The 6 Worst Casts in the Ultimate Fighter History

Let's face it, whether you are sick of it or not, The Ultimate Fighter is a big part of UFC history and a way that the company has spread its product to new fans.

That's true even after over 20 seasons on the air.

The show has produced UFC champions, legendary fighters and memorable fights that give it a place dear in all of our hearts. It's had its ups and downs but has nonetheless been beneficial to both the company and fighters.

So, with all the great classes of fighters we have had, which seasons had the worst fighters?

That is what we must examine right now. Excluding international versions such as TUF Brazil, Latin America, China, Smashes and Nations, we need to take a look at the American portions of the show and see which seasons contributed the least amount of talent.

Without further ado, here are the six worst TUF casts in the show's history.

6. TUF 3: Team Ortiz vs. Team Shamrock

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Coaches: Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock

Heads of the Class: Michael Bisping, Matt Hamill, Ed Herman

Other Notable Names: Kendall Grove

The reason this season of the show beats out maybe one or two other seasons is the pure fact that it was early in the show's running, and the UFC probably had more of a pick of the litter at this time in terms of talent.

Season 3 was interesting because of the heat between coaches Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock. That was about where the good things ended.

Michael Bisping and Matt Hamill were pretty good players in the UFC, as were Ed Herman and Kendall Grove. But that was about it.

Most of the cast would end up being average at best, with most having very forgettable records. Guys like Rory Singer and Kalib Starnes were semifinalists, while Josh Haynes was a finalist who fell to Bisping.

Get the picture?

Bisping and Herman are the only two men left on the UFC roster, and for good reason.

5. TUF 16: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson

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Coaches: Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson

Heads of the Class: Neil Magny, Sam Alvey, Mike Ricci

Other Notable Names: Saad Awad, David Michaud, Igor Araujo, Bristol Marunde, Colton Smith, Dom Waters

When TUF 16 was all said and done, it could have been the worst cast of all time. However, late surges by some of the cast members ensured that it was not the worst yet.

Let's look at the good guys thus far.

Neil Magny is one of the hottest fighters in MMA, riding a seven-fight win streak into a bout with Demian Maia this weekend. Sam Alvey has resurrected his career with the UFC and has looked very good as of late.

That's where the line is drawn in the sand.

Guys like Mike Ricci and Saad Awad have thrived outside the UFC, which makes it kind of a glass-half-full thing.

You also have guys on the UFC roster who are low-card guys (Dom Waters, David Michaud and Igor Araujo), that while they are on the UFC roster, they have not offered much yet.

I mean, you know the season is bad when the winner, Colton Smith, went 1-3 in the UFC and has an overall record of 5-4 currently.

After all, this season is most famous for "Let me bang, bro!" and that's not necessarily a good thing.

4. TUF 9: Team USA vs. Team UK

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Coaches: Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson

Heads of the Class: Ross Pearson, DaMarques Johnson, James Wilks

Other Notable Names: Andre Winner, Waylon Lowe, Che Mills, Nick Osipczak

Season 9 of TUF was supposed to tap into the patriotic part of both the United States and United Kingdom. In theory, it was a great idea for the long-running reality show, but upon delivery, things were rough.

The cast was atrociously bad.

Ross Pearson is really the only guy worth a darn who came from the show and is the only guy still left on the UFC roster.

DaMarques Johnson, Waylon Lowe and James Wilks both had solid runs, but outside of them, there was not much to celebrate about. They weren't even much to celebrate about in their own right.

The UK's team was weak, but the U.S.'s team was pitiful, to say the least.

Luckily, we witnessed coach Dan Henderson's legendary knockout of fellow coach Michael Bisping, and that's a helluva consolation prize.

3. TUF 13: Team Lesnar vs. Team Dos Santos

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Coaches: Former UFC Fighter Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos

Heads of the Class: Tony Ferguson, Ramsey Nijem, Justin Edwards

Other Notable Names: Chuck O'Neil

TUF 13 was notable for launching the career of current lightweight contender Tony Ferguson, and that's about it.

Literally, that's about the extent of it. Myles Jury was on the cast, but an injury forced him off the show before the fights took place. That allowed TUF 15 to be more stacked than it already was. 

The runner-up, Ramsey Nijem, carved out a decent career in the UFC, but outside of that, this season was awful.

Justin Edwards and Chuck O'Neil were replacements for cast members who had to leave the show, and they were the next best two. That shows you whoever was responsible for assembling the cast for this season did an atrocious job.

Seriously, take a look at some of the names: Len Bentley, Mick Bowman, Zach Davis and Charlie Rader. Have you heard of any of these guys, outside of me naming them right now?

The only draw of the season was to watch Brock Lesnar, and even that isn't enough to give this season a view.

2. TUF 19: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn

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Coaches: Former UFC Champions Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn

Heads of the Class: Cathal Pendred, Corey Anderson, Lyman Good

Other Notable Names: Eddie Gordon, Dhiego Lima, Nordine Taleb, Hector Urbina

This season wrapped up not too long ago, and it's already one of the worst of all time. Just look at the results in the cage.

Sure, Cathal Pendred has found his feet in the UFC Octagon, Corey Anderson has shown promise and Lyman Good picked up his first win in his UFC debut. They have potential but still look shaky.

But look at the opposite side.

Eddie Gordon won his bracket but has lost three straight fights since then. He will likely be cut following his most recent bout.

Dhiego Lima was highly regarded, but the UFC cut him after a lackluster run with the company.

Nordine Taleb lost in the prelims of the show, so I would barely consider him part of this show, seeing as he got into the company based on the Canada vs. Australia version of the show.

The rest of the cast have basically been rejects. It's one of the late seasons of the show that reveals how casts have become diluted.

1. TUF 6: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra

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Coaches: Former UFC Welterweight Champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra

Heads of the Class: Mac Danzig, Ben Saunders, George Sotiropoulos

Other Notable Names: Jon Koppenhaver

Season 6 of TUF is the worst in the history of the show, and it isn't even close.

You know when Jon Koppenhaver, aka War Machine, is one of the top five guys from the cast it was a pretty shabby gathering. He was a replacement fighter, too, showing the lack of strength on the cast.

Mac Danzig was the winner of the show, and he had a decent UFC run. However, he never amounted to what people thought he would be, based on his dominance on the show.

George Sotiropoulos made a nice run in the UFC, but as soon as his star prospered, he rapidly fell down the ladder.

Ben Saunders has been exciting and fun to watch, but he's nowhere near a title contender.

Outside of that, there was nothing to offer.

Read these names and try and give me an accomplishment: Richie Hightower, Blake Bowman, Dan Barrera, Paul Georgieff and Billy Miles. There are more—I just don't care to keep typing names (of lack thereof).

The only entertaining part of the season is hearing Matt Serra's voice over a quiet gym.