I've never been a fan of reality television. This is because watching reality television doesn't make me feel closer to reality, which is it's alleged goal. It's a spectrum where producers are manipulating scenarios and heavily editing sequences to tell the story they want to tell.

When the Ultimate Fighter debuted in 2005, I looked at it as an attempt to capitalize on a fad. The fights would be real, but otherwise, we'd see only what the producers wanted us to see.

Something strange happened at the finale, though: word spread. As Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar started re-enacting the fight scene from They Live (emphatic hat tip to anyone who got that reference ... it's the greatest fight scene in movie history), ratings gained momentum. By the start of the third round, they had officially skyrocketed. The consensus seemed to be that, even if you weren't a fan of reality TV, the reward of seeing guys fight live for a six-figure Zuffa contract was enticing enough for the masses to tune in.

Read the rest here ...

Thanks to any reader. Love ya'll.