BattleBots season 12

The twelfth season of the American competitive television series BattleBots premiered on Discovery Channel on January 5, 2023. This is the fifth main-line season of Battlebots to premiere on Discovery Channel and the seventh main-line season since the show was rebooted in 2015; official material markets this season as World Championship VII.

Returning for the 12 season as hosts and analysts are MLB/NFL Sportscaster Chris Rose and former UFC fighter Kenny Florian, as well as BattleBox announcer Faruq Tauheed.

The "Upper Deck" is now a main staple in the ever-evolving BattleBox, along with kill saws and rotating screws as returning arena hazards. This season each team faces four guaranteed fights in the qualifying matches, fighting for one of 32 spots in the seventh world championship tournament. Also new for this season, fans can go to BattleBots website to see every robot's complete schedule, allowing more transparency for both teams and viewers. Unlike previous seasons which posted extra fights to YouTube or gave short recaps, every match in the preseason and postseason is televised in its entirety.

New this season are special champion banners hanging up over the entranceway, representing the robots that "reached the pinnacle" of the sport of robot combat by winning the Giant Nut trophy. The banners feature a picture of the champion bot with a Roman numeral denoting the competition that they won. Last season's champion, Tantrum, was the first team to witness their own banner unveiling before their match began.

Judges
The 11-point scale system returned where the judges award 5 points for damage; 3 points for aggression; and 3 points for control.

The current judges are: former BattleBots contenders, Derek Young, Lisa Winter, and returning to the panel from hiatus, Fon Davis.

Contestants
This season marked the 23rd year of the BattleBots competition. The lineup features 56 of the best heavyweight robots to fight head-to-head in the Battle Arena.

Every team will fight four times in the qualifying rounds. Their goal is to earn a spot in the top 32 in the winner-take-all championship tournament and ultimately become the 2022 BattleBots World Champion. New to this season, teams may appeal a judge's decision that they do not agree with, prompting a closer look and potentially overturning the decision. If this appeal fails, that team loses the ability to challenge for the remainder of the tournament.

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