About
A reality television series that follows a group of boxers as they compete with one another in an elimination-style competition, while their lives and relationships with each other and their families are depicted.
Cast
Sylvester Stallone
as Self - Boxing Mentor
Sergio Mora
as Self
Brent Cooper
as Self
Tarick Salmaci
as Self
Najai Turpin
as Self
Anthony Bonsante
as Self
Jimmy Lange
as Self
Alfonso Gómez
as Self
Joey Gilbert
as Self
Ahmad Kaddour
as Self
Jeff Fraza
as Self
Jonathan Reid
as Self
Jesse Brinkley
as Self
Juan de la Rosa
as Self
Miguel Espino
as Self
Ishe Smith
as Self
Sugar Ray Leonard
as Self
Episodes
Season 1
Gomez/Manfredo
Sixteen of the best middleweight fighters in the United States arrive in Los Angeles at the Contender Gymnasium. Each week, the boxers will train at this gymnasium and, with the support of their families who are now living close by, will vie to win $1,000,000 if they win a fight at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Teams are divided into East and West and in the first challenge, the winner of which decides the matchup for the fight that week (one fighter from each team), the players must haul three logs up a steep hill. West comes out victorious, and choose Alfonso Gomez and Peter Manfredo as the contenders of the night. In a suprising fight, Alfonso, with help from his father, mother and family, beats Peter, who has his wife and daughter to cheer him on.
Brinkley/Reid
The West once again wins the second challenge, a puzzle using flags, they again are allowed to decide the matchup for the week. Ishe Smith wimps out and the team reluctantly allows Jesse Brinkley to challenge veteran Jonathan Reid to the second round of fighting of the show. Tempers flare when Jesse accuses Ishe of betraying his team by rooting for Jonathan instead of himself. Later, in the second surprising upset of the game, Jesse Brinkley defeats Jonathan Reid in a close match of fighting.
Smith/Kaddour
The tension between Ishe and Ahmed reaches a boiling point when West wins the third challenge, a dodgeball game, and Ishe challenges Ahmed to the third boxing match. Though Ahmed starts out strong with a heavy barrage of punches in the first round, Ishe gets the last laugh when he wins the very personal match and gets the third spot into the quarter finals.
Mora/Turpin
The teams reconvene after the fight between Ishe and Ahmed, and everyone seems glad that Ahmed was outed. Jeff begins to feel ill, and after consulting a doctor, he finds out that he has chicken pox and that he must leave the entire tournament. In his place, Stallone tells the remaining contenders to vote one person back into the game. Peter Manfredo, jr. from Episode 1 is voted back in with a vote of 8-4 (the other votes being for Jonathan Reid). Later, at the challenge, the East Coast pulls their car to the finish line the fastest, and they choose Najai Turpin to fight Sergio Mora. At the boxing match, Najai gives it all he has but is defeated by a surprisingly strong Sergio.
The Best Fights*
The first four Contender fights are recapped as Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard host, pointing out what went wrong about the fight, and what the winner did right.
Espino/Manfredo
Peter Manfredo, after being let back into the game, begins to feel "off." He has tasted his first defeat when Alfonso beat him, and he is afraid to lose again. At the challenge, which tests versatility, West wins again, and is able to choose the matchup for that night. Miguel Espino chooses to fight Manfredo. At the fight, Manfredo conquers his fears of losing and wins the match, sending an ashamed and sad Miguel packing.
Bonsante/Cooper
After feeling their first loss of the game, the West Coast team set lineups for the next three weeks - beginning with Anthony (West) versus Jimmy. When West wins the challenge, Anthony chooses not to pick to fight Jimmy because Jimmy's arms are too long, and that challenges him. He does what is best for him, not for his team, and chooses to fight Brent Cooper, a former Alcoholic who turned to religion. That night, all of the other fighters - even Anthony's team - exclude him and wish Brent all the good luck in the world, leading to an explosive pre-fight press conference and an even more explosive fight - Anthony's determination results in a quick win, and only three out of the five rounds need to be fought. Brent is sent packing by Sly, and Anthony's team wishes bad luck upon him.
Salamaci/De La Rosa
Tensions are still surrounding the West Coast from last week's "betrayal" with Anthony choosing not to fight Jimmy Lange. Ishe Smith opts not to take a part in the reward for Anthony's win, saying that he doesn't feel right celebrating a win that he didn't want. At the challenge, the teams knock down graffiti-covered walls and load their debris into the back of a new car, and in the end West wins, giving them a choice of the matchup, ultimatley deciding the matchup for the next week as well, by process of elimination. Tarick chooses to call out Juan, the youngest player in the game, and in the fight, Juan surprises everyone by beating Tarick. On his way out of the Contender Gymnasium, Tarick says that he feels relieved that he finally got his shot.
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