01x07 - Semi-Final 1

[bunniefuu]

[rock music playing]

It's time for the semifinals
of American Gladiators.

Let's go!

[Chris] The preliminary rounds
saw the intensive,

high-octane excitement...

[crowd exclaims]

...and show-stopping pageantry that made
American Gladiators a household name.

American Gladiators made me want
to really be athletic.

What?!

-[roars]

[Chris] Twenty-four contenders
entered the arena

in the quest for $100,000...

-[whooping]
-...and American Gladiator glory.

[contender] Dad, I'm doing this for you.

It's a boyhood dream, man.

[Chris] Each contender fueled
by a different fire within.

-[yelling]
-I'm here to seek generational revenge.

[Chris] Many rose to the occasion...

I do this for my 18-year-old self.

[Chris] ...overcoming the odds stacked
against them...

Yeah!

[Chris] ...while others met
the excruciating agony of defeat.

You are disqualified.

[Chris] Twelve contenders remain.

One round away for a spot in the finale.

The stakes have never been higher.

What'd you expect?

[Chris] The Gladiators never more amped.

-[Rocsi] Oh, oh, oh!
-Save it for the next event.

Welcome to the semifinals.

♪I'm the one, remember my name♪

[cheering]

It is time to lose your mind
for our master of ceremonies.

The Miz!

[rock music playing]

[crowd cheering, whooping]

[roars]

[The Miz] Gladiator Nation!

It's the first of three semifinals,

where four of our
most battle-tested contenders

will continue on their journey
for a shot at $100,000.

-[Eagle] Semifinals, right?
-[Steel] Yep.

Who do you have your money on?

-[Eagle and Steel] Us.
-[laughs]

-[Steel] 100%.
-Good answer.

Good answer.

They've trained for a couple months.
We've trained our entire lives.

We were built for this.

[Steel] Exactly.

[The Miz] Our other semifinals are with us
to root on tonight's contestants.

And as always,
I've got my dream team with me,

holding it down on the sidelines.

The guru of gladiating,
my co-host, Rocsi Diaz.

What's on deck tonight?

It's gonna be
an absolutely epic semifinal tonight.

We've got a semifinal streak.

The hardest,
most intense version of The Wall.

Next, contenders will face Joust.

But first, we're kicking things off
on The Edge.

.Contenders have 60 seconds
to race across beams,


with Gladiators chasing them.

Each clean crossing earns two points,

and if you get to ten points,
the chase stops.

But one slip-up, and they're down.

[cheering]

Now, let's pop over to Chris Rose

for a look back
at how our semifinalists got here.

Rosie?

[Chris] All right, thanks, Rocsi.

Let's meet our first two semifinalists.

In the men's heat, Tavares Chambliss.

A Chicago gym owner
who's on a mission

to keep his years-long dream of competing
on the American Gladiator stage alive.

In his preliminary, he struggled, fought,
and ultimately persevered.

[The Miz] The contender has done it!

[Chris] Setting himself up
for another chance at Gladiator glory.

He's up against 32-year-old
LA attorney Evan Barr,

who's still haunted
by the high school outburst

that cost his pole vault team
a state title.

In the prelims,
he kept his cool, stayed upright,

and finally turned
that temper into toughness.

Evan nails it again!
He's got a 4-2 lead.

He's hoping to carry that momentum
into tonight's showdown.

No pole vaulting here,

but plenty of ways for him
to clear the bar.

[Evan] I like competing
for competition's sake.

You know, win or lose.

Once I graduated from college,
I didn't have that anymore.

I interpreted all of that to say, like,
I'm done with fitness.

I'm done with athleticism.

I had my time in the sun.

I just didn't shine
as brightly as I wanted to.

But competing against the Gladiators,

it's almost like I found
a part of myself again.

In The Ring,
the physical demands of that game,

I really hadn't experienced
in a really long time.

[Chris] Evan nails it again!

He's got a four-point lead.

It really feels
like a weight's been lifted,

so whatever comes my way,
you know, I'm ready for it.

[crowd cheering]

[The Miz] Evan's up first,
hoping to score ten points,

but there's a Gladiator hot on his trail.

This Gladiator's so charming,
his poker face is just his smile.

The Gen Z alpha himself, it's Ace!

[Rocsi] In the prelims, Ace gave up
four points to Evan in The Ring,

and now he's back
for another epic duel.

This time, just 30 feet up.

[The Miz] Let's go to the head referee,
Thomas Taylor,

alongside Robin DeLorenzo and Mike Sydara.

With the call, Thomas.

-[fanfare playing]
-Contender, ready!

[Chris] Evan is making his debut
on The Edge,

but he has gone one-on-one against Ace.

[cheering]

Gladiator, ready!

[Chris] Second shot at The Edge for Ace.

He gave up four points
in the prelims to Jaquez Jones.

-[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!
-[whistle blowing]

[Chris] Evan's continued redemption tour
starts by jumping right up the middle.

Little misstep. Is he gonna get two?

He does!

He's on the board.

And again!

He's got Ace moving back and forth.
He got Ace to turn his back.

That is a disastrous move
by the Gladiator.

In the first 15 seconds,
Evan already has six points,

and he gets past Ace again.

Can he make it a perfect ten?

[crowd] Oh!

[Chris] He can't, as Ace jumps him off!

Ace still feeling good about himself,

even though he gave up
eight out of a possible ten points.

I don't want to explain
the math for that guy.

Evan, you are on the board.

Eight points.

How high are the stakes right now
in the semifinals?

I mean, the stakes are always high,

but I can't let the stakes get to me.

I have to take it game by game,
competitor by competitor,

but I love going up against Ace.

Hits hard, and that's all I ask for.

Don't go easy on me.

Ace, that was a great tackle.

It must be really motivating
for the next game

when you get a tackle like that.

Absolutely.

I'm just trying to motivate
all my Gladiators out there,

all my contenders.

Ace just wanted to show you
what he's made out of.

[cheering]

I see, Ace has a love squad
up there too.

Shout out to my little spades out there.

I love you, guys.

-Hell yeah. I love you, guys.
-[whooping]

Give it up for Evan and Ace!
I can't take it anymore!

[crowd] Ace! Ace! Ace!

[rock music playing]

Now, stepping on to The Edge,
it's Tavares.

[cheering]

And patrolling the air...

It's Eagle!

[whooping]

[Rocsi] Eagle is the embodiment
of American might.

He single-handedly shut down

three contenders
in the preliminary rounds.

Now he's ready to do it again.

[whooping, cheering]

[Chris] The Eagle, the strong,
silent type, is ready to fly.

[whooping]

Contender, ready!

[Chris] Tavares Chambliss, 5'5", 168.

Hoping his quickness pays off.

Gladiator, ready!

[Chris] It's not the Eagle eye
that scares me...

[chuckling] It's the 250 pounds.

-[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!
-[whistle blowing]

[Chris] Sixty seconds for Tavares
to get up to ten points.

Uh-oh, Eagle cut the distance.

He just misses Tavares,
who gets his first two.

Looking to close the gap.

Oh, Tavares falls!

[crowd cheering]

[Chris] Still gets two more
as gets back up.

Oh, no, Eagle broke him down.

-[crowd] Oh!
-[whistle blowing]

[Chris] And that is it.

[Eagle] Are you okay?

Okay, he's good.

[Chris] Tavares made some nifty moves
on his way to four points.

But Eagle and his superhuman wingspan
sent Tavares flying.

[The Miz] Tavares!

Getting trailed by an Eagle.
What's that like?

It was crazy.
I didn't know that big dude was that fast.

He was quick, no doubt about that.

But at the end of the day,
I'm king of the sky.

Give it up for Tavares and Eagle!

[Chris] After The Edge,
Evan leads Tavares 8-4.

As for now,
that would be a two-second head start

for Evan going into The Eliminator.

Now it's the women's turn.

Two underdogs must now face off
against one another.

Janelle Shaffer wowed the crowd
and herself

with a stunning comeback win
in The Eliminator.

That was really, really hard to do.

[Chris] Will she surprise herself
again today?

Also looking to advance to the finals,
Dr. Ayonna Procter.

In college, Procter listened
to her mom and set aside sports

to pursue her career
as a physical therapist.

But she's back in the arena,
charging down the road not taken.

[crowd cheering]

[The Miz] Ayonna is up on The Edge first.

Hoping to add ten points to her total.

But looking to add
another takedown to hers,

the same Gladiator who tore through Ayonna
on Whiplash back in the prelims.

She's not just the eye of the storm,
she's the whole darn thing.

Hurricane!

[Rocsi] This is Ayonna's second time
getting caught in the Gladiator's storm.

Hurricane only gave up two points total
on The Edge during the prelims,

and now she's back
to dash the doctor's hopes again.

Here we go. My game.

Thomas, let's get this thing going.

-[fanfare playing]
-Contender, ready!

[Chris] Ayonna looking
for a little redemption.

-Gladiator, ready!
-[crowd whooping]

[Chris] Hurricane looking
to push those redemption dreams

right off The Edge.

[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

-[whistle blowing]
-[Chris] Dr. Procter.

Do you have a date
with two points? Oh, wow.

A lot of strategy.

Gotta get moving at some point.
Clock's ticking.

Ayonna moving.

Hurricane moving right with her.

Mirroring every move.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Chris] Oh, she's got an opening
to the right.

-And go!
-[whistle blowing]

[crowd] Oh!

[Chris] No points for Dr. Procter.

Ayonna held on to that stare down

as if she could fake out the Gladiator.

Hurricane ain't playing that game.

See you, Dr. Procter.

[The Miz] Ayonna!

So you wait a little bit.
Why were you waiting?

Well, it was less about
the strategy of taking my time

and more of the fear

of falling through
those little diamonds up there, so, yeah.

I guess I couldn't get my head
in the game because I was afraid.

Are you scared of heights?

Yes.

Absolutely yes.

-Yup.
-[crowd laughing]

[Rocsi] All right, Hurricane.

Last time you were up there
on The Edge,

we see you had a little hang time,
but this time it looked like,

oh, you wanted
to knock somebody right off.

I've seen my fellow Gladiators
all going off The Edge

with cool tackles and stuff.

[Gladiator grunting]

[grunting]

[crowd] Oh!

So it was my time.

[Rocsi] It was a lot of fun to watch you.

Give it up for Ayonna and Hurricane!

[cheering, whooping]

[The Miz] Janelle is up on The Edge next.

Our scrappy administrative assistant

who showed some serious fire
in the prelims.

Going into The Eliminator as an underdog,

I just impressed myself.

[Chris] Janelle, she got away!

All of a sudden it's like, dang!

[chuckling] Did I really just do that?

Growing up,
I've always been underestimated

because I'm the baby of the family.

I'm the youngest of seven.

They all start with the letter J.

Jeremy, Josh, Joe, Jeff, Javon, Jaz,
and Janelle.

But the Gladiators shouldn't cross me
because I'm ready for all the chaos.

I am only 5'4",
so compared to the Gladiators,

I'm a little person. Uh...

But I do feel like I can maneuver
around them pretty quickly.

I can think on my feet.

And I am thinking on my e-mail signature,

"Janelle Shafer,
winner, American Gladiators."

[crowd cheering]

[The Miz] Janelle is up on The Edge next.

Stepping into her office,

it's the Gladiator
with a New York state of pride.

It's Empire!

[Rocsi] Empire has been a solid force
in team events this season,

and now she's on The Edge
for her first head-to-head battle.

She's a take-no-crap,
New Yorker-turned-arena assassin.

[fanfare playing]

Contender, ready!

Gladiator, ready!

[Chris] Season debut for Empire
on The Edge.

[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

[whistle blowing]

[Chris] Janelle taking it methodically.

Empire trying to get her hands on her,
but Janelle is gonna get two points.

Trying to fake, fake left, go right.

Got to get going forward.
Uh-oh. Uh-oh!

She got her hands on her, and that's it.

-[whistle blowing]
-[Chris] And she is done

in less than 20 seconds.

[cheering]

Janelle, Empire, Janelle.

-[Rocsi chuckles]
-[The Miz] Oh, man.

Empire, how are you with the two points?

You know what? I'm gonna give it to her,
because she was a nice person.

You know, I almost felt bad attacking her,
because she's so sweet,

but again, baby...

-Thank you.
-...it was a five-borough beatdown.

All right, you show up, show out,
and shut it down.

Your co-workers are watching at home.

I know, and I want to let them know
that time cards are due on Friday.

-[Rocsi] Oh!
-[The Miz] That's right.

Two points for Janelle.

Everybody give it up for her
and give it up for Empire.

[Chris] After one event,
Janelle takes the early lead,

two-zip over Ayonna.

That would only be a one-second cushion
in The Eliminator,

and this match is still far from over.

[cheering]

No slowing down.

What's on deck, Rocsi?

[Rocsi] A hard climb up.

Just got harder
on The Wall... Leveled up.

Contenders have 60 seconds to scale
their way to freedom.

But for the first time ever,
they only get a five-second head start

before the Gladiators are unleashed.

First place scores ten points,

second place gets five,
and if you get caught,

down to zero you go.

[Chris] First up on The Wall,
it's Evan and Tavares.

While Tavares lives his dream competing
at American Gladiators,

there's someone else in the crowd
who's been cheering him on

from the very start.

[Tavares] Winning in front of my mom...

there's no one else in the world

that I would want to be there
for my success.

Yeah, there's no one like my mom.

-This is my mother.
-Hi!

[Tavares] My mom's a warrior.

I've seen her raise five kids of her own
and then adopting my cousins.

She had every reason to freak out
and just let go

and act like the world is over,
and she didn't.

And so I think I always, like,
idolized her strength,

and that made me stronger.

Like, I'm for sure
one of the undersized contenders here,

and for me to be able to really show
the world, like, "Yo, you can do it.

You can get here no matter
how old you are,

it don't matter how small
you think you are.

I didn't quit, I didn't give up,
and look at me now,

I'm on to the semifinals."

[Chris] We're underway!

[Tavares] If I win, I'm gonna give back
to my mom

and take care of her
like she's taken care of me

and so many others.

[cheering]

Then we'll celebrate.

Go Tavares!

Evan and Tavares are ready to climb,
but so are the Gladiators.

Fang!

And The Bull!

[Rocsi] The fear is here.

Fang made his Gladiators debut
walking down The Wall,

so he has no problem ripping
this contender off his territory.

At 285 pounds,
Bull is a one-man wrecking ball.

This is his first time on The Wall,
and he's taking his stampede straight up.

[whooping]

Let me out of The Bull's pen.

Gonna trample this wall.

[Chris] Bull talking smack to Tavares,

-trying to get inside of his head.
-[The Bull whooping]

[laughing]

-[Eagle] Bro. Come on, Bull.
-[Neon] I mean, his energy, man.

He's just, like, ready to go.

Release The Bull!

The electricity is flowing through me!
I can't wait!

I smell fear.

-[fanfare playing]
-Contenders, ready!

[Chris] In the prelims,
contenders had a six-second head start.

In the semis, it'll only be five.

Gladiators, ready!

Yeah!

I'm ready.

-[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!
-[whistle blowing]

[Chris] A head start
before they let the Gladiators loose.

Ooh, Tavares almost flipped
right out of the gate.

-[whistle blowing]
-Mom, Dad, what's for breakfast?

Bull right up Tavares' heels.

Oh, he's got his left leg.

And there goes Tavares, courtesy of Bull.

He's a goner.

Evan can feel Fang.

-And there goes Evan.
-[whistle blowing]

[Chris] Gladiators reign supreme
on The Wall.

[whooping]

[Chris] Getting it done
in less than 20 seconds.

[The Bull] I love you!

-I love you!
-All right, all right.

That was a cakewalk.

I could smell the fear
before it even started.

Mind-muscle connection,
slow and controlled.

It's the little train,
the little engine that could.

Choo-choo-choo!

[cheering]

I'll add nothing.

One more time, Evan, Tavares,
The Bull and Fang.

[laughing]

[Chris] After two events
and zero additional points,

the men's heat stays the same.

Evan leads Tavares 8-4.

That equals a teeny tiny
two-second head start in The Eliminator.

[crowd cheering]

[Ayonna] Let's go. Let's go.

[The Miz] Moving over
to the female semifinalists,

Janelle and Ayonna look amped
for The Wall.

I feel good.

I feel ready.

[Chris] Ayonna may have left

her college basketball
playing days behind,

but her competitive side
will never go away.

As a competitor, that push, that drive,

that motor that's inside of me,
it never dies.

And then I found pickleball.

[pop rock music playing]

It's the first thing since retiring
from college basketball

that has really piqued my interest.

What I love most about pickleball
is the competition.

[grunting]

There's some people out there
that take it very seriously.

Louise.

[chuckles]

The reaction, the lateral quickness
from pickleball translate to the arena.

[Chris] Ayonna jukes around Crush
for an easy two.

So I'm representing
for all the pickleball players out there.

[giggles]

[cheering]

Chasing after Janelle,

she's not here just to flex,

she's here to flat.

It's Crush!

[Rocsi] There's nowhere to hide
when she's around.



Once you're in her sights,
you're on borrowed time.

[The Miz]
And exploding after Ayonna,

our newest Gladiator,
the cosmic callous herself,

it's Supernova!

[Rocsi] Wow, I mean, look at her legs.

She is impressive.

Supernova doesn't follow
the laws of physics,

she destroys them.

[crowd cheering]

Huh.

This is crazy.

We're in a video game.
What are we doing here?

[Janelle giggles]

Thomas, it's countdown time.

Contenders, ready!

[fanfare playing]

Gladiators, ready!

[Chris] Supernova following Dr. Procter.

Let's go.

[Chris] Crush, a perfect 2-0
in the prelims on The Wall.

She'll be going after Janelle.

[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

[whistle blowing]

[Chris] This is the case where you say,
"You're driving me up a wall."

That's actually a good thing
for the competitors.

-Oh, no, Janelle fell on her own.
-[Crush] Are you okay?

[Chris] Dr. Procter, though,
nice little bit of a lead.

Supernova grabbed her right foot.

Ayonna with a huge jump.

My goodness!

Now she's just out of Supernova's grasp.

She can feel it.

She can smell the ten points.

[crowd cheering, whooping]

And back to Ayonna Procter.

Reaches the top.

Gets ten points.

[Janelle] Man, I thought I had that one!

[speaking indistinctly]

Ayonna!

How tough was that wall?

Especially with a Gladiator
like Supernova trailing you.

The adrenaline was pumping so much

that I don't think
I comprehended how tough it was.

I was just, "Get away from her,
don't let her catch me."

I did my best.

Tell me about that huge leap.

Because there was a moment
where she kind of had you,

and then you just leaped up.

[Ayonna] I felt something on my foot,
so I just tried

to make it more challenging for her
to get a hold of it.

-Thirty-three seconds up The Wall.
-Really? Wow!

That is an incredible time.

[Ayonna] Yeah!

[Chris] After The Wall, Ayonna's up 10-2.

That's good for a four-second lead
in The Eliminator.

But with one more event in play
before we get there,

this is anyone's game.

Are you fired up for our next game?

[whooping]

This next event could be
a make-or-break moment

in the fight for a spot in the finals.

[Rocsi] It's Joust.

A brutal game of balance and bashing.

Armed with pugil sticks,
contenders and Gladiators go hit for a hit

on eight-foot podiums.

If contenders can stay up for 30 seconds,
they earn five points.

Knocking the Gladiator off gets them ten.

Evan's redemption tour continues,

but he's about to face
a high flyer ready to ground him.

It's Eagle!

[rock music playing]

[crowd cheering]

[The Miz] In his second event tonight,

he's back to remind everyone
the skies belong to him.

[cheering]

[roars]

-[fanfare playing]
-Contender, ready!

[Chris] This is Evan's first time
on the Joust.

Gladiator, ready!

[Chris] You know, Eagle looks like
Paul Bunyan with a giant axe.

Paul had a big blue ox,
but all Eagle has is that icy stare.

[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

[whistle blowing]

[Chris] The Joust is underway, and wow!

[whistle blowing]

What the heck just happened?

One shot by Eagle, and Evan is toast!

[The Miz] Evan!

[Rocsi] What happened?

[Chris] We're just flying
through games tonight.

Don't blink
or you're going to miss the replay.

And Evan Barr,
a big bagel in the points column.

[The Miz] Come on over here, Evan.
Oh, boy.

[Evan] I barely even heard the whistle
before he clipped my wings yet again.

I was looking forward to that rematch,
but, you know, Eagle stands tall today.

Give me another shot at him,
third time's the charm,

I'll take him down next time.

Wait a second,
you want to see Eagle again

in some more events?

-Absolutely, why not?
-Any day.

You tell me, I'll be there.

Eagle, what does a contender have to bring
to knock you off your nest?

Maybe one swing.

-One swing. Maybe.
-Maybe.

-That would have been a good start.
-[Rocsi chuckles]

Everybody give it up for Evan and Eagle!

You're sweating because of your helmet.

That's the only reason.

[Chris] Our next contender
is Tavares Chambliss.

This is Tavares' second attempt at Joust.

His first time up in the prelims,

he was on the attack against Neon,
but fell after he lost his balance.

I asked what he learned.

He said, "Stay on the podium."

Thanks, Tavares.

Tavares is hyped up on the Joust podium,

but let's see how long that lasts.

It's Mayhem!

[rock music playing]

[Rocsi] Mayhem is a master strategist,

breaking down every move
his opponents make.

This is his Joust debut,
but he's never tasted defeat

one-on-one in the arena.

Mayhem, things already in motion
with that fancy handling

of the pugil stick.

Contender, ready!

[fanfare playing]

Gladiator, ready!

Oh, yeah!

-[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!
-[whistle blowing]

[Chris] Let's see if Tavares
can last longer than Evan.

He's got those short, choppy feet.

Hang in there, Tavares.

Taking shot after shot.

-Wow!
-[crowd] Oh!

[Chris] Regains his balance.

Oh, misstep!

-He is a goner.
-[air horn blows]

-[crowd roaring]
-[speaks indistinctly]

...with zero points.

[upbeat music playing]

[The Miz] Come on over here, Tavares.

[crowd laughing, whooping]

[Rocsi] Okay, Mayhem,
what was your strategy up there?

I didn't want him to use
my momentum against me

when I took the first swing.

Tavares, you are a tank.

You took some of those blows,
and you gave me some back,

and you made it hard for me,
so keep your head up, man.

You're a strong competitor.

All right, give it up
for Tavares and Mayhem!

[rock music playing]

[Chris] After Joust,
both men struck out yet again,

so the final score here
is Evan, 8, Tavares, 4.

With only a two-second head start
for Evan,

we're in for a tight race
as they fight for a spot in the finale.

And now, one last chance for Janelle
and Ayonna to score points

before The Eliminator.

First up on Joust, it's Janelle,

but the Gladiator she's facing is ready
to light this semifinal on fire.

It's Blaze!

[Rocsi] This is Blaze's third time
lining up opposite Janelle.

In the prelims,

Blaze was one of the Gladiators swinging
past Janelle in Collision,

and then she gave her
the smackdown on Hang Tough.

[air horn blows]

[The Miz] This one's heated already.

Thomas, over to you.

-[fanfare playing]
-Contender, ready!

Go, Janelle!

[Chris] Janelle told me earlier
that defense

is gonna be her best friend on the Joust.

Her plan is to stay up and stay alive.

Gladiator, ready!

[crowd cheering]

Blaze has already taken down
Janelle once before.

She's looking to do it again.

[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

[whistle blowing]

Blaze coming out and attacking.

Oh! Janelle losing her balance
a little bit.

About a 50-pound weight advantage
for the Gladiator.

Janelle is somehow staying alive
up there against Blaze.

-Let's go, Janelle!
-[Chris] Seconds to go.

If Janelle hangs on for the full 30,
she'll at least get five points.

-The office administrative assistant...
-[whistle blowing]

...she'll claim five points.

[energetic music playing]

Janelle, you took some major hits
from Blaze.

How are you feeling?

I'm feeling pretty rocked,
because that was very exhilarating.

Was there a strategy?

Stay up there and don't fall down.

-And you survived.
-I survived!

You survived.

You survived Joust.

[cheering]

[Rocsi] She stayed up there
for a long time.

She didn't get very many swings on me,
but she hung up there very tough.

She was solid stance up there,
which was awesome.

So props to her.

Give it up for Janelle and Blaze!

[whooping]

[The Miz] It's Ayonna's second go
on Joust.

She scored a big zero last time
and is looking to redeem herself here.

And bringing the boom,

it's Supernova!

[crowd cheering]

I am excited for this one.

Thomas!

-[fanfare playing]
-Contender, ready!

[cheering]

Gladiator, ready!

[Chris] Supernova immediately getting
a second chance here against Ayonna

after a disappointing debut on The Wall.

[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

-[whistle blowing]
-[Chris] We are underway.

Ooh, a little staring contest.

Dr. Procter, you don't have to wait
for the pickleball serve.

Some shots are delivered.

The doctor, of course,
a doctor of physical therapy,

she's the one that's more physical!

And she...

-[crowd] Oh!
-[whistle blowing]

[Chris] ...has done it!

Supernova gets disqualified
for stepping on her competitor's podium!

Ayonna Procter, the good doctor,

gets a perfect ten in Joust
this time around.

Fill that prescription all the way.

No refills.

How do you feel?

I feel great, man.

My mom's sitting over there in the stands.

I was like, "Mama Said Knock You Out."

I was really going for the knockout.

I was trying to get her off.
[chuckles]

LL Cool J's got nothing on you.

LL Cool J was playing in my head.
"Mama Said Knock You Out."

-I was trying to knock her out.
-[Rocsi] That was pretty awesome.

But, Supernova,

how does it feel to be able to finally
come out here to the Gladiator stage?

It feels incredible.

I do give you your props, Ayonna,
and definitely creds to you.

And just,
I'm grateful to be here completely.

Give it up for Ayonna and Supernova!

[Chris] After three events,
Ayonna's up 20-7,

but that six-and-a-half-second gap
is almost exactly

what Janelle overcame last time
to get here.

All right!

We've made it this far.

There's no turning back.

Win this, and you're in the finals.

It's time for The Eliminator.

[Rocsi] Our contenders must make their way
through hurdles, scale ropes,

navigate an intimidating set
of monkey bars,

continue on to the trapeze,

climb a cargo net,
and sh**t across the zip line.

Next, it's a wild trip
across the balance beam

and a final furious run up The Travelator.

After a rope swing to the finish,

the winner of this semifinal
is on to the finals.

As we've seen all season,
The Travelator has seen more spills

than snack time in preschool.

So, it's never over until someone passes
through that finish line.

[Chris] Our women's semifinalists,

they're ready to face off
for a spot in the finals.

It's Ayonna, 20, Janelle, 7.

That gives Ayonna a 6.5-second head start
going into The Eliminator,

and this lead could decide everything.

Dr. Ayonna Procter is a doctor
of physical therapy,

out to prove to her mom she's got
what it takes to win it all.

While administrative assistant Janelle
wants to prove

she's more than just a desk jockey.

Janelle and Ayonna, two great competitors
who have defied the odds.

Thomas, let's see which of these underdogs

will fight their way to a spot
in the finals.

Contenders, ready!

[crowd cheering]

-[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!
-[whistle blowing]

[Chris] Ayonna Procter is off.

Ayonna told me,
"You know what? I'm not even going to look

-at Janelle during this race."
-[whistle blowing]

[Chris] "I'm gonna focus on my game."

She gets to the rope,
here comes Janelle Shaffer,

the office administrator from Georgia.

Dr. Procter, on her way
across the monkey bars.

Janelle finally gets to the monkey bars.

Dr. Procter across the trapeze.

She said she was going to make a big leap,

and, boy, did she ever.

She's already two-thirds
of the way up the cargo net.

Janelle Shaffer's got
some serious ground to make up.

Dr. Procter, first up the cargo net.

She will have to head
to the further of the two zip lines.

The office administrator, looks like
somebody stapled her in the cargo net.

[crowd cheering louder]

[Chris] Ayonna, farther away.

And she has made it safely
at the balance beam.

Janelle yet to get to the top.

She is well behind Ayonna Procter.

Whoa!

Steadies herself.
Getting use of her hands.

Taking her time.

Janelle just gets
to the zip line right now.

And Ayonna Procter just has
to head up The Travelator.

Moving at eight miles an hour.

A 35-degree incline.

Takes a breath. Runs up it.

And...

Dr. Procter gets to the top!

Ayonna Procter,
you're next appointment...

the finals of American Gladiators.

You're going to the finals.

[Ayonna yells]

[cheering]

[The Miz] Yes! Yes!

I will say it again,
you are going to the finals.

What do you want to say to Mom?

I thank her for always being here for me.

And I'm so grateful I got to do this
on this stage in front of her.

[The Miz] Give it up
for Janelle and Ayonna!

Thank you!

[Chris] Hey! It's not over yet, folks.

We're about to find out
who in the men's heat

will be moving on with Ayonna.

It's Evan, 8, Tavares, 4.

That gives Evan a two-second head start
heading into The Eliminator.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Chris] Will it be Evan Barr,
the man who has lived with guilt

since his temper tantrum
cost his high school track team

their first ever state title?

Or will it be Tavares Chambliss,
the gym owner,

the MC and life of the party,
has waited nearly 20 years

to live out his American Gladiators dream.

Contenders, ready!

[Chris] In the prelims,

Tavares ran his Eliminator
seven seconds faster than Evan.

So a two-second deficit to start
the semifinals is no sweat,

according to Tavares.

[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

[whistle blowing]

-[Chris] At stake a berth in the finals.
-[whistle blows]

Tavares off and running
after a two-second delay.

Evan hits the rope.

Tavares, spin move
to get on the monkey bars.

Tavares is right on Evan's heel.

Evan hits the trapeze.

And now the big move to the cargo net.

He said this was his problem area.

And he's already kind of stuck.

Same with Tavares,
who had a miserable leap.

He needs to find his spidey senses
to get it going.

Evan with a slight lead.

Whoever gets to the top first

has to enter the further
of the two zip lines.

Let's go!

[Chris] And it's basically neck and neck.

Now we go to the zip line.

We are going to have a great finish
in the first semifinal.

The balance beam, you must complete it.

Can't use your hands.
Evan falls.

Tavares has the lead.

And now-- Oh, did he fall?

Tavares, if he makes it up...

Oh, no, he tumbles.

-[crowd] Oh!
-[Chris] Catastrophic timing for a flip.

Evan, right up into the platform.

[crowd roaring]

[Chris] He breaks through!

Evan Barr!

The Egyptian tour continues.

You're going to the finals!

Oh, my God.

I can't believe it.

[crowd cheering]

[Rocsi] You auditioned
for this show in 2008.

How was this experience for you?

It was awesome.

I met the most amazing contenders
in the world.

Got beat up a little bit
by some Gladiators.

But also beat up a few.

So, hey, this is awesome.

-Great job. Great job.
-[The Miz] Evan...

You have a shot at $100,000.

And to become
an American Gladiator legend.

What does that mean to you?

I mean, it's a dream come true,

watching this show growing up as a kid.

I mean, I get emotional thinking about it.
I can't even believe I'm here.

It's just... [groans]

It's okay.

[voice breaking]
It's just a dream come true.

To come from a place
where I felt like I gave up on myself.

And to prove myself against men like T,

I couldn't ask for a better experience.

I'm just so thankful to be here
and honored.

[cheering, whooping]

[The Miz] Evan is going to the finals!

Give it up for him.

[cheering]

And give it up for Tavares.

-[crowd cheering]
-[Rocsi] Amazing job.

[Chris] So the first semifinal round
is now in the books.

Evan Barr earns the first
of three men's spots.

He joins Dr. Ayonna Procter

as the finals brackets
are starting to take shape.

Well, there you have it, Gladiator Nation.

Two contenders are headed
to the finals to compete

under the brightest spotlight for $100,000
and all that Gladiator glory.

Yeah! Let's go!

We made some dreams come true tonight.

We sure did.

We'll see you next time
when four new semifinalists face off

against our Gladiators.

-For Chris Rose, I'm Rocsi Diaz.
-And I'm The Miz.

See you next time on American Gladiators.

[fanfare playing]

[rock music playing]

♪Came and stomped it♪

♪Crowd shake the floor♪

♪You can't stop it♪

♪You already know♪

♪Ten feet tall when the lights go up♪

♪When you see my face,
say a prayer for a moment♪

♪No, you can't cage the beast♪

♪Yeah♪

♪There ain't no quitting me♪

♪Yeah♪

♪I put the thunder in the throne♪

♪I'm the one in the arena♪

♪You'll remember the name♪

♪I'm coming to rise up♪

♪I'm putting it all in, all in♪

♪Oh-oh!♪

♪I'm the one in the arena♪

♪I'm the one, remember my name♪