is overweight. Cut back to the house, and we see Gabe eating ice cream cake. The team is clearly frustrated, but Gabe declares he will make the weight (and to his credit, in 14 fights, he always has.) Dana is unavailable again, so Pulver updates us on the team standings and gets to announce the next fight. Cory Hill picks Gabe Rudiger. Gabe pulls out a box to stand on for the photo op, which either amuses or annoys the fighters, depending on which team they are on. Gabe wants to discuss his gameplan for the fight, but the rest of the team is seriously concerned with Gabe’s weight. Gabe’s plan involves taking a nap and the look on Joe Lauzon’s face especially is priceless. Gabe declares that when he looked into Cory’s eyes, he look frightened. Gabe has some affirmations posted on the wall (on notecards, not written directly on it. The first two quotes declare “Successful people never give up”, and “The Only person who can stop me is myself”. Gabe declares there should be a new warrior class, an unarmed warrior class. To Cory’s story, he considers himself “a normal dude”, who eats hotdogs and hamburgers with his kids. A wrestler since six or seven, Cory is shown training with intensity in the ring. 18 hours before the weigh in and Gabe weighs 173.5. In two hours he cuts down to 169.25 pounds and he looks like he is well on his way to making weight. The morning of the weigh ins he gets to 163.5 with three and half hours to spare. Gabe seems to be very leisurely about losing the rest of the weight, which is noted by the rest of the team, largely by walking on the treadmill and sitting on the corner with towels over him. Cory Hill is also cutting weight, and is shown sweating in the sauna and eating light. Two hours to go and Gabe weighs 162 pounds, a full seven pounds over the weight limit. So they pile back in the van and come back to the house to put Gabe in the sauna. BJ and Tony discuss and decide to put Robert Emerson in the sauna as a replacement. Rob, BJ and Gabe are all sitting in the sauna together, and although BJ is continually trying to offer support, Gabe is consistently asking for breaks. Before the commercial break, Gabe steps out of the sauna and collapses in a heap on the floor. The poll of the night is asking whether or not people think Gabe can actually make the weight. One hour and twenty minutes to go, and Gabe is insisting on checking his weight. His teammates won’t let him and proceed to drag him back into the sauna. Gabe,weighs himself at 159.4 and proceeds to strip off his clothes and jump into the pool. A naked Gabe is dragged out of the pool and proceeds to lay there. “Is this Jackass or the Ultimate Fighter?” asks BJ. After coming back to the house, they suit Gabe up again and put him back in the sauna. He gets in and gets on the bike, but after pedaling slowly, falls off the bike and out of the sauna. Cory Hill is waiting at the gym at 155.5, when Pulver comes in and announces that everyone has to get back to the house. No one is sure why, but everyone (especially Cory Hill) is frustrated. In the meantime Gabe is laying on the floor and at this point his teammates refuse to carry him any more. “If you want to get back in, stand up like a man and get back in” says BJ. Gabe begins to cry, and gets out “Put me back in, put me back in”. In the interviews, team Penn has a field day with Gabe. Team Pulver arrives back at the house and see an ambulance there. Team Penn is there, minus Gabe, who has been carted away. The two teams share a moment together, largely at Gabe’s expense. Gabe spent a few hours at the hospital, and when he gets back at the home, the fighters are still angry with him. Brian Geraghty, who up until this point has had no camera time, is allowed quite a bit of time to go off on Gabe. The rest of the house is fairly united in being pissed off at Gabe. Gabe goes around the house to apologize to everyone, and starts with Cory Hill, who accepts his apology. Rob Emerson does not accept Gabe’s apology. The rest of Team Penn is pretty much ostracizing Gabe now. Back at the training room, the teams are assembled for a meeting. Gabe apologizes to BJ, and BJ declares it done and no sense in going forward. After some speculation as to what’s going to happen next, Dana White enters and does not look happy. And the results of the poll is that 55% of you didn’t believe that Gabe can make the weight. Dana White goes on one of his bleeping tirades and looks angry. Pretty much everyone in the room looks angry for that matter. Dana throws Gabe off the team and out of the house. In the post interview a tearful Gabe says this in not the end for him, because this is not just a sport for him, this is his life. Dana White brings Rob Emerson back to BJ’s team, and BJ is visibly elated. Dana penalizes Team Penn by letting Pulver pick the next two fights. On the van ride back, Team Penn seems extremely happy as well. Fights are announced, and in the first fight we’ll see Brian Geraghty, who jokingly calls out his own teammate Wayne Weems before asking for Joe Lauzon. The second fight (and deciding fight) will be Cory Hill vs Robert Emerson. The show ends and no fight this week! But to make up for it there will two fights next week!