The numbers are in for MTV's debut mixed martial arts-themed reality show dubbed, "Bully Beatdown," which is hosted by former Icon Sport middleweight champion, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, on Sunday nights.
And the outlook for the new program is promising. In fact, "Bully Beatdown" pulled in more viewers than any other show on cable during that time slot among men ages 12-34, according to TVByTheNumbers.com.
Overall, 1.4 million people tuned in to see the show, which featured some scrub named Ryan getting his ribs kicked in by Elite XC veteran fighter Tony "The Gun" Benello. He had his older brother Alan to thank for the beating courtesy, as well as additional help from Mayhem and the MTV crew.
In addition, the show recorded a 10 percent increase in viewers from Rob Dyrdek's "Fantasy Factory," which serves as a lead-in program for "Bully Beatdown," as well as the kickoff for MTV's Sunday night programming block dubbed, "See You Sunday" that also includes Travis Pastrana's "Nitro Circus."
With the insertion of "Bully Beatdown" this week, the ratings jumped a full 100 percent for the network during that time slot, which has been held down for the last month or so by "The College Humor Show."
For the most part, reviews have been positive for the show and its host, but it's almost impossible to judge a new show by initial ratings or reviews from its debut episode. Regardless, most people will probably tune in for a second look this Sunday night.
And this week former Washington Redskins wide receiver-turned mixed martial artist, Michael Westbrook (1-1), will be on hand to dispatch of unlucky bully number two ... or try. Let's hope for his sake Stephen Davis doesn't turn the tables on his former Washington Redskins teammate. Now that would be interesting.
Check your local listings for show times.
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