American Gladiators (2008 TV series)

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American Gladiators
The 2008 American Gladiators logo.
Genre	Sports/Sports entertainment/Game Show
Developed by	John Ferraro and Dan Carr
Directed by	J. Rupert Thompson
Starring	Hulk Hogan Laila Ali
Narrated by	Van Earl Wright (play-by-play)
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	9
Production
Executive producer(s)	John Ferraro
Producer(s)	MGM Television (inherited from Goldwyn) Reveille Productions
Associate producer(s)	Dan "Nitro" Clark, coordinating producer
Location(s)	Season 1: Sony Pictures Studios Season 2: Los Angeles Sports Arena
Camera setup	Multicamera setup
Running time	Preliminaries: 60 minutes Semi-Finals: 90 minutes Finals: 120 minutes (includes commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	Stereo
Original run	January 6, 2008 – present
Chronology
Preceded by	American Gladiators (1989-1996)
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

American Gladiators is an American competition TV show airing on NBC and Citytv in Canada. Hosted by Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali,^[1] the show matches amateur athletes against each other and the show's own "gladiators" in contests of strength, agility, and endurance. It is a revival of the original American Gladiators which ran from 1989-1996, with elements of the UK version of the 1990s. An average of 12 million people watched the two-hour premiere.^[2]

The show is refereed by Al Kaplon, a former American League umpire, who can also be seen as the referee in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.^[3] Play-by-play narration is handled by Van Earl Wright.

Season 1 was taped at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California.^[4] Beginning with Season 2, the show has moved to the Los Angeles Sports Arena. It is produced by Reveille Productions and MGM Television.

American Gladiators premiered on Sunday January 6, 2008; all other first season episodes aired Mondays at 8:00 ET/PT,^[5] except for the finale, which aired Sunday February 17, 2008 at 7:00 ET/PT.

Season 2 premiered May 12, 2008 on NBC, with a 2-hour episode.^[6]

Contents 1 Format 2 History 3 Gladiators 3.1 Female Gladiators 3.2 Male Gladiators 4 Events 4.1 Changes to original events in revival 4.2 From UK Gladiators 4.3 New events 5 Tournament 5.1 Season 1 5.2 Season 2 5.2.1 Men's bracket 5.2.2 Women's bracket 5.3 Notable competitors 6 Ratings 6.1 Season One 6.2 Season Two 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Format

This section does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

On the first season of the American Gladiators revival, 12 men and 12 women compete in separate tournaments, with two contenders competing in each match. In the preliminary round, contenders attempt to qualify for the semifinals, where the competition switches to a standard single-elimination tournament bracket. The top four match winners from the preliminary round qualify, with the lowest two match winners being eliminated from the tournament. Each episode shows one match each for the men and women. Season two will feature 20 male and 20 female contenders.

Each match consists of several events played for points against the Gladiators. These events mainly stem from the original version of the show, although there are numerous tweaks in rules and presentation that appear to have been heavily influenced by the 1990s British version of the show.

Should a contender become injured and unable to continue, an alternate takes his or her place and inherits any points earned. The final event is the Eliminator, an obstacle course pitting the two contenders against each other, with the points leader given a head start based on the point differential between the two contenders, one half-second per point. In the preliminary round, the Eliminator times are used to rank match winners in qualifying for the next round.

In Season 1, the preliminary qualifying matches consisted of four events plus the Eliminator. After the preliminary rounds, the competition lengthened from four to five events plus the Eliminator, which was accommodated by a longer time slot.

For the first season, the Grand Championship winners, Evan Dollard and Monica Carlson, each received $100,000, a 2008 Toyota Sequoia, as well as the right to become a Gladiator for the second season.

[edit] History

When ESPN Classic launched reruns of the original series, ESPN.com had an online chat session with Dan "Nitro" Clark, who is also the coordinating producer with the revival. During the chat, Clark noted MGM Television was planning a revival of the show.^{[citation needed]} After discussions with MGM, NBC confirmed in August 2007 that a revival would be produced by Reveille Productions and MGM Television for a mid-season debut.^[7] Shortly thereafter, NBC announced a casting call on its website.^[8] The first ad for the revival aired during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 22, 2007. Although some analysts believe that the show was revived in response to talks of an upcoming WGA strike, which was ongoing at the time of AG's premier, evidence of this is inconclusive.^[7][9]

[edit] Gladiators

[edit] Female Gladiators

Alias	Seasons		Name	Stats	Notes
	First	Last
Blast	1	1	Jennifer Barry	N/A	Reserve (Season 1); not seen on TV
Crush	1	Present	Gina Carano	5'8", 155 lb (1.73 m, 70 kg)
Fury	1	1	Jamie Reed	5'8", 148 lb (1.73 m, 67 kg)	Reserve (Season 2)
Hellga	1	Present	Robin Coleman	6'1", 205 lb (1.84 m, 93 kg)
Jet	2	Present	Monica Carlson	5'7", 130 lb (1.70 m, 59 kg)	Women's Champion (Season 1)
Panther	2	Present	Information unknown
Phoenix	2	Present	Jennifer Widerstrom	5'6", 155 lb (1.68 m, 70 kg)
Siren	1	Present	Valerie Waugaman	5'9", 145 lb (1.75 m, 66 kg)
Stealth	1	1	Tanji Johnson	5'2", 123 lb (1.57 m, 56 kg)
Steel	2	Present	Erin Toughill	5'10", 155 lb (1.77 m, 70kg)
Venom	1	Present	Beth Horn	5'8", 137 lb (1.73 m, 62 kg)

[edit] Male Gladiators

The factual accuracy of part of this article is disputed. The dispute is about the identity of the Gladiator "Beast". Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page.(May 2008)

Alias	Seasons		Name	Stats	Notes
	First	Last
Beast	2	Present	Information unknown
Hammer	1	1	Michael Briehler	N/A	Reserve (Season 1); not seen on TV
Hurricane	2	Present	Breaux Greer	6'2", 230 lb (1.88 m, 105 kg)
Justice	1	Present	Jesse Justice Smith Jr.	6'8", 290 lb (2.03 m, 132 kg)
Mayhem	1	1	Romeo Williams	6'6", 230 lb (1.96 m, 104 kg)	Reserve (Season 2)
Militia	1	Present	Alex Castro	6'3", 220 lb (1.90 m, 100 kg)
Rocket	2	Present	Evan Dollard	5'10", 160 lb (1.78 m, 73 kg)	Men's Champion (Season 1)
Titan	1	Present	Michael O'Hearn	6'3", 251 lb (1.90 m, 114 kg)	Reserve (original version)[10] Gladiator Captain
Toa	1	Present	Tanoai Reed	6'3", 240 lb (1.90 m, 109 kg)
Wolf	1	Present	Don "Hollywood" Yates	6'4", 225 lb (1.93 m, 102 kg)
Zen	2	Present	Information unknown

[edit] Events

Main article: American Gladiators events

Season 1 featured a total of ten events, including the Eliminator. Season 2 featured a total of seventeen events, including the Eliminator

[edit] Changes to original events in revival

• Assault: Contenders begin the course holding the ball for use in the first weapon, a slingshot. The second station is a rotating turret that contenders must rotate into position and load themselves. The third station is a sand pit where an arrow is hidden for the crossbow waiting at station four (they complete the station by finding the arrow). Contenders are given a smokescreen at station three to assist in moving to station four. The fifth station appears to consist of throwing three balls at the target, but as of the end of season one, only one contender has reached station five, and she ran out of time prior to firing the weapon. If the contenders hit any part of the target, they earn 10 points; in addition, pyrotechnics are triggered at the Gladiator's platform, and the Gladiator is rapidly pulled off the platform by a pulley and harness fly system across the arena and into the water tank. If time runs out, or contenders are hit by a ball fired by the Gladiator before hitting the target, they earn one point for each station completed. In season 2, the turret no longer moves side to side, and a bazooka was added for the third station. Contenders no longer have to fish in the sand for an arrow or load any of the weapons with the exception of the slingshot.^[11]
• Gauntlet: Contenders earn two points for each of four Gladiators they pass within the 30-second time limit and an additional two points if they can break through a foam wall 10 feet beyond the final Gladiator, for a maximum of 10 points. The rule change is similar to the seventh and eighth seasons of the UK Series. In addition, the Gauntlet is enclosed, so contenders cannot be pushed "out of bounds."
• Hang Tough: The course is shorter, situated over a pool of water, and has much smaller platforms. Further, the Gladiator is allowed to use the contender's equipment (such as the straps holding the backpack) to pull the contender in. As in the original version, contenders receive 5 points if they are still on the course when the 60-second time limit expires, but in season 2, they must reach at least one of the blue rings on the Gladiator's side of the playing field in order to receive the points. For the second season, the course has been lengthened.
• Powerball: The time limit is now 60 seconds. In addition, the playing field is lined with padded walls, which means there is no "out of bounds," and the scoring bins have much wider openings, making tossed balls more effective than the original. For the second season, caps have been added to the scoring pods to narrow the opening and prevent the contenders from scoring by shooting the ball and the course has been enlarged.^[12]
• Pyramid: Each Gladiator can only defend against one selected contender. Contenders earn 5 points for getting their feet atop the Pyramid tier marked with a white dotted line. Pressing the button at the top within the 60-second time limit is worth 5 more points, for a total of 10, and immediately ends the event.
• Joust: Platforms are situated over a pool of water. Gladiators, but not contenders, may be disqualified if both their knees touch the platform simultaneously.^*
• The Wall: The Wall uses the original format, with a three-section Wall, and contestants given a seven-second head start. The Wall was 40 feet high in season 1 (an eight-foot increase over the Wall in the original American Gladiators), and was raised to 50 feet in height for season 2. Contenders and Gladiators cross floating platforms to reach the Wall (the same platforms were used at the beginning of the Eliminator in season 1). Once the Gladiators begin their pursuit, the platforms are retracted. Contenders that are pulled or fall from the Wall drop into the water. Unlike previous editions, however, Contenders earn 5 points if they are still on the Wall when the 60-second time limit expires.
• Skytrack(Season 2): The 2008 revival uses the UK rules of Skytrack. The two contenders race around one lap of a figure-8 track while being chased by a Gladiator. Trailing each contender is a detonator that, if pressed by the Gladiator, releases a shower of sparks from the contender's harness and eliminates that contender from the race. The first contender across without being detonated gets 10 points, while the second gets 5.
• Atlasphere (Season 2): No gameplay changes to the game last seen in Season 5 (1993-94). Each Goal is worth 2 points. ^[13]
• The Eliminator:
  • Season 1
    • Traverse the floating platforms used in the Wall
    • Climb an 8 foot wall (a rope is provided if needed)
    • Jump off the wall into the pool and swim under the "fiery surface"
    • Climb a 30 foot cargo net
    • Barrel roll
    • Hand bike
      • There was no announced penalty for falling off the hand bike, but several contenders appeared to be delayed for several seconds upon falling.
    • Balance Beam
    • Climb up the Pyramid
    • Zipline
    • Reverse treadmill (dubbed the Travelator), a rope is provided about halfway up for assistance
    • Climb a short flight of stairs
    • Crash through a foam wall that marks the finish line.
  • Season 2
    • Swim under the fiery surface
    • Climb the cargo net
    • Rope swing
    • Tight rope walk (similar to the "commando lines" in Season 1 of the original series)
    • Hand bike
      • There is no time penalty for falling off the hand bike. Instead, a ball pit (similar to the original Season 7 ball pit) is situated underneath the hand bike, which contenders falling off the bike must wade through prior to climbing back onto the course.
    • Run across a spinning barrel (unlike the Season 3-7 of the original series spinning cylinder, it is on a downwards incline)
    • Climb the Pyramid
    • Grab onto the zip line at the top of the Pyramid
    • Run across teeter totter
    • Run up the Travelator
    • Climb the stairs
    • Rope swing through a banner and into a pool. (Rope swing is similar to Seasons 5-7 of the original series).

Like Season 7 of the original run, no Gladiators are present on the course.

Note *: Siren was disqualified for this facing Kim Marciniak. However Crush was not disqualified for going to her knees while facing Koya Webb.

[edit] From UK Gladiators

• Hit & Run: The contender traverses a 50-foot suspension bridge hanging above the water tank. Four Gladiators, two on each side of the bridge, attempt to knock the contender off using 100-pound demolition balls. Contenders receive two points for each successful trip across the bridge within the 60-second time limit, and must press a button on the platform to register the points (a difference from the UK version, which required contenders to touch the rail at the back of the platform). Furthermore, there is no penalty for crawling on the suspension bridge, as there was in the UK version, though the referee has instructed contenders to return to their feet in some instances after significant crawling.
• Vertigo: (Season 2) Contender and Gladiator race across a course of eight flexible poles with handholds and platforms. The game begins with both competitors racing up a laddered pole. Upon reaching the top, they must then sway their pole towards the next, crossing onto it. The winner is the first to complete the course, grabbing a large hoop at the end to return to the ground. Contenders earn 10 points if they beat the Gladiator, or 5 if they reach the scoring zone (the fifth pole or beyond) if the Gladiator wins.
• Tilt: (Season 2) The rules of Tilt are similar to Tug-O-War from the original run of American Gladiators. The Contender and Gladiator begin each match on a platform situated above the pool. The Gladiator's platform is higher than the contender's and is tilted forward. The Contender's platform is tilted backwards to start the match. 5 points are awarded if the Contender can remain on the platform for the entire 30 seconds. The Contender can earn 10 points if they can pull the Gladiator off the platform and into the water. The rope is attached to both Contender and Gladiator by a harness, which removes the possibility of losing by letting go of the rope.^[14]

[edit] New events

• Earthquake: The contender and Gladiator wrestle on a 12-foot diameter platform that is suspended above the floor in season 1, or the pool in season 2, and is moved during the event. If the Contender takes the Gladiator off the platform, he or she is declared the winner, even if he or she also comes down in the process. Contenders get 10 points if they pull the Gladiator down, and 5 points if they last the entire 30 seconds. Holding on to the wires supporting the Earthquake ring is legal, but kicking or otherwise using the foot to remove the Contender from the ring is not. The event is similar in concept to "Conquer", the second part of "Breakthrough and Conquer".
• Rocketball (Season 2): Two Gladiators and Two Contenders begin the match at the corners of the arena. When each competitor presses a button, they are launched via their harnesses into the air toward two goals at the center of the arena. The contenders try to score by throwing balls into the goals, while the Gladiators play defense. Goals in the lower basket are worth 1 point, while goals in the upper basket are worth 2.^[15] The event is similar to an inverted version of the original series event Swingshot.

[edit] Tournament

In season 1, the Final 8 consisted of the four men and four women who had the fastest winning times in the Eliminator. Semifinals matchups were determined by seeding based on the preliminary Eliminator results.

[edit] Season 1

[edit] Season 2

[edit] Men's bracket

	Preliminaries				Final 8				Championship
	Randee Haynes	2:06
	Jay Martinez	4:27
	John Siciliano	11:26
	Gerry Garcia	3:03

[edit] Women's bracket

	Preliminaries				Final 8				Championship
	Elena Maskalik	10:57
	Melissa Trinidad	9:42
	Nikki Key / Nikki Smith†	6:20
	Vanessa Warren	3:21

Note †: Replaced the original Contender. Nikki Key suffered an ankle injury during Pyramid.

All results are from the NBC American Gladiators website.^[16]

[edit] Notable competitors

• John Siciliano (season 2, episode 1) is a former paralympian, with a prosthetic leg, whose right leg was amputated above the knee. He is the first disabled competitor. ^[17]

[edit] Ratings

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This article or section needs to be updated. Please update the article to reflect recent events, and remove this template when finished.

[edit] Season One

#	Air Date	Rating	Share	18-49	Viewers(m)	Weekly Rank
1	January 6, 2008	6.7	10	5.9/14	12.04	#14
2	January 7, 2008	6.2	9	4.8/12	10.91	#20
3	January 14, 2008	6.0	9	4.6/12	10.66	#18
4	January 21, 2008	5.5	8	4.3/11	10.08
5	January 28, 2008	5.0	8	3.4/9	8.48
6	February 4, 2008	5.1	8	2.5/6	9.77
7	February 11, 2008	4.9	7	3.7/9	8.81
8	February 17, 2008	3.8	6	3.0/8	7.30

[edit] Season Two

#	Air Date	Rating	Share	18-49	Viewers(m)	Weekly Rank
1	May 12, 2008	2.9	5	1.9/5	4.92

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official American Gladiators Site (NBC)
• Canadian Official Site (Citytv)
• American Gladiators Zone
• American Gladiators Domain
• MGM American Gladiators Site
• The Internet Movie Database
• American Gladiators on TV.com