This is the first time the 12-episode reality TV show is being filmed outside of the United States.

Mr Mark Burnett, 48, the creator of the series, said at a press conference at The Substation on Monday that he was inspired to make the show here because of his company's success with making The Contender Asia in Singapore.

'It's such an efficient place to work, with such a great staff here. The quality on The Contender Asia was higher than what we had previously done on The Contender. You could not see that we had shot this outside of Hollywood.'

The show will be hosted by Tony Danza, 57, star of the comedy series Who's The Boss? (1984-1992). As he put it, 'I think it's going to be a great marriage, The Contender here in Singapore.'

Filming began earlier this month, with the Lion City as the backdrop for 16 international boxing hopefuls who will battle for boxing supremacy in the new season of the hit series. It will take four weeks to complete. Post production will also be done in Singapore.

Produced by Mark Burnett Productions and Dreamworks Television, the fourth season will premiere in the US in Dec. The filming in Singapore will be coordinated by Mark Burnett Productions Asia (MBPA), a joint venture between Mark Burnett Productions with leisure and hospitality group Genting International.

Earlier in Jul this year, the production team was in Singapore to scout for suitable filming locations, assisted by MBPA. Filming had to take place on a closed set in an undisclosed location to facilitate filming.

Some of the outdoor locations include familiar Singaporean locales and landmarks such as Esplanade Park, Boat Quay, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore River, Singapore Changi Airport and West Coast Park.

The fourth season of The Contender is the latest project to be supported by the Singapore Tourism Board's Film in Singapore Scheme which aims to encourage leading international filmmakers and broadcasters to shoot and produce quality movies and television programmes in Singapore.

Mr Ken Low, Assistant Chief Executive of Brand and Communications at the Singapore Tourism Board said, 'With this latest series of The Contender set to hit new rating highs, we hope Singapore will yet again play host to Mark Burnett's new shows soon.'

Mr Man Shu Sum, CEO of Mark Burnett Productions Asia said, 'The Contender is going to be an excellent showcase of Singapore, and of the production talents that we have here.'

' This is the first time a production of such scale is taking place here in Singapore, and this gives the local media industry the rare chance to work alongside such world class talents, enabling both parties to exchange ideas and expertise.'

For The Contender as well as in anticipation of MBPA's first production, Infinite Frameworks (IFW) has been appointed to facilitate all its post-production work in Singapore under a one-year exclusive agreement.

IFW is a producer of award winning media and entertainment content comprising of a full-fledged post-production facility in Singapore. It has previously worked on post-production work for the local film '881', 'The Contender Asia', and was recently appointed by MTV Asia Networks to provide post-production services.