A drunken escapade cost mixed martial arts fighter Jesse Taylor a shot at winning Season 7 of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality TV show.

Taylor was sent packing in the final taped episode aired Wednesday, paying the price for a liquored-up night two days after the show had finished taping. The 25-year-old fighter was shown on video kicking the window out of a limo at 3 a.m., and then caused a ruckus inside his Las Vegas hotel, according to UFC president Dana White.

"I drank a little too much and got a little bit rowdy," Taylor said on the show.

"You're not ready for this, dude," White said in dismissing him.

Taylor had advanced to Saturday's live finale on Spike TV by winning a decision over Tim Credeur in the episode aired last Wednesday. He was to meet the winner of the CB Dolloway-Amir Sadollah semifinal.

Other fighters have been booted from the show. But Taylor was the first to go after the taped portion of the series had been filmed.

Sadollah defeated Dolloway via third-round submission in the episode aired Wednesday. But Dolloway and Credeur were given a reprieve after Taylor's misbehaviour. The losing semifinalists went head to head later in the episode - three weeks later in real time - with Dolloway capturing a decision to earn another crack at Sadollah on Saturday at The Palms in Las Vegas.

Both Dolloway and Credeur collected US$10,000.

The winner of the show earns a contract to fight in the UFC. Others in the show also move on to compete in the UFC, but without the prestige of capturing the season title.

Taylor's antics added some drama to a season that was largely underwhelming. There were some fireworks at the beginning when the producers brought in twice the normal number of fighters to see who stayed in the show. But there was little tension between rival coaches Quinton (Rampage) Jackson and Forrest Griffin, who will fight for Jackson's light-heavyweight title next month.

The reality TV show thrives on tension. Sixteen fighters are kept in a gilded cage - a giant house with swimming pool and hot tub. They are kept there for six weeks, unable to communicate with the outside world, watch TV or even pick up a book. The only time they are allowed out is essentially to train or fight. The last man standing wins a contract to fight in the UFC.

Young, bored men filled with testosterone, constant contact with rivals and a supply of alcohol can lead to mischief.

Fighters react to their confinement in different ways.

"I hated it," said Travis Lutter, co-winner of Season 4. "I think it's the worst thing that I've ever done in my life, being in that house for six weeks. "

Canadian Patrick Cote, who lost to Lutter in the finale, was unfazed by the close quarters after having spent five years in the military as a member of the Royal 22nd Regiment known as the Van Doos.

"I went to Bosnia for six months, so to be in the house for six weeks . . . it was nothing for me," said the former corporal.

It's not the first time that fighters have been expelled from the show. On Season 5, White turfed Marlon Sims and Noah Thomas for an alcohol-fuelled fight at the house. Allen Berube was also sent packing for instigation. Jeremy Jackson was ejected for trying to sneak out of the house on Season 4.

On Season 6, Dorian Price was chewed out by White for turning menacingly on a camera operator who had strayed too close during training.

A fighter quit Season 2, saying he was unable to deal with the ever present cameras. And in Season 3, a competitor left the show to be with his girlfriend.

Taylor is a former junior college All-American wrestler who went on to study kinesiology at California State University in Fullerton. He left school three credits short of his degree to pursue fighting.

NOTES - Canadian middleweight Patrick Cote is set to meet jiu-jitsu ace Ricardo Almeida at UFC 86 on July 5 in Las Vegas. In other UFC 86 events announced Wednesday, lightweight Joe Stevenson takes on Gleison Tibau and Marcus Aurelio faces off against Tyson Griffin, while welterweight veteran Chris Lytle meets Josh Koscheck. ...UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta is quitting his position as president of Station Casinos to work full time on the UFC. Fertitta and brother Frank owns 90 per cent of the UFC with president Dana White holding the other 10 per cent.

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