TAPOUT: THE COMPLETE SERIES
Mixed martial arts is on the rise in popularity in the United States, as organizations like the UFC continue to grow and gain exposure on regular TV networks. No longer relegated to pay per view or obscure stations near the end of the dial. Following form, reality television has stepped in to embrace the new sport with several competition or reality based shows revolving around fighters (see UFC’s Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV). Yet, the team from Tapout is taking a decidedly different approach, hoping that they can lure viewers with a bit of the business of running a mixed martial arts company. Can that really work? Well, it helps when there still are scenes sprinkled in of guys getting punched in the face.
The series follows three members of the Tapout clothing and athletic gear company as they travel the country looking for up and coming talent in the ranks of mixed martial arts (MMA) to potentially sponsor. This is all part of a greater plan to promote Tapout both within the sport and increase its exposure publically. Mask, SkyScrape, and Punkass (no, those are not their real names) are the eclectic trio of “businessmen” whom we follow. Though they are certainly the least businesslike of any three reality characters we’ve met in quite awhile.
Each episode follows a fairly standard script. The three guys meet a new fighter, learning about his talents and background. We see scenes of the fighter training and talking with the guys (which getting the requisite reflective comments from the guys) with each episode culminating in an actual MMA bout featuring that week’s “character”. The fights themselves are shown pretty much without any editing, save for some camera work to show the reaction of the guys during the bout, which is really great. It removes any illusion that a fight might be edited or manufactured a certain way just to fit into the show.
It is a structure that is easy to digest and makes rolling along from episode to episode fairly easy. One can easily lose track of time and hammer out half of one of the ten episode seasons without even realizing it. There are actually really only nine episodes in the first season, as the finale episode merely is a recap show with some minor previews of season 2, so it doesn’t really count.
As the series progresses, more emphasis gets placed on trying to emphasize the business aspects of sponsorship and of Tapout itself. Big time supporters of the company or major MMA fanatics will probably be really into those portions of the episodes, otherwise they sort of fall a little flat, and break up the episodes and stories of the some of the fighters a little too much, but points to the Tapout guys and the production crew for trying to raise the storyline of the show a bit beyond just the fighting aspects.
MMA fans will also enjoy the appearances by some of the biggest names in the mixed martial arts universe. Major fighters like BJ Penn, Dean Lister, Matt Hughes, and Chuck Liddell among others appear in various episodes. Even UFC President Dana White makes a cameo during one of the season two episodes. Some of these appearances are pretty funny and interesting, showing the guys personality outside the ring, particularly Liddell and Hughes whom they guys meet at his farm.
MMA junkies will probably be really into the show, and as such should definitely pick up the complete series. You never know if one of the young fighters featured in an episode might someday be one of the top stars in the UFC. For anyone interested in the world of MMA, who hasn’t quite figured out what all the fuss is about, Tapout the complete series actually can serve as a pretty nice introduction into the character rich world of mixed martial arts.
DVD Bonus Features
There are no special feature associated with the series. That’s right; there are no deleted scenes, extra commentaries, or featurettes about the fighters or the crew.
Written by Tom Hoeler
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