Tool Academy (American TV series)

Tool Academy is a competitive reality television show featuring "unsuspecting bad boys" (and women) who have been sent to "relationship boot camp". The contestants, all of whom have been nominated by their respective partners, initially think they are taking part in a competition for a title. However, shortly after arriving they find out the truth: they are actually being entered into a "charm school" which focuses on teaching them how to behave as partners. Each week, one contestant is eliminated and his/her partner must choose whether or not to stay with him/her. The last contestant remaining wins a $100,000 prize. The show was hosted by reality television show host Jordan Murphy alongside relationship counselor Trina Dolenz, who helped the contestants with their relationship problems and decided who was expelled.

Tool Academy
StarringJordan Murphy
Trina Dolenz
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes27
Production
Executive producersSallyAnn Salsano
Jim Ackerman
Dave Hamilton
Running time60 minutes
Production companies495 Productions
VH1
Original release
NetworkVH1
ReleaseJanuary 11, 2009 (2009-01-11) –
April 4, 2010 (2010-04-04)

Airing of the show

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Season Premiere Finale Reunion Winners Runners up Number of contestants Number of episodes
Season One January 11, 2009 March 8, 2009 March 15, 2009 Name: Josh (Joshua) Douglas Name: Matsuflex (Ryan Matsunaga) 9 9
Wife: Ashley Pellegrino Girlfriend: Jenna Fenton
Season Two August 30, 2009 November 8, 2009 None Name: T Shaw (Terry) Name: Tyler Synon 12 10
Fiancée: Nicole Girlfriend: Shealyn
Season Three February 14, 2010 April 4, 2010 None Name: Jacob Tapia Name: Angelo 10 8
Girlfriend: Christie Girlfriend: Dayna

Lessons of the Week and Badges to Earn

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Badges
  1.   Honesty (Season 3)
  2.   Humility (Season 1)
  3.   Communication (Seasons 1–3)
  4.   Trust (Seasons 1–3)
  5.   Family Values (Seasons 1–3)
  6.   Fidelity (Seasons 1–3)
  7.   Maturity (Seasons 1–3)
  8.   Romance (Season 1-Season 2)
  9.   Commitment (Seasons 1-3)
  10.   Dedication (Season 2)
  11.   Appreciation (Seasons 2-3)
  12.   Modesty (Season 2)

Season one

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The nine men, all of whom have been nominated by their respective girlfriends, initially think they are taking part in a competition for the title of "Mr. Awesome." However, shortly after arriving they find out the truth: they are actually being entered into a "charm school" which focuses on teaching them how to behave as boyfriends. Each week, one contestant is eliminated and his girlfriend must choose whether or not to stay with him. The last contestant remaining will win a $100,000 prize. Relationship counselor Trina Dolenz helps the contestants with their relationship problems and decides who is expelled.[1]

The winner for the first season of Tool Academy was Josh and Ashley. Josh proposed to Ashley after winning the competition, and they got married directly after the graduation ceremony.

Season two

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A casting call for a second season was announced at the end of the reunion show. The second season of Tool Academy was slated for premiere August 2, 2009 but was changed to August 31, 2009, then was later changed again to August 30, 2009. The show's promo was shown on August 3, 2009 during the premiere of Real Chance of Love 2.[2] The winner for the second season of Tool Academy was T Shaw (Terry) "Dancin Tool" and Nicole. T Shaw proposed to Nicole after winning the competition.

Season three

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The first episode premiered on February 14, 2010. This season's competitors are both men and women, nominated by their respective partners, including one lesbian couple.[3] The tools and toolettes believe they are competing for the title of Party Ambassador. The winner for the third season of Tool Academy was Jacob "Neander Tool" and Christie.

Controversy and pornographic performance

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Six cast members from various seasons of Tool Academy filmed pornographic videos for the website Reality Revealed, an offshoot of the gay porn website Straight College Men. From January through March 2010 the videos were released around two weeks apart. Stewart "Stew" Ellefson, Tyler Synon, Daniel "Dan" Jovicevic, and John Lamb of Season 2 appeared in videos, along with Matsuflex (Ryan Matsunaga) and Shawn Southern of Season 1.

A lawsuit was filed against Bait & Tackle, the company running the websites, by the production company of Tool Academy, who assert that all of these men are in violation of their contracts.[4][5]

UK Version

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On October 21, 2010, Broadcast Magazine reported that Objective Productions would be making Tool Academy for E4 in United Kingdom.[6] The series stays true to the US version, albeit observing certain cultural variations on the format. Channel 4 regular Rick Edwards presents the series alongside TV psychiatrist Dr Sandra Scott.

References

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  1. ^ "Tool Academy: Coming Soon To VH1". Archived from the original on December 17, 2008.
  2. ^ "Class of '09: Tool Academy Casting".
  3. ^ "Tool Academy 3 Recap - Episode 1 - Game Done Changed | Vh1 Blog". Blog.vh1.com. 2010-02-14. Archived from the original on February 18, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  4. ^ "Tool Academy Trying To Sue Porn Company Over Stealing Its Cast". Thedirty.com. 2009-12-16. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  5. ^ "Reality TV, porn worlds increasingly overlap, like with reality star porn site Reality Revealed + reality blurred". Realityblurred.com. 2010-01-27. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  6. ^ "Objective remakes Tool Academy for E4". broadcastnow.co.uk. 2010-10-21. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
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