This week’s episode of Toned Up was a two-parter focused on changes in both the girls’ personal life and their business.
We start off back in Hawaii where the bulk of their Beach Babe DVD is being filmed. Before Karena and Katrina head out to the shoot, they sit in their hotel room and have a conversation about how they have each other through good times and bad. They reassure each other that they will always back each other up. It’s a bittersweet moment because we can already sense the changes coming.
On the set of the video shoot, we see Kat’s fiancé Brian taking more control. He’s rustling the girls to stay on schedule and hurry to finish getting ready. He’s checking on the videographers, making sure they are on their tasks. In a talking heads moment, Karena admits that she’s not used to Brian being so assertive. We get the feeling that there’s going to be some tension coming up.
Next there’s a montage of clips showing Katrina and Karena filming various workout moves. They explain that they have to do each move 5 to 6 times more than what actually makes it into the video so that they can get all of the angles on film. After 7 hours of working out, Katrina’s neck pain starts to flare up. At first it’s just a dull pain and she pushes through it. However when she has to film her solo part, her neck muscles and spine seize up and she is unable to continue. Immediately she calls out for Karena to help her. This shocks Brian since he’s standing next to Karena and he would’ve thought that Katrina would trust him to help her. In another talking head segment, Katrina explains that she called out for Karena because they are in this business and this DVD shoot together and Karena was the only person that could give Kat a reason to go on.
Eventually Katrina is able to finish filming and the DVD shoot is wrapped.
Back home in California, the girls meet up with Brian and a few other staff members to discuss the shoot. It’s a casual environment in which each person takes some blame for the problems that they had in Hawaii.
In the last scene of this first episode, the girls go on a double date with Brian and his friend Bobby. Karena is excited because she has a major crush on Bobby. They decide to go ballroom dancing. While Kat and Brian struggle with moves and chemistry, Bobby and Karena hit it off right away. Brian jokes that maybe Bobby will make Karena so happy that she’ll dance her way out of their apartment. It’s just another reminder that three is getting to be a crowd.

The second episode, “Change is a Comin’”, starts off with the girls pull their whole staff into a meeting to discuss the pros and cons of the Hawaii shoot. Karena begins by saying that they needs to fix mistakes like not knowing where the location was and not having gas in the car. They continue by talking about expenses and saying that they need to streamline them. They can no longer pay for doggie daycare for their office dog or miscellaneous expenses like gum and air fresheners. During this whole conversation, Brian is speaking up with his ideas and suggestions and it’s becoming clear that he is needed to ground the girls in business.
In a lighter scene, Kat and Karena head to a local bar to film content for their You Tube account. They want to show healthy cocktails to have while out and about. In the midst of making the video, they get tipsy trying the concoctions and end up giggling and dancing for the camera.
Brian, Katrina, and Karena are back at their apartment discussing Brian coming on to work full time at Tone It Up. Karena is getting upset. She feels like she is already getting kicked out of her apartment, she’s losing her best friend to marriage, and now she’s losing part of her business. She’s not ready for change because she’s the happiest she’s ever been in this moment in time.
To further prove that things are moving forward, Kat and Brian meeting with a wedding planner in the next scene. They want help in picking a venue and a theme for their wedding. By the end of the meeting, planning is in full swing. Meanwhile, Karena goes to an aerial park with her friend Renee. They have a good workout flipping through the air on a trapeze and then sit down to have a chat. Renee asks Karena if she feels like it’s time to move out. Karena answers no because she’s happy where she is. Gently, Renee tells her that it’s hard to plan a wedding and start a new life with a third person involved and she owes it to Kat to let her be free to move on with Brian. At this time, Karena tells us about her tough childhood and relays how she was into drugs and everything bad she could get her hands on before she met Katrina. Kat is now her rock and she isn’t sure what she’ll do if she loses her. Renee says that she will never lose Kat, it’ll just be different. She also states that if Karena continues to avoid the situation, it’ll only get worse. Karena is in tears at the end of the conversation, but it seems like the message has sunk in.
The last nail in the “change is coming” coffin is when they are all back at their apartment. Brian checks his email and reveals that his boss has ok’d his resignation. He has officially quit his job and able to join the girls full time at Tone It Up. Change has arrived.