LAST EDITED ON 03-28-05 AT 06:45 PM (EST)>Did the other boxers pick Manfredo because he aint all that?
>Do the rest think they can beat him? It sure looks that way. I know
>I would not vote back some one I saw as a threat to me.
There is a clip about the selection on Yahoo! I see that I'm going to have to start posting an analyis of the video clips here pretty soon, since I seem to be the only one watching them.
Here's what happens: At the West dinner with Sugar Ray, Jackie, and an older black man who must be the trainer (edited to add: it's Prentice Byrd, who is the "gym manager" ... and also the matchmaker of record ... and also part of Emanuel Steward's Kronk group in Detroit from the late 70s to the early 90s), the subject of whom to bring back comes up. Sergio argues that it's a mistake to bring back a guy who's "27-1," because he and Miguel and Joey have less fights than anyone else in the whole competition. Jackie shoots back, "Records don't fight. It's just a piece of paper." Sugar Ray says that everyone can fight; the key is not questioning your own ability or "you've already lost."
Jackie calls for a vote between the three of them. Joey says that there are only two: "Ahmed don't count." Jackie takes the vote for Jonathan. Five vote for him. Joey says, "I want the preacher." Anthony says, "I vote for Jonathan. Four kids, one on the way. Good Christian guy. Nothing wrong. Bring him back, give him a second chance." In a confessional, Ishe says that he thinks Jonathan will win because "people respect him as a man."
Ishe turns to Prentice Byrd (who is seated next to Ishe) and asks, "If you were one of the 12, who would you vote for?" Without hesitating, Prentice says, "Peter." He then speaks in favor of Peter. "I think Peter got screwed, more or less --" "He got whupped!" interjects Ishe. Prentice continues, "When Alfonso picked him, it was a total shock. I thought the fight was over with the pick. Then he had to drop that weight..."
At that point, Sugar Ray interjects, "That is so much bulls--t. He was a fighter. He knows why he's here. He should've been in shape. He should've made weight." Prentice replies, "I'm not saying he shouldn't have been in shape. But you have to remember. The alternate came in and picked him. No one else would have." The discussion fizzles out after that, and Jackie says, "Don't forget, the East team gets to vote also. Who do you think they're gonna pick?"
Cut to the East eating in the communal room (without Jimmy). Najai says to the others, "I think everybody just had enough of Ahmed." Brett says, "Manfredo didn't really get a chance." Najai says, "That was his first time seeing defeat." In a confessional, Najai says that it's a good chance to bring Peter back.
So, in the end, the East apparently voted unanimously for Peter, and the West split down the middle, with Jonathan losing one of the votes that he had in the first vote. But not one of them discussed whether they thought he or Jonathan would be easier to beat; rather, the discussion came down to Jonathan's character versus Peter's quick departure. (Well, they may have discussed who was easier to beat, but not in the edited clips!)
***This clip teaches us something that Mark Burnett decided not to tell us. Alfonso was the alternate! Lord only knows what happened to the person he replaced. But that might explain why Burnett didn't have an alternate ready when Jeff became ill and instead had to bring a defeated boxer back.***
>In closing..... Did Jonathan Reid not give all he had?
It seemed like everyone liked Jonathan. It was more a focus on Peter's quick out than on any lack within Jonathan.
>Did not Ahmed Kahdour give it all he had?
If the producers had brought Ahmed back, I think the other boxers would've beaten THEM up.