01x02 - Heat 2

[bunniefuu]

[upbeat music]

[Chris] From the one and only
Gladiator arena,

get up on your feet

and give it up for your host:
The Miz!

[The Miz] Yes!

[cheering]

[The Miz] Let's go!

[The Miz] I am your host,
Gladiator super-fan

and most importantly,
your master of ceremonies.

I am The Miz.

[cheering]

Get ready for more

of the most sensational
American sport ever devised...

American Gladiators.

[theme music playing]

[The Miz] Tonight, four regular Americans
will battle it out

with the most ridiculously ripped
human specimens you've ever seen...

Our American Gladiators.

As always, I'm joined
by my ride-or-die

Rocsi Diaz!

-Rocsi, give us the rundown.
-[Rocsi] Thanks, Miz.

We've got an exciting lineup
of events tonight.

First, contenders run for their lives
in Collision.

Next, contenders try to smack
that button in The Ring.

Then we find out who's lord of the rings
on Hang Tough.

And to cap it all off, contenders
will clash on The Eliminator.

Now let's go over to Chris Rose
for a detailed look

at how this whole thing works.

[Chris] All right,
thank you very much, Rocsi.

Tonight, it's heat two of the tournament.

Here's how it's shapen up so far...

In the men's heat, it was
Tavares Chandlers over Exodus Roger.

In the women's heat, Ayonna Proctor
beat Francheska Martinez.

And tonight we're gonna find out
who'll be joining them in the semi-finals.

We're kicking things off
with our women's heat.

Janelle's a full-time office administrator
and part-time crossfitter

who wants to prove she's more
than just an underdog.

But up first is Utah cowgirl
and mother of two, Sierra Dawn.

[Sierra] Yahoo!

My name is Sierra Dawn,
I'm 38 years old

and I'm a cowgirl mama.

I deal with 1,200-pound animals
every single day.

What's a gladiator, like, 220?
I'm not afraid of that.

Preparing for this is a lot like

what I prepare when I rodeo.

It's getting in the zone.
It's being focused.

It's drowning out the outside noise.

But I have never trained harder
for anything in my life

than I have for this.

-You're scared.
-I'm scared.

[Chris] Sierra Dawn Anglim
from Roy, Utah,

said she's country-strong.

Mom Shauna and her sister Amber
are in the crowd.

Let's get this party started!
What's first on the agenda?

Starting strong with Collision.

High-speed hits
and no time to recover.

Contenders race to move ba*ls
across a narrow, unstable bridge

and sink them into baskets
worth two points each.

Sounds simple,
except for the four gladiators

swinging straight at them.

First up on Collision
for the women's heat...

it's Sierra,

getting ready to outrun
four bloodthirsty gladiators.

Ever wondered what the top
of the food chain looks like?

It's Huntress!

[Rocsi] Huntress is an apex predator
who will not sleep

until she makes her catch.

At an agile 5'6'', 140lbs,

it's not a matter of if she'll get you,
but when?

[The Miz] She's a total smoke show
and I mean that literally. Blaze!

[Rocsi] At 6'0'', 185lbs,

Blaze is here
to turn your dreams of winning into ashes.

[The Miz] The gladiator who always
strikes back. It's Empire!

[Rocsi] This cut gem is 5'8''
and 150lbs

of kick you to the next train.

[The Miz] And this jolt of energy
puts caffeine to shame. It's Voltage!

[Rocsi] Voltage may be
on the shorter side at 5'5'',

but trust us,
she is packed with power.

She will shock you. Literally.

Contender, ready!

[Chris] This ain't Sierra's first rodeo,
but it's her first shot at Collision.

Gladiators, ready!

All these gladiators pumped up
and ready to let it fly!

Three! Two! One!

-[whistle blows]
-[Chris] Yee-haw!

Let's get it going, Sierra Dawn!

Waiting for Empire.

Oh, look at that!

Planned it perfectly for her first two.

[cheering]

Keep in mind, Sierra Dawn's 6'1'',

so there's a lot more woman
for the gladiators to go after.

Look at her!
Dodging between both...

Two more!

Sierra Dawn doing it
for her two kids.

Huntress trying to kick her off!

Sierra gets two more points.

Less than 30 seconds to go.

Sierra's on. Oh!
She has a little contact.

Keeps it going!

The gladiators fly and flew!
And Sierra Dawn flying past!

Make it eight!

Sierra Dawn, still with time
to get across!

Five, four...

[whistle blows]

Finally taken down
as Blaze extinguishes the run.

Eight points before exiting stage left.

Eight points!

You were moving through that thing!

Usually my horse carries me,
but I didn't have him here today,

so I had to do all the work.

[The Miz] Was there a strategy
involved in this?

Yeah, these girls are
a lot bigger than me,

so I wanted to just use my speed,
and I feel like I did it out here today.

Blaze, getting the first one
knocked down today!

What was the most challenging thing
when you're up there?

Honestly, just catching up to her,
'cause you're quick.

But you can't stop the flame,
you know what I mean?

Give it up for Sierra
and our gladiators!

Up next, Janelle
is one administrator assistant

against four aggressive gladiators.

[Chris] You know, she's such a normal,
everyday person

that she thought it was a scam

when American Gladiators
reached out to her.

Come on, Janelle!

[Chris] And there is Janelle's husband,
Kyle, in the audience.

Contender, ready!

[Chris] Time to see if those
weekend crossfit classes paid off.

Gladiators, ready!

I want to hit somebody.

[Chris] You have to admit,

the gladiators weren't happy
with their performance first time around.

Let's see what they've got now.

[yells]

[Chris] And Janelle's thinking,
"What did I get myself into?"

[Thomas] Three! Two! One!

[whistle blows]

[Chris] And our administrative assistant
is off and not running.

She dodges Empire and Voltage,
gets to the middle of the bridge.

Taking two steps,
taking her time.

Excuse me.

There you go! Get those two points!
She's on the board.

Good job by Janelle. Taking her time.

She admits she's the most Plain Jane
out of all the competitors.

She's just like you at home.

It's that she's dodging


And make that another two points!
She's got four!

Janelle, perfect so far.

Making it to the mill yet again.

Oh, she's just brushing off Voltage.

[Blaze] Come on!

You gotta get around her. Come on!

[Chris] Oh, look at her sprinting.

-[cheering]
-[indistinct chatter]

Taking a six-pack.

[cheering]

Under 30 to go.

Voltage can't get Janelle.

Empire coming in.

Pardon me, excuse me,
pardon me, coming through.

Make it eight!

A few ticks left,
she's tied Sierra Dawn.

Janelle, get going!

[whistle blows]

And that will do it,
but what a performance

by both women competitors.

Well, that was fun.

Each picking up eight
here in Collision.

[The Miz] Give it up for Janelle!

And all our gladiators, Voltage, Huntress,
Empire and Blaze.

[Chris] After Collision, Sierra
and Janelle are tied eight apiece.

Up next, our men's heat.

It's theater kid Steffan

who overcame obesity at a young age
to become a personal trainer.

Versus Evan, a disgraced former jock
with redemption on his mind.

My name is Evan Barr,
I'm 32 years old, I'm an attorney.

I was an incredibly successful
pole vaulter in high school.

I had this fire in me,

and I knew that I wanted to do anything
I could to get to the Olympics.

But that fire really turned into me
being such a hothead.

My senior year, I'm competing
in the finals.

I remember coming down
from the last jump.

And it's just not
a successful takeoff.

In a moment of frustration,
I just remember

yelling at the top of my lungs.

As I'm walking off the field

that an official comes up to me
to tell me that I've been disqualified.

If I had not been disqualified,

we would've won the state title,

would have been the first time
in our school's history.

Um... I took that away
from everybody.

To say it stuck with me ever since
is putting it mildly.

This is another shot.

Showing people that moment
hasn't defined who I am

and American Gladiator
is the best opportunity to do that.

Whoo!

[Chris] Evan's up first,

but which gladiators
will he be facing off against?

Here's our light-camera-action star,
it's Neon!

[Rocsi] Neon fools you
with that mega-wide smile

but let him get too close
and it's lights out!

He's 6'2'' and 220lbs
of all-American athleticism.

[The Miz] And his last name
is not Dozer, but it probably should be.

It's The Bull!

[Rocsi] At 6'3'', 285lbs,

The Bull is a one-man wrecking crew

and looks good too.

[The Miz] This gladiator is so young,
he just got his diploma in the mail.

The Gen-Z Alpha himself,
it's Ace!

[Rocsi] At 6'3'', 210lbs, Ace is
as charming as he is dangerous.

[The Miz] He's your heavy metal nightmare.

Gear it up for... Steel!

[Rocsi] Don't cross
this American-made machine.

You see the stats.
He's pure twisted metal.

[shouts]

[Chris] Evan Barr is a medical
malpractice attorney in Los Angeles.

Ace is gonna give you
a bunch of smooth cheese.

Let's go!

[Chris] Evan's having fun with it
as his family watches on.

Contender, ready!

Whooo! Let's go!

Gladiators, ready!

Oh, yeah!

Three! Two! One!

[whistle blows]

[The Miz] Evan Barr
up and running, literally.

Oh, little stutter step,

and gets the first two
within six seconds!

Oh, I like it.
He's going speedy for the middle

and waiting for the gladiators
to commit.

And Evan Barr is passing
this test.

He's got four points
in this event.

Dodge it, weave it, get through,
makes the break and...

Gets through!

And, oh, there was a big kick there.

Two more, give him six.

[Thomas] No, no, watch your kicking!

Right here, watch your kicking!

[Chris] And referee Thomas Taylor
says no way.

Oh, he ducks under Steel,
love that move.

[Chris] Moving, shaking,
down to crawl,

that is not going to count,
so even though he puts it in.

-[whistle blows]
-Wipe out those two points.

Ball doesn't count. Ball doesn't count.
Keep going, keep going.

[Chris] He's still got time.

Less than ten seconds to go.

Gotta get up, gotta get up!

[Chris] He gets up!

He gets two more!

Right before the buzzer!

[cheering]

Eight points for Evan Barr!
Yeah, give yourself a hand, attorney!

Whooo!

Just don't bill us by the hour.
It's not in the budget.

Yeah, let's go!

And he's getting this crowd lit up.

-You feel good?
-Hell yeah, I feel great!

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

It's an incredible honor for me.

Especially as a fan of the show
as a kid.

Can't believe I was able
to do this today

[The Miz] Everybody, give it up for Evan!

[Chris] Moving on
from the high school jock

to the theater kid,
Steffan Jones is up next.

MY name is Steffan Jones,
I'm 32 years old from Los Angeles.

I was a morbidly obese kid.
I was 300lbs.

And my doctor was like,
"Either change or die."

And I didn't wanna die,
so I worked on changing.

But I went to a performing art school
my entire life

and I didn't know anything
about fitness.

So I learned how to take control
of my body

and I really found a passion for it.

Now I'm a group fitness instructor.

For a person like me
who had no athletic background,

I just want to be a role model
for all the awkward kids out there.

And make my 12-year-old self proud.

Are you ready to see if Steffan
can conquer Collision?

Contender, ready!

[Chris] Look at this!
He's mocking the gladiators!

Not sure which acting class
Steffan picked this one up.

Gladiators, ready!

Yeah! Whooo!

[Chris] Our gladiators
just gave up eight points to Evan

and are looking to shut
his opponent down.

[The Miz] Oh, no,
Steffan mocking the Bull!

I like that. He's a showman!

[Thomas] Three! Two! One!

[whistle blows]

[Chris] Here we go!
Bull's on the move!

-Oh, yeah.
-I have got ya.

[Chris] Steffan, you gotta get going
across that 40-foot bridge.

Oh, look at him,
taking his time.

Gets caught in the middle.

Can he make it across?

[grunts]

[Chris] Ouch! Steel kicks the bandage
right out off of his face!

Get going, Steffan! Come on,
what are you waiting for?

He gets through.

And he gets two!

[cheering]

[Chris] Ah, he's still taunting them.

-[grunts]
-[Chris] Go!

Hey, Steffan, you're down
eight to two.

Less taunting, more scoring, please.

He has less than 22 seconds
to try and get at least two more points.

Whoa, and he just dodges a big ol' Bull.

Picks up two more!

Under ten to go!
He's gotta get going!

Put it in overdrive!

Go through!
Go, Steffan, go!

-Whooo!
-Ah.

-Oh, no, there he goes.
-[whistle blows]

[shouting]

[Chris] Steffan Jones with four points.

Once he kicked into gear... Oh!

He took a kick to the face,
courtesy of Neon.

-[whistle blows]
-And he is done.

Neon, you are a supreme athlete, truly.

What happened out there?

All I know is...

I bring the glow,
I bring the show

and I bring that K.O.

Because when Neon shows up,
he comes here to light up this arena

and shut these contenders down
every single time.

Let's go!

[Rocsi] All right, give it up
one more time for Neon, everybody!

[cheering]

[The Miz] Come on over here,
Steffan.

You just scored four points.
Tell me your mindset going--

Wait, are you bleeding?

Ah, that ain't Hollywood makeup, baby.
That ain't Hollywood makeup.

That's real talk, but...

I wanted to put on a show
for everybody here, you know.

[The Miz] I think you did exactly that.

But let's just... Go get that
checked up, okay?

Give it up for Steffan.
He's bleeding all over the place.

[Chris] After Collision, Evan has
eight points, Steffan has four.

That would be a two-second head start
in The Eliminator

for the former hothead jock.

We'll see if that holds.

Okay, that was the best thing
I've ever seen on TV.

Rocsi, tell us about our next game,
The Ring.

[Rocsi] We're introducing
a brand-new event:



Hit the button in the center
for two points

as many times as you can.

Good luck getting to it, though.

Because the gladiators guard it
like it's their front door.

[The Miz] We're back in the men's heat
with Steffan and Evan.

They'll be going up
against this elite duo...

In high school he was voted
"most majestic."

Eagle!

[Rocsi] At 6'4'', 250lbs,

Eagle is as majestic
as gladiators get.

[The Miz] And returning
for his second event... It's Ace!

Let's go! Yeah!

[cheering]

Contenders, ready!

Gladiators, ready!

[Chris] Eagle will be chasing Steffan.

Ace all over Evan.

[Thomas] Three! Two! One!

[whistle blows]

[Chris] The debut of Ring is underway.

Two points every time
the contender touches the ring.

Eagle drags down Steffan,
if he can hold of him for three seconds...

Let him go, Eagle! Let him go, Eagle!

[Chris] Now he's gotta go outside
and reset.

Evan's struggling,
working against Ace.

Ace for the takedown.

Evan trying to touch it...
He does!

The man who lost it all
at a high school track meet

nearly a dozen years ago
has a lead.

Evan nails it again.
He's got a four-point lead.

Steffan can't get even back
into the ring.

This is his last chance
to catch up.

-Evan, brought down by Ace.
-Let him go!

[Chris] And Eagle
just toying with Steffan.

Steffan is like, "Where's my understudy?"

And Steffan making one last-ditch effort.
Is he gonna make it?

-Is he--
[whistle blows]

[Chris] No! He did a great spin move,
but didn't get there in time.

Oh, Steffan looking utterly defeated.

He was inches from getting
those two points.

[whistle blows]

But the horn goes off
right before he can hit the button.

Your final score...

Evan, 4. Steffan, 0.

After The Ring, Evan has 12 points,
Steffan has four.

Evan extends his head start over Steffan
to four seconds going into The Eliminator.

Before we move on to the women's Ring,
let's learn a little bit more

about our office administrator, Janelle.

My name is Janelle Schaefer,
I am 33, and I'm from Carrollton, Georgia.

I have un-jammed printers
five minutes before a meeting.

Gladiators have nothing on me.

I do feel like I'll be underestimated,
because when I told my coworkers

that I was going to be competing
on American Gladiators,

they all laughed.

I will say to people that say
that office workers can't be tough,

they better watch out,
because we're coming for you.

[The Miz] Janelle and Sierra are
hyping themselves up for The Ring.

We'll see how hyped they are
when they see our gladiators.

Around here, every season is her season.

It's Hurricane!

[Rocsi] There's some high pressure
rolling in from the south

and it's aiming to destroy.

At 5'10'' and 160lbs, when Hurricane
starts spinning in The Ring,

there is no such thing as damage control.

[The Miz] Joining her in The Ring
and back for more,

it's Blaze!

Contenders, ready!

[Chris] Sierra Dawn told me that she
actually wrestled with her husband

to get her ready for The Ring.

I asked my wife if she wanted
to practice The Ring,

she said, "Not tonight."

Gladiators, ready!

[Chris] Blaze will be chasing
after Sierra.

[indistinct chatter]

[Chris] Hurricane, after Janelle.

[Thomas] Three! Two! One!

-[whistle blows]
-[Chris] Sixty seconds

to hit the world's largest
elevator button.

Sierra Dawn. Switches her tactics
on Blaze.

Uses her foot to get on the board.

Takes a two-nothing lead.

Janelle, trying to move around
but Hurricane drags her down.

Sierra Dawn trying to make a move,
gets around and...

She can still crawl there!
Use that... [indistinct]

She gets two more!

In the meantime, Janelle trying her best.

And Hurricane says, "Yeah, don't hit
that elevator button,

please take the stairs."

Janelle, 20 seconds to go,
gets thrown down.

Both contenders reset.

And now one more break.

Janelle thrown down to the mat.

Sierra Dawn, ten seconds to go.

Janelle hasn't even sniffed
that button yet.

Going for one more move.

-And she gets dragged down by Blaze.
-[whistle blows]

Great work by the gladiators.

Sierra Dawn, four.
Janelle, nothing.

Sierra Dawn outran Blaze

and used those long limbs
to tap the button with her foot.

Janelle's strategy? Run right
into the eye of a hurricane.

It did not work.

I've never been hit like that before
in my entire life

but I kept fighting,
that's what I do. I keep fighting.

Think you kids watching at home
are very proud of their mom?

I can't wait to talk to them.
I bet they're so proud of me.

[Sierra] We have two beautiful babies.

A little girl named Dalla Dawn
and a little boy named Vander who's two.

He was born with a really rare
genetic condition. Uh...

I view life a lot different
after his diagnosis.

He was dealt cards
that are hard

and he continues to fight
and get stronger.

First time riding with momma.

So my son can fight this battle,

I'm gonna give it
absolutely everything I have

to go out there and kick butt.

[cheering]

[Chris] After The Ring,
Sierra has 12 points,

Janelle remains at eight.

That would equate to a two-second
head start for Sierra in The Eliminator.

But of course, that could all change.

[cheering]

You know, it's a good hang
with you guys in the arena.

You get me, I get you.

Speaking of good hangs,
our next event is anything but.

Rocsi, tell everybody about Hang Tough.

[Rocsi] Contenders have 60 seconds

to swing across the playing field
on the rings.

Dodge a diabolical gladiator
and make it to the other platform.

Get to the red ring and hang on
for five points.

Or dare to cross triumphantly
for ten.

It's a wild ride across
and a painful one down.

[The Miz] First up, it's Evan's turn
to hang tough.

[Rocsi] Evan is the pole-vaulting jock
that lost it all for his team.

His drive for redemption could be
the difference-maker tonight.

Let's see who he'll be hanging with.

Watch out. It's the return of the bird!
Eagle!

Let's hear your eagle's cry,
Gladiator Arena!

Ka-caw! Ka-caw!

-I think we're ready to fly.
-Please.

Contender, ready!

Gladiator, ready!

Three! Two! One!

[whistle blows]

[Chris] Evan's redemption tour
continues here on Hang Tough.

Looking at a man that's 6'5'',


and he's getting closer. Uh-oh.

This is problem for Evan!

Eagle's got him locked up.

That's 6'5'', 260 getting ready
to drag him down!

-[whistle blows]
-And down he goes.

No points.

Yeah, we salute you, Eagle,

as Evan walks away with nothing.

This game doesn't care about
how confident you thought you were.

The major misstep,
he went right after Eagle,

then he got wrapped-up,
clawed-down

and dropped rather quickly.

Is the strategy just to go
as fast as you possibly can towards Eagle?

You know, he caught me in his talons,

but I tried to change direction,
it just didn't work.

Gripped me real hard right there
and brought me down, so...

He got me this time,

but I'm looking forward
to go up against him again.

Military training had to play something
in this challenge for you, right?

Absolutely. Tactical patience
and understanding my enemy.

-[laughter]
-He's not really an enemy, right?

Give it up for Evan and Eagle!

[cheering]

[The Miz] Steffan is up next
on Hang Tough

and he's got his work
cut out for him

with this gladiator.

He's always game-day ready.
It's Mayhem!

[Rocsi] At 6'5'' and 240lbs, when Mayhem
sets his sights on victory,

you better believe he delivers.

[Chris] Steffan's still wearing a bandage
over his eye.

Took a kick to the head
a little bit earlier.

Let's go, Steffan.

[Chris] Mayhem stalking his prey.

Contender, ready!

[shouts]

Gladiator, ready!

Oh, yeah!

Three! Two! One!

[whistle blows]

[Chris] Sixty seconds for Steffan

to cross from one podium
to the other.

He currently trails Evan by eight points

so this is his chance
to take the lead.

Plenty of red, nineteen are white.

Remember, if he finishes in the red zone
when the clock strikes zero,

at least he gets five points.

It's all about keeping your elbows bent,
your knees bent.

Are you swinging at home
just like I am too?

Now he gets his hand
on one red ring.

Oh, no! Keep going, Steffan!

Ten seconds!
Here comes Mayhem!

Steffan, you gotta get going!
This is turning into a Greek tragedy!

He is coming for you, Steffan!

-Go! Go! Go!
-[whistle blows]

Oh, no!

No points.

The curtain comes close on Steffan.
Zero points.

This crowd is still lit up for you!
Come on down.

What happened out there?
Did you have a game plan?

I was just having fun, you know.

Like, the energy of everyone in here.

[Mayhem] And it's a...
Yeah, it's a dance out there.

It's not brute strength.
The key to Hang Tough...

I don't know if I should be
telling you this, contenders,

but you gotta be patient.

You gotta allow yourself to get back
on that second ring.

-Advice from Mayhem, from a gladiator.
-I know. Wow.

Listen up, contenders,
they're giving you advice.

It's not gonna happen all the time.
Listen up.

Give it up for Mayhem and Steffan.

[Chris] After Hang Tough,
the score remains the same.

Evan has twelve points,
Steffan has four.

Each point buys the leader
a half-second head start.

So Evan has a minor four-second lead
going into The Eliminator.

[The Miz] Now, into the women's heat,
Sierra's up first on Hang Tough.

Emphasis on "tough",
because she's facing none other than...

The mayor of Muscletown: Crush!

[Rocsi] Living up to her name
with a 5'6'', 170lbs frame,

Crush brings the power and the pain.

If she wraps those legs around you
up on those rings, good luck.

Let's toss it over to Thomas
and see how Sierra does.

Contender, ready!

Gladiator, ready!

[Chris] There's no such thing
as a little grudge in our arena.

Three! Two! One!

[whistle blows]

[Chris] Yee-haw!
Let's get it going, Sierra Dawn!

Hang Tough, a very challenging course,

is even tougher than it looks.

Gotta get to the side,
'cause here comes Crush!

Oh! Is Sierra Dawn past Crush?
That's the big question!

Sierra Dawn is past her!

Oh, she's got out! Look at her!

-She's saying, "I'm on my way!"
-[whistle blows]

[cheering]

Practice does make perfect!

I've told you, girl, it was worth building
that course in your barn.

In 25 seconds
she crossed the 40-foot threshold

and nets ten points.

[The Miz] Sierra!

I don't know what happened.

I just visualized my babies
on the other side of that

and I had to get to them.

[The Miz] Next on Hang Tough,
Janelle.

Looking to take her down in flames,

it's the return of Blaze!

Contender, ready!

[Chris] Janelle, just 5'4'', 135lbs.

Gladiator, ready!

[Chris] She's giving up eight inches
and fifty pounds to Blaze.

Three! Two! One!

-[whistle blows]
-[Chris] And here we go.

Janelle currently trails Sierra
by a score 22 to 8.

If she can't score here,
she's looking at a seven-second deficit

going into The Eliminator.

Oh, she's struggling,
trying to get some momentum.

Let's go!

Blaze is going to be right
in your grill before you know it.

Oh, no.

Putting two hands on one ring
can be brutal for a competitor.

And, uh-oh, Blaze coming
into the neighborhood.

Look out, Janelle!

You gotta keep going, kid.

-[whistle blows]
-[Chris] And she goes down

like every printer in the office.

[cheering]

Oh, boy. You started off, you got
no momentum whatsoever.

You were hanging on one ring.
What's going on out there?

Ah, I just didn't feel...
[chuckles]

...like I was getting anywhere.

Oh, but she was coming really fast.

I was very intimidated.

She's so pretty, I'm sorry.

Next time. Next time I'll give her
a little wink and say,

-"Smile through the pain, baby."
-[The Miz laughs]

Do you feel like you've done enough
for The Eliminator?

I... No, I was trying to get
as many points as I could

because this is the last event,
so I was just...

Doing the best I could.

Give it up for Janelle and Blaze!

[Chris] After Hang Tough,
it's Sierra 22, Janelle 8.

That is a fairly sizable
seven-second head start for Sierra

heading into The Eliminator.

Steffan and Evan, really earned their
stripes tonight against our gladiators.

Now they must face each other.

Evan kept it cool as the
come-back contender, earning 12 points,

while Steffan,
with a total of four points.

That difference gives Evan
a four-second head start

heading into The Eliminator.

The winner of the men's heat
and the winner of the women's heat

will move on to the semifinals

where they're going to be
one step closer to the $100,000

and American Gladiator glory.

It all comes down to this.

The ultimate decider of fate.

One dream continues,
one dream is shattered.

It's our final event of the night.

This is The Eliminator.

Rocsi, give us the facts.

[Rocsi] It's an endless buffet
of brutal obstacles,

punishing hurdles,
a grip-burning rope climb

leading up to a set
of pesky monkey bars.

After the high-flying trapeze swing,
it's up a riding cargo net,

down a streaming zip line

and those are just appetizers.

The main course?
Across a twisting balance beam,

a sprint up on the dreaded Travelator,

a rope swing to the finish

and, hopefully, the semifinals.

[cheering]

Contenders, ready!

[Chris] The march to the first semifinal.

Steffan Jones playing to the crowd.

He faces a four-seconds deficit
to start The Eliminator.

Three! Two! One!

[whistle blows]

[Chris] Evan Barr is off,
clearing the first hurdles.

Steffan, patiently waiting.

[whistle blows]

Now's it's Steffan,
he's been released into the wild.

Evan quickly up the rope.

Now he gets to the monkey bars.

Just kind of like what you get
in a playground,

except there's a hundred grand
at the end of those things.

He does it nicely.

Steffan hits the monkey bars
not that far behind.

Ooh. Huge jump there by Evan Barr!

Like two-thirds of the way
up the cargo net.

He's getting a little twisted.

Steffan, grab that trapeze,
make it over.

Evan almost at the top
of the cargo net.

Steffan not that far behind.

Evan slowing down.

This could be a close finish.

Remember, winner moves on to the semis,

will square off against Tavares Chandlers.

Evan gets to the top.

He's gonna have to go
a little further of the two zip lines.

Steffan working his way up.

Evan on his way down.

Steffan gets to the top,
he's gotta make up some ground.

Now onto the balance beam.
Evan can't use his hands.

Steffan is still working his way down.
Arrives safely.

Evan is across. Steffan just getting
to the balance beam.

Evan takes a deep breath.

Up the Travelator! 35-degree angle!

And he bursts through,
and into the semifinal!

Yeah!

[cheering]

[Chris] Steffan Jones
is going home!

I did this for my 18-year-old self.

I feel like I've been carrying
a chip on my shoulder

ever since I got disqualified
back in high school.

Made myself so proud today.

It's been a long road to get here.

I'm so happy to be here.

[Rocsi] Evan, we will see you
in the semifinals.

Congratulations, as he takes
his victory lap.

[Chris] It's time to see the women's heat
through to the end.

Sierra leads the pack with 22 points
in tonight's events

That gives Sierra a seven-second
head start in The Eliminator,

where every tick of the clock matters.

Who in the women's heat will move on
to the semifinals?

Will it be the Mom of the Year
or Employee of the Month?

Only one way to find out. Thomas!

Contenders, ready!

[Chris] Sierra Dawn doing this
for her two children.

They are her everything.

[cheering]

[Thomas] Three! Two! One!

-[whistle blows]
-[Chris] Sierra Dawn,

underway with the hurdles.

She could just high-step
over those ones.

-Seven-second head lead.
-[whistle blows]

[Chris] That's pretty substantial.

All right, Janelle Schaefer,
she's on the move.

Gotta make up some serious ground.

Sierra Dawn is already
on the monkey bars.

If she falls off those,
there's a ten-second penalty.

Janelle pulling,
pulling and getting to the monkey bars.

Looks like she's made up
a little time.

Over to the trapeze for Sierra Dawn and...

Look at that, she's already halfway
up the cargo net

before setting foot on it.

Janelle, keep working.

Do this for Pam Beesly

and every other famous
administrative assistant out there!

Remember, whoever wins
moves on to the semis,

where they're gonna
take on Dr. Ayonna Proctor.

And now Janelle, just getting
to the cargo net.

She's way at the bottom

and Sierra Dawn
already at the zip line.

Just a few more obstacles.
She's doing this for her babies.

[cheering]

[Chris] She gets to the balance beam.

Can't use your hands.

And... Okay, restart by Sierra Dawn.

Janelle's still struggling
just getting to the top of the cargo net.

In the meantime, the only thing
standing between Sierra Dawn

and a berth in the semifinals,
the Travelator.

The cowgirl from Utah!

Run! Run! Run! Run! Run!

Oh, no, she falls back!

All right, is this gonna give
Janelle a chance

because she's now at the balance beam.

We're almost even
if Janelle can get across this thing.

Janelle, let's go!

[Chris] Sierra Dawn resets,

trying to pump herself up.

Doing this for her kids!
A second attempt!

Set at eight miles an hour,


Sierra Dawn, come on!

She's at the top, reaching...

Oh, no! No!

She goes face-first
into the Travelator.

Janelle has come all the way back,
started with a seven-second deficit.

Both competitors out of breath!

Ah, me too!

Janelle's got a serious chance.

We're even-Steven.

Come on, you've got this!

The woman who claims to be
just a regular ol' Plain Jane.

She's come all the way back
a seven-second deficit!

She's on her way!

Come on, you've got this!

[Chris] She's at the top!
And Janelle's gonna do it!

For office administrators everywhere!

How about that?
You are going to the semifinals.

You have a shot at $100,000!

What's going through your mind?

I'm so excited
to go back to the office! [giggles]

What? What?

[Chris] A huge comeback for Janelle
as she races a seven-second deficit

to secure her spot in the semis.

It's not always about being victorious.

My son wasn't always dealt
the perfect cards,

and he still fights.

This didn't go the way
I wanted to go,

and I'm gonna show him
to just keep fighting, no matter what.

[The Miz] Give it up for Janelle,
we'll see you in the semifinals.

What a show! And the best part,
there's more on the way!

Join us next time,
when four new contenders

face off against our gladiators
on their home turf.

Until then, get a good stretch,
stay loose, and be ready for more action.

I'm Rocsi Diaz.

And for Chris Rose,
I'm The Miz.

See you next time
on American Gladiators!

[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... ♪