"The Contender" (2005) TV series 2005-2007

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Creator:

Mark Burnett

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

7 March 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Reality-TV | Sport

Tagline:

Who will roll?

Plot:

Hosts Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard give 16 young boxing hopefuls a shot at the big time...

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Non Fiction

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

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

Runtime:

USA:90 min (pilot episode) (including commercials) | 120 min (season finale) (including commercials) | 60 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Caesar's Palace - 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

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

Quotes:

Sylvester Stallone: I'll catch up with you once I get over this cardiac arrest.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Frontline: The Persuaders (#22.15)" (2004)

Reality Shows the Way they Should Be.

'The Contender' is a show with a genuine reality to it. It doesn't try to create drama- there's enough of that in the ring. It just follows a bunch of lower-class boxers trying to make it in the business. Basically, looking to be the next Rocky. With Sly Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard training, along with other professionals, they help these guys try to make a dream come true. In the end, the final two boxers will compete for $1,000,000. This show is possibly the greatest reality show in a long, long time. You have the humble, young boxers, like Ishe or Juan, and you have the cocky punks, like Ahmad. It can sometimes be the fight between good and evil, but this time, you don't know who's gonna win. This brings all the entertainment possible: Fighting, shouting, and human emotion. I like it, and so will you.