Can anyone confirm that this show will be shown in HD? I just saw a new commercial that showed actual competition footage (Joust, Wall, Hang Tough, Gauntlet) and was in 16/9 and appeared to be in HD. Either way, I am looking forward to the debut on Jan 4th (th?), I grew up loving the show.

posted on NBC.com's Community asking and no response yet not that I'm expecting one. Here's a screenshot from the promo captured via OTA to .bmp but converted to .jpg for space, still in native res...

http://img454.imageshack.us/img454/4927/ag2fp8.th.jpg (http://img454.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ag2fp8.jpg)

Looks HD to me.

Yeah I just wanted to ask for verification. While it is a cheap, sorta reality show, it is all shot in a studio so it should be HD.

Which studio is producing it?

So far, the main issue with any program outside the mainstream primetime drams/comedies being in HD seems to be whether the studio behind the show wants to lay out the cash.

It won't be the same without Larry Csonka and Mike Adamle.

Which studio is producing it?

So far, the main issue with any program outside the mainstream primetime drams/comedies being in HD seems to be whether the studio behind the show wants to lay out the cash.

Wikipedia says Reveille and MGM Television and filmed at Sony Studios.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reveille_Productions

Hmm... Tough call. I don't see a ton of stuff that they've done HD.

On the upside, though, there ought to be more cameras free to shoot it HD with the writers strike.

Unlikely.

That would be disappointing. The updated show screams for the extra visuals in HD.

The promo I saw looked upconverted to me.

Even if some of the promo materials are in HD, that means nothing for the show. Promos for Phenomenon prior to the first airing of the actual show were also in HD. Given that the first look at AG will occur during tomorrow's Deal or No Deal (apparently in program), I seriously doubt it'll be in HD.

About the only thing that might support the possibility of HD is the use of what appears to be a graphics package derivative of NBC Sports. But it's not like that's helped NBC golf coverage move HD.

HD=me watching.
SD=me watching something else.

Even if some of the promo materials are in HD, that means nothing for the show. Promos for Phenomenon prior to the first airing of the actual show were also in HD.

Yeah that is why I posed the question in the first place.

Given that the first look at AG will occur during tomorrow's Deal or No Deal (apparently in program), I seriously doubt it'll be in HD.

Isn't that like the only original programming they have left? ;)

About the only thing that might support the possibility of HD is the use of what appears to be a graphics package derivative of NBC Sports. But it's not like that's helped NBC golf coverage move HD.

Yeah, I don't consider that an indicator at all.

I'll only watch if Lace is competing... :eek: :D

It won't be the same without Larry Csonka and Mike Adamle.

They can always bring back Joe Theisman, he's currently on the unemployment line. Talk about a career coming full circle.

Are they keeping the tennis ball shooting thing? That was always my favorite challenge, though I think they dropped it after a while. Hopefully they can keep the challenger level high. I remember in the beginning how out-classed those poor guys (and gals) were, but by the end they were getting pretty tough folks to compete.

Yes, that event was called Assault (Danger Zone in the UK) and it is back. Other former events will be Joust, Gauntlet, Pyramid, The Wall, Hang Tough, and the Eliminator. There is a UK event called Hit and Run that will also be on the show. There is also a new event called Earthquake that nobody knows the details of yet.

you can put all the lipstick you want on a pig, but at the end of the day, it's still a pig.

Difference is many people already like this pig. But thanks for thread crapping.

Or some of us like me, liked the show when we were kids. I am going to give it a shot when it airs. In my mind American Idol is crap, yet I don't stink up their threads. If you don't like it don't watch it.

Guide doesn't list this in HD, really lame if its not.

refuse to watch it if it's in SD
:mad:

For reference, I've seen promos for The Apprentice in 16:9 also (I won't make the call on whether they were real HD) and The Apprentice has never been in HD or 16:9.

Curiously, I saw a promo for American Gladiators in SD with the "Available in HD on Comcast channel xxx" tag at the bottom of the screen. I haven't paid attention to whether this has happened with other SD shows before. Still, no HD designation in the guide for either AG or The Apprentice.

My guess would be no to HD and very doubtful to 16:9. I'll still be watching for the nostaglic value, though. Shame that Mike Adamle won't be there. Hulk Hogan will probably just do a bunch of yelling and whatnot.

In the promo The Apprentice footage from the board room and of the celebs was HD but the actual show footage of them outside during competitions was 16:9 SD.

In the promo The Apprentice footage from the board room and of the celebs was HD but the actual show footage of them outside during competitions was 16:9 SD.

I think there are several promos showing different things. I've seen some where only boardroom scenes were shown and I've seen others where outdoor footage is shown in 16:9 but looking cropped as if originally from a 4:3 frame. Either way, I'm convinced it'll be SD.

And in the latest promos for Jay and Conan returning Wednesday, it looks like they used upconverted and cropped shots of SD Conan and Jay even though both shows are in HD.

This is by way of saying I think it's time we stop trying to read the promos like some kind of HD tea leaves.

no HD tag on Zap2It...

"gotta go! 5, 4, 3..."

:) :)

Promo I saw included an overhead shot of the arena, and it looked pretty clear, like true HD.

The Apprentice promos I've seen ALL look like upconverts, but I agree NBC's promos are in HD (or at least 16:9) even when the show isn't, although you can tell when they are upconverting, or cropping, i.e, Scrubs.

It's like NBC is teasing us by promoting 4:3 shows with 16:9 commercials.

Well, at least they have HD promos, unlike ABC and CBS who have little, if none, HD promos, although CBS does have a few HD station ID bumpers that are shown every now and then.

They should have went with an american version of Ninja Warrior!!!

They should have went with an american version of Ninja Warrior!!!

I think Ninja Warrior is the American version. ;)

FWIW, the NBC.com schedule does list the show as HD next Sunday.

http://www.nbc.com/Schedule/

FWIW, the NBC.com schedule does list the show as HD next Sunday.

http://www.nbc.com/Schedule/


Don't let us down NBC! :p

awesome. nbc.com would be the source I trust the most (ahead of program guides and promos). I think HD will be crucial to holding onto some viewers (especially our forum's members). With all the reality shows replacing the scripted programming, I need some HD!

Without trying to rain on the parade, the guide also lists the Carson Daly New Year's special in HD. I didn't watch much, but I didn't see any HD, and there was no thread posted. It also incorrectly listed tonight's Jay Leno as not HD (even though it was), and lists the rest of this week's new Leno episodes as not HD, even though they will be.

If it's not in HD, I'll probably only watch the first episode.

the promo during the Pens-Sabres game intro sure looked like at least crappy HD in the 'studio'
:cool:

So, HD tonight?

Yep it's in HD.

Well it's in Macroblocked HD.

WNBC-DT NYC FIOS TV.

I think the motion blur is there to. :rolleyes:

Well it's in Macroblocked HD.

good ol' NBC

i can't even watch this anymore...damn this looks horrible

gotta love the huge bug in the corner advertising tomorrow's show. and I already miss mike adamle.

HD and macroblocking like crazy on WHDH-DT Boston.

The rock concert lighting does not help the PQ either.
I'm sure some of the macroblocking is a result of it.

I don't like the tight, closeup cameras during Powerball.

the concert lighting and all the camera movement is ruining it for me

SD here in Charlotte,NC

Female contestant was injured straight off in the first event. She twisted her knee pretty hard, looks like she strained or even tore cartilidge- ouch. Why bother?

nbc has no clue how to run anything, do they?

SD here in Pittsburgh:mad::mad:

N.B.C....your Fired!

like many others, it's in HD, noticeable macroblocking, and soft when picture is still

and also this will probably be one of the last times i'll be watching AG

hulk is horrible, the way the get sound bites from the gladiators and contenders before each event is horrible, the quick camera cuts during each event is horrible

WNBC-DT via Cablevision

boy do i love the big NBC watermark

I'm not desperate enough for HD to watch this show! I will not watch this! Never never never! In fact I think I'll watch an old black and white Bergman film on DVD instead.

I'm trying to figure out which has worse HD PQ, this or NFL. Terrible motion blocking.

WMC, Memphis, OTA, 2 subs

the original show was so much better -- it was a sporting event where this is a reality show. shame really... had potential

Screan caps? watched bull riding on Versus HD instead

Topic title edited; '?' removed.

the original show was so much better -- it was a sporting event where this is a reality show. shame really... had potential

The reality show practice of counting down and going to commercial right before competition is just becoming plain annoying. As you said, its supposed to be a competition, this isn't Deal or No Deal. Alright, maybe it's always been annoying, but this is just icing on the cake. I was really quite excited for this, but this isn't the American Gladiators that I knew. Actual video of the competition doesn't look too bad. It's the graphics that are quite abundant that tend to become very macroblocky. Game play video is fine. Watching OTA in Green Bay, WGBA, No Sub Channels.

Plus, I think I know what things are a replay, I don't need to be told what is by the graphics coming in and out.

That trash talk sounded totally scripted.

charlotte switched to hd about 20 mind in

it's so bad it's funny. and c'mon, you couldn't have expected it to be serious when hulk hogan is hosting it.

Not terible not great.
It was alright but way to streched out with ads and replays. Hopfully the 1hr block will make this better. Only tommorow will tell

it's so bad it's funny. and c'mon, you couldn't have expected it to be serious when hulk hogan is hosting it.
Cheesy I can take. After all, the original was rather cheesy but fun. (Of course, it was a little more entertaining when I was 7, but it's still amusing to see reruns on ESPN Classic.) But I agree with others who say that they've taken the worst aspects of the reality shows and game shows that have come out since and made it almost unbearably annoying to watch.

yeah the camerawork was pretty terrible, as were the commercial cuts.

Overall I enjoyed it and will be back tomorrow. Camera work on Powerball is too much. Joust was OK. Hang Tough was fine but they need an extra row or two of rings. Assault was OK but I don't like the sandbox stage. Earthquake is a cool new event. The second contest of it was really good. Hit and Run is the same as the UK and wasn't bad but I am not a big fan. Pyramid is OK but I felt some of the camera cutting on that too was annoying. Same for Gauntlet. Eliminator is fantastic, what an exhausting event.

I just wish it had a more live event feel to it. I also think the show felt rushed despite only having four events plus Eliminator, which I also don't like. I do like the water and I like the updated lighting and staging.

Well, I guess I am the only one that liked it. I could do with less talking with the contenders.

I give NBC props for putting this on in HD. Now let's hope others take the hint. CBS

I'm watching now on the West Coast. Looks like typical crappy NBC HD, but at least it's HD. What bothers me is that I've only been watching for 20 minutes, but there have been way too many commercial breaks, especially considering this is a two-hour series premiere.

Wow. NBC, this is worse than SNF. Sports really isn't your strong suit, is it?

+1 for me. this is a lot of fun to watch... reminds me of the old version ... but in HD!!

1. Too many breaks
2. I thought the writers were on strike? Who writes this stuff??? Wow!
3. Nice to see it in HD, but PQ was lacking as expected.
4. Where do they get these "Gladiators" ??!!?!? Holy Mother of Hercules they are bad actors!

4. Where do they get these "Gladiators" ??!!?!? Holy Mother of Hercules they are bad actors!

WWE rejects, duh...

Well, I guess I am the only one that liked it. I could do with less talking with the contenders.



I wouldn't say exactly that. Overall I found it pretty enjoyable. Production-wise it wasn't too bad. Sometimes a little over the top. I'm glad to see that someone is breaking out of the norm considering the upcoming reality show season.

WWE rejects, duh...

My question was rhetorical, duh...

Where do they get these "Gladiators" ??!!?!? Holy Mother of Hercules they are bad actors!

When the writers get back from strike, you'll see the improvement.

boy was this a stinker...I really wanted to like it too.

-- HORRIBLE editing
-- Obviously scripted, horrible dialog
-- Extremely dangerous
-- Eliminator should be tough, but damn, not this tough. Get rid of the stupid fire and steel grating before somebody gets killed. The original Eliminator had a penalty if you screwed up the handbike..now you can just climb up a ladder and keep going?
-- Stupid, pointless barrel roll in the eliminator.
-- very weak contestants AND gladiators that don't have a shred of common sense (stepping over to the other platform on hang tough, TWICE?!!...gladiator dives at guy in the pyramid and completely whiffs, leaving a wide open path for the contestant's victory).

I was very disappointed with this show. Had to change the channel after 25 mins or so.

the show in hd
i really liked the show:) and i had no micro blocking at all the only problem was it took KGW 6 minutes to switch to the hd feed and i had an E.A.S. test but it was during a comercial

PQ was dissapointing OTA in Charleston. Macroblocking..ughghghg.

I watched this show all the time in HS. I loved every minute of it. I love competitions. Those Gladiators didn't take it easy on that older guy up the Pyramid. He basically suplexed him from several feet in the air. LOL!!!

Holy Mother of Hercules they are bad actors!They are not actors

The Good
* HD quality was not that bad over my cable connection.
* Gina Carano aka Crush is a professional Mix Martial Art fighter. She is a real athlete and looked kind of embarrassed with the over the top theatrics.
* The events are still fun. The Powerball goals are a little bigger, but other than that it is still campy fun.

The Cons
* The interview segments have to be muted to make them watchable. Of course I am not sure the old show was any better at the interview segments
* The Gladiators are better when they shut up and pound people into the ground.
* The commercial breaks suck!

Hopefully some of the warts can be chalked up to this being the series premiere... maybe as they get a couple of episodes under their belt, they'll improve upon things like the excessive (and utterly lame) "trash talk", unnecessary camera cuts, countdown to event start followed by a commercial break, etc. Maybe that's just wishful thinking.

I did find it interesting just how much more grueling the new Eliminator course looks, compared to the old one. It seems significantly longer/larger, and having the handbike near the end instead of at the beginning is just brutal. I totally think they need to bring back the 'penalty pit' concept for anyone who falls off the handbike/balance beam/barrel roll, though. Oh, speaking of the barrel roll, what the hell is that all about -- probably better to just eliminate that (no pun intended).

In general, I couldn't help but think of "the running man" whilst watching this show. It definitely seems designed to appeal to the 'base' instincts of man... and is not subtle about it, either! :)

boy was this a stinker...I really wanted to like it too.

-- Extremely dangerous
I agree the couple of minutes I saw was a stinker. But isn't the danger part what made it so fun back then? This show isn't for pansies.

The gladiators on the old show were huge, and big atheletes. When they talked to them/interviewed them, they acted like a pro football player would. They were professional, and while of course had names like Nitro, Turbo, Thunder, etc, they didn't have "themes".

These new gladiators are much smaller than the old ones. Seem much less atheletic, and the themes are downright annoying (I could do without the "wolf" dude howling), as well as the names pretty dumb IMHO. Sounds like some girls sitting around the marketing table trying to think of what would be most masculine.

I had not seen the old "AG" show, but I watched a bit of this (delayed on HD-DVR). This show is only going to be watchable via DVR, that's for sure. That way, there are no commercials nor "interviews," if you choose to skip ahead to the contests.

As for the gladiators being smaller, that statement surprised me. Some of those dudes were about 6'8" and 290#. How big were they in the SD days??

The eliminator needs some changes:
-- Remove the fire grating, and simply penalize contestants a couple seconds if they come up for air before touching the ropes on the other side of the pool.
-- Remove the barrel roll. It does nothing but potentially mess with the contestant's balance.

My other gripe about this show was about the gladiators themselves: the men had ridiculous personae, and the women were painted up and dressed so trashy. They should allow the gladiators to present themselves as athletic opponents, rather than cartoon characters.

boy was this a stinker...I really wanted to like it too.

-- HORRIBLE editing
-- Obviously scripted, horrible dialog
-- Extremely dangerous
-- Eliminator should be tough, but damn, not this tough. Get rid of the stupid fire and steel grating before somebody gets killed. The original Eliminator had a penalty if you screwed up the handbike..now you can just climb up a ladder and keep going?
-- Stupid, pointless barrel roll in the eliminator.
-- very weak contestants AND gladiators that don't have a shred of common sense (stepping over to the other platform on hang tough, TWICE?!!...gladiator dives at guy in the pyramid and completely whiffs, leaving a wide open path for the contestant's victory).

-Agree on the MTV style editing. Crap and loses the feel of some events.
-Not sure it was scripted, just what you expect when non-actors or non-wrestlers try to cut a promo. Original series had plenty of this.
-Besides Eliminator, how was this more dangerous? From a safety standpoint each game was played the same as the original series. Earthquake is like the conquer ring except on a tilting platform. Hit and Run is pretty safe.
-I agree about the penalty. Perhaps it is off camera? I think the handbike should be before the water
-Barrel roll is to disorient them.
-You mean he stepped across the platform in Joust. And it happens, sometimes twice. Happened numerous times in the original series and overseas. Diving down the Pyramid has been done before plenty of times as well with success and failure.

I was very disappointed with this show. Had to change the channel after 25 mins or so.

I thought the first show started off slow with the injury stuff. I know why they went with it first, to put over the danger of AG, but it slowed things down. Pace picked up and overall I liked. Episode 2 was better.

The Good
The Cons
* The interview segments have to be muted to make them watchable. Of course I am not sure the old show was any better at the interview segments
* The Gladiators are better when they shut up and pound people into the ground.
* The commercial breaks suck!

Pretty much the same as the original without the teases before commercial breaks.

Hopefully some of the warts can be chalked up to this being the series premiere... maybe as they get a couple of episodes under their belt, they'll improve upon things like the excessive (and utterly lame) "trash talk", unnecessary camera cuts, countdown to event start followed by a commercial break, etc. Maybe that's just wishful thinking.


The teases before commercials isn't going away. It has become a staple of reality tv. Just be glad there is no long recap after break ala some shows like Biggest Loser.

I like the trash talking. It was good in the original series (after the lame S1 ridiculousness) and after the Gladiators got more comfortable in their role. I liked the trash talking by Wolf in Hang Tough.

The gladiators on the old show were huge, and big atheletes. When they talked to them/interviewed them, they acted like a pro football player would. They were professional, and while of course had names like Nitro, Turbo, Thunder, etc, they didn't have "themes".

These new gladiators are much smaller than the old ones. Seem much less atheletic, and the themes are downright annoying (I could do without the "wolf" dude howling), as well as the names pretty dumb IMHO. Sounds like some girls sitting around the marketing table trying to think of what would be most masculine.

Not always, and they did trash talk. Professionalism generally came after a clean event and they showed respect. The themes idea comes from the others' series outside the US where some characters had a bit more theming and I think a general belief that having more of a character will help to create an identity and increased interest.

As for the gladiators being smaller, that statement surprised me. Some of those dudes were about 6'8" and 290#. How big were they in the SD days??


In the original series the Gladiators appeared to be much more likely on steroids, including the ladies.

In the original series the Gladiators appeared to be much more likely on steroids, including the ladies.

said the same thing at work today -- i think they probably avoided roiders because there is such a scandal with MLB

I watch a little of this last night. It was as cheesy as the original. Overall, it's not bad.

There used to be another show on during the time of the original AG. It had a bunch of muscle bound guys with different characters (one was a guy named G-Money or something). They had rivalries and such. I think there were contestants that would compete against these muscle guys. The muscle guys would get ranked and some would turn "heel", to borrow a WWE term.

It was really cheesy, but some of the events were pretty neat.

Anyone remember this?

ft

Anyone else notice that those who didn't perform as well in the other events, for the most part, dominated the Eliminator contest? It seems to favor the lighter, quicker, contestant. They mentioned that the overall winner has a shot at becoming a Gladiator. I don't see that happening, as most of the winners are going to be 5'8"-5'10", and 150 lbs. I felt bad for the female Marine (except her trash talking). She would have won if not for cutting her head open.

I agree the Gladiators are a bit less muscular than in the past due to todays views on steriods. However, I would bet that the majority of them (excluding Crush=Gina Carano) still use "performance enhancers".

Take it from someone who has worked out their entire life. It's easy to be big; and it's easy to be cut. Just not at the same time, without help.

Art

Battle Dome was the name of the other one. It was so bad the had their weekly warrior champion even carry a belt. They should have brought T-Money in for Gladiators.

Battle Dome was the name of the other one. It was so bad the had their weekly warrior champion even carry a belt. They should have brought T-Money in for Gladiators.
Yeah, that was it.

I just checked the wikipedia entry for BattleDome. T-Money was played by Terry Crews. And Mike O'Dell was played by Mike O'Hearn, who is also Titan in the AG2008 show.

ft

liked the show. a little over the top but I expected that.

HD PQ wasn't fantastic but better than SD like most reality shows, imo.

the events were good. I agree there should be penalties for falling off the handbike but maybe that's why they fall into a pit. Instead of being penalized, the time it takes to climb out is the penalty. If I was struggling at all, I'd just drop and climb out...

overall, good show. probably wouldn't survive very long if there wasn't a strike and it had a lot of new programming up against it but hopefully it will be able to complete its run (which is through mid-February I believe)

Premiere=ratings success:

American Gladiators’ Shows Ratings Muscle

American Gladiators (NBC)NBC’s revamp of the campy competition classic “American Gladiators” scored the highest new series premiere rating of the season.

“Gladiators” earned a 5.9 preliminary rating among adults 18 to 49 and was seen by 12 million viewers. The demo rating gives "Gladiators" the best score for an NBC debut since “Heroes." Previously, the highest premiere tally this season was held by "Bionic Woman" (5.7), NBC's other action-filled primetime remake.

The two-hour premiere came in second during the 9 p.m. hour behind an original episode of “Desperate Housewives” (7.2), but it handily won the 10 p.m. hour. What’s more, “Gladiators’” final half-hour was its highest-rated, with a 6.1, which bodes well for the true test of the show’s strength when the show airs tonight in its regular time period.

MSNBC called the program “an awkward start,” but still “a thrilling television event.” BuddyTV said it’s “cheesy fun.” The Onion wrote, “After two grueling hours, I want my brain cells back.”

A two-hour “Deal or No Deal” (3.0) led into the program.

Despite “Gladiators’” showing, NBC’s 4.4 overall put it in second place in the preliminary ratings, with ABC and CBS tied for first with a 4.5 (CBS also won among total viewers). ABC had “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (2.4), “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (4.7) and “Housewives” (7.2), all roughly on par. At 10 p.m., a preview of “Cashmere Mafia” earned a 3.8, down about 19% from the “Brothers & Sisters” average in the time period.

CBS was boosted by some sports overrun, which bled into “60 Minutes” (4.9). Then the network aired “The Amazing Race” (3.4) and “Cold Case” (2.5).

In third place, Fox aired “The Simpsons” (3.9), “King of the Hill” (3.3), an encore “Family Guy” (2.9) and “American Dad” (2.4). The CW aired repeats.

I found it enjoyable. Better PQ than expected (expected SD or upconvert). A little macroblocking doesn't bother me after watching DBS for the last 8 years. I don't think it can be avoided with the lighting they use on the show. It's a definite DVR show. I watched the "interviews" this first time around, but I can see skipping them in the future.

As far as the show's content...it seems very similar to what I remember of the old show. I'm wondering if they are intentionally trying to make the women so ugly, though. A few looked like they COULD have been attractive, but the outrageous outfits and makeup just ruin it all. I definitely enjoy the increased quality (both PQ and production style), but especially the ability to skip to the "good" parts of the show.

My favorite event from the old show was "Assault" - I'm looking forward to seeing it completed successfully this time around.

Bob

It's an OK enough show. It would be a lot better without the unusual presentation. The show works best when they just let the action do its thing.

Hogan and Ali are both awful... We need Larry Czonka now!

If I hadn't already seen the current episode of How I Met Your Mother, I doubt I would have stuck with Gladiators.

This is actually a show I think NBC should, when the strike is over, move to a dead time slot, like Friday or Saturday primetime.

was 4:3 SD tonight via Pittsburgh NBC affiliate WPXI received from Commiecast. :mad::mad::mad::mad:


have last night's on dvr, but did not check yet.

It's either this or the BCS blowout. I'll choose this.

I wasn't home last night to see it, so this is night 1 for me. I like it. Too much about the contestants. 20 mins in and we're only 1 event into the show.

Bring back Csonka, Adamle, and the last referee....heck, bring back Theisman! He's unemployed!

I'll keep watching. It's fun. I watched the old one Sat. afternoons when I was a kid.

Bahaha! I love how Hogan just tries to stands in profile as much as possible and flex his bisceps. Watch for it. It's a hoot!:D:D:D

this show is absolute garbage. as per the eliminator why even do a 1/4 of it. for the log roll just jump down, you already wet and there is no advantage. for the hand bike just jump down.

I thought I was stuck in the twilight zone with that redneck. I used to wrestle pigs...

I hope Zonka comes out and gives a real world beat down with his cane to anyone associated with this show. What a joke.

ahwooooooooooooooo!

Bahaha! I love how Hogan just tries to stands in profile as much as possible and flex his bisceps. Watch for it. It's a hoot!:D:D:D

Yep, it's hilarious!

Does anyone else think "Wolf" looks like Ben Stiller in Dodgeball? :D

http://f.screensavers.com/migration/wp/dodgeball_stiller_215.gif

Wolf is definitely the dweeb of the show. Most gladiators you'd try to avoid, but he's the one you'd want to try and make cry.

He's also the least bulked-up of the Gladiators too. He's obviously quite an athlete, but I guess they felt they had to compensate some for his size by giving him that ridiculous personality.

Btw, my wife and I had the longest laugh over the first girls' attempt at Eliminator...especially "Koya" and her trouble with the conveyor belt thing. :D

lol at the eliminator, that show is still pretty good. Agreed on PQ, above average but nothing like I somehow expected...

I thought it was entertaining to warrant watching, but later on via DVR so I could skip the nonsense where they went to commercial right before a competition was about to start.

Interesting that they lost both a competitor AND a Gladiator (Militia) on the first show. Hellga? What a loser - couldn't stop anybody going thru the Gauntlet!

It was at least more interesting than the first two hours of Dance War. I don't need another AI wannabe elimination round. I deleted it about 20 minutes in. Maybe the later shows will be better (I like the dancing, the singing I can do without).

Agreed on Helga. Was disappointed that she whiffed so bad in the Gauntlet.

I didnt get to see it on Monday but I did watch Sunday's showing. I thought it was pretty good over all. Cheesy, but entertaining none-the-less.

Gladiators was a winner again last night:

From Marc Berman:

It was no contest on this second Monday of 2008, with the National Championship Bowl Game on Fox (LSU vs. Ohio State) at a mammoth 21.58 million viewers and a 7.6 rating/18 share among adults 18-49 in prime-time. Keep in mind, of course, that results for any live sporting event are always approximate.

Despite the severity of the competition, the time period debut of NBC’s American Gladiators was positive, with 10.91 million viewers (#3) and a 4.8/12 (#2) among adults 18-49 from 8-9 p.m. Yes, life does go on during the writers strike. American Gladiators led into the time period debut Deal or No (Viewers: #2, 10.73 million; A18-49: #2, 3.6/ 9) and the season-premiere of Medium (Viewers: #2, 9.57 million) from 9-11 p.m.

I read elsewhere the numbers improved as the show progressed. People are liking what they are seeing.

People are liking what they are seeing.Debatable. More likely people are turning to it because the only other original programming right now during its timeslot was crap and reruns.

In this day and age with countless diversions and the nature of the show American Gladiators I suspect that is less the case.

Agreed on Helga. Was disappointed that she whiffed so bad in the Gauntlet.

I believe it's Hellga.

See how much more clever that is? ;)

This may have been mentioned, but here is my gripe with the Eliminator. The hand bike....looks too hard. Just drop off with it, and climb up the side. Why waste time TRYING to make the thing work when everyone falls anyway. Either lube it up, or take it out.

PQ wasn't too bad for NBC and the show kept me tuned in if not just for the curiosity factor. The boys (ages 9 and 11) really loved it (of course) - especially the "Assault" event.

As for danger, it seemed fairly safe compared to a number of the Survivor competitions over the past couple seasons.

This may have been mentioned, but here is my gripe with the Eliminator. The hand bike....looks too hard. Just drop off with it, and climb up the side. Why waste time TRYING to make the thing work when everyone falls anyway. Either lube it up, or take it out.

People will learn how to use it just as they did in the old series and it will be faster to use it than to drop and climb

My pointers:

- Get rid of the fire thingy in the water just too dangerous, Sunday some poor girl banged her head on it.
- Barrel Roll pointless, get penalty if you fall down,
- Hand bike too hard, also penalty if you fall down
- Travellator is easier this time because you have rope to help out, still the contestants can't get up (except for some girl last night). Like old times if you fail 3-4 times you can skip it.
- Assault is t0o hard this time you have to load each weapon now, you lose too much time. (but the reward is better lol)

This may have been mentioned, but here is my gripe with the Eliminator. The hand bike....looks too hard. Just drop off with it, and climb up the side. Why waste time TRYING to make the thing work when everyone falls anyway. Either lube it up, or take it out.

The difference is the placement of the hand bike and the travelator - in the old show they were at the beginning, which made it easier because you had (pretty much) full energy to expend on them. In their new placements, they're harder to do because of all the energy you've spent getting there (the swim, the cargo net climb, the pyramid climb).

IMHO, the Eliminator is much improved because of the change in the order.

Travelator is too inconsistent. Some contestants placed a foot outside the belt to stand back up, or even to take a step or two. I'd say widen the belt and leave the rope.

Barrel Roll is pointless - save the dizzyness and the stress on your arms and just skip it.

Hand Bike only makes sense if there's a floor and you can drop down and then get back up and continue on. If you do penalty seconds, there needs to be a gate so you hit a button and it stays closed for the penalty time - then opens up. The finish should remain first one to the end wins.

Travelator is too inconsistent. Some contestants placed a foot outside the belt to stand back up, or even to take a step or two. I'd say widen the belt and leave the rope.

Barrel Roll is pointless - save the dizzyness and the stress on your arms and just skip it.

Hand Bike only makes sense if there's a floor and you can drop down and then get back up and continue on. If you do penalty seconds, there needs to be a gate so you hit a button and it stays closed for the penalty time - then opens up. The finish should remain first one to the end wins.

Or just have the gladiators administer the penalties, like in the old american gladiators. I like the show, it is as campy and cheesy as the old one. I wish they would have kept atlas ball, that was one of my favorite events. Also hang tough looks like there are a lot less rings than there was.

Either lube it up, or take it out.

Where have I heard that before? :D

Where have I heard that before? :D

Probably The Office....that's what she said :)

I can't believe people would go into this show without a DVR. What's wrong with you? And I'll have to take your word for it on the reality similarity, haven't seen more than 20 seconds of one of those shows ever. BTW, the old standby works great. Unplug your center channel, much easier to watch.

I'd say the worst part was picking an idiot skateboarder for the first contestant. A big smile and absolutely no brain. I found myself rooting for an injury, which is out of character. Everyone here has been complaining about the themed gladiators, but they had that before, too. Toa and Wolf are a bit much, I grant you.

The new Eliminator is better, I always thought that was the worst part of the show. Short, stupid, yawn. It must be hard to do the handbike after swimming. Side Eliminator point: Nice they finally make the women work for it. Are they athletes or not?

Same for the gladiators. The first show just had body builders, most of them weren't good at anything athletic, just big. This group has actually played a sport before, it seems.

This show has always been about weird sports and comedy to me. Pretty much the same as before. I find it interesting that they still can't find a male contestant bigger than my leg. Must want to keep the distinction with the gladiators.

Barrel Roll is pointless - save the dizzyness and the stress on your arms and just skip it.

I was thinking the same thing, but then I figured it out. It's a dryer!! Gotta give 'em something to get some water off for the rest of the Eliminator. Maybe replace it with a big squeegee?

(PQ really went down on day 2 here in Mpls)

I'd like to see some MXC type stuff mixed in. Have the swim in corn syrup, then have them combat crawl through styrofoam packing peanuts. :D

Alot of things about Eliminator bug me but it's still the best event out of them all.

I just can't get over how much trouble these folks have with the Travelator(sp), it's hilarious. I know they're exhausted at that point, but it's really funny stuff. Btw, I didn't know they could bypass it after 3-4 tries...looks like they don't know that either.
:D

So far, my 2 favorite Female Glads are:

Crush - She's beautiful, seems to have a knowing smirk on her face during all the nonsense trash talk, and is an actual Mixed Martial Arts Fighter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_Carano

Venom - She's quite the looker and does pretty well in her events too.

Least favorite/most-useless:

Hellga - She's already been beaten a few times and I saw in the promo that she's one of the first to get slammed in the Assault event next week.

Gladiator most likely to be saving up for an operation: Fury

How can you not like Hellga? She's a beast! That's what I picture when I think of female Vikings.

Gladiator most likely to be saving up for an operation: Fury

LOL! My thoughts exactly!

How can you not like Hellga? She's a beast! That's what I picture when I think of female Vikings.

Because she whiffed badly on the only competition she's been in so far. One that seems like it would be tailor-made for her build. That, and it looks like she gets punk'd on Assault in an upcoming episode...

I don't think she's even American, more like Swedish type (the name says it all).

Exactly. And questionable upbringing too. What kind of parents would name their daughter "Hellga?" ;)

NBC Universal Entertainment Co-Chair Ben Silverman wants to order more “American Gladiators.”

“We’re going to figure out the smartest way to market, schedule and promote them,” Silverman says. “The whole group will discuss it. We don’t want to order 60 of them. Another thought is this summer we got ‘America’s Got Talent,’ ‘American Gladiators’ and the Olympics, so we’re going to be celebrating our Americana all summer.”

Nothing is final, but Silverman’s intention to order more episodes is hardly a surprise given “Gladiators’” whopping Sunday-night premiere rating and last night’s debut performance in its regular time period.

Silverman is especially heartened that the show held its own against college football on Fox. “It feels optimistic that there’s nothing really that can be programmed against it,” he says.

The executive also is plotting a special two-hour "Gladiators" finale to lead into the premiere of NBC's "Knight Rider" remake on Sunday, Feb. 17. He predicts the evening could be NBC's biggest night of the season.

“I can’t tell you [what we’re doing for the finale],” he says. “If I did, Wolf and Hulk would show up at your door.”

The next round of "Gladiators" will include a greater variety of games for contestants to compete in, among other fine-tuning format tweaks, he says.

NBC has enjoyed a series of reality series ratings victories since the start of the new year. By adding celebrities to “The Apprentice” and couples to “The Biggest Loser,” the veteran shows have garnered strong openings.

NBC’s press headlines, however, have been dominated by the writers strike shutting down the network’s presentation of the Golden Globe Awards.

“So disappointed,” says Silverman, who’s a nominee this year for Showtime’s “The Tudors.” “I just can’t understand saying you have an interim agreement with one company but not accepting one with another company on the same exact terms. That whole thing feels disheartening.”

UPDATE: NBC plans to shortly announce it will offer its owned and affiliated stations a second run of the first three episodes of "American Gladiators" during non-prime-time hours on the weekends of Jan. 19-20, Jan. 26-27 and Feb. 2-3.

The move is particularly apt for "Gladiators," as the show ran in syndication for years during its original incarnation.

"We're extremely excited by the response to 'American Gladiators,'" said John Wallace, president of the NBC local media division. "By adding the show to our weekend afternoon lineup, we can expose the program to a new audience and benefit from the local ad opportunities. It's a win-win for all involved."

NBC is pretty happy with it right now. I hope it isn't over scheduled.

A weekly dose of Gladiators is OK, I don't mind...


A weekly repeat is convienent for we non-dvr owners that may had missed the show at its regular time. (as long as is also in HD).

They just need to fix the annoying cut-offs to commercials, they just want me to change the channel sooner instead of staying to watch the commercials..

A weekly dose of Gladiators is OK, I don't mind...


A weekly repeat is convienent for we non-dvr owners that may had missed the show at its regular time. (as long as is also in HD).

They just need to fix the annoying cut-offs to commercials, they just want me to change the channel sooner instead of staying to watch the commercials..

NBC tends to have plenty of Saturday afternoon 'random' sports that turns out to be unannounced HD (Gymnastics.... Triathlons...)

So I'd hope they'd send these back out in HD as well.

(but I doubt they will re-edit them.... especially since thats the current standard for ALL reality-type shows)

The problem could be on our local repeaters, they could turn off HD feed most Saturdays until Primetime, I hope their engineers get the memo to flick the switch on.

Funny ESPN article (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=alipour/080104) about AG. Sorry if it's already been posted.

I can't believe people would go into this show without a DVR.

Amen to that! I've even gone one better by not recording on my Comcast HD DVR and instead record in OTA HD using my Vista Media Center. The latter uses an add-on that removes the commercials entirely, not just skip them.

I find this preferable since the cable 30-second skip is still too much work with American Gladiators. :cool:

Is the show rigged? Check this out

http://www.derober.com/2008/01/08/breaking-news-new-american-gladiators-is-rigged/

The youtube video on the link makes a case, but I don't think we saw anything like this on Monday's show. Does raise a few doubts though.

Is the show rigged? Hard to say. Is it heavily edited like any reality show these days, well, of course it is. Now if you're asking if the contestants are payed actors, that's a whole different can of worms...

I remember reading a comment from a guy that attended a taping, a segment with Crush was "redone", presumably all the contests are edited/restaged if necessary for maximum entertainment value.

The author of that video clearly doesn't know physics every time he asks why the contender doesn't fall forward. The girl is on an inclined treadmill. When the footing below you is going backwards, it's a slope, and you are not even with the platform you can't just fall forward and land on the top.

Of course you let go of the rope if you are holding on to the very end, with only one hand, and having fallen down onto it. You can make more ground by just letting go, backing up, and trying again.

Very dramatic music is a non-argument that only fluffs the other stuff to a winning idiot that open to believing this crap (along with other ridiculous conspiracy crap online) since it is added after the fact. Of course there is dramatic music at a dramatic part.

"Blue hero" got it because "blue hero" must just have better leg strength for something like that. In addition "blue hero" makes sure she is fully on the black strip at the top, that is not moving, before stepping forward. This part is crucial, given the physics of the travelator.

On the men's side, blue was able to get a real footing by stepping to the side of the travelator.

I'm guessing this person never done anything strenuous and difficult. He has never known the concept of stopping, taking a breath, and then forcing all your energy into something to get through something difficult as both did.

I can't see the video, but if those guys are faking the fatigue on Eliminator...they must be pretty good actors...

Now, some of the things that come across "fake" to me in the show are:

- The obvious re-doing of hair/makeup before interviews (some contestants would be dripping wet from either sweat or a plunge in the pool but their faces are always dry in the interviews and the females have eye and lip makeup)

- The dialogue is obviously scripted. The "redneck" guy had some really corny made-up lines that there is no way ANYbody would have come up with on their own in an interview situation.

- The editing implies that some things happen in a certain sequence when it's pretty obvious that would be impossible.

I don't have a huge problem with any of the above as long as they keep the competitions above board.

Yeah and of course the Gladiators/contestants take breaks between events, they should be soaking wet, tired, etc for next event, even with all those breaks they are too tired for the elminator.

Alot of things about Eliminator bug me but it's still the best event out of them all.

I just can't get over how much trouble these folks have with the Travelator(sp), it's hilarious. I know they're exhausted at that point, but it's really funny stuff. Btw, I didn't know they could bypass it after 3-4 tries...looks like they don't know that either.
:D


Note the sides of the ramp where they fall. It's wet, because they are wet. Sweat and the swimming. Inclined treadmill which seems to have varying speeds, wet feet, exhaustion. Lots of fun.

Same comments would be to the video creator, but hardly worth it.

This week we had Skinamax soft core porn actress Belinda Gavin, posing as a rodeo bullrider, doing battle for her trailer trash momma.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1310006/

Either lube it up, or take it out.

That's what she said.

:p


Funny you say that about the hand bike. I was thinking the same thing when I watched it last week.

This reminds me of Running Man, but not as violent (duh!).

It's entertaining. Crush, Siren and Venom....mmmmm yummy! Crush is so damn sexy it's not even funny. And Captain Universe, AKA Titan reminds me of a action figure! Too "perfect".

I actually think Justice looks like the bad ass of the guys and has that campy feel to him with that fauxhawk. And when did the Rock join the show? Oh wait, that's Toa. (Annoying as all hell!)

Entertaining though! I kiss my PVR after watching this show. :D

This show continues to be so ridiculous that it's entertaining. I love that last night's episode featured a woman beating the eliminator times of every man in the competition.

This week we had Skinamax soft core porn actress Belinda Gavin, posing as a rodeo bullrider, doing battle for her trailer trash momma.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1310006/

Too funny...

I *thought* she looked familiar...but just chalked it up to a resemblance to former "Witchblade" star Yancy Butler.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000319/

That's what she said.

:p


Funny you say that about the hand bike. I was thinking the same thing when I watched it last week.

This reminds me of Running Man, but not as violent (duh!).

It's entertaining. Crush, Siren and Venom....mmmmm yummy! Crush is so damn sexy it's not even funny. And Captain Universe, AKA Titan reminds me of a action figure! Too "perfect".

I actually think Justice looks like the bad ass of the guys and has that campy feel to him with that fauxhawk. And when did the Rock join the show? Oh wait, that's Toa. (Annoying as all hell!)

Entertaining though! I kiss my PVR after watching this show. :D

Justice doing a jig was entertaining.

And when did the Rock join the show? Oh wait, that's Toa. (Annoying as all hell!)


Not a coincidence they look somewhat similar...

1) They are cousins

2) Toa was Rock's stunt doubt

This show continues to be so ridiculous that it's entertaining. I love that last night's episode featured a woman beating the eliminator times of every man in the competition.

Yes, AG is entertaining, provide you DVR it and allocate only about 20 minutes max for playback. Skip all Hulk and Ms. Ali segments, and obviously all commercials.

That lady who won the event last night was a very fine competitor! She did beat all the men's times, and looked ready to run it again at the end. She's got more endurance than any of them thus far. I also liked all of the guys that competed last night, because they did not display the punk-like attitudes of several previous contestants.

I didn't really care for the losing male's comments about a few things. How he still "looked for trouble" and he wasn't a "big fan of the law." Mighty fine example there for your students, Mr Algebra teacher. I'm glad he got punked in the end. :)

Titan is from the original AG! Good Lord plastic surgery works wonders!

Titan is from the original AG! Good Lord plastic surgery works wonders!

No... he's not...

Michael O'Hearn was an alternate during the final seasons (around '95) (his Gladiator name would have been Thor).... he never got on TV.

He was on Battle Dome (the AG knock-off) a few years later.

Plastic surgery? He's only 38

Holy crap!

I had no idea. So maybe drinking beer during AG IS a good thing! :)

Not a coincidence they look somewhat similar...

1) They are cousins

2) Toa was Rock's stunt doubt

No... he's not...

Michael O'Hearn was an alternate during the final seasons (around '95) (his Gladiator name would have been Thor).... he never got on TV.

He was on Battle Dome (the AG knock-off) a few years later.

Plastic surgery? He's only 38


Cool, thanks for the correction! Could've sworn he was one of the OG's! I mentioned plastic surgery because his face looks ridiculously tight lol

Looks like there is plexiglass under the fire thing in the eliminator, unless you can jump far enough to land on top of it you should be fine.

I enjoy this show, I have to DVR the whole thing so I can fast forward through all the boring interviews and chatter.

After watching a couple episodes, it's pretty funny how ridiculous the show is. Given a choice of not watching at all, or watching it DVR'ed, I'd probably take not at all. I could not imagine watching and not being able to FF past all the commercials.

Kinda sucks that it's more about the drama and less about the actual competition. The old version had what 6 events? This one only has 4, same length, one hour.

The ref looks kinda pudgy/out of shape.

The new eliminator is much better, much more demanding than the old one.

My favorite event always was assult, they've made it too complicated now with these fancy weapons, especially the 2nd one.

Then again, some things never change, like the gladiators playing dirty during powerball. They are always holding them down and slamming them again after they are down. Seemingly every episode in the old series, the match would stop and the gladiator would get taken out of the game for the rest of the time. Anyone remember Blaze? She ALWAYS went for the head and nearly every time got taken out by the ref.

Alas, it's good for an express viewing in 30 minutes after I FF through the commercials and scripted crap.

After watching a couple episodes, it's pretty funny how ridiculous the show is. Given a choice of not watching at all, or watching it DVR'ed, I'd probably take not at all. I could not imagine watching and not being able to FF past all the commercials.

Kinda sucks that it's more about the drama and less about the actual competition. The old version had what 6 events? This one only has 4, same length, one hour.

The ref looks kinda pudgy/out of shape.

The new eliminator is much better, much more demanding than the old one.

My favorite event always was assult, they've made it too complicated now with these fancy weapons, especially the 2nd one.

Then again, some things never change, like the gladiators playing dirty during powerball. They are always holding them down and slamming them again after they are down. Seemingly every episode in the old series, the match would stop and the gladiator would get taken out of the game for the rest of the time. Anyone remember Blaze? She ALWAYS went for the head and nearly every time got taken out by the ref.

Alas, it's good for an express viewing in 30 minutes after I FF through the commercials and scripted crap.

The ref is the guy from Dodgeball and is actually a former professional referee. I can't recall the details though.

was a big fan of AG and was afraid that this new version would a let down since I started watching Ninja warrior but it still holds up. Some of these newer gladiators may need a while to get better at their games. Too few of these gladiators impress. Titan works well in most games. Justice seems to be absolutley dominant in gauntlet. Crush(the deadly and very sexy Gina Carano) is easily the most talented female gladiator there. Unless she screws up she could be as dominant at joust as Nitro was back in the day. Helga is a joke though. I forgot wolf. Yes he howls like a jackass but the guy is a pro wrestler from texas he has no shame. Even so he does well in most of the games.
game wise most fo them work well. Assault is now a score a target hit or lose game. I found it annoying when some competitors wouldn't even aim when they competed on the old show. The rings have become too easy because of the lack of size in the arena. The whole stalking aspect is gone from the game. The bridge with the 100 lb balls game needs some more reworking. It's not an easy event but really the competitor are in no danger of being eliminated if they just crawl on their stomaches. The new eliminator is good but needs some work. there needs to be a penalty for the barrel roll. It's too easy to just fall right off and run ahead. if you fall of the hand bike a gladiator should be there to slow you down. and dropping the battle through a gladiator at the end was a mistake. but yeah it still keeps me tuning in.

The ref is the guy from Dodgeball and is actually a former professional referee. I can't recall the details though.

I believe he was a MLB Umpire...which explains the pudginess. :D

I thought the ref was supposed to be pudgy in order to serve as a nice contrast to the contestants/gladiators. :)

I didn't really care for the losing male's comments about a few things. How he still "looked for trouble" and he wasn't a "big fan of the law." Mighty fine example there for your students, Mr Algebra teacher. I'm glad he got punked in the end. :)

I agree. Did you see the look on his Mother's face in the audience after he said that? She looked like she wanted to back hand him.

I agree. Did you see the look on his Mother's face in the audience after he said that? She looked like she wanted to back hand him.

My wife saw it, but I missed it. I think my eyes were still rolling at that point.

The ref is the guy from Dodgeball and is actually a former professional referee. I can't recall the details though.

I believe he was also on the original show.

I was surprised to see the Gladiators get shot into the pool in the target shooting event.

I believe he was also on the original show.

I was surprised to see the Gladiators get shot into the pool in the target shooting event.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's shot after the event. seems like something too risky to be able to go off at any second.

The ref is the guy from Dodgeball and is actually a former professional referee. I can't recall the details though.Yes and yes.

http://www.americangladiatorsblog.com/biographies/al-kaplon-biography

I wouldn't be surprised if that's shot after the event. seems like something too risky to be able to go off at any second.

It's not immediate...

There was one replay - you could see the gal celebrating for a few seconds before Helga was shot backwards.

I think in Hellga's case, the producers were making sure that the cord didn't snap. ;)

That one guy from last night (forgot his name) sure has some endurance. 1:37 in the Eliminator? He'll be hard to beat.

Has anyone noticed, that when the contestants can't seem to make it up the treadmill at the end, how they slow it down? The two girls that couldn't make it up last night, it was practically stopped so at least one of them could complete the course.

Wolf is really annoying. Almost as annoying as the announcer during the events. He looks like Bucky Convington (from American Idol) on Steroids. He's going to hurt someone. On the Pyramid, with less than 5 seconds to go, the contestant was near the bottom step and Wolf dove down and took him out by the neck. The contender wasn't even trying anymore as time was running down. Next time Wolf tries one of his leaps from the top of the pyramid, someone just plant an elbow to his face. Couldn't make it look any worse!!

Why are the gladiators always dry, even after falling in the water? Wonder how much time passes between each run of the event.

Why are the gladiators always dry, even after falling in the water? Wonder how much time passes between each run of the event.


I think there is quite a bit of time actually. Not sure how much time between the ending of an event to the interview afterwards. Next time they show the family members of one of the contestants, look at their clothing. These events are broken up into days I believe. I've seen the family members with different clothing throughout the competition. I'm sure the Eliminator is on a day by itself and not after any other events.

Why are the gladiators always dry, even after falling in the water? Wonder how much time passes between each run of the event.

Yeah, that was annoying. The show looses its "reality" when they have these breaks in the action. The show is a little too produced for its own good. I like the idea of beating the time to get into the final 8.

I think that most people agree that, in concept, this updated version of AG is pretty good - it can be cheesy and corny, yet it still maintains the "fun" factor of its old-style predecessor. Changes they definitely need:

1) Cut down on the interviews - too much filler time for Hulk and Laila to fill in.
2) Don't go to commercial just before an event begins ("3...2...1... (cut to commercial)"). Too much like that nonsense they pull on "Deal or No Deal" where Howie makes this long spiel right after a case is selected, then cuts to a commercial. (Yeah, I know it's supposed to heighten the suspense - but please...it's too overdone).

That one guy from last night (forgot his name) sure has some endurance. 1:37 in the Eliminator? He'll be hard to beat.

Has anyone noticed, that when the contestants can't seem to make it up the treadmill at the end, how they slow it down? The two girls that couldn't make it up last night, it was practically stopped so at least one of them could complete the course.

Wolf is really annoying. Almost as annoying as the announcer during the events. He looks like Bucky Convington (from American Idol) on Steroids. He's going to hurt someone. On the Pyramid, with less than 5 seconds to go, the contestant was near the bottom step and Wolf dove down and took him out by the neck. The contender wasn't even trying anymore as time was running down. Next time Wolf tries one of his leaps from the top of the pyramid, someone just plant an elbow to his face. Couldn't make it look any worse!!

If you look closely you can see a staff member at the side of the treadmill holding a control panel, obviously to slow it down. The lawyer(blue) last night was gassed after the swim, and took a long time to get up the very first wall in the beginning. Not feeling well? She didn't do a good job living up to her macho jock football player attitude.

Wolf's character is so staged and dumb it's hillarious. Definate cheap shot at the end. While the contendor was giving him props in the interview, Wolf was just like yea i'm the best and you suck, awful sportsmanship. Many times you see the contestant/gladiators high five or show some kind of "hey good job/effort"

Yeah, that was annoying. The show looses its "reality" when they have these breaks in the action. The show is a little too produced for its own good. I like the idea of beating the time to get into the final 8.


Me too, also like the prize of becoming a gladiator. Having a smaller, faster gladiator should make things very interesting.

I think that most people agree that, in concept, this updated version of AG is pretty good - it can be cheesy and corny, yet it still maintains the "fun" factor of its old-style predecessor. Changes they definitely need:

1) Cut down on the interviews - too much filler time for Hulk and Laila to fill in.
2) Don't go to commercial just before an event begins ("3...2...1... (cut to commercial)"). Too much like that nonsense they pull on "Deal or No Deal" where Howie makes this long spiel right after a case is selected, then cuts to a commercial. (Yeah, I know it's supposed to heighten the suspense - but please...it's too overdone).


They need to have Hulk... doing Hulk stuff.

Agree on the suspense, no more!

Overall I enjoy it, although I now have suspicions about it being a bit ... scripted ever since the one contestant (bull rider... do they all need a hook?) was shown to be a soft-core porn actress.

Really enjoying this series. Hate some of the challenges but others I look forward to. It is cheesey, but fun and real in the sense that they are going to throw you, jump on you, and hit you as hard as they can. I don't like all the time Hogan and his co-host spend on the show talking. They could get another challenge in the time they spend chatting and showing contestant backgrounds.

Does anyone have an explanation for the Eliminator times changing in this episode (http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/tv-hdtv-programming/265391-american-gladiators-2008-a-3.html#post3311729)?

anyone remember "lace"? http://www.tmz.com/2008/01/25/gladiator-ready-to-kick-ass-outside-jail/

Wolf's character is so staged and dumb it's hillarious. Definate cheap shot at the end. While the contendor was giving him props in the interview, Wolf was just like yea i'm the best and you suck, awful sportsmanship. Many times you see the contestant/gladiators high five or show some kind of "hey good job/effort"

That's why I particularly enjoyed his getting TORCHED on the wall-climbing competition.

Right before that one he was standing right behind the contestant trying to be all big and bad and intimidating...just to proceed to the competition where he got whipped. Nice.

Another fast Eliminator contestant last night. Appears the smaller guys do better due to their quickness.

I really enjoy this show, but the interviews and the commentating is horrid. Thank goodness for the DVR. I fast forward and just watch the competitions.

I wish they'd get rid of the competition with the 100lb balls and the bridge (forgot the name). That's just boring. They need to be at least 200lbs for the men. They need to swing lower so they'll take you out for those who crawl under the balls.

Yeah, I agree that bridge thing is pretty much a worthless competition. It also favors the small and quick guys.

Wolf is a buffoon...after getting beaten at yet another event (the ring thing) he goes over to the platform and tries to intimidate the guy that just whipped him.

It was pretty comical watching that cheerleader last night try to scale that rope at the beginning of Eliminator. At least one good side benefit of all the forced trash talk is that it provides some good comedy when they fail so utterly. :D

Yeah, I agree that bridge thing is pretty much a worthless competition. It also favors the small and quick guys.

Wolf is a buffoon...after getting beaten at yet another event (the ring thing) he goes over to the platform and tries to intimidate the guy that just whipped him.

It was pretty comical watching that cheerleader last night try to scale that rope at the beginning of Eliminator. At least one good side benefit of all the forced trash talk is that it provides some good comedy when they fail so utterly. :D

Well the guy is a pro wrestler and likely has the most conifdence on camera hence why he gets so much airtime. oN the flipside he is one of the more exciting male gladiators in the events. I missed last nights ep but the rings are pretty crippled compared to the old event. There's no stalking just go as fast as you can.

Yeah, the hang tough is too small, with two swings they are both together ending it quicly, the only hope for the contestant is that the gladiator makes a mistake (or get injured like the first episode).

Powerball is also nerfed a bit, the baskets are way to big, it should be made smaller. Did you see last nights guy that didn't want to charge them and he only got one with a shot?. Although Powerball has claimed two victims already making the contestants leave the show because of injury.

I hope they change the eliminator rules on the final 8, at least the Barrel roll and Hand bike, if you fall you wait 5 seconds penalty or something. (must women wont get thru the hand bike). Also in the travellator if the participant steps on a non moving part of the threadmill he/she must go back to retry, I seen several use this technique to get up when falling.

And yeah OMG an "athlete" cheerleader couldn't get up a wall with a rope? I think it was easier to jump over it than try to climb it, LOL

Yeah, the hang tough is too small, with two swings they are both together ending it quicly, the only hope for the contestant is that the gladiator makes a mistake (or get injured like the first episode).

Powerball is also nerfed a bit, the baskets are way to big, it should be made smaller. Did you see last nights guy that didn't want to charge them and he only got one with a shot?. Although Powerball has claimed two victims already making the contestants leave the show because of injury.

I hope they change the eliminator rules on the final 8, at least the Barrel roll and Hand bike, if you fall you wait 5 seconds penalty or something. (must women wont get thru the hand bike). Also in the travellator if the participant steps on a non moving part of the threadmill he/she must go back to retry, I seen several use this technique to get up when falling.

And yeah OMG an "athlete" cheerleader couldn't get up a wall with a rope? I think it was easier to jump over it than try to climb it, LOL

Those are all good points.

Saw an ad for "The Unjust" on a local independent station and a double check on imdb confirmed "The Wolf" Hollywood Yates is on it.

So is the entire season being filmed at once? I find it hard to believe the eliminator winners keep coming back, so I'm assuming everyone is run in "heats" and the show has wrapped. Plus changing around that arena must take forever.

It is fun, but like most of you I skip the chatter and go to the competitions. I'd like to see a 225+ guy go for it, give some of those Gladiators a little of their own medicine. Would probalby lead to injuries and I doubt they would do well in the eliminator though.

I got the impression that all the contestants competed on the same day or in subsequent days.

I say that mostly because I see the "fans" and family members of past contestants in the audience during the later rounds when their friend is no longer competing. They do seem to move them around a bit so I'm guessing they let these audience members have the choice seats when their friends are featured.

Plus, it makes logistical sense to film it all in the same day or in subsequent days considering all the props and stages they have to set up. This jives with the idea that they rotate the Gladiators around from event to event so much. It wouldn't work to have the same Gladiator doing a strenuous event like, say, Powerball over and over while another gets to do the less exacting nerf-ball obstacle course one.

reminder: Tonight's episode of American Gladiators and next week's episode will be 90 minute episodes from 8pm-9:30pm ET. Two hour finale from 7pm-9pm ET on February 17 (according to Zap2It)

So is the entire season being filmed at once? I find it hard to believe the eliminator winners keep coming back, so I'm assuming everyone is run in "heats" and the show has wrapped. Plus changing around that arena must take forever.

It is fun, but like most of you I skip the chatter and go to the competitions. I'd like to see a 225+ guy go for it, give some of those Gladiators a little of their own medicine. Would probalby lead to injuries and I doubt they would do well in the eliminator though.

The smaller guys do great in these events. Most the "Gladiators" aren't athletes, they just work out. Some of them are, but not all. You get a small, fast guy, they burn the Gladiators. I'd like to see a big guy do the wrestling competition with the gladiators. Especially a big guy who used to wrestle in HS or College. So far, from what I've seen, the Gladiators just try to muscle and have no sort of technique. Get a big guy with technique, and you'll see one fo the gladiators thrown off that elevated disk.

Not only that, Tony, but they look like they've had no training or instruction on any of the events.

The women Glads in particular look completely lost during the Joust competition.

Not only that, Tony, but they look like they've had no training or instruction on any of the events.

The women Glads in particular look completely lost during the Joust competition.

I agree. It looks like it's the first time for the Gladiators and the Competitors when you see an event. Crush is a UFC MMA fighter. She's tough, but looks awkward on the joust. The rings are another one. If a competitor is quick enough to make one more move than the gladiator, they can get across.

What's the deal with the handbike? I don't see the point...it takes FOREVER to cross all the way over on that thing, and i'm sure it totally wastes your arm strength that you'll need to pull up on the travellator rope.

If it were me, I'd just jump right into the pit when I get to the handbike, not even give it a try. That'd be faster with the plus of not tiring out your arms. I haven't seen anybody do that on purpose yet.

I agree. It looks like it's the first time for the Gladiators and the Competitors when you see an event. Crush is a UFC MMA fighter. She's tough, but looks awkward on the joust. The rings are another one. If a competitor is quick enough to make one more move than the gladiator, they can get across.

Crush is exactly who I was thinking of. She looked the best of the women though...the others were just trying to slap at the contestants and not applying any leverage or anything...

What's the deal with the handbike? I don't see the point...it takes FOREVER to cross all the way over on that thing, and i'm sure it totally wastes your arm strength that you'll need to pull up on the travellator rope.

If it were me, I'd just jump right into the pit when I get to the handbike, not even give it a try. That'd be faster with the plus of not tiring out your arms. I haven't seen anybody do that on purpose yet.

I think that is the point, it saps their upper body strength so it makes the end harder. They don't want to make the eliminator easier, they want it to be a challenge and they want you to struggle at the end. Makes for better TV.

No, you missed my point. Why do it? Since there's no penalty for not doing it, why not just jump off into the pit (most are going to fall in anyway eventually) and then run and climb out? That would be much faster and not tire them out.
Why waste time trying to run the handbike when it is SLOWER than failing to run it, and tires you out when there's no penalty for skipping it?

Crush dominated the Joust event. When a gladiator's knee touches the platform, it's over, 10 pts. for the contender but Siene was practically sitting the whole time and still got five points. The ref told her to get up but she had no incentive to get off her knees, she was going to get her points whether she was on her knees or not. Glad she got a beating for it though.

And I think we've found our men's champion. Unless he falls in the eliminator somehow in the Finals, there's no way anyone will beat Evan. He's way too fast.

Good episode once you skip past the interviews and go straight to the events...

Crush dominated the Joust event.

Yeah, I don't know how anyone could think she looks awkward in joust. She repeatedly scores headshot combinations with the forehand and backhand. She puts on a show.

Crush dominated the Joust event. When a gladiator's knee touches the platform, it's over, 10 pts. for the contender but Siene was practically sitting the whole time and still got five points. The ref told her to get up but she had no incentive to get off her knees, she was going to get her points whether she was on her knees or not. Glad she got a beating for it though.

BOTH contestants went down on their knees or butts in Joust and didn't incur a penalty. When a Gladiator did that previously, they were disqualified.

And, I'm glad to start seeing some level of expertise from the Gladiators...Crush and Titan were dominant in the Joust event.

Wolf is downright comical. He talks so much junk and got his butt whipped 3 times (twice in hang tough and once in the wall climb).

I'm going to go ahead and say that Evan cannot be beaten unless he gets injured. Even if he goes into the Evanator behind by 20 points, with a 10 second lag, I don't see him losing.

Yeah, I don't know how anyone could think she looks awkward in joust. She repeatedly scores headshot combinations with the forehand and backhand. She puts on a show.

She just looks awkward before and after the events. All of the other gladiators throw out some poses or something, but Crush just stands there looking bored. I don't recall her ever speaking before, either. My wife and I both find it pretty humorous.

syren looks good on hang tough. real good.

She just looks awkward before and after the events. All of the other gladiators throw out some poses or something, but Crush just stands there looking bored. I don't recall her ever speaking before, either. My wife and I both find it pretty humorous.

She looks slightly embarassed to be there. As one of the, if not the, only actual athlete (she's a MMA fighter)...she might have pretty good reason to be.

I saw Crush on a show called "Fight Girls" where a "Master" Kickboxing teacher took a group of female fighters and trained them for some competition in Thailand against Thai fighters (ala The Contender). She was one of the Master's assistant coaches. Since this was a "reality" show you could see that her personality was pretty mellow as well. She definitely didn't ham it up for the show.

I find Crush particularly attractive, despite her rather non-traditional female physique (she has huge, muscular thighs). Venom and Siren are 2 other favorites.

Last nights show had some dominating play by one of the lady contestants. Overall this show is enertaining, just needs a change in the production of the show.

She just looks awkward before and after the events. All of the other gladiators throw out some poses or something, but Crush just stands there looking bored. I don't recall her ever speaking before, either. My wife and I both find it pretty humorous.

Oh, I see what you're saying now. Yeah, I agree she looks bored.

That girl that won on Monday night's show is downright dominant. She makes it all look easy and has a great personality and demeanor to boot (notice that she never does that stupid/fake "trash" talk). She's the only contestant (male or female) that I could actually see becoming one of the gladiators.

And, I loved loved loved seeing Wolf get whipped in the Joust competition. It's comical to see him get beaten so often considering he does the most "talk" of them all.

What happened to this thread? Only 1-2 new posts since the show aired? I could've sworn I saw more posts pop up in the past few days, but I wouldn't open the thread because I hadn't watched the episode yet.

yeah didn't comment because no one else did. I still think wolf perform better than most of the male gladiators in most events he did suck monday night though. Seeing any female gladiator in joust other than crush is sort of just dissappointing now. the hit that knocked siren off wouldn't have even fazed Gina.
It was disaappointing that andy failed he was pretty good overall in performance and had a better chance of defeating ryan in the final.

Agree on Andy...he would have the best chance against Evan, but let's face it...it'll be a huge upset for Evan to lose to anyone, he's just downright dominant in the Eliminator.

As for Wolf, I'd like to see someone post overall records for the Gladiators in each event (I'm not going to do it, this is just American Gladiators afterall...but I'm sure there is some fan out there truly geeked out over it)...cuz I'd be willing to bet that Wolf's record is one of the worst. Maybe I just notice it more because of all the trash talking he does.

Wolf is no "American Gladiator". He's not even big. Although, because he's not as big, he may be more athletic, which is why he may be more fun to watch. But, going by the mold of an American Gladiator, he just looks like a puny wannabe up there. Granted, I'm not that big by any stretch of the imagination, but in relative terms to the other Gladiators and the ones from the 90s.

I was looking at some weight lifting magazine the other day, and there is another Body Builder that is going to try out to be a gladiator for next season. I guess Evan may be one too...LOL!!!!!!! If so, on the rock climb, they'll need to give the contestant about a 20 second head start if Evan is chasing them.

I definitely think Wolf makes up for his lack of size with lots of talking and pageantry. The equivalent of "little man" syndrome for American Gladiators. :)

the hit that knocked siren off wouldn't have even fazed Gina.

I don't know. From what we saw on The Wall and the Eliminators, Monica is pretty damn strong and it was a solid shot to the head. Regardless, if Gina was up there, Monica wouldn't have gotten that shot off in the first place, so I have to agree in principle. :p

Okay...I get it now!!! I watched this show when it first aired with great disappointment. I felt like it was staged and the Gladiators were more hams than athletes. But now I understand that it's just not meant for me. I was watching with my 5 and 2 year olds and they laughed and loved it. So it makes more sense to me.

And what's up with Siren's "whoooo" everytime the judge/ref says "Gladiator ready?"? It's really annoying. And there is another one who is always throwing up some gang signs or something after the ref says that. That's annoying too.

And in response to the folks earlier who were talking about the gal, Crush. Yeah, she looks bored and embarrassed but she is by far the best female athlete out there. And I have a lot of respect for someone who can go out there and get after it without all talk and show.

The end.

I can't see any of these final four coming back to be a Gladiator. They are way too small and would look so out of place.

I'm hoping someone can help me out here. For the semi-finals, does anyone know if they did the traditional #1 vs #4 and #2 vs #3 matchups based on their previous Eliminator times? To me that would have made the most sense, but I can't find a pic of the final times of those who advanced.

I can't see any of these final four coming back to be a Gladiator. They are way too small and would look so out of place.

I'm hoping someone can help me out here. For the semi-finals, does anyone know if they did the traditional #1 vs #4 and #2 vs #3 matchups based on their previous Eliminator times? To me that would have made the most sense, but I can't find a pic of the final times of those who advanced.

I doubt they did it like that. Evan went up with the Fireman. If I remember correctly, the Fireman had a pretty good time. But, I have no data to back up my claim.

Okay...I get it now!!! I watched this show when it first aired with great disappointment. I felt like it was staged and the Gladiators were more hams than athletes. But now I understand that it's just not meant for me. I was watching with my 5 and 2 year olds and they laughed and loved it. So it makes more sense to me.

And what's up with Siren's "whoooo" everytime the judge/ref says "Gladiator ready?"? It's really annoying. And there is another one who is always throwing up some gang signs or something after the ref says that. That's annoying too.

And in response to the folks earlier who were talking about the gal, Crush. Yeah, she looks bored and embarrassed but she is by far the best female athlete out there. And I have a lot of respect for someone who can go out there and get after it without all talk and show.

The end.

My 5 year old loves it too, but for a different reason. She laughs at the silly theatrics of the show that I don't like. When I watch by myself, I fast forward through all the interviews and commentator remarks. I just watch the competitions. When I watch with my 5 year old, we watch all the interviews, etc because she loves the theatrics of it.

As someone else said, I can't see any of these folks coming back to be a Gladiator either. I think they are more atheletic than most the Gladiators, but defeats the purpose of the show. They could then call it American Athletes. Gladiators should be BIG, which the winners won't be. Maybe they'll shoot them full of HGH in the off season...LOL!!!!.

I can see Monica(?) becoming a Gladiator. She's not bodybuilder big, but she's strong and super fast and doesn't get intimidated.

Just call her something like Pixie.

Monica could easily be a Gladiator. She would just be a smaller one (like Venom) that would be deadly in events like the wall climb and possibly the ring event. I think she's tough enough for Powerball (certainly better than Hellga) and she's proven she's the Gladiators' equal in Joust.

I like the Pixie name too.

Monica could easily be a Gladiator. She would just be a smaller one (like Venom) that would be deadly in events like the wall climb and possibly the ring event. I think she's tough enough for Powerball (certainly better than Hellga) and she's proven she's the Gladiators' equal in Joust.

I like the Pixie name too.

she hasn't faced crush yet or if she did he was one of the ones who just crouched down and let there heads get beat on for a minute thirty.

she hasn't faced crush yet or if she did he was one of the ones who just crouched down and let there heads get beat on for a minute thirty.

Just because she couldn't beat Crush at Joust doesn't mean she wouldn't fit in as a Gladiator. She's beaten 2 other Glads already (Siren and Venom IIRC). I doubt any of the other Glads could beat Crush at that (or several other events) either.

Just because she couldn't beat Crush at Joust doesn't mean she wouldn't fit in as a Gladiator. She's beaten 2 other Glads already (Siren and Venom IIRC). I doubt any of the other Glads could beat Crush at that (or several other events) either.

good point, the fact that some of these gladiators suck at most events is pretty lame having a couple of formidable opponents in each event wouled make things more interesting.

good point, the fact that some of these gladiators suck at most events is pretty lame having a couple of formidable opponents in each event wouled make things more interesting.

Exactly. They've had trouble casting Hellga in anything because she's been so bad at each event in which she participated. She's been beaten badly at Powerball (too big and slow for that), Gauntlet (I don't recall her stopping anybody), the Nerf-Obstacle-Course thing (she was the first to be blasted into the water, IIRC)...and she doesn't dare attempt truly athletic events like the Rings and/or Joust. I'm quite certain she wouldn't be able to dangle from the rings for any decent amount of time, which is a pretty difficult physical feat...

I can see Monica(?) becoming a Gladiator. She's not bodybuilder big, but she's strong and super fast and doesn't get intimidated.

Just call her something like Pixie.


Sorry guys, I was refering to the Men only. The Woman Gladiators now are nothing like they were years ago. Most the girls this season are just "Toned" and not muscle bound. I can see any of the winning ladies being a Gladiator. They just need to work out a little and tone up. For men, they'd have to Steroid Up, which I would hope doesn't happen.

she hasn't faced crush yet or if she did he was one of the ones who just crouched down and let there heads get beat on for a minute thirty.

Gina (Crush) used to beat up guys when she was in high school, so I wouldn't expect many women to be her equal. :)

Sorry guys, I was refering to the Men only. The Woman Gladiators now are nothing like they were years ago. Most the girls this season are just "Toned" and not muscle bound. I can see any of the winning ladies being a Gladiator. They just need to work out a little and tone up. For men, they'd have to Steroid Up, which I would hope doesn't happen.

I agree with that no doubt.

The thing is, the competitions are really geared more towards light/agile guys anyway. The gladiators are just bulked-up so that they look more impressive.

I will admit though to being pretty impressed with Justice in that ring event this week. For such a HUGE guy (6'8" 300lbs), he was able to manuever around on those rings pretty well.

I can't see any of these final four coming back to be a Gladiator. They are way too small and would look so out of place.

I'm hoping someone can help me out here. For the semi-finals, does anyone know if they did the traditional #1 vs #4 and #2 vs #3 matchups based on their previous Eliminator times? To me that would have made the most sense, but I can't find a pic of the final times of those who advanced.

I doubt they did it like that. Evan went up with the Fireman. If I remember correctly, the Fireman had a pretty good time. But, I have no data to back up my claim.


When in doubt, I need to remember to check Wikipedia.

Eliminator times and rankings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gladiators_(2008_TV_series)#Tournament)

Looks like it was #1 vs #4 and #2 vs #3. Always like to see that #1 and #2 advance to the finals.

http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=1451

Crush(gina carano) was a guest on inside MMA this week. It's a MMA dedicated sports show that's on HDnet every week they have a panel of 3 MMS figures who give commentary on this weeks news. ANyways Gina talks a bit about AG and confirmed taht she's likely coming back to shoot season 2 of AG in march and april. She also talks a bit more about her MMA career and representing female MMA. The first ten minutes is spent talking about randy couture(also a panel member) and his wife and a lawsuit woth teh UFC. SO if your not into MMA I recommend skipping teh first 10 minutes. Excuse Kenny rice for being god awful he just can't help it.

wow, nothing for the AG finale? Some competition. I was infuriated when the blue female contestant eeked out 5 points off of crush by sitting on her ass. Yes she got her clocked cleaned but I mean come on a Gladtiator would be DQ'd for doing something like that. Anyways won't state who won in case someone viewing this missed it. but decent finale. Hopefully teh show gets retooled a bit for it's next seasopn which shoots in march and april accoridng to crush(gina carano).

wow, nothing for the AG finale? Some competition. I was infuriated when the blue female contestant eeked out 5 points off of crush by sitting on her ass. Yes she got her clocked cleaned but I mean come on a Gladtiator would be DQ'd for doing something like that. Anyways won't state who won in case someone viewing this missed it. but decent finale. Hopefully teh show gets retooled a bit for it's next seasopn which shoots in march and april accoridng to crush(gina carano).

The show aired, so nothing we say is a spoiler.

Wasn't a surprise that Evan dominated. Although a small guy, he's in great shape and a spectacular athlete. Funny though how easy it was for Titan to knock him off during the joust. Everytime Evan has ran the Eliminator, he's beaten his old record. 1:19 I think was his time. Unbelievable.

I agree with you regarding Shanay. She should have been disqualified by sitting on her butt. Crush even stopped so she could stand up, but she wouldn't. She did the same thing the last time she performed on the joust. I thought she was going to come back and give Mojo a run for her money once they hit the rope climb, but then she lost steam. She was a great competitor too during the competitions, but Mojo kicked butt.

Can't wait to see what Evan looks like next season. Hulk told him he would be working out with him in the gym.

so yeah, I found ironic that wolf got ring grip tape for this episode and managed to still slip off. It was evident to me that both female contestants decided to just skip the handbike. Mey friends and I ave said all season that with out a decent penalty people are just going to feign an attempt then drop and climb up the truss. Despite that Evan and monica did great and deserve the money and car. If they do come back as gladiators. I'd expect them to be specialists like mayhem or militia(helga can't really be called a specialist). You know shooters on assualt or both could be ringers on the wall. I didn't realize Alex was a wrestling coach. Too bad the earthquake event was all but abandoned half way through the season. Once again shanay didn't deserve the 5 points, monica at least stood and banged and actually did very well for going toe to toe with gina.

The show makes me laugh. I must say, I find it distrubing at how serious some of you take this show. It's American Gladiators for crying out loud. What exactly do you expect? We nn more Wolf howls!

so yeah, I found ironic that wolf got ring grip tape for this episode and managed to still slip off. It was evident to me that both female contestants decided to just skip the handbike. Mey friends and I ave said all season that with out a decent penalty people are just going to feign an attempt then drop and climb up the truss. Despite that Evan and monica did great and deserve the money and car. If they do come back as gladiators. I'd expect them to be specialists like mayhem or militia(helga can't really be called a specialist). You know shooters on assualt or both could be ringers on the wall. I didn't realize Alex was a wrestling coach. Too bad the earthquake event was all but abandoned half way through the season. Once again shanay didn't deserve the 5 points, monica at least stood and banged and actually did very well for going toe to toe with gina.

Evan as the rock climber is what I thought at first, but now that I think about it, it wouldn't be fair for whichever contestant had to go against him. Would give an immediate advantage to the other contestant. Even if you could find someone out there that could climb the rock faster than Evan, I don't think anyone would be fast enough so that Evan couldn't grab their foot or leg. I'm looking forward to Season 2. I've loved the competition this season, but skip over the interviews and the announcer's crazy remarks "Oooooo....looks like that chiropractor just got a back adjustment for free".

For season two, they need to remove the hand bike, or enforce a penalty for falling off. I think they should allow the woman to just jump onto the mat, then have a rope or something for them to climb up the other side and make that the lady's portion of the event. The contestants this year just don't have the upper body strength for the handbike and I'd be willing to bet that few if any women would have the strength especially after climbing the wall, swimming, then climbing that rope ladder.

Amazing performance by Evan, hands down the best contestant, and again on the women, if they can't do the hand bike, don't even try it and drop directly to the mat. I also agree on a penalty here (5 or 10 secs).

after watching the entire season with 3 of my 4 kids (ages 15, 10 & 6 with the two youngest being girls), we along with the wife enjoyed the season for the most part, for different reasons.

The two younger girls REALLY enjoyed the womens events. They're favorite gladiator was Crush followed by Fury. Interesting that they liked the no-nonsesne personalities. They also laughed alot at Wolf.... then again, so did me and the wife. Lastly, they couldnt believe that a man as big as Justice could swing around on the rings like he could/did (I too thought that was the hardest thing done by anyone on the show this season).

My son thought that Titan was a monster..... and he really liked the attitudes of Toa and Justice. He too would chuckle at Wolf.... :D

The debate raged at the end regarding the two winners becoming Gladiators..... I can see the lady champ making the jump, but Evan is just too small to do so IMO. But if anyone can get someone bulked up in a rapid manner, it'll be the Hulkster. :eek:

We're looking forward to next season..... the girls moreso than anyone else. I guess it's seeing women in a comeptative environment like this that's gotten their attention. I would have never thought that they'd have taken to the show like they have.

Required changes for next year-

* Penalties for falling off of anything in the eliminator
* Removal of the barrel roll thingy.... what is that all about?
* Maybe turn the points difference into full seconds instead of half seconds on the Eliminator? It seemed to be almost a non-factor more times than not. This would make the actual competition mean more.

The show makes me laugh. I must say, I find it distrubing at how serious some of you take this show. It's American Gladiators for crying out loud. What exactly do you expect? We nn more Wolf howls!

Despite the cheeze the old show was still pretty much a sporting event. Events were handled well and every event had logical rules. The new show is just a bit uneven and when it comes to gina carano of course I take it seriously. She's one of the best female fighters in the world and she gets little respect from the producers.

The show makes me laugh. I must say, I find it distrubing at how serious some of you take this show. It's American Gladiators for crying out loud. What exactly do you expect? We nn more Wolf howls!


If you visit other HD Programming threads, you could say the same thing. It's not that we take it seriously, we are just talking about our likes and dislikes. I'd assume you have those as well, or you wouldn't have joined AVS and read this thread. Do I lose sleep over any of this? No. Do I think there could be some changes to improve the show, yes I do. Do I enjoy the show, and like sharing with forum friends on a given episode, yes I do.

Not sure if you follow any of the other HD Programming threads, but the writers of LOST do read those threads. Many of the folks on the Jericho thread were responsible for getting that show to come back on. So, this thread is what it is, take it how you will.

Too bad the earthquake event was all but abandoned half way through the season.

I agree. I think they should have tried anything but the Wall with Evan in the finale. They must have had technical difficulties.

Despite the cheeze the old show was still pretty much a sporting event. Events were handled well and every event had logical rules. The new show is just a bit uneven and when it comes to gina carano of course I take it seriously. She's one of the best female fighters in the world and she gets little respect from the producers.

I think this is the biggest problem with the female Gladiators. Besides Gina the rest do not seem very athletic or at least not in the way where they presumably dominate a contestant. The pyramid competition was a perfect example. Gina was toying with her contestant while the other girl looked like she was barely holding on.

Really glad Evan won. That guy has some serious upper body strength. Interesting to see how he does as a gladiator.

Really glad Evan won. That guy has some serious upper body strength. Interesting to see how he does as a gladiator.

He will rule the wall and hang tough, unfair disadvantage for the contestant that goes agains him unless he's a better rock climber...

Crush also dominates in the Joust because she is used to getting hit. Wheareas the other female gladiators are not used to getting their bells rung.