The elimination round is over.
Sixteen UFC hopefuls advanced into the Ultimate Fighter house on Friday night’s debut episode of The Ultimate Fighter Live, and now, the hard part begins.
They’ll be sequestered from society, locked up in a mansion with nothing to do but train and annoy each other. Past Ultimate Fighter contestants have spoken about the difficulty of being locked away for six weeks, often naming that isolation as the worst part of being on the show.
The contestants on this season face an even greater challenge due to the live nature of the show. Instead of six weeks away from their families and friends, they’ll be stuck inside the house for 13 weeks. Expect plenty of madness as they start to get on each other’s nerves and miss the daily comforts of cell phones, Internet and television.
One thing they’ll have plenty of time for, though, is training. And so, as we prepare for the real fun to begin next Friday on FX, let’s take a look at the five contestants who have the best shot of seeing their way through to the finals and becoming the next Ultimate Fighter.