MTV's Caged -- a reality show on Louisiana amateur MMA fighters - debuts Monday on MTV.
Without going into a long diatribe about what MTV used to be, I was fairly certain what to expect when two press screener episodes of MTV's new reality series "Caged" arrived at my doorstep and after viewing them, I was correct.
If you're into teen reality drama shows with a modicum of sports, this show is for you. Otherwise, MMA fans can skip the series which debuts Monday on MTV at 10 PM EST.
The debut sets the scene in Shreveport, Louisiana, and neighboring Minden where we're told the only thing for high school graduates to do is drink, get laid and beat some guys up. That's actually a direct quote from Wes Branch, an amateur fighter with an ex-girlfriend, a young son and aspirations to be a big-time MMA star.
He trains in a friend's backyard as he doesn't have the time to go to a real school, yet brags about drinking $100 worth of beer at a recent party before vomiting. Not surprisingly, there is concern about him making weight for a fight that weekend. Red is Wes' ex, a seemingly nice person who is attending nursing school while raising their son Jaxon. They broke up three months ago.
We also meet Daniel Payne, a likeable tall blonde fella who apparently has never been knocked out. He too is an amateur with a fight coming up, has a girl that he falls in and out of love with and he dated the late sister of his best friend. The two discuss her passing in an awkward forced scene as they're hitting a heavy bag in Daniel's garage. Along the way, fellow amateur and Payne teammate Matt Schnell is introduced. According to his coach, he's the best of the group. His sister is also a stripper. He wants his dad to be proud of him. Family drama? Check and check.
Essentially, the show is no different than any teen reality drama on MTV. It merely has MMA as a backdrop as a way to get out of this supposedly terrible situation they're all in. They all compete for Ring Rulers, an amateur only organization in Louisiana run by Will Broyles, who also co-produces the show. The events are similar to football games in "Varsity Blues" where the town completely shuts down to go watch the events.
At the end of the show, all three fighters step into the cage and compete with plenty of of piped-in crowd noise, girlfriend drama and the like laid out for the viewer. I won't spoil the results for you here, but it fits with the rest of the show. It's very MTV-like. Scenes from the rest of the series promise more of the same.
Perhaps this will be a real launching pad for some of the talent on the show, but there isn't much here of substance for MMA fans.
0 recs | 79 comments
Pictured: A collective IQ of 200
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
I am actually surprised at your generousity
Robert V-U - January 9, 2012
What do you think’s lower, their combined IQ or their combined “fight IQ”?
Machiel Van - January 9, 2012
Well they all managed to make a fist and hold it up somewhere above their waist (points deducted for guy on the right)
So after reassessment I’ll go with 175 combined IQ and “fight IQ” of that guy who claims to have beaten up Floyd Sr.
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
I saw the first episode, and I don’t think I’ll be watching it again. Wes Branch just really annoyed me as he just came off as ignorant as what to do to be a big-time fighter. Branch wants to be a big-time MMA fighter, but it just looks like he’s not willing to make the sacrifices to do so like drinking a lot of alcohol before the day of the weigh-ins, and training at his friend’s backyard saying that training there is somehow enough.
chrisbboy82 - January 9, 2012
they should get war machine to go undercover
21 jump street-style.
gspmademegay - January 9, 2012
To no surprise...MTV producing garbage.
higgledy-piggledy - January 9, 2012
TUF + 16 and pregnant = shit!
Just die, MTV.
I_Mad - January 9, 2012 via mobile
So
in other words we get to find out what happens you cross the DNA between War Machine and Junie Browning?
manbearpig - January 9, 2012
Not big on the mtv style relatiy shows
but it is what it is. This I guess is the format the average teen likes, so they are telling a story about mma that the average teen feel they can understand/relate to. Good for the growth of the sport IMO and for the growth of the talent pool. This mtv generation will grow up with the whole “leave it all in the cage” ethos and “this is the purest form of combat sports” drilled in form the start
Disco1Stu - January 9, 2012
is it fictional?
if its not fictional I hope they bring in Falcao to play with them for the finale
elmojo - January 9, 2012
You're a horrible
horrible person!
SentientAndroid - January 9, 2012
Paul Harris
He will take their stupid drunken limbs back to Brazil….
Andy Anderson - January 9, 2012
had to one up me on the horrible quota eh?
elmojo - January 10, 2012
The older I get, the more I think teens are a waste of space. GET OFF MY LAWN!
pud333 - January 9, 2012
OMGitsME - January 9, 2012
really good flick
SentientAndroid - January 9, 2012
this show really sucks, I mean they could be showing more of their draining and possibly fight aftermath win or lose,. but no they want to fill more then half the show with garbage and drama, “I want him to respect me”, “dead girlfriend….”, “stripper sister”………“all I’ve ever known”. These kids arent in the worst situation they make their lives suck just like every other piece of shit reality show on MTV.
Mrh347 - January 9, 2012
I agree that do try to make it seem like each of these kid’s only option to make something of themselves is to make it in Pro MMA. They’re really trying to play up the whole kids from a small country town trying to make it out shtick.
YoungGun - January 10, 2012
Just what Louisiana needs...
sgiblin - January 9, 2012
gspmademegay - January 9, 2012
The latter
The shit kid’s listen to now, mainly the young “90’s babies” hiphop is bullshit imo. I just watched a Lil’ Wayne vid earlier today and he looked like a fucking clown. For the life of me I don’t understand how this guy can rap about being gangster and having pistols and AK-47’s, but wears those tacky clothes, prance around like a teenager…fucking skateboard and still has a HUGE fan base that believes that he has some form of street cred. The contradictions alone surrounding YMCMB is enough to make me go elsewhere.
SentientAndroid - January 9, 2012
Both.
all hiphop is bullshit. The shit you listened to was bullshit to your parents and your parents’ music was bullshit to your grandparents. Trust me, kids are retarded, AND you’re getting old.
OmoPlata - January 9, 2012
These kids dress like homeless transsexuals and don't even see anything wrong with it
Nothing iller than a cookie monster t-shirt, over-sized high tops and skin tight purple pants.
My question: How is it that they make skinny jeans for fat people?
TheFilt - January 9, 2012
My sig explains it all.
TheFilt - January 9, 2012
This!
Man this all fucking day! I swear I noticed the shit a few years ago at my last job. I was maybe a junior in college and I worked with a good bit of high schoolers. They used the term “fresh” and “swag” a lot. So I had a few of them on my facebook and I would see a guy wearing purple high top shoes, skin tight jeans, bright orange and neon green shirt with a bright blue fitted hat (for example) and I swear some of the comments were saying shit like “damn, my boy fresh aint it?” or chicks would say some shit like “too much swag” or whatever. And I’m looking like, tha’ fuck??? I never would’ve guessed that literally dressing like a circus clown would be the “in” thing to do. How the fuck is dressing tacky cool all of a sudden?
I guess I can’t say much because I rocked the extra large tshirts and baggy pants when I was 16 and 17, and when I look back now I can’t help but think of how fucking stupid I looked.
SentientAndroid - January 9, 2012
lol
I was going to say “homeless transsexual clowns”, as they really do resemble clowns.
TheFilt - January 9, 2012
Once you start saying a whole generations music sucks
You’ve officially have gotten old.
discoandherpes - January 12, 2012
This sounds like unintentional comedy to me!
Let’s all be honest with each other here. No ones watching this expecting to find the next crop of MMA talent. This show wasn’t created to produce the next crop of MMA talent. This show could be called “Let’s All Point at the White Trash and Laugh” and it would accurately describe the proceedings.
It’s just MTV doing what they do best now. Taking a stereotype and putting it on display as a subject for ridicule. All while feigning just enough of a sense of integrity and sympathy for it’s subjects, as not to look gratuitous to the untrained eye.
This is sad hillbillies beating the shit out of other for our amusement. Nothing more and nothing less.
Steve W - January 9, 2012 via mobile
rec's for "Let’s All Point at the White Trash and Laugh"
gspmademegay - January 9, 2012
now look at the camera and say
“I’m white trash and I’m in trouble”
ODBasyoucansee - January 9, 2012
pretty sure you won the thread with that right there
The Lethal Haze - January 9, 2012
what makes it worse is they picked the wrong kinda fighter to cover
The thought of a amatur fighter training in there back yard is very believable. That isn’t however the best thing to show young people. They could get the wrong impression and get hurt in the cage pretty bad. I have seen people like that get messed up when I go with teammates to fights.
fightersvizion - January 9, 2012 via mobile
didnt someone die a year ago in an amateur bout because he was doing ‘backyard’ and ‘rocky like’ training?
elmojo - January 9, 2012
On a positive note
This show is getting my girlfriend interested into MMA but she made me watch it with her so i have mixed feelings.
Danger Dan - January 9, 2012
Dump her for watching MTV
Dump her on her head like Randleman v Fedor.
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
My wife is already intersted in MMA.
She likes grown muscled out dudes fondling one another. And every fight she says “They should tickle each other”
Win.
OMGitsME - January 9, 2012
Exactly
You don’t need drunk trashy kids to get women to watch MMA.
Turns out they like seeing ripped dudes in tiny shorts roll around.
TheFilt - January 9, 2012
That’s the trade off. You get her to watch a UFC event but the entire time you have to hear about how sexy GSP’s accent is.
rocket8188 - January 9, 2012
My girlfriend only likes the weigh ins.
She thinks the fights are lame “Because they don’t fight til the death”. She is pretty hardcore and I don’t mess with her on during her bad days :)
yonsson - January 9, 2012
1.) Stop watching MTV
2.) Break up with MTV watching GF
3.) ???
4.) Profit
SteveevaD - January 9, 2012
I think step three is actually
profit
TheFilt - January 9, 2012
in this case step 3 would be not getting any
OmoPlata - January 9, 2012
It could also be
Fuck someone else.
Hell, that could be step 1.
TheFilt - January 9, 2012
That's a hidden step, my friend.
OmoPlata - January 9, 2012
Somebody let the Hater, that is Most Diabolical know....
We just found the perfect bandage to fix his ailing heart from the void Blue Mountain State has certainly left.
SteveevaD - January 9, 2012
Since this is on MTV
I think The Situation should make an appearance in the cage. That would get some ratings.
OMGitsME - January 9, 2012
MTV business model
1) Reality drama show revolving around ( babies, fighters, whores, retards, self absorbed children)
2) ???
3) Profit
Mrh347 - January 9, 2012
1) Reality drama show revolving around (Samantha , Ronnie, Nicole , Snookie ,The Situation
Fixed.
OMGitsME - January 9, 2012
MTV businees model
1) Create reality drama show revolving around ( babies, fighters, whores, retards, self absorbed children), where you won’t need to hire writers or pay actors’ salaries
2)
???sell ad space to companies interested in marketing to the most stupid, materialistic generation the West has ever seen3) Profit
The Lethal Haze - January 9, 2012
Yeah
I thought step 2 was actually pretty clear in this case.
TheFilt - January 9, 2012
Wow, a lot of hate on here
I watched the sneak preview episode last week and I was pleasantly surprised. It was what I was expecting in terms of production, but actually really compelling. I think the storylines are all unique and while the drama is definitely induced for a younger audience, the three fighters and their plights are actually intriguing.
I’m confused why everyone thinks you need to train in some dingy gym to get a start. I’m sure a large portion of the fighters that have been around since the beginnings of the sport have trained outside at some point, or sparred outside. Its cheap, but its not like they were using cardboard shinpads or something- they had proper training gear on.
All in all, I think its definitely something I’ll watch again.
Austin Martin - January 9, 2012 via mobile
how dare you
ruin our fun.
gspmademegay - January 9, 2012
Its not hate
Its valid criticism.
TheFilt - January 9, 2012
My wife really liked it
And I watched that first episode. It wasn’t that bad. I guess it’s not up to the standards of “hardcore mma fans”—you guys would rather watch Tyrone Woodley hump his way to victory, or John Fitch kick a tree and talk about Skyrim.
The show was a great blend of entertainment, drama, heavily-doctored cage fighting clips, and training. Plus, it was really cool to see a town where mma is not just heavily accepted, but celebrated. It’s really cool to see the whole town behind Dan for his fight. I wish people got into like this around PA and Ohio.
It’s a freaking show. It’s gonna be stupid and dramatic. In my opinion, its way more fun than the Ultimate Fighter. Are the Louisiana fighters better? Heck no. Maybe that skinny 135lber has the most potential. But the show is way more grounded in a lot of ways.
I’d rather watch a bunch of douchey mma fighters live a semi-normal life instead of watching them play stupid pranks on eachother, wear Octagon-necklaces, and see if Kimbo Slice will FINALLY return to the next episode.
I encourage everyone to watch it for themselves. It definitely appeals more to women.
Leevancleef - January 9, 2012
Your paycheck has a Viacom watermark
Confirm/Deny
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
I hope you got paid for this
Yes, we would. Now STFU!
STFU!
STFU!
STFU!
Sorry, had to do it. :)
TheFilt - January 9, 2012
SPOILER
I wish I got paid to watch 40 minutes of it. But I really did enjoy it. It moves quickly, and it was GREAT to see that blonde Bieber-clone get knocked out.
Leevancleef - January 9, 2012
Damn my slow brain for not reading "Spoiler" until after I read the rest of your post.
wait…that means I don’t have to watch this show now and the anticipation to find out who wins is gone.
THANKS!!!
Ulf Murphy - January 9, 2012
id like to see you defend the octagon necklaces part lol
elmojo - January 10, 2012
Jon Fitch talking about skyrim was funny until he took that arrow to the knee before his last fight…
Patrick Tenney - January 9, 2012
Did someone photoshop him with the iron helmet and arrow'd knee yet in that KO pic?
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
if not then they NEED TO IMMEDIATELY.
Patrick Tenney - January 9, 2012
mmamafia lol
what type of name is that for gym…these kids had poor fighting form, no strategy with little to none technique
3cheerios - January 9, 2012
Karate Mafia
was the gym. Which is 10xs worse than MMAMafia.
And I dont expect much in terms of form, strategy or technique. These are amateurs.
The blonde kid had never been KOd, so he let his hands drop. I guarantee he’ll keep his hands up next fight.
Ironbuddha - January 9, 2012
It’s like teen mom, true life, and bully beatdown all in one
kick_puncher - January 9, 2012
I imagine that's how it was pitched to MTV
The Lethal Haze - January 9, 2012
Beavis and Butthead fodder...
What does it say when the actual training is so haphazard, yet one of these kids might get a shot at a bigger show on name value alone?
I’m gonna point and laugh. It’s all I can do.
Flashking - January 9, 2012 via mobile
Seriously
Can’t wait to see what Beavis and Butthead tear this shit apart.
They’re surprisingly smart and vicious.
TheFilt - January 9, 2012
YES!!
I want to see more reality shows cross paths with MMA. I wanna see all the Jersey Shore dudes train for like 2 months and then fight another group of dudes from like NY or something in like an US vs Them faceoff. Also, Beavis and Butthead need to do an MMA episode. Maybe one where they become convinced that all they have to do to bang a ring girl is compete in one fight so they unknowingly train and take a fight against some monster and while Bevis gets his ass-kicked Butthead wins and somehow becomes a local hero. That would be epic.
TheBlackChip - January 9, 2012
Fuck this shit.
That is all.
Patrick Tenney - January 9, 2012
Have no future in the sport of MMA or the workforce do these kids, Joe
IT IS ALL OVER! IT IS ALL OVER!
Uncle Red - January 9, 2012
*Eh
I’m a sucker for the teen drama, that’s why I check out Teen Mom from time to time and Maury.
SentientAndroid - January 9, 2012
Haha, me too. I love Jersey Shore and I watch Teen Mom sometimes too. I just watched the first episode of this new show, it was.. well, it’s pretty horrible, but that’s what makes it fun. That one guy in particular is so fucking stupid, the guy on the far left in picture, definitely the one you’ll hate all along. And just in general lots of small town hicks and white trash.
I understand it’s the cool thing to rip on these types of shows, but I’ll probably keep watching. Can’t help it, I love a certain niche of trashy reality show. It’s just fun!
Horselover Fat - January 9, 2012
Agreed
…for shame…
SentientAndroid - January 9, 2012
From Australia,
saw Maury Povitch for the first time and laughed my ass off. Some black dude doing the snoop dog dance when he found out his son was not his. lololol. Not saying we have better standard of tv here, we copy u guys in every way, just that we have not gone that far yet
Wowzer1 - January 9, 2012
*Povich??
Wowzer1 - January 9, 2012
I don’t know why so many are hating on the show. The drama is’t any worse then the crap that is played up on TUF. At least the drama of this show is actually their real lives. These guys may not be relevant fighters but so are 99% of the people in amateur MMA.
I think they show a pretty good segment of what a lot of young fighters have to deal with that aren’t making a living fighting. So what if they didn’t go out and find some top prospects to follow. They found a run of the mill group of fighters from a town where MMA is becoming as big of a deal as football. Maybe one has potential to expand out of his regional scene but it is unlikely. I think they represent more of how the popularity of MMA has grown and has become something that kids coming out of HS want to pursue.
YoungGun - January 10, 2012
Finally
teens can be educated in the fine arts.
Huggy Bear - January 10, 2012
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Bloody Elbow to post a comment.