Review of The Ultimate Fighter - Season 7 (5 discs)

Introduction

Returning for it's seventh series, you would be forgiven for thinking that The Ultimate Fighter was beginning to get a little old. Not so, as this season proved, because Dana White and the other producers of this program continue to find new ways of re-inventing the series.

Indeed, this season begins with no less that 32 middleweights entering the familiar UFC gym and we are immediately thrown into an elimination round of 16 fights (although several of them are shown as bonus features on the first disc.)

The 16 winners then enter the house to begin to drink, argue, cause havoc and ultimately fight until there are just two remaining.

Those two men will then square off at the Ultimate Finale, but be warned, there will be a huge twist along the way.

Video

Video is presented in 16:9 PAL and looks extremely sharp, especially if played on a HD format TV. 
 
Audio

Audio is presented by Dolby Digital 2.0, and you won't miss a word that you need to hear. There are automatic subtitles when need be.

Extras

There are extras a plenty to be had on this boxset with the whole of disc five devoted to bonus material. It features the usual finalist and coach profiles, which will tell a fan of the sport little they don't already know about the coaches, but fill in some gaps on the finalists. 

There are also fighter auditions, which give the viewer a little inside look into the making of the show. These prove to be humorous rather than hilarious.

The deleted scenes prove to be quite funny, with Jesse Taylor featured heavily. It appears that he isn't the sharpest tool in the box, as his cooking ability proves.

There is also a behind the scenes look at the finale, showing the preparation for the two finalists and exclusive interviews with both men about their time on the show and thoughts on the upcoming finale. It takes up right through the weigh ins and until after the fight, which is interesting. 

Conclusion 

Fans of the sport may have been a little underwhelmed by the seventh edition of the hit series. However I'd argue it is possibly the most underrated edition of the series. There are great fights all the way throughout, the usual amount of aggro between the fighters and many laughs along the way.

One criticism could be that the coaches don't have the same type of animosity towards each other that others have provided, but both Rampage and Forrest and two of the funniest personalities in the UFC and certainly provide a good amount of laughs throughout.

Add to that some of the charismatic fighters featured on the show and you have a great mix of personalities clashing within the Ultimate Fighter house.

The fights all prove to be good, with a excellent mix of strikers, wrestlers and submission fighters clashing. This series also produced a few quality fighters that still ply their trade within the UFC. Fight fans will certainly be satisfied with what's on show.

The Ultimate Finale is fully included on the final disc with Diego Sanchez, Spencer Fisher, Kendall Grove and also includes the late Evan Tanner's final fight. It is a very entertaining event and culminates in a very exciting finale. 

Finally there is a good twist towards the end of the series which has a huge bearing on the final couple of episodes, but I will not ruin what proves to be an explosive ending to an equally explosive season of The Ultimate Fighter. 

Fans of the UFC should enjoy this series, while fight fans and anyone who tuned into The Contender should also enjoy. Anyone who likes reality TV should also find this interesting viewing.