How long before a reality series adds the punch of boxing?
Less than a year, apparently.
In a project that sounds like “American Idol” meets “Fear Factor,” NBC honchos have called a Tuesday news conference in Los Angeles to unveil an unscripted prizefighting series dubbed “The Contender.”
Details of the planned 16-episode first season–such as how many wannabes will compete, what pugilistic “challenges” they will face and whether they will literally be knocked off the show– were kept under wraps before Tuesday’s announcement.
The show’s executive producers include Sylvester Stallone, who may be seeking the entertainment equivalent of a boxing comeback 14 years after the final bell tolled for “Rocky V.”
Just as “American Idol” presumes it can make its winners into popular recording artists, “The Contender” producers intend to manage the last man (or woman?) standing into a pro prizefighter.
And if that’s not enough, they’re seeking to create their own boxing federation.
Why not? Boxing’s existing sanctioning bodies have become such an alphabet soup of initials, what’s the harm in a few more noodles?