Review: Contender Episode 1

NBC's much-hyped "The Contender" made its debut last night. As expected, the latest entry in the already crowded reality show field is more soap opera than sporting event. The show's success will likely hinge on whether it can attract and hold onto "typical" reality show viewers. The bet here is that it will be difficult because the contestants aren't rich, beautiful or famous and what they're engaged in is not the least bit glamorous. They're real boxers and they're taking what likely amounts to their only shot at a decent payday and a ticket out of a lifetime of obscurity and/or poverty. What compounds the show's problem is that it's unlikely to appeal to boxing fans. While the fighters and the fights are the real deal, the set-ups are blatently designed to manipulate the audience's emotions and the fight coverage is awful. Viewers get to see less than one minute of each three-minute round and that includes too many crowd shots, not to mention slow-motion during what is supposed to be live action --- UGH! In the first episode, unheralded Alfonso Gomez sent previously undefeated Peter Manfredo Jr. home with a surprising unanimous decision victory. The show next airs on Thursday night.