The Contender (2005–2007)

Hosts Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard give 16 young boxing hopefuls a shot at the big time in this Mark Burnett and Jeffrey Katzenberg reality drama. The Contender will delve into ... See full summary »

Creator:

Mark Burnett

Stars:

Sugar Ray Leonard, Jeff Connor, Alfonso Gomez Jr.

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Sugar Ray Leonard	...	Himself - Host (43 episodes, 2005-2007)
Jeff Connor	...	Himself - Ring Announcer (32 episodes, 2005-2007)
Alfonso Gomez Jr.	...	Himself - Fighter (32 episodes, 2005-2007)
Tommy Gallagher	...	Himself - Trainer (27 episodes, 2005-2006)
Jeremy Williams	...	Himself - Trainer (27 episodes, 2005-2006)
Sergio Mora	...	Himself - Fighter (27 episodes, 2005-2007)
Jeff Fraza	...	Himself - Fighter (27 episodes, 2005-2006)
Peter Manfredo Jr.	...	Himself - Fighter (25 episodes, 2005-2007)
Jesse Brinkley	...	Himself - Fighter (22 episodes, 2005-2007)

Storyline

Hosts Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard give 16 young boxing hopefuls a shot at the big time in this Mark Burnett and Jeffrey Katzenberg reality drama. The Contender will delve into the lives of each of the boxers as they work their way to a million dollar paycheck and a career as a professional boxer.

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Plot Keywords:

boxing | boxing ring | punch | elimination | challenge | 

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Taglines:

The next great human drama

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Genres:

Reality-TV | Sport

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Details

Official Sites:

NBC Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 March 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bokszakadémia

Filming Locations:

Caesars Palace - 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks SKG, ESPN, Mark Burnett Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 90 min 120 min 60 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sylvester Stallone's wife Jennifer Flavin-Stallone appears numerous times in this series.

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Quotes

Sergio Mora: [talking about getting to the finales] I've been hungry to get to this point. Now I'm famished.

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Connections

Followed by The Contender Rematch: Mora vs. Manfredo (2005)

User Reviews

Finally, there's a point!!

Usually, I can't stand "reality" shows. I don't care to see average people go through anything to get on television, not to mention the fact that the presence of cameras totally contaminates their behavior. I can survive on an island for over a month, I can eat cattle eyes, and I could cheat on my girlfriend. I just don't think any of it is worth it just to be recognized(for a little while). I know, the money doesn't hurt either but greed isn't any more noble than vanity.

So, on to the point. "The Contender" buries all those other shows for a few reasons. First of all, these guys are doing something most of us can't. They are professional fighters. Getting punched hurts, staying in peak physical condition all the time takes way more discipline than the average north American can muster in their dreams. I'm a big sports fan and part of the appeal is athletes(with the exception of some baseball players) are as close to super human as you can get. The second reason this show stands above is because their behavior wouldn't change much without the cameras. The only exception is there would be no Sly, but don't forget, he's just an actor anyway. And finally, at there is a fight at the end of each show, again, I'm a fight fan so knowing there will be a professional boxing match with elimination on the line is really exciting to me.

My only criticism is the cheesy over-dramatization, but it's network TV and they would jump off a building before presenting something at face value(think Superbowl).

_D