• The Contender - Episode 1 summary

  March 14, 2005
  "Unusual Circumstances," our episode summary for the premiere episode of NBC's The Contender, written by I_AM_HE, is now available.

• Jonathan Reid becomes second straight East star ousted in NBC's 'The Contender'

  March 11, 2005
  Will East Coast boxing survive NBC's The Contender?

• NBC's 'The Contender' premiere garners a ratings split decision

  March 9, 2005
  Those people who said that NBC's new reality-competition boxing show The Contender would struggle to find female viewers were correct. Nevertheless, the March 7 premiere of The Contender, while not a huge success, showed promise for the later rounds.
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  Peter Manfredo Jr. loses undefeated record in premiere of NBC's 'The Contender'

  March 8, 2005
  One of the real surprises when the cast for NBC's The Contender was announced was that Peter Manfredo, Jr., a promising middleweight with a 21-0 record who was ranked #3 in the world by the World Boxing Organization, had agreed to become one of the 16 contestants on the reality-competition boxing show. A bigger surprise, shown on the March 7 premiere episode of The Contender, was that Peter became the first contestant eliminated from the show, as he suffered his first pro defeat at the hands of Alfonso Gomez, Jr. (now 11-2-1 as a pro).

• NBC's 'The Contender' comes out swinging hoping to be Mark Burnett's next reality knockout

  March 5, 2005
  For the first time since 1976 and only the second time ever, a motion picture focused on the world of boxing, Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby, won the Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards. Will that success translate into a wider interest in (or even a wider tolerance of) boxing? NBC's new reality-competition boxing series, The Contender, which premieres at 9:30 PM ET/PT on Monday, March 7, certainly hopes so.
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  'Contender' boxer Najai Turpin's suicide related to custody dispute, not reality TV demands

  March 3, 2005
  Both Philadelphia police and the family of boxer Najai 'Nitro' Turpin, 23, have concluded that his Valentines' Day suicide was unrelated to his appearance on NBC's upcoming The Contender reality-competition show.

• CBS sacrifices sweeps ratings to take shot at NBC's 'Contender' debut

  February 22, 2005
  NBC's "The Contender" will have tough competition from two established CBS hits when it premieres next month, Daily Variety said Tuesday.
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  'The Contender' boxer Najai Turpin commits suicide before the NBC show airs

  February 15, 2005
  Up-and-coming Philadelphia boxer Najai "Nitro" Turpin, 23, one of the sixteen contestants appearing on NBC's upcoming The Contender boxing reality-competition show, apparently committed suicide in a parked car on the Valentine's Day morning of February 14, 2005.

• NBC reschedules 'The Contender' (again) for Sundays beginning March 13

  February 8, 2005
  No one knows if NBC's The Contender will score a ratings knockout when it finally premieres, but one thing is clear -- it certainly has the "float like a butterfly" part of boxing legend Muhammad Ali's strategy down. NBC has announced yet another scheduled change for the upcoming Mark Burnett-produced reality series -- its fifth for those keeping score at home.

• NBC reschedules 'The Contender' for Wednesdays beginning March 9

  January 21, 2005
  What had been touted as a heavyweight reality showdown between reality titan Mark Burnett's upcoming The Contender series and Fox's American Idol undisputed ratings champ has suddenly turned into an instant forfeit as a result of NBC's announcement that it has decided to refuse to enter the ring.

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