Considering the success of The Contender: Asia earlier this year, it’s no surprise that producer Mark Burnett has decided to set the original, The Contender, in Singapore this time around. Filming already started in late September, as 16 professional boxers from around the world duke it out in an undisclosed location (our bet is that they’re in the nuclear fallout bunker just below the Merlion – what, you didn’t know about that?). This is the reality television show’s fourth season; the champion from last season – a 28-year-old Australian with a 25-3-2 record – claimed the show’s US$750,000 (S$1,072,792) prize.

So what? Consider these fun facts:
1. Mark Burnett is the warhorse of reality television – his first and arguably most famous show, Survivor, is about to start its 18th season. Eighteenth! That’s older than the Esplanade, Jamie Lynn Spears, and nearly older than the McChicken sandwich (missed it by a year).
2. Chiselled men will be in town.
3. The host of the show is none other than Tony Danza – I mean, come on, that’s awesome. Isn’t the man who used to play a housekeeper on Who’s the Boss the obvious choice? Technically, he is – he’s also a former college wrestler, has been boxing since 1976 and got the part of Tony Banta in the TV show Taxi after being discovered during a gym workout.

The Contender airs in the US in December. Keep an eye out for said chiselled men during outdoor shoots in Esplanade Park, Boat Quay, the Botanic Gardens, at Changi Airport and West Coast Park. Laura Dannen