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MEMORIES:
PHOTOS:
CATCH PHRASE:
"Nitro!"
Cast:
Host... Mike Adamle
Host (1989)... Joe Theismann
Host (1989-90)... Todd Christensen
Host (1990-93)...Larry Csonka
Host (1993-96)... Lisa Malosky
Referee...Larry Thompson
Gladiator "Gemini" (1989-92)... Michael M. Horton
Gladiator "Nitro" (1989-92,1994-96) ... Daniel B. Clark
Gladiator "Malibu" (1989)... Deron McBee
Gladiator "Titan" (1989-90)... David Nelson
Gladiator "Thunder" (1990-92) ... Billy Smith
Gladiator "Turbo" (1990-96)... Galen Tomlinson
Gladiator "Tower" (1991-94)... Steve Henneberry
Gladiator "Viper" (1992-93)... Chuck Berlinger
Gladiator "Sabre" (1992-96)... Lynn 'Red' Williams
Gladiator "Hawk" (1993-96)... Lee Reherman
Gladiator "Laser"... Jim Starr
Gladiator "Zap"... Raye Hollitt
Gladiator "Ice"... Lori Fetrick
Gladiator "Blaze" (1989-92)... Sha-Ri Pendleton
Gladiator "Lace" (1989-92)... Marisa Pare
Gladiator "Sunny" (1989)... Cheryl Barldinger
Gladiator "Gold" (1989-92)...Tonya Knight
Gladiator "Diamond" (1990-93)...Erika Andersch
Gladiator "Storm" (1991-93)... Debbie Clark
Gladiator "Sky" (1992-96)... Shirley Eson
Gladiator "Elektra" (1992-93)... Salina Bartunek
Gladiator "Siren" (1992-96)...Shelley Beattie
Gladiator "Jazz" (1993-96)...Victoria Gay
Host (1989)... Joe Theismann
Host (1989-90)... Todd Christensen
Host (1990-93)...Larry Csonka
Host (1993-96)... Lisa Malosky
Referee...Larry Thompson
Gladiator "Gemini" (1989-92)... Michael M. Horton
Gladiator "Nitro" (1989-92,1994-96) ... Daniel B. Clark
Gladiator "Malibu" (1989)... Deron McBee
Gladiator "Titan" (1989-90)... David Nelson
Gladiator "Thunder" (1990-92) ... Billy Smith
Gladiator "Turbo" (1990-96)... Galen Tomlinson
Gladiator "Tower" (1991-94)... Steve Henneberry
Gladiator "Viper" (1992-93)... Chuck Berlinger
Gladiator "Sabre" (1992-96)... Lynn 'Red' Williams
Gladiator "Hawk" (1993-96)... Lee Reherman
Gladiator "Laser"... Jim Starr
Gladiator "Zap"... Raye Hollitt
Gladiator "Ice"... Lori Fetrick
Gladiator "Blaze" (1989-92)... Sha-Ri Pendleton
Gladiator "Lace" (1989-92)... Marisa Pare
Gladiator "Sunny" (1989)... Cheryl Barldinger
Gladiator "Gold" (1989-92)...Tonya Knight
Gladiator "Diamond" (1990-93)...Erika Andersch
Gladiator "Storm" (1991-93)... Debbie Clark
Gladiator "Sky" (1992-96)... Shirley Eson
Gladiator "Elektra" (1992-93)... Salina Bartunek
Gladiator "Siren" (1992-96)...Shelley Beattie
Gladiator "Jazz" (1993-96)...Victoria Gay
Studio:
Samuel Goldwyn Co.
Network:
syndicated
Release History:
1989-1996 syndicated
While most game shows catered to the intellectually-advanced, there weren’t many opportunities for the jock types to get their mugs up on the TV set. American Gladiators changed all that. In this show, it didn’t matter is you knew the capital of Wisconsin, as long as you could wack your opponent with a giant Q-tip.
The hour-long, syndicated program challenged four macho contestants – two men and two women – to fight a group of Gladiators with names such as Nitro, Zap, Gemini, Ice, Lace and Laser. The contestants were competing against each other, seeing who could score more points against the Gladiators in a number of different events.
The events themselves were varied and usually consisted of a number of ornate contraptions designed to test a player’s strength and stamina. The Joust had a player face off against a Gladiator on pedestals with those giant Q-tips. SwingShot had players bungee hopping past the Gladiators to get balls from another pole. Powerball was a rugby-style event where players pushed balls into containers while the Gladiators tried to stop them. In Hang Tough, player scrambled across a grid of high monkey bar rings, while the Gladiators tried to pull them down. Assault was an event that had a Gladiator shoot a tennis ball cannon at a player, who had to dodge the balls while firing back from an airgun station. Finally, there was the Atlasphere, a hamster ball device that both contestants and Gladiators rolled around in, while the contestants tried to run over pods on the ground.
The final challenge was the Eliminator, where the two sets of contestants ran through an obstacle course full of Gladiators. The contestant who had gotten the most points in the previous events got a head start. The winner received fabulous prizes, natch, as well as chance to come back for later rounds. In the first season of the series, the overall champ was invited to come back as an actual Gladiator in the following season.
Mike Adamie was the host of the games, joined by a variety of co-hosts such as Joe Theismann, Todd Christensen, Larry Csonka and Lisa Malosky. Like a traditional sports broadcast, the hosts gave camera time to the Gladiators who provided the requisite smack talk between matches. The show became a surprise hit, airing for several season, and leading to international versions and a kids spin-off called Gladiators 2000 in 1994. Apparently, the jocks were happy that they finally got their own show.
