When I was in my early twenties American Gladiators was a staple of Saturday morning television mostly because it followed WWE television at that time. Kudos to the Programming Director.
I became a fan as it mirrored pro-wrestling in so many ways but the catch was it was a real competition. There were big name personalities. There was over-the-top physical challenges. There was lively commentary.
Now, 37 years after the original series debuted and after 18 years after its reboot, the series returns. This time it is an Amazon Prime show, property and hosted by WWE’s The Miz and Rocsi Diaz. For those who have never experienced the human demolition derby that is American Gladiators, it is a real-life version of Stephen King’s The Running Man. Everyday contestants from all walks of life compete against the show’s chosen Gladiators in a series of rigorous challenges. The winner of each of the men’s and women’s elimination tournaments is rewarded with a $100,000 prize and the title of American Gladiator Champion. In the past, some of the winners have even gone on to become Gladiators themselves.
The big draw of the original series were of course The Gladiators, some of whom even gained a cult following. This time around, a lot of them are pro-wrestlers.
For the reboot the wrestler Gladiators are:
AEW’s Kamille as Hurricane
Indie wrestler Jessica Roden as Supernova
Former WWE wrestler Eric Bugenhagen (Rick Boogs) as The Bull
AEW’s Wardlow as Fang
OVW, TNA, Big Brother houseguest Jessie Godderz as Steel
There are also some other familiar reality show faces as well:
Faysal Shafaat from Big Brother 20 is Gladiator “Mayhem” and former Survivor castaway Sierra Dawn Thomas is a contestant in one of the early episodes. In another wrestling crossover, Jelly Roll wrote the theme song to this series.
Each of the wrestlers have easily made the transition to Gladiator mostly because it is much of the same thing. They cut promos, with Boogs even adds some guitar riffs to his persona. They play grandiose characters. They engage in physical competitions. The difference here being the games are real unlike what we see in the squared circle on a weekly basis. Boogs though does get busted open the “hard way” during one challenge.
One big change to this series is we see often the Gladiators in the locker room reacting in real time to the trash talk of the challengers as they are introduced. That ups the ante, builds the tension. Without going overboard the producers should do more of this.
The challengers are given their camera time as well. We are introduced to their lives back home and what qualifies them to be on the show, like being a cross fit trainer or a former athlete. As I mentioned above, there are connections to other reality shows like Survivor and Big Brother but those are not mentioned. I am not sure why. That would boost the profiles of the people involved and perhaps increase their threat level based on their competition past.
American Gladiators though is remembered not only for the Gladiators themselves but the absolutely wild challenges that were inspired by not only The Running Man but movies like Rollerball and Tron. Challengers had to compete in wrestling matches on platforms hanging from the ceiling, were locked in metal spheres they had to roll along to gain points, had to use pugil sticks to knock their opponents off raised podiums or cross a suspended grid-like platform, etc. All the while, the Gladiators are doing their best to tackle, maul, grab, throw, anything within the rules to prevent the challengers from successfully completing their goals.
The night, the round ends with The Eliminator, a multi-tiered obstacle course which decides a winner among the men and women. Those winners move on in the tournament.
While the producers have brought back some old challenges like Atlasphere, Joust, Earthquake and Gauntlet there are new ones like Collision, The Edge and The Ring.
Here are all the challenges:
Atlasphere
American Gladiators classic Atlasphere is returning, featuring contestants versus Gladiators in big metal “spheres”, with the contestants’ objective of scoring as many points as possible by rolling over several scoring pods across the arena floor.
Breakthrough & Conquer
The famous game of American football and wrestling, in which the contender faces two sections of Gladiators. First they have to carry a football and pass the an opposing Gladiator, and then wrestle the Gladiator off a marked area, to claim full points.
Collision
A brand new game sees the contender trying to cross a giant suspension bridge and put as many colored balls to two baskets on the platforms. Whilst four Gladiators are trying to knock this off the bridge by swinging on their trapezes from two separate platforms.
Crash Course
In this variation of Atlasphere, the contenders are racing side-by-side laps around the arena in their Spheres. Opposing them are two Gladiators, whose mission is to slow them down in their own zones.
Earthquake
Returning from the 2008’s version, a wrestling match taking place in a suspended circular ring that swings from side to side. The contender must simply eliminate the Gladiator off the platform.
Gauntlet (Level Up)
Another classic, Gauntlet, sees each contestant trying to get past a group of the Gladiators armed with foam weapons in a narrow, “gauntlet” shaped running track, aim to get full 10 points. However, as a new, Level Up format, after passing four of the gladiators through the narrow gauntlet, the contenders still have to survive a head-to-head against a 5th gladiator inside a circular ring.[13]
Hang Tough
This classic sees the contestant and the Gladiator start from opposite platforms, swinging using gymnastics rings. The aim for the contestant is to get to the Gladiator’s platform to claim full points, while this is trying to eliminate the contestant off the rings.[1]
Joust
A true American Gladiators classic, in which the participants must to try and eliminate each other from the podiums using whats called a “pugil stick” in a head-to-head combat. 10 points if the contender eliminates the gladiator, and no points if the gladiator eliminates the contender.
Powerball
The iconic game mix of Basketball and American Football, in which the contestants playing at the same time must score as many points as possibly by dunking coloured balls into several pods spread across the arena floor. Three of the Gladiators are trying to tackle them down to avoid scoring.
The Edge
In this brand new event taken from the BBC revival, taking its place high up on the arena ceiling, the contender and Gladiator play a game of cat-and-mouse on a giant suspended grid-shaped platform. The aim for the contender is to cross the platforms as many times as possible, while the Gladiator tries to rugby-style tackle this off into a chilling drop.
The Ring
An all-new game originated from the British reboot on BBC. In a game of cat-and-mouse and wrestling, the contenders have to make it to a central button at the arena floor. Guarding the target are a pair of Gladiators with aim of stopping them on the way.
The Wall
In the classical, rock climbing-styled event, the contenders are being pursued by the Gladiators up a high, vertical wall. To score points, the contenders must reach the summit of the wall without being pulled off.
Whiplash
Classic game of Tug of War where the contender and the Gladiator are attached with a “dogbone”, and the contender must eliminate the Gladiator from a circular play area.
The Eliminator
The final legendary game at the end of each episode, an obstacle course determining the advancing/winning contestants. A race through demanding obstacle course of balance beams and cargo nets, ending with “The Travelator”.
Powerball, Hang Tough, Joust, The Edge were my faves while Whiplash and The Wall need to go. They don’t really make for exciting television. I mean, two people fighting over a “dog bone”? Come on., guys.
The Miz hosts with his usual flair bringing a lot of energy, personality to the show especially in his insightful and often humourous interactions and interviews with the challengers and the Gladiators. Rocsi Diaz balances the Miz nicely bringing a more ground, even tone to the show. Veteran sportscaster Chris Rose is the play-by-play man and he adds experience, authority to the broadcast so it sounds and plays like a true sporting event.
The American version is hoping to have the same success as the British 2024 reboot. It has recently been renewed for a fourth season by the BBC. American Gladiators does have all the pieces to be just as popular, it just needs an audience. That will be the biggest hurdle though. Being on digital, Amazon Prime, there is no lead-in like in the eighties. There is nothing to give the series the the boost, push that it needs.
Casting so many wrestlers could pull in the wrestling crowd. I know I was pulled in again and not all of that was nostalgia either as this revamp stands all on its own and who doesn’t like to watch some smartass fitness coach get yanked off a wall, speared to the ground, knocked off a high platform or run for their lives in a gigantic hamster ball?
American Gladiators is available on Amazon Prime starting today and the first season is made up of ten, 45-minute episodes.
