The BEST episodes of The Contender (2005)
Every episode of The Contender (2005) ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Contender (2005)!
The new season of The Contender features 16 Cruiserweights from around the world who will face each other in a 12-episode competition. With former boxer and television star Tony Danza serving as host and mentor and veteran Tommy Brooks and John Bray serving as trainers, these fighters will go through the most intense training of their lives and battle in the most challenging fights of their careers. In the end, the two left standing will get into the ring to fight for the coveted title of Contender Champion.
#3 - The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/20/2005
The teams reconvene after the fight between Ishe and Ahmed, and everyone seems glad that Ahmed was outed. Jeff begins to feel ill, and after consulting a doctor, he finds out that he has chicken pox and that he must leave the entire tournament. In his place, Stallone tells the remaining contenders to vote one person back into the game. Peter Manfredo, jr. from Episode 1 is voted back in with a vote of 8-4 (the other votes being for Jonathan Reid). Later, at the challenge, the East Coast pulls their car to the finish line the fastest, and they choose Najai Turpin to fight Sergio Mora. At the boxing match, Najai gives it all he has but is defeated by a surprisingly strong Sergio.
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#17 - Series Finale
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 5/24/2005
In Las Vegas at Caesar's Palace, Sergio Mora and Peter Manfredo Jr. arrive to slug it out in a seven-round fight for $1,000,000. Preceded by a fight between Alfonso Gomez and Jesse Brinkley for the Bronze Medal, which Alfonso wins, the ultimate fight is tough and brutal. In the end, Sergio conquers Peter by a unanimous vote, and he becomes the one and only Contender.
Watch Now:Amazon#19 - Rivals
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/13/2005
The tension between Ishe and Ahmed reaches a boiling point when West wins the third challenge, a dodgeball game, and Ishe challenges Ahmed to the third boxing match. Though Ahmed starts out strong with a heavy barrage of punches in the first round, Ishe gets the last laugh when he wins the very personal match and gets the third spot into the quarter finals.
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#20 - Gunnin' For the Knockout
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/9/2007
The last of the first-round fights determines the semi-finalists.
#21 - Survival of the Fittest
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/10/2005
The West once again wins the second challenge, a puzzle using flags, they again are allowed to decide the matchup for the week. Ishe Smith wimps out and the team reluctantly allows Jesse Brinkley to challenge veteran Jonathan Reid to the second round of fighting of the show. Tempers flare when Jesse accuses Ishe of betraying his team by rooting for Jonathan instead of himself. Later, in the second surprising upset of the game, Jesse Brinkley defeats Jonathan Reid in a close match of fighting.
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV#22 - The Final Four
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 5/15/2005
The stakes are raised when the Stallone and Leonard announce that the last three fights will be seven rounds instead of the usual five, and that the matchups will be decided by the four boxers themselves - and all of the fighters would have to agree. A rematch is decided between Peter Manfredo Jr. and Alfonso Gomez Jr, who fight in their match at the end of this episode. Manfredo comes out the winner, sending him to the finals, and sending Alfonso packing.
Watch Now:Amazon#23 - Why Weight?
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/24/2018
This episode will feature trainers Freddie Roach and Naazim Richardson who will guide the boxers. The boxers will fight under the mentorship of Andre Ward. In the very first episode, the boxers will be seen as being aggressive. The episode will feature a verbal exchange between fighters Devaun Lee and Shane Mosley Jr.
Watch Now:Amazon#24 - Viva Las Vegas
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/24/2005
After returning home from Las Vegas, the fighters are forced to vote someone back into the competition. In order to throw Ishe off, a new alliance of Joey, Anthony, Jesse, & Peter vote Ahmed back into the game. In a turn of events, the challenge is completley individual, and the winner will make the choice of who will fight that night. In the first individual challenge, Jesse Brinkley defeats the competition and picks Sergio and Ishe to fight, knowing that Sergio will beat Ishe and send him packing. In the fight, Ishe is unable to conquer Sergio, and he is sent home, the first of the Round 2 fighers to do so.
Watch Now:Amazon#25 - Opportunity
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/10/2005
Tensions are still surrounding the West Coast from last week's "betrayal" with Anthony choosing not to fight Jimmy Lange. Ishe Smith opts not to take a part in the reward for Anthony's win, saying that he doesn't feel right celebrating a win that he didn't want. At the challenge, the teams knock down graffiti-covered walls and load their debris into the back of a new car, and in the end West wins, giving them a choice of the matchup, ultimatley deciding the matchup for the next week as well, by process of elimination. Tarick chooses to call out Juan, the youngest player in the game, and in the fight, Juan surprises everyone by beating Tarick. On his way out of the Contender Gymnasium, Tarick says that he feels relieved that he finally got his shot.
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