(A vote against wholesome, quality entertainment like this is a vote against America, IMHO.)
It would be hard to deny that the MMA commentsphere’s seething hatred of all things Ronda Rousey was ever more intense than during her coaching gig on The Ultimate Fighter 18. Whether it was her brash personality, her wild mood swings, or her inability to be humble in victory or classy in defeat, it’s safe to say that “Rowdy” rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way by the time TUF had finished taping. Not that affected her ability to kick ass in the slightest, because well, Rousey is the kind of crazy that cannot be phased by unfavorable media coverage. Or trash-talk. Or the skillset of 99% of her opponents.
In any case, Rousey recently spoke with Sportsnet about her time on the show, and when the discussion shifted to the “infamous” brawl between Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen on this season’s TUF Brazil, the women’s champ revealed that not even she supports the reality show that many feel has long overstayed its welcome:
I don’t watch ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ now that I know how much bull is in it. I don’t support it.
They don’t know the first thing about fighting. They only know about reality TV and they treated us like we were ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ and not elite athletes that should be respected.
You hear that? Ronda Rousey just sort-of referred to Miesha Tate as an “elite athlete.” Can we all forgive her for that whole handshake diss now?
Having briefly been employed in the soulless, hackneyed landscape that is reality television, I have to agree with Ronda here. Reality television producers are greasy-palmed, ghoulish characters who will use whatever editing tricks they need in order to fabricate drama, often out of thin air and with no regard to the integrity of the people they are portraying.
Take for instance, when Tate attempted to shake hands with Rousey following a victory in episode 7, only to have Rousey and Marina Shafir flip her the bird in response. Did you know that Rousey was actually giving her a thumbs up, and that those trickster TUF editors blurred it to make it *look* as if she was giving Tate the universal symbol for go fuck yourself? Or that the moment where Rousey defeated Tate in the coaches’ challenge and yelled “Fuck you, bitch!” while flipping her off was actually done using body doubles, 3D image scanners, and performance capture technology? Or that when, even after TUF had wrapped, the producers injected Rousey with a combination of horse tranquilizer and estrogen prior to her TUF 18 Finale interview to make her appear frigid and uninterested? Like I said, bastards all, those reality show producers are.
Which reminds me, has anyone been watching TUF 19? I know the rapport between BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar seemed respectful during the premiere, but I literally have not caught a second of the show since. That said, I really hope that one guy who’s struggling to support his wife and three kids wins this season. You know, the one with the tribal arm band and perpetual stubble who didn’t come to make any friends and never leaves it in the hands of the judges. Yeah, go that guy.