Contender Commentary – Episode 8, Now That’s What I Call A Cliffhanger
Posted on Sun 17 Apr 2005 (2518 reads)
by Panndyra, aka the Goddess of Chaos Now, I’ve got to tell you. I was rooting for Joey to win. I’m a sucker for an underdog. I started crying when Joey’s hamstring injury starting acting up in the 3rd round and it looked like Jimmy Lange was going to pummel him. I, then, started rooting for Jimmy Lange when it looked like Joey had him on the ropes. Jimmy’s nose was a-bleedin’ and I had to look away – I hate me some blood. It freaks me out, y’all. I didn’t like the fact that almost everyone counted Joey out. Hadn’t they learned from Alfonso’s and Jesse’s wins that records don’t make or break a fighter? Hadn’t they even considered the possibility that Joey could rise above his stats and his injuries? I mean 8-0 is NOT a bad record. The guy’s in law school with a goal of being a JAG (Judge Advocate General – a Navy Lawyer). He’s tough and he’s been working hard. Boxing is not his entire life, but he’s shown discipline and heart. The true champ can dig down deep when needed and pull out his heart while tugging at your heartstrings. Joey did that. So many of these guys did that. Each fight on the Contender so far has been all about heart. It’s not the most technical fighters – it’s the hungriest it seems. Okay – I AM NOT SAYING THAT the other guys didn’t want it. I’m just saying someone has to lose but it’s been a surprise almost every week. Some weeks, it’s been a downright shock, aiiight. I told my husband tonight that I didn’t want to see any of the guys go with the exception of Ahmed Kaddour – he just brought way too much drama to the house (or was it Ishe? Maybe the editing? I mean never, ever has there been ‘creative editing’ before in reality TV, right?) We also got another twist. Juan De La Rosa beat Tarick Salmaci last week but Tarick left some lingering effects. Juan had a wrist problem, an eye injury and was pretty beaten up. He decided, with doctor’s advice, to drop out of the competition. It seemed like he was almost relieved to have the out. It was kind of strange how it was edited because the interviewing made it seem like Juan had mentally checked out. If that were the case, why’d he fight so hard to beat Tarick? I guess I don’t fully understand. Oh well! It’s not for me to understand. I’m not in the boy’s head. He obviously has a long career ahead of him and maybe he realizes he needs to build some technical skill to take on some of these guys. He’s got time. So, the men have to choose another fighter to take Juan’s place. I have a sneaking suspicion – call it a hunch – that it will be Ahmed Kaddour. I feel that some of the guys want to rankle Ishe because – as we all know – there’s NO love lost between Ahmed and Ishe. Ishe is a big threat to win and now that it’s an individual competition, I think that the guys are going to be ruthless. As they should be! No one pays your bills for you. No one should make your decisions for you. This is $1 million dollars, a huge chance to make a career and a name for yourself – this is the BIG TIME for these guys – maybe the biggest break that some of them will ever get. They’ve got to go all out for it. Screw friendships. Screw whatever. It’s every man for himself. Now’s when it gets interesting. Watch next week – because there will be two fights and we'll get to know who takes over for Juan De La Rosa. (Remember: My pic's Ahmed}. I have to say that this was a better cliffhanger than well, the Stallone movie of the same name. Sorry, Sly! I'm a big fan...but The finale is coming on up very soon. Who will be the “Contender”? I don’t know yet. I still like Manfredo and Mora’s chances but those are just personal preferences. It’s really anyone’s competition to win. Everyone deserves to be there – they walked through fire to get there. No more underestimating each other, guys! About the author: Panndyra is the Goddess of Chaos. When she’s not ruining lives, she’s writing about Reality TV. Email her at panndyra@realityshack.com if you have questions for her. She’ll try to be nice.

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