On this week’s episode, as I suspected, my dissatisfaction with my training as a part of Team Whittaker is continuing to be a main storyline of the season – which is exactly what I didn’t want.
I wanted to go into the TUF house, put my head down, focus on the task at hand and steer clear of any drama. So, while it’s cool to be a focus of several of the episodes, this is not what I was hoping for.
As I have hoped to make clear, I have a lot of respect for Robert Whittaker and the coaches he brought along as part of the season. At the end of the day, though, we had very different mindsets on how we were approaching the tournament and training while on the show. I can see their side, and I believe they can see mine. I mean no disrespect when I say that I’m dissatisfied; it’s just the truth, based on my expectations going into the season.
But I wasn’t the only one on my team who wasn’t happy with the intensity of training on Team Whittaker. And another thing that was somewhat upsetting to myself and several of my teammates was the lack of Robert’s presence in the TUF house.
Seeing Team Gastelum all together at the house was like icing on the cake to the whole experience. They were having so much fun, enjoying great food, laughing lots, and only getting stronger as a team and individual competitors.
I know Robert wasn’t there to be our friend, but I think if he and his coaches followed the lead of Team Gastelum, it would’ve gone a long way in boosting morale and making the experience a more positive one for all of us. The nights can drag in the TUF house, and a visit like that would go a long way in team-building.
All that being said, it made me extremely happy to see our team get back in the win column. Like I’ve said before, this is an individual competition, but I’m a big believer in the team aspect of the tournament, so it made me really happy to get that victory.
