The Contender (television series)

:For the 2000 movie of the same name, see The Contender (movie).

Related Topics:
2000 - Movie - The Contender (movie)

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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, which will be decided in a fight at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, will receive US$1 million, and "the chance to be a professional prize fighter". It is scheduled to run for fifteen weeks through 2005, on NBC in the United States of America and ITV in the UK.

Related Topics:
Reality television - Boxing - Middleweight - Pasadena, California - Caesars Palace - Las Vegas - US$ - 2005 - NBC - United States of America - ITV - UK

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Its strapline is 'The Next Great Human Drama'.

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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.

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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.

Related Topics:
Sugar Ray Leonard - Sylvester Stallone - Rocky - Mark Burnett

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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.

Related Topics:
February 14 - 2005 - Najai Turpin - Trust fund

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On May 16, 2005, the series was cancelled. The first season cost a lot of money to produce, but the ratings weren't very high. However, reruns can still be 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.

Related Topics:
May 16 - 2005 - CNBC - August 11 - ESPN - April - 2006

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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 Fox Sports Net. In an effort to distance itself from the Fox disaster, NBC opted to hold airing its show until spring.

Related Topics:
Fox network - Fox Sports Net

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