The Tiger Kings Celebrate
Finally there was a major turn around of events as John Wayne Parr, captain of the Tiger Kings, managed to secure a first ever win for the team. The team hoisted their victorious captain and cheered on in jubilation. With this win, the Tiger Kings have clawed their way back into the competition. John Wayne clarified that it was a very hard fight as he fought with pure anger. “Luckily I won the fight. I'm here, he's not.” he said in a sigh of relief. In a rather ironic moment, they let out their group cheer once again, “Go home Rafik!”
Back in the locker room, a doctor stitched up John Wayne's bloody nose, which got busted during the fight. He explained that he already had 186 stitches on his face alone. Comically, he asked the doctor if it would be possible to reach 200 from this fight. The doctor dashed his 'hopes' by responding that he would only be able to hit 190. Yodsaenklai looked on with what look like fright on his face as John Wayne got stitched up. He continued on to say that even though Rafik split his nose, he was lucky to only need five stitches. In his years of being a Muay Thai fighter, his current stitch-count stood at 191 on his face and unfortunately said he would be reaching 200 sooner rather than later.
Discussing their win
The moods of the Tiger Kings were finally uplifted as they discussed the fight between John Wayne and Rafik. Zach commented that it was a good fight while Yukay added that it was “bad work but good fight.” The men agreed that it was a good fight as Rafik gave John Wayne strong competition. Dzhabar said, “Respect the fight but not the mouth!”
John Wayne entered the room and the men hugged and cheered for their triumphant captain. He shouted in happiness, “We finally won! Everyone seemed extremely proud of John Wayne as he had avenged their losses. Soren claimed that John Wayne looked “pretty busted up,” but he came through nonetheless and brought victory home. “It was the first time that the red team got to send the blue team home,” Soren said. John Wayne then shared with his team that Rafik was better than he had expected, “I've got to give him that.” As a memento from his win, he hung his mongkok at the back of his bed and kissed his national flag.
As they continued to review the match, John Wayne said that he felt horrible in the third round. In round four he told himself, “What are you doing?” Dzhabar remarked in his interview that he thought it would be an easy fight for John Wayne. Obviously, he said he thought wrong. “I thought he was going to lose. When people go into the ring angry, they lose control.” John Wayne then started to nurse his injuries, incurred from the fight. In his interview, bearing a swollen eye and a stitched up nose, he shared that he hoped people would not judge him from the last performance, as “that was not John Wayne Parr. I'm going to shock them in the next fight.”
In addition to his other injuries, he seemed to have hurt his right ankle badly. The men watched him as he winced in pain. He compared his ankles and said,”It hurts really badly.” Soren remarked, “John Wayne fought badly compared to the John Wayne I know. He didn't fight well and there are possibly a few people who think they can beat him.”
Missing At Training
There were quite a few Wild Boars missing during the training as five of them had fallen ill. David, Zidov, Naruepol, Yukay and Alain were lying in their beds, groaning. Sean explained to Soren "Yukay is pretty bad, he's puking and stuff. Alain, he's always kind of ill." It was a quiet morning for the fighters; however Soren said that he took full advantage of this fact to train harder.
In the Wild Boars room, Zidov asked Bruce if he had a fever. Bruce felt his forehead and said he had a temperature. Zidov shared that many people in the Wild Boars were sick. He believed that a virus was spreading amongst the group. John Wayne was sitting with Zidov and Yukay as Zidov explained that he woke up in the morning at 5am and was “puking his liver out.” His comic exaggeration of his sickness made the men laugh. In his interview, he said that although most of the blue team was sick, there was a challenge coming up and they had to always try and give their hundred percent.
Challenge
The next challenge was set in Singapore's Har Paw Villa where the fighters met Stephen and Jaymee. In comparison to the earlier day, the sick members of the Wild Boars looked much better. Jaymee then asked the all-important question of who was going to take over Rafik's place as captain of the Wild Boars. Bruce Macfie stepped out and everyone cheered for him. He said it was honor for him that he was voted. It was up to him to make sure the Wild Boars made the right decisions. “I have to keep the team nice and strong now that Rafik is out of the picture,” he added. Stephen commented, “Good choice!”
Jaymee explained the history of Haw Par Villa. "It is the quintessential house of Chinese folklore. There is nowhere in the world like it. The masks that you see around are characters in Chinese mythology.” She then explained that their challenge was to put together the pieces of the puzzle to 'appease these characters.' Stephen said that the pieces of the puzzle were in the giant ice blocks in front of them. One by one the team members had to carve and break the ice blocks to retrieve the pieces of the puzzle. Once the first team member had gotten a piece, the next member could go and so on so forth. Along with the pieces of the puzzle, they had to retrieve a Chinese mask as well. As soon as they had done so, they had to complete the puzzle together and place the mask on it. The first team to do so would win. The men then started to inspect the ice blocks looking rather uncertain.
The teams began to strategize on the best way to break the ice. Clad in protective goggles and carrying appropriate equipment, Pitu and David were the first to start. Immediately it was obvious that the Wild Boars had their own strategy. While Pitu started carving the ice with his tools, David punched and threw the block around so that it broke on impact. It took less work and made them faster as well. Using this strategy, the Wild Boars clinched a huge lead ahead of the Tiger Kings. Jaymee shouted at the Tiger Kings, “You guys are behind!” They started hacking at the ice even harder.
Stephen also started to shout, “Common boys, harder!” The Wild Boars were pulling out pieces of the puzzle rapidly and started working on putting them together. At this point, the Tiger Kings were still hacking away at the ice. However unbeknownst to the Wild Boars, they had left one piece of the puzzle under the crushed ice. They started working on putting their puzzle together and were almost halfway through when the Tiger Kings finally started working on their puzzle. It was only after they had finally put all their pieces together did the Wild Boars notice that they were missing a piece.
As they searched frantically for the missing piece, the Tiger Kings managed to catch up with the Wild Boars and eventually overtook them. They added the mask on top of their finished puzzle and howled in delight. They managed to win the challenge in while the Wild Boars were still searching for their piece. Due to the hastiness and anxiety of the team, they had lost their second challenge in succession to the Tiger Kings. Zidov finally found the missing piece lying under some blocks of ice. In frustration of their stupidity, David kicked an ice block angrily.
The men re-assembled and Bruce good-naturedly wished them congratulations. Although they had lost, they show great sportsmanship that went beyond the disappointment of their loss. Due to their win, the Tiger Kings got a reward in addition to being able to decide the fighters for that week. Jaymee explained that they were going to enjoy Singaporeans' favourite pastime: good food and chilling at the beach. They would be enjoying a day at the Rasa Sentosa hotel on beautiful Sentosa Island. Award winning chefs would be providing them with scrumptious food to tantalize their taste buds. The overjoyed Tiger Kings cheered at the thought of spending yet another day outside the loft.
Rewarded at Sentosa
The Tiger Kings arrived at Rasa Sentosa hotel and were greeted by a buffet of delicious looking food. John Wayne said that it was so beautiful and they were cared for as though they were superstars. They toasted to their “very lucky win and very great team.” Hopefully they would win all their remaining fights, they said. As they drank up their drinks, they moaned in delight, “Mmmmm…” Yodsaenklai said, “The food was the best. For the first 20 minutes no one spoke. We just sat there eating and we attacked the food.” Jokingly, they said that the Wild Boars could have come and enjoyed the eloquent lunch as well. They then responded with a sarcastic, “Nah! They got loft food. Zidov will be cooking his 'famous' pasta.” The Tiger Kings laughed uproariously as they continued to gorge on their food.
After the food they had a friendly volleyball beach competition. However, it looked like they were missing the ball more than hitting it across the net. Soren said humorously, “I don't think the Tiger Kings are too good at playing volleyball. But I think I'm pretty good.” Just then we see him missing the ball several times as he fell face first into the sand. He then responded, “I don't really think I'm good at volleyball!” Although the men were bad at playing the game, they fooled around in happiness over their win.
Time to Decide
John Wayne started off the deliberation by asking who wanted to fight. Yodsaenklai, Zach and Soren raised their hands. Soren said that he wanted to fight Alain. In his interview Soren said that he would not bother if the person he wanted to fight against were sick, as this was a competition. Zach wanted to fight Zidov. He said he wanted to give him “the green eye.”
In the Wild Boars' room, Zidov said that since Alain and Yukay were not 100 percent fit due to the fact that they were sick, it would not be fair to choose them. Furthermore, neither did they choose Zach when he was injured in the first episode. Bruce added that if they were smart they should let Zach fight while he could. He said when they won a challenge; he would fight Zach as he would be an easy fight.
Back with the Tiger Kings, John Wayne asked Yodsaenklai whom he wanted to fight against. He responded, “Bruce.” When asked why, he explained that Bruce was one of the strongest fighters there. Moreover, in their challenges he was always the reason why the Wild Boars won. More importantly, he said that if Bruce stayed on he would win the challenge and would fight Zach for sure. Zach said that he knew that the next time they won a challenge that Bruce would pick him. In his interview, Zach shared that Bruce was bullying him and singling him out as he had the least amount of experience. He knew that Yodsaenklai was making a sacrifice for him by putting himself on the line. Zach said that it would be unrealistic for him with sixteen fights under his belt to try and beat someone with hundred fights. He felt it was really honorable of Yodsaenklai.
The Fighters Are Announced
Jaymee and Stephen rounded up the men in the training are for the big announcement. From the Tiger Kings, Yodsaenklai got up to represent his team. Everyone clapped for him and Stephen asked who his opponent was. He pointed at Bruce, the newest captain of the Wild Boars.
In his interview, Yodsaenklai explained that the reason why he chose Bruce was due to the fact that he knew Bruce wanted to fight with Zach and he wanted to help him out a little. They 'Wai-ed' and shook hands. Bruce said in his interview that Yodsaenklai was the WMC champion and fighting him he had nothing to lose. He knew he could leave the arena with his head held high simply by being in the same ring as him.
The Wild Boars Give Encouragement
As the men discussed the upcoming fight, David told Bruce. "If there's anyone who can do it, I know you can do it yeah? I have faith in you." They shook hands and hugged. Sean said that Bruce was a strong fighter and that Yodsaenklai might be a little overconfident. The men came together for a group cheer, in support of their captain. Bruce said that he did not want to bow out within a couple of times of being the captain. He said that if they wanted to use their big guns he would use his big guns and pointed, comically, at his bicep. The men laughed and cheered.
Dinner & Conversation
Bruce spoke privately to David, "Yodsaenklai is a lazy fighter. I don't care if people say he's an awesome fighter. He's a lazy fighter and we're not losing a captain. If he thinks he can cut through this fight, he's tripping, man!" David agreed with Bruce and said, “I know you.” In his interview, David said Yodsaenklai thought Bruce was a pushover but he did not agree. He added that Bruce was one of the strongest fighters in the house and he hoped he went out to prove it.
Bruce also spoke to John Wayne and Yukay in the hallway. He explained to them, "One thing my dad said to me when I came here. He said lay it on the line. You come home and you've got regrets man, you'll never live it down. He said no matter whom you fight or whatever happens, give it every single thing that you've got. Cause other than that it doesn't matter. Come home with your head high.” Bruce ended off by saying that the decision would take over itself. John Wayne and Yukay encouraged him to give it his all.
Yodsaenklai's Thai counterpart, Naruepol thought to himself, he did not understand why Yodsaenklai wanted to fight with Bruce instead of with a weaker fighter. He said in his interview, “there are so many fighters to choose from. Why not advance to the next round without getting hurt?” Yodsaenklai was sitting with Dzhabar and Zidov in the living room and he joked with them, “I scared, I scared.” In his interview he commented, “Bruce is nothing much. Everyone reckons I can beat him. I'm world famous and he should be scared instead. I believe in my own skills that I can beat Bruce for sure. I'm more skilled than Bruce anyway.” He was exhibiting extremely cool behavior before the match and suddenly broke out into a Thai song and shared a good laugh with his friends.
At this point we can see that the barriers have broken between the two teams. They sat around and chatted with one another. This was a complete change of scene from the earlier weeks when they tended to stick with their own teams.
30 Minutes To The Fight
Yodsaenklai spoke about his inspiration to fight, "the important people in my life are my parents. They have watched over me and raised me. This competition is huge and has a big prize money. I want to pay them back for taking care of me. I will do my best for my duty to my family.” Yodsaenklai's trainer told him, “You're the champ in the ring the trainer.” In his last show of confidence, he said that Bruce's punches were heavy but he could beat him for sure. Stephen entered the room with words of encouragement, “You're the best in Thailand.” Yodsaenklai said, “I'm confident in my chances. I will bring the championship home.”
Bruce rationalized, “Yodsaenklai is a man, same as me. He puts his gloves on, same as me and puts his shorts on, same as me. If there is anybody in this house that can beat him, it's me. When I get ready for a fight, I remind myself of whom I am, and what I've done. I deserve to be in this exact position fighting with Yodsaenklai.” He added that it was going to be one of the hardest moments of his entire life. The trainer placed the armband on for Bruce. They 'Wai-ed' and did a short prayer. Bruce warmed up by throwing some punches.
Stephen entered and told Bruce, “You can take him. He has scored big points but you have seen him train. This fight for me comes too early. I really want to see that in the semi-final, maybe in the final. So you have to take him out tonight. So you go in there and do the 'preacher' thing ok?” With that, both fighters got ready to enter the ring.
Yodsaenklai entered bearing all his medals and wore his WMC belt around his waist. Bruce said right before he left that if Yodsaenklai took him too lightly he was going to lose. They performed the Wai Khru and warmed up for the match. David reminded Bruce “No regrets today.”
1st Round
Yodsaenklai got into action immediately as Bruce's kicks and punches were blocked off. They both took it slow and easy at the start teasing each other at times before Yodsaenklai finally slammed one hard punch right into Bruce's shoulder along with several kicks that followed that Bruce managed to block off. Bruce then started to use his wits and utilized all the space in the ring to stop being cornered. Yodsaenklai then almost knocked Bruce over with a kick. Bruce retaliated by trying to kick him on the head but Yodsaenklai cleverly blocked it. Yodsaenklai then started kicking Bruce several times on the knee. Bruce did really well as blocked off Yodsaenklai's stringent attacks. He tried to launch an attack of his own as he tried punching Yodsaenklai In the face, but Yodsaenklai read Bruce's intentions really well and instead pushed Bruce into the corner and kicked him repeatedly. Yodsaenklai then caught Bruce's leg and he threw more punches to the face. Bruce threw himself at Yodsaenklai to get into a huddle which bought him some time as the referee had to restart the bout.
At this point, it seemed that Yodsaenklai's punches and kicks seemed to be extremely calculated, using the heavier punches and kicks only when the perfect opportunity presented itself. Bruce threw punches of his own but just like his previous efforts, they were blocked yet again. The bell rang and round one was over. Yodsaenklai raised his hands in triumph as he walked to his corner. David told Bruce, “Good round but you're standing a little too much in front of him.” Pitu then explained to Yodsaenklai, “He's only got hands, that's not a problem. Block kick block and kick.” David then told Bruce that he had much more success whenever he used his hands first.
Yodsaenklai started of fiercely; eager to finish the bout off and got into action immediately with his kicks and punches. Bruce dug into his reserves to fend off Yodsaenklai and succeeded when he connected with one of his kicks. It did not last long though as Yodsaenklai drove him around the ring with his punches and kicks. Bruce did manage to block one of his punches and countered with a punch of his own to Yodsaenklai. The bell sounded soon after and with three rounds in the bag, it was quite obvious that Yodsaenklai had gotten a huge lead over Bruce. With this realization, he raised his hands up to a cheering crowd. Zidov told Bruce, “wake up Bruce, wake up!” John Wayne pointed out to Yodsaenklai, "his right arm is all bruised, kick! Kick!!” Zidov tried to rally Bruce and said, “You're a good boxer, start more boxing! David echoed, “All I want you to use are your arms and hands. Punch and elbow.”
Bruce started off by throwing as many punches as he could muster. He dug as deep as he could into his reserves once again and blocked off Yodsaenklai's punches and countered with punches off his own which were once again blocked by Yodsaenklai. At this juncture, Yodsaenklai raised his eyebrows at Bruce as if to ask, "Is that all you've got?" He was much more relaxed in this round as he knew that victory was already secured.
As the ring announcer, announced the winner, Bruce pointed at Yodsaenklai as he knew his Thai counterpart had his number all night. There were no surprises as Yodsaenklai was duly announced as the winner. He said that he was really happy that he won and was another step closer to his ultimate goal. He was also proud of the fact that he had proven that he would go the distance and win the competition. He also added, “I think Bruce is talented but a sportsman must face his losses and victories.” Bruce left the ring to a cheering crowd and Yodsaenklai was lifted by his teammates after yet another win for the Tiger Kings.
He took a final walk around the arena and screamed, “Wild Boars!!” His teammates appeared from their room above and cheered and clapped for him before they yelled, “See you later, Bruce!!” He hung up his Australian flag as he parted ways and said, “I am disappointed that I didn't fight my best but considering I fought with one of the best fighters in the world. Five rounds with Yodsaenklai, I'm going to walk out of here with my head held high. I don't think anyone in the world can touch me. "
