'The Ultimate Fighter 14' fell back to Earth, it seems. After experiencing a brief climb in the ratings between episode one and two, early figures for this week's episode indicate a drop in popularity, to the tune of 1.3 million viewers. Likewise, according to network officials, Wednesday's one-hour broadcast drew an estimated household rating of 1.0, down from the 1.22 of last week.
The show also garnered a 1.30 rating in the 'males age 18 to 49 demographic' while collecting a 1.51 rating in the ever-important 'males age 18 to 34 demographic.' The numbers closely mirror those earned by last season's third episode, which totaled 1.3 million viewers, a 0.9 household rating, a 1.4 in men age 18-49, and a 1.7 in men age 18-34.
For a comprehensive first-hand account of the third episode, check out the recap blog of featherweight contestant Akira Corassani.
'The Ultimate Fighter 14' viewership:
Episode 1: 1.5 million viewers
Episode 2: 1.6 million viewers
Episode 3: 1.3 million viewers