The Contender is a reality television show based on the sport of boxing, but with an element of the (middleweight) competitors lives and relationships with each other within the show's living quarters, based in Pasadena, California. The winner of The Contender - Sergio Mora, who was decided in a fight at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, received US$1 million, and "the chance to be a professional prize fighter." The show ran for fifteen weeks through 2005 on NBC in the United States of America and ITV in the UK. Episodes also aired in the United States of America in the Spanish language on Telemundo. The second season with lightweight contenders airs on ESPN with a projected summer start date. Reality television is a genre of television programming which generally is unscripted, documenting actual events over fiction, and featuring ordinary people over professional actors. ... Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano at Madison Square Garden, 1951 Julio Cesar Chavez and Ivan Robinson at the Staples Centre, Los Angeles, 2005 Amir Khan of Britain and Mario Cesar Kindelan Mesa of Cuba at the Athens Olympics, 2004 Boxing, nicknamed the sweet science and also called pugilism or prizefighting... Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. ... Pasadena is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... Sergio The Latin Snake Mora (b. ... Caesars Palace is about the hotel casino in Las Vegas. ... This article is about the city of Las Vegas in Nevada. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... Current ITV logo. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Its strapline is 'The Next Great Human Drama'. A strapline is a secondary sentence or slogan that is attached to a brand or company name. ...

The show takes the format of a gameshow, with the boxers divided into two teams: East Coast and West Coast (or simply East and West), based upon their place of dwelling. These teams compete for the right to choose which of their team members fights that week, and who he fights against. The second half of the hour long episodes are mostly taken up with that fight: the loser is eliminated.

The program is hosted by Sugar Ray Leonard, former champion boxer, and Sylvester Stallone, who famously portrayed the boxer Rocky Balboa in the Rocky series of films, and also is the show's executive producer. It is being produced by Mark Burnett. Sugar Ray Leonard (born 1956) is an American former boxer. ... Sylvester Stallone, 1970, 24 years old, in his first movie. ... Rocky (1976) is a motion picture written by and starring Sylvester Stallone as underdog boxer Rocky Balboa. ... Mark Burnett (born July 17, 1960), a British-born, naturalized citizen of the United States, is an extremely successful and dynamic TV producer, best known for the reality television series Survivor and the Eco-Challenge adventure race, as well as for The Apprentice, The Restaurant, The Casino, Rock Star: INXS...

On February 14, 2005, one of the 16 contestants, Najai Turpin, shot himself while sitting with his girlfriend in a parked car outside the West Philadelphia gym where he trained. In his memory, the producers set up a trust fund for his daughter Anyae. The show still aired in its entirety, but with a special tribute to Turpin. February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Najai Turpin (b. ... A Foundation is a type of philanthropic organization set up by either individuals or institutions as a legal entity (usually either a corporation or a trust) with the purpose of distributing grants to support causes in line with the goals of the foundation. ...

On May 16, 2005, the series was cancelled. The first season cost NBC $2,000,000 per episode. NBC was to have been said to been satisfied with the ratings within the demographics it drew. Reruns were seen on CNBC. On August 11, 2005, ESPN announced that it was picking up the rights to a second season of the show, currently set to begin airing on the network in April 2006. ESPN also announced that it has options to renew the series for two additional seasons. May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... CNBC (until 1991 the Consumer News and Business Channel) is a group of cable and satellite television news channels from the U.S., owned and operated by NBC Universal, a joint venture of General Electric and Vivendi Universal. ... August 11 is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... ESPN, formerly an abbreviation of Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day. ... Look up April in Wiktionary, the free dictionary April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Before the show premiered, rival US television Fox network rushed to air a competing show The Next Great Champ hosted by Oscar de la Hoya. The show performed very poorly, with the final episodes being relegated to cable FSN. In an effort to distance itself from the Fox disaster, NBC opted to hold airing its show until spring. The Fox Broadcasting Company is a television network in the United States. ... Fox Sports Net logo Fox Sports Net headquarters in Los Angeles. ...

Contestants

The West Coast wear yellow, and the East Coast blue. Much of the equipment is being provided by Everlast. (In the list below, the boxers are in alphabetical order of first name, as they are on the official website.) Everlast is the product name of a boxing equipment manufacturer based in New York. ...

Ahmed Babyface Khaddour (b. ... Brent The Disciple Cooper (b. ... Jeff Hell Raza Fraza (b. ... Chicken pox, also spelled chickenpox, is a common childhood disease caused by the varicella_zoster virus (VZV), also known as human herpes virus 3 (HHV_3), one of the eight herpesviruses known to affect humans. ... Jimmy Lange (b. ... Jonathon Reid is a professional boxer. ... Juan de la Rosa is a professional boxer. ... Injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or function of the body caused by an outside agent or force, which may be physical or chemical. ... Najai Turpin (b. ... It has been suggested that Suicide and culture be merged into this article or section. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Peter Manfredo Jr. ...

Episode Guide

Week One

The Contenders arrive, and are split up into their teams, before moving into impressive living quarters: each boxer having to share a room with a team member.

After winning the challenge, an event which involved carrying logs up Hollywood Hill, West Coast are given the choice of fight. The Hollywoodland sign in the 1920s The famous Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, California was erected in 1923 to advertise a new housing development in the hills above Hollywood. ...

Alfonso makes the controversial, some might say brash, choice to fight Peter, who had a 21-0 (21 wins and 0 loss) record prior to the show. The pre-fight press conference saw the start of a long running feud between Ahmed and Ishe develop. Alfonso wins on a unanimous points decision, having punched more regularly and efficiently over the five rounds and although Peter had sustained a big cut to Alfonso's brow in Round Two, and looked good in Round Four, he was eliminated.

West Coast Win

Week Two

A dispute between Ahmed and Ishe rumbled on from last week's episode, such that Stallone had to give the pair a dressing down. The West Coast Team were also rewarded for their victory with a visit from George Foreman. George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949 in Marshall, Texas) is a former boxer who was twice Heavyweight Champion of the world and is considered to be one of the greatest Heavyweight boxers of all time. ...

This week's challenge took place at the Rose Bowl, and involved the teams running around the stands, retrieving flags and then assembling a large puzzle on the main pitch. Again, the West Coast won, amidst assimptions that Ahmed would be fighting Ishe, although Ishe refused the opportunity to fight. This article is about the Los Angeles stadium. ...

Jesse offered to fight Jonathon, which was a surprise, Alfonso having warned against it. The pre-fight press conference saw Jesse accusing Ishe of "punking out", having refused to fight.

To the fight then, where Rounds One and Two were reasonably even, in the third Jesse landed a huge uppercut, and although Jonathon did better in Round Four, when he got pushed onto the ropes in the final round the writing was on the wall. Jesse won, Jonathon was eliminated. The uppercut (sometimes also referred to as the upper), is a punch used in boxing that usually aims at the opponents chin. ...

West Coast Win

Week Three

A shell-shocked East Coast emerged at the start of the episode, although on the West, Ishe admitted that he had gone through last week's fight willing Jonathon, not his team-mate Jesse, to win. The West Coast Team's reward this week was being decked out in new designer suits, a particularly emotional experience for Sergio, who had never owned a suit, but said he had always wanted to.

Ahmed, who had just promised to beat Ishe, found himself at the centre of a dispute with Juan, who accused him of 'showing off' while sparring with Leonard. Ishe meanwhile re-charged his batteries at home and seemed to benefit - he stopped feeling under so much pressure to fight Ahmed.

This week's challenge was a game of dodgeball. Joey was the hero for a victorious West Coast Team, although he later complained of a hamstring injury. Ishe stepped forward to fight, but he surprised calling up Brent, his "Christian brother", as if to fight him. Instead, he just whispered in his ear that he should pray for him, and called up a psyched Ahmed. Dodgeball (or dodge ball) is the name of a traditional elementary school game, taught in high school education classes, but also popular in informal settings, often played by schoolchildren on a playground. ... Hamstring refers to the common tendon of the muscles making up the ham in animals, primarily the semitendinosus and biceps femoris. ... As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ...

Pre-fight, the atmosphere was tense, with a lot of mud-slinging. The pair barely shook hands or even made eye contact as they prepared to fight. Ahmed lost an explosive first round, and Ishe eased into control of Round Two. Ahmed pushed his luck at the end by pushing his opponent in Round Three, and landing blows after the bell in Round Four. Ishe controlled the final round, and won. Ahmed promised revenge, but was still eliminated.

West Coast Win

Week Four

The start of the episode saw a chicken-pox infected Jeff, who had complained of feeling ill on a family visit, withdrawn from the competition. The competitors were allowed to vote for who could replace him, and Peter won with eight votes, against Jonathon's four and Ahmed, who didn't receive a single vote.

West Coast's reward for Ishe winning was a VIP dinner in downtown LA. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Look up la on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The week's challenge saw the teams having to drag a 5,000 lb (2,000 kg) truck along a riverbed, and then had to construct a phrase from the letters in the bags they should have picked up along the way. East Coast lead from the front to win their first challenge. LB is may refer to: Lebanon, a Country of Internet TLD in LB. Lean Burn, a Automobile Engine. ...

Najai choose to fight Sergio, despite their huge height disparity. Pre-fight, both boxers said that their families gave them something to fight for.

In the ring, Sergio edged out a win in Round one, and in the second the tide turned to an advantage for Najai. Round three looked similar to round one, Sergio just the better fighter, although he eased ahead to victory with some wonderful flurries in round four and five. Sergio won and notably the post fight atmosphere for Najai and his family didn't look too bleak.

West Coast Win

Week Five

Peter began the episode by suggesting that he might not be ready to come back and fight, despite Miguel pledging to fight whoever got reintroduced. While sparring Peter did look tired, giving Miguel a boost.

As their reward for Sergio winning, West Coast donned their new suits and were taken to meet boxer Antonio Tarver. Sergio won a poker game at this meeting, and was awarded plane tickets to go anywhere in the world. Antonio Deon Tarver (born November 21, 1968), is a boxer from Orlando, Florida who is the world Light heavyweight champion. ... This article is about the card game. ...

The next challenge was an 'urban obstacle course' taking place in LA, which involved teams having to collect tyres to place into dumpsters, before assembling a ladder to reach up to victory. West Coast converted their numerical advantage into victory. Miguel converted this victory into the promised line up: himself versus Peter. For a wheel tyre, see the article under the US English spelling of the word, tire. ... A dumpster awaiting pick-up A Dumpster® is a large trash receptacle, and a type of mobile garbage bin or MGB. In British and Australian English, the term skip is more commonly used (although they are not perfect synonyms). ...

Peter and those around him lacked confidence, while Miguel predicted a knock-out. In the ring, Miguel started well in both rounds one and two, but in the first Peter was able to peg him back. Miguel retained his upper hand pushing Peter onto the rope in the third, but Peter bounced back in the final two rounds and landed some huge blows. Peter was awarded a close victory. In the locker room, Miguel cried, stating that he had failed his family and that his 'sister will still have to take the bus to school and my (his) mother would still have to ride the metro to work'.

East Coast Win

Week Six

Having finally felt the sting of losing, West Coast were down, but nobody felt bitter towards Peter, least of all Alfonso, his initial conqueror, as is demonstrated here. Peter said that the next three fights line ups' had been decided: this week would be Jimmy (E) would fight Anthony (W). Anthony said that he actually didn't want to fight Jimmy at all, but would rather face Brent. He kept this secret, except to the cameras of course, and indeed had to test his acting skills.

East Coast enjoyed their first reward, going to see The Tonight Show and meet Jay Leno, Jimmy saying he hoped to return one day as a guest. The Tonight Show is NBCs long-running late-night talk and variety show, currently hosted by Jay Leno in Burbank, CA (near Los Angeles). ... Jay Leno Jay Leno (born April 28, 1950) is an American comedian of Italian and Scottish extraction who is best known as the host of the long-running NBC television variety and talk show The Tonight Show. ...

While this seemed to make the challenge unnecessary, it still went ahead, with the teams dragging some medicine balls around. West Coast won, coming from behind. Anthony ended his charade, and picked Brent instead of Jimmy - nobody had suspected that, especially the shellshocked Jimmy. Medicine balls are heavy objects, roughly the size of a volleyball. ...

Anthony said he had picked the fight that was best for his family, having felt pressurised into picking Jimmy, but Joey and Jesse still were upset. Through the following evening, it became clear that everyone wanted Brent to win. At the pre-fight press conference, Ishe started to squabble with Anthony. In his dressing room, Anthony broke down in tears as his children visited him - but said he felt even more determined to win.

When the fight started, it certainly lived up to the hype, the first round being equal, and the second more in Anthony's favour, as he hit a shot to Brent which made his eye swell up. Ishe pleaded for the fight to be stopped in the uneven third, and it was. He had not stopped the fight to see his team-mate win, but because Brent was in trouble, and this anti-Anthony sentiment was echoed around the camp, but not the crowd, who cheered strongly for the victor.

West Coast Win

Week Seven

Ishe, incensed by Anthony's behaving as he did, vowed that he wouldn't take part in his team's reward and Joey felt he could no longer be his roommate. Tarick did congratulate Anthony though, saying he had done nothing wrong - but he had done enough wrong to not see eye to eye with Ishe.

Tarick revealed that himself had had scheduling problems with his career, once being ranked as number ten in the world, and being scheduled to a fight against the world champion, but having to withdraw.

Juan managed to rub Joey up the wrong way, implying that he was the weakest fighter. Stallone claimed that Brent held no grudge against Anthony though, who appeared to be losing his status as a hate figure, except in Ishe's eyes of course, despite what his friend Alfonso wanted him to feel.

As a reward, West Coast spent a night at a club with Ja Rule, who presented them all with a new watch - Ishe excluded of course, of whom Sergio said he had let his pride get in the way. If letting his pride get in the way meant throwing vases at walls, he had a point. Sergio enjoyed the night especially, and much of the team looked to have forgiven Anthony. Ja Rule in Half Past Dead Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976 in Hollis, Queens), better known as Ja Rule (Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love Exists), is a thuggish rapper who made a string of popular hip hop songs in the 2000s. ...

This week's challenge was a case of demolishing some walls and seeing who could get the most rubble into a truck. Joey was instrumental in a West Coast win. Tarick chose to fight against Juan. This meant Jimmy and Joey would fight next - Jimmy said he had no problem with that.

The fight, which was billed as youth (Juan) against experience (Tarick), was refreshingly free of bitching pre-fight. When it kicked-off, Juan manicly punched in the first, but Tarick was holding his own. The second allowed Tarick to take advantage of this, with a more measured approach. Juan continued frienziedly, but Tarick remained punching through three and four, and Juan was examined by the ringside doctor at the end of the fourth - and his eye was deemed OK. Two exhausted men slugged out the final round, and Juan was declared the unanimous winner.

Tarick was calm in defeat, and was glad to have been given his chance - before effectively declaring his retirement.

East Coast Win

Week Eight

Juan's victory wasn't as sweet as it could have been - declaring his injuries from the fight might mean he would withdraw from the competition and he would have to assess any risk. This was baffling for all, considering the injury was just a cut to the eye.

The reaction to Juan having won wasn't overwhelming - the increasingly large-mouthed Ishe calling him 'over-hyped'. Regardless of all this, Juan's health was actually starting to look bad, an infection making him largely immobile.

Joey, who was about to fight, got a visit from his father, who had spent a large period of time posted in Afghanistan.

There was no challenge this week as the match was already decided.

Jimmy started well, and after some time on the back foot, Joey fought back to dominate the second round. A huge missed punch from Joey in the third strained his hamstring, which limited his movement and reduced him to playing defensive. He was able to recover during the fourth, and in the fifth managed to deck the exhausted Jimmy. This bizarre twist in the tail actually saw a unanimous decision for the person everyone said had lost before the end of round three, Joey. Hamstring refers to the common tendon of the muscles making up the ham in animals, primarily the semitendinosus and biceps femoris. ...

West Coast Win

Joey was lavished with praise back in the living quarters. Juan however was severely criticised for allowing a doctor to take him out the competition with little complaint.

The seven remaining boxers travelled to Las Vegas, where two of them would eventually fight in the fight at Caesar's Palace. Sergio added to his poker prize by winning a new truck - thrilling a man who didn't have a car at the moment and had never owned one first hand. The boxers settled in to their luxury lifestyle, but not before voting for which of the out eliminated (but fit) boxers would take Juan's place. The candidates were Jonathan, Ahmed, Miguel, Tarick and Jimmy. The winner will be revealed next week. This article is about the city of Las Vegas in Nevada. ... The main entrance. ... This article is about the card game. ...

Week Nine

The episode started with the announcement that Ahmed would return to the competition - thanks to a group of Anthony, Jesse, Joey and Peter teaming up in an attempt to get under Ishe's skin and eventually eliminate him. It was then Ishe who started and argument with Jesse and Peter - although it was probably heightened by the fighters being sleep deprived following the Vegas day-trip. Sergio reacted to the camera by suggesting that the fighters felt threatened by Ishe because he was the best fighter there.

Ahmed declared himself back as "someone's nightmare". A number of boxers commented that he was "no bum", but a good fighter. The next challenge, a medicine ball based obstacle course was won by Jesse, giving him the power to match Ishe and Sergio in the next fight. This was a surprise - everyone foresaw Jesse vs. Ishe. Medicine balls are heavy objects, roughly the size of a volleyball. ...

In the first fight as individuals, Ishe appeared in gold as "Sugar Shay". Sergio opted for a more refined all-black robe and shorts. The fight's first round went to a tie, with the second two edged by Ishe, before Sergio overpowered him in the final two. An absorbing fight was won by the Latin Snake, who claimed he had allowed Ishe to beat himself.

Sergio progresses to next round

Week Ten

Peter said that Ishe's absence was like an exorcism of the groups' demons. Ahmed, a Lebanese who grew up in Denmark, had Sergio read a letter from his girlfriend, as he couldn't read English - although Sergio added that he was a bright kid - knowing five languages. Ahmed was then the only boxer not to be impressed by a sparring Alfonso.

Sergio took Alfonso on his reward - a trip to a golf club with Stallone and Leonard, which both enjoyed, having never played before. Joey, back at the living quarters, started to stir up some mind games of his own - with the volatile Ahmed, but to his credit he kept cool.

The challenge involved the boxers pulling carts round the Santa Anita Racecourse - which were loaded up with the boxers' wives, mothers, girlfriends or children. Anthony carried on through a leg niggle, and was eliminated half way through. He had carried on so as to avoid quitting in front of his kids. On person who didn't carry on was Joey. He stopped on the line to let Peter take the victory, and the accompanying Toyota, more of his mind games. Lily Okuru, a Japanese-American woman held at Santa Anita Park, poses with the statue of Seabiscuit, 1942 Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California opened in 1934 and is the oldest and most prestigious horse racetrack in Southern California. ... Toyota redirects here. ...

A tearful Anthony was told he might not be able to carry on in the show, but said that he'd only be pulled out in a bodybag. Sergio and Jesse began to speculate about Joey's mind games. Peter then stepped up to pair up Ahmed and Alfonso. Anthony was impressed that Joey didn't take advantage of an injured man and choose to fight him - admitting he would have. A body bag is a non-porous bag designed to contain a human body, used for the storage and transport of corpses. ...

Alfonso said that now was time to pay his family back for their sacrifices. He did so effectively, dominating most of the rounds, albeit with strong flurries of punches from Ahmed in between. Alfonso won on a unanimous points decision, and Ahmed was seen by Stallone to have lost because he couldn't hold his nerve. But he still promised to "be back". If Anthony was taken out in a bodybag, might he be bought back?

Alfonso progresses to next round

Week Eleven

Rumours circulated that the final fights would probably be Joey-Peter and Jesse-Anthony, who's hamstring was still problematic - this probably fuelled Joey's secret desire to fight him, not Peter. Jesse said that this wasn't going to happen, although the possibility of backstabbing worried him. Hamstring refers to the common tendon of the muscles making up the ham in animals, primarily the semitendinosus and biceps femoris. ...

Alfonso's reward for winning was shared with the man who took him golfing last week, Sergio - the men went on a shopping spree. Anthony chose not to compete in the baseball-esque challenge, which Jesse won, making the matches he had promised. Baseball is a team sport in which a player on one team (the pitcher) attempts to throw a hard, fist-sized ball past a player on the other team (the batter), who attempts to hit the baseball with a tapered, smooth cylinder called a bat. ...

Joey said that it would be an honour to fight Peter, and pre-fight was swamped with support from his family. Peter appeared in a snazzy pair of shorts - Italy's flag on the front and America's on the back. Peter dominated the first two rounds and Joey then started to shift his weight - bringing himself back into the equation through rounds three and four, up to an equal last round. He was then headbutted by Peter, and as it was accidental the fight would go straight to points. Peter won by split decision, and Joey was taken to hospital - although he refused to be stretchered out of the arena, insisting on walking - much to the paramedics' dismay. Motto: E pluribus unum (1789 to 1956) (Latin: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government  â€¢ President  â€¢ Vice President Federal republic George... A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Peter progresses to next round

Week Twelve

Jesse admitted to having been shaken by the previous fight, while Anthony continued to spend time posing with his children and telling anyone who would listen that he was going to be 'The Contender'. Jesse might have had something to say about that though, despite being 10 lb (5 kg) over fighting weight (161 lb) and in an emotional mess, he said. He would have to lose the weight or be disqualified. LB is may refer to: Lebanon, a Country of Internet TLD in LB. Lean Burn, a Automobile Engine. ...

Peter got a visit from Angelo Dundee as his reward. He was chuffed to bits by the pointers and experience he got. Jesse went to drastic measures to lose his weight, going jogging in a suit designed to make him sweat. He was 0.5 lb (200 g) over the weight at the weigh-in, and managed to lose the weight on a treadmill with his sauna suit. Anthony said he felt he could gain a mental advantage by enforcing the rule on fighting weight. This left Jesse looking weak in the eyes of Peter. Angelo Merena (born 1923), better known in the boxing world as Angelo Dundee, is a boxing trainer who has managed 15 world boxing champions, among them, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jose Napoles, Jimmy Ellis, Carmen Basilio and Luis Rodriguez. ...

Anthony started to cry as he read a good luck card from his children, and admitted this was his last shot at boxing. Jesse admitted that his confidence could have been higher, and his girlfriend was concerned for his health. Jesse was sluggish in the first two rounds, taking a lot and giving little back to Anthony. Jesse frustrated his opponent in the third, and in the fourth Anthony had gone crazy, Jesse's last hope being a knock-out. He did, and even though Anthony got up, he was unable to defend himself - even Jesse's girlfriend asking for the fight to be stopped. It was, to Anthony's horror. An unsurprising list of clichés came out from Anthony, that his kids thought he was a winner, that he could go home with his head up here. Thus was the end of a lovable and hatable character in The Contender. A cliché (from French name cliché) originally was a printing term for a semi-permanently assembled piece of type which could easily be inserted into the document being printed (see Block printing). ...

Jesse progresses to next round

Week Thirteen

Rather than getting a reward for his win, Jesse found he had a cut above the eye which he would rather take a number of months to let heal. Stallone let the contestants know the rules for the final rounds - fights would be seven rounds long, and the boxers would have to agree on the matches made.

Quickly, it was agreed that there would be a Peter-Alfonso rematch, and that would be the first fight. The boxers were given a day on the beach with their families as a reward for getting that far.

Peter was the better fighter - marginally - in the first round, and Alfonso began to edge him in the second with some good combinations. This two round pattern of each boxer just dominating a round and then losing the next continued, until Peter scored a huge uppercut in the final round - winning him the fight by unanimous decision. The fighters embraced after the fight.

Peter progresses to final

Week Fourteen

Jesse, having recently fought, realised he would be tired for his bout with Sergio, who saw a hazard coming up - he had never fought someone he had been so close to. He re-affirmed his dream of winning, and allowing his mother never to have to work another day again in her life.

The three remaining boxers; Jesse, Sergio and Peter paid tribute to the eliminated boxers. Another legend, Tommy the trainer kept everyone amused over breakfast. Peter told the slightly pessimistic Jesse that he believed in him.

A cagey opening round was won by Sergio, but Jesse got the Judges and the crowd on his side in round two, although he was unable to hold onto this - Sergio pounding him in rounds three and four. Jesse fought his way back, cutting Sergio above his eye, although this seemed only to push Sergio on further - by the sixth round Jesse's corner knew he needed a knock-out. Sergio won on a unanimous points decision.

Sergio progresses to final

Week Fifteen

Staged some months later, from a packed Caesar's Palace, the episode began with three "Fans Favourites Fights": Jeff beat Brent, Ishe won a grudge match against Anthony and Jimmy beat Tarick. Jesse then fought Alfonso for the position of third place. Alfonso bagged a nice prize in a confident victory.

In the early rounds of the main event, everything got heated. Peter hit his opponent after the bell, but soon tired. Sergio came to a position of clearly holding the upper hand, and pulled through to win the fight.

Sergio becomes "The Contender".

Tournament Tracker

While The Contender is a reality TV show, it does contain a serious competition with a proper format - a 16 man knockout tournament. A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout tournament, is a type of tournament where the loser of each match is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event. ...

Preliminary Round

1. Alfonso (W) beat Peter (E) on points.

2. Jesse (W) beat Jonathon (E) on points.

3. Ishe (W) beat Ahmed (E) on points.

4. Sergio (W) beat Najai (E) on points

5. Peter (E) beat Miguel (W) on points.

6. Anthony (W) beat Brent (E) by knockout. (Brent was declared unfit to continue.)

7. Juan (E) beat Tarick (W) on points.

8. Joey (W) beat Jimmy (E) on points.

(Numbers refer to the episode in which the fight took place.)

Quarter Finals

Quarterfinal bouts are determined by the individual winner of each challenge. The winner can choose whom he wants to fight, or become the "matchmaker" and select two fighters to compete against each other.

9. Sergio beat Ishe on points.

10. Alfonso beat Ahmed on points.

11. Peter beat Joey on points. (Fight stopped in 5th due to accidental headbutt.)

12. Jesse beat Anthony by knock-out. (Although Anthony was still conscious.)

(Numbers refer to the episode in which the fight took place.)

Semi Finals

These two matches will take place between the four remaining boxers, Sergio, Alfonso, Peter, Jesse.

13. Peter beat Alfonso on points.

14. Sergio beat Jesse on points.

(Numbers refer to the episode in which the fight took place.) On the final night in Las Vegas, Alfonso Gomez took on Jesse Brinkley for 200,000 prize. Alfonso was on fire, he was in better shape and connected better punches.

The Final

For $1,000,000, from Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas. The main entrance. ... This article is about the city of Las Vegas in Nevada. ...

15. Sergio beat Peter on points.

(For third place, Alfonso beat Jesse on points.)

(Number refers to the episode in which the fight took place.)

Fans Favourite Fights

These three bouts were staged as warm-up events for the final.

Jimmy beat Tarick on points.

Ishe beat Anthony.

Jeff beat Brent.

Guest Appearances

• James Caan
• Tony Danza
• Angelo Dundee
• George Foreman
• Mel Gibson
• Ja Rule
• Jay Leno
• Chuck Norris
• Burt Reynolds
• William Shatner

James Caan James Caan (born March 26, 1939, The Bronx, New York) is an American actor. ... Tony Danza in Whos The Boss? See Donkey punch for details on the sex move. ... Angelo Merena (born 1923), better known in the boxing world as Angelo Dundee, is a boxing trainer who has managed 15 world boxing champions, among them, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jose Napoles, Jimmy Ellis, Carmen Basilio and Luis Rodriguez. ... George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949 in Marshall, Texas) is a former boxer who was twice Heavyweight Champion of the world and is considered to be one of the greatest Heavyweight boxers of all time. ... Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American-born Australian-reared actor, director and producer best known for acting in the Mad Max movie series, the Lethal Weapon series, acting in and directing the Academy Award winning Braveheart and directing the 2004 blockbuster The Passion... Ja Rule in Half Past Dead Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976 in Hollis, Queens), better known as Ja Rule (Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love Exists), is a thuggish rapper who made a string of popular hip hop songs in the 2000s. ... Jay Leno Jay Leno (born April 28, 1950) is an American comedian of Italian and Scottish extraction who is best known as the host of the long-running NBC television variety and talk show The Tonight Show. ... Chuck Norris being presented with the Veteran of the Year award at the American Veteran awards show Carlos Ray Norris Jr. ... Burt Reynolds in a promotional photo from Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. ... William Shatner as Captain Kirk in Star Trek William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is an actor, writer and musical performer who gained fame for his starring role as Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the television show Star Trek from 1966 to 1969 and in seven...

Head Trainer

• Tommy Gallagher

Boxing Manager

• Jackie Kallen

Jackie Kallen (born c. ...

External links

• Official Website (Hosted by NBC)
• About.com Contender Guide
• Yahoo TV Contender Guide
• CBS News article on Najai Turpin's suicide (February 15th, 2005)