'The Contender' stumbled in its finale

By SAMANTHA ETTUS
Scripps Howard News Service
26-MAY-05

It was easy to get hooked on "The Contender," the NBC reality series that aired its final episode this week. Sylvester Stallone teamed with reality-TV mogul Mark Burnett to pit 16 boxers against one another for a prize of $1 million.

Co-hosted by Stallone and boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, the series offered a look at the lives of boxers in and out of the ring. With few exceptions, these boxers had each overcome tough backgrounds.

A few weeks ago I praised Stallone for building a career that remained true to his brand, and recognized "The Contender" as a natural extension for him. But Stallone slipped badly and damaged the show's legacy in the finale.

On Feb. 14, Najai Turpin, a charismatic boxer eliminated in the first round, took his own life. Najai's mother passed away when he was 18, leaving him to take care of his young siblings. He juggled jobs while still finding time to train. By the time he made it onto "The Contender," Najai was 23 and the father of a 2-year-old daughter. His life had not gotten easier, though, and his suicide left behind broken hearts and shattered families.

When the final episode featuring Najai aired, it was followed by a note directing us to the show's Web site with information about a scholarship fund the show had set up for his daughter. My husband and I made a donation.

Later, I searched for more information on Najai, and found an article on Boxingtalk.net. Like Najai, the author, Brian Sutcliffe, had trained at the James Shuler Memorial Boxing Gym in Philadelphia. For countless boxers, the gym had functioned as a refuge. Behind it all was one man, Percy Custis, who struggled to keep the place alive and provide his boxers with a home, an outlet for their energy and a chance to get out of the ghetto.

The gym – which, according to Sutcliffe, had suffered the loss of its most popular member – would have been an ideal venue to spotlight in the show's finale.

Unlike most boxing entertainment, "The Contender" didn't simply profit from throwing two fighters into the ring. Instead, it introduced us to their stories and put the spotlight on the heart behind the sport.

But despite the show's positive intentions, Stallone stepped out of its character in the finale when he promoted an online auction of "Contender" paraphernalia and announced that the proceeds would benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

Don't get me wrong. This foundation does great work, but it has absolutely no connection to the show. After engrossing his audience with the personal stories of the 16 contenders through the season, Stallone should have tied the auction to a related purpose. Instead, he made no mention of the 15 men defeated along the way.

So where are they now?

One is dead, and the others have returned to the mean streets. For most, this had been a shot at giving their families a better life. At the very least, the auction money should have gone to Najai's daughter, and at best it could have been distributed among the fighters who left the show.

By selecting a cause with no relationship to his fighters, Stallone delivered a worse blow to "The Contender's" legacy than did NBC with its decision not to renew it.

For more information about the James Shuler Memorial Boxing Fund, contact Percy Custis, 750 N. Brooklyn St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104.

For more information about the scholarship fund for Najai's daughter, contact the Anyae Chapple Trust, J.P. Morgan Trust Company, N.A, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, 26th Floor. Los Angeles, CA, 90067.

(Samantha Ettus is the author of "The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do" (Random House). Contact her at Samantha(at) celebrityassets.com.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com)