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	Grade: A+ | Genre: Reality Drama Summary: Hosted by Sly and Sugar Ray Leonard, "The Contender" is a human drama built on the same foundation that made "Rocky" so popular and widely accepted, pure heart and a desire to rise above expectations.

Starring: Sylvestor Stallone, Sugar Ray Leonard, and 16 boxing professionals
Network: NBC

Every so often, a new film will come along and connect with the human spirit in all of us. The endearing cast of characters will strum your emotional chords as they take you along on their journey of self-discovery and triumph with us cheering all the way. You won't find "The Contender" on the big screen because it's not a movie. It's not even scripted. It is Reality TV the way it should be done. Forget "Survivor" and "The Apprentice," the champions of the "unscripted" are about to get knocked out by this hard-nose and emotionally draining new show by Mark Burnett, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Sylvestor Stallone.

This isn't the typical prize show where the me-first mentality drives the "story." "The Contender" is a mix bag of competition and drama fueled by pure human emotion.

Last night's premiere episode was one of the best this season, scripted or reality. "The Contender" is not joke. It's a raw look into the lives of 16 professional boxers vying for superstar status. All are sharing their compelling and personal struggles for us to watch on TV.

Each week, two teams (East Coast vs. West Coast) submit to competitions that test their athletic skills, endurance and brains. In the end the winning team selects one of their own members and that same member chooses, from the other team, whom he wants to match up with in the ring. The loser goes home while the winner stays for another chance at the $1 million dollar prize.

Sound familiar? It may seem like any other reality series, but "The Contender" is much more than the grand prize. It's individuals overcoming personal adversity and trying to create better lives for themselves and their families.

Spoiler Alert!!!
The West Coast Team won the first competition involving a one-mile uphill run while carrying huge logs. The chosen fighter from the West Coast, Alfonso, displayed his pride and gambling spirit by selecting, as his opponent, the undefeated and 3rd ranked boxer, Peter. On paper, the match-up seemed one sighted favoring Peter all the way. The first round surprisingly went to Alfonso. Quick connecting jabs rocked the undefeated champ and had you guessing who would be victorious. The second round went to Peter and convinced us that the previous round was a fluke and that Peter was just gauging Alfonso. As both fighters duked it out in the ring, with friends and families cheering hysterically in opposite corners, you found it hard to choose one over the other. Both were desperate to make names for themselves and achieve their childhood goals. Both had families to make proud. The next two rounds were split leading up to the final and decisive fifth round were Alfonso showed he was no underdog and won the match by a unanimous decision.

Hosted by boxing icons, Sly and Sugar Ray Leonard, "The Contender" is a human drama built on the same foundation that made "Rocky" so popular and widely accepted, pure heart and a desire to rise above expectations. It's a new show to keep an eye on. If the rest of the season goes the same way as the premiere episode, we're in for a great fight.

Check out "The Contender's" official website on NBC.

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