‘Gladiators’ march back to NBC

by Joshua Maloni
Niagara Frontier Publications, December 27, 2007

Gina Carrano as Crush (Copyright NBC/Photo: Mitchell Haaseth)

“American Gladiators,” the popular, live-action competition made famous on Saturday mornings in the late ’80s and ’90s, is returning to television on Sunday night. New episodes of the program, which features oversized athletes with imposing names competing with everyday competitors in games such as “The Joust,” “Hang Tough” and “Powerball,” will then air each Monday.

Former WWF heavyweight champion Hulk Hogan and current WBC boxing champion/“Dancing with Stars” finalist Laila Ali will serve as show hosts. In this new version of “Gladiators,” competitors will square off head-to-head and against the gladiators in former show favorites like “Breakthrough and Conquer,” “Human Cannonball” and “The Eliminator.” They also will face new challenges, such as “Earthquake,” wherein contestants will wrestle a gladiator on a raised ring, and “Hit-and-Run,” in which contenders will try and cross a suspension bridge as gladiators toss 100-pound balls at them. Two-dozen athletes will compete over three rounds. The male and female grand champion will take home $100,000 – and an invitation to become a gladiator next season. In a recent conference call, Hogan said viewers shouldn’t doubt the gladiators’ athleticism because of their stage appearance. “The wrestlers that I’ve been with are some of the best athletes in the world. Now if we want to parallel that with these ‘American Gladiators,’ some of these guys, you know, have been athletes and on a professional level,” he said. “Some of these people could be competitive right now on a professional level. And I just look at the physicalities and the talent, you know, and the God-given ability they have and I mean, these are the best of the best.”

Laila Ali (Copyright NBC/Photo: Trae Patton)

Likewise, Hogan said, the competitors shouldn’t be discounted because of their relative diminutive stature.

“These (gladiators) are really, really good and it makes for a great playing field because of the contestants that have to go up against … these gladiators,” he said. “Basically, you had to jump through hoops and get to the top of the barrel, you know, because they’ve had thousands and thousands of people want to be contestants on ‘American Gladiators’ to win the prize money … (or) whatever motivation they have.”

Hulk Hogan (Copyright NBC/Photo: Chris Haston)

“So I think people are not only going to enjoy it, but once they see some of the events and some of the things that go on, they’re going to respect not only the gladiators, but the competitors,” he said.

Still, with men – and women – dressed in modern-day Roman soldier gear and donning monikers such as “Titan,” “Siren” and “Venom,” crafting the ideal gladiator is essential to the show’s success. Hogan, who was born Terry Bollea but has become “The Hulkster” to the world, has worked with the gladiators in creating a perfect persona.

“Well we’ve had those discussions. You know, that was one of the creative things that when we first started rolling with this thing – Laila and I talked about the format that we were given, you know – that basically after each event we would just interview the competitors,” Hogan explained. “And we kind of talked and we were, ‘Oh, my gosh, these gladiators are larger than life and they’ve got their own personalities and their own kind of like attitudes.’ And we were – Laila and I, were saying –‘Man, we need to be talking to the gladiators to build the brand’ and so the fans will have their favorite gladiator like I used to have when I used to watch the old show.

“And basically we kind of had, you know, initial discussions with the creative people and the producers, and you know what … we need to, you know, get this thing dialed in and have some larger-than-life personalities.”

“American Gladiators” star Titan (Copyright NBC/Photo: Chris Haston)

NBC is banking on professional wrestling’s most popular star, now 54, and Muhammad Ali’s daughter to bring the same level of success to “Gladiators” that Simon, Paula, Randy and Ryan brought to “American Idol.”

“We both bring, you know, a couple dimensions and change the parameters of the show,” Hogan said. “I think that, you know, we’ve both been in the combat zone, in one form or another, and wherever these gladiators or contestants are going, as far as competition or physicalities, we both have already been.”

“So I think, you know, we bring the element of having been in the (civil) arena with a little experience and a little bit of level headedness to this thing, plus we also – on an artistic, creative level – have a chance to bring an entertainment value as a team,” he added.

Ali, who herself has become larger than life thanks to her recent success on “Dancing with the Stars,” is enjoying the opportunities coming her way.

“Well, of course I didn’t know I would be on ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ But, you know, opportunities always present themselves and it just depends on at what point in my life I’m at where I decide I want to, you know, take advantage of that opportunity,” she said during the conference call. “So for me, I’ve always said from the beginning I wasn’t going to box forever. So it was like, ‘OK; now I’m not boxing. What am I going to do?’ And I want to go into the area of fitness, health, wellness and, you know, ‘Dancing With the Stars’ kind of just popped up and it was a great – I was a fan of the show.

“It was fun. I mean, I think many people – the average person would just want to do something like that. So I did it. And then this show came up. And, you know, it has the competition, action, athleticism – all the things that I like.

“And it was just the perfect opportunity to break out and do something new.”

“American Gladiators” airs on NBC (Ch. 2) at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 6, and at 8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 7. For more information, visit www.nbc.com.

Beth Horne as Venom (Copyright NBC/Photo: Mitchell Haaseth)