With over 4,000 tapes sent into the WWF, 230 hopefuls come to WWF New York to audition for the show, but only 13 are selected to make the trip to Stamford, Connecticut to find out who is tough enough.

The group meets Al Snow, Jacqueline, and Tori and begin their training. They also meet Tazz, who comes to their house unannounced one morning and forces them to wrestle in the mud and jog behind him while riding in a Hummer.

Triple H lectures the group about the reality and the integrity of the wrestling business; a reality that Jason decides he is not willing to be a part of and respects too much to waste.

Bobbie Jo and Victoria decide that they do not belong in the wrestling business. When Maven and Josh kid around the house, a fire breaks out. Stephanie McMahon takes the girls out to lunch. When Al has to wrestle on SmackDown!, the group scores front row tickets to the show.

Darryl can't catch a break when he loses a bet in a game of darts to "Big", Josh, Greg, and Maven and aggravates Chris Nowinski when he asks him for more money to cook dinner for Pat Patterson. Meanwhile, the trainers are not keen on his performance, either in the ring or out of it.

After a hard day in the ring, the group realizes that either Shadrick or Chris Ni. are going to be cut. Meanwhile, the kids visit a restaurant staffed entirely by transvestites, who quickly bring Maven, Greg, and Chris Nowinski on-stage.

After Kurt Angle visits the group and tells of how he broke into the wrestling business, the kids take a trip to the Bahamas where Chris Nowinski begins to annoy Josh and Paulina suffers a knee injury which forces her to make a tough decision.

The Hardy Boyz and Lita visit the group. Meanwhile, Nidia and Josh injure themselves in the ring, while Greg aggravates an old back injury that puts his future in the competition in jeopardy.

With the troupe feeling bruised and banged up, Al takes their mind off it by introducing them to "the circle game" and bets Chris Nowinski that he can beat him three times with it. After he loses, he must go to Yale University proclaiming that "Harvard Sucks." Meanwhile, Greg's doctor advises him that continuing to wrestle may be detrimental to his health.

When Maven learns that his mother's cancer has gotten worse, he leaves the house for a few days to care for her in the hospital. With Maven away, Josh begins to get lonely and contemplates leaving the competition. Meanwhile, Chris Ni, having earned the nickname "Career Killer", decides that it might not be his time to be a professional wrestler after Mick Foley talks to the group.

As the competition nears its end, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Debra visit the kids at home, "Big" holds one more physical challenge for the group at a rock quarry, and Josh must overcome his self-doubt in order to successfully execute a moonsault.

The kids wrestle against each other as Vince McMahon watches from ringside. The chairman has more in-store for the troupe as they are called into his office at WWF headquarters.