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Does the drama never end?

As if it wasn't enough to criticize The Ultimate Fighter just two days ago, I find myself doing it again today. Last night's episode sacrificed ultimate fighting for inebriated drama. Junie Browning, the lightweight who cannot hold his alcohol, served up more emotional tension than fighting skills.

According to Junie, the majority of this drama, while largely brought about because of alcohol, can also be attributed to the fact that the light heavyweights need to be put into their place:

They always want to be in control of stuff. They would say out of the way stuff that normally if they were my size they wouldn't be saying. I don't want them to think that because they're bigger they run everything, and when I got drunk I started saying stuff I normally wouldn't, doing stuff I normally wouldn't.

Junie goes on to say that he isn't really that much of a drinker and since there's alcohol in the house, and nothing else to do, he's just doing the only thing available to entertain himself. Should the fighters have more stuff to do like an X-Box or Wii or are they there for training?

Whatever . . .

I remember Dana White saying something to the effect that when he bought the UFC he wanted to show that this is a legitimate sport, not a bunch of drunken brawlers throwing haymakers and trying to take each other's heads off. So far this season, legitimacy is lacking. Point of fact, it seems, every season something like this occurs. There's always a person ( or persons ) in the house who can't hold their liquor.

Dana says he provides alcohol in the house because the fighters are adults and need to behave responsibly. Aren't these fighters also athletes? I know of no legitimate athletes who would subscribe to regular alcohol binges as a method of training. Do you?

If this keeps up The Ultimate Fighter is going to quickly fall off my watch list. I tune in to see Ultimate Fighting not drunken wannabes drinking and talking smack. How about you?

This weekend I caught up on a whole bunch of shows of which one of those was The Ultimate Fighter. During each season a cast of MMA fighters competes for a six-figure contract with the UFC in this reality series.

I've been a huge fan ever since the inception of Ultimate Fighting and when Dana White took over I've liked it even more. Starting this series has probably been the best thing he could have done to bring the sport to the mainstream.

Of course the UFC has it's opponents, but the sport is growing in popularity and is bound to overtake the more mainstream boxing fans eventually - unless traditional boxing changes something. What that would be I have no idea.

However, there's a couple things that soured me a bit this season of The Ultimate Fighter:

First off, there's the Spike TV channel. The commercials are getting way out of hand. It almost seems as if there are 5 minutes of commercials for every 2 minutes of the show. This wouldn't be so bad if the commercials changed every now and then, but it's the same commercials! Keep in mind, people watch to see the show not lame-ass Burger King commercials and pimping for UFC DVDs. Do you think the series is getting a little bloated with commercials?

Second, I'm not sure if the method being used to determine who gets into the house is really going to find the best candidates. Last week's episode had two guys who won their fights kicked out. This really sucks. Because they got their noses cracked? This just isn't right. Allow me to explain:

Let's face it. The object of a fight is to inflict damage upon your opponent while avoiding damage your opponent intends to inflict upon you. MMA is particularly wrought with a variety of ways to inflict damage. It is inevitable that a fighter will get injured unless he grossly outclasses another fighter.

Additionally, I've seen a number of fights in which fighters were obviously injured with probable broken noses and huge cuts. There are instances in which the ringside doctors allowed the fight to go on. So, I find it a little hypocritical that the guys who earned their spot in the house were told to leave even though their noses were NOT broke, but cracked. Guys with cuts were allowed to stay in previous seasons. What's up?

Do you think those guys should have been sent home?

Lastly, perhaps there needs to be a psychological test. What's up with the bipolar hillbilly?

As I said, I'm a fan of ultimate fighting. Whether or not I'm a fan of The Ultimate Fighter is a little up in the air right now.

What about you? Are you a fan for life or is The Ultimate Fighter jumping the shark?

As with many of the dvd collections I watch after the kids go to bed and I happen to have a little free time to watch, I found the highly acclaimed HBO series, Six Feet Under, after it had already gone to dvd. Of course, the benefit to this is not having to wait until the next season begins. I can watch an episode a night, or week, or whatever. No cliffhangers keep me in suspense or hold me hostage wating for the next release in the steady stream of never-ending drama.

If you haven't already added Six Feet Under to your must-see-list I highly encourage you to stop waiting and do it immediately. You're missing out if you don't.

In a nutshell, the Fisher Family, who happen to run a funeral home in Southern California must finally face the reality they deal with on a daily basis. Only this time it hits close to home when Nathaniel Fisher ( Richard Jenkins ) is killed in a car accident on his way to pick up his eldest son, Nate ( Peter Krause ) who is on his way home for a visit. While at the airport, Nate happens to meet Brenda Chenowith ( Rachel Griffiths ) and they have a brief, but satisfying, sexual encounter. However, their relationship grows over time. While Nate may have found a way to escape home, the thought of being a funeral director and any other responsibilites to the family, he decides to stay and help run the family business. Nate eventually finds a steady relationship with Brenda and her psycho family including her brother Billy ( Jeremy Sisto ), a manic-depressive and his manipulative mother. That is until and old flame, Lisa ( Lili Taylor ), reveals she's pregnant. The two marry but her death will haunt him for years to come.

Nate's brother, David ( Michael C. Hall ), is the son who has taken the responsibility of running the funeral home with his father. He's also gay, but hasn't really come out of the closet yet. This causes quite a few realtionship problems with his lover, Keith ( Matthew St. Patrick ). Keith wants him to come out and believes that David must do it to show that he isn't ashamed of Keith. Drama ensues.

Additionally, there's Claire ( Lauren Ambrose ), Nate and David's agnst-ridden sister who seems to have her own set of problems with finding the right guy. Lover after lover come and go as do her interests and passions.

Last, but not least by any means, there is Ruth ( Frances Conroy ). She's the epitome of motherhood. The support system, the loyal wife, the mom who seems to be moddled after June Cleaver. But upon her husband's death she soon finds she needs more out of life. She too tries to find love in the arms a few men and ultimately marries George Sibley ( James Cromwell ). However, James has his own psychological problems. Finding that he is yet another person she must care for, her faith in the relationship flounders.

Of course, I haven't revealed everything here. There's quite a bit more to the storyline and an outstanding cast of characters of which I've only mentioned a few. However, you'll find each episode keeps you wondering what will happen next. What else could possibly test these people even more?

Now, if you've already watched the series I'm sure you have a favorite character. Personally, I tend to waver between Claire and Nate. I'm not sure which I enjoy more than the other.

Have a favorite episode or something you'd like to share?