The numbers for this season of Tough Enough have been disappointing. That is USA Network’s take for Tough Enough and for wrestling in general, according to the Wrestling Observer newsletter. The network believes that the format of the show (being taped with live segments) is not working and the judges don’t have enough time to make fair decisions and fans only get a few minutes to vote instead of a day or a week like other reality shows. By giving the fans just a few minutes to vote there is no word of mouth being spread around. One of the producers from the TV show “Blind Date,” that ran for 7 seasons in syndication, is working on Tough Enough so that may have something to do with the way the stuff in the house is presented.
Regardless of the format, the fact is that the ratings started out bad even before people realized what the show format would be. It’s not like the ratings started out strong and then dropped afterwards. The 2011 season was great for ratings, probably in larger part, due to Steve Austin being the host and there was more of a no-nonsense approach to the show. Also, fans now know that the winners from that season never made it in WWE so it’s hard for some people to believe that this show would produce a star for the main roster.
Dave Meltzer also noted that USA also believes that wrestling’s popularity is cycling downward. The evidence is in Raw’s declining ratings.
