The “Brock Lesnar on TUF” experiment can officially be chalked up as a bust.
Based on his massive pay-per-view drawing power–he has been UFC’s clear top PPV performer since starting with the company–the assumption had been that bringing the ever-popular Brock Lesnar into the “The Ultimate Fighter” environment would mean ratings gold. That assumption was proven wrong with a lackluster premiere last week, and things got even worse for week two.
Following a critically-panned premiere episode that did little to spark interest for the remainder of the season, episode two fell to a viewership total of only 1.188 million. The 0.7 adults 18-49 rating also marked a decline from the prior week.
Sources familiar with the season’s filming maintain that it gets better as the action unfolds, but at this point, it seems a safe bet that the ratings will remain underwhelming.