UFC Presents The Ultimate Fighter - Season 1
Huge muscular men bashing each other senseless with their feet, fists, knees, and elbows--if this is your catnip,The Ultimate Fighter -Season 1is for you! This reality show, presented by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, puts 16 slabs of beef (all of them versed in boxing, wrestling, and every martial art imaginable) into a house as they undergo even more rigorous training and periodic elimination bouts in the Octogon.  The show swiftly makes it clear that physical skill is only part of the picture; drive and sheer will to dominate matter just as much as muscle power (if not more). Under the guiding hand of UFC stars Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, the aspiring champions train and compete in group challenges, all the while partying and bickering back at the house. The camera gets a good look at the fighters' emotional lives. Though generally stone-faced, over thirteen episodes (including the final bouts, which were originally broadcast live) the competitors prove to be an interesting mix of loudmouths, good guys, and underdogs, some of whom are unexpectedly vulnerable. But the soap opera is just a bonus. This show is about men facing each other in the ring, and it delivers. Almost every episode culminates in an unabridged fights between middleweight or light heavyweight contenders, and some of it is brutal. The extras include undercard bouts featuring many of the show's contestants, as well as a variety of training demonstrations (all presented with coy "don't try this at home" disclaimers).The Ultimate Fighterwon't appeal to everyone, but some reluctant or prejudiced viewers may find it surprisingly mesmerizing.--Bret Fetzer