In past seasons of the Ultimate Fighter, the reality show portion, with the competitors creating havoc while living together, has sometimes ended up with as much attention as the actual fights that take place.
From the start, when Chris Leben was smashing through doors on a drunken tirade during season one, the show has been notorious for fighters getting a little out of control while cooped up in a house for the better part of six weeks with no contact with the outside world.
Season 17 was a much different animal, however, because outside of a few verbal sparring matches inside the house, the competitors really seemed focused on winning the competition and not turning the show into a drinking contest.
The next installment of the Ultimate Fighter will introduce a new wrinkle into the fabric of the reality show, as both men and women will live together and train together for the first time ever. Coaches Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano will lead teams split between 135-pound women and men all competing for the goal of being the next Ultimate Fighter champion.
UFC bantamweight champion Rousey has already appeared on the show a couple of times as a guest coach to work with the fighters, so she’s familiar with the good and the bad of what the Ultimate Fighter can bring out in a candidate.
She believes the recent casts have done a good job of shedding that “reality show” image when living in the house, and she predicts her team will be aimed at winning the competition and not trying to become a television star.
“The last couple of seasons you’ve seen people aren’t treating it like some reality TV show,” Rousey told Fuel TV after the TUF 17 finale ended. “They’re treating it like an actual documentary covering the hardest competition in sports. I expect people are going to take this a lot more seriously than they expect. It’s not going to be as ‘Jersey Shor-ish’ that people are predicting.
“I can only vouch for my team. I don’t know what the other team’s going to do. My team’s going to be angels.”
MTV’s bronzer-frosted and alcohol-laced reality show Jersey Shore was a hit for several seasons and spawned several stars and spin-off programming as well. The show’s premise was essentially showcasing young people acting crazy and getting out of control.
Rousey doesn’t expect her team to pull any of those kinds of antics while she is in control of their coaching during the season, despite introducing men and women living in the house together.
“They’re going to be a bunch of winners and not a bunch of Snookis,” Rousey said in reference to one of the stars from Jersey Shore. “The other team they do whatever they want.”
The other team will be headed up by undefeated UFC newcomer Cat Zingano, who will coach the show opposite Rousey and then face her later this year with the UFC women’s bantamweight title on the line.
The new season of the Ultimate Fighter will hold tryouts starting on Monday and then debut on September 4 at 10 p.m. ET as part of the show’s move to Fox Sports 1.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report.
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