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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 7:21 am
Contestant on NBC Reality Show Commits Suicide By BILL CARTER Published: February 15, 2005 contestant in "The Contender" a new NBC reality series about boxing scheduled to start next month, committed suicide yesterday in Philadelphia, network executives said last night. NBC executives said that the show would go on as planned, starting March 7. The contestant, Najai Turpin, 23, a middleweight boxer from Philadelphia who was known as Nitro, took his life, NBC executives said. They offered no other details about the suicide, though they said they thought it had nothing to do with events on the television show. "The Contender" chronicles not only the boxers' efforts to win the television tournament, which carries a prize of $1 million, but follows their personal lives, including their relationships with spouses and children. Mr. Turpin's girlfriend also appears in the series, NBC said. Mr. Turpin, who entered the series as a well-regarded young fighter with a 13-1 record, had a 2-year-old daughter with his girlfriend. Except for a planned live championship, set to take place in May, all the bouts in the "The Contender" have been completed and are on tape. Because the show, like all other reality shows, depends on the suspense of not knowing the outcome of each week's episode, no results of the bouts have been released. NBC executives said they were saddened by the news and were setting up a fund to help Mr. Turpin's family. But they said they were convinced the network would be able to broadcast the show as planned. Mark Burnett, the show's executive producer, said: "Nothing changes. I'm not even going to make any edits because it's real." Mr. Burnett said that at some point, the series will make a mention of Mr. Turpin's death, probably in an onscreen message at the end of an episode. Still, the suicide presents NBC and the show's producers with the quandary of how to deal with Mr. Turpin's death without disrupting the show. Each week two boxers are selected to fight and become the central characters in that week's episode. Mr. Turpin would thus be a principal character in at least one show and if he won his first fight and continued on the series, he would be an even more significant factor. NBC has more invested in "The Contender" than any previous reality series, having made a commitment to spend more than $2 million an episode for the 13-episode series. "The Contender" is produced by Mr. Burnett, the most accomplished producer in the reality genre. A principal in the DreamWorks studio, Jeffrey Katzenberg, is also a producer on the series. The two men conceived the series as a way to help resurrect the sport of boxing. They have made deals with all 16 boxers involved to promote their careers. The fighters agreed not to pursue any other matches until the series was completed this spring, and the show is paying them $1,500 a week to stay in training in the interim, Mr. Burnett said. Mr. Turpin's suicide recalled an incident that almost derailed "Survivor," Mr. Burnett's first hit reality show and the one that ignited the reality trend in American television. A contestant in the first version of the show, which was made for Swedish television and was not produced by Mr. Burnett, committed suicide after he was the first person voted off the island. The incident stirred concerns about the risks of reality television, and led Mr. Burnett to conduct extensive psychological tests on his contestants. Mr. Burnett said that the boxers on the show had undergone psychological testing. A biography of Mr. Turpin on the show's Web site said he had been a restaurant employee who worked cleaning seafood when he was not training for his matches. The biography described him as determined to use his boxing career to create a better life for himself and his family. LINK to NYTimes
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Konamouse
Member
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 8:14 am
Thanks for finding that article, Texannie. Konashark heard a blurb about this on the radio this morning. Such a sad way to start a thread about the contestants.
Age: 23 Hometown: Philadelphia, PA Occupation: Boxer/road and restaurant worker Family: Kids: Anje Biography Born and raised in the ghetto, Najai is extremely soft spoken, polite and a very motivated and focused fighter. His mother died when he was 18-years old and Najai was left to raise his younger brother, sister, niece & nephew. He still cares for them even though his grandmother and brothers have stepped up to help. Najai is a hard worker. He does road work in the early morning, works from 10am - 5pm at a restaurant cleaning seafood, then trains for two hours only to return to the restaurant to work until midnight. Any free time he has he runs to see his baby daughter Anje to whom he dedicates everything. He knows that this is a real shot to get out of the ghetto and says they will have to kill him to beat him. Just a few months ago, Najai was robbed at gunpoint and lost nine hundred dollars. The next morning he was informed he earned a chance to compete on The Contender. He believes that the news was a sign from God.
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Konamouse
Member
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 8:16 am
Might as well add some more info about a couple other of the participants (found while googling). Top Contenders: Midstate boxers to mix it up on reality show By CHIP CIRILLO Staff Writer They're both middle-aged middleweight boxers. They both work as personal trainers at Cummins Station Fitness Center. They're both singers who live just outside of Nashville. They both relied on their religious faith to overcome troubled times in their lives. And on March 7 they will both enter your living room with 14 other boxers on NBC's new reality show The Contender, with hosts Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard. The winner earns $1 million. Meet Jonathan Reid and Brent Cooper. Reid has a nice home in La Vergne, with a wife and five children who love him dearly. He is 34-1 with 20 knockouts. Life is good for him now, but he had to overcome a big mistake as a teenager. Not long after graduating from Whites Creek High School in 1990, Reid was convicted of robbing a restaurant in Lebanon. ''I said, 'This is a robbery. Don't make it no murder. Put the money in the bag,''' Reid said. ''I'm so crazy I went in with a gun that wasn't loaded. I didn't want any mistakes to happen. You get nervous. You slip and pull the trigger. And then you've got a murder charge on your hands.'' Reid was sent to the Turney Center Prison and Farm in Hickman County from Jan. 14, 1991, until Sept. 1, 1993. In retrospect, it was the best thing that ever happened to him. ''I grew up in a good home, but I took a wrong turn down a road and it landed me in the penal institution,'' Reid said. ''A lot of people look at that as a minus, but I look at it as a plus. Being in the institution saved my life.'' Reid, 32, said if he hadn't been caught he might have continued a life of crime that may have led to his death. While in prison he took an interest in boxing, and he sang in a three-part harmony group. His biggest victory in the ring came six years after his release, in December 1999 when he knocked out Clarksville's Karl Willis in the second round to win the North American Boxing Association title in St. Charles, Mo. One year later he suffered his only defeat when William Joppy beat him on a technical knockout in the fourth round in Las Vegas. Reid prefers to train for 6-8 weeks for each fight, but he had only one week to prepare for Joppy after signing with promoter Don King on short notice. ''I believe on Dec. 2, 2000, Jonathan Reid beat himself because I was physically ready, but not mentally ready,'' Reid said. ''If I would have beat Joppy I would have been in line to fight Felix Trinidad for approximately $2.5 million or more.'' Joppy lost to Trinidad, who lost to Bernard Hopkins, who is still the middleweight champion in four of the major sanctioning organizations. Reid is 28th in the U.S. Boxing Organization rankings. ''On a scale of one to 10 with a 10 being a world champion, (Reid) is probably a nine,'' said Eddie Rochelle, Reid's trainer. ''The only problem that he's got is most people are scared to fight him. They're looking for people who don't punch hard. We tried our best to get Oscar De La Hoya at 154 pounds (super welterweight), but at the time they just wouldn't hear of it.'' Reid is hoping the exposure of being on The Contender will have a positive effect on his career. ''It's so exciting to be on this show that I don't even have the words to explain it,'' Reid said. ''You've got the people's fighter in Rocky, Sylvester Stallone. And then you have the six-time world champion, Sugar Ray Leonard. So it can't get any better than that.'' Someone from the show's casting department called Cummins Station to see if any boxers trained there. Reid and Cooper tried out in Tunica, Miss., as part of a nationwide search that drew thousands of applicants. On the final episode in May, one of the boxers will win the $1 million prize. ''You'll have to tune into the show to see what happens from this point on to see if 'Reid Dawg' gets that million,'' said Reid, who got that nickname training pit bulls. ''A million dollars would not change my family life. ''Of course, we would have more money in the bank, but my family already has everything that it needs. Money doesn't buy you love or happiness. We love each other tremendously, and we're happy without that right now.'' Cooper, 31, is also happy with his life right now. Like Reid, he has enjoyed a successful boxing career with a 20-2-2 record that includes 15 knockouts. He is a welterweight, but he moved up to middleweight for the show. Cooper and his wife, Leeann, have a small recording studio at their home in Hermitage, where they write and perform country and Christian music. And Brent does a little modeling on the side. But Cooper had to go through hard times with drug and alcohol problems before NBC put him in the spotlight. Cocaine, ecstasy, whiskey — he tried it all. He got some DUIs and his boxing career fell apart for three years in its early stages. He took a job as a waiter at a Nashville restaurant, and he was fired several times after fighting at work. ''I was a horrible person and I was always out partying,'' Cooper said. ''I had just signed with Don King and my mom passed away in 1997, so I turned to drinking. My dad was an alcoholic and his dad was an alcoholic. Everybody in our family — any time things got bad, that's all we did was drink.'' Cooper's mother, Linda, was only 43 when she died of a seizure, and the young fighter says he didn't know how to handle it. Five years later Cooper hit rock bottom after four consecutive nights of partying with pills and whiskey. ''I was miserable and I called my dad,'' Cooper said. ''I was crying and I said, 'Dad, I'm an alcoholic.' That was a time in my life that I was crying out, but my dad was an alcoholic, too, and he couldn't help. I was like a little boy. He was that same little boy that I was, looking for answers.'' Cooper turned to religion this time and it helped him gain control of his life. Then he resumed his boxing career. ''When everybody hits bottom they call out to God, but for me it was true,'' Cooper said. ''He's always there to help me. Today I spent two hours in prayer talking to God. That's my life now.'' Another dark shadow passed over Cooper's life last year when he lost his father, James, 59, after a nine-month battle with cancer. He was able to deal with that better than his mom's death. Cooper balances his time between boxing, songwriting and modeling, but his passion seems to be in the ring. His professional boxing career started in a frenzy when he signed with King as he fought 18 times in 10 months. He got 45 stitches from one punch that landed square on his eyebrow. No wonder he says the thing he loves most about boxing is ''not getting hit.'' Back then, former heavyweight champion Greg Page was his trainer. Boxing keeps Cooper in great shape for modeling, but once he had to wear makeup at a shoot to cover a black eye. He has been in country music videos, including Alan Jackson's Pop A Top. Now, Cooper finds himself on a reality show mingling occasionally with Leonard and Stallone. ''Sugar Ray Leonard was my all-time favorite fighter and I got to spar with him one day,'' Cooper said. ''He beat me up. He was like, 'We're going to work for the cameras. We're just going to make it look good, playing around and stuff.' I'm just like, 'That's Sugar Ray Leonard. I can't really hit him.' ''Then he went wham, wham and hit me with the double hook for a body shot. He's still fast. I was amazed, man. I think he's the greatest fighter ever. It was cool just to be in the ring with him. I think he could beat half the fighters out there.'' Chip Cirillo covers sports for The Tennessean. He can be reached at 259-8240 or ccirillo@tennessean.com. http://www.tennessean.com/sports/localsports/archives/05/01/65664775.shtml?Element_ID=65664775
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Konamouse
Member
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 8:18 am
Jonathan "Reid Dawg" Reid
Age: 32 Hometown: Nashville, TN Occupation: Boxer Family: Wife: Anna Kids: Jonathan II, Jaylon, Imani, Jameela and Iyanna Alante Biography From the wrong side of the tracks, Jonathan spent three years in prison for armed robbery. He has what at first appears to be an ornery or contrary demeanor, until you see that he is putting you on. He actually has a great sense of humor and that humor is his most lovable trait. But the other side of the Reid Dawg is a serious, experienced, tough-as-nails fighter. He's a veteran in and out of the ring and has had a rough life. Jonathan is a great storyteller, and his warmth and humor come through when he opens up. He's very grounded and religious but not over the top. He is married to Anna and has five beautiful children. He says a million dollars won't change their lives because they already have the things that count. Brent "The Disciple" Cooper
Age: 31 Hometown: Hermitage, TN Occupation: Personal Trainer Family: Wife: Leann Biography Brent has a boyish charm and male model good looks. His 5,000-watt smile is almost always on, and even if he loses this competition, he's unlikely to turn it off. Brent has a strong faith, and religion has changed his life - it helped him kick his drug and alcohol habit. He has a one-track mind and is very passionate about things in his life, including religion and boxing. His focus and determination are 100% directed toward the goal of winning this competition. He trains hard and runs with hand, ankle and head weights. Brent and his wife, Leann, are country singers/songwriters and have a small recording studio set up in their house. When he finds time to relax, Brent enjoys writing and singing country music, spending time with his wife and two pit bulls (Duke and Scrappy) and reading the bible.
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Kep421
Member
08-11-2001
| Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 12:31 pm
I am saddened to hear this. No matter what the reason, it breaks my heart when a person's life reaches a point where they believe death is better than living... I'm still very interested in seeing this show, The Contender. I'm not a huge boxing fan, but I think getting to know the men and their families will be unlike any other reality show we've seen so far...
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Scorpiomoon
Member
06-06-2002
| Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 4:18 pm
I just heard on Access Hollywood that Najai's girlfriend/mother of his child was in the car with him when he shot himself. How incredibly sad for the whole family. Considering all the problems and delays this show has had and now this, I will be surprised if The Contender lives up to the high expectations NBC has.
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Gina8642
Member
06-01-2001
| Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 5:25 pm
What's up with reality TV shows and suicide? The first person ever booted of the first Survivor show committed suicide (Europe's version), and now this. Maybe this is just within the norm of statistical probabilities. But aren't these folks supposed to put through a battery of psycological tests to make sure they are stable? Very sad for his friends and family.
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Scorpiomoon
Member
06-06-2002
| Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 5:54 pm
What's up with reality TV shows and suicide? Um, nothing? There have been hundreds of international reality TV shows with thousands of people who were cast for them. All what you have cited are two deaths. That's hardly grounds for saying there's a connection between reality TV and suicides.
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Gina8642
Member
06-01-2001
| Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 9:54 pm
Maybe this is just within the norm of statistical probabilities. But aren't these folks supposed to put through a battery of psycological tests to make sure they are stable?
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Dworsky
Member
03-04-2005
| Friday, March 04, 2005 - 10:00 am
Take a look at the commercial for the Contender or the video promo on the NBC website, and see if that girl with long brown hair seated next to "Joey" (his sister) looks familiar. Was she on a reality show previously? (Joey is the one with a father who is a doctor in Iraq.) thanks.
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Dworsky
Member
03-04-2005
| Monday, March 07, 2005 - 2:26 pm
Here is a picture of the mystery sister. Who is she? Former reality star?

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Legalboxer
Member
11-17-2003
| Monday, March 07, 2005 - 7:00 pm
its on tonight
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-17-2003
| Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 2:03 am
I got it on tape. Came here to see what you guys thought BEFORE I watched it. Must give my two cents however. lost nine hundred dollars. The next morning he was informed he earned a chance to compete on The Contender. He believes that the news was a sign from God...says they will have to kill him to beat him ALWAYS a bad sign when a longshot contestant feels that they are being led by God. I only hope that this man was portrayed in a decent manner in this series. IF something embarrassing did occur I could seriously think that suicide could have been the expected outcome. There is no way that MB will not reedit the show. I dont believe that they will want it to look like they had anything to do with this man's decision. We all know how upset some of the Wifeswap, BigBrother, Survivor, Amazing Race and Trading Spouses people ended up.
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Metoo
Member
02-22-2005
| Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 7:57 am
Love this show!!!!
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Legalboxer
Member
11-17-2003
| Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 8:19 am
hate the way they promoted it in the commericals (just thought it was off to promote such a loving group of dedicated guys trying to fight the odds when you know one is dead) but i LOVE the show.
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Hootyhoot
Member
12-18-2001
| Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 8:36 am
I loved this show too, but it sure made me glad my son never wanted to be a boxer! (He is a big fan of the sport though.)
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Rossbo
Member
07-06-2004
| Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 8:59 am
Saw this on front of Drudge Report --- TKO!: NBC 'CONTENDER' -- MOST EXPENSIVE REALITY SHOW EVER PRODUCED -- CRASHES AND BURNS IN DEBUT, FINISHING LAST IN TIME SLOT; BOXING COMP HITS MAT WITH WEAK 5.6 RATING/8 SHARE, IN OVERNIGHTS, WIPE OUT... FOX 'IDOL' STAYS TOP OF NIGHT WITH 16.1 RATING/ 23 SHARE, CBS 'CSI MIAMI' SCORES 15.9/24... DEVELOPING...
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Rossbo
Member
07-06-2004
| Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 9:10 am
I watched it and found it very compelling and it was mountains better than the "whateverucallit" show that Fox put out. I think if NBC can find the right slot for it, it will work...
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Kep421
Member
08-11-2001
| Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 9:12 am
I was so looking forward to this show because I thought it was going to be good. But, I couldn't get through it. I was so bored I actually found myself wondering if maybe I should pick up the living room while it was on. I love reality shows, but for some reason this show just bored the beejeezus out of me. I'm going to give it one or two more episodes before throwing in the towel tho...
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Sweetbabygirl
Member
08-31-2002
| Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 1:00 pm
Awwwwwwwwww Kep, it was the complete opposite for me....I was riveted for the whole 90 mins., and I hope it does better in the ratings.
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Carlito
Member
03-26-2004
| Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 4:29 pm
Just a few comments for the gallery here. I too loved this show so much more than the Fox alternative DelaHoya produced.It was great human interest and family background displayed. The real 5 round fight was so awesome. Just goes to show you what determination can do if you put your mind to it. Alphonso is the Man! Yes i do feel sad for Peter and his family but i think he learned a very valueable lesson with that fight.I would have liked to see Ray Leonard pull him aside before the walkout and reenforce the lesson he was to learn from his first defeat.Ray could have reminded him of what he learned from his first defeat against Roberto Duran. That would have been touching and good for tv audiences to see the brotherhood in the fight game that used to exist before greed set in.
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-17-2003
| Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 4:45 pm
still havent watched my tape. But here in my area this is the second time they have tried to release the Contender. If I recall they tried about two episodes before pulling it. There was virtually no publicity the first time.
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Konamouse
Member
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 11:28 pm
They held "The Contender" when FOX put out their own version of the show (and THAT tanked). We taped it last night and watch it tonight. I'm not a fan of boxing, but I understand the mental & physical components, and how Burnett is at putting together a "story". A couple of the guys are from Nevada, and a couple of guys are kinda cute (for boxers). I really want to know where the theme music comes from. We'll be watching the rest of the season here at our house. The finale will be a live boxing match in Las Vegas - but I'm sure common folks like us will not have a chance in heck to get tickets (unless I have a good dialing finger for the morning NBC news station contests). 'squeek'
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Max
Member
08-12-2000
| Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 12:43 am
I just got a chance to watch this. I liked it. But then, I liked the FOX version, too. The fight was quite good. Both boxers have ability. What I didn't like, though, was watching that little girl see her daddy fighting and getting hit so much. She's too little to understand that it's a sport and I just kept thinking how hard it must be for her to see her daddy get hit like that. It certainly must have been confusing, at best. I think they sorta gave it away who was going to win by how much they showed the family of one boxer versus the other. I hope they don't continue to project it like that. Personally, I'd like to see the entire five rounds of boxing instead of the edited clips, but then I like the sport and I understand that this is realy geared more towards people who don't necessarily like it or perhaps have never watched boxing matches. I was wondering if they would mention the suicide at all, but they didn't. I suspect they won't until they get to an episode that features that boxer. Very sad. Anyway, I'll definitely be watching this one. Oh, Kona, there are lots of boxers who are good looking. Mohammed Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar de la Hoya, among many others. But of course, handsome is in the eye of the beholder. 
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Potted_plant
Member
08-29-2001
| Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 10:58 am
I also loved the "fox alternative" aka Next Great Champ.........& as a side note, Otis Griffin won his first pro fight. I missed this the other night, but thanks to Carlito for letting me know about it, I will have to try & catch up ;) & Yes, there are lots of good looking boxers, I hope there are some on this show so I can observe 
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