[narrator] From around
the world, they heed the call.
Humankind's most
ingenious minds,
the fearless fringe
of robotic design.
Settle in for the ride
and adjust your screens
for the mind-bending
blending of man and machine.
[man] Let the bot battle begin.
[narrator] Welcome to
World Championship VII.
Let's go!
[narrator] This is BattleBots.
Watch where you're going.
[automated voice]
Robots, activate.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
Welcome.
We are back.
[man] What do you got?
Hey, everybody, and
welcome to BattleBots.
Tonight, the chaos
and the carnage begin
as we kick off World
Championship VII.
I am Chris Rose, joined
as always by the main man,
the UFC legend, the greatest robot
combat analyst on the planet Earth.
Say hello to the one
and only Kenny Florian.
Thanks, Chris. It's
great to be here.
How do we feel, Vegas?
[crowd cheering]
[Chris] I'd say pretty good.
Ah, Kenny, BattleBots is a
global phenomenon that just keeps
getting bigger and better,
and this year is no exception.
Absolutely.
And we've got exciting new
changes this year to ensure that
this world championship
season will be the best yet.
[Chris] That's right.
The field is leaner
and meaner than ever,
with only the 50 baddest
bots on earth allowed entry.
Top to bottom.
This roster features
cutting edge designs,
revolutionary engineers and an
unrivaled appetite for destruction.
There ain't no cupcakes
this time around.
[Kenny] And we have two more game
changing announcements this season.
Every team will have
four guaranteed fights
in the qualifiers leading up to the
World Championship Tournament.
And for the first time
ever, you, the fans can go
to battlebots.com right now to see
every robot's complete schedule.
No more making everybody wait
to find out who is fighting and when.
Every team back in the
pits knows the roadmap
to the promised land
and the opponents
they'll have to
destroy along the way.
At the end of the
season, one team will tear
through their foes
and hoist the Giant Nut.
It's the ultimate prize
for this world class field
of 50, including the competitors
on tonight's fight card.
Tell them what
they've got, Kenny.
[Kenny] Well, Chris,
they say sharing is caring,
but these two don't
believe that for a second.
will take on 2022 co-rookie of the Year,
Riptide, to prove
which sophomore bot
is ready for the
ascent to greatness.
And we'll see the maestro of
monstrosities HUGE take on Adam Wrigley
and Shatter who are looking
to chop it down to size.
[Chris] And get ready
because in our main event,
reigning world champion
Tantrum is in the house.
It begins its title defense
against none other
than the raging bull Minotaur.
But we'll start things off
with two of the heaviest hitters
in the game coming off
their second runner up finish
for the Giant Nut last
season, the legendary team
Witch Doctor will be out
for blood as they take on
the amphibious assassin Ribbot.
I don't know about you, Kenny.
- I'm ready to go.
- Me, too.
You guys ready to go?
[crowd cheering and applauding]
Faruq, kick off
this season in style.
Let's go.
[Faruq] Ladies and
gentlemen, are you ready?
It's robot fighting time.
In the red square, this
team lives out in Worcester,
where the R is silent.
And they don't say much
either, but their aura is violent.
So, beware the
quiet night at the pond
when the only noise is
crickets because your life
is about to end after
you hear the Ribbot.
Give it up for Ribbot.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Definitely David
Jin there on the right.
He leads a team of students
and alumni from WPI up in Boston.
And Kenny, this frog
doesn't pull its punches.
[Kenny] Ribbot's
a vicious striker.
And in the off season, the
team completely reworked
their weapon motor
to hit even harder.
They're pumping 33 horsepower
into that deadly vertical spinner.
Most bots here barely touch 20.
[Chris] Hey, that's a
lot of horses for a frog.
In the blue square,
this doctor is strange.
Her spells will put
you in a sling, man.
Marvel at her madness when
she slaps you with her ring hand.
She didn't come to bargain,
she came to do some burying.
She'll open a portal
to the multiverse
and slaughter all your variants.
It's Witch Doctor.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Team Witch
Doctor out of the tunnel
for the first of their four
fights in the qualifiers,
led of course by
the husband and wife
tandem of Mike and
Andrea Gellantly.
Getting this squad all in on
their new weapons system.
[Kenny] Yeah, for the
first time they're running
their spinner at the
literal maximum speed
here at BattleBots
of 250 miles an hour.
And look at that, not a
single fork on the robot.
They want to showcase that power
and take the fight to Ribbot.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
Ribbot is a very
terrifying robot,
and because they have
multiple configurations,
we could definitely
be at a disadvantage
if we don't pick the
right one and they drive
aggressively all of the time.
So, it's definitely gonna...
I'm gonna have my
hands full with this fight.
We have a long path to the...
to the tournament, to the Giant
Nut, and we have to survive
the game of attrition as well.
But if we don't win this fight,
then there might
be no tournaments.
So, it's... it's a balance
to leave it all out there.
Our strategy against Witch
Doctor will be to either survive
the hits but also
dish out the hits.
We know that Witch Doctor
hits really hard and we know
that at some point during the
match it's gonna take a really bad hit.
Um, however, at the same
time, we're hoping before that
happens, we're actually able
to damage them ourselves.
After not going very far in
the main tournament last year,
I think we all have a
little chip on our shoulder.
I think we all want to
show that our top eight run
a few seasons ago
wasn't a fluke and that
we actually
deserve to get there.
We brought the best robot
we've ever had this year,
so hopefully we set
ourselves up for success.
[automated voice]
Robots, activate.
[Chris] All right. Let's break
down the rules of the game.
Each fight is a single
three minute battle.
The goal, destroy or
disable your opponent.
If you can't do that, our panel
of judges will declare a victor.
And remember, the
BattleBox is alive and ready
to inflict its own pain.
The upper deck is back.
We've got Scrooge pulverizers
controlled by the teams
and k*ll saws that become active
in the final
minute of the fight.
[automated voice]
Red team, ready?
- [cheering]
- Good.
[automated voice]
Blue team, ready?
We are.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[crowd chanting]
[Chris] We are ready.
The chase for a
championship begins now.
Let the bot battle begin.
[Kenny] Oh.
[Chris] Face to face.
[Kenny] That's two aggressive
drivers with world class
vertical weapons.
Who draws first blood? Oh.
[Chris] Oh.
Witch Doctor rips the
left front tire off the Ribbot.
[Kenny] Ooh.
The driving error
there by David Jin.
[Chris] Oh, Michael
Gellatly just surgical.
[Kenny] Witch Doctor
grinding down the frog.
Ribbot's trying to stay
squared up on three wheels.
[Chris] And that is really
gonna limit the driving on Ribbot.
Now, Witch Doctor
can kind of pick...
Oh, what a hit.
Oh.
[Kenny] And there
comes the face of the frog.
And another huge hit on Ribbot.
So, I missed that.
[Chris] Ribbot in
big trouble right now.
[Kenny] Dan gets
stuck to finish the job.
There goes another tire.
[Chris] Wow.
[Kenny] Michael
Gellatly backing away.
No movement out
of Ribbot, Chris.
That is the Witch Doctor
these fans know and love.
Both are scary.
[man] Ten, nine...
[Chris] The
countdown has started.
[man] Seven, six...
[Chris] Ribbot is done as
Witch Doctor does the deed.
[man] Two, one.
That's a knockout.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[cheering]
[Chris] Kenny, we were all
curious to see what Witch Doctor
would do with a
I think we got our answer.
[Kenny] Yeah, this was
the showcase of raw power.
And listen, it takes a lot
of confidence to go weapon
to a weapon with a robot
as destructive as Ribbot.
But look at these shots.
Mike won every duel here.
He didn't give Ribbot
any room to work.
No voodoo necessary.
This was domination.
[Chris] And Witch Doctor again
putting the finishing touches
on Ribbot there in the corner.
And eventually lulling
the frog to sleep.
Andrea and Mike Gellatly, team
Witch Doctor, congratulations.
Thank you.
Andrea, you guys said you
didn't know what to expect
out of a high-powered
weapon like that.
What did you see?
I am so happy it worked.
[laughing]
When you change so
many things in the robot
and you can't battle
test it anywhere safely,
it's impossible to know
how it's gonna work.
And our first match
against a robot like Ribbot,
there is no room for error.
We decided not to run
our forks. We have forks.
That's been the theme of
the last couple of seasons.
We took a risk not running them.
Put all the pressure on Mike
to drive and he delivered.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Kenny] You guys were hitting
extremely hard last season.
This season might
be hitting even harder.
Is this the hardest hitting
Witch Doctor that we've seen?
Oh yeah, for sure, for sure.
Normally, we're at 200
miles an hour at tip speed just
'cause we wanted to make
sure that we had reliability.
Um, and we threw
caution to the wind, threw
reliability right out the window
and bumped it up to 250.
Um, so...
- It worked.
- And it worked.
For the entirety of the
match, at least, I don't know.
We'll have to see when
we take the robot apart.
All right, guys,
congratulations.
[Andrea] Thank you.
[Chris] All right, Kenny.
Witch Doctor, they're just
trying to take that final step.
So, they reconfigured
their weapon.
Now they got some serious pop.
I'm not betting
against that group.
[Kenny] Listen, they're
always gonna be a favorite.
This was a big W
on their schedule.
And check out that fourth
qualifying fight against Minotaur.
[Chris] Mark that one
down on your calendar, folks.
As for Team Ribbot,
they have dug themselves
a bit of a hole here at O and 1.
[Kenny] Yeah, but this was always
going to be their toughest matchup.
Ribbot's got a good
shot to right the ship
in their next fight
against Claw Viper.
[Chris] All right. When we come
back, it's international warfare.
We know Brian
Nave won't be civil,
but can the British bot have a
revolutionary start to its season?
It's Captain Shrederator
versus Quantum.
And it's up next on BattleBots.
Welcome back to BattleBots.
So, we kickoff the
World Championship VII.
We've got six more monster
matchups for you tonight.
Let's dive right
back into the action.
Kenny, the great
thing about this season,
we see some old
friends like Quantum.
We last saw this crusher
bot from the United Kingdom
engineered by James and Grant
Cooper in World Championship IV.
What do we need to know?
[Kenny] Well, it won the award
for best design that season,
and it may very
well win it again.
No armor we know of
can withstand the crushing
power of its jaws.
They're taking on an
old head around here,
Captain Shrederator,
led by Brian Nave.
And while it's been a
struggle for the captain
in recent years, no one can
forget its opening night knockout
at Tombstone just last season.
[Kenny] Yeah. Could we
see match one magic again?
Listen, we'll see how
Captain Shrederator holds up
to the attrition of this
four-fight schedule.
But it's in mint
condition right now.
And that's bad news for Quantum.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] All right. The bots are
locked and loaded inside the Box.
Let's get ready for this fight.
[automated voice]
Red team, ready?
Ready.
[Chris] Kenny, do not stick your
hand inside the teeth of that Quantum.
Please, okay.
[Kenny] Yeah. I know. I will
definitely not be doing that.
They have those
hydraulic crushing jaws,
and they are capable of putting
out 35,000 pounds of force.
That's more than any
known animal in history.
But in order for them to work,
they're gonna have to get in close.
[automated voice]
Blue team, ready?
Get it away.
Let's go!
[Chris] And it's pretty simple
for Captain Shrederator.
Just keep spinning and hit.
[Kenny] Yeah. Brian Nave wants to
control the center of the BattleBox.
New look for Captain Shrederator
as well with that wedge attachment
under the front side,
hoping to dominate
the ground game in this one.
[Chris] The British bot,
Quantum, returns for the first time
in three years with
a star spangled
Shrederator have it
waving the white flag.
Let the bot battle begin.
And here comes
Quantum on the Box,
trying to get Shrederator
before it can spin up.
[Kenny] Quantum forcing Shrederator
to give up the center of the Box.
Oh.
[Chris] Oh, here comes
that crusher ability.
[Kenny] Oh.
[Chris] And shredded its jaws, but
couldn't lower the teeth and grab a bite.
[Kenny] He's gonna try to
crush down, see if he can destroy
some of the internals
on Captain Shrederator.
[Chris] Quantum, look at the
feet, spread to the pulverizer.
Mission accomplished.
That is a 100-pound
hammer doing some damage.
And there's the release.
[Kenny] Quantum dominating
the ground game so far.
All over Shrederator looking for
an opportunity to sink those teeth in.
[Chris] But Shrederator's
got to do whatever it can
to get some separation,
spin up to full speed,
which takes a couple of seconds.
[Kenny] Oh, like a hot
knife through butter.
[Chris] Oh-oh. Come on.
Wow. That is just nasty.
[Kenny] That is exactly what
Quantum is designed to do, Chris.
[Chris] Just doing whatever
it wants to at Shrederator.
[Kenny] Oh.
[Chris] From end to end.
[Kenny] Uh-oh.
[Chris] Oh, oh, oh.
Geez.
[Kenny] This is a
control planning.
And I think Shrederator may
have lost the ability to spin up.
[Chris] And who
knows what Quantum
with those teeth is
doing to the internals.
[Kenny] And no telling what
Quantum may find under that shelf
it could be a trip
to the Bahamas,
could be Shrederator's battling.
[Chris] Oh.
[Kenny] Again into the rail.
[Chris] Oh, more hits.
[Kenny] And here
comes the pulverizer.
[Chris] Ah, it's like a pit
bull with a Frisbee, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, Quantum
doing a great job of introducing
the BattleBox to
Captain Shrederator.
[Chris] I mean, we're
more than halfway through.
Oh.
[Kenny] Oh.
Shrederator has seen
every part of his bots.
[Chris] And literally it's
getting screwed now.
[Kenny] Oh. Oh.
[Chris] Let's see.
Quantum gives
it a little distance.
Does he want to
try and pop it over?
[Kenny] Oh.
[Chris] Oh, yeah. And let's see.
One, two, three.
Is there a sink job in there?
Oh, again.
Oh, man.
[Kenny] How much more
does Shrederator take?
[Chris] He's gonna need some...
Oh, wow.
That's got wider a little bit.
[Kenny] Yes, it is.
The Cooper brothers may
have struck paydirt in that fight.
[Chris] Forty-five
seconds to go.
Oh, ow, ow, ow.
Oh, look at that...
Look at that cut through.
[Kenny] Oh, my goodness.
[Chris] Man, oh, man.
Quantum backs
away from its k*ll.
Captain Shrederator is smoking.
And here comes the countdown.
And look at the Cooper brothers.
They are so excited.
After a three-year hiatus,
what a return to the BattleBox.
Knockout.
[indistinct chatter]
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Hey, Kenny,
if you want to know
how effective control
bots can be in this sport,
Quantum just
taught a master class.
[Kenny] No doubt, this bot rush
at the start set the tone for the fight.
Captain Shrederator had no
space to spin up to full speed.
And once Quantum
clamped down with those jaws,
it was the beginning of the end.
[Chris] You could see
those teeth piercing through
Captain Shrederator's
shell, oh, gosh, just nasty.
[Kenny] Unless you have
some adamantium handy,
nothing's gonna stop those jaws.
But Quantum also
moving very fast out there
showed some great durability.
This robot is gonna
be trouble for the field.
[Chris] Grant and James.
Congratulations, guys.
This was three
years in the making.
How does a W stateside taste?
Oh, it's a really...
I have to say, it's...
Yeah, we've been...
we've been all around
the world with Brian,
and we've got this close
to fighting him so many
times and it's never happened.
And yeah, it's just amazing
to get in there in the arena,
be back for the first
time here in three years
and yeah, everything
just went well.
So, it's such a relief.
And the... Yeah, amazing.
[Kenny] It was a
beautiful fight, guys.
Can you break it down for us?
I think when you look at a
machine like Shrederator,
it's got so much
energy and it's...
our machine is
so vulnerable to...
that you have to be
like a dog with a bone.
You cannot let that
thing get up to speed.
Otherwise, it's toast.
And yeah, Grant
drove brilliantly.
We were really, really
good on the accuracy,
really pleased with it.
If we have to go home
now, then that's... that's...
- [Chris] No, no, no.
- That's great.
- No, no, no.
- You have to stick around.
Yeah. You're not
going to... Hey, grant,
I'm curious.
Do you guys carry with
you extra large dental floss
after a fight like this
to work on those teeth?
All right.
He's gonna need to clean
after that smoke. So, yeah,
it's a full stripped
down for us, I think now.
Hey, congratulations, guys.
We'll see you
in your next fight.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Kenny, it's that bot?
Oh, man. I mean, unbelievable.
That's about as
perfect as it gets.
Yeah. I mean,
there's no question, I...
I forgot how lethal
those teeth can be,
because I've never seen anything
with crushing ability like that.
Of course, I didn't have a pet
T-Rex back in the day either.
I think that thing's more
powerful than a T-Rex, by the way.
[Chris] Coming up
next, a rookie debut
that has the pit buzzing,
a 250-pound k*ller pizza.
You got to see it to believe it.
That's next on BattleBots.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
All right. We are
back on BattleBots.
And up next, it is
the return of Gruff,
the A-Team captained
by Sam McAmis.
With a career
record of six and ten
the Gruff hasn't exactly
lit the world on fire.
Despite those heavy
duty flamethrowers, Kenny.
Yeah, no question about it.
This is a team that is really
known for their durability.
And I got to tell you, Chris,
they're gonna need that
durability in this
upcoming matchup
because we might witness
something cataclysmic.
[Chris] That's right.
They have a dinner
date with an incredibly
volatile rookie robot captained by a
former member of Team Uppercut.
And there's just one
item on the menu, pizza.
Let's beat team RIPperoni.
[Anna] My name is Anna Zoinikov,
and I'm the captain
of RIPperoni.
BattleBots is how I
got into engineering.
I actually really love competition
engineering, prototyping,
building systems that have
never been built before.
I just love watching something
go from a design on paper
to something that you
can watch in real life.
I loved working on Uppercut.
Oh.
[Anna] Uppercut, Deep
Six and Nightmare,
those robots are just
so fantastic to watch.
Those are definitely
the robots that I'm using
as inspiration for RIPperoni.
RIPperoni is a very
big vertical spinner.
The weapon is a 70-pound disc.
It's got a three-inch tooth.
And we use it not only to hit,
but also to flip ourselves over.
It's our self-writing mechanism.
In robots like
Uppercut, Deep Six,
the gyroscopic procession makes
it lift one wheel as they're turning.
So, you'll see that RIPperoni
has a big weapon in the front,
but then another
bulge out the back.
Our big goal here is to
prove that our flywheel
can cancel that
gyroscopic precession out,
and it will drive like a robot
with a much smaller weapon.
I want to bring a really
fun vibe to BattleBots.
We want to show that
you don't have to be tough
and serious to be
a serious contender.
We want to spin up
the weapon to full speed.
We want to drive maneuverable
and we want to absolutely
send a robot to the moon.
The pizza is not here to play.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
Are you still waiting for
that pie to be delivered?
We're hungry over
here. Come on, Anna.
Let's see what you
and your team deliver.
Faruq.
In the red square from
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Like a pizza
party at the office.
Everyone can get a
slice, from RIPperoni.
[Chris] Oh, yes.
They are delivering
the RIPperoni.
Okay, if you put that pizza
anywhere near your mouth,
I don't want to be
anywhere close to you.
[Kenny] Yeah, listen, no
one has mastered a weapon
this wild, but team RIPperoni
thinks they're a lion tamer.
And with that flywheel attachment
countering the energy of the disc,
we could be looking at
a stroke of genius here.
It could also be
a total disaster.
In the blue square, from
Pond Harbor, Florida,
might as well call him Dylan
because he spits hot fire.
You're getting too close to him.
To Gruff.
[Chris] Oh, I love
this look from Gruff.
The extra crispy.
Oh, we have two
trash talking teams.
- [Kenny] It's kind of cute.
- I love it.
Well, they do have the
nastiest flame in the business.
Those twin burners
reach 3000 degrees
and do serious damage
to a robot's internals.
[Chris] And team
Gruff runs deep.
They got a total
of one, two, three...
fourteen people
on their pit crew.
We'll see if Sam's got
them and Gruff dialed in.
The fire is really
intense with Gruff.
They're a great lifter.
They're maneuverable.
We're gonna try to hit him
with our really big weapon
and try to send them
flying, get them over,
like tipped over on their back,
and then hopefully we can
just keep hitting them from there.
We've done a lot of testing.
We've knocked stuff
around in parking lots,
but we've never done
everything at full power, full speed.
We're really excited to see
what the weapon can do.
My strategy is pretty much
the same as it is every fight.
It's to go in there
and try to make them
break themselves
against our bot.
Going up against RIPperoni,
we feel like there's a lot
of spots where we can get
our forks underneath them and...
and lift them up.
And I was scoping
out their chassis
and some parts of it
are made out of plastic
and we'll see if we can
melt it like mozzarella.
[crowd chanting]
[Chris] That giant pizza disk on
RIPperoni is primed for delivery.
Is Gruff gonna toss
it back in the oven
or is he gonna get served?
Let the bot battle begin.
And uh-oh.
Oh, it's sitting duck early on.
And you got Gruff on the attack.
[Kenny] Great Box
brushed by Gruff there.
Got right under
RIPperoni and upended it.
[Chris] We know
Gruff is tough as nails.
Sam McAmis is
happy to drive straight
into that big vertical disc.
[Kenny] Oh, great shot there.
[Chris] That's nice.
RIPperoni and that
This has the makings
of a serious brawl.
Oh, big shot there by RIPperoni.
[Kenny] That's one spicy pizza.
[Chris] Gets caught
in the k*ll sauce.
[Kenny] Oh-oh.
[Chris] Oh-oh. Look out
now. It's taking itself for a ride.
Oh.
There now.
[Kenny] You see that force generated
by that massive weapon, Chris.
When a b*mb like
this loses control,
it really loses control.
[Chris] Shades of Uppercut here.
Let's see if they can
settle things down.
Gruff already smells
blood in the water.
[Kenny] Uh-oh.
[Chris] Gruff trying to stay
away from the weapon.
Takes them into the rails.
[Kenny] Oh, big hit.
[Chris] Oh, my God. Wow.
RIPperoni trying to get out
of that corner and then trying
to dodge the 100-pound
hammer that would really
make your pizza thin.
[Kenny] Chris, it looks to
me like RIPperoni bent one
of their front wedges
at some point,
and that's what's
throwing their balance off.
Two-wheel bots like this
have to have that third point
of contact to
maintain stability.
[Chris] Oh.
Oh, man.
That pizza's getting
a little crispier now.
Can he... incredible that
RIPperoni's weapon is still spinning.
[Kenny] Yeah. This
is one durable robot.
As long as you have
an active weapon
in this sport, you are
never out of a fight.
[Chris] Oh, look at this.
Oh, God. Easy there.
Gruff doing an excellent
job of navigating this chaos.
Now, Gruff, call him
Suplex samba tamba.
That was...
[Kenny] Whoa.
This is why your pizza never
gets to your house on time.
Because this is
the way they drive.
[Chris] I'll tell you
what, your eye
obviously follows
RIPperoni in a fight like this,
but Gruff has been
on point under control
and just corralling the action.
[Kenny] And check
out Fred Moore,
the driver of RIPperoni is all
over the Black Dragon's bite.
[Chris] Can they make
it to the closing bell?
Gruff, cutting up the ring
much like a boxer out there.
[Kenny] Yes, Sam McAmis
doesn't want to make
a mistake here in the
late stages of this fight.
Great job by Gruff, shoving
RIPperoni into the pulverizer.
[Chris] Major driving
issues for this rookie.
Whoa, whoa.
That's... breakdance moves.
[Kenny] RIPperoni
doing a number on the...
on the floor there.
Some issues over there.
[Chris] And now
it's starting to smoke.
- [Kenny] Gets in by itself.
- [Chris] Yeah.
Well, let's give the
rookie back credit.
It's gonna make it
the full 3 minutes.
Even though it's
got a ton of issues.
All right. It advances.
RIPperoni, lead.
We will be going
to the score cards.
Our three judges are all
former BattleBots participants.
We welcome back Fon
Davis there on the right,
making his return to the panel.
And there, of course, is
Lisa Winter and Derek Young.
They'll be scoring on
an 11-point system.
Five points can be
awarded for damage,
three for aggression
and three for control.
Kenny, that is the kind
of toughness we expected
to see from Gruff.
But what the heck was
going on with RIPperoni?
[Kenny] Yeah, it was just
complete chaos in there.
Early in the fight,
their wedge got clipped.
Just couldn't control
the robot after that.
[Chris] I mean, you have
to respect the durability
on the pizza bot.
That spinner was at full
speed from the start to finish.
Oh-wee!
[Kenny] Listen, they could
have powered down the weapon,
but team RIPperoni
wants data on their robot.
Hitting your own
face a few dozen times
is one way to go about it.
[Chris] And then how about this?
A one, a two, a three.
Let's go for a little ride.
Whee.
The results from
the judges are in.
The winner by
unanimous decision is...
Gruff.
[laughing]
[indistinct chatter]
[Chris] Well, Sam McAmis will be
happy with this start to his season.
Gruff is 1-0, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah.
Went into this unpredictable
fight with a game plan
and ex*cuted it to perfection.
But when you're a
rookie bot like RIPperoni
and you're trying
new technology.
I don't know, how would
you feel after that first fight?
[Kenny] I don't know.
Maybe rename the bot
like Sliperoni, Triperoni.
It was all over the place.
[Chris] Well, they'll have
three fights remaining
on their schedule with some
bot called Endgame up next.
Hey, no time but the present
to dial in that robot, Anna.
And there's a look at one
half of our upcoming fight.
It shattered.
[Kenny] Oh.
[Chris] Is it lumberjack
or kung-fu master?
We're about to find out.
It's Shatter! versus HUGE.
That's coming up
next on BattleBots.
We are back on BattleBots.
Kenny Florian and
Chris Rose along the way.
And up next, Shatter!
Taking on HUGE.
And HUGE when we
met it five seasons ago,
immediately became one of
the most popular bots out there.
But they haven't been
able to climb that mountain.
[Kenny] Yeah, absolutely.
You know, in fighting
there's a saying, either
you win or you learn, right?
And losing isn't
a terrible thing.
It's just showing you what
you need to prove on, durability,
reliability and the impact of its
weapon have been problems for HUGE.
But this team hasn't lost
a single pit crew member
since HUGE's debut.
They are all in on
improving this crazy design.
For his part, Jonathan's been
obsessive about improving
his driving skills.
He's probably put in
more off-season work
at local competitions
than anyone here.
He truly believes HUGE can
smash the BattleBots myth.
And he'll try it
against Shatter!
Tonight, in a team that is
captained by Adam Wrigley,
one of our favorites from up
there in Brooklyn, New York.
Shatter! cruised through
the qualifiers last season,
but kind of got lost at sea
after a run in with Riptide
in the round of 32.
So, could Adam Wrigley make
a deeper run this year, Kenny?
[Kenny] Well, I think when
he came into the game,
he kind of changed the
Hammer bot game a little bit.
He uses it more as
like a precision tool.
But this is the nuclear
era of weaponry.
And when HUGE is on its
game, it is an atom b*mb.
So those strikes from Shatter!
Will need to be more accurate than
ever if he wants to disable HUGE.
But Adam Wrigley is always
hunting for the perfect shot.
And he is never
shy on the trigger.
[Chris] Kenny, we're always
discussing the BattleBots
better with so many Compact,
violent spinners in this field of 50.
These two robots are as
outside the Box as they come,
and both designs have
the potential to shift
the balance of
power in this sport.
This could be an
interesting fight.
Faruq.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
In the red square,
from South Windsor,
Connecticut, spanning
nearly 70% of its home state
and a little bit
of Rhode Island.
It's HUGE.
[Chris] There he
is, Jonathan Schultz,
captain of one of the
most popular robots around.
He's a sensor engineer out
of South Windsor, Connecticut.
Eleven career wins with
HUGE never advance past
the first round of the
world championships.
But, Kenny, I love this robot.
[Kenny] It's an
awesome looking robot.
Very creative.
Really changed the game
when it came in to BattleBots.
You know, they're
going with their S-blade,
which is a cutting
style of late,
and they also added
some extra armor to HUGE
to expect that attack
from above fromShatter!
[Faruq] In the blue square
from Brooklyn, New York,
destroying every reasonably
priced apartment in Williamsburg.
It's Shatter!
[Chris] All right.
[cheering]
[Chris] Adam Wrigley,
all the way on the left.
James, the engineer
of Team Shatter!
Oh.
Oh, it's mocking
huge with these eyes.
Come on, Wrigley.
[Kenny] Well, those
eyes are mounted
on a very durable plastic, and
they'll protect the hammer system.
They're also using
two layers of top armor.
Shatter! needs to close
the gap to land solid strikes.
But getting too close
will mean absorbing some
heavy shots from HUGE. Distance
control is everything in this fight.
Shatter! is a hammer-type robot.
So, it comes with the
problem such as they can hit us
right in the body,
which is, you know,
something we've
prepared for at this point.
We're used to finding
people right up on top of us.
They're gonna be
backed off a little bit.
If their hammer's
a little bit weaker.
We need to hit it more.
We're not fighting something
that we know is gonna
annihilate us, but we're not fighting
anything we know we can annihilate.
It's hard to get a lot
of power into swings
when we're hitting
such a tall robot.
When we can't rely on
power and piercing ability,
we're gonna try and rely more on
slicing, cutting, hitting weak points.
When we're hitting so high, we
have maybe about 50% power.
So, we have to rely
on something else.
And the Mary special
is designed to cut belts
and kind of tangle into things.
They've got all these
holes in their wheels.
We can jam that up.
I don't think it's gonna
end in a knockout.
I think it's gonna
go to the judges.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[automated voice]
Robots, activate.
[Chris] This rocking Vegas
crowd seems to have crowned
its champion in HUGE.
But hey, if Adam's
brother, Eric Wrigley's face
is any indication, Team Shatter!
Isn't backing down.
Relax, dude. I get it, though.
It's opening night.
We'll have the fight when
we return here on BattleBots.
Welcome back to
BattleBots, where Shatter!
And HUGE are
locked inside the Box,
ready to begin their
quest for the Giant Nut.
[crowd chanting]
[Chris] Let the
bot battle begin.
Shatter! slides across the
Box on those omni wheels,
but it's HUGE that
lands the first shot.
That is a blade of armor
you saw fly off Shatter! there.
It is designed to
actually come off.
[Kenny] HUGE trying to...
[Chris] Oh, great shot
there by Jonathan Schultz.
Yeah, he told us they were
gonna be more offensive.
He wasn't...
[Kenny] Oh, nice
counter shot by Shatter!
[Chris] But HUGE returns the
favor, back and forth action here.
Whoa.
[Kenny] Shatter! is going
right at that weapon of HUGE,
maybe trying to break it.
[Chris] Adam Wrigley flies
in with the Mary special,
but HUGE deflects the shot.
Shatter! with those omni wheels
trying to get the right angle.
But it's been on the
wrong side of it so far.
[Kenny] Oh, Jonathan Schultz is
on point tonight here against Shatter!
[Chris] Oh, nice jab by Shatter!
Put the... HUGE's balance bars.
[Kenny] Oh, huge shot.
[Chris] Great shot as he
lifted Shatter! into the air.
HUGE racking up the points now.
[Kenny] I like how he's
using those Tetris wheels
as shields as well for the side.
[Chris] Shatter!
Getting desperate now
but one well-placed shot
could still turn this fight.
Oh.
[Kenny] Here's a big hit.
That just...
[Chris] Oh, another HUGE shot.
[Kenny] Adam doesn't have
great options here, Chris.
He has to get close
to deliver the weapon,
but when he does, Shatter!
Is getting cracked.
There goes that top
armor off of Shatter!
[Chris] Oh, you can see
the insides of Shatter!
[Kenny] That is not
a blade of armor.
[Chris] That is not at all.
Look at... he's on the attack.
[Kenny] Oh, HUGE
pulling Shatter!
Up onto the rail.
This could be trouble, Chris.
[Chris] Let's see if
Shatter! can work itself free.
If it can't, the countdown
could be coming.
There's no movement
at all from that hammer.
And there it is.
Shatter! is being counted out.
Jonathan Schultz is gonna be
very pleased with this performance.
That will do it.
And Houston, a very
impressive debut.
Yes!
[Chris] This team put in a
ton of work in the offseason
and it showed there
in fight number one.
Kenny, a lot of folks argue
whether defense or offense
is more important.
How about when they're
both working to perfection?
[Kenny] Yeah, this was a
masterful fight from HUGE.
The weapon was hitting
with so much force.
It pummeled a very
good opponent in Shatter!
From start to finish.
[Chris] Yeah, Shatter! tried
to take the fight to HUGE.
Got in a few hits.
But even though Adam Wrigley's
hammer was working at full capacity,
it never got that
one critical shot
to get it back in this match.
[Kenny] And that's a credit
to HUGE's defensive play.
Jonathan used the wheels
as a shield, a brilliant move,
and he followed it up with
some devastating strikes.
[Chris] Yeah, I mean, we
just haven't seen the sort of
weapon on HUGE, pull off
this sort of offensive attack,
- maybe ever.
- [Kenny] HUGE was dominant there.
Teams are gonna have to
respect HUGE this season,
no doubt about it.
Jonathan Schultz.
I could see the
smiles from here.
I'm guessing that's exactly
what you dreamt about
in the off-season, right?
That's everything it's always
supposed to have been doing.
That's everything we've
been designing it to be doing,
everything we were waiting
for it to doing for years
to an incredible robot
and an incredible team.
So that's how we
know it's quality.
[Chris] You know, you
guys have done so much
and accomplished so much
here in five seasons at BattleBots.
But is that the best
we've ever seen HUGE?
All right. If it's not,
then the best is coming.
'Cause that sure looked
as good as it's ever been.
[Kenny] And Jonathan, you're
driving really was on point.
I know you've been working
on that in the off season, man.
Just tremendous stuff.
You said you wanted to be
more offensive this season.
That's exactly what you did.
That's absolutely. It's all out.
You know, since COVID, we
hadn't been to a lot of local events,
but we started going back this year
and we've all had a lot of success.
We have a lot of robots,
and we're always practicing
with different versions of
HUGE, trying to learn things.
And it's all going right
into this, so it's paying off.
Jonathan, does a win like this
allow you to dream big again?
It does, but I don't want
to get too ahead of myself.
You know, we've been high,
high and we've had a couple
of years of pretty low,
and I think we're a little bit
more humble because of it.
We don't want to promise
the world, but, you know,
I'd like to see that
fight Endgame.
I want to see what it would do.
Oh.
Is that a special request?
Oh, I'd take it if
they gave it to me.
Okay. Well, maybe we'll
see that in the postseason.
But still, three more
regular season fights.
We've had a long
ways to go to get there,
and we're very prepared for it.
Nice. Jonathan, it's good
to see you smiling again.
Thank you very much.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Kenny,
it's so interesting.
For four seasons, we've been
used to seeing HUGE work one way.
Right.
And now everybody
back in the pits is going,
"Oh, that's what we have
to game plan for now."
Yeah, I mean, they are a big
time problem, no question about it.
Jonathan's off season driving
work paid off big in this fight.
His level of control
was elite tonight.
Great start to the
season for Team HUGE.
[Chris] Well coming up
next, we have got the reigning
co-rookies of the year,
Riptide and Glitch, squaring off.
Despite its success,
Glitch was absolutely riddled
with technical issues last year,
even having to withdraw
from the tournament.
And we're hearing
back there in the pits,
the team from Berkeley is
experiencing some deja vu.
As a team, we're trying to just
get ready to... to pass safety.
If we don't, we're disqualified
from the whole competition.
So, all hands on deck.
[Chris] Welcome
back to BattleBots.
It is opening night.
You can definitely feel
the excitement in here.
Up next, it's a pair of teams
that actually shared Rookie
of the year honors a season ago.
Riptide and Glitch.
And Kenny, I think I can hear
Ethan Kurtz yelling from here.
- Let's go!
- Let's go.
But he's yelling...
he's not yelling
because he's angry.
He's yelling 'cause he's happy.
And he had an amazing
run a season to go all the way
to the top eight.
[Kenny] Yeah.
Five of their six wins last
season were by way of knockout.
And Ethan Kurtz has
this sport on red alert.
He's taking the semester
off from UC Riverside
to fully focus on BattleBots and
making a run at the Giant Nut.
First step, facing
Glitch led by Kyle Miller,
he's a student up at
Berkeley in California.
Last season, they won
their first seven fights
and went unbeaten
in the qualifiers.
But come tournament
time, they couldn't make it
to the Box for their
round of 32 match up
with Witch Doctor
and had to withdraw.
Now this team battled issues
with the bot all season long,
but time and again Glitch
showed off their otherworldly power.
I mean, who could forget
their jaw dropping knockout
of rotator and their golden
volt qualifying match?
Now, Kenny, we saw
team Glitch struggling
once again tonight,
earlier in the pits.
So as of right now,
what's their status?
[Kenny] All right. Take a look.
This went down just moments ago.
Every robot needs to pass
a safety test before entering
the BattleBox.
With the volatility of these
machines, the teams, the crew,
even the crowd need
some assurances.
So, you now, so you
have control again.
[Kenny] The safety crew asks
each team to fail safe their weapon.
Well, nicely. Was it
within the time limit?
Okay. Go ahead
and power back on.
[Kenny] Show the
robot has power.
[man] Excellent.
[Kenny] And most importantly,
show it can power down.
An out of control robot
is a safety nightmare.
Did it pass?
Now, we'll see it.
They have to turn this off.
[man 1] Is that it?
That it?
[cheering]
[indistinct chatter]
[Chris] Hey, there you go.
Glitch received the green light,
and they have
been cleared to fight.
[Kenny] Well, you
just know Ethan Kurtz
was salivating watching that.
Glitch got a lot of attention
for its 7 and 0 start last season.
But remember, it was Riptide that
made it all the way to the top eight.
A phenomenal run for a
newcomer in this sport.
[Chris] Kenny, are these two
Rookies of the Year heading
in completely
opposite directions?
[Kenny] Riptide has
been firing on all cylinders
for sure, and there's a reason
Ethan was standing there
watching Glitch in the test box.
He sees a wounded animal.
But listen, when you have
one-punch knockout power
like Glitch, you're
always a threat.
[Chris] All right, Kenny.
And for the first time
ever, we're pulling the pits
before all of these match ups.
How does our field of 50
see this battle going down?
[Kenny] Check
this out. It's close.
But despite all those
technical issues,
the pit still think
this is Glitch's fight
to lose a lot of respect
for this sophomore bot.
How did you do as a sophomore?
Ah, I did okay. Not too bad.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
The third time I was a
sophomore, I did great.
Nailed it. Faruq.
In the red square,
there's plenty of reasons
to stay away from the
ocean, if we're keeping it real.
Like a jellyfish, for instance.
I mean, what the hell
is that thing's deal?
But deep in the
sea, the water's had
the most violent of notions
to grab you and pull you down
to the depths of the ocean.
Give it up for Riptide.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Few people had more fun
than this team last season.
Riptide, you can see it.
We can't even keep up with them.
Kenny, tell us about
this beast of a bot.
[Kenny] Riptide's egg beater
drop is 6 pounds heavier
this season, weighing
in at 56 pounds.
They've ramped up in
spin time by about 40%.
And Ethan is quickly
gaining a reputation as one
of the most aggressive
drivers in the field.
In the blue square...
in the blue square...
in the blue square...
Sorry, y'all.
That must have been a Glitch.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Well, that's funny
because we stumble
all the time on this show.
It's not part of our script.
Here you go, Glitch, a
bunch of college kids,
mostly from Berkeley.
Oh. Oh, no.
They're mocking Riptide.
Is that what they're doing?
Yeah. Get after it.
Get after it.
[Kenny] Listen, I gave a lot
of love to Riptide's whipping,
but no one should
sleep on Glitch's drum.
It's the first thing Kyle
Miller designed for this robot.
It has so much bite, so
much energy transfer.
We saw it spinning up
earlier in the test box.
Looked to be in good shape.
We'll see if they've got
those troubles figured out.
[crowd chanting]
Riptide is an
extremely fast robot.
Because of our armor system, we
don't have the traction that they have.
And so, they can
definitely out-maneuver us
with acceleration and speed.
Our winning fight
against Riptide,
I think for us it's just
weapon on weapon.
That's... that's
what we want to do.
There's... there's
a lot of risk in there.
They have a hugely
powerful weapon.
But we think with
our faster weapon,
we can be the
one to edge it out.
I think there will be a lot
of jockeying for position
and both robots trying to
get a good angle on the other
'cause I don't think Glitch is gonna
want to go face to face with us.
I don't think we're gonna want
to go face to face with Glitch.
As soon as we start
landing hits on our opponent.
They're usually
incapacitated after that.
This fight will have a knockout.
Whoever lands that first
like meaty hit, it's over.
[automated voice]
Robots, activate.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] All right, Kenny, how
did these two teams handle
sharing that Rookie
of the Year title?
[Kenny] Well,
I'll tell you this.
Ethan wasn't a fan.
He doesn't think trophies
are meant to be shared.
That's not a chip
on his shoulder.
It's the whole potato.
[automated voice]
Red team, ready?
[indistinct chatter]
[automated voice]
Blue team, ready?
Weapon on weapon.
[Kenny] Oh.
[Chris] Kyle Miller inviting
Ethan to go head-on there.
All right, Let's
see what we get.
[crowd chanting]
[Chris] Riptide, Glitch.
Which team can avoid the
dreaded sophomore slump
with an opening night win?
Let the bot battle begin.
[Kenny] Look out.
Both weapons firing up.
[indistinct chatter]
[Chris] Lands on its head.
Is this a one and done?
[Kenny] Oh, my goodness.
[Chris] Let's just sit there.
[Kenny] Are you kidding me?
Oh.
[Chris] Wow. Going
for another shot.
Try to set it on the upper deck
and now it'll go nighty
night in the upper bunk.
[Kenny] That thing hit so hard.
[Chris] Wow.
Wow.
Listen to that.
Count coming from Riptide.
Wow.
That was ridiculous.
Glitch is stunned,
as is this crowd.
A one-shot wonder from Riptide.
[cheering]
[Chris] Kenny, I think
Riptide found the solution
for Glitch's weapon.
Don't let him use it.
[Kenny] Well, when you have
other worldly power like this.
Wow.
The game plan
becomes pretty simple.
[Chris] Yeah, one
punch, lights out.
But Riptide more than happy
to go in for that extra shot.
[Kenny] Yeah, we
talked about it earlier.
This squad didn't like sharing
the Rookie of the Year trophy.
This was a statement victory.
They're not here
to make friends.
Team Riptide's here
to knock you out.
[Chris] Ethan Kurtz,
congratulations.
[screaming]
[bleep] did it.
Ethan, were you shocked?
It was just one shot and done.
Um, so, Glitch is a
very powerful weapon.
Riptide is a very
powerful weapon.
It was really just a game
of who wins that first shot.
Um, they have knockout capacity.
They could have taken
us out one hit and we knew
we could have taken
them out in one hit.
So, we were really just
jogging for that position,
trying to get to their sides.
And we did exactly what
we needed to do to win.
And that's what we do.
Give us your next one.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Hey, Ethan,
I got to admit,
I like yelling and screaming, Ethan,
much more than subdued Ethan.
So, can you finish me up
with a yell and a scream?
Let's go!
[cheering]
This is why you always
make it to a fight on time.
Because if you sit
down 30 seconds late,
you might miss the entire fight.
Yeah, absolutely. Glitch
actually missed the entire fight.
I know.
What did you think,
though of Riptide?
Unbelievable. They are definitely
one of the teams to watch.
Again, just got
off to a great start
and did exactly what
they did last season.
[Chris] Well, as we all like
to say in the world of Ethan.
Let's go!
Well, coming up later
tonight, we've got an insane
main event as Tantrum
squares off with Minotaur.
But first, will Gigabyte
find the storage space
for Gary Gin's dead robot?
Or will Free Shipping deliver a
knockout in 3 to 5 business days?
Find out next on BattleBots.
Welcome back to opening
night here on BattleBots.
We have been treated
to an incredible variety
of robot combat so far,
and we are now just one fight
away from our marquee
matchup featuring two
of the biggest names
in the entire sport.
Let's take a closer look
at tonight's main event.
[roaring]
[Faruq] It's Minotaur.
[Chris] Oh, what
a shot by Minotaur.
In the last season,
beating Endgame
looked like a
championship final.
[indistinct screaming]
[Chris] Freitas talking
trash to the champs.
That's when I saw
that we really had
a real good shot
at the Giant Nut.
Unfortunately, it
didn't happen last year.
[Chris] Oh.
[Kenny] Now
Minotaur's missing a tire.
This could cost them.
Witch Doctor was waiting
for us to get counted out.
[Chris] Minotaur having
serious mobility issues.
And we were waiting
for Witch Doctor to attack.
Witch Doctor.
[Marco] Of course, I'm
sad about the decision.
Maybe if we had a
chance to keep fighting,
maybe we could cr*pple them.
But, you know, you
can't change the past.
So, let's look into the future.
[Chris] We are gonna
have a new champion.
And its name is Tantrum.
[cheering]
Our championship
run was unexpected.
[Chris] Oh. Gosh.
[Alex] We went into
last season legitimately
just wanting to get one win.
And to be able to go undefeated
through the entire thing.
[Chris] Tantrum gets the K.O.
[Alex] It's literally impossible
to do better than that.
[Ginger] Tantrum
always has a chance.
He chugs along, he drives fast,
and he's not afraid to get hit.
[Chris] Oh.
When you have such strengths,
you always have a chance.
[Marco] Tantrum was
the champion not...
not by chance.
It's a very fast robot, it's
very compact, very resilient.
You want to be aggressive.
And to be aggressive, you have
to be able to win face to face.
[Chris] And Minotaur said,
"I'm coming to say hello."
Minotaur is the scariest
robot in this building.
[Ginger] Their weapon
is really terrifying.
And one hit, it
could all go wrong.
[Chris] Oh, look
at that huge hit.
We're gonna try to engage them
slowly and get under the drum.
Most people don't
control a drum bot.
And so, we're really hoping to
control the pace of the match.
[Chris] What a remarkable
shot by Tantrum.
We're gonna fight until
the end, no matter what.
We're not gonna be afraid.
We're gonna be aggressive.
If we win, it'll send a clear
message that Tantrum
is gonna take it all the
way to the end again.
[Chris] Champion.
Wow.
That was ridiculous.
And that's coming
your way later tonight.
But up next, it's the return
of one of our favorites,
Gary Gin and Free Shipping.
Now, Gary is the OG of the
old school here at BattleBots.
One of the most experienced
drivers and captains in the sport.
And his bot Free
Shipping is definitely
a throwback design.
But Kenny, with the so
called meta of BattleBots
favoring kinetic
spinning weapons,
Gary Gin has
finally said, "I'm in."
[Kenny] Yeah, Free Shipping
has that wide base kind of
a SUV in an era of sports cars,
but it's now packing
some firepower
with the addition of a
new vertical spinner.
Gary knows he has to
start scoring damage points
if he wants to keep up
with this field of K*llers.
If he can, the
promised land awaits.
[Chris] He's going to be
facing a new look Gigabyte,
not the bot, but the
man at the controls.
Former captain, John Mladenik has
ceded the sticks to his top lieutenants,
Camden Wallraff and Derek Tran.
Kenny, what are
these youngsters in for?
[Kenny] Well, Gigabyte
is a full body spinner
capable of inflicting
maximum destruction.
It's such a difficult
design to tame, though.
This is like handing a bazooka
to a couple of pre-schoolers.
I have no idea
how they'll handle it.
And you better believe, Gary
Gin will be full steam ahead.
This will be exciting.
Are we going to see fire?
I hope so. We're gonna see fire.
Now it's time to see Faruq.
And the red square, from
San Leandro, California.
The only bot that
puts a tracking number
on your death certificate,
it's Free Shipping.
[audience cheering
and applauding]
[Chris] Our first look at
the new and improved,
question mark, Free Shipping.
Oh, I love all the boxes.
Of course, they're going to
overcharge for those as well.
But that's Gary Gin
there at the controls.
Kenny, that spinner
doesn't look very big.
Is it going to be able
to reach its opponents?
[Kenny] Well, those huge
wedges up front are designed
to help Free Shipping
win the ground game.
The question is, can he get
underneath Gigabyte enough
to give that new
weapon a chance?
In the blue square, from
Oceanside, California,
it's shaped like a hockey puck and about
to get a five minute major for m*rder.
It's Gigabyte!
[audience cheering
and applauding]
[Chris] Derek Tran
from UC Santa Cruz.
Now with the
controls of Gigabyte.
His co-captain Camden
Wallraff pushing out the bot there
and, Kenny, Gigabyte with a little
extra padding on its shell these days.
Of course, it's got that
self-righter and self-indicator on top
so it knows which
way it's spinning.
What else?
[Kenny] Well, it's got a
brand-new drive system
topping out at 18 miles an hour.
That speed can
lead to huge shots
if Derek can rein in the
wild ride that is Gigabyte.
[audience cheering
and applauding]
With Gigabyte, we have to worry
about them taking chunks out of us.
We can hopefully keep
Gigabyte from ripping us apart
by just hitting them as soon
as we can, as fast as we can,
and hopefully pop
them up into the air,
get them bouncing
around the arena
and hopefully break
something inside of him.
We're going to try our new teeth
and we're going to try our...
our refined special mechanism
to get under Free Shipping.
I believe we have a good bot.
I believe we have
a winning strategy
and I believe everyone
should watch out for us.
[robotic voice] Robots activate.
[audience cheering
and applauding]
- [Kenny] Hey.
- [Chris] All right.
The flame's back.
[Kenny] Yeah.
Hard to imagine that flame can penetrate
Gigabyte's shell but who cares, right?
You can't have
Free Shipping fight
without the potential for
some third degree burns.
[Chris] The new
look Free Shipping,
the new captains of Gigabyte.
All right, fellas.
Green light means go.
Let the bot rattle begin.
[Kenny] Oh,
hesitation by Gigabyte.
[Chris] Gigabyte couldn't
get out of its own way
and it's going in reverse.
[Kenny] Oh, boy.
[Chris] Oh, and Free Shipping
got under him not once, but twice.
So far, that new weapon on
Free Shipping is looking good.
[Kenny] There's a big hit.
Gary Gin all over
Gigabyte right now.
[Chris] Gigabyte
dodges that one,
but runs itself face
first into the corner
then manages to escape.
Gigabyte trying to get
itself to the center of the Box.
Oh, big ricochet!
[Kenny] That's the
classic Gigabyte collision.
Can the kids recover?
[audience exclaiming]
[indistinct commentary]
[Chris] What a huge... Oh!
Take the number one
and it got flipped over.
[Kenny] Oh, man. Uh-oh.
Chris, Chris, just
be ready to duck.
I think... Hands up.
Hands up at all times.
[Chris] Yeah. This is the
largest top I've ever seen.
That self-righter
has broken off.
[Kenny] I think it's wild.
It's about to go
flying, I think.
[Chris] Oh, my God!
Kenny, just stop it with the
top of your finger, that's all.
[Kenny] I'm not going in there.
[Chris] Gigabyte redefining
what it means to be a
full body spinner there.
[Kenny] Oh, look at that.
[Chris] Oh, my gosh.
- That is...
- [Kenny] Little breakdancing.
Not bad.
[Chris] That is some
Olympic gymnastics type stuff.
[Kenny] Free Shipping
not impressed.
Gary Gin continues to engage.
He wants to end this fight.
[Chris] The question is, can
it work its way back out over.
Maybe Gary Gin's trying
to lend a helping hand.
[Kenny] Gary's a lovely guy,
but he's looking for a win here.
Gigabyte slowing down.
[Chris] Under 90 to go.
We said it before this fight.
It was going to be a battle
between a super veteran
in Gary Gin and a
pair of youngsters,
Camden and Derek
of team Gigabyte
that had some big
time bot shoes to fill,
and it has played out pretty
much like we expected.
Ten, nine, eight...
- [Kenny] Look at that.
- [Chris] It's over.
The countdown has started.
And there's a little
celebratory flaming
- from the legend.
- Two, one!
Knock out!
[audience cheering
and applauding]
[Chris] Kenny, some painful
driving issues for team Gigabyte
and Free Shipping
definitely took advantage.
[Kenny] Well, Gigabyte is one of the
hardest robots in the world to control.
We knew there would be a learning
curve for these young captains.
[Chris] What do you think
overall about Gary Gin's weapon?
[Kenny] I think
he did a great job,
first of all, of getting
underneath Gigabyte.
And when he was hitting,
he was hitting extremely hard,
both with the speed of his robot
and the speed of
that active weapon.
[Chris] There's Gigabyte
spinning like a top, right
into the loss column, and Gary Gin locking
up his first win in these qualifiers
since World Championship IV.
[audience chanting]
[Chris] Hey, Gary.
We just saw you all
bent over in disbelief.
Why?
I am so tired right now.
Why?
Because you've never had an active
weapon like that before in Kickbot?
Yeah. You know,
it actually worked.
Can you believe that?
[sighs]
Gary, you told us
before the season started,
we asked you about
your new weapon.
We said, "How is it?"
And you went,
"Um, not very good."
Yeah, you know.
It's, you know, the first
time I've had a heavyweight
with an active weapon, you know.
So in... in that department,
I'm kind of a rookie.
It was classic Gary
Gin driving, though.
You were aggressive
right from the beginning.
Yeah.
I mean, that's what
it takes, you know?
I got to use the entire
robot as a weapon
and just get after him.
You know, with a
robot like Gigabyte,
spins up so fast, hits so hard,
but it doesn't matter where you
hit them, so you just got to hit them.
So, Gary, now, with your driving
ability and a pretty badass weapon,
are you a robot to
be reckoned with?
You know, sure.
- Yeah. The audience thinks so.
- [audience cheering]
So, sure. Yeah.
Let's go with that one.
Gary Gin, congratulations.
Thanks.
[audience cheering
and applauding]
I love talking to Gary Gin.
How's your weapon?
"Uh, not very good."
Are you a serious contender?
"The audience thinks so."
Keep doing your thing, Gary.
[Kenny] Ah, he's hilarious.
Listen, I think it's a
little too early to tell
whether he's going to
be a contender in this,
but that was a great
result and a great fight.
[Chris] Coming up, two of
the sport's biggest names
are going to clash.
Minotaur had the Giant Nut in their sights
last season before it all fell apart.
Its revenge tour begins
tonight against the reigning
defending Giant
Nut winner Tantrum.
It's opening night's main event
and it is next
here on BattleBots.
All right.
We are back on BattleBots
and it is time right now
for our first main
event of the season.
And let's welcome back
the defending champion,
the holder of the Giant
Nut, Tantrum is here.
[audience cheering
and applauding]
They, of course, are captained
by Alex Grant and Ginger Schmidt
and we caught up with
them back in the pits.
They said they had
an amazing off-season
that was really
culminated by them,
renting out an IMAX theater
and inviting almost 300 of
their closest friends and family
to watch the final episode
from a season ago.
They said it was
flat out unbelievable.
[Kenny] They deserved every
second of that celebration.
Tantrum isn't some
one-note wonder,
this robot is a
symphony of design.
The retractable weapon
used to raise eyebrows,
now it cracks skulls.
[Chris] Oh, my gosh!
[Kenny] It beats up opponents
with every part of its body.
It moves around the
BattleBox like an F1 car.
And their driver, Dillon
Carey, is a world beater.
[Chris] There really aren't
any holes in Tantrum's game,
but Kenny, it's a whole new
season, a whole new ball game.
And so now they are
taking on Minotaur,
a team that I think is still
hurting based on how they got
bounced out of the playoffs last
season in that loss against Witch Doctor.
[Kenny] Yeah, you know,
Minotaur had a ton of momentum
knocking off the defending
champs, End Game,
in the round of 16
but it all came crashing down
when the judges gave the nod
to Witch Doctor
in the quarterfinals.
This squad felt
they won that match.
Frankly, they
didn't take it well.
Now they're out for revenge.
And that's where Marco
Meggiolaro's return is so critical.
His experience, his
ability to calm this team,
that's a huge boost
for the Brazilians.
And taking a look at
how these two stack up.
Tantrum with a big
drivetrain advantage.
Minotaur does have the
heavier weapon, but to me,
Tantrum's armor could be
the difference maker in this one.
This is going to be
a great main event,
plus something
special for the champs.
Let's turn it on over to Faruq.
[audience cheering
and applauding]
Ladies and gentlemen,
are you ready?
[audience cheering
and applauding]
It's time for the main event.
[audience cheering
and applauding]
In the red square,
this slap-happy bot got
the smack that brings pain.
Don't call him G.I. Jane
or he'll go G.T. insane.
You'll get Chris
Rocked in the jaw,
your odds of winning
or going south.
So keep this bot's
name out your mouth.
It's Tantrum.
[Chris] For the first
time ever they enter
the BattleBox as
winners of the Giant Nut.
Ginger to the right, Alex
to the left slapping five.
And Kenny, we got
something real special planned
for team Tantrum right
before this fight, but first,
how about that k*ller schedule?
[Kenny] Some of
the biggest names
in the sport right there.
Hydra, Blip, Whiplash,
all tournament favorites.
[Chris] A schedule
befitting a champion.
[Faruq] In the blue square.
Saddle up, partner, this
bull's bucking up a ruckus.
But you won't make
it eight seconds
because he turns
cowboys into suckers.
When the gate opens up,
he charges lightning fast,
this isn't his first rodeo,
but he'll make it your last.
It's Minotaur.
[Chris] Minotaur made it to
the round of eight before bowing
out last season, and the man
on the right who is clapping,
so happy to be back,
Marco Meggiolaro,
one of the good dudes
here at BattleBots.
And there is Daniel Freitas, the
intense driver all the way to the left.
He's already got his
game face on, Kenny.
[Kenny] He's always got
his game face on, doesn't he?
So this will be the question
for Minotaur all season,
'Can they stay composed?
Can they stay locked in?'
Marco will have his hands full,
but we know he's
up to the challenge.
[Chris] All right.
You may have noticed
some beautiful banners
hanging over the tunnel tonight.
Well, every great
sport has its traditions,
and BattleBots is
starting a new one.
Let's throw it back to Faruq.
[Faruq] Ladies and gentlemen,
may I have your attention, please?
Before we begin
tonight's main event,
I'd like everyone
to stay on your feet
and direct your
attention to the banners
above the entrance way.
Now, these banners
represent the legendary bots
who have reached the
pinnacle of our great sport.
And now it's time to
add one more to the list.
It's time to unveil the
banner for the reigning
and defending world
champion captained
by Alex Grant and
Ginger Schmidt.
Make some noise for Tantrum!
[audience cheering
and applauding]
The logo. The eyes look so good.
[audience cheering]
[Chris] What a moment
for team Tantrum.
Well, wipe away those tears
because there's a fight brewing.
I mean, congratulations,
Tantrum, but an angry bull
is waiting for you
at the after party,
if you know what I mean.
In fact, there's the champ,
the number two ranked robot
in the world, ready
to trade hands
with the number
six ranked Minotaur.
So how do you see
this one, Kenny?
[Kenny] Well, for Minotaur,
it's all about that 55-pound drum.
And even though the bot
looks out of control at times,
Daniel Freitas is a
master of gyro driving.
He's in complete control.
On the other side,
Tantrum has that new wedge
they call the swordfish.
They want to get
underneath Minotaur as much
as possible to
dictate the action.
[audience cheering
and applauding]
[robotic voice] Robots activate!
[audience cheering
and applauding]
[Chris] Okay. We
are all systems go.
Can Tantrum follow
up its banner reveal
with an opening night
win or will Minotaur crash
the party like a bull
in a China shop?
It's opening night's main event
when we return on BattleBots.
[audience cheering
and applauding]
Holding the title of World
Champion has been unreal.
It didn't sink in until
Alex and I saw it on TV.
[Chris] We are going
to have a new champion
and its name is Tantrum!
Tantrum went into every
match fully functioning.
But to be honest,
behind the scenes,
it was definitely the
little robot that could.
[Ginger] You know, our
organization with Tantrum
and Blip has such a breadth
of knowledge and skills
that I wouldn't think
any other team here
could pull off what
we're able to do.
[Chris] Oh!
My goodness!
We feel a lot more
confident this time
and we're really
excited to go all the way.
And winning the championship,
gets you a little bit of practice.
[Chris] Welcome back to
BattleBots World Championship VII,
where it is opening night
and this is the main event.
Tantrum beginning its quest
to repeat as World Champions,
Minotaur ready to turn
the orange robot red.
Sin City is on its feet.
Here we go.
The winners of the Giant
Nut want a second trophy
for their collection.
Their title defense begins now.
Let the bot battle begin.
Here comes Tantrum
fast out of the gate.
[Kenny] See the speed of
Tantrum right away, Chris.
One of the fastest
robots in the world.
[Chris] Tantrum on the attack
playing the aggressor to start,
gets underneath Minotaur,
but Daniel Freitas self-rights.
Tantrum keeping the pressure on.
[Kenny] Nice counter
shot there by Minotaur.
Both bots still
feeling each other out.
A lot of respect here.
[Chris] A lot of power, too.
Who's going to land
that first big... Oh!
There's Daniel
Freitas, and he got the...
And another huge shot.
The champ is now inverted.
Wow!
[Kenny] Tantrum's in trouble,
lost the self-righting arm there.
[Chris] Oh, another!
Tantrum can't afford
to be flipped back over.
But here it's again
punching back.
There is no surrender.
- [Kenny] Oh!
- [Chris] Big collision.
Both bots back on their heels.
Now Tantrum's on its head again.
Can it self-right?
[indistinct chatter]
[Chris] Minotaur's hovering.
Threatening.
Tantrum's searching for
the power to right itself.
- Up right. Up, up.
- Up right?
[Chris] Oh, they're trying
to crawl on their weapon.
[Jenny] This would be huge
momentum for team Minotaur.
What a win this would be.
Ten, nine...
[Chris] And the
countdown has started.
[Kenny] Wow.
[Chris] The champs
are down for the count.
Minotaur, for the first time
in the last four seasons
will win its season opener.
[audience cheering]
[team cheering]
[Kenny] Wow!
[indistinct chatter]
[team cheering]
[Chris] Kenny, this was
two of the best robots
in the world going
shot for shot early on.
[Kenny] Yeah.
Tantrum got underneath
Minotaur with that swordfish wedge,
but there's more proof that Daniel
Freitas is a master of gyro driving.
What a save.
[Chris] Minotaur
was just relentless
with its drum spinner, had Tantrum
teetering on the edge down the stretch.
[Kenny] Yeah, and this is
what that multitooth weapon
on Minotaur does best.
It tees you up for these
massive power shots.
[Chris] Tantrum lost
that self-righting arm,
didn't go down without a fight,
but the world champs
start out their title defense
clearly on their backs.
[Kenny] And credit
to Marco Meggiolaro,
an instant impact
for team Minotaur.
[audience cheering
and applauding]
Marco, this wasn't
just another win, was it?
No, that was the big
win, the big start for us.
For the last three seasons,
we've lost our first fight
and right here going
against the champions.
So, I was feeling that
it's going to happen again.
So, thanks, thanks
that it didn't happen.
Hey, Daniel, what is it
like when you knock off
the world champions?
It's good.
[laughter]
I think Tantrum
is a great robots
and have a great building.
We're really happy
for this victory.
All right, Daniel, great job.
Congratulations to you and Marco
and team Minotaur
passed out of the gate.
Thank you.
[audience cheering
and applauding]
Hey, Alex and Ginger.
- Hey.
- Hey.
I know... I... I don't think
you tasted defeat last season.
This is a little
strange, right, Alex?
It's a little strange, but, you
know, we brought the robot,
we made a lot of
changes this year,
and sometimes it doesn't
work out in your favor.
I think there's something
that broke inside,
and so we got to fix that here.
And going into the next fight,
we should have it all worked out.
[Kenny] You guys brought
in a brand new robot.
You guys were kind of
expecting this at some point, right?
Yeah.
I think if we were going
to lose our first match,
there's no one else
we'd rather lose against.
We had a totally new weapon
and a totally new Tantrum,
and the self-righter might
have worked, not worked,
but the weapon delivered
some pretty big hits.
So we're actually really happy
about that and how it went
the first time in the Box.
Ginger, you guys are
the first champion to have
a banner unveiled right
before you ended up fighting.
What were those emotions like?
I mean, I can't even
describe it to you.
Honestly, it's really cool.
We got to do it here
with a live audience
and see Tantrum
up in the rafters.
[Alex] Thank you. Thank you.
[Ginger] Next to a bunch of
really incredible world class robots.
So it's sort of unreal.
We feel like we
have to live up to that.
So we got a lot of work
in the pits to do today.
Still have three more
regular season fights left to go.
Ginger and Alex,
thanks for the time.
- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
[audience cheering
and applauding]
[Chris] Kenny, I
don't know about you,
but I think Minotaur is
on a mission this season.
They looked unbelievable.
I mean, again, Daniel Freitas
is one of the best drivers
in the world, but more
than anything else,
you know, their bot is
dialed in and ready to rock.
[Chris] And since we now
know the complete schedule,
let's take a look at who
Minotaur is going to rock against.
Marco's squad has
Free Shipping on deck,
coming off that big
win earlier tonight.
Then it's the deadly
spinner of Cobalt.
And finally, a rematch
of last year's quarterfinal,
none other than Witch Doctor.
[Kenny] That's as tough
a schedule as you'll see.
Just goes to show how important
this opening night win over
Tantrum was for the Brazilians.
Big picture tonight, a
lot of impressive fights.
Witch Doctor leapfrogged
Ribbot early on.
Quantum, welcome
back to BattleBots.
They were really impressive
against Captain Shrederator.
How about Jonathan
Schultz and huge opening up
a lot of eyes with
a dominant win?
But what about Riptide
right out of the gate?
[Kenny] Yeah. Riptide is
picking up where they left off.
Off to another great start.
It is so good to be back.
- You had fun tonight?
- Oh, I had a blast.
For Faruq, my man, Kenny
Florian, I am Chris Rose.
We will see you next
time here on BattleBots.
[audience cheering
and applauding]
Welcome to our World! Where we serve you cookies to ensure you get the best viewing experience on our site.
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
08x01 - It's Robot Fighting Time!
Watch/Buy Amazon
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.