01x01 - Heat 1

[bunniefuu]

[theme music playing]

[The Miz]
The arena is live.

♪Came and stomped it♪

The turf is shaking.

♪You can't stop it♪

And the greatest games
on Earth are back

and bigger than ever.

♪Come for one in the arena♪

This is American Gladiators.

And it's supercharged.

[screaming]

[The Miz]
Eight elite men...

[Chris] He drags him down.
You ain't seen nothing yet.

[The Miz]
Eight fierce women...

[Chris]
And there she goes!

That's right, baby!
That's a hot cake! It's my half!

[The Miz]
...here to defend their turf.

[groans]

♪Remember my name♪

[screams]

♪Step in the light of the...♪

[The Miz] And trying to take it...


Whoo!

What the heck is happening here?

♪Come for one♪

[Rocsi]
He's bleeding!

This ain't choreography. It's combat.

[The Miz]
The classic games are back.

♪Here for the people♪

♪All you've got...♪

You ain't never seen
a fake man move this side.

[The Miz]
Big new twist.

The Ring. Crash Course. The Edge.

[Chris]
Eagle closed him down.

[The Miz]
Gripping rip take-downs...

[Chris]
Oh, no!

[The Miz]
High-flying tackles...

-[Chris] But he gets level.
-[Rocsi] Wow!

[The Miz]
And photo-finish races.

Faster!

[screaming]

-Daddy's home!
-[music stops]

-[music continues]
-[The Miz] Kick the tires,

light the fires...

And hold on to your phone fingers,
America.

♪Remember my name♪

[The Miz]
This is American Gladiators.

[guitar solo]

[audience cheering]

[music starts]

From the one and only Gladiator Arena.

Get it going for our American Gladiators.

Whoo!

This is peak America, folks.

Now, give it up for your host,
The Miz!

♪Step to the good, let the chaos begin♪

♪I got you in my size, that's a lot, damn♪

Yeah!

[rap music continues]

Let's go!

[music continues]

[The Miz]
Good evening!

And welcome
to the most All-American beat-down

ever seen on screen,
American Gladiators.

[music continues]

This season, 24 contenders go
head-to-head with the most jacked,

muscle machines on Earth,

your American Gladiators.

And all of our contenders are
in the house tonight.

[cheering]

Joining me to keep track
of all the wild action,

is our sideline extraordinaire
and co-host, Rocsi Diaz.

[festive music]

-Whoo!
-[The Miz] Listen to this crowd!

[Rocsi]
This is amazing!

Thank you so much, Miz.
I am honored to help bring back

one of the best sporting events
of all time.

This is absolutely wild!

Talk about dreams coming true.
I mean, I know you were a huge fan

-growing up in Ohio.
-Are... Are you kidding me?

-I used to play it...
-Turbo, Nitro,

Malibu, Siren, Sky...

-Wow!
-I can go on!

Wait a minute.
The best one ever, Gemini!

Gemini!

-An American Gladiator.
-[cheering]

Hey, Gemini, love you!

[The Miz]
But before we jump into the action,

I'm handing it over
to our play-by-play commentator,

Chris Rose!

[rock music]

[Chris]
Thank you very much, Miz.

I'm a huge fan and fired up
to be here to help carry on

the American Gladiator legacy.
Now, let's talk points.

Our contenders are going to face off
against the Gladiators in three events.

Whiplash, Joust and Powerball.

Every point they rack up
over their opponents,

buys them a half-second head start
in The Eliminator,

which decides who moves on
and who goes home.

So, if you want the advantage,
better start scoring early.

[The Miz]
Let's get this party started!

What's first on the agenda?

[Rocsi]
After 30 years, the legend returns.

And it's more ruthless than ever.

Whiplash!

With 30 seconds on the clock,
a contender and a Gladiator

grip onto the bone.

It's a brutal game of push and pull.

Toss a Gladiator out,
that's ten points.

Survive the clock, five points.

Let go or get launched,
enjoy the view from the mat.

[Chris] We're kicking things off
tonight with our women's heat.

Meet Francheska Martinez,
who defied spinal injuries as a kid,

and now wants to help those
who need it the most.

She's facing off against
physical therapist, Ayonna Procter,

the first contender tonight
to take on a Gladiator.

Let's get to know Ayonna.

My name is Dr. Ayonna Procter,
from Elba, Alabama.

Basketball was my passion
from a young age.

I thought I was going to go pro.

Elba, Alabama is a small place,
but I was one of the top athletes,

I guess you can say.
Out of high school,

I tried out
for University of West Alabama,

and I made the team. However,
I was more of a bench warmer.

My mom did sit me down, and she was
like, "No, that's a hobby."

-[sad music]
-Ugh... And then, I cried, you know.

She said, "Well, if I were you,
I'd be a doctor."

I'm like, every parent wants their kids
to be a doctor, you know?

So, that's kind of what got me
on the road to physical therapy,

and I love it. I love it.

[action music]

Competing on American Gladiators...
this is like a reminder

of how much I wanted to be out there,
and I didn't get that shot.

So, I'm gonna show her what I got.
I just want her to be proud of me.

I am who I am because of her.
So, yeah.

[exclaims]

It's not... it's a fun show.
Why are we crying? I'm not doing that.

[man]
Get the pull!

[The Miz]
First up on Whiplash is Ayonna.

I'm pretty sure Whiplash isn't part
of her usual treatment plan,

especially against this Gladiator.

Get ready for a weather beating.
It's Hurricane!

[Rocsi]


straight out of the South,
this climate disaster shows

no mercy to contenders.

[Chris] Hurricane looks pumped up
and ready to go.

The game-face is on.

Time to send it over
to our head referee, Thomas Taylor,

joined by Robin DeLorenzo
and Mike Sydara. Thomas!

["American Gladiators" music plays]

Contender, ready?

[Chris] Ayonna's banking
on her quick reflexes

from her basketball days
to give her an advantage here.

Gladiator, ready?

[everyone]
Yeah!

-[audience cheering]
-Whoo!

[Thomas]
Three, two, one!

[whistle blows]

For the first time in nearly two decades,
American Gladiators is back!

Hurricane trying to body
her way in on the doctor.

Procter getting wheeled around.
So strong in the legs. So tough.

About a 12-pound difference
between the two.

[growling]

Under 15 to go. Both Gladiator
and competitor are down.

But not out. This has turned
into a wrestling match.

-[screams]
-[whistle blows]

Oh! She gets thrown off!

[rock music]

With just seconds to go!

[The Miz] Winds are gusting.

That's a category five in my book.

[Chris]
Look at Hurricane in the crowd.

She's still going and going.

The crowd cheering her on.

Hurricane coming, baby. A hurricane!

[Chris] With Dr. Procter
shut out by Hurricane,

her opponent is hoping to put up
some big points on the board.

Let's get to know Francheska.

[in Spanish] My name is Francheska.
I'm 31 years old.

And I'm from Miami.

My culture is everything.

It is my soul.
It is my connection to my people.

[in English] My family is Cuban
and Colombian.

A lot of strong women in my family.

Fiery and passionate.
We love food.

And my best memories of growing up
are dance parties.

When I was a kid, I used to love to dance,
but one summer, I broke my back.

[somber music]

I had so much pain,
I couldn't sit for long durations,

couldn't dance.

That injury has followed me
my whole life.

People think that our life is over,
or they're not able to...

This gets me emotional.

This injury was incredibly impactful
for my life,

and I actually ended up studying
exercise sports science.

It's really taught me to just overcome
any challengers that you have.

To represent people that have had
these injuries means the world.

I'm going against the best of the best,
and that makes me feel so excited.

It makes me feel honored to be here,
but they're gonna underestimate me,

and I'm gonna sneak attack them.
I'm gonna win.

[The Miz] Francheska is looking
to see if all that sports experience

can handle our next Gladiator.

She's fresh out of the furnace,
and she wants all the smoke,

Blaze!

[Rocsi]
Coming in hot at 6'0 ft, 185 pounds.

This wildfire from the Ozarks
is impossible to contain.

-[cheering]
-["American Gladiators" music]

[Chris] Francheska earns
some serious bravery points.

She's giving up nine inches
and sixty pounds to Blaze.

Contender, ready?

Gladiator, ready?

[Chris] Back in the old day,
you can only use

one hand in this event.
Now, you can use two.

There's a lot of pushing and pulling,

kind of like my marriage.
Hi, honey.

[tense music]

-[Thomas] Three, two, one!
-[whistle blows]

[Chris]
The 32nd battle is underway!

The Gladiator trying to pull
the competitor outside the ring!

Francheska is down, but she's not out

for the count, gets back on her feet!

-[whistle blows]
-Throws off the Gladiator!

And it is over!
Ten points for the contender!

Francheska has done it!

[Rocsi]
Wow!

[Chris] After Whiplash, Francheska,
ten, Ayonna, nothing.

That means that Francheska would have
a five-second head start

for The Eliminator,
but there's still two more events

where that time could change.

Now, let's head on over
to the men's heat.

This is Exodus Rodgers
from the rough part of Sacramento.

He wants to show kids he mentors
that there is an avenue to success.

He's up against Tavares Chambliss.
At 43-years-old,

Tavares is actually our oldest competitor
this season.

This dude waited nearly 20 years
to finally get his call.

Let's find out more.

I'm Tavares Chambliss, 43-years-old,
from Chicago, Illinois.

Let's go, let's go!

And I'm a gym owner.

American Gladiators was the first thing
that ever made me want

to really be athletic.
My favorite Gladiator was Nitro,

'cause he was one
of the smaller Gladiators,

but he was still tough, you know,
ready to go at all times,

trying to prove himself,
and me being a 5'5,

I've always had to prove myself, so...

this is what got me into fitness.

I tried out 17 years ago...

Just let you know why I should be
the number-one contestant

on American Gladiators.

And I was sneaking into these gyms.
I'm working out,

trying out to do a little bit
of everything.

And when I didn't quite make it,
I mean, I guess... uh...

I've had trouble believing in myself.

[somber music]

Dealing with the rejection,
you keep your faith,

and keep it moving.
I just stayed working out at that gym.

That lets me becoming a trainer.
And now I own a gym.

The fact that,
I finally made it on the show,

I'm supposed to be here.
That was God's perfect plan, so...

I'm here, baby.

[cheering]

[The Miz] First off, Tavares,
who has dreamt of this moment for years.

Can he snag
a league with this Gladiator

trying to take him down?

[rock music]

He's made out of the toughest stuff
on Earth,

give it out for...

Steel!

[cheering]

[Rocsi] Steel was forged
for events like this.

This 5'10, 205-pounder sets off
metal detectors

just by flexing.

-["American Gladiators" theme music]
-Thomas, take it away with the call!

[Thomas] Maintain your grip
and we will start on my whistle.

[Chris] Tavares' mom is here,
and who says, "You'll remember

the name Tavares Chambliss
by the end of this competition."

Contender, ready?

You are pretty, though.

[Thomas]
Gladiator, ready?

[Chris] Steel looks like
a young Arnold Schwarzenegger,

probably saying...

[imitates Arnold] "Tavares, I want you
to have a fantastic time meal,

but you're gonna leave
with a bad case of Whiplash."

-[Thomas] Three, two, one!
-[whistle blows]

[Chris] We're underway.
The game of push-pull.

Tavares' using that leverage
to his advantage.

-He's on the edge. Ow!
-[whistle blows]

Steel lost grip before Tavares left.

We have a restart.

[Chris] Both of the Gladiators' hands

came off of the bone
before Tavares was outside

the boundaries of the ring.

You got to get up.

[Chris] Oh! So the referee warns Tavares,
"You gotta get up."

And he says, "Okay."

Gentlemen, maintain your grip,
and we will start on my whistle.

[woman]
Tavares, you can't let go!

[man]
Come on!

[Chris]
A restart with 22 seconds remaining.

Come on! That's it!

[whistle blows]

We're back underway.
Tavares down on one knee.

Get back up, Steel.
Trying to whip him out of the ring.

[suspenseful music]

-[whistle blows]
-Oh!

Look at Tavares. He got it!

-[The Miz] ...go! Let's go!
-[Rocsi] What?

-[cheering]
-[Thomas] The game is not over yet.

-[Thomas] The game isn't over.
-Who's 5'5.

He's showing them
doesn't matter about size.

It's all on the heart, baby.

The game is not over.

We had premature celebration.

Gentlemen, we will be going
to the replay booth.

We're going
to the replay booth, baby.

[The Miz] Oh, man.
Oh! What is going on?

[Chris] Here's what's going on, Miz.
They're looking to see if Tavares

had control of the bone
during Steel's take-down,

or if he let go too soon.

Who do you guys think is the winner?
Do you think Tavares is the winner?

[cheering]

Or do you think Steel is the winner?

-[cheering]
-[The Miz] Wow!

[Chris]
Let's go to the replay.

One hand must remain on the bone
until your opponent is outside

the plane of the ring.

That's the crucial rule
in question here.

Thomas, what's the call?

After further review,
the contender's still main control

of the bone when the Gladiator was
out of the ring,

ten points for our contender.

-[The Miz] Let's go!
-[cheering]

Dreams do come true.

[indistinct] ...right now. Let's go.

Give it up for Tavares.
Give it up for Steel.

[The Miz]
Up next, it's Exodus.

[Chris]
Let's find out more about the man.

I'm Exodus Rogers, I'm 38.
I'm from Sacramento, California.

And I'm a probation officer.

I pretty much grew up
all over Sacramento in the neighborhoods

that have violence going on.

I saw a lot of stuff
that I shouldn't have seen.

I was never interested in that life.
I have to do my best.

When I work in juvenile hall,
my role is to be a role model.

The kids that I worked with now are
similar to the kids that I grew up with,

I'm able to get into their psyche,
and understand how they think,

and implement my childhood experiences
into my work.

I'm a 24/7 dad, I got a son,
and 200 of other kids.

I know these Gladiators are big,
but you guys should be shaking

in your unitards
because I'm ready to battle.

He looks ready to throw down,
but good luck grounding this Gladiator.

His claws are shut,
but his mind is sharp.

It's Eagle!

Looks like the bird herd is
represented well in the audience tonight.

[Rocsi] With a 6'4 wingspan
and the heart of a hunter,

Eagle's an elite soldier
with claws like a trap.

Thomas, let's keep this going.

["American Gladiators" theme music]

[Chris] Exodus with two
of his good friends in the crowd.

Maintain your grip. Don't start.

Maintain your grip,
and we'll start on my whistle.

You already see a little tug of w*r
between Exodus and Eagle.

Contender, ready?

[cheering]

[Chris]
He doesn't care that he's giving up



Gladiator, ready?

[cheering]

[Thomas]
Three, two, one!

[whistle blows]

[Chris] We're underway.
Eagle swings around Exodus!

And throws him right out of the ring

-in less than five seconds.
-Game over!

[Thomas speaking indistinctly]

-[Chris] Holy smokes!
-[Rocsi] What?

[Chris]
Did we even start?

Eagle takes care of business
as Exodus exits stage left

and leaves with zero points.

What just happened?

He's not even breaking a sweat yet.

Wasn't necessary.

[audience exclaims]

Wow!

[Chris] After Whiplash,
Tavares has ten, Exodus, nothing.

And remember, every point led equates
to a half-second head start

in The Eliminator.

Time for the next event!

And if you're sitting on a lead,
don't get too comfy,

this is the highest scoring event
in the arena.

Powerball!

[rock music]

[Rocsi] Powerball.
One minute of pure adrenaline.

Contenders dodging Gladiators
while attempting to land ba*ls

into scoring pods.

Two points for pods
on the outside.

Three points for the pod
in the center.

Flee and you're on your back.

Francheska and Ayonna look ready.
Their goal is simple.

Rack up as many points
as possible in those pods.

Easier said than done

with these Gladiators standing
in their way.

She'll rock a lady
and Rockefeller.

Empire!

[Rocsi] Empire is 5'8,


One wrong step
and this Brooklyn bad girl

will drop you quicker
that a New York minute.

[The Miz]
You can't get her out of your head.

Because she nearly took it off.

Crush!

[Rocsi] She's 5'6, 170 pounds,
and once you meet Crush,

you won't get over her.

[The Miz]
And finally, she's got your scent,

it's Huntress!

[Rocsi]
Huntress trains like a lion in the gym,

and like a cheetah running track.

Those skills make her a predator
no contender escapes.

Let's get it.

All right, Thomas. Power us up!

["American Gladiators" theme music]

[Chris] Ayonna Procter is still hoping
to score big in front of her mom.

-Contenders, ready?
-Yeah!

Francheska trying to build
on her ten-nothing lead over Dr. Procter.

Gladiators, ready?

Average weight of these three Gladiators
over 150 pounds.

[Thomas]
Three, two, one!

-[whistle blows]
-[Chris] Francheska staring down

at two Gladiators, shoots from a distance,
wouldn't have counted anyway.

Ayonna jukes around Crush
for an easy two.

Dr. Procter gets on the board
with an easy deuce.

Now, she's one-on-one against Crush,
and gets another two.

Francheska,
she gets pushed out of bounds.

Ayonna's lost the ball.
She's got to go to the other end,

She doesn't know! Dr. Procter,
getting ramped up by Crush,

can she worked her way in?
She's close.

Crush crushes the doctor.

Francheska-- Oh! Ribbing out.

Crush gets her revenge
against Ayonna with a huge takedown.

[Thomas]
Over here, blue.

[Chris] Francesca, one-on-one.
She gets in and on the board.

It's four-to-two.

Doctor Procter has lost a little steam.

Under 20 to go.

Blue! Ball's dead, red.

-I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
-[Chris] Francheska dropped the ball!

She's got to go to the other end
and pick up a new one.

Under ten to go.

Dr. Procter takes
another huge hit from Crush.

I hope her mom's got
some ibuprofen handy.

-[Crush] Come on!
-Under five to go!

Francheska,
one last shot from the distance.

-No good.
-[whistle blows]

Ayonna wins Powerball,
four-to-two, the final.

[Empire]
Let's go!

Those ladies kind of gave you
a run for your money a little bit, Empire.

I walk like this
when I take the train in New York City.

Yeah, I'm gonna give it to her.
She was a little firecracker,

she was cute, but come on now,
I'm sexy.

Huntress, you guys really, really,
really gave them no chance out there.

I mean, they were good, but I think
the best part about us is that

we're a team and we're a family,
it was all about communication.

We had a plan and we stuck to it.

I love it. And what was that plan?
Can you share it?

We can't tell you the Gladiators' secret.

All right, fine! Tell me later, girl.

The secret is, we just destroy,
we crush, you know!

I love that. One more time,
Empire, Crush and Huntress!

[Chris] After Powerball,
Francheska leads Ayonna twelve-to-four.

If that lead holds,
it's a minor four-second head start

for Francheska come Eliminator time,
but there's still one event left

before the finale.

Okay, let's take it back
to the men's heat now.

Exodus Rogers is doing this
for his three-year-old son, Moses.

[baby exclaims]

[Exodus] My son's going
on three-years-old right now,

and he's the best thing
that's ever happened to me.

I'm a heavily-involved father, 100%.

Now, I got meal plans for him.
We got workouts.

I got him a little punching bag.
Now, he watches me,

emulates me. We work out.

Becoming a dad motivated me more
than anything could motivate me.

I want to be a superhero to my son,
so, he has something to look up to,

and maybe strive to go above.

[The Miz] Exodus and Tavares are hoping
to capitalize

on this high-scoring opportunity,

but who are the gladiators
ready to take our contenders down?

At the speed of light, it's Neon!

[crowd cheering]

[Rocsi] At 6'2" and 220 pounds, Neon is
the life of this pummel party.

One lights up the room and the other one
leaves it an absolute mess.

Give it up for Mayhem!

[Rocsi] 6'5", 240 pounds of psycho.

Mercy ain't in his vocabulary.

[The Miz] And returning
to this event, it's...

Eagle!

[cheering]

Thomas, let's do this.

["American Gladiators" theme music]

Contenders, ready!

Reminder that the contenders can score
as many points as possible.

There are no limitations.

Gladiators, ready!

[Chris] Neon, Eagle and Mayhem,
average weight almost 245 pounds,

and they've got quickness as well.

[Thomas] Three, two, one!

[whistle blows]

[Chris] Exodus one-on-one
with Eagle out of the gate,

side steps the tackle and gets two!

[grunts]

[crowd groaning]

[Chris] Oh, no, oh, no.
Tavares gets thrown down.

Exodus rimming out, no shot there.

Release, gladiator, release, release!

[Chris] Closing in on 30 seconds,
plenty of time to make a move.

Tavares looks like he cut his lip,
but that doesn't seem to be stopping him.

[grunts]

Tavares, my goodness!

This Powerball match is brutal!

Under 20 to go. Uh-oh, both contenders
in the same area get--

Tavares gets two! So does Exodus!

And look at this strategy.
Exodus hangs back,

he lets Tavares
take the lead and the hits.

Tavares gets double-teamed,
which clears the way for Exodus

to snag an easy two points.

Both contenders on the board.

Tavares gets double-teamed and down!

One-on-one, Exodus dragged down by Eagle.

Under ten to go.

Tavares dragged down by Neon,
drops his ball while he's at it.

Exodus, working against Mayhem.

Oh, no. Oh, no.

[whistle blows]

And that's gonna do it.

Exodus wins four to two in what was
an absolute melee in Powerball.

That's too easy, boy.

Tavares, is this the dream
or is it a nightmare, man?

There was some big boys out there
and they move fast as hell.

And, Exodus, you're used to keepin' peace,
but that was pure chaos.

Oh, yeah, I got to use
some force on these guys.

Look at them. They're giants.

Was it too violent out there?

I mean, we're gladiators.
What do you expect?

Well, you're contenders.
Those guys are gladiators.

I feel like you had
a little bit of déjà vu, Neon.

Because you were
playing football out there.

I think you forgot
about Gladiators for a little bit.

I grew up watching American Gladiators

and Powerball, specifically,
was the one event that I saw

that inspired me to play football.

Well, congratulations, fellas.
Eagle, Neon, Mayhem.

[crowd cheering]

[Chris] So that'll do it for Powerball.

Tavares leads Exodus 12 to 4.

Tavares's five-second head start
at the Eliminator

has been trimmed to just four seconds
heading into the Joust.

Rocsi, where are we going next?

[Rocsi] For the first time in 20 years...

Joust.

Armed with pugil sticks,

contenders square off against gladiators
on eight-foot platforms.

Stay up for 30 seconds
to earn five points,

knock the gladiator off for ten,

but if you don't stand your ground,
you don't stand a chance.

[The Miz] First up on Joust, it's Ayonna,
hoping to make a big move.

But that plan may go up in smoke

against this gladiator
trading her matchstick for a pugil stick.

It's Blaze!

Contender, ready!

[Chris] Wonder what sort of exercise

the doctor would prescribe
to get ready for the Joust.

Gladiator, ready!

Going against the physical specimen Blaze,
six feet, 185.

[Thomas] Three, two, one!

[whistle blows]

[Chris] Blaze... Swing and a miss,
a good shot by the doctor to the face!

Blaze trying to go
with the backhand and then the forehand!

Now here comes the doctor
with a one and two--

Oh, no! It's one big Blaze shot!

Have a nice trip.

[whistle blows]

Game is over! Gladiator is winner!
No points awarded!

[Chris] The doctor blanked in this event
as Blaze heads to Gloryville

Wow!

Come on over here, Blaze.

[Rocsi] How're you feeling over there?

[The Miz] Are you all alright?

I'm all right.
I really needed those points,

but you know, live to fight another day.

I'm looking forward to the Eliminator.

[The Miz] Talk about
the back and forth hits.

I mean, she was going
left, right, and then...

She got that one.

[Ayonna] It happened so fast.
I think I hit a couple good hits, though.

And I think you hit
a couple good hits, too,

wouldn't you say? Huh, girl?

I was like, "Are we at Yankee Stadium?"

'Cause the way you were winding up
that pugil stick,

I was like,
"You're hitting it out the park."

[The Miz] The wind up! The wind up!

[Rocsi] Well, how do you feel
about your performance, Blaze?

I feel so good. Number one,
she is strong. She is tough.

[Ayonna] Thank you.

She is wonderful,
but I got that good left hook

and no one's ready for that.
So props to her really.

-Wow. You did amazing.
-You did great.

All right, give it up
for Ayonna and Blaze!

Next up on Joust... Francheska,

hoping to put up a ten spot here,

but there's a gladiator
ready to blow that dream away.

Hurricane!

All right, Thomas, Joust time!

Contender, ready!

[Chris] Francheska told me
she's gonna use rotational power

to take it to the gladiator.

Gladiator, ready!

And she's gonna need it because Hurricane
outweighs her opponent by 35 pounds.

-[Thomas] Three, two, one!
-[whistle blows]

[Chris] Francheska giving up
a ton of weight in this,

but she's startled the gladiator.

Has Hurricane bouncing back!

Hurricane, the overhead smash.

She's got Francheska down...

Oh, wow!

[whistle blows]

It's been stopped! Referee Thomas!

Gladiator touched the contender's podium!

Gladiator is disqualified!
Ten points awarded to the contender!

[Chris] You heard it!

Thomas Taylor, our referee, said
Hurricane blew in the wrong direction.

Ended up on Francheska's podium
and the competitor gets a cool ten points.

Check out. Francheska almost falls off
at one point, regains her balance,

then Hurricane touches Francheska's podium
and it is over.

That's on me.
I saw Francheska, she's tinier.

I took her a little bit too lightly there.

I did, so nice job.

Francheska, you went up there
and you just came out swinging.

Oh, yeah. I came in hot,
had some Cuban coffee this morning,

and even though
she almost knocked me off balance,

I stayed focused.

And going up
against a girl like Hurricane,

that doesn't intimidate you at all?

No, she's cute.

[crowd laughs]

Wow. That... That she is.

Give it up for Francheska and Hurricane!

[Chris] After joust, Francheska has


That is an amazing nine-second head start
for Francheska

heading into the eliminator.

[The Miz] Next up, it's Exodus.

Remember, every point matters.

[crowd gasp]

[The Miz] Everyone, don't freak out.

[loud roar]

-[Rocsi] Who's that?
-[The Miz] Okay.

Maybe freak out a little.

[rock music]

Contenders, run!

[The Miz] Give a warm
Gladiator Arena welcome to...

Fang!

Oh, my God.

[Rocsi] My goodness.

Fang weighs in at 265 pounds
and with his wrestling chops,

he's less man and more mountain on Joust.

Can't wait to see this. Thomas, let's go!

Contender, ready!

[Chris] Exodus Rogers giving up
about 65 pounds to the gladiator.

Gladiator, ready!

You just saw his entrance down the wall.
We call that The Fang Hang.

[Thomas] Three, two, one!

[whistle blows]

Exodus trying
to kick Fang out of the gate.

Instead he's taking shot after shot.

Delivers a couple to the Fang, man!

Fang! Oh, no! Exodus, no, no, no!

[whistle blows]

So, Exodus doesn't pick up any points,
but he almost stuck the landing.

-[roars]
-[crowd cheering]

Fang, a triumphant debut
here on American Gladiator.

[The Miz] I mean, do we give points
for front flips?

Where did that come from?

Yeah, I had to improvise.

-Even on a loss, you still look great.
-[Rocsi laughs]

He hit me with a good shot.

Man, he's strong. These guys are big.

Fang, I know
you are a man of little words.

So, what would you like
to tell America, Fang?

[Fang exhales heavily]

[grunts]

Give it up for Exodus and Fang,
wherever he is!

[crowd cheering]

Next up, it's Tavares,

who's ready to light up
that scoreboard with ten points.

And he's facing Neon!

[electronic music]

Oh, no.

[speaking indistinctly]

Contender, ready!

Tavares, one of our smallest
male competitors this season,

stands just 5'5".

[yells]

Gladiator, ready!

[howls]

The height difference in this one.

[Thomas] Three, two, one!

[whistle blows]

[Chris] Here we go!

A barrage of hits
coming from both ways already!

Neon's not letting up.

Oh... Tavares loses his balance!

-Down goes the contender!
-[whistle blows]

[crowd cheering]

[yells]

[Chris] A great effort by the contender,

but he has literally nothing
to show for it, and earns zero points.

How about the anticipation from Tavares?

He was expecting Neon's first blow, ducks,

quickly goes on the attack,
but he gets a little too excited,

ends up on the mat.

An impressive flip.

Shame about the points.

[The Miz] It's been a dream,
it's been a dream.

Joust, it's iconic
on American Gladiators.

You got to just do that. What was it like?

Man, it's been 17 years
I've been waiting to do this.

Was Joust everything you thought
it was gonna be?

If I would have won, it would have been.

So, give me another chance.
Let's do it again, Neon.

[Rocsi] Oh, guys!

We got to give it up for Tavares

because he came out here,
and he gave me a great fight.

But the better man won today.

I let you have this one,
but next time I see you, it's on, brother.

Okay, good.

Everybody give it up for Tavares and Neon!

[crowd cheering]

[Chris] After Joust,
the men's heat... unchanged.

Tavares 12, Exodus 4.

That means that Tavares has
a four-second head start

heading into the Eliminator.

We couldn't have asked

for a better kickoff
to the return of American Gladiators.

Our brave contenders have battled
the entire night,

but there are only two spots
up for grabs in the semifinals.

We're starting this competition
with 24 contenders.

The top six men and the top six women
will advance to the semifinals,

and only one man and one woman

will win the $100,000
and the ultimate prize...

American Gladiator glory.

All right! We're headed
down the home stretch,

a shot at $100,000 on the line.

It's Eliminator time!

Rocsi, give us the rundown.

[Rocsi] The Eliminator!

A brutal race to the finish that'll leave
even the toughest contenders winded.

Two of them must power through
hurdles, scale ropes,

and navigate a pesky set of monkey bars.

After a daring trapeze leave,

they'll climb a tangled cargo net
and sh**t down the zipline.

Next, a sprint across the balance beam

and a final charge
up the legendary Travelator.

That's a 35-degree angle
running at top speed,

ten miles per hour for the men,
eight for the women,

before a daring rope swing
through the finish line.

[Chris] It all comes down to this.

Francheska and Ayonna are the first
to take on the all-new Eliminator.

Francheska scored big
in the first three events tonight,

earning 22 points
over three events tonight,

While Dr. Proctor was only able

to get her prescription filled
for four points.

That difference gives Francheska a major
nine-second head start in the Eliminator.

After scoring in every event tonight,
could she make it a clean sweep?

[crowd cheering]

Contenders, ready!

[Chris] Nine-second head start
for Francheska Martinez.

That is huge.

[Thomas] Three, two, one!

[whistle blows]

[Chris] Francheska off and running.

[whistle blows]

Ayonna Proctor is off and running.

Francheska already up on the monkey bars,
where she falls off.

She'll incur a ten-second penalty.

Dr. Proctor gets
to the top of the rope climb

and now onto the monkey bars.

Francheska already at the trapeze.

Swings across and makes it.

Now onto the cargo net
as she wildly jumps onto that thing.

Dr. Proctor unleashing the trapeze.

She gets across, too.

She's made up a little bit of time.

Eyes the cargo net,
a berth of the semifinals at stake.

Huge jump by Dr. Proctor.

Francheska Martinez almost to the top.

It'll be Martinez first!

Francheska!

[Chris] Ayonna Proctor having
a little trouble,

somewhat stuck in neutral.

Here comes Francheska Martinez!

Both competitors dreaming of $100,000
if they can win the whole thing.

But first, the spot
at the semifinals at stake.

Oh, look at Martinez!

Beautifully on top of the balance...

Oh-h*! She gets across.

Just the Travelator stands
between Francheska Martinez

and a berth in the semi.

In the meantime,
down the zip line is Ayonna Proctor.

Martinez is... is...

-Oh...
-[crowd gasps]

Back down the Travelator.

Oh, Ayonna Proctor used her hand.
She has to restart.

Oh, face-first is Martinez!

If Ayonna Proctor can get
across the balance beam...

Oh, she falls off and has to restart.

Francheska Martinez, a third try!

She's almost... no...

Francheska Martinez cannot get up there.

This is the woman that is so injury prone.

When she was 12 years old,
she broke her back.

Now the question is, does she have
a broken spirit at the Travelator?

Dr. Proctor has made it
across the balance beam.

Francheska Martinez,
a fourth try, cannot do it!

Dr. Ayonna Proctor getting
some deep breaths,

one strong push to land her
in the semifinals.

Here she goes! Oh, she goes down!

The Travelator, traveling
at eight miles an hour,

at a 35-degree angle!

[indistinct shout]

Moving this Travelator from the beginning
to the end, pure genius!

Both competitors out of breath!

They're exhausted.

Who can push through?

-[crowd gasping]
-[Chris] It's not Martinez this time.

Dr. Proctor now has
a chance to overtake Francheska.

This would be
an insane come-from-behind victory.

Does she have what it takes
to make it to the top?

Here goes Dr. Proctor!

Is it enough to push her to the top?

It is! She has made it to the top!

She burst through the paper!

Ayonna Proctor erases
a nine-second deficit for the win!

Next stop, the semifinals!

What should America know
about American Gladiators?

It is no joke and this is
the real deal, baby.

[The Miz] Thank you very much,
Francheska.

Ayonna, congratulations,
you're going to the semifinals.

You have a chance to play for $100,000.

What do you want to say to your mom?

Yo, Mommy. I love you.
You're my superhero.

My mom is a gladiator at life.

She inspires me every day
and I just wanted to make her proud today.

I really did, and I tried my best.

Love you, baby.

She got me.

[The Miz] Are you crying?

[both] There's no crying
in American Gladiators!

There's no crying in American Gladiators!

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

is gonna be moving on with Ayonna.

Tavares enters the Eliminator
with a dozen points.

That eight-point lead gives Tavares

a moderate four-second
head start in the Eliminator.

But one slip up can make that vanish.
So do not count Exodus out.

[The Miz] Thanks, Chris!

Let's see
which one of these guys wants it most.

Thomas, take it away.

Contenders, ready!

[Chris] One of these two men
is about to claim

a coveted spot in the semifinals.

The only question is, who's it gonna be?

[Thomas] Three, two, one!

[whistle blows]

[Chris] Nearly 20 years ago,

Tavares Chambers dreamt of competing
on American Gladiators.

Now, he's got a shot.

Oh, and here goes Exodus,
trying to close the gap.

He's already at the rope,
now onto the monkey bars.

For Tavares, he gets across, no problem.

Exodus still pushing through.

Tavares, now onto the cargo net,
which has historically been

the great equalizer in the Eliminator.

Exodus gets over there, takes a big leap.

First competitor up the cargo net
has to go

to the further of the two zip lines
before cascading down.

Tavares, off to the zip line.
Exodus having a little issue.

He's doing this
with all the kids he mentors

back at the detention center
in Sacramento.

Winner moves on to the semifinal,

where the reward is getting beaten up
by the gladiators all over again.

Tavares is now onto the balance beam,

where he cannot use his hands
or he will have to restart.

Exodus, trying to push through!

Tavares balanced.

Now he's at the Travelator,
going ten miles an hour.



Tavares Chambers is up...

and through, and off to the semifinals!

[The Miz yelling]

-Let's go!
-Yes, yes!

[The Miz] You dreamt of this moment
for how long?

It's been over 17 years! Let's go!

The dream of being a great contestant
on American Gladiators is complete!

Exodus, amazing, amazing job.

What do you think tripped you up?

He had a little head start,
but I caught him.

You know, this is what it is
and no excuses.

One minute, nine seconds, point five two.
That is a fast Eliminator.

I'm gonna do better next time. Let's go!

And you have a next time
because you're going to the semifinal.

-Give it up for Tavares and Exodus!
-[crowd cheering]

Two contenders are headed
to the semifinals

and are one-step closer to winning
that $100,000 prize.

Are you not entertained?

Rhetorical question, of course.

We've got a wild season ahead.

Let's take a look.

Yeah!

[The Miz] Buckle up, because this is
only the beginning.

We're gonna give them a song!

[Chris] He gets ripped down!

[The Miz] Hits are gonna get harder!

[Chris] Oh, Steel, wow!

Some people are saying,
"Hit of the season." I don't know.

[yells]

[The Miz] The challenge is bigger.

[Chris] She is up!

[The Miz] The gladiators,
they're just getting warmed up.

[Chris] Electricity is flowing through me!

[The Miz] Twenty-four contenders
from across the country.

[man] I'm doing this for my son.

Give me high-five.

[woman] I am a 16-year veteran.

[man 1] I'm a firefighter at Florida.

I'm here to seek generational revenge.

My dad and I used to watch
this show growing up.

This is the first time
I was able to compete in 11 years.

[The Miz] How are you feeling?

So [bleep] happy.

[Chris] Just shot after shot
right to the dome.

I will see
every one of you...

...down here

[The Miz] The new era
of American Gladiators is here!

[yells]

Are you ready?

[dramatic music]

[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♪

♪There ain't no quitting me♪

♪I put the thunder in the throne♪

♪I'm the one in the arena♪

♪You'll remember the name♪

♪Sword and shield, here for the people♪

♪Are you not entertained?♪

♪I'm bringing the thunder,
I'm coming to rise up♪

♪I'm putting it all in...♪