"The Ultimate Fighter" Season 13's Latest Ratings Are In, And Are Another Indication Of A Larger Problem

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 is, at best, a learning experience. At worst, it’s a firm reminder that all that glitters is not gold, and that the UFC Juggernaut can be breached. Last week, TUF Season 13 recorded an very low 1.0 million viewers, a far cry from the average 1.7 million that watched Season 12. Recently, the ratings for this week’s episode have been released, and while it’s an improvement, it falls right back in line with the series’ average, which as always is much lesser than was originally expected. Here are all the details.

We head to MMA Weekly for news that Episode 8 measured in with an average of 1.2 million viewers throughout the course of its broadcast, a good improvement from last week’s 1.0. However, 1.2 million viewers remains the average of the season and a far cry from some of the numbers of previous TUF seasons.

As we head deeper and deeper into this season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, I think it’s become very apparent that this season just isn’t clicking with the Spike TV audience. And as we get deeper and deeper, the signs of why this has happened begin to appear more evident.

I think one of the core problems of this series is that people want personalities, and not coaches. I know that’s not something I should encourage if I want everyone to become a legitimate and well-versed MMA fan rather than a casual viewer, but remember that I’m a realist first and an optimist second. The proof is in the ratings: some of the highest-rated TUF programs have featured personalities, not coaches. The seasons featuring Josh Koscheck, Quinton Jackson, and Tito Ortiz all ended up performing well throughout their run, or at the very least, pulled numbers noticeably better than Season 13’s.

It’s become apparent that people want drama, not nuance. As much as this show focuses on shining a light on fighters and the lives of fighters, there are only so many training montages you can sit through before you say “okay, I get it” and it starts to get old. In seasons past, this was held in check by the drama between coaches. With no drama of any kind between Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos, we keep getting extended looks on MMA training and technique. And that’s where the problem lies: personalities, not coaches. If we love this sport enough to buy an instructional DVD, we’ll buy an instructional DVD. When we’re watching a show like “The Ultimate Fighter”, we want excitement, drama, and intrigue.

I know I’m sounding like a typical casual MMA fan, but sometimes that’s the mindset you have to have when you want to ensure the prolonged success of a show that’s been running for thirteen straight seasons. TUF hasn’t dropped past one million viewers, not yet, so this tells me that the hardcore fanbase keeps tuning in and will continue to tune in no matter what. I’ve made no secret that I’ll tune in to “The Ultimate Fighter” for as long as it keeps airing simply because it’s TUF, and there’s no other reason needed. But if the UFC wants to get the big ratings, they’ve got to make some changes, both big and small, in order to keep the show fresh and exciting. And if that means doing things to attract the casual fans that the hardcore fans may be a bit upset up, then so be it. In the end, and only in this situation in particular, I think the ends would justify the means.

And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on this thirteenth season?