Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13 ratings up for episode three, averages 1.3 million viewers on Spike TV

The sky is not falling and The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) ceiling is not collapsing. The ratings are in for TUF 13 episode three and while they aren't mind-blowing by any stretch of the imagination, they are an improvement from last week's numbers.

According to numbers released by Spike TV, the latest episode garnered a 0.9 rating (including a 1.4 in males 18-49 and a 1.7 in males 18-34) for an average audience of 1.3 million viewers, up from the previous weeks 1.2 million.

The improvement, while not exactly significant, is a good sign for the reality television show that's struggled so far to capture an audience, even with the participation of box-office big timer Brock Lesnar.

Are we starting to see a slow but steady rise in the numbers for the once great show? Or is this just a blip, small as it may be, before the inevitable flat line? Stay tuned.

Three episodes down, seven to go.

The third episode of season 13 featured Lesnar's squad getting fed up with his calling them "chicken shit" and Junior dos Santos putting coach Lew Polley in his place. Ryan McGillivray also defeated Len Bently in the third elimination bout. For a detailed recap click here.