Tuesday, February 5, 2008

American Gladiators: It's back!


We loved it. We cheered and hollered. We were sad to see it go. And now it's back! If you haven't been on the couch at 8 o'clock on Monday nights tuned to NBC, you've been missing American Gladiators. But if you start watching now you'll be just in time for the continuation of the Semi-Finals!

I've never found any competitive television show as humorously silly and incredibly fun to watch as this one. Regular "Joe-Schmo" contestants compete against Gladiators to win rounds and battle through obstacles. One of my favorite rounds, "Joust" (click for video) features a contestant and Gladiator on pedestals high above what co-host Hulk Hogan describes as "icy cold waters" trying to knock each other off with their cu-tip shaped weapons. If that doesn't excite you, "Hit and Run" will. In this obstacle, the contestant must run back and forth on the thin, teetering ramp high above - you guessed it - "icy cold waters" to hit the buzzer and get points. The trick is, there will be a Gladiator hurling large objects trying to knock the contestant off.

The games are great, but the characters are even better. You'll laugh again and again at their grunts, growls and remarks. Gladiator "Wolf" is a rather scary looking individual quite overgrown with facial hair who growls and claims to hunt his prey. On the last episode, he menacingly sniffed his opponent before the start of the course. Then there's "Helga" - a large bulked up woman in a tiny skirt and pigtails. . . not exactly the type you want standing in your way.

While the show has its humorous elements, you'll also find yourself cheering and hollering by the end of it.

Jillian

-photo courtesy of nbc.com-
http://www.nbc.com/American_Gladiators/

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I used to LOVE the old school gladiators. I've seen this show once and it's still cheesy and hilarious.