01x05 - Heat 5

[bunniefuu]

[Chris] Gladiator Arena is roaring
and ready for action.

It's the perfect night
for some star-spangled smackdown.

On night five of the season,

our gladiators are beginning to rise
through relentless evolution,

coming together as one unstoppable force.

Let's lock it in.

- The gladiators are dialed in.
- [yells]

This isn't just competition...

This is American Gladiators.

[all shouting]

♪I'm the one in the arena♪

♪I'm the one, remember my name♪

[crowd cheering]

Gladiator Arena, give it up
for your master of ceremonies, The Miz!

[yelling indistinctly]

[Chris] And his co-host, Rocsi Diaz.

[crowd cheering]

Hello and welcome back

to the most exciting night
of action sports the world has ever seen.

[Rocsi] The contenders are out there
chasing the same dream:

$100,000, the trophy, and their chance
to make gladiator history.

Let's toss it over
to Chris Rose with the breakdown.

Oh, Rosie!

[Chris] Alright, thanks, Rocsi.

In each event,
contenders can rack up valuable points.

Points that matter big time when we get
to the final showdown, the Eliminator.

Tonight, four new contenders get a shot
at advancing to the semifinals.

And in the end, who will walk away

with $100,000
and an American Gladiators championship?

On the men's side, it's Austin,
a video game motion capture artist,

versus Andy,
a Jersey native who never backs down.

Both men, not the biggest guys,
definitely underdogs.

Andy, [indistinct] baby!

[cheers]

[Chris] But they both pull
an immense amount

of inspiration from their family.

Let's learn more about Andy.

Allow me to introduce you

to the mayor of Uppercut City, Andy Stern.

[Andy] Uppercut City is
a fictional place inside of you.

It's a place you need to tap into
when life gets hard,

when there's a challenge, a gladiator.

Essentially, you need to overcome.

When I lost my dad, tragically, you walk
into the hospital and you're like,

"Man, that's not real."

My world stopped.

A friend of mine said,
"You use your pain for a purpose."

So I'm doing this because I would watch
American Gladiators with my dad.

We would see these larger-than-life
characters, Nitro, Gemini.

You'd see the average Joe overcome
the odds, and David versus Goliath.

My dad had a quote on the basement wall,

"You can be anything you want to be,
you just have to become it."

And now I can sit here and say,
"That's going to be me."

Let's get this ball rolling.

Rocsi, break down
the rules for Atlasphere.

[Rocsi] It's 60 seconds
of high-speed human pinball,

as both contenders race to roll
over as many scoring pods as possible,

all while gladiators are coming
crashing for them at every single angle.

It's two points per pod,
which is easier said than rolled.

I'm here with Austin.

I hear that your mom is
your biggest inspiration,

and she's here tonight.

What would you like
to say to your mom right now?

I would say, "Thank you
for all the hard work

that went into raising, you know,
two kids as a single parent.

And you know what?
One day I want to pay it back."

- [crowd awws]
- I love that so much.

He's got me. I'm about to tear up.
I'm going to toss it to Mike. Mike?

[The Miz] Thank you very much, Rocsi.

I am standing here with...
please introduce yourself.

Allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Andy Stern.

[crowd cheering]

My dad and my mom are upstairs in heaven,

and my dad and I used to watch
this show growing up.

So, Dad, I'm doing this one for you.
It's the boyhood dream, man.

Please give it up for Andy and Austin.

Austin and Andy, better double-check
those locks are secure,

because coming after them

are two gladiators who go
from zero to wrecking ball real quick.

The Bull!

And Fang!

The world is his China shop,
and he's not just breaking plates.

The Bull!

[Rocsi] At a massive 6'3", 285 pounds.

Once the Bull starts rolling,

all that size and weight
will bulldoze right through.

This is for all of you,
and for the U.S. of A.

[Rocsi] Fang's scary pro wrestler
power and agility

make him a nightmare
in a game like Atlasphere.

[roaring]

[fanfare]

Contenders, ready!

[Chris] Andy's dad, Bill, was a huge fan
of American Gladiators,

so this is something special.

Austin knows he's not the biggest guy,

so he says he's going to have to use
his agility and mobility

to win at American Gladiators.

You go red, I go blue.

You got it, brother!

[Chris] Bull and Fang coordinating,
working together nicely.

Gladiators, ready!

Let me loose!

[Chris] Bull, 285.

- Fang at 265.
- [Fang roars]

Truly David versus Goliaths in this one.

[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

- [whistle blowing]
- [Chris] We're ready for major impact.

Austin and Andy are underway.

Oh no, here comes Bull.

[Bull] Not today, brother!

[Chris] Looks like he wants
to take both of them out.

Great defense by Fang.

Pushes him off the pod.

In the meantime, Austin just staring
right into the eyes of the Bull.

Andy told us he's living out the dream.

He used to watch American Gladiators
with his late father.

Right now,
it's a little bit of a nightmare.

But now he's got a free run.

Go, Andy, go!

Two, Andy, that's it!

Pop set for you!

Get another one, you guys!

[Chris] In the meantime,
Austin can't get around Bull at all.

Austin, the other way!

[Chris] Being bullied against the board.

Ten seconds to go.

- [timer beeping]
- Oh, he's got a shot going backwards.

He gets his first two as well.

Now, the little guys who are
in the corner.

Not a great place to be when you got
Bull and Fang staring you down.

Game's over!

I want a scrap!

I wanted more! I want more, baby!

[Chris] It's all tied up at two
in Atlasphere.

[Rocsi] Come on, fellas!

Great job.

Great job by our gladiators.

Atlasphere, great job.

Tough, but one of the best moments
of my life.

Austin, I saw you
get slammed into the barrier.

Hey, listen, two big dudes,

me and the Bull,
we slammed into the barrier.

I thought that thing was going
to break, man. Geez.

Bull, honestly, I'm shocked that he was
even able to score two points.

You were in his face.

Well, hey, I'm happy to give up
that two points because, you know what?

Your mom's watching,
and I guarantee she's proud.

Because he took on the Big Burly Bull!

- [both roaring]
- I love it.

I can't use my mic at all.

I got it, I got it.

Give it up for Austin,
Andy, and Bull and Fang!

[Chris] After Atlasphere, it's all tied up
at two for Austin and Andy.

And with two events left to go,
it's anybody's game from here on out.

All right, let's meet the contenders
in our women's heat.

[Chris] On the women's side,
we have Jordan, a CrossFit phenom

who has found mental strength
in running her own bakery,

versus Rebecca, a circus performer
who has ignored doctors' orders

and continued
to push her body to the limits.

Let's learn more about Rebecca.

[Rebecca] Growing up, there were
a few times that my parents joked, like,

"Oh, don't quit your job
and join the circus."

And they didn't realize that you can
actually make a career out of circus.

I am Rebecca, 31 years old,
from San Diego, California,

and I am a circus performer.

I'm an aerialist in a stunt show.

The coast is clear. Let's do it.

Everything we do here is a risk,
but it's super fun.

I cross-trained so I can do
some of the other stunts as well.

I think the discipline that circus takes,
and also the creativity.

You can't just be strong,
you can't just be flexible,

you can't just be artistic.

You have to be all of those things.

With $100,000, I would love to get land,
have my own big top on it,

and bring everyone in
and create our own circus.

[crowd cheering]

[The Miz] Rebecca and Jordan
are locked and loaded,

but there are two gladiators
eagerly waiting to crash the ball.

She's patrolling the arena
and ready to pounce.

It's Huntress!

[Rocsi] Track star speed,
power lifter strength.

Huntress is ready to run down
and roll over anyone in her path.

It's already over.

And it's not just her name, it's her game.

One of the strongest gladiators
in this event.

Here to deflate your day, it's Crush.

[Rocsi] Competitive,
powerful, unstoppable,

Crush was practically built in a lab
to dominate Atlasphere.

Yeah! Yeah! Whoopee!

[fanfare]

Contenders, ready!

[Chris] Jordan Szewc,
our baker in the big blue sphere.

The circus girl Rebecca in the red.

Gladiators, ready!

[Chris] Crush will be opposite Jordan,

Huntress starts
on the other side of Rebecca.

Three, two, one!

[whistle blowing]

[Chris] Sixty seconds
to score points, two by two.

Both contenders off and... rolling.

[chuckles]

And everybody's going to have
a meeting of the minds in the middle.

Jordan breaks free!

That's Air Jordan!

Throw that down
with a dunk, just like MJ used to do.

Rebecca gets two.

Now Jordan has to go find
a different pod to light up.

Same with Rebecca.

Rebecca being checked by Crush.

She's gonna have to find
a different route.

In the meantime,
Huntress is all over Jordan.

Under 20 to go in a 2-2 game.

Rebecca just rolls past,

but she can go back
and get that pod for two more.

Oh, she...

She gets the score for two more.

[whistle blowing]

Game's over!

[Chris] That game, unbearable for Jordan
as Rebecca outscores her 4-2.

I was having a blast!

Let's keep going!

Good job!

[The Miz] Come on in!

[Rocsi] Wow, ladies.

Jordan and Rebecca! How tough was Crush?

I didn't even know
who was behind what ball.

I just... I just...

Crush was all over you.

That was fun.

That game honestly went by so fast
I couldn't believe time was up already.

You scored four points. Well done.

Two points for you, Jordan.

Gladiators!

It seemed like it was so easy.

What's the secret to Atlasphere?

I think once you just have your eyes
on your prey, it's lock in and go.

[crowd cheering]

And I'm not going to lie,
this is like piece of cake.

Our gladiators aren't
even breaking a sweat right now.

So we'll see if they get
a tougher time later on.

But great job, gladiators.

[Chris] After Atlasphere,
Rebecca has four, Jordan has two.

That would be a one-second head start
in the Eliminator for the circus girl.

But remember: there's two events left
to go and things can change real fast.

[The Miz] Let's go to The Miz.

It's you plus gravity, multiplied by fear.

Rocsi, tell them about Hang Tough.

[laughs] Hang Tough!

Contenders have 60 seconds
to swing across a sky full of rings

and one gladiator
swinging straight for them.

Get to the red rings
and hang on for five points,

or dare to cross triumphantly for ten.

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

[Chris] Coming up, Jordan Szewc
from Benton, Michigan.

Let's find out more.

[Jordan] I missed the CrossFit Games
two years in a row

by like one to three points,
just kind of falling short.

So I needed to take a mental health break

and kind of just have
something that pulled my focus from it.

So I started sourdough
and sourdough baking.

It just gave me something else
to take my mind off of stuff.

That feeling when you open up
the Dutch oven, it feels so good.

It's like, "Ah, perfection."

I never really thought I'd step out
onto another competition floor.

So even though this is different,

it just feels like
I'm kind of winning myself back.

So I want to prove to myself
that I can do this,

and I need to open up a bakery.

So I need that money
to open up my storefront

and just be able to give more bread
to everyone that I love.

[crowd cheering]

[The Miz] Jordan's father Joseph is here
to cheer on his greatest recipe.

Jordan's going up
against one of the strongest gladiators.

It's Crush.

- Contender, ready!
- [fanfare]

[Chris] Jordan Szewc,
our baker getting ready to feel the heat.

And we ain't talking
preheating to 400 degrees.

Gladiator, ready!

[Chris] Crush, she gets a hold of you,
you're done.

[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

[whistle blowing]

[Chris] And our fabulous baker
from Michigan is off.

Nice tempo so far. Good rhythm.

Going eye to eye with Crush.

That could be troubling.

Oh, she gets past Crush.

Does she have a lane?

Jordan.

Oh no, Crush has come up from behind.

Is Jordan strong enough to withstand?

Hang on! Come on!

[Chris] Crush is just mocking her,
trying to pull her arms down.

Jordan's so strong, whoa!

This is strength on strength.

Come on!

[Chris] Come on, kid. You can do it!

If she holds another 17 seconds,
she'll get five points.

It's Crush.

[yells]

Now she's getting off the momentum.

She's got a free run!

Go, Jordan, go!

Three, two, one!

[whistle blowing]

Five points!

Jordan Szewc, a half cup of bravery.

- A half cup of strength.
- Yeah!

And 100% badass.

[The Miz] Jordan!

With the grip strength!

Oh my gosh.

You don't get grip strength
from holding spoons.

Where did that come from?

Years of CrossFit and gymnastics.

Not cooking.

I mean, there's some mixing involved,
but I don't give up.

You had Crush all over you,
gripping at your hands.

What's going through your head?

She about ripped my fingernails off.

Oh, my God, you're so... Oh, my gosh.

[Rocsi] She threw
her entire body weight on top of you.

That is insane.

Can't handle the heat.
Get out the kitchen.

That honestly was going to be
my line if I won.

[laughter]

Wow. Way to rise
to the occasion, honestly.

Oh, we're having
a bunch of cooking puns here.

You're a tough cookie.

How many are we going to do here?

I've got 'em all night.

Give it up for Jordan and Crush.

Up next, it's Rebecca.

[Chris] For Rebecca Clements,

this has been as much
about being tested mentally as physically.

Let's find out more.

[Rebecca] When I'm going
head to head with a gladiator,

it'll come down
to kind of working with myself.

I'm very cautious to make sure
that I stay in one piece

because I have
what's called a Chiari malformation.

Essentially, you need to get
a compression surgery.

They take out part of your skull
and part of your C1 to open up space.

It'll affect balance and coordination.

In addition, I have scoliosis.
I've had five knee surgeries.

I've had bilateral hip surgery.

You know, it's almost
like I've spent all this time

trying to piece my body together.

I can't be held back
by some structural defects.

It's going to take
a lot more than that to take me down.

I still have the firing knee.
I still have an itch.

There's still, like, I'm not done yet
with all the physical things.

So I want to show
that where there's a will, there's a way.

Hoping to blow Rebecca
right off course, it's Hurricane.

[Rocsi] Hurricane's upper body strength
and strong grip from all that D1 softball

made for the perfect storm in Hang Tough.

Contender, ready!

[Chris] Rebecca has two
circus performing friends in the audience,

Katrina and Yoli.

Gladiator, ready!

[yells]

[Chris] How about the size of Hurricane?


if that reach comes in as an advantage.

[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

[whistle blowing]

[Chris] Alright, this is going to be fun.

Watching a circus star climb
through the air with the greatest of ease.

Look at how smooth she is.

Hurricane hanging
with the circus high-flyer, Rebecca,

making sure she stays
between her and the platform.

Very, very impressive.

Now she's grabbed her first red ring.

Oh no, Hurricane trying to corner her.

Rebecca working the left side.

Uh-oh, she's k*lled
a little bit of her momentum.

Now she might be going backward.

No, she grabs a second red ring.

Forty seconds left.

Trying to stay clear of Hurricane.

Uh-oh, Hurricane's wrapped up in Rebecca.

That's 160 pounds.

They're going leg to leg.

- [whistle blowing]
- And down for the pound.

Rebecca was so close,
but right at the end,

the gladiator said,
"Got you, girl. Can't have this ring.

After Hang Tough,
Jordan leads Rebecca 7-4.

It's now Jordan
with the second and a half head start

with one event left to go.

Moving it over to the men's heat.
Up first, it's Austin.

My name is Austin Liu. I'm 28 years old.
I'm from Fontana, California,

and for a living,
I am a motion capture artist.

I am literally the video game character
that people play on their console at home,

and they don't even know it.

[chuckles]

Me and my long-time girlfriend...
I had kids very young,

so there was definitely
that pressure to provide for the family

and I didn't graduate with a degree.
I didn't have a normal job.

I was pursuing
a professional fighting career.

I wasn't really able to pay the bills.

I had to do stuff on the side like
selling shoes, personal training people.

I did everything in between.

For me to be where I'm at today
and able to make money with my passions,

it means the world to me.

I'm thinking about my family
more so than anybody else

when I think about this competition.

You know, make no mistake,
I'm here for business.

I'll fight to the end
and provide for my family.

They can definitely count on that.

[crowd cheering]

And to make Hang Tough even tougher,
he's facing a fan favorite.

Returning to steal hearts
and steal points.

The deck is always stacked against
the contenders with this gladiator.

It's Ace!

[Rocsi] Endurance, contact skills,
and all-out athleticism,

Ace swings into Hang Tough, ready to show
why he's the high card in this deck.

["Gonna Fly Now" opening fanfare]

Contender, ready!

[fanfare]

[Chris] Forget about being
light on his feet,

this 152-pounder is going
to have to work his way past an ace.

Gladiator, ready!

[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

[whistle blowing]

[Chris] All right, Austin making
a quick change before he even goes,

moving from the right side to the left.

At 152 pounds, it's all
about strategy and precision for this guy.

Trying to go to the outside.

Uh-oh, misfired on a rig.

Both directions, here comes Ace!

Outweighs the contender
by basically 60 pounds.

Austin has lost all of his momentum.

Twenty-five seconds in.

Go, Aus! Come on, sweetheart!
Come on!

[Chris] Austin,
he might have a little lane.

Ace has wrapped him up, this is trouble!

Ace said, "Hey, little dude, no way!

You are...

finished!

[Thomas] No points!

[Chris] Game over.

Zero points for Austin.

[The Miz] Come on over here, Austin.

Looked like you changed your mind
a little bit right in the beginning.

What was going on?

I was trying to find a route around him,
but yeah, easier said than done.

How do you bounce back?

Third event, I gotta get
as many points as I can.

I need all the seconds
I can get on the Eliminator.

So, don't get angry.

[indistinct]

[The Miz] Andy's gonna need every ounce
of that Jersey grit on Hang Tough.

He's up against a gladiator
who's 90 pounds heavier, a foot taller,

and always has a method to his madness.

It's Mayhem!

[Rocsi] Brains plus brawn,
Mayhem doesn't just play Hang Tough.

He makes it absolute chaos for contenders.

- Contender, ready!
- [fanfare]

[Chris] Hey, can we
give Andy a little credit?

Would you be willing
to stare down a monster like Mayhem

when you're giving up
a foot and nearly 100 pounds?

Gladiator, ready!

[yells]

Mayhem, earlier this year,
dismantled contender Stefan Jones

and held him to zero points in this event.

- [Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!
- [whistle blowing]

[Chris] Andy says, "I want to make

both my late parents
and my two kids really proud."

[Thomas] Gotta move, gladiator!

[Chris] Mayhem's got
to get off the podium.

Gets warned by Thomas Taylor,
our head referee.

Andy, quick on the draw,
almost toward the red rings right now.

Can he get to the outside?

Which way is he going?
Does he know he's got to go forward?

And now he's doing
a real interesting strategy,

where he's got two hands on one ring.

Haven't seen that a lot this season.

Dig deep!

[Chris] Remember, if Andy can
at least finish in the red zone,

when there's zeros on the clock,
he'll get five points.

Get off me, dude! Stop grabbing my arm!

- [Thomas] Watch your legs!
- Don't grab my underwear!

There's five seconds to go and Andy wants
to return home, it looks like.

[whistle blowing]

So with 100% of the 3-6 recorded,

the mayor of Uppercut City
ends up with zero points.

Andy and Austin both get
shut out and hang tough,

so the score remains tied at two.

Rocsi, tell us about Collision.

[Rocsi] Collision.

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

and sink them into baskets
for two points each.

Sounds simple,

except for the four gladiators
swinging straight at them.

First up on Collision, it's Rebecca.

Sure, she's circus trained,

but nothing in her bag of tricks
could prepare her for this.

This is the final chance
to rack up points for the Eliminator.

Only problem is the gladiators
waiting in the rafters to take her out.

It's Huntress, Blaze, Empire, and Voltage.

You go and you can see what she does,
and then I'm gonna keep going.

[Chris] Empire and Voltage coming up
with a game plan before Collision starts.

Contender, ready!

[Chris] Rebecca has dealt with a ton
of physical ailments over the years.

Rebecca's doctor says,
"Yes, there's a risk by doing this,"

but she loves
pushing herself past the limits.

Gladiators, ready!

[Chris] These four gladiators,
ready to get in the swing of things.

- [Thomas] Three, two, one!
- [whistle blowing]

[Chris] Sixty seconds to score
as many points as possible.

Rebecca taking the cautious approach,
maybe because of all the injuries.

Oh, she speeds up!

Tries to get away, but oh!

Taken down by Huntress,
kind of an awkward landing there.

Hope she's okay.

And another dominant performance
from our gladiators.

Rebecca takes the L. Tough way to go
in the final event before the Eliminator.

Oh, man! What happened?

That was good. I wasn't prepared for that,
and she just got me, just the right time.

I thought I'd be able to... pew! And I...

You definitely did
the pew on the first two,

and then the third and fourth
were like, "Hey, all right."

You want to talk a little smack?
This is what gladiators do.

Huntress was doing
all the entertaining out there, swinging.

You got her down good.
What did it take, Huntress?

The key is teamwork.

I have
an amazing team of gladiators with me,

and then I just had to do what I do best.

I was on the prowl, and I got my prey.

I mean, I'm a gladiator.
What do you expect?

[crowd cheering]

Next up on Collision is Jordan.
Every point counts. Thomas, take it away.

Contender, ready!

[Chris] Last chance for Jordan,
the baker from Michigan.

The gladiators getting ready
to tell her to pucker up.

Gladiators, ready!

[Chris] They took down Rebecca.
What will they do to Jordan?

[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

[whistle blowing]

[Chris] Jordan looks to be waiting
for the right moment.

Looking for an opening.

There she goes.
All speed, all muscle precision.

However you name it.

Great job by the 22-year-old.

That's the first two.

Now making a sprint for it.

Pardon me, excuse me.

Getting through here.
Avoiding the kicks and the gladiators.

And she gets two more.

Nice work so far by Jordan, the baker.

[Thomas] Your kick,
watch your kicking over there!

[Chris] Whoa!
Has to deal with a little Blaze.

She usually deals with a little heat
as a baker in the kitchen.

She's got six points total.
Under 20 to go. And that'll do it.

[whistle blowing]

It's over, the gladiator,
who's built like a brick oven,

takes down the baker,
but only after she scored six points.

Great job by the kid.

[The Miz] Next up is the Eliminator.

You feel like you've done
enough to take on Rebecca?

Oh yeah. And with my background
in CrossFit, like,

that's right up my alley,
so I'm gonna do it.

You're ready for Eliminator.
$100,000? Put it in my pocket already.

I got bread to bake
and I need a bread oven so...

Give this girl a bread oven!

I want to get her a bread oven
even if she doesn't win.

I just love your story so much.
Oh my goodness.

Give it up for Blaze and Jordan!

[Chris] After collision,
it's Jordan 13, Rebecca 4,

going into the Eliminator.

Now on to the male contenders.
First up on Collision, it's Austin.

He's trying to win this for his mom.

But when he sees
this lineup of gladiators,

he might regret
not just buying her flowers.

It's the Bull, Steel, Eagle, and Ace.

And of course, the eagle mascot
got in the crowd to watch

Well, Eagle never misses a contest
that the big fella competes in.

- [fanfare]
- [Thomas] Contender, ready!

[Chris] This is gonna be
a ton of fun, watching Austin,

a motion-capped artist, do his thing.

Gladiators, ready!

Yeah!

[cheering]

Coming for you, Austin.

You're in the Bull's eye, baby.

[Chris] Gladiators got
a lot of work to do.

Tough aim because Austin's only


[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

- [whistle blowing]
- [Chris] Here we go!

Austin being strategic,
watching the gladiators.

Should we throw some green dots on him
just to make him feel at home, and work?

He's got one more
to get past him, so quick!

He gets two.

Austin, biding his time,
watching the Bull and Steel.

He gets past them, no problem.

It's like a real-life game of Frogger.

Ribbit, ribbit.

Oh, and two more! Easy going for Austin.

Ah, he makes the move.
He's halfway home to another bucket.

Oh, he throws it and leaps.

Making six! Under 30 to go, Austin Liu.

Oh no, he's got Steel off balance.
He keeps it hanging. Now, he can sprint.

He dodges a flying Eagle,

and gets past Ace
for two more.

Still has 12 seconds
to try and make it to double digits.

That would be a season-high in collision.

Five, four, get going!
You gotta go, my man!

[whistle blowing]

Oh...

Great performance by Austin Liu.

You're good, brother. Good performance.

- Thank you.
- [Bull] Couldn't touch you.

[Chris] However, we understand
that actually this is being reviewed.

In Collision, the rules state
you cannot throw the ball

into the basket from the bridge.

I imagine that's what Thomas and his crew
are taking a closer look at.

The Miz will have
more on that in just a second.

After further review,
the final ball was thrown from the bridge.

That does not count.

[Austin] I didn't think
about that end of the bridge right there.

I just kind of tossed it in.
I just didn't give it a second thought.

- Six points for the contender.
- Six points for Austin.

How do you feel about that?

Yeah, I figured I was in trouble.
He came over here without a smile.

I thought he was going
to, like, spank me or something, but...

you gotta pay attention
to the rules out here

because every point counts.

Exactly. Every point does count.
$100,000 on the line. Good luck.

Give it up, everybody, for Austin!

[crowd cheering]

Unfortunately for Andy,
Collision is no sparring session.

These glads are aiming
to knock him out cold.

[Bull] We gotta... we are gonna
knock this guy out.

We gotta make this happen, brother.
Let's go.

Let's finish with a win.

[fanfare]

Contender, ready!

[Chris] The mayor of Uppercut City

is gonna have to avoid
the flying legs of some gladiators.

Gladiators, ready!

Oh, God!

[Chris] Here's the mayor.
It's time to break the law, boys.

[Thomas and crowd] Three, two, one!

[whistle blowing]

[Chris] And here we go.

Andy, not cautious at all,
he's Jersey style.

Pedal to the metal
right through that traffic.

[whistle blowing]

[Chris] Maybe he should have taken
the tunnel instead of the bridge.

[cheering]

[Chris] In just eight seconds,
our flying Eagle scratching and clawing

and dragging Stern down without a point.

Much to the dismay of this crowd, but hey,

that's what gladiators were born to do.
It's all within the rules, people.

[imitates a bird]

[The Miz] Andy!

Oh, man, that was tough. What happened?

I'm used to bobbing and weaving
and stopping and going,

but I ran into an eagle
that, ah... a little too large.

I can't let this
affect my long game, though.

It's a little bump in the road.

After collision, Austin breaks the tie,
ends up with eight points.

Andy remains at two.

That means Austin has a three-second
head start going into the Eliminator.

Let's make sure that he can breathe.

Let's go down
to the Miz and Rocsi for more.

All right, folks, the pressure's on.

Another shot
at the semifinals is up for grabs.

And in just a few moments, one man
and one woman will make it through.

Now's the time
to leave it all on the line.

It's the Eliminator. Tell them, Rocsi.

[Rocsi] The Eliminator,

the ultimate test of speed,
strength and stamina.

Two contenders race through hurdles,

climbing rope, and brave
a set of monkey bars.

A fearless trapeze leap,
a scramble up a mess of a cargo net,

and a heart-pounding ride
down the zip line.

Next, a mad dash across the balance beam,

and a final desperate sprint
up the iconic Travelator.

One last swing to the finish,

and the winner from each heat
secures a spot in the semifinals.

[Chris] It's Rebecca, the girl
who ran away with the circus,

and our hearts,

versus Jordan, the baker
who measures up to our gladiators.

Jordan's been the standout all night long,
on fire, kinda like an oven.

But don't underestimate Rebecca.
The girl was born to soar.

If she taps
into her secret weapon, her agility,

she could come back
and win the greatest show on Earth.

This show.

Contenders, ready!

Four and a half second head start
for Jordan Szewc over Rebecca Clements.

Berth in the semifinals awaits the winner.

Three, two, one!

[whistle blowing]

Jordan Szewc off and running,
or at least hurtling.

But Rebecca Clements,
now she's on the move.

The circus star, look at the movements.

She's on her way.
Jordan with some serious power,

already up the rope into the monkey bars.

Now Rebecca does her best work,

flying through the air
with the greatest of ease.

Jordan's at the trapeze,

and now Clements,
the circus star, now on the trapeze.

Let's see if she does anything special.

Oh, we're even as we head
to the cargo net. Szewc is struggling.

[yelling]

[Chris] And Rebecca says,
"This is where I do some of my best work."

She's not just a circus star,
she's like Spider-Woman.

Jordan's struggling, you have to wonder

if those nails
that Crush ripped off is affecting her.

Rebecca sliding down the zip line
over to the balance beam,

where you have to imagine
she's going to be a superstar.

Come on Jordan, move it!

Jordan, she is not giving up. Clements
is going to earn straight A's here.

Jordan, down the zip line.
Szewc lands on the mat.

Clements gets to the Travelator,
which has taken down men and women.

Oh, she trips and falls back.

Rebecca!

[Chris] You've got to remember,
five knee surgeries, a hip surgery.

Her doctor has suggested brain surgery.

It's neck and neck. Jordan,
on the run, using those powerful legs.

She gets to the top,
and the sourdough baker

still in line for that go at 100 grand!

Jordan! You just finished the Eliminator!
What are you feeling in this moment?

Amazing.

When she caught you,
what was going through your head?

I knew I'd probably be
a little bit slower there,

but I just ran my race,
saved my energy for the Travelator,

and I made it first try, so...

Well, you're going on to the semifinals
for your chance at $100,000. Oh, yeah!

Do you want to go to your own? Okay.

[Chris] In the meantime, the woman
who has battled so many physical ailments,

trying to get to the top
of this Travelator mountain.

Jordan Szewc, The Miz, Rocsi,

all by her side,
along with the thousands in this arena.

[cheering]

[Chris] Look at Rebecca,
she gets to the top,

does it, grabs the rope, she gets through!

And does a little circus twist for us!

I don't care where she is in this country,
we're all going to see her show.

Good job, mama. Excellent, excellent job.

Way to finish the show.
How are you feeling?

Good, I've had a lot of surgeries,
that scared [bleep] out of me,

but I'm glad I did it.

Thank you all for being here,
for watching, for all the contenders.

[exhales] I'm so grateful to be here.

[The Miz] Give it up
for Rebecca and Jordan!

We'll see you in the semifinals.

[Rocsi mutter indistinctly]

[Chris] It ain't over, folks.

We're about to find out
who from the men's heat

will be moving on with Jordan.

It's been a brawl from the start,
but now it's time to settle it

with the numbers for our mocap mama's boy
versus the mayor of Uppercut City.

Austin enters the Eliminator in the lead,


That six-point difference gives Austin

a three-second head start
going into the Eliminator.

That is a very tight race, folks.
This one could go either way.

Miz!

With a spot in the semifinals on the line,

let's see which one of these guys
wants it most.

Contenders, ready!

[Chris] Three-second head start
for Austin Liu over Andy Stern.

That's virtually nothing.

- Three, two, one!
- [whistle blowing]

[Chris] Austin said
he's living for this moment

because there's no gladiators involved.
It's just him against a fellow competitor.

Austin working his way up the rope.
Andy's already up it.

And we're even
as we head to the monkey bar.

These guys didn't score a ton of points
throughout the three events tonight.

Austin went 8-2,
but that doesn't matter now.

In fact, Andy is taking over the lead
as they head to the cargo net.

It's neck and neck.

These guys basically see
each other eye to eye,

both standing about 5'5"ish.

Who's going to be standing tall
at the end of the Eliminator?

Maybe both of them
will still have a chance.

Andy, up first. He has to head
to the far side, down the zip line.

Austin following closely.

This is tight!

Andy's down. Up next, the balance beam.

Can't use your hands. If you fall off,
you head back to the beginning.

That's what happened to Andy.
Austin, the king of motion, caps.

Oh, he falls off!

Andy back up. Takes a breath.

Measures his footing.
Andy dismounts. Austin dismounts.

Here we go. Andy, first crack at it.

Ah, he falls down. Austin does as well.

Whoever wins this, advances.

You gotta go.

[Chris] The other goes home.
Is it Andy? Is it Austin?

It's Austin! He breaks through. Andy!

Follows closely behind.
Austin. He's off to the semifinal.

That was the closest Eliminator
that we have seen.

What's going through your mind
going up the Travelator?

We're both really fast guys
with crazy athleticism.

I knew Andy was going to be
right on my tail,

so I knew I had to bring it.

[The Miz] Give it up for Austin!

American Gladiators, baby.
Eliminators are awesome.

[Chris] Great performance by Austin Liu.
Austin Liu moves on over Andy Stern.

What a night. Join us next time as more
everyday contenders battle each other

and our gladiators,
who aren't backing down for anyone.

For Rocsi Diaz and Chris Rose,
I'm The Miz.

See you next time on American Gladiators.

[theme music]

[closing theme song 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 the 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♪

♪I'm gonna rise up♪

♪I'm putting it all in, all in... ♪

♪I'm the one in the arena♪

♪I'm the one, remember my name♪