The Weekly Wrap: March 21 - March 27

Bully Beatdown

The hugely influential MTV cable channel premiered a new MMA-themed reality series this week called "Bully Beatdown," hosted by colorful and charismatic MMA vet Jason "Mayhem" Miller, to strong opening ratings.

The show, produced by reality television guru Mike Burnett and the mostly-shuttered Pro Elite Inc., is based on bullies being called out by their victims. The bullies face a professional fighter for a $10,000 payday, losing a chunk of cash every time they tap out in a submission round or can't answer a 10-count in a kickboxing round. In the premiere episode, former EliteXC fighter Tony Benello put a hurting on a man who long bullied his brother, tapping him several times with chokes and putting him down for the count with a kick to the body. "Big" John McCarthy served as referee, and the bouts were overseen by the Utah Athletic Commission.

The 30-minute premiere episode, which aired at 9:30 p.m. EST/PST on March 25, did an average of 1.4 million viewers. For a comparison, that's just as big as the audience who tuned in for the most watched fight in WEC history -- the first Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver match in June 2007. The number was well up from what MTV typically draws in the timeslot with airings of "The College Humor Show." The show did particularly well among male viewers ages 12 to 34, among whom it was the highest rated show in its timeslot. The numbers likely indicate the show, one episode of which features Strikeforce fighter Jake Shields, may be around for a while.