[automated voice speaking]
robots, activate.
[audience cheering]
hi, everybody, and welcome
once again to battlebots.
It is the show that combines
ingenuity and brutality
in a beautiful display
of robot combat.
I'm chris rose, joined
by ufc legend.
He is the master
of the front kick.
I'm just happy to say
he's my sidekick.
That'd be kenny florian.
I can also show you
a roundhouse kick if you want.
Ah, hard pass, pal. Hard pass.
We have reached, by far,
the biggest and most important
night we've had all season
because at the end
of the night, the battlebots
world championship
tournament bracket
will be revealed.
And this year, more than
any other, the margins
in the rankings
will be so slim that
even some top-tier teams
may miss out
on a chance to compete
for the giant nut.
[kenny] I have my bracket
ready to fill in.
I can't wait to see
how this tournament
shapes up.
But first, we got a jam-packed
slate of qualifying fights
to get to.
This is the absolute
last chance to impress
the selection committee.
We've got eight, count 'em,
eight one-and-one teams
on this card,
who know their performance
tonight could be
the difference
between a high and a low seed,
or even determine
whether or not they make
the tournament.
[kenny] that's right.
Look no further than end game
versus hypershock.
Both teams are one-and-one
and the winner will no doubt
punch their ticket
to the round of 32.
But while end game
is looking to lock up
a top seed,
hypershock is fighting
for their tournament lives.
[chris] the stakes are also
sky-high for tantrum,
as it faces off with gamma 9,
as well as sawblaze
who meets the junkyard
bot, rusty.
[kenny] again, with
one-and-one records,
everything comes down
to their performances
in these final fights.
An impressive knockout
means their tournament
stock could soar.
A disappointing loss, well,
that could spell disaster.
[chris] and we'll see one
of the most dangerous
one-and-one teams tonight
in the main event,
as whiplash takes on valkyrie.
I've waited a long time
to see this one.
Whiplash and valkyrie
are both very evenly matched,
both in bots and drivers.
I really can't pick
a winner here.
I will say this though.
You don't want it to come
down on the judges
and rely on them for a win.
[chris] for more
on this match-up,
let's go down
to the third member
of our team, jenny taft.
Valkyrie and whiplash
have a bit of history.
When I asked leanne
about what it's like
going up against
the vasquez family,
she said, "this one's hard
for me because really,
they're like family."
oh, and matt vasquez has
had a transmitter in his hand
since he was a baby.
The plan for whiplash
is really three words,
driving and box rush.
They have a 45-pound wedge
attached to their lifter
and they fully expect
to send valkyrie sailing.
[chris] thanks, jenny.
And we'll see that match-up
later tonight.
But right now, buckle up,
because to kick things off
we've got a showdown
between two undefeated teams
that could very well
decide the number one
overall seed.
It's jake ewert's hydra
versus alex hattori
and uppercut.
[kenny] yeah, this is a fight
between two of the most
powerful weapons...
- [kenny] oh, my goodness.
- [chris] my gosh.
[kenny] ...And two
of the most aggressive drivers
in battlebots.
Get ready
for a slug fest, chris.
- A lot to fight
for tonight. You ready?
- Yes.
- Faruq, take it away.
- Let's do it.
Ladies and gentlemen,
it's robot-fighting time.
[cheering and clapping]
in the blue square,
when it flips you,
you'll be going, going, gone.
And when you hit the ground,
you'll make this sound,
boing, boing, bong.
It's the bot that died ya,
it's hydra.
[audience cheering]
[chris] hydra has not lost
a qualifying round match-up
in the last two seasons.
And it's become the premier
flipper in the sport.
Against a bot with
as much punching power
as uppercut, kenny,
do you think they'll play it
more conservatively or not?
[kenny] well, they've got
to be careful, chris.
They're gonna have to get
under the flanks of uppercut
to attack without
getting destroyed.
And jake knows,
one wrong move and it's over.
After the heat he took
from using that bike rack
against huge though,
I do think he wants
to remind people
how dangerous hydra really is.
In the red square,
this bot's got more hits
than billie eilish.
It's the real deal,
you're just a side dish,
sing a song about
the fight that it's fought
'cause one thing's for sure,
it's a bad bot.
Duh, it's uppercut.
[audience cheering]
[chris] knocked out gemini,
where it punted
one of the twins
all the way across
the battlebox,
and also k.Oed
its fellow mit bot, sawblaze.
Kenny, that spinner has been
absolutely vicious this year.
[kenny] it really has, chris.
That spinner just transfers
kinetic energy so efficiently.
They don't have the greatest
turning radius, though.
So I'm curious how that
will affect this fight.
And you see that great
battlebox replica down there.
That's a functional
nuisance bot that they'll use
during the fight to try
and distract hydra.
[audience members] whoo!
Going up against uppercut
tonight, my confidence level
is a low 30%.
It's gonna be a tough match.
He's been just whipping people
left and right
with that big old spinner.
I wanna get underneath
one of the wheel sides.
I don't want
to touch the spinner
or get him close to that.
So I'm gonna aim
for a corner, flip that,
and then hopefully
they die after a few flips,
and I don't have to, you know,
keep monkeying around them.
I mean, I'm not very confident
going in but that's good.
That way I stay scared
and I stay, you know, alert.
Up next, we're fighting hydra.
Excited just to be
in the arena
with the whyachis.
We've never fought
a whyachi bot before.
I hope it's just a spin
of that blade,
get to the side of the arena
and just keep pointed
towards them.
Hydra's a really, really,
really good robot.
So we're hoping that we can
survive flying through the air
a few times if we have to.
[automated voice speaking]
robots, activate.
[chris] wow. We are not used
to hearing jake ewert
lack confidence.
For more on this, let's
bring in our bot whisperer,
pete abrahamson.
All right, pete, what's
got jake so worried
about this match-up?
Well, one of the issues
that hydra has is they
have very thin armor.
I mean, even though
it's titanium,
it is fairly thin,
and very vulnerable to cutting.
Now if you look at uppercut,
they're not going
with that fist that
they usually have,
they're actually
going with the bar,
that's incredibly sharp,
designed for cutting.
Hydra's biggest goal here
is to get under the weapon,
below uppercut to make a flip.
[chris] all right. Thanks, pete.
Sounds like jake has a small
margin of error here
against alex hattori.
[automated voice speaking]
blue team, ready?
[audience cheering]
[automated voice speaking]
red team, ready?
[audience screaming
and cheering]
[electronic noise]
[chris] uppercut, hydra.
The number one seed
in the tournament
could be on the line.
[buzzer sounds]
[audience chanting]
fight, fight, fight.
[chris] let the
bot battle begin.
Hydra getting stuck
on the floor a bit.
Trying to face off... whoa!
The first big flip.
[kenny] got right underneath
uppercut there.
This match is going
to come down to the battle
for low ground, chris.
[chris] hydra, cool,
calm, collected to start.
Uppercut a little
out of control here.
- [kenny] that is not...
- [chris] whoa!
[kenny] see you
later, battlebox.
[chris] uppercut still
up on one wheel,
and hydra keeping its distance.
[kenny] yeah, jake does not
wanna engage that robot
upside down like that.
He wants to attack the base.
[both] whoa! Whoa!
[chris] hydra sends uppercut
into the stratosphere
and it lands directly
on that spinning weapon.
It looks to be okay though.
[both] whoa!
- [chris] another one.
- [kenny] jeeze!
[chris] uppercut scrambling
for space,
hydra just stalking him
like a shark.
Whoa, uppercut's slipped...
It slams into
the side of hydra.
Its first of the match.
[kenny] as long as uppercut's
weapon is spinning, chris,
they have the potential
to end this fight
with one shot.
They are knockout artists.
[chris] no doubt about it,
but they are behind on
the scorecard in this fight.
As you see, uppercut
gets hung up
in the k*ll saws there.
Alex hattori continues
to probe for the right
angle of attack.
[kenny] whoa! Beautiful timing
by hydra.
[chris] textbook flip
by hydra and jake ewert.
And again!
- [kenny] oh. Uh-oh.
- [chris] whoa!
[chris] hydra wants
to finish this thing.
[kenny] uppercut
just rocked itself on
the screws there, chris.
It may be hurt.
[chris] wow. Another big shot.
[kenny] hydra is just
so low to the ground, chris.
They are dominating
this fight right now.
[chris] and it looks like
uppercut's weapon may
be out of commission.
[kenny] but look at that,
caught again in the k*ll saws.
Now it's in the screws!
And those screws
will reverse themselves.
Let's see if it's able
to spit out uppercut
or if this thing is over.
Oh, somehow uppercut
is back. Oh!
Unbelievable! Hydra again!
Hydra just staying on
with the full-core press
right now, chris.
[chris] and it is crunch-time
for uppercut.
They need to make
something happen
if they wanna keep
that perfect record intact.
[kenny] this is a nice
opportunity for hydra
to get another flip in.
[chris] uppercut desperately
trying to get that weapon
back up to speed.
Hydra pivoting
to track their movements,
ready to pounce when
they choose to engage here.
[kenny] hydra needs
to run out the clock.
- Under 30 to go.
- [chris] oh! Look at that!
[kenny] huge mistake
by jake ewert there.
I think uppercut
may have hurt hydra.
[both] whoa!
[chris] alex hattori
with a desperate attack.
Come on now.
[chris] every time
uppercut tries to get in
and catch a bite,
it goes flying through the air.
[kenny] oh! Another beautiful
flip by hydra.
[chris] an amazing performance
by hydra
in a fight that ends up
going the distance.
[buzzer sounds]
[audience cheering]
[chris] so this one goes
to the judges,
who are judging this in three
different categories,
damage, the most heavily
weighted, up to five points,
three for aggression,
and three for control.
All three judges are former
battlebots participants,
derek young, lisa winter,
and jason bardis.
That's how I wanted
to finish that one.
[chris] kenny, what did hydra
have to be worried about?
[kenny] I mean, there was
no question, they dominated
the fight.
I mean, the one question
I have is if they're
gonna honor
all the free air mileage
they got on air hydra.
[chris laughs] hydra dominated
the battle for low ground,
took out uppercut's weapon
but uppercut stayed aggressive
and that should earn them
some points with the judges.
[kenny] it doesn't matter
how powerful your weapon is,
if you're up in the air,
you can't do any damage.
Hydra was just
brilliant tonight.
[chris] it was a good one.
Let's send it to faruq
with the decision.
The results
from the judges are in.
And the winner
by unanimous decision...
Hydra!
[audience cheers and claps]
good job, guys, good job.
- [chris] jake ewert.
- Just the one side.
[chris] jake ewert.
Did we just watch
the number one seed
go to work?
Uh, I sure hope so.
I mean, that was
a lot better fight
than having a big,
huge attachment
from last time.
So it feels a lot better
getting a win this way
than it does the other way.
Would you say you're extremely
comfortable driving hydra
at this point?
Uh, definitely. I mean,
I was afraid
during the huge match
because the big, giant arms,
I had to be 100% on my game
to not get hit.
I mean this one here
might have been
little bit easier.
Because they had
a solid frame underneath them,
I could pretty much flip
on any spot of the bot
and I didn't have to worry
too much about it.
Jake, based on
your bot's performance
during the regular season,
how disappointed would
you be if you don't
get that giant nut?
Uh, it's gonna be bad.
Worse yet is if I lose
in the first round
of tournament, like we have
during the whyachi curse.
We haven't done it yet,
so I better be
the first one
to do it.
All right.
Well, jake, congratulations,
an amazing regular season,
and way to cap it off in style,
against upper cut.
Thank you, guys.
It's been a great little
run for us here.
-Sure has. Good job. -Thanks.
- [all cheering]
- [bell dinging]
you are not a part of this
selection committee
correct?
I am not, no.
But you have hydra
as the top dog
heading into this thing.
- I mean, how do you not have,
right?
- Right.
At the number one seated
at this point?
And how about uppercut?
They got sent airborne
something like seven times,
and still went
to full three minutes,
chris.
They are not a team you
wanna see in the tournament.
This is a rematch
I wouldn't mind
seeing down the road.
We just might see it.
Comin' up.
It's give me fuel.
Give me fire! As sawblaze
looks to take
fan favorite rusty
back to the garage.
And don't forget,
we are driving towards
the big reveal
of our 2020
world championship bracket.
Find out who's in and who's out,
later tonight on battlebots.
- [people shouting]
- [crowd cheering]
we are back on battlebots
and up next, we've got
a david versus goliath
matchup.
It's dave eaton and rusty versus
jamison go and sawblaze.
And while they are both
one and one,
these are really two different
classes of robots, kenny.
Let's start with sawblaze.
[kenny] yeah, jamison go
of course a familiar face
here at battlebots.
Sawblaze is
a perennial contender
for the giant nut.
The only reason
he's one and one
right now
is because his schedule
landed on a nearly
literal landmine
by facing uppercut
in his last match.
Oh, my goodness!
Oh my gosh! Woah.
I don't think there's ever been
a bigger expl*si*n
in the battlebots.
But, you know
what was maybe most impressive
about that fight?
Jamison go's bot
kept fighting
after that.
Truly one of
highest quality bots
in the field from a
building perspective,
chris.
[chris] and speaking of
build quality,
rusty is on a little bit
of a different spectrum.
Well, rusty is kinda your
junk bot mixed with an art bot.
But, one man band builder,
dave eaton
has embraced that.
And how can you not love it?
I mean rusty just has
so much personality, chris.
It's a long shot.
But, if dave eaton can
poke sawblaze
in the same spot
that caused them to detonate,
who knows?
One thing I do know
is that rusty is
never gonna give up hope.
[kenny] this matchup
should be a whole lot of
fun.
All right, faruq take it away.
[intense music playing]
in the blue square,
from hebron, illinois,
this bot is far from dusty,
it's rusty!
[crowd cheering]
koed sporkinok,
and then got knocked out
by beta.
But, folks, he's havin'
the time of his life.
[kenny] yeah, you know,
dave really is
making the most
of his first season
here on battlebots.
He built rusty
from recycled parts
that dave found
on his parents' farm.
But this bot can move, chris.
And despite what it's
made out of,
it's surprisingly durable.
It can take a punch.
Just ask beta.
In the red square,
from cambridge, mass.
It's the head of the class,
sawblaze!
[crowd cheering]
[chris] well, jamison go told us
he had two serious repairs to do
after that uppercut fight.
I mean, a b*mb basically
went off inside
of sawblaze.
So, no surprise there.
[kenny] yeah, they had to get
a number of parts
custom made to rebuild this bot
and jamison told us,
his team has just been
taking things
minute by minute
since that fight.
But, this team has
some of the smartest
and most capable engineers
in this competition, chris.
I think
sawblaze will be
ready to rock.
Today, I'm fighting sawblaze
and I've been up all night
thinking about it.
[chuckles]
I'm switching up the strategy
that I used against beta,
which did not work.
[scoffs]
and I'm gonna go
right at them this time.
I know he's gonna
try to get me up
on the dust pan.
My plan is to
let him do that, actually,
'cause once I'm on top of him,
rusty has a short throw
and he's got
a pretty tight reach
with that hammer,
and once I'm on top of him,
I should be able to get down
into the pieces
I need to get at
with that air hammer.
I think he's gonna go
the distance against sawblaze.
Rusty looks like he's
some sort of overhead
pecker drill bot.
So, we've put on some of our
vertical defenses there
and we also put on our saw blade
for their steel frame and armor.
I don't know too much about
what rusty looks like
on the inside.
I think if we make enough cuts
in random places, we'll hit
something good.
Any opponent,
no matter what they look like,
we take them seriously.
We're gonna go out there
and totally tear him up.
[crowd cheering]
[automated voice speaking]
robots activate.
[crowd cheering]
[kenny] chris, notice
sawblaze has
their true saw tonight
rather than their hammer saw.
You know what that means.
Sparks are gonna fly.
Bring it on!
[automated voice speaking]
blue team, ready?
[automated voice speaking]
red tea, ready?
- We got the flash,
we got the burn.
- We got the burn!
Let's go.
[crowd chanting]
fight, fight, fight!
[chris] let the
bot battle begin!
Here comes rusty
and there goes rusty.
Sawblaze laid into the
junkyard bot straight away!
[kenny] doctor jamison go
performing
a little surgery there.
[exclaiming in pain]
ah, this reminds me
I've got a dentist's
appointment next Tuesday.
Oh gosh!
[kenny] oh, I think
sawblaze may have gotten
into the weapon arm
of rusty with that saw,
chris.
[kenny] oh, and here it is
sinking it's teeth into
rusty's treads.
Yum, yum, yum, yum!
That saw spins
at 250 miles per hour.
Hey, kids, hide your eyes.
Now, sawblaze
takin' him for a little
Sunday drive into the screws,
and rusty is on his side.
Oh, no!
Sawblaze, that's nice, lends
a helping hand and then says,
"I'm gonna drill into you."
[kenny] look at the way sawblaze
controls the action
with that big front plow.
He's just giving
rusty a tour of
the battlebox.
[chris] has sawblaze had enough?
And the answer is, no! Ow!
[both exclaiming]
holy smokes!
Right into the back side
of rusty.
But look at rusty,
he's still working.
[kenny] rusty is a tough bot.
Uh-oh.
- Oh!
- Oh, jeez!
[chris] oh my gosh.
Look at the slices
in the side of rusty.
- This is getting dark
- oh, god!
[kenny] oh, now sawblaze
is burning him.
Oh!
A nice shot there
by sawblaze.
[chris] allow me
to introduce you
to the driver's deck.
And allow me
to introduce you
to the screws.
Oh, man. This is the meanest
house tour ever.
[kenny] rusty's still moving.
This is unbelievable.
- He's still going.
- Ha, ha, ha.
Shades of the energizer bunny,
kenny,
he keeps going and going
and going.
[kenny] man, that is
one tough bot.
[chris] is this gonna be it?
Rusty's on his side now.
[kenny] jamison wants to keep
the fun going.
Ah, I've got nothing.
[chris] he wants to cut
the salad bowl.
[kenny] is that what he wants?
[chris] yes, rusty,
back in action.
Now the foam riser
gets in on the act.
If it's not the saw,
it's the hammer.
[kenny] I'm gonna be
really impressed if rusty's
able to move after this.
- Oh gosh!
- It would be a victory,
even if he went...
If he went
the full three minutes,
it would be a victory, chris.
Kenny, you thought
you were sore
after a heavy lift day.
- Oh, man! Look at that.
- Unreal.
- Pretty sparks.
- Fireworks.
Bunch of 'em. Lots of 'em.
Welcome to the welding station.
- Oh.
- Rusty's still moving, chris.
[chris] that bot is tough,
refusing to throw in the towel.
Wow.
And with under ten seconds
to go,
ladies and gentlemen,
this one's gonna go
the distance.
And rusty's saying,
"I never went down, jamison.
You never got me down, jamison."
- [all applauding]
- that was awesome.
[chris] unbelievable.
[crowd chanting] rusty! Rusty!
- Good job.
- Rest in peace buddy,
rest in peace.
Rock 'n' roll guys.
[laughs] oh, man.
Ah, kenny,
if you're related
to rusty,
- I would suggest everybody
turn away.
-[kenny] oh, man.
Sawblaze, of course with those
front forks,
able to get underneath
rusty repeatedly,
bullying him around
the battlebox,
again and again,
and got that saw involved,
causing sparks
all over the battlebox,
chris.
[chris] I mean, he just kept
cutting and cutting.
Holy smokes.
I hope that sawblaze
at least administered
some sort of drugs
before performing the surgery.
[kenny] I mean,
rusty got cut up,
he got pushed around,
he got lit on fire,
and he was still moving.
He went
the full three minutes.
That to me
is a crazy accomplishment.
The results from the judges
are in.
The winner
by unanimous decision is...
- Sawblaze!
- [crowd cheering]
[chris] well, congratulations
to team sawblaze.
Jamison go,
kind of an appropriate
last name because
there was no
stopping you tonight
against rusty.
Why'd you keep going?
Ah, we're talking
to the builder
in the beginning of the match.
He's been looking
forward to this fight.
He's all for just having fun
and going at it.
So, you know,
we kept going. Didn't wanna
leave him stranded.
He came all this way
to battlebots. Let's put
on a good show, right?
Jamison,
assuming you do make it
into the round of 32,
how dangerous is your bot?
Well, I think we've got
two lethal weapons
we demonstrated tonight.
We have the hammer saw, which
we used in our first fight.
Definitely, some
ko potential there.
And then this blade
it can go through a lot
of steel pretty quickly.
So, I hope that our opponents
are walkin' up their
top armor
and sayin' "I wonder
if I've got enough."
very good, jamison.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
[chris] so, for team sawblaze,
it's all systems go,
heading into the tournament.
And we bid
a heartfelt goodbye to
dave eaton and rusty.
What a debut season
from the little bot
that could.
I'm sure his mom
will just be happy her
popcorn bowl
made it back to the farm
in one piece.
Comin' up,
the rise of team tantrum
has been one of the surprise
stories of the season.
And a win tonight,
could launch them
into the top 32.
The giant gamma 9
stands in their way.
That's next, on battlebots.
We are back on battlebots
and up next,
a huge fight for at least
one of these two teams.
That would be
tantrum,
lead by aren hill.
They check in at one and one,
so, if they win this tonight,
two and one
the selection committee
is really gonna look
deep into their resume.
And for years,
aren hill has just been
known as the guy
who had his fist caught off
that was stuck
in the battlebox,
thanks to tombstone.
But, this year,
he's writing
a different script.
Absolutely,
I would give him my
mib award,
- most improved bot award.
- Ah!
He looks great out there.
Even in the loss,
he was doing fantastic.
He was winning that fight
against valkyrine.
And kinda pooped out
at the end there.
But, in his victory
that vertical dish spinner
looked vicious.
Taking on gamma 9
and curtis nemeth,
he's been around this sport
for an awfully long of time.
Still kind of searching
for that elusive first win
since battlebots
came back on the air.
It hasn't happened.
But, he has to
feel good about
the performance that he
put forward against chomp.
[kenny] definitely.
He took some big hits
and was able to go
the full three minutes
with chomp,
eventually losing in
a judge's decision.
But it was a much better
performance from him
than we've seen
in previous seasons.
- [crowd cheering]
- [chris] both drivers are
already set up behind the glass,
locked and loaded
inside the battlebox.
[automated voice speaking]
blue team ready?
[chris] there is curtis nemeth,
he's trying to play
spoiler to aren hill's season.
[kenny] yeah, they could
possibly keep
the one and one tantrum
out of the tournament,
if they win tonight, chris.
[automated voice speaking]
red team, ready?
[chris] aren hill and tantrum
pretty much playing
for their playoff lives.
[kenny] look, we saw
a top-tier bot, gruff, lose
to a severely outmatched
extinguisher last week,
and that may have cost them
a spot in the tournament.
Tantrum needs to handle
their business here.
[man] go tantrum!
[crowd chanting]
fight! Fight! Fight!
[chris] let the
bot battle begin!
[kenny] look at the contrast
between these two bots, chris.
Tantrum, speedy and compact.
Gamma 9, slower
but a lot larger.
[chris] you can hear the
[imitates engine noise]
of tantrum's disc firing up.
Yeah, nice little shot
to the behind
and pulverizer,
that's a 100lb hammer.
Tantrum has gamma 9 pinned
and delivers a nice
straight arm jab.
Dude, we have no traction, dude.
[chris] gamma 9 having some
serious control issues here.
[kenny] tantrum trying
to chip away at the
side armor of gamma 9.
Doing a good job of
getting underneath him,
getting some damage.
[chris] got the
wheel guard there.
[man] coming back, and...
[kenny] some good shots
to the undercarriage
of gamma 9.
So far, winning the battle
for low ground.
[kenny] there, you see it again,
able to get those front forks
under gamma 9 at will.
[chris] gamma 9 looking
for some space to reset.
[both hosts exclaim]
[chris] bullrushes tantrum
but aren hill with some
good defensive driving there.
You can hear that weapon
firing up yet again.
Tantrum looking to
get into position
to land another shot,
maybe take out a wheel here.
[kenny] yeah, they're trying
to get a bite with
that punching disc.
[chris] lining up.
[crowd exclaims]
[chris] oh, is he going
to take him coast to coast?
Oh, what a shot!
Very magic johnson-esque.
[kenny] aren hill
is putting on
a driving clinic here.
Tantrum is so fast,
so agile, and aron
has this bot on a string.
[crowd and hosts exclaiming]
[kenny] a huge hit
right into the screws.
It's is a great example that
you don't have to be
a massive bot to be effective.
Tantrum doing a great job
of really bullying
the larger bot here.
[all exclaiming]
[chris] can gamma 9
self-right... It can!
[kenny] excellent job
of self-righting there
by curtis.
[chris] gamma 9 showing off
some impressive
durability in this fight.
I'm not sure they scored
a single point, kenny.
It has been all tantrum since
the opening battle,
and here it is again.
Driving about twice its size
into the screws.
And, now, more pieces
of gamma 9 are coming off
in the battlebox.
[kenny] I'm not sure
that lifter can take
any more damage.
He's been able to self-right
a couple of times and now,
gamma 9 is feeling it.
- He's rocked, chris.
- [chris] oh, yeah, he is.
Tantrum has gamma 9 pinned
and looking to drop a b*mb.
Oh! Wow! That's gotta hurt!
[kenny] tantrum has put it
all together tonight, chris.
They've been
efficient and effective,
with both their speed
and their weapon.
[chris exclaiming]
[kenny] oh, there goes some
armor, just flung across the
battlebox, that was sick!
[chris] and tantrum's trying
to get it under the pulverizer
for one last pounding.
Can they finish the job
and record a knockout here?
-[referee] ten! Nine...
-[kenny] the countdown
has started!
-[referee counting down]
-just over ten seconds
remaining they might
- just beat the clock!
- Five! Four!
- Three! Two! One!
- They're gonna do it, chris!
[referee] that's a knockout!
[kenny] with one second left
tantrum gets the knockout.
Wow! What a performance
by aren hill and
his team from tantrum.
Excellent fight.
That is how it's supposed to be.
[chris] tantrum was just
racking up the hits
from the get go, kenny.
[kenny] yeah, he sure was.
These are two bots
that weigh exactly the same,
look so different,
tantrum, so compact,
so low to the ground,
able to get underneath
gamma 9 repeatedly.
Tantrum has one of
the most unique weapons
in the competition,
that punching vertical disc.
And they used it
to perfection doing
a lot of damage to gamma 9.
[chris] yeah, you could see
he was just throwing
gamma 9 over and over
and to curtis niemen's credit,
kept popping back over and
taking more until the very
last second of this fight.
[crowd cheering]
aren hill,
you dominated this fight.
Was it extra special
to get the knockout
with one second left?
It was, um, the robot's
finally doing exactly
what we want it to do.
We had a lot riding
on this fight,
getting the two to one,
really hoping
that gives us a good seed.
Does that mean
that you're 100% confident
you're on to the round of 32?
If I was on the
selection committee, yeah.
Why?
I would say,
speaking schedule-wise,
I still think we'd beat
valkyrie to repeat ourselves
and they've been
doing pretty well,
so that was a good fight.
And then after that
two great knockouts.
Aren, if you were to
grade tantrum
at this stage of the season,
what would you give it?
Um, I'm still going to
give it, like, a b-,
it can always be better.
Hey, aren, congratulations,
job well done.
At two and one,
perhaps, we'll see you
in the round of 32.
- Thank you.
- [crowd cheering]
so, kenny, as we know,
not all two and one records
are created equal,
so, does tantrum
make the tournament?
[kenny] I would 100% say yes.
They're exciting,
they're dangerous,
and they're peaking
at just the right time.
[chris] well, we'll
get our answer
when the 2020 world
championship bracket
is revealed later tonight.
But, up next, we've got
new zealand's own end game
facing off with hypershock.
Both teams are one and one and
are ready to lay it
all on the line
for a victory in their
third and final match.
Do not go anywhere.
We are back, on battlebots,
and, kenny, you might
want to buckle up
for safety on this one.
We have two one and one teams
about to throw down
and both know exactly
what's on the line
for them here.
Let's start with end game
which is probably looking at
the schedulers
and saying [growls]
"we don't like you
very much at all!"
kenny, they've had
maybe the toughest schedule
of any bot this season,
they kicked it off with
a monumental win
over tombstone,
but got knocked around
by bloodsport
in their second fight.
A win tonight could do
wonders for their seeding.
[kenny] yeah, we won't know
exactly what the selection
committee is thinking
until later, but I know
the end game guys think
they can still
lock in one of the
top four seeds here.
They're probably in either way,
but if they lose,
their first round matchup
is going to be
against a top tier team.
[chris] now,
on the flipside, kenny,
I'm not sure that will bales
and hypershock are a lock
to make the tournament
just yet.
[kenny] yeah, in typical
will bales fashion,
hypershock was
not exactly "ready-to-go"
in their first fight
and they got
completely dominated
by gruff's dual cannon
flamethrower there.
They bounced back
against mammoth
but, you know that
super masculine [growls]
you just did, chris,
well, that's how hypershock
makes me feel.
I know they can do some
damage in the tournament,
they just need to prove it.
Okay, so you didn't like
my grunt, let me hear yours.
Nah, I'm good.
- You're not a grunter?
- [grunts]
- how's that, that's good?
- That means let's let
faruq take over.
In the blue square,
last christmas
this bot ripped you apart,
broke you so bad,
you couldn't start.
This year it's back to destroy
and take you straight to hell.
Happy holidays from end game.
[crowd cheering]
[chris] well, jack barker and
nick natey's bot needed
a ton of work
after that
bloodsport loss, kenny.
How're they feeling right now?
[kenny] these guys
are pretty confident, chris.
They believe that they have
the better weapon here
but they know how aggressive
will bales can be
and they're hoping
those wedgelets on the front
filter hypershock
right into that disc.
[chris] nick natey told us,
"listen, I don't know
how in the world
we can beat tombstone
and not be in the top 32."
but these guys aren't content
with just an invite,
they want a high seed,
they want to take the
giant nut back to new zealand.
In the red square, last year
they weren't in sync
and they fell in a giant rut,
but this year
they're looking one direction
towards the giant nut,
they're going to mmmbop
the competition
and show that
experience rocks and say,
"bye, bye, bye" to all those
new kids on the block.
It's hypershock.
[chris] yes, hypershock.
The newest boy band around.
It's got the looks of a star
but they need to show that
they're more than just
a one-hit wonder this season.
How are they feeling
going into this match, kenny?
[kenny] well, you know,
they're really excited
about this fight.
If they beat end game
it confirms that
they're an elite team.
And will's going to
need to attack the flanks here
but he's got to be careful
because he does not want
to get clipped
by end game's weapon.
We know they like to drive
fast so we're going to try
and play it like a tank.
We'll try and sit somewhere
on the field and just point
at them the whole time
and wait for them
to drive into our big weapon.
We're quite happy to go
weapon-to-weapon
with hypershock.
We know we've got a better one.
Even with a loss to hypershock
we might still have a very
good shot at round of 32
but there's no way we're
going to leave that to chance.
So, tonight
we're fighting end game.
Uh, big, scary vertical spinner,
and those little floppy
wedgelets, I think they have
little spikes in front now.
I don't want to get hit,
I really don't
want to get hit.
'cause they hit hard.
So, we're gonna drift around
and take our time and do the
whole jerky-boy thing.
And, um, and be more patient
for the right hit.
I think we might have
the self-righter working.
Maybe. If we don't
then we're hosed.
[automated voice speaking]
robots, activate.
[chris] we heard will bales
mention he's worried about
hypershock's self-righter.
Not something
you want to be thinking about
heading into a fight against
a vertical spinner, kenny.
[kenny] no, it's not.
That means every move,
every attack from will
needs to be
that much more precise.
Small margin for error here.
[chris] can hypershock take
down one of the most powerful
weapons in the sport?
Or will end game
show the selection committee
that they deserve
to be a top seed?
We will find out when we return
on battlebots.
[chris] welcome back
to battlebots
where we have
the kiwis' end game,
ready to square off against
will bales and hypershock.
[crowd cheering]
[crowd chanting] fight! Fight!
Fight! Fight!
Oh, man.
[chris]
let the bot battle begin!
So much for the patience
hypershock was talking about.
They're now on their head,
can they self-right?
[all exclaim]
[chris] what a shot by end game,
there goes
a piece of hypershock.
Oh, gosh, and end game's
putting up on the screws,
it does.
[kenny] oh, man.
[chris] can hypershock
get its way off?
[kenny] chris, their
self-righting mechanism
is stuck in the open position
and that thing
is caught up in the glass.
[chris] I don't think
there's anything
hypershock can do, kenny.
They are wedged,
spinning the wheels,
mashing the controller.
But I think it's game over.
What a shock by end game.
Unbelievable.
There's no movement
by hypershock,
who is being counted out.
[referee] seven! Six!
[chris] an unbelievable
shock by end game...
- Oh, jeez!
- Hey, what the hell?
Hypershock is knocked out,
winner end game.
Didn't move.
[chris] end game makes
quick work of hypershock
and almost takes
us out in the process.
Jeez!
This thing
hit me in the face. Wow.
- God!
- Um, it's okay, I'm alive.
- Is that your lightsaber?
- Dude.
Hey, obi wan.
[chris] fifty three seconds,
kenny,
and it felt faster than that.
[kenny] chris, when
end game wins,
they win quick.
[whoops] look at that shot.
I mean, that is just
a brutal shot from end game.
Hit him in the right spot.
And then the follow up shot
is the one that really did it.
The first one was devastating,
it really hit him hard.
But then they just stayed
right on hypershock.
They were very aggressive.
They waited for him
exactly like they said
they were going to do.
Just brilliant stuff from
the team from new zealand.
[crowd cheering]
[chris] all right, nick,
you should be all smiles, uh.
- Yeah.
- Wow, um,
I guess your robot
packs a powerful punch, huh?
Yeah. I think that might be
almost the exact same place
we put tombstone.
Just, like, a little bit
further into the box, maybe.
So you finished
the regular season at 2-1.
You've got wins over
hypershock and tombstone.
Where do you think
you should be seeded
in the round of 32, nick?
Uh, I'd say
pretty high up there.
A win against tombstone,
and a win against,
uh, loss against bloodsport
who is a 3-0 bot
right now, so,
-it's not the worst thing
to lose to 3-0.
-Uh, yeah. [chuckles]
all right. So guys, as the,
uh, we have a little
bone to pick with you.
As the countdown was going on,
jack, you went over
to clean up the mess
that hypershock
left on the floor.
And look at this.
You almost k*lled kenny.
I mean, come on, man.
Are you upset
with our commentary
- from over the years,
or what is it?
- No.
Your commentary is fantastic.
I just wanted to sh**t it
towards the judges
to make sure they knew
that, uh, we're doing
some damage out there,
just in case it came down
and did go to judges.
- Got it. Well, nick...
- Also, it was in our square.
- Yeah, we had to clean up.
- Right. Yeah.
Well, if you were sh**ting it
for the judges,
your accuracy sucks, pal.
Because you ended up being
about 25 feet away from those,
and you scared
the you-know-what
out of florian.
- And just to let you know...
- It's not easy to do.
He is a former mixed martial
artist sort of guy.
So if you think
the robots are scary,
do not tick off this dude.
- Noted.
- I don't think I'd want to
get in the ring with him.
Very good.
Guys, congratulations
on your 2-1 regular season.
- Thank you.
- Thanks, guys.
[all cheering]
remember when
the regular season started
and we asked about end game,
like, guys you've just kind of
been hovering around 500,
when are you going to
take that next step?
I think they have, this season.
Definitely. I mean, this team
continues to get stronger.
They're learning a lot
about their bot.
I think this was
a tough matchup for them,
but they made it look easy.
So jack barker
is a fantastic driver.
[chris] all right. We are
inching closer to that
big bracket reveal
at the end of the night,
but we still have six more teams
looking to show
the selection committee
exactly what they're made of.
Next up,
it's smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
trying to put the squeeze on p1,
as the final night
of the battlebots
qualifying round continues.
[chris] we are back
on battlebots. Up next,
we have a couple of teams
on the outside looking in.
And certainly the most
interesting looking robot
here this season, that would
be smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,
built by joe fabiani
who lives up in new york city,
smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hasn't
had the battlebots debut
they were looking for, kenny,
but that's not stopping joe
from trying to get his bot
working to its full potential.
[kenny] yeah,
they put in new motors
and upgraded their drivetrain
after their last fight,
which should give them
some more torque here.
Everyone wants to see this bot
fully functional, chris,
so we get a true picture
of what this novel design
has to offer.
I'm hoping that's going to be
the case this time around.
And with p1,
they're now captained
by brandon zalinsky.
And similar
to smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,
it's been a mixed bag
for them this season.
[man] oh, no!
That's a real problem.
[chris] if this bot didn't
have reliability issues,
kenny, it be
a pretty solid machine.
[kenny] yeah, p1 is fast
and has an incredible
drivetrain, chris.
I like the low center
of gravity in that wedge,
especially against
an elongated design
like smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
So let's see what they can do.
Let's see how it goes.
P1 and smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,
join me, smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,
you're not doing it.
In the blue square,
from new york city,
it's got an issue.
It's not you,
it's smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
[all cheering]
[chris] smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,
Kenny, how do they attack
a bot like p1?
[kenny] the key for them
is going to be to try
and trap p1 in a corner, chris.
Smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee can't let
p1 get a running start
and hit their
more vulnerable center.
Well, let's see if those
new weapon motors
and drivetrain
I was talking about,
pays off for joe fabiani.
In the red square,
from new hampshire,
pay attention
and start the engine,
it's p1.
[all cheering]
[chris] p1 has a win
over chronos
and a one-sided loss
to copperhead.
How do they get
that second win, kenny?
[kenny] well, they're gonna
act like a battering ram
against smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,
chris. Looking for a box rush,
then trading space
in another blitz.
Brandon zalinsky has competed
against joe fabiani
in beta weight competitions,
so he should know how to
attack smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee's
oblong shape.
[all cheering]
my next fight is with p1,
which has a very fast
front hinged flipper.
They know how to control
their opponent very well,
and we're worried about that.
Both the robots
are going to be really,
really fast going into this.
We'll hopefully drive around
the arena a lot, use the space
and maybe nip their wheels
which are exposed.
We have to stay on the move,
running away from them
a little bit,
but also taking our hits
where we can get them
and scoring damage points
the whole time.
So against smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,
I have a decent idea
of how I want to attack him.
We ended up going with
the horizontal armor
just because
we didn't kind of really
want to overthink it.
We should be able to
get under him still
with the big front armor.
And it also means
if we take a hit
off the horizontal spinners,
we're not too concerned
about it.
-[automated voice speaking]
robots, activate.
- [all cheering]
[chris] both teams looking for
their second win here.
Kenny, do either of them
have a legit shot
at the tournament?
[kenny] well, loser is out.
Winner has hope.
But it depends on
their performance, chris.
Bots that make the tournament
need to not only be dangerous,
but they need to be
durable enough
to brawl for an
entire 3 minutes.
Neither of these bots
have proven it.
- [woman] all the best, guys.
- You, too. Good luck.
[crowd chanting]
fight, fight, fight, fight...
[buzzing]
[chris] let the bot
battle begin.
[kenny] there's that box rush.
P1 going right at
smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
[chris] you're probably
looking at that thing
and saying,
"dang, that thing's big."
[kenny laughing]
"now what do I do?"
- there you go.
- [chris] woah! All right.
Wow! Woah, that is impressive.
P1 bench pressing
smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
- Look at that. Oh, my gosh!
- Oh!
[chris] what an amazing move.
It has put
smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
way up the rail.
[kenny] uh-oh. Oh.
[chris] oh, how nice.
It knocked it down so it could
play a little more.
Nice sportsmanship.
[kenny] that was
an amazing move by p1.
That's the best tactic we've
seen so far against this bot.
[chris] unbelievable.
He's trying to do it again.
And he did.
He put it up on the screws.
[kenny] wow!
[chris] oh, gosh!
Now p1 using
that lifter to introduce
smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
to the screws.
[kenny] p1 just wants to
destroy stuff,
even if it's himself.
[chris] and this is
far and away the best that
smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
has moved
in three fights, kenny.
[kenny] yeah, I'd say that
smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
is much faster,
and p1 looks much faster
as well, chris.
[chris] this is not
necessarily what we expected,
but what a pleasant surprise,
as p1 goes right over
smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee trying to
wrap itself around p1
and attack with those
horizontal spinners.
P1 looks like it's struggling
a little bit.
Almost caught
and then taken for a ride.
[chris] gorgeous little jab
there by smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
[kenny] smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
is definitely moving
way better though, chris.
[chris] well, it got some
rest. It had been out
before its previous fights.
Broke curfew a couple times.
You know how those
smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees can be.
But it came to party
inside the box tonight.
[kenny] look at this circle.
The old three stooges move.
Woo-hoo.
Whoo!
[chris] that was awesome.
[kenny] I like how p1
just went right at him.
You know, a lot of other bots
have been confused as to
how to approach him,
and they almost are
too patient and too cautious
against smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
[chris] smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
having serious drive
and weapons issues now.
And here comes p1,
puts him on his back
and gives him
the old rodeo action, kenny.
Yee-haw!
[kenny] this is more wrestling
match than robot fight.
Yes. Whoa.
[chris] there's 45 seconds
left in this match.
But, oh, man, I want
another five minutes of this.
[kenny] brandon zalinsky
taking a page
out of will bales' playbook.
[chris] oh, yeah, grinding
those bottom gears
on those screws.
Oh, gosh!
Yes, another shot
and smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
flips over.
Smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
inverted on the screws now.
You can see they lost
one of their spinners
in this whirlwind of action.
[kenny] could this be the end?
[chris] no more
mr. Nice guy for p1.
- The countdown has started.
- [referee] seven, six,
- five...
- Oh, I think p1's had enough.
He said, "you know what, I had
my fun, now I'll take my win."
[referee] one. Knockout!
- Winner p1!
- [buzzing]
bravo. That was
spectacular stuff.
Great fight.
Wow!
Kenny, how cool was this?
[kenny] this was awesome,
you know.
And instead of just looking
at smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
and going, "what the heck
is this thing,
and what do I do?"
he's like, "screw it.
I'm just gonna
drive right through it."
and then pick it up,
put it on my lifter,
and let's take it for a spin.
Shades of hulk hogan
body slamming
andre the giant there.
P1 stayed aggressive,
kept the party going
and put on a great show for
the crowd. Excellent fight.
[chris] so we'll have to
wait and see whether p1 has
a strong enough resume to
earn a bid to the tournament,
lot of competition this year.
All right, we now turn our
attention to the main event.
These two teams both expect
to hear their names called
when the tournament field
is announced later tonight.
But they realize just how
vital a win in this matchup
will be when it comes to
securing an all important
high seed.
Take a look.
Look at the sparks!
Are we sh**ting this
on July 4th? This is awesome.
And the winner...
Valkyrie!
[chris] how good does it feel
to be a part of one of
the greatest fights
in the history of battlebots?
Oh, my god. Feels good.
Feels really good.
It just seems that every year
we kept having bad luck,
and it seems this year
it's changing.
We're currently 2-0,
which is crazy.
[chris] the driving skills
of matt vasquez
on full display.
You're only four losses
in the last three seasons
are to teams like
bite force, tombstone,
witch doctor, saw blade.
Do you love facing
this sort of competition?
Oh, I absolutely love facing
this sort of competition.
That's why we come here.
We want to fight
the best people.
We're 1-1 this season,
and now that we're going
against valkyrie, that's
another very tough opponent.
I'd go as far to say valkyrie
as the most powerful
horizontal spinner
in this tournament.
So that means
taking off our spinner,
just running the lifter,
and running an extra
We'll actually be using our
sharpened tooth, mr. Cavity.
Their lifter arm
is made out of plastic.
By having our sharper blade,
we're really hoping
we're going to be able to
just slowly slice through it.
Matt vasquez has been driving
since he could
hold a transmitter.
So I think my biggest
concern with this fight
is not us dying at any point,
but more of us getting
booted out of the arena.
[chris] oh, whiplash is trying
to flip him out of the ring.
[kenny] whiplash, trying to
get him out of the battlebox.
We're definitely not gonna
give them an inch.
Even if it goes to
full three minutes,
we're gonna stay on them
the whole time.
We need to make sure
we win this fight,
we get a good ranking
in the tournament.
That'll set us up
to get a deep run.
Had you told me
just a couple years ago
that we would be a main event
and taken as seriously as we
are in this competition,
it's absolutely surreal.
It's super exciting.
I am so happy we made
a terrifying machine.
[laughs]
[audience cheering]
[chris] we are back
on battlebots,
where the reveal of the 2020
world championship
tournament bracket
is just around the corner.
But right now,
it's the undefeated
british bombers beta,
looking to stay perfect
against newcomers, grabot
kenny, beta is
a world renowned hammerbot
and a fan favorite.
They are 2-0 this season.
And even though
that hammer of theirs
has been upgraded
to hit harder
than ever before,
they've been pretty shy
about letting it fly
this season.
[kenny] yeah, they didn't fire
the hammer at all
in their controversial win
over rotator
and they only swung it
a few times
against a pretty defenseless
rusty, in their last fight.
They have drawn
a lower tier team
for their third
and final match tonight,
and the selection committee
will be watching
to see if they continue
to hold back.
If so, that could negatively
affect their seeding
going into the tournament.
All right, and they're
taking on a rookie bot
named grabot,
led by ben davidson.
Really good guy.
He and his wife, angel,
have actually been
foster parents
to 70 different children
over the last 15 years.
This has always been
a passion of his.
He decided to build a robot,
and here he is,
and now he's got
to figure out how
to dodge the flying hammer
[kenny] yeah, grabot features
two articulated arms
with spring loaded fingers
designed to grab a hold
of its opponents.
Unfortunately, there's
not gonna be much
for it to clasp onto
on the body of beta.
So, ben may have to play
the wedge game.
Let's see how
this one goes. Faruq!
In the blue square, from oxford,
they came from the uk
to leave you koed.
It's beta!
[crowd cheering]
[chris] you know, beta in 2016
gave battlebots
one of its
most amazing fights ever,
a loss against tombstone,
john reid...
He wants that giant nut...
[kenny] and I believe
they're capable of doing it
this season.
A better seed in the tournament
will make the path
to the giant nut
a little easier too,
which is why I think
we finally see beta
be aggressive
with that hammer tonight,
but to be 2-0 without using
their primary weapon much
also speaks to the mobility
and defensive design
this bot has
and we don't talk enough
about john reid's driving.
One of the best
in this competition, chris.
In the red square from
plymouth, wisconsin,
the biggest k*ller
to come out of wisconsin
since fried cheese.
It's grabot!
[audience cheering]
[chris] grabot, a loser
in its only other match
to subzero
when it got knocked out.
But I think it looks
pretty stout.
[kenny] I know they've
heavily reinforced
the top of that robot.
Let's see if it holds up
against beta's hammer,
if we do see a fight.
[chris] we told you
a little bit about
ben davidson's family.
You'll notice young judah,
who is one of ben's
foster sons,
is along for the ride.
A remarkable experience
for that young man.
So far in the season,
I've been excited
to fight grabot.
It's a completely
different type of robot.
It's also got a lovely flat top
so we can really pound it.
Its arms stick up in the air.
We don't want the hammer
to hit the arms,
so, well, the strategy
is to bully it
into the corner.
What we really want to do
is get two hammer's
going on it.
The pit hammer and our hammer.
John is a legend in the sport.
It's like going up
against childhood heroes.
I feel really good about it.
My first fight,
I was not impressive at all.
I think we fixed a lot
of the issues we were seeing.
So hopefully we're stronger
and stronger after this,
once we get all that
nailed down.
I want to win.
I'm gonna try
to scrape that together.
But this new version of beta
is... It's not a joke at all.
Let's go!
[audience chanting]
fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[chris] let the bot battle
begin.
Uh-oh! Looks like grabot
is havin' a little bit of
a drive issue.
The beta...
Very measured start. Oh!
Just happened to go
wedge on wedge there.
[kenny] yeah, beta, able to
get underneath grabot.
Taking it for a little ride
around the battlebox.
These are the hazards,
those are the screws.
That's the corner.
[chris] it's lovely.
It's a six bedroom house,
seven and a half baths.
It's very large.
Meanwhile grabot
in a world of trouble here
and when is beta gonna fire
that hammer?
That's what the people
want to know.
[kenny] looks like beta's
trying to line up
the perfect shot here.
[chris] I mean,
might just want
to get him in the corner
and just start pounding him.
Instead, the pulverizer
does a big swing and a whip
on the beta hammer.
[kenny] man, is that thing fast.
- Here we go.
- [both] oh!
[chris] oh, man!
Oh, gosh!
Anybody check the top of grabot?
How many holes are in it now?
[kenny] it's definitely bent.
You know what? I'm impressed
that grabot was able
to handle those hits
and keep moving.
[chris] absolutely.
No question about it.
We're more than a minute
into this fight.
Hammer! Get ready to hammer.
[kenny] it's driving
much better, is grabot
[chris] john reid just trying
to tee it up in the corner.
It looks like he used
the rails and then fired
that hammer.
[kenny] you know, beta gets
a lot of its attention
for its hammer,
but its wedge
is very impressive as well.
Oh, my goodness.
- I felt that.
- [chris] sure did.
That hammer is just ferocious.
Grabot now having
no controlled movement,
it looks like...
Oh, no, not again.
Don't do it, john.
John!
Oh! Nobody listens to me.
Oh, come on!
[kenny] oh, my goodness!
[chris] all right, it's smoking.
There, you big bully!
Oh!
Oh. Who's burning? Me?
- [chris] hey!
- [kenny] that is insane.
[chris] that is unbelievable.
Under a minute to go.
Grabot is smoking in the corner.
[audience cheering]
grabot!
Just count 'em down,
for god's sakes.
- [referee] nine, eight...
- [chris] there you go.
Beta just wants
to keep firing the hammer
even at our battlebots logo.
That's like t.O. Standing on
the star logo in texas.
[buzzer sounds]
[kenny] wow!
[cheering]
[chris] kenny, what time is it?
[kenny] hammer time!
[chris] this is what we've
been waiting for from beta.
[kenny] yeah, they finally let
the hammer fly
and you see the result.
It feels like they've been
using the qualifiers
as a testing ground
and being cautious
along the way.
And that's going to hurt
their seeding
in the tournament.
But I think it'll be game on
against whoever they draw
in the round of 32.
-[chris] if so, look out.
-[kenny] that thing
is ferocious.
[chris] john and gabriel.
Gabe's busy.
[chris] okay, john. Yeah, hi.
Were you toying with him, john?
[chuckles] wait.
We want to get a bit
of practice driving.
We've got to get a feel for it.
So, we don't want to have it
over in ten seconds.
Wanna get a feel,
drive it around,
hit a few things.
Just get experience with it.
So, john, what's your
assessment of the weapon
and the bot in general?
It is working beautifully.
Exactly as designed.
Really pleased with it so far.
It's about three times
as powerful as the last time
we were here.
Uh, just got the magnets
that hold it down
which stop it jumping
right up into the air.
And, uh,
yeah, it's working well.
John, is the giant nut
well within your grasp?
[chuckles] too early to say.
But it's looking
pretty good so far.
John, great job.
- Thank you.
- Congratulations.
[audience cheering]
[chris] okay, so beta is 3-0
and they finally showed
the selection committee
what that upgraded hammer
could really do.
We'll see how
this performance affects
their tournament seeding,
which will be revealed
after our next fight.
It's whiplash and valkyrie
in our final main event
of the qualifying rounds.
That is next on battlebots.
[chris] all right. We are back
on battlebots
and are just moments away
from finding out who's in
and who is out
of the world championship
tournament.
We will reveal the bracket
after this next fight,
which will be
the final main event
of the qualifying rounds.
And let's start
with leanne cushing robot,
valkyrie.
You know, they have been
so close to the top 16.
Each of the previous
two seasons, they said,
at the very least,
that's their goal.
But so far, after going 2-0
and with a shot now
and a perfect regular season,
their confidence is at
an all-time high.
[kenny] they're very confident
right now,
and they also kind of feel
like they're in a great spot,
that if they do lose,
they still feel like
they will get in the top 32.
So, they're not going
to feel that pressure.
They're going to be driving
nice and relaxed,
we're very good spot right now.
And so, too, is whiplash,
even though they're 1-1.
Mattie vasquez is obviously
their outstanding
young driver.
They do want to get a win here
just because they want
to be able to carry
that momentum.
You'd rather go in at 2-1
and have a good seeding
in the top 32
than be 1-2 like some
other big name bots out there
and have to really fight
your way back up.
Absolutely. I mean,
matt and jason
are always going to fight
with a lot of determination,
a lot of pride.
And now I think valkyrie
is the kind of team that
gets a lot of respect.
Getting a win over them
means something.
All right, let's see
how it ends up.
Faruq, bring him out.
[audience cheering]
ladies and gentlemen,
are you ready?
[all cheering]
it's robot fightin' time.
In the blue square...
Protect your neck.
It's about to get jerked.
Your hands gonna twist
like they're watching
miley twerk.
It's going to be
a head-on collision
when you face this destroyer.
And when it's all over,
I hope you have a good lawyer.
This is whiplash.
[audience cheering]
[chris] in the last
three seasons,
it's only losses are
to tombstone,
witch doctor, bite force
and sawblaze.
We know about
the driving abilities
of mattie vasquez
but what makes whiplash,
the bot, so dangerous, kenny?
[kenny] well, it's designed
for mobility.
It has a smaller chassis,
which helps matt make those
sharper turns, chris,
and against a bot like valkyrie,
being nimble and being able
to avoid big hits
is going to be crucial.
[all cheering]
[faruq] in the red square,
we all know how this song goes,
when it rides into battle.
It's the sound of warning
your bot's about to rattle
with moves like lightning,
you don't want to lose sight
of the dark horse
from somerville
about to take flight.
[hums wagner's
"ride of the valkyries"]
it's valkyrie.
[audience cheering]
[chris] koed tantrum and won
a huge decision
against rotator.
And what are they going
with tonight?
[kenny] that's a blade
they call mr. Cavity, chris.
It's got two teeth
and a hollow interior,
as you can see there.
This weapon is designed
to dig into thick armor.
And they like to use this
against bulky wedges,
which is what whiplash
is going with tonight.
[chris] we always talk about
the driving skills
of mattie vasquez,
but don't sleep
on frederick moore,
the man in the hat.
He was spectacular
in their last fight
against rotator.
[kenny] yeah, he really is
an excellent driver.
But, you know,
leanne was saying,
they don't have
a whole lot of experience
against great lifters
like whiplash.
[chris] let's bring in
the bot whisper, pete.
Uh, what do you think about
just going with the lifter?
Well, they're
definitely trading that
fifty pounds of spinning disk
for armor.
That's what they went with
to be able to get
that big plow up their front
and going with the lifter
because they think that
they're hoping
they can get valkyrie
to balance up on end
and constantly
sort of push over.
We'll see if that works.
[chris] okay. Thanks, pete.
[automated voice speaking]
robots activate.
[crowd cheering]
[chris] all right, kenny.
This is it.
The final matchup
of the qualifying rounds.
Will it be whiplash,
or will valkyrie sail
into the tournament
a perfect 3-0.
We will find out when
we return on battlebots.
And the winner is...
- Whiplash!
- [all cheering]
ever wonder what sets
matthew vasquez apart
from all these other drivers?
Well, he's been driving robots
for 20 of the 21 years
of his life.
And repeating a motion
like this for that long
can actually make parts
of the motor cortex bigger,
like an expert violinist.
This allows him to move
his fingers
with better timing
and precision.
[chris] yeah, whiplash doing
a great job
of attacking with that weapon
in the backwards position.
[jenny] that can
help him pull off
some insane defensive maneuvers.
Oh. Look at that!
That's some tremendous
driving right there.
[jenny] and
some offensive ones, too.
[chris] nice move!
[kenny] and whiplash
right back on top of him.
Throwing shots and pushing him
into the screws.
[jenny] practice has literally
made him perfect,
so it's no surprise
matty vasquez is one of the
greatest drivers in our sport.
[all cheering]
that's a good fight.
[chris] welcome back
to battlebots.
We are mere moments away
from the final match
of the qualifying rounds.
It is the vasquez family
and whiplash
versus leanne cushing
and valkyrie.
[audience cheering]
[crowd chanting] fight!
Fight! Fight!
Let the bot battle begin!
Whiplash with a huge box rush
on valkyrie.
- Oh!
- What a counter shot.
Oh!
Whiplash says,
is that all you got?
Another huge collision.
And here comes whiplash again
getting underneath valkyrie.
And valkyrie's blades hit low
to the battlebox floor.
Matty vasquez going right
at leanne cushing's bot here
from the very beginning.
[kenny] and it looks
like whiplash
may have already broken
valkyrie's weapon, chris.
[chris] oh, that is
big trouble for valkyrie,
as whiplash now looks to go
to work with their lifter.
Maybe get valkyrie up
and out of the box.
[kenny] incredible execution
by whiplash
using the big wedge
to break valkyrie's weapon.
And now it's time
to play the control game.
Valkyrie at
a huge disadvantage
in that category.
[chris] whiplash,
one of the most
versatile bots in the field
and now giving valkyrie
the grand tour of the battlebox.
[kenny] introducing them
to all the hazards.
- Woah!
- [chris] oh, gosh.
Up by the screws,
is it gonna go up, up and out?
Whiplash, just relentless
with that lifter.
Valkyrie manages to escape,
and they're now scrambling
to create
some serious space
and reset here, kenny.
[kenny] I mean, they're trying,
but whiplash just isn't
giving him the opportunity.
[chris] pete, what the heck
can valkyrie do
since it's weapon
isn't working anymore?
[pete] I don't know, and
especially inverted like this,
they are not
in a good position in there.
Ooh, they were almost locked
on the handle there.
[chris] unbelievable as
maddie vasquez continues
to apply the pressure.
A minute, 20 to go.
The question is, kenny,
can valkyrie even
survive at this point?
[kenny] well, this is
a resilient bot.
Make no mistake about that.
Hi, girl.
[kenny] we saw this team
survive three of the most
violent minutes
in the history of battlebots
in their first fight
against rotator.
-[chris] closing in
and advancing...
- Woah!
[chris] and another shot
into the screws.
[kenny] uh-oh, valkyrie
shedding bot parts
as it thrashes
to try and stay alive.
Come on. Come on, man.
[chris] leanne cushing's bot
hanging on
for dear life.
[kenny] yeah, well,
there's some intense hits
to start this flight,
and I just think the stress
of all of those shots
have destroyed
valkyrie's bot and destroyed
that blade, chris.
[chris] if there was
an actual referee
and this was like
a boxing match,
this would've been finished
long ago.
But because valkyrie
can continue to move
even in the slightest bit,
it has avoided the countdown
to this point.
[kenny] you know,
I think last season
I think they would have
seen valkyrie
basically inoperable.
At this point, the durability
in valkyrie
is just completely different,
so we have to offer kudos
for that.
- These guys are tough.
-[chris] yeah, but
look at this.
Valkyrie back up on the screws.
Matty vasquez trying
to finish the job.
They won't get the knockout,
but what an impressive
performance by team whiplash.
- [man] whoo!
- [buzzer sounds]
[all cheering]
whiplash, took him
about a second
to get across the box, kenny.
[kenny] what a shot by whiplash.
Just not messing around at all.
And again just going
weapon to weapon
or I should say, wedge
to their primary weapon.
That's why they made
that change.
That's why they took away
that vertical disc spinner
and just said, "you know what?
We're just gonna armor up
and run our face
right into that weapon."
[chris] pete,
what impressed you most?
[pete] so even with all
that armor they added,
take a look at the left side
of whiplash.
That armor is cut
nearly clean through.
That is why they added
all that weight up there,
because they knew the damage
that valkyrie could create.
And then there's matt just
taking to town
with the lifter.
God, he was good in this drive.
[chris] you got
to give valkyrie
some serious credit
for making it
the full three minutes.
But in the end,
whiplash just too, too much.
The results from the judges
are in.
The winner
by unanimous decision is...
- Whiplash.
- [all cheering]
[chris] matt vasquez.
All right, matt vasquez,
boy, that was picture perfect.
- Wasn't it?
- Close to it.
There were a couple, like,
the very first hit
of the fight,
they hit us hard.
And I was like,
okay, if they keep doing that,
this is gonna be bad.
So I just kept hitting him
and hitting him
and trying not to let him
spin up.
And it worked.
[kenny] I saw you take
a big deep breath
after the judges rendered
that decision.
Um, how satisfied are you
with this win now?
We're very satisfied.
Uh, I mean,
with judge's decisions,
you never know. They did
a lot of damage to us,
but I think had their weapon
not stopped spinning,
they would have won it.
But I think it totally
could have gone either way.
Matt, when you lost
your first match of the year,
there was no panic
in your voice.
Did you know that you were
going to be in this position?
Were you that confident?
Oh, I had no idea.
It was mostly not panicked
because I was happy
we fought sawblaze
in the qualifying fights,
not the tournament,
but, uh, yeah, we're going
to try to keep it going.
And, you know,
hopefully we'll make it
in the tournament.
- Matt. Congratulations.
- Thank you.
I'm gonna tell you.
We will see you
in the round of 32.
Yeah. Thank you.
Yeah, we're excited.
- Whoo!
-[chris] really eventful
night.
You had sawblaze taking care
of fan favorite rusty.
You had valkyrie missing out
on a perfect regular season,
but that's okay.
A lot of teams lose to whiplash.
So kenny, this is it.
We are just moments away
from the big bracket reveal.
And I just want to say,
no matter who's in
and who's out,
this was a season
no one will forget
here at battlebots.
And perhaps
because of the effort
it took just to make it here
to get to the qualifiers
this year,
the tension between builders
to get into the tournament
are even higher than usual.
They're saying,
"okay, where am I?
Did I make the round of 32?"
kenny, let's check it out.
Okay, so here's how this works.
The selection committee
has ranked the top 32 teams
based on their performance
in the qualifying rounds.
The tournament field
will be broken down
into four groups,
each anchored by one
of the top four overall seeds.
Those four teams represent
the best of the best,
with the number one overall seed
being the favorite
to win the giant nut.
Okay, let's kick things off
in group number four
and reveal who is
deemed worthy
of the fourth overall seed.
The selection committee
could have gone
a number of different ways here.
- Oh!
- Oh, my goodness.
My gosh.
[chris] it's uppercuts.
A breakout season for the kids
from m.I.T., kenny.
[kenny] uppercut was one
of the most destructive bots
in the qualifiers.
And after surviving
tonight's fight with hydra,
we found out they're one
of the most durable, too.
[chris] okay, now let's find out
who it will have to contend with
to make it out of this group.
Kenny, what catches
your eye here?
[kenny] wow. Well, between
beta's hammer,
the brazilian bot black dragon,
a 3-0 mad catter,
not to mention
ray billings and tombstone,
we'll see what the rest
of the groups look like.
But this one feels like
the group of death
to me, chris.
[chris] it does not look like
an easy path for uppercut.
Next, let's travel over
to group number three.
Ladies and gentlemen,
this year's number three
overall seed is...
- Oh!
- Oh! This fight is over!
- [chris] ...Copperhead!
- [kenny] well deserved.
They went 3-0
during the qualifiers.
Their drum spinner
has looked unstoppable
and they might just be
our most improved team
this season.
[chris] let's see who
they'll be battling
in this group.
[kenny] kudos to mammoth for
making it as the 30th seed.
Donald hudson's lock jaw
is very dangerous
as a 14th seed, could see
some upsets from him.
A lot of rising stars
here as well, shatter!,
end game and rotator
are all teams
that could make
deep tournament runs.
[chris] rotator, of course,
missed the tournament
last year.
It has been a rough season,
but even as a 22 seed,
they are as dangerous
as anyone in the field.
Okay, so the bottom half
of the bracket is all set.
Let's reveal
the committee's choice
for the number two overall seed.
And it goes to...
- Woah!
- What just happened?
[chris] ...Bloodsport!
[kenny] another undefeated
team that has just
been shredding bots.
What a leap
they've made this season,
grabbing the two seed
in their very first year
in the tournament.
[chris] here's their
competition in this group.
[kenny] well, you love to
see gruff sneaking in at 31.
They'll give bloodsport
all they can handle
in their opening round fight.
The seven-26 match up,
sawblaze vs. Kraken,
leaps off the page.
Those are two of the most
durable bots in the field.
That's gonna be all-out w*r.
And, of course,
last year's runner up,
witch doctor is ranked 23
this time around,
they'll face skorpios.
Witch doctor finally has
their weapon dialed in
and I don't think
anyone would be surprised
if they were one of
the last teams left standing.
[chris] and finally, let's
move to group number one
for the moment
we have all been waiting for.
The reveal
of the top overall seed.
And again, this is
the selection committee's
highest-ranked bot.
And in theory,
they will have the path
of the least resistance
to the giant nut,
and that team
is none other than...
- Woah!
- Woah!
[chris] ...The flipper hydra,
of course.
[kenny] 3-0 this season
against a murderous
row of competition
and their dominant performance
tonight against uppercut
had to lock up
that number one seed
in the committee's eyes.
[chris] so there are only
seven spots remaining, folks.
Let's see who grabbed them.
Great to see huge get
a nod with a 25 seed.
They'll have a shot at revenge
against the bot
that knocked them out
of the tournament last year,
the eight-seed whiplash.
[chris] a lot of
kinetic energy here,
with malice, gigabyte
and valkyrie as well.
[kenny] absolutely.
And how about
hypershock staking in
with the final pick
as the 32-seed?
Their prize is a date
with hydra.
That number one overall seed
is coveted for a reason.
I think that group
is hydra's to lose, chris.
[chris] well, you never know.
In the tournament,
anything can happen.
And for those at home,
if you want to download
and fill out
your very own bracket,
you can find one
at battlebots.Come/bracket.
For faruq, our
bot whisperer peter,
jenny taft back in the pits
and my man kenny florian,
I am chris rose.
We'll see you next time
for the first round
of the battlebots world
championship tournament.
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05x10 - Qualify! Or Wave Goodbye!
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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.