[robotic voice] robots activate!
[people cheering]
welcome to battlebots.
When the robots inevitably
take over someday,
it'll kinda be our fault.
Sorry about that.
I'm chris rose. And I'm joined
by ufc superstar
and robot combat analyst,
kenny florian.
Gotta be honest with you,
chris, I'm ready for
the robot takeover.
Tombstone for president.
[chris] and speaking
of tombstone,
last time we kicked off
the 2020 world
championship tournament.
And despite its
uncharacteristic low seed,
tombstone was among eight bots
that punched their ticket
to the second round.
Proving, yet again,
that once the tournament starts,
it is a brand-new season.
[kenny] that's right.
It's the time of the season
where experience can be
worth more than seeding.
You never know what can happen
inside the battlebox.
[chris] tonight,
the 16 remaining teams
in groups two and three
will put it all on the line,
in the hope of moving
one step closer
to hoisting the most
coveted trophy on the planet,
- the giant nut.
- [people cheering]
let's see who's gonna be
waging w*r
in the battlebox tonight.
[chris] take a look
at the bracket.
We're gonna flip it around
for you at home
to make it easier to follow.
Let's talk about bloodsport,
our number two seed, kenny.
3 and 0 in the qualifiers,
and only their second season
here at battlebots.
[kenny] but will the bright
lights of
this sport's biggest stage
be too much to handle
for these knockout artists?
They've drawn
a nightmare match-up
in 31 seed, gruff.
One of the toughest bots
on the planet to knock out.
That's gonna be expl*sive.
[chris] we will also see
the undefeated rookie,
11th seed jackpot.
The bot on a budget has taken
the battlebots world
by storm.
But standing
in their way tonight
is the durable, diabolical
and always dangerous
victor soto and 22 seed rotator.
[kenny] if jackpot captain,
jeff waters jr.
And his motley crew,
can notch a win over
the veteran rotator,
they'll be set up to make a run
at a championship
in their very first year.
[chris] and of course,
we've got perhaps
the most dangerous 23 seed
in history.
Last year's runner-up,
witch doctor.
-[people cheering]
-After being hexed during
the qualifying campaign,
andrea and mike gellatly
upgraded their weapon
to hit harder than ever.
Have they rediscovered
their voodoo
just in time to make
a deep tournament run?
[kenny] not if zach lytle
of skorpios has anything
to say about it.
Fresh off of a career-defining
victory over tombstone,
the 10 seed skorpios believe
the giant nut is within
their reach this year.
Two of the best-driven bots
in this sport
will go head-to-head
in this match-up.
Do not miss it.
But, to kick things off,
we have a clash of designs
as the 14th seed, lock jaw,
and legendary builder
donald hutson,
take on 19th seed, shatter,
led by adam wrigley
in his first-ever battlebots
tournament appearance.
After what he believes
should've been
an undefeated season,
tarnished only by
a controversial judge's
decision against malice,
adam is looking to
stake his claim here tonight.
[kenny] that's right.
But donald hutson always
comes prepared, chris.
As the 14th seed, lock jaw
is in a perfect position
to apply tons of knowledge
with raw practical skill
and make a serious run
at the giant nut.
It's gonna be a big night
for eight of our bots,
and a crushing defeat
for eight more.
The time for talking is done.
Actually, there's
a little more talking.
It's done by faruq.
[people cheering]
ladies and gentlemen,
it's robot fighting time!
[cheering]
[faruq] in the blue square,
from san diego, california,
donald, donald kills, y'all!
It's lock jaw!
[chris] here is donald hutson,
ever the innovator.
And if you look closely
on top of lock jaw,
you seem some extra armor there.
What's the wily veteran
up to, kenny?
[kenny] well, donald hasn't
faced an overhead striking bot
in a very long time.
So, he's pulling out
all the stops.
That added layer of polyurethane
is meant to protect
lock jaw's internals
and weapon belt from
shatter's powerful hammer.
In the red square,
from brooklyn.
The reason you're splattered,
it's shatter!
[chris] adam wrigley bringing
out yet another look
for shatter.
This bot changes wardrobe
like it's starring on
broadway, kenny.
[kenny] and it's also
a surprisingly
good singer, chris.
But, yeah. After removing
that armor in his last fight,
he wanted to show the judges
that it was purely aesthetic
and shouldn't be counted
against them
when it shears off.
With his message delivered,
adam is back to his
high-stepping style.
They've also added
those new forks
to protect against
lock jaw's spit.
I feel pretty confident,
we have at least
some solutions in place
that will kind of slow down
his weapon strikes.
We've doubled up our
titanium armor
up to a quarter-inch thick.
Even though we don't really
think he can go through that,
most of our heavy panels
are pretty thick.
And then, lastly, we put
a shock-absorbing, half-inch
polycarbonate plastic
on urethane.
There's plenty of places
on the robot
where they could strike, still.
So, it's not perfect, but...
It's 90% better.
So, what we're running is our
vertical setup on the front,
with the long fangs that we have
sticking out in the center.
We're gonna try and battle him
control-style.
And we're gonna have to rely
on our side-to-side movement,
to try and get...
A little bit better driving
than donald hutson,
which'll be a tall task.
I think if we can beat
donald hutson,
then that solidifies us
as a contender.
[robotic voice] robots activate!
[chris] here we go!
14 vs. 19, old guard vs. New.
Who will continue their quest
for the giant nut?
[robotic voice]
blue team, ready?
[robotic voice] red team, ready?
[audience chanting]
fight! Fight! Fight!
[chris] let the
bot battle begin!
Lock jaw winds its way
to the opposite corner.
Has that weapon up to speed.
-[bots crashing]
-[chris] it's a nice
little jab.
Here's shatter.
Oh! Big swing and a miss
with that hammer.
Now lock jaw on the attack,
and shatter wins again.
[kenny] yeah,
a nice countershot there
by lock jaw.
Lock jaw kind of getting
stuck into the floor...
- [loud crash]
- [kenny and chris] oh!
[kenny] nice shot by shatter!
[chris] adam wrigley
drops the hammer
and sends a piece of
lock jaw's armor flying!
[kenny] this is
a battle for position, chris.
Shatter wants to line up
the k*ll-shot.
-[kenny] whoa!
-[chris] whoa! Direct hit
by shatter.
And here's lock jaw,
finally gets around
to the flank.
-[kenny] oh!
-[chris] gets caught
in the k*ll saws.
- [kenny] oh!
- [chris] look at that hammer!
[kenny] oh! What a shot!
[chris] oh, another one!
Shatter absolutely smothering
lock jaw!
[kenny] lock jaw's weapons
still attack though, chris.
You see it working there.
[chris] donald hutson
on the retreat.
Lock jaw is now inverted!
- [kenny] uh-oh!
- [chris] oh, my gosh!
[kenny] now that motor's
burning up.
[chris] lock jaw's showing
the effects of that barrage
by shatter.
Big question,
can donald hutson find a way
to extend this fight now?
[kenny] oh, no!
Shatter ready to deliver
the death blow, chris.
[chris] oh!
There's some life out of
donald hutson's weapon.
Can he get it going?
Oh! Shatter says,
"not today, sir!"
-[kenny] wow!
-[chris] the 19th seed letting
the veteran no distance
or time to shine.
[referee] ten, nine, eight...
[kenny] the ref!
He's seen enough!
Countdown has started!
Donald hutson's dreams
of this year's championship
are gonna die
on the battlebox floor!
[all cheering]
yeah!
[chris] kenny, this one boiled
down to a driving battle
with shatter trying
to line up an angle
to let their hammer fly.
And lock jaw looking to
attack the side to avoid
that powerful weapon.
[kenny] exactly.
Adam wrigley went toe-to-toe
with one of the best drivers
ever to do it,
donald hutson.
And shatter was able to land
an early shot
that let lock jaw know
they were in for a dogfight.
Check out this sequence
right here.
Lock jaw finally gets
the angle it wants
but gets hung up on
the k*ll saws.
Shatter! Turns on a dime and
goes to work with the hammer.
Just an incredible
countermove
from adam wrigley.
[chris] that series of shots
was what ended up
doing lock jaw in.
The bot started smoking,
it eventually stopped.
And leaving nothing to chance,
shatter dropped the hammer
and drove a stake through
the heart
of the 20-plus year veteran.
What a performance
by adam wrigley.
Adam wrigley, you are beaming
from ear-to-ear,
after beating a legend.
Tell us about it.
I can't hold the chip steady.
[all laugh]
that was incredible.
That was exactly
what we wanted to happen.
And it happened.
Tell us what happened
during this fight, adam.
So, we came out with
our new config.
We've got the fangs
on the front.
We didn't know how it was
gonna work.
So the strategy was just
to come out
and see how those were working.
They were getting under him
pretty good.
He wasn't getting a lot of hits.
And the magnets were
holding us down to the ground.
So, he wasn't able to push us.
He wasn't able to pop us up.
So, everything was working
exactly how we intended.
Hey, adam, I know you were
disappointed a season ago
when you didn't make it
to the playoffs.
You did this year.
And now you advance
to the round of 16
after beating one
of the greatest fighters
in battlebots history.
How's that taste?
[chuckles softly] it's amazing.
I think losing last year
was the best thing that
could have happened
because it made us work
extra hard on the bot.
And we got it working
a 110% right now, so...
This is incredible.
Adam wrigley,
congratulations to you
and team shatter.
You are on your way
to the round of 16.
Whoo!
[chris] well, if there's any
doubt about donald hutson's
legendary status,
I would say the emotion
we just saw
out of adam wrigley
speaks volumes as he upsets
one of the all-time greats.
So, we say thanks to donald
for another great season,
but it's shatter emphatically
punching its ticket
into the round of 16.
But coming up...
The rookie bot-on-a-budget,
jackpot, looks to continue
their miracle run
against the battle-tested
rotator.
Both bots are all-in.
That's next on battlebots!
We are back on battlebots.
And up next,
arguably, the best story
of the season.
Jackpot checks in as
the number 11 seed.
That is the highest seed
for any rookie bot.
And you know the song by now.
Vegas's jeff waters jr.
Built this bot
with only 4 grand!
The team has managed
to knock out every opponent
standing in their way.
And now they're here
on the big-time stage.
[kenny] it's unbelievable.
You know, a lot of times
in the fight game they say
you wanna be as simple
as possible.
If you overcomplicate things,
you could screw it up.
And this is a testament to that.
You don't need
all this technology.
You don't need
tens of thousands of dollars
to be effective.
Anyone can do this
as long as you're creative,
you're smart,
you know how to adapt,
and you know how to build.
We make the move
from a rookie,
to a seasoned veteran.
The number 22 seed, rotator.
They are led by victor soto.
Really challenging schedule
that resulted in
a 1 and 2 record.
Now, a lower seed than most
would have predicted.
And tonight he faces
an undefeated bot
that conjures nightmares of
the one that ko'd him
last year, deathroll.
[kenny] yeah, definitely
similar weapons between
jackpot and deathroll.
But victor is one of the most
skilled tactical minds
in the sport.
His losses make him stronger.
And for a builder
of his caliber,
expect to see his a-game
here tonight.
Let's see what happens!
Faruq, it's all you!
In the blue square,
from las vegas, you're about
to get straight flushed.
It's jackpot!
[audience cheering]
[chris] and what is this?
A very different look
for jackpot
as they approach the box
for their first-ever
tournament match.
Are they doing an impression
of rotator
with that fortified tuchus,
kenny?
[kenny chuckles] I think so.
It looks like they've
sacrificed their self-righter
for this
plow-first configuration
to attack rotator's bar.
And I have to say,
I'm a little surprised
by jeff waters here.
This is a huge change
in strategy.
For a bot's that's succeeded
by keeping it simple,
this is definitely a gamble
in such an important fight.
In the red square,
from miami, florida,
the robot rick ross,
everyday it's tussling.
Here's rotator!
[audience cheering]
[chris] and there's
the mad scientist,
victor soto,
with rotator sitting calm,
cool and collected
in the 22 seed.
He said he's going for
all-out offense in this one.
That should be a ton of fun.
[kenny] yeah, after a season
riddled with losses
that went to the judges,
victor wants to take matters
into his own hands.
He feels confident that
rotator can withstand
any weapon-on-weapon hits.
So, we'll be seeing a very
aggressive rotator here
as victor tries to put
the qualifiers behind him.
So, we're going
into the jackpot fight
with our big blade.
It's 50 pounds.
It spins at a speed limit of
about 250 miles per hour.
We're gonna try to be
very offensive.
And just go right at them.
I'm gonna try,
if I can, to avoid
a weapon-to-weapon hit.
Even though I think
I'll come out on top,
if I do that.
I'm feeling good.
I'm feeling confident.
I'm trying not to get a...
Well, I don't wanna be
c*ck about it,
but I think we have
a good chance
of getting to the round of 16.
[chris] kenny, I don't know
if jeff of jackpot
is nervous, or whatever.
He will not share his strategy
[chuckles] with us.
[kenny] I was gonna say,
we must not look
very trustworthy,
'cause we tried.
We tried to get the secrets
out of him, he said,
"no, I'm saving this for me."
he's like, "we have
a plan for rotator."
[man] you ready?
Yep. Let's take them out.
- We got this.
-[crowd chanting]
fight! Fight! Fight!
[chris] jackpot. Rotator.
Winner moves on.
Loser, see you next year.
[buzzer buzzing]
[chris] let the
bot battle begin!
Jackpot on the move.
Straight into rotator
with that big wedge.
And now attacking
with that double disc.
Nice shot by jackpot
to the backside of rotator.
[kenny] good driving
by jeff waters jr.
[chris] jackpot's got
rotator again!
Can he drive him into
the corner? He does!
And that pulverizer
is not dropping because
because that one belongs
to victor's...
[kenny and chris] oh!
[chris] nice hit
with the spinners.
[kenny] rotator has
to regroup here.
This is where victor
wants the action,
in the center of the box.
Rotator is the more agile robot.
Oh! What a hit!
Rotator going after jackpot now.
Going after that diamond cutter.
Trying to get to the back end.
Nice work by rotator.
[kenny] victor soto
doing a great job
of adapting on the fly, chris.
[chris] oh! Another one!
[kenny] he's able to go
from defense to offense
in the blink of an eye.
[chris] oh! Huge hit!
Wow! Holy smokes!
My goodness!
[man] we're done.
[chris] it is possible jackpot
is doa.
[kenny] that felt like
the death blow, chris.
And without a self-righter,
this might be the end of
jackpot's cinderella story.
[chris] rotator giving
it a sniff, it says,
"smells like dead meat to me.
I'm outta here."
-ten, nine, eight...
-[chris] the countdown
has started!
The rookie run
of the 11th seed, jackpot,
has come to an end
at the hands of rotator.
Jackpot is knocked out!
Winner...
[people cheering]
- good job, guys!
- Yeah. That was
an awesome match.
- Really put up a fight.
- Yeah.
[chris] kenny,
jackpot had a ton of success
in its debut season
by keeping things simple.
Did they overthink this one?
[kenny] I think so.
They tried to play
rotator's game
and alternate between
offense and defense
with that new rear wedge.
Jackpot had a really
strong start to this fight
and I think they actually
surprised rotator.
But victor soto adapted quickly
and showed jackpot
what experience is all about.
[chris] rotator's so skilled
at controlling the action
with its rear end.
And then whipping that
horizontal spinner
into its opponents.
And check out this
knockout shot.
Boom!
Jackpot got hung up
on the rails.
Couldn't move and come on!
Say it with me!
[chris and kenny] if you don't
have a self-righter here
at battlebots,
you're in big trouble.
[chris] rotator. Moving on.
[chris] victor soto!
Be gentle.
- Victor! Over here, man!
- Hey!
Yeah! There's that smile
we're used to.
Does it kind of erase the bad
taste that was in your mouth
from the regular season?
Uh...
Yeah, a bit. [chuckles]
a ko is definitely
the way to go.
That's what we want.
We don't wanna leave it
to the judges anymore.
But it feels good to get
to the round of 16 now.
And victor, can you take us
through the fight
a little bit?
Yeah, so, actually,
they surprised us.
I wasn't sure if they were
gonna use the plow or not.
I kept spying on them,
and I think they were...
They noticed.
They did something interesting
where they put the plow
on the back
and I don't know
if they were
spinning backwards.
So, that was really sneaky.
So I was like, oh, okay, so,
either I gotta hit them
from the front,
or face the wedge.
But, just in case,
I had the forks on.
And I think it prevented them
from getting underneath us.
And I think that strategy
worked out real well for us.
You've advanced, you know,
through the tournament now.
Do you feel like
you've dialed rotator in?
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Rotator's working great.
The weapon's hitting hard.
My driving's getting
a little bit better.
And I think we have
a good chance.
Were you sweating it out
before you heard from
the selection committee
because you only went
the regular season?
I was nervous.
And it seems like every year
we seem to cut it
pretty close.
Our record's not always
the best, but...
I just hope we put on
really entertaining fights.
Victor, congratulations.
We'll see you in
the round of 16.
Thank you, guys. See you soon.
[chris] so, victor soto's won
two in a row,
as rotator is peaking
just in time.
And they won't be
waiting long to find out
their next opponent,
because coming up,
perfect phoenix looks to
rise from the ashes
to take on the k*ller kiwis
and end game.
Vertical violence
meets horizontal horror!
That's next, as the battlebots
2020 tournament rages on.
We're back on battlebots.
It's the continuation
of the round of 32.
And up next,
the 6th seed, end game,
taking on the 27th seed,
perfect phoenix,
captained by the 11-year-old,
tyler nguyen.
And kenny, we spend
so much time talking
about how young this kid is.
But we're not making excuses
for him.
[kenny] that's absolutely right.
The fact is,
regardless of his age,
tyler has made it
to the round of 32
on merit and skill alone.
He's already challenging
for elite driver status,
and he's far from intimidated
by the big stage.
I'm excited to see what he
brings as the 27th seed,
looking for his first-ever
tournament win.
[chris] and another bot that
some may be surprised to learn
is also on the hunt for its
first tournament victory,
is the 6th seed, end game.
Kenny, are they finally
dialed in for the tournament
this year, in your opinion?
[kenny] well, we'll see.
End game is known as
one of the heaviest-hitting
bots in the competition.
But the question has become,
can they get it done
when it counts?
They've had an
impressive run so far.
But the tournament
is a different story.
They're the 6th seed
for a reason.
They're going to be looking
to make a statement
here tonight.
[chris] both of these warriors
are locked and loaded
behind the glass.
Only one can fight their way
into the top 16.
[robotic voice]
blue team, ready?
[chris] end game's lone loss
this season
was against bloodsport,
which, of course,
is the 2 seed
in the tournament.
What a great run for end game.
[kenny] yeah absolutely.
We've seen them struggle
with reliability in the past,
but right now, that disc
is hitting harder than most
weapons in the competition.
Old issues have a way of
rearing their ugly heads
in the tournament.
Let's see how end game
holds together
on the big stage.
[robotic voice] red team, ready?
[chris] kenny, we know that
tyler's being mentored
by tombstone captain,
ray billings.
What influence has ray had
over tyler and perfect phoenix
this season?
[kenny] well, tyler has
a great handle on the how
of running perfect phoenix.
But ray's experience has been
a huge help with these
quick rebuilds.
And don't forget, ray's first
loss of the season
was to end game.
So, there might be
a little added incentive
for tyler here tonight.
[audience cheering]
[crowd chanting]
fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzer buzzing]
[chris] let the
bot battle begin!
Keep your eye
on the driving ability
of tyler nguyen.
11 years old.
But ray billings
says he's better than 80%
of the adult drivers here.
Which spinner will draw
first blood?
End game's weapon so far, not...
[loud crash]
okay! How you doing?
- [kenny] jeez! Oh!
- [chris] okay! All right!
Maybe I spoke too soon.
- [kenny] oh, my goodness.
- [chris] wow!
Hell, yeah!
[kenny] ooh! Ooh!
[chris] perfect phoenix is up
on the screws,
now those screws should
rotate back.
[kenny] whoo!
[chris] jack barker
lining it up.
Is he gonna give him a shot?
He's done, he's done.
[chris] no!
He's gonna take the win.
...Seven, six...
[chris] so, the amazing run
for 11-year-old tyler nguyen
- comes to an end.
- Four, three...
-As end game gets its
first-ever tournament victory.
-That's a knockout!
[buzzer blares]
[crowd cheering]
it's been a long road.
It's been a good road.
[chris] kenny, with a weapon
as powerful as end game's,
it's only a matter of time
before someone
is seeing stars.
[kenny] yeah. I don't remember
being this scared
when I'm seeing another robot
that gets this close to us.
Usually, I'm very confident
in the battlebox.
Right there, I think both
of us almost had an accident
in our pants.
Endgame is just
an absolute beast.
They went out there,
they did what they were
supposed to do,
that's gonna be a tough bot
to beat, man.
[chris] yeah, a little
too much information from
kenny florian yet again.
Some secrets are supposed
to stay right here
and locked and sealed.
Thanks, bud!
[crowd cheering]
finally!
[chris] yeah, finally, guys,
nick and jack congratulations!
You're moving on to
the round of 16, are you
relieved or excited, nick?
We're incredibly relieved.
We were having some
speed controller issues
earlier today,
we've been working on
them all day.
And they weren't quite
where we wanted them to be,
we ran out of time,
so we were a little worried,
but turns out
everything was okay.
It seems like
you guys took the approach
of slowly, slowly
and then all at once.
Well, yeah, the strategy
we decided to go for
going into the match
was slow, slow, slow
and hopefully
we'll slow their weapon down
on our wedge.
But our wedges
kind of just seemed
to touch each other
and we just couldn't get
any engagement. So we just
had to slam them into the wall
and just see what happens then.
Luckily, we got off better
in the collision.
So, what would
a few more victories
and getting the giant nut
mean to you
after all that hard work?
That would be everything.
We thought the tombstone fight
was everything, but now...
- Now we want the nut.
- Now we want the nut.
[chuckles] yeah.
[chris] well, guys,
congratulations,
you're on to the round of 16,
a job well-done.
We'll see you next time.
- Cheers.
- Thank you.
[all applauding]
[chris] so, endgame makes
quick work of perfect phoenix,
and they draw yet
another horizontal spinner,
as they'll be taking on
rotator in the round of 16.
And coming up,
the electrifying 3 seed
copperhead
starts its run for the nut,
as it looks to send 30 seed
mammoth back to the ice age.
Only one can move on...
That's next on battlebots.
The world
championship tournament.
Welcome back to battlebots.
Where two out
of the three fights
here in group number three
have resulted in upsets.
Will the trend continue?
Next up, it is
the knockout artist,
copperhead vs the tallest
robot in the entire field...
Mammoth!
Let's start with the number
I remember at
the beginning of the season,
zach goff told us
last season's version
of the robot
was the almost-robot,
like we almost got
things right.
This season
en route to a 3 and 0 record,
they got everything right,
what about the match-up
for them?
[kenny] you know,
he's a little concerned
with mammoth actually,
when it comes
to fighting a unique
bot like mammoth,
you need an equally
unique approach.
Zach knows,
if he keeps moving and picks
his moment to strike,
he can outmaneuver
the clunky mammoth,
and dial up some damage
and aggression points
in case it goes to the judges.
As for the story of
the number 30 seed, mammoth,
captained by ricky willems,
their season started off great
with an epic knockout
over huge.
But ever since then,
they've had a tough time
getting it going.
[kenny] yeah, I mean that's
kind of expected when
you have a bot like mammoth.
And in only its second season,
ricky is still very much
developing mammoth's identity
in the box.
So, he learns
as much from his losses
as he does his wins.
Last season, we saw mammoth
fall to another drum-spinner
in one.
Copperhead is far more powerful,
so, we'll see how
that experience comes
into play for ricky here.
Faruq, let's get it going!
In the blue square,
from loveland, colorado,
the venomous menace, copperhead!
[chris] kenny, that
is probably
the most destructive
drum-spinner in
battlebots today.
[kenny] yeah, this thing is
absolutely nasty.
Reminds me a lot of the
brazilian team, minotaur.
But this thing is compact,
it is durable and firing...
Very powerful.
[chris] team copperhead
showing us a little
choreography there.
You know, kenny,
we never dance anymore.
[kenny laughs]
[crowd cheering]
in the red square,
from baltimore, maryland,
it's the trunk-a-delic mammoth!
[kenny]
and here comes the big boy.
Standing at 6'4" tall,
- mammoth!
- [chris] and ricky willems.
They have a chance
to silence a lot
of skeptics here, kenny.
[kenny] that's right
we have to remember
that mammoth has had
a similar journey to huge.
When we first looked up at it
we had no idea what it was
or if it would even work.
And a season later,
here it is in the tournament.
I know ricky wants more,
but you have to applaud
innovation in action.
Major accomplishment
even making it this far
so we're going up
against mammoth tonight.
I think it's our fight to lose.
My biggest concern
is that mammoth just
smothers copperhead.
So, my plan
is to keep the bot mobile,
keep our speed high, so that
we don't get entangled and
then trapped inside of them.
And as long as
we just do running,
glancing blows at mammoth,
I think we will win this one.
We gotta come in
and we gotta be strategic,
we gotta be careful
and we have to throw
him around.
So, we're gonna go back
to the weapon that
we used with huge,
our uhmw weapon.
We didn't expect to use that
against someone
like copperhead,
but we absolutely have to
based on the parts we have
left to fix this robot.
Everything has to go right in
this fight for mammoth to win.
My driving has to be perfect,
the robot has work perfectly
and every shot has
to be timed perfectly.
So, this is gonna be do-or-die.
And I'm really hoping
it's not die.
- Full violence, full...
- Absolutely.
[audience cheering]
let loose!
[speaking indistinctly]
I'm gonna try.
[crowd chanting]
fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzing]
[chris]
let the bot battle begin!
-[kenny] now neither bot
has protection on the wheels.
-[chris] whoa!
That's gonna be way more
of a problem for mammoth.
- All right, little snake.
- [chuckles]
[chris] well, copperhead
went right into the belly
of mammoth
and delivered a huge shot.
[kenny] ricky willems
and mammoth unfazed, though.
[chris] oh! Mammoth
lands a solid blow
to copperhead's weapon,
and now punts them
into the side of the box,
kenny.
[kenny] yeah, mammoth
just smothering copperhead
and look at this,
got them inverted, oh!
They land another blow!
How about mammoth?
[chris and kenny] oh!
[chris] a huge
weapon-to-weapon
collision there
as copperhead looks
to counter that impressive
sequence by mammoth!
[chris] zach goff resets.
[kenny] you hear that
drum-spinner firing up,
copperhead on the attack!
And now driving
mammoth backwards!
I'm trying, trying.
[kenny] copperhead doing
its little job of winning
the low ground here, chris.
But they may have a weapon
issue now that drum-spinner
seems to be slowing down.
-[chris] that is
big-time trouble!
-[kenny] oh!
[chris] mammoth's
trying to cut off
copperhead in the corner
of the battlebox,
right in front of us,
unable to do it.
Copperhead's gotta
get out of there
gets back to the center
of the box to regroup.
A minute-20 now into this fight.
And without a primary weapon,
how is copperhead going
to score points?
Mammoth can smell
the opportunity!
Bots lock horns and mammoth
puts copperhead back
on its heels yet again.
So impressive!
[kenny] mammoth
doing exactly what
it's designed to do,
confuse bots with its size
and lure them into that
spinning weapon.
And copperhead,
the number 3 seed,
searching for a way to put
points on the board.
[chris] yeah, let's remember
copperhead won
its qualifying round fights
in such decisive fashion, kenny.
As mammoth inverts copperhead
yet again.
This is unchartered territory
for the number 3 overall seed.
Zach goff's like, "what?"
[kenny] it's a good point.
Copperhead is not used
to going this deep into fights
this season, but listen,
they have stayed aggressive
and had some nice exchanges
at the top of this fight.
They just have to keep their
foot on the gas here.
[chris] under a minute to go!
Can the 30th seed pull
off the major upset?
Oh! Not if copperhead
has something to say about it!
And look at this,
the top-spinner's back, kenny!
Mammoth's on the attack!
Holy smokes!
Can zach goff find a way
to even the scorecards,
in the last 30 seconds
of this fight?
[kenny] unbelievable!
Back from the dead!
[chris] copperhead
going right into
the belly of the beast.
Can it take off a piece
of mammoth?
[kenny] landed some nice shots
there, chris!
And another one! They are
going for it with 15 seconds
left in this fight!
[chris] copperhead resets
and now you can hear that
drum-spinner humming again
with under 10 to go!
Oh!
Copperhead pops mammoth
into the air
and mammoth hits copperhead!
Oh, my goodness!
- Good job!
- Wow!
[chris] so after
a fascinating fight,
the fate of these two bots
rests in the hands
of the judges.
Will copperhead
move on to the top 16
or has mammoth
stomped out an upset?
Find out next when
the championship
tournament continues.
[chris] we are right back into
the action here on battlebots,
as the 3 seed copperhead
and the 30th seed, mammoth
await their fate
from the judges.
Only one can
move on to the top 16.
[indistinct conversation]
- think so?
- Yeah.
That was wild.
That was wild.
[chris] well, kenny florian,
I do not envy the judges
in this spot.
Does the number 3 seed
copperhead actually survive
this decision?
[kenny] man, this is gonna
be close.
Copperhead was super
aggressive as always, scored
some damage points early.
But a really impressive
performance by mammoth.
Just such an awkward bot
to contend with.
They smothered copperhead
and stopped their weapon for
a long stretch of this fight.
Not a good look for
the favorites.
[chris] and that really
is the big question
for me here, kenny.
If you're the judges, can you
look past the fact that
copperhead's drum-spinner
was a non-factor this fight
for well over a minute?
Mammoth controlled the pace
in that window.
But zach goff's weapon came
back to life with a vengeance
in the last 45 seconds.
And actually did some
serious damage.
[kenny] yeah, he really needed
that, he really needed
to finish this fight strong.
But with all that,
I still don't know which way
the judges are gonna go.
I'd be leaning towards
copperhead but, too close
for comfort here, chris.
The results from the judges
are in!
We have a split decision.
Judge derek scored the battle
in favor of mammoth!
Judge lisa scores
the battle in favor
of copperhead!
[faruq] judge jason scored
the battle for the winner...
Mammoth!
[crowd cheering]
- [audience cheering]
- yeah!
- Yes!
- [chris] ricky willems!
Hi, kenny. Hi, chris.
How are you doing today?
I don't think we're as well
as you are.
Absolutely not!
I'm sorry it doesn't matter
how good of a day
you're having,
I'm having a better one!
[chris and kenny laugh]
how did you pull off
the mammoth upset?
Oh! I knew you were going
for that.
We went in,
we tossed them around,
we dominated control.
They took off the parts that,
you know, we'd figured they'd
take off.
Some of those things aren't
meant to come off the way
they did.
They put some nicks, but we
stopped their weapon for
a good half of the match.
We tossed them around,
we got them on their back.
Everything went exactly to plan.
And I am just
overwhelmingly thrilled.
You're like chris rose.
You're awkward but
you're effective.
You just beat the number three
bot in the tournament.
- Take us through the fight.
- Oh!
We came out swinging... Um...
We pushed them around,
we got them on their side.
I don't know what we did
to stop their weapon halfway
through but...
You know, it slowed down,
we tried to take advantage
of that,
we flipped over and over,
we got them up on the wall.
It was so much packed
into three minutes, it felt
like three seconds.
Hi, ricky,
it's captain awkward,
here with a question.
You were actually one of
the last bots to actually make
it into the round of 32.
How much were you sweating
even doing that?
b*ll*ts. I was sweating b*ll*ts.
The amount of repairs
we had to do after that
hypershock fight,
the amount of tweaks
we had to make,
the things that went wrong.
My team has worked so hard,
I've worked so hard.
I'm overwhelmingly thrilled,
I just cannot tell you.
Ricky, one quick note
before you leave.
I know that your brother
just had a kidney transplant,
he's probably watching
at home. Is there anything you
wanna say to him?
Thank you for being
so supportive through all this
and if I could make a request,
kenny if you could give
a shout-out to steven willems
on-screen, he would
love you for it forever.
He's such a big mma guy.
Steven, you're an amazing
fighter, I'm so glad that
you're feeling better.
And one of these days
we'll have to get you here
to watch in person.
Thank you, man. Thank you.
[chris] ricky, congratulations
to you and your entire team.
You're moving on
to the round of 16.
Yes! Yes!
[chris] so, 30 seed
mammoth moves on to face
19th seed shatter in a matchup
of the bracket-busters.
Coming up, a teenage rivalry
is reignited.
Jamison go faces off against
matt spurk for the first time
in over a decade.
As the7th seed sawblaze
lights it up against
26th seed, kraken.
That's next.
[chris]
we are back on battlebots.
The world championship
tournament rages on,
as we move into a power-packed
group number two.
In a first, we've got a match
up of...
Hey! Don't I know you?
It's the 7th seed sawblaze
and the 26th seed kraken.
Matt spurk and jamison go.
They have a history that dates
back to when jamison
was barely a teenager.
As matt tells it,
little jamison used to drive
circles around him,
in the three-pound category
when jamison
was like 12 or 13.
Yeah, they've known each other
for about 15-16 years,
of course,
matt said he'd like
to get revenge.
He said jamison was such
a good driver,
but different bots,
250-pound bots,
very important fight here.
[chris] as for jamison go
and sawblaze, they enter
this familiar
throwdown sitting pretty
as the 7th seed.
We know it has a mean weapon,
we know it is well-driven.
What's jamison got to do
to make a real run here?
[kenny] I mean,
that about covers it.
Jamison and sawblaze
do just about
everything right.
They're the favorite
in most of the fights
they go into,
which means there's a lot
of pressure here,
but jamison is confident
in his bot,
confident in himself,
and he believe this is just
another step closer
to his first giant nut.
Let's see if kraken
can pull off the upset.
Faruq, take it away.
In the blue square,
from cambridge, massachusetts,
feel the burn, it's sawblaze!
[chris] jamison go's bot,
always in tip-top shape
and now that weapon,
more fierce than ever.
[kenny] yeah, it sure is,
it's actually increased
by 50 miles an hour,
and now spinning
at 250 miles an hour.
[chris] which is
the maximum allowed.
[people cheering]
in the red square,
from titusville, florida,
let's get crack-a-whackin',
it's kraken
[chris] despite a 1 and 2
record, matt spurk
and kraken really had
a phenomenal qualifying
round, kenny.
[kenny] they really did. I was
really impressed with both
the power of their primary
weapon, that crusher.
And the durability of that bot.
Here we go, game time now!
Game time!
-[chris] they enter this
tournament as the 26th seed.
-Kraken! Kraken!
[people chanting]
kraken! Kraken! Kraken
tonight we're fighting kraken.
It's a controlling,
kind of grabbing pressure bot.
What we want to avoid
is to not get grabbed.
I think we can land a lot of
hits onto the head,
onto the chassis.
It could rack up enough points.
We might not be able to ko
him. But we have to win that
judges' decision, clearly.
For this fight we're gonna
be using the hammer saw.
That's because we think it
has the greatest ability
to deny kraken's ability
to bite down.
And that weapon is powerful,
he knows it. He's seen what
it can do.
And so, we're hoping to use
that and swing that around
in order to demotivate him
from chasing us.
We've got a robot that is
very easily able to exploit
the weak spot of kraken which
is our very vulnerable
equipment in the top
of the head.
This match we're considering
using our short teeth.
And they give us... they're
about three-inch long teeth.
They give us an extra three
inches of vertical height.
Sawblaze is
a relatively tall robot.
So that'll allow us to get us
over the top and pinch their
arm behind them.
We said our goal for this
season was just to get into
the tournament and then
we'll make some noise
when we get in there.
There's no bigger noise than
an upset over sawblaze
in round one.
[robot voice] robots, activate!
[crowd cheering]
[chris] our bot whisperer
pete, a few last-minute notes
on sawblaze?
[peter] sawblaze is
this marvel of engineering.
I love this bot.
We've heard of ar400 with
witch doctor, which is a very
hard steel.
We've heard ar500 which is
the even harder version
of the steel with chomp's skirt.
[peter] the blade here is ar550.
So, we will see how hard it
can be as it knocks on
kraken's head.
[robot voice] blue team, ready?
- Time to burn!
- Let's go.
Beast-slaying tonight.
[robot voice] red team, ready?
Play-offs, baby!
This is gonna be a good one.
[crowd chanting]
fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzer blaring]
[chris] let the bot
battle begin!
Sawblaze has got
that flame working already.
Taking kraken into the screws.
[kenny] what a start
for sawblaze!
[chris and kenny] oh!
[chris] sawblaze lands a power
shot with that hammer saw.
Kraken trying to regain
its balance.
And it gets out of the screws.
Oh! And now kraken clamping
down on that weapon
of sawblaze.
Here we go!
[bleep]
[kenny] this is exactly what
it wanted to do.
[chris] now kraken can take
sawblaze around the arena.
For 30 seconds
and then it must release.
[kenny] kraken's so good at
using its clamping ability
to show the judges "hey,
I'm in control of this fight."
-[chris] yep.
-[kenny] well, we're gonna
find out how strong that ar550
blade really is. Kraken
trying to chop down on it.
[chris] this is what kraken
has to do in order to win.
Try and take it for a ride.
Few more seconds
and the kraken must release.
[kenny] 60,000 pounds of
pressure in those jaws.
[chris] really good job so far
by kraken to hold on to that.
-[referee] kraken, that's one
warning. You gotta release.
- We're releasing.
[chris] there must be a release.
There it is.
Uh-oh!
-[kenny] oh!
-[chris] sawblaze willing to
go head-to-head once again.
[chris] that is a risky move.
[kenny] yeah, but he did land
a nice shot there but I agree,
chris. He's taking a risk
by going head-to-head
with kraken.
[chris] jamison go, trying to
scoop up kraken.
And he's got him
but can he take him
-to the corner or
at least the rail? Oh!
-[kenny] oh! What a hit!
[chris] sawblaze looking
to even the scorecards
and kraken may be in trouble.
[kenny] and the tire's
gone, chris.
That was a brilliant shot
by jamison go.
[chris] unbelievable!
Jamison go is gonna back up
and see if kraken can move
at all.
Hey, going in a half circle is
not good enough, but look
at this.
Sawblaze has said,
"I'm not done with you."
- [chris] I wanna keep playing.
- [kenny] unbelievable.
-[kenny]
kraken is still going.
-[chris exclaims]
[chris] wow!
Sawblaze has kraken pinned now
and drops another monster shot
to the head of matthew
spurk's bot.
[indistinct conversation]
[kenny] yeah, jamison
is really turning it on now.
[chris] kraken behind on
the scorecards and looking
for a miracle.
Trying to get in position to
maybe score another clamp
on sawblaze.
But here comes sawblaze
driving kraken
into the corner.
Sawblaze backs away.
Under a minute left to go.
Sawblaze retreats to
the opposite corner.
[kenny] but jamison's not able
to utilize his primary weapon
chris, I don't think he can
get that saw to move.
[chris] but here he is
on the attack.
Rams kraken into
the side of the box.
And kenny, every time sawblaze
gets in close like that,
it risks being caught up in
kraken's jaws yet again.
- [kenny] uh-oh!
- [chris] oh!
Nice job taking
kraken into the rails.
Now, 20 seconds to go.
[kenny] jamison go has no fear
chris. Still hunting kraken.
He knows if you go to
the judges, anything
can happen.
Team sawblaze trying
to make a statement here.
[chris] somehow this fight
is gonna go the distance.
Between these two
long-time friends.
[kenny] two very durable bots.
[buzzer blaring]
[crowd cheering]
yeah! [cheers]
[chris] in the early going,
kraken had that biting
mechanism working oh-so-well.
[kenny] I mean, kraken got off
to a brilliant start. I mean,
look at that.
Biting down on that primary
weapon of sawblaze.
Just an insane amount
of force right there.
Kraken jumped ahead
in the control category,
but then sawblaze went
into attack mode.
[chris] jamison go with
a pin-point shot here
that ripped the wheel
off of kraken.
Somehow, kraken was still able
to drive around the battlebox.
And even though sawblaze lost
control of its primary weapon,
in the later stages
of this fight,
the team stayed aggressive
and kept the pressure on.
And one last hit into the rails,
is it enough to help
sawblaze advance?
It's time to find out.
The results from
the judges are in.
The winner by
unanimous decision is...
Sawblaze!
[cheering]
[crowd cheering]
jamison go, are you relieved?
Yeah. That was a really scary
moment in the middle
of that fight.
I'm very relieved that
the judges' decision came
the way it did.
Can you talk us
through this fight, jamison?
Well, the real strategy was
to try to avoid that front
that long arm I think
out-reaches us, as you know,
our strategy is usually
out-reach the other guy.
If they keep us away it's no
good so stay away from that
front tongue.
Get around, hit whatever we can.
And see if we can rack up
damage over time.
You know, you first fought
matt spurk about
What was it like now
fighting with
the play-offs on the line?
It's definitely a lot more
pressure. I mean, back then,
it's definitely like
a really welcoming community.
Matt was one of the first
people I met.
I consider him
one of my mentors.
And you know actually,
you think about it,
it's a great chance, it was
a great time fighting him too.
Feel all that comradery still.
Very good, jamison. It's gonna
be a great fight in the round
of 16. Congratulations.
Thank you.
[crowd cheering]
[chris] so, sawblaze heads
to the round of 16
with the judges' blessing
and sends childhood rival
matt spurk and kraken back to
the floridian depths.
Congrats to him on
an excellent season.
Coming up next, it's hard
hitting bloodsport.
Taking on the tank
that is gruff.
It's a 2 vs. 31 donnybrook.
Find out who's moving on in
the battlebots world
championship tournament, next.
[chris] we are
back on battlebots,
as the world championship
rages on.
Next up, one of the most
dominant teams
from the qualifying rounds.
The undefeated 2 seed
bloodsport.
Will face the brawny
And let's start with
the cinderblock that is gruff.
Captain sam mcamis scraped
into the round of 32
after capping the qualifiers
with a very disappointing
loss to extinguisher.
And, kenny, something tells me
gruff is coming into tonight
with a vengeance.
[kenny] absolutely. We've seen
gruff give trouble
to elite bots like
whiplash and tombstone.
And you have to think, they're
pulling out all the stops
to remind the world, just how
formidable they can be.
We spend a lot of time saying
gruff is built like a tank.
And going up against
a horizontal spinner
like bloodsport, they're
definitely positioned
for a potential upset.
[chris] and you mentioned
bloodsport, the 2 seed
captained by justin marple.
In their second season here
at battlebots, what set
them apart?
[kenny] well, obviously that
spinner is one of the most
destructive in the field.
But I don't know if we give
enough credit to how well
bloodsport is driven.
Justin showed stellar tactical
skills while outdriving
a very skilled zach lytle in
a win over skorpios
in the qualifiers coupled
with a weapon capable
of consistent knockouts.
I'm excited to see what
they bring to the tournament.
[crowd clapping]
[chris] both drivers
are already locked, loaded,
and ready to rock
behind the glass.
Let's see who's moving
on to the top 16.
[crowd cheering]
[robot voice] blue team, ready?
[crowd cheering]
kenny, justin marple told us
he expects to go to the judges
in this one.
[kenny] that's right. Justin
said he's seen the kind of
punishment gruff can take
and plans to use that
tri-disc weapon
more strategically,
in an attempt to avoid
destroying themselves,
on the hulking gruff.
[robot voice] red team, ready?
[crowd cheering]
[chris] keep in mind, gruff
has burnt out its drive motors
in two of its three fights.
It has a powerful
flamethrower.
But the question is,
will they or won't
they flame out tonight?
[kenny] we'll see, they have
a new fortified wedge that
will allow them to face
bloodsport's weapon head-on.
And if those drive motors can
hold on, it's possible that
we see an upset here, chris.
[crowd cheering]
[crowd chanting]
fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzer blaring]
[chris] let the bot
battle begin!
Gruff on the chase,
but bloodsport's weapon
now full-bore.
[all exclaim]
[chris] jeez!
What the heck was that?
[kenny] bloodsport just
destroyed its spinner
in that exchange, chris.
That tri-blade is now
a dual-blade
and that is going to be
a big problem for
the number 2 seed.
[chris] holy smokes!
And there's no way that
thing's gonna run again.
So now, does gruff have
the major advantage?
Somebody, get some duct tape
for our battlebots sign
and do not light that thing on
fire. That costs $5.99.
Stay away from it.
[kenny] how about that
modification there,
with those chunks of steel,
the chocolate bars
as gruff likes to call it...
[chris] so,
the number 2 overall seed
in this tournament
back on its heels
early in this one.
As it gets caught on
the front of gruff,
and gruff pouring on
the flames now.
[kenny] a nice counter
by bloodsport,
using their broken weapon's
momentum to free
themselves there.
[chris] bloodsport obviously
cannot fire up that weapon to
full speed. So how in
the world can it win, kenny?
[kenny] well you're seeing
it right here.
They need to fall back
on the elite driving skill
of justin marple, stay
aggressive and try
and control the action here.
[chris] if you get enough
control and aggression points,
you still can win this fight.
[kenny] oh! Gruff very close
to getting a flip, there.
[chris] bloodsport still has
those two front
wedgelets intact.
And has done a really good job
at using those to get
underneath gruff.
Who at this point doesn't
seem to really be moving
very well, kenny.
[kenny] spot-on, chris! Here
comes bloodsport driving gruff
into the rails.
[chris] under a minute
to go now.
Stay away from the front.
Stay away from the front.
[kenny] you can hear, the team
members for bloodsport
saying "don't give up, even
though our primary weapon
is down, we can still
win this fight."
[chris] and look at that,
the pulverizer dropping down
doing some damage on gruff.
[kenny] they're still very
determined to beat this
tough gruff.
[chris] and now, bloodsport's
taking a hit from
the pulverizer.
Can that upper 2 seed
overcome the loss
of its primary weapon or will
we see a giant upset?
[kenny] well, the good news
for bloodsport is gruff
is just not driving very well.
I think the hits on gruff
are really taking its toll
on it as well.
[chris] closing in
on 20 seconds to go.
Yeah, gruff is having
major drive issues.
[kenny] hasn't been able
to do much damage since that
opening exchange.
Oh! But it manages
to rip off one of bloodsport's
wedgelets right there.
[kenny] some nice last
minute points by gruff
and here goes the other one.
[chris] a lot to digest
here as these two
-bots end up going
the distance.
-[buzzer sounds]
[crowd cheering]
[man] I think we still won that.
[chris] this is going to be
a remarkable decision
by the judges.
Very challenging
as it goes to the scorecards.
That weapon's so ferocious
for bloodsport, but, my gosh!
The energy of that collision
just wrecked bloodsport's
blade and put
the number 2 seed
back on its heels.
But to his credit,
justin marple did not panic.
Instead, he went to work
and out-drove gruff
the rest of this match.
[kenny] that's right.
Bloodsport was able to dictate
the action. Get underneath
gruff and push it around
the battlebox.
[chris] you know, gruff did
get the flamethrower
involved, but was definitely
struggling in the mobility
department for the back half
of this fight.
This is gonna be
a tough one to call.
[kenny] bloodsport drove
an awesome fight.
I'm just not sure they're
gonna be able to overcome
the loss of that weapon, chris.
[chris] does the number 2
seed survive? Let's find out.
The results from
the judges are in.
We have a split decision.
Judge derek scored
the battle for gruff.
- Whoo!
- Whoo!
Judge lisa scored
the battle for bloodsport.
[claps]
judge jason scored
the battle, for the winner...
Bloodsport!
[cheering]
whoo!
[crowd clapping]
[chris] justin marple?
Justin marple.
Can you breathe? Exhale.
Oh man! That...
Right at the beginning of
the match when that
thing broke,
I just... my heart sank.
I couldn't believe it. But,
you know fortunately our
wedgelets were able to get
under him, push him around and
yeah, it's...
Speechless!
How nervous were you when
faruq made the announcement?
Oh! I was so nervous. I wasn't
sure how the judging would...
How the judging would go.
We were talking about it,
you know,
last minute. Just
trying to figure how
the points work out and,
I'm just happy it's
in our favor.
What do you think
the difference was?
I think we had a lot of
control and aggression
in the second half of that
match, for sure.
[chuckles]
all right. Well, justin,
congratulations to you,
and team bloodsport as you
survived and advanced.
- That's the name of the game.
- Thank you.
[crowd cheering]
[chris] so gruff and sam
mcamis will head back
to florida
to work out those drive motor
issues for next season.
And for the number
The wins they just keep on
a-coming as they extend their
streak to 4 and 0.
Up next, we'll find out who
bloodsport will face,
as the 15th seed,
fusion fires up
its devastating dual-weapons
against the powerful punches
of the 18 seed tantrum.
That's when
battlebots continues.
[chris] we are back on
battlebots where we just
witnessed the 2 seed,
bloodsport slice its way into
the top 16 and you can be sure
they'll be watching this
next fight
very closely as they will
face the winner.
We've got the number 15 seed,
fusion taking on
the 18 seed tantrum.
And let's start with
the double threat that
is fusion.
We've already seen reese
ewert's older brother jake
steamroll his way
into the top 16
breaking what they call
the whyachi curse.
Which is essentially
the ewert family's failure
to make it past the first
round in over a decade.
Now, reese. He is trying to
do the same thing with fusion.
So, how's he feeling, kenny?
- Stressed. Very stressed.
- [laughs]
-but...
-is that because
he's a ewert
- and that's just
the way they roll.
- Could be.
[kenny] reese knows the
whyachi curse is technically
broken but now it's
a little superstition mixed
with a lot of sibling rivalry.
Reese wants to break
his own whyachi curse,
but most importantly, he wants
to carry on for a shot
at winning the giant nut.
[chris] tantrum is the 18 seed
captained by aren hill.
And you gave them
what fictitious award?
The mib award.
The most improved bot.
Yeah, what do they get?
They don't get a you know
he asked us well, "all right
kenny, what do I get?
Do I get a piece of
hardware, do I get a bolt?"
do I get a... you wanted
to give him half your burrito
from this morning. That wasn't
good enough for him.
I don't know why he
didn't take that.
No, no. I thought it was
a pretty good deal myself.
- Yeah, I was very generous.
- But all jokes aside, listen.
We've seen him
in the previous two seasons,
up and down. More downs than up.
And now they got this thing
pointed in the right direction
[kenny] they really do.
And don't forget that tantrum
is built like a brick. They've
got that powerful punching
vertical spinner.
And aren hill is doing
the best driving
we've ever seen from him.
Let's see if he can keep it
going against one of
the first families
of robot combat.
[crowd cheering]
[robot voice] robots, activate!
[crowd cheering]
[chris] these two teams
combine for six knockouts
between them.
And they're already dialed up
to throw it down inside
the box.
[robot voice] blue team, ready?
[chris] reese ewert and fusion
with its history-making
dual-weapon configuration
and reese is hoping for
a quick one here, kenny.
[kenny] yeah, that's right.
With all the overheating
issues fusion has had
this season, they wanna make
this short and sweet as not to
risk quote "blowing up again."
he's gonna come hard.
[robot voice] red team, ready?
[chris] so what's the big plan
of attack for tantrum tonight?
[kenny] well, you know they're
the more compact bot.
They're gonna try to look
to get underneath fusion.
Get that vertical disc spinner
and try to get fusion
to do a lot of its own work.
Try to get fusion to destroy
itself a little bit.
[crowd chanting]
fight! Fight! Fight!
Just get out of there.
[buzzer blaring]
[chris] let the bot
battle begin!
Tantrum using that
speed and getting
underneath fusion.
-[kenny] oh!
-[chris] drives fusion
into the rails.
[kenny] you can hear tantrum
firing up to full speed.
[all exclaim]
[chris] a hard driving punch
from the disc of tantrum.
Fusion is scrambling.
[kenny] uh-oh! Fusion having
a lot of trouble staying on
the ground. Oh!
[chris] oh, no!
Huge weapon-to-weapon
collision that sends fusion
flying into the side of the box.
[kenny] tantrum all over them.
[indistinct conversation]
[chris] oh! But it looks like
tantrum's weapon took some
major damage in
that exchange, kenny.
[kenny] yeah, it's still
spinning but that thing
is bent badly.
Oh! Uh-oh!
[chris] a hard shot by fusion.
Tantrum looks stunned.
[kenny] yeah, tantrum
having some drive issues.
Fusion has an opportunity here.
Ooh!
[chris] and tantrum, not
afraid to go right into that
horizontal spinner
takes a hard shot from fusion.
Reese ewert trying
to make a comeback.
Fusion looking for room
to reset, here.
-[kenny] uh-oh!
-[chris] oh! Fusion climbs
on top of tantrum.
And now fusion is in
engulfed in flames!
[kenny] wow!
[chris] holy smokes!
Just don't do anything risky.
See if you got drive.
[chris] fusion is on fire,
but tantrum's like,
"how do I put this thing out?
Get off of me!"
[kenny] tantrum is still moving.
Even with a 250-pound
bot on its head.
Hey, chris. I don't see
anything working on fusion.
[chris] now, reese ewert's
in serious trouble.
No wheels. No weapon.
And a countdown. It could
be coming soon.
[referee] counting to 10!
-Yep! There it is.
The ref has seen enough.
-[counting]
fusion completely
incapacitated on top
of tantrum's head.
-And we have never, ever seen
anything quite like this.
-[buzzer blares]
[cheering]
[chris] that look on reese
ewert's face says it all.
[speaking indistinctly]
[chris] well, one of
the crazier endings
to a fight we've seen in
a very, very long time.
Break this one down
for us, mr. Florian.
[kenny] this was pretty
one-sided to start, chris.
Tantrum clearly had the speed
advantage and used it to
control fusion
and land some power shots.
But after this huge
collision right here,
tantrum damaged its weapon
and fusion turned the tables.
[chris] reese ewert's bot was
able to score some points
with its horizontal spinner.
It was actually looking
pretty strong.
But how about this?
Fusion trying to attack with
its vertical, climbs
up on tantrum's face and then...
-Explodes!
-[kenny] yeah, I'm not sure
I've ever seen a countdown
start while a bot was on
another bot's head.
But it was obvious that fusion
was completely disabled.
The ref had seen enough.
And it was good night, fusion.
Aren hill, you have made it
now to the round of 16.
How did you survive that mess?
I survived, but I made
a really stupid move.
- No best driver award
for me on this one.
- Why?
He was up and teeter-tottering
I didn't need to be anywhere
near that.
He was gonna hit the ground
and go somewhere else.
Instead, he landed on me.
And now I got some work to do.
Big picture, here. You arrived
with your bot and you didn't
know exactly how good you were
gonna be. Now you're one of
the final 16 robots.
How impressive is that!
We're pretty stoked with how
far the concept has come
and the amount of work
and upgrades we've managed
to put in over this event.
Being in the top 16
feels awesome.
Aren, congratulations.
Go take that bot to the pits.
And we'll see you in
the round of 16.
See you, guys.
[cheering]
[chris] so a tip of
the cap to team tantrum
as they will be moving on
to the second round.
Where they will face
the number 2 overall seed,
bloodsport.
And as for reese ewert
and rookie bot fusion,
it is back to the farm
for an off-season overall.
Coming up, our final
bout of the night.
Tombstone-k*ller skorpios
taking on a resurgent
witch doctor.
The 10 seed takes on
the reigning runner-up.
That's next on battlebots!
[faruq] the winner...
Bloodsport!
Well, kenny you and pete
always chicken out.
You say I don't wanna be
the judge in this
particular fight.
So right now, let's turn our
attention to the people
who have no choice. Because
they are our battlebots judges
derek, you were the only judge
that had team gruff winning.
On your scorecard.
Why did you see it that way?
Basically it was
the damage to bloodsport.
The broken weapon,
the broken wedgelets.
And what I really
wanted to see was
bloodsport continuing to try
to use its weapon.
I think that would've tipped
into their favor, had they
been a little more aggressive.
Jason bardis ended up
voting for the winner,
team bloodsport.
Jason, why did you go
that direction?
That was a tough call.
But, while bloodsport lost
most of its primary weapon,
gruff lost half its drive.
And to me, mobility and drive
is more important than
the weapon because that really
drives aggression and control.
[chris] what an impressive
performance by bloodsport!
[chris] we are back
on battlebots
and we are down to just one
remaining fight in
the round of 32.
The winner of this match-up
of course goes on to face
7th seed, sawblaze.
It's the 23rd seed witch
doctor taking on the number
10 seed, skorpios.
And, yes, you heard me right.
The 23rd seed witch doctor.
That's what happens when you
go 1 and 2 and you have to
sweat it out, to await word
from the selection committee
just to make it to
the post-season party.
This lacking a little
confidence right now
or are they okay?
[kenny] I think they're okay.
I can't remember a season
where witch doctor
didn't face an uphill battle.
If you remember the beginning
of last season.
They were struggling
with weapon motors
for the first few fights.
And of course, they went on
to almost win the giant nut.
They've got a strategic
surgeon in mike gellatly.
You just can't
count these guys out.
[chris] well, zach lytle
of skorpios is no slouch
with a radio, himself.
In the last match-up
of the qualifying round,
skorpios shocked the world
by knocking out tombstone.
Oh, my goodness!
And their reward from
the selection committee,
another monster in witch doctor.
This is what happens if you
wanna become a legendary
bot builder, you have to beat
legendary bot builders.
[kenny] back-to-back legends
here for zach lytle
and skorpios.
It'll be a whole lot of fun.
Faruq, do your thing.
[crowd cheering]
in the blue square,
from miami, florida,
the voodoo doll to rule them
all, it's witch doctor!
[crowd cheering]
[chris] kenny, when we asked
andrea gellatly what changed
with witch doctor coming into
tonight, she said,
"not a single thing."
[kenny] yeah, that's right.
After finally notching that
first win, they were so happy
with how the robot performed.
That they're sticking with
what got them here.
They just checked it for damage,
gave it the all-clear
and are ready to make
another long run.
[cheering]
in the red square, from
crockett, california,
is the hardcore-pios, skorpios!
[crowd cheering]
[chris] zach lytle and his
wife diana tarlson
make up team skorpios.
How much does this fight
mean to them, kenny?
Skorpios!
[kenny] well, it
means everything.
Where witch doctor has felt
the heat of the finals,
each win for the rest of
skorpios' season is
a career high.
In the truest sense of the
phrase, "this is the biggest
fight of zach lytle's life."
[chris] pete, skorpios has got
a new set of choppers.
You have any intel for us?
I got some for you, guys.
So if you notice right there
on that front wedge,
there's been some sort of
shark teeth
that have been added
to the front.
That is because witch doctor's
a little taller off the ground
on the sides and they planned
that's how they're gonna get
the high center.
Get that underneath there.
[chris] it should be a lot of
fun. This is a tasty match-up,
no questions about it.
Totally. If there's anybody
that can around to the side
of witch doctor,
it's gonna be zach.
[robot voice] robots activate.
[people cheering]
[chris] two versatile bots,
each with a grab-bag of ways
to get it done.
But only one can move
on to the top 16.
[robot voice] blue team, ready?
[applause]
[robot voice] red team, ready?
[evil laugh]
[people cheering]
[crowd chanting]
fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzer blaring]
[chris] let the
bot battle begin!
Two really good drivers,
mike gellatly, zach lytle.
[kenny] witch doctor showing
off its speed right now.
Uh-oh!
[chris] but it is caught
in skorpios' claw and...
Ooh!
Whoa! A hard-driving shot
by witch doctor.
[kenny] great job by
mike gellatly to get off of
the front wedge of skorpios.
Went right on the attack right
after too...
[chris] oh! What a hit. Big hit.
Witch doctor climbed
up on skorpios and dropped
a b*mb straight to their saw.
[kenny] and that weapon
is no longer spinning, chris.
Not gonna stop zach lytle
from being aggressive, though.
[chris] uh-oh, witch doctor
backed into the corner.
Oh! Skorpios fires that
hammer saw but it's got no
juice, kenny.
So what's the play here?
No, it's twisted from those
hits, chris and now it feels
like zach lytle's thinking
he has to break
witch doctor's weapon
before they rack up any more
damage points.
[chris] and that is huge
in the eyes of the judges.
In scoring of damage,
the biggest part of that
is damage done
with your primary weapon.
And right now witch doctor's
primary weapon is full-bore.
[kenny] and that weapon
is so dangerous.
- [chris and kenny] oh!
- [chris] and to get in there.
Skorpios needs to make
a push here.
Zach lytle is doing a great
job of keeping
his wedge pointed
at witch doctor at all times.
[chris] yeah, but without its
primary weapon, skorpios
is behind the eight-ball.
Can they find a way to turn
the tide?
90 seconds to go in this one.
Oh, a huge hit
by witch doctor!
And another one.
Uh-oh! Witch doctor
gets flipped back over.
Oh, but does a nice
job recovering.
Skorpios now just trying
to utilize the battlebox
to its advantage, kenny.
[kenny] yeah, the other thing
that's in play here
for skorpios
is just trying to keep
the pressure on witch doctor.
And maybe burn out their
motors in a pushing match.
[chris] oh, once again,
a nice little kiss out there.
[kenny] witch doctor trying
to go after the tires.
That right tire of skorpios,
looks like it's compromised.
Some hammer shots on the top
of witch doctor.
[chris] great use of
the pulverizer. Perfect timing
under a minute to go.
Both these bots with some
magnificent driving.
Skorpios!
[both laugh]
- [chris and kenny] oh!
- [chris] nice work!
That powerful weapon from
witch doctor definitely piling
up some points.
[kenny] skorpios has some
serious horsepower able
to bully witch doctor around.
What a shot by witch doctor!
[chris] I don't know
if it's doing a ton of damage
or not,
but, boy, that double disc
is something sensational
to see.
[kenny] those are the kinda
shots that are gonna impress
the judges, chris.
Get back here,
and stop running away!
[chris] under 15 to go!
Skorpios, one last push.
Trying to take witch doctor
into the screws.
But mike gellatly does
a great job getting back
to the center of the box.
It's the final few ticks,
as this round of 32 match
goes the distance.
[buzzer blaring]
[applause and cheering]
[woman] we got them!
Yes! Holy cow!
This is amazing.
[chris] kenny, we saw
bloodsport overcome the loss
of its primary weapon
to win a split decision
earlier tonight.
Does skorpios have a chance
to do the very same thing?
[kenny] you know zach lytle
drove an amazing fight
and definitely scored some
control and aggression points.
You could argue skorpios
did use its primary weapon
to land some shots.
Just, without an active saw.
But I think the difference
here is, that unlike gruff
in that fight you mentioned,
witch doctor stayed
mobile and aggressive
the entire fight.
There was no let up,
just non-stop attack.
[chris] well, crazier things
have happened.
Skorpios with a masterful
display of driving,
but was witch doctor's
onslaught just too much?
Faruq has the decision.
The results from the judges
are in.
[cheering]
the winner by unanimous
decision is...
Witch doctor!
[cheering]
[chris] andrea
and mike gellatly.
How in the world did you get
this done tonight?
We haven't slept for the past
Just because witch doctor's
the number 23 seed
doesn't mean it's any less
powerful than last year.
The past fights are behind us,
we're starting over.
This is the best witch doctor
we've ever seen. And we're
just getting started.
Can you guys take us
through the fight
a little bit?
Uh, not really.
No, it's all a blur.
I know that they were gonna
come out fast
and be all over us.
Just like every opponent
is really stepping their game
up this year.
So it was really about trying
to stay off their forks,
which they got under us
a couple of times.
But I was able to kinda gyro
the robot off.
And avoid them putting
us up on the screws
or into the hammer.
And they did hammer us,
but whatever.
So it was really all about
getting, landing a couple
of big hits
and just showing
a dominance and...
Damage and I think we might
have broken their weapon
at the beginning.
So we got lucky a few times
they pinned us
and they weren't able
to really execute with a good
hammer move,
which I know they were
relying on.
I mean we're super excited
and like andrea said,
you know, I think I think
the old witch doctor is back
and better than ever.
[chris] andrea, you guys were
in the final a season ago
against bite force.
You know you've got a target
on your back.
How exhausting is it when
you know you're getting
everybody's best?
I mean, so far before this
season the pressure was always
to prove to ourselves that
witch doctor was worthy
to be here.
This season we're trying
to live up to everybody else's
expectations, you know.
It's more important than ever
to show the best witch doctor
that we can bring.
All right, great job
and we will see you now
in the round of 16.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
[cheering]
[chris] so witch doctor pulls
off the upset and avoids
the sting of skorpios.
Last year's runner-up
officially advances
to the quarterfinals.
And to zach lytle and skorpios,
who took out tombstone
in the qualifier this year,
congratulations on a season
to remember.
What a night!
Experience reigns supreme,
as all six rookie teams were
sent packing it round one.
And seven of the top eight seeds
are still alive going
into the round of 16.
Can't wait to see
the next chapter.
We'll see you next time
here on battlebots
for the round of 16.
Think you have what it takes
to be the next
battlebots world champion?
Go to discovery. Com/battlebots
and find out how to join
in on the action.
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05x12 - We're Beast Slayin' Tonight!
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Show is an adaptation of the American Robot Wars competitions hosted in the mid–late 1990s by Marc Thorpe, in which competitors design and operate remote-controlled armed and armored machines designed to fight in an arena combat elimination tournament.
Show is an adaptation of the American Robot Wars competitions hosted in the mid–late 1990s by Marc Thorpe, in which competitors design and operate remote-controlled armed and armored machines designed to fight in an arena combat elimination tournament.