Chandler is highly valued by his exuberant boss Doug, but feels uncomfortable receiving the highest praise in the form of systematic swatting of his posterior, which causes him pain and incites envy among his colleagues. Millionaire Pete, after achieving success in business, decides to take on the challenge of mastering the brutal martial art of Ultimate Fighting. However, despite having an expensive entourage, his confidence is clearly misplaced, leading to physical pain and public humiliation that Monica finds unbearable, ultimately causing a breaking point in their relationship. Rachel approves of Phoebe setting Ross up with her friend Bonnie, unaware that Bonnie is no longer bald.
Did you know ?!
• Due to the unplanned appearance of Billy Crystal and Robin Williams, their conversation in the coffee shop is completely improvised, including Joey’s interruption.
• Billy Crystal and Robin Williams’s appearance wasn’t in the original script. They were, by coincidence, in the same building, or the one across the street from where “Friends” was being filmed, and the writers asked if they wanted to make a guest appearance. This was the day of shooting so it was just quickly thrown in.
• Pete says his trainer Hoshi is a former assassin and quickly corrects that to say house painter. “House painting” is indeed a term used in organized crime as code for a hit job.
• Robin Williams and Billy Crystal’s cameo in the opening scene coincided with the release of their film, Fathers’ Day (1997), which opened the day after this episode aired.
• Monica was supposed to have a line after the two men played by Robin Williams and Billy Crystal left but Courteney Cox was so flummoxed that she genuinely forgot what she was supposed to say so ad libbed that she forgot what she wanted to tell them.
• In 2016, Jon Favreau stated that he would have liked to know the end of his character saga to become the Ultimate Fighting Champion, saying that Pete was a man of “tremendous focus and conviction”.
• Rachel walks into the coffee house and says she may have bought a pretzel from one of the kids from Fame (1980). Laura Dean, who plays her coworker Sophie, was actually one of the kids who starred in “Fame.”
• Chandler wonders if there is a town in the USA called Sample – and if so, if there was a sign reading “You’re in Sample”. There are two towns in USA called Sample. Sample, Texas, and Sample, Kentucky.
• Pete’s first fight in the UFC ring is the only scene shot with a handheld camera in the entire series.
• This episode features Christine Taylor as a woman who dates Ross, to the irritation of Rachel. Taylor is married to Ben Stiller (they would eventually meet in 1999), who made a guest appearance in The One with the Screamer (1997), two episodes earlier, as a man who dates Rachel, to the irritation of Ross.
• Pete wears a white belt during his fight. The white belt is the first level in most martial arts and dictates an inexperienced fighter, making it a very appropriate color for Pete.
• Before the first UFC fight, the skyline that is shown in the transition is Minneapolis, with the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome prominently featured.
• It marks as the first appearance of Doug (Chandler’s boss) in the series.
• Both Lisa Kudrow and Billy Crystal would go on to star in Analyze This (1999) and Analyze That (2002).
• Monica’s billionaire boyfriend, Pete (Jon Favreau), wants to be an Ultimate Fighting Champion. Favreau plays the world heavyweight champion in the biopic Rocky Marciano (1999) as the titular character.
• David “Tank” Abbott was a real-life mixed martial arts fighter.
• Steve Park plays a character named Phil. Nevertheless, he had the role of Scott Alexander in The One with the Chicken Pox (1996).
• Pete mentions that Ultimate Fighting Championship is banned in 49 states. At the time of this episode’s airing New York was the last state to ban MMA. In March 2016 the ban was lifted.
• Ross gets reservations to a busy restaurant by saying the reservations are for Winona Ryder. Ryder later guest stars in The One with Rachel’s Big Kiss (2001) as Melissa Warburton, Rachel’s sorority sister who is in love with her.
• Pete’s 2nd match lasts 20 seconds.
