Talk:American Gladiators (1989 TV series)

untitled comment

 * At one point I read that the reason they didn't have more muscular contestants was because to qualify for the show you had to be able to do a number of pull-ups/chin-ups, eliminating some of the more muscular people who tried out.


 * They also aired a celebrity episode with Picabo Street where she manhandled the gladiators in a number of the events (she has a very muscular lower body she used to her advantage).


 * In the Swedish version in the early 2000's, the strong man Torbjörn Samuelsson tried to qualify for the show, but failed. Torbjörn Samuelsson qualified for the world final of the strong man sport some year back then, and his older brother Magnus won the world final in 2000. A picture of Torbjörn Samuelsson at Magnus Samuelsson's official web page. Ironically, even if this huge strong man — I guess he weighed some 130 kg = 290 lbs — would have qualified, he would still have been much smaller than the gladiator Atlas — weighing some 150 kg = 310 lbs with a defined body, probably close to 170 kg = 370 lbs off-season when he neither competed in bodybuilding nor participated in the Swedish gladiator show. A picture of Atlas, probably the biggest of all versions of Gladiators. I have seen Atlas as himself, the submarine officer Roger Zapfe, off-season in a cooking show, and then he was huge. Jens Persson (213.67.64.22 19:46, 5 February 2007 (UTC))

Why did the show stop?
Was it canceled? What were the reasons? I think it would be important to include this in the article as well...

Thank you all...

YouTube links
This article is one of thousands on Wikipedia that have a link to YouTube in it. Based on the External links policy, most of these should probably be removed. I'm putting this message here, on this talk page, to request the regular editors take a look at the link and make sure it doesn't violate policy. In short: 1. 99% of the time YouTube should not be used as a source. 2. We must not link to material that violates someones copyright. If you are not sure if the link on this article should be removed, feel free to ask me on my talk page and I'll review it personally. Thanks. ---J.S (t|c) 04:34, 8 November 2006 (UTC)


 * Looks like someone is on a personal crusade...yay 198.6.46.11 16:14, 14 August 2007 (UTC)

Severed Pinkie Finger?
Didn't someone (one of the contestants or one of the gladiators) get a finger torn off in one of the shows? 24.45.8.70 17:41, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

Yes, that happened during season three. I can not remember the contestant's name, but it happened during the joust. Before this happened, gloves were optional to contenders, and because of it, they were mandated in the future episodes.

Proof, please?

I'm sure if this is the correct way to answer this in this section but:

The contestants name is Marek Wilczynski. It happened during the Joust event as he lost his balance and fell towards the gladiator's platform. He tried to break his fall with his left hand and it hit the gladiator's platform. I'm not sure that it actually severed the pinkie finger but may have opened it up or took a chunk off. He had to withdraw from the competition as a result of the injury.

Season 1 Champion
Season One Champions: Brian Hutson-Tracy Phillips Season Two Champions: Lucian Anderson-Bridget Venturi Season One vs Season Two (Titled: Grand Championships): Brian Hutson-Bridget Venturi http://www.tv.com/american-gladiators/show/13743/episode_guide.html?season=2&tag=season_nav;next

Season Two occured in 1990 and 1991, not 1989 and 1990. They are half seasons. --ChrisP2K5 04:42, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

Panther?
This youtube video has Panther as a female gladiator, but she's not listed. What's up with that? --AW 20:46, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

She never was on the TV show. She was a live show Gladiator. --ChrisP2K5 14:55, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Change in attitude?
I think it would be worth mentioning how the gladiators went originally from arrogant angry people who always taunted and mocked contestants to more amicable competitors who showed respect for contestants and shook hands and helped them up and all that, which fundamentally changed the tone of the characters and show. TheHYPO 13:10, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

If you notice, though, in the last season they sort of went back to that, and I think that it didn't help matters much. --ChrisP2K5 19:09, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

Cause/Effect in lead?
In the lead section for the article, it discusses the revival. The article says that it was slated to be taped in late November, but because of the strike, it's being premiered on January 6. There is no reason given for the connection between the two events. I can't make sense of it, but I'm hoping someone else could. The article implies a cause and effect relationship between the two events, but there is a difference between being taped and being aired. Hezekiah957 (talk) 03:46, 10 December 2007 (UTC)


 * You're right, the statement doesn't make sense as written. The strike doesn't even demonstrably have any effect on this show.  If it were scheduled to be taped in late November, the strike would have delayed taping.  However since it is a "reality" show not likely employing WGA members, it is not relevant.  Nevertheless NBC has begun promoting the premiere as coming in early January 2008, so I've amended the intro to say just that.21:50, 10 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Nice job on the rewrite. Hezekiah957 (talk) 03:27, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

2008 Season - Events list
Recently, edits have been made (most recent) adding numerous games to the list. The sentence does not purport to be an exhaustive list; rather, it merely says that "certain" such events incorporate water. Now, I wouldn't be opposed to anyone picking different games to list, but I believe that it should be kept to 3 or 4 max. Otherwise, it starts looking sloppy. Also, mention of games to debut this coming season (specifically Earthquake and Hit Hit & Run) are being repeatedly added. However, as far as I'm aware, this information is coming from people who were at the tapings, which hardly counts as a reliable source; Pro Wrestling results are not incorporated into the article until they are aired (as is the case with WWE Friday Night SmackDown! among others), and I see no reason for this to be any different. However, if a reliable source can be cited, I will not object to their inclusion. Hezekiah957 (talk) 02:32, 13 December 2007 (UTC)

Split page into Old Gladiators and New Gladiators
Just curious if anyone else thinks two pages might be helpful. Although there are several similarities between the two shows, there are also a lot of differences that I think might warrant a second page. For example, currently there are two events sections and for the most part, both shows have the same events. And the gladiators from the first show won't be on the second. Just seems to me it would make the page quite a bit shorter. Feezy501 (talk) 22:35, 31 December 2007 (UTC)


 * I think two pages may turn out to be necessary, but we'll need to wait and see what the new show is actually like. Yes, the "trailer" for the new show makes it look significantly different than the old one, but the campiness still seems to be alive, for instance. Definitely a good question to consider. I say we see what the first couple of episodes are like and then discuss further. --Andrew (talk) 15:58, 4 January 2008 (UTC)


 * I agree that the revival section should be split into its own page, but for a different reason. This page, quite honestly, is a disaster and is nowhere near being what a good article is according to WP standards.  I think that if we break the revival into a separate article it will be easier for us to build a good article, and then if interests prevails we can do the same to this article. Jtrost (T | C | #) 17:30, 4 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Completely agree with User:Jtrost. Hezekiah957 (talk) 06:05, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Totally agree. The article as it is isn't organized and if this stays as one article with both old and new AG as good articles, the page will end up being too long. One article doesn't make any sense to me.--Crossman33 (talk) 16:30, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

Another issue to consider with this is what do we do with the content from the original broadcast? Do we create a new article, such as American Gladiators (1989-1996), or do we leave it in this article? If we do create a new article for the original broadcast then should this page be disambig, redirect to the original broadcast, or redirect to the the revival? I think the underlying question here that will help us determine what to do is when someone searches "American Gladiators", will they be looking for the original show, the revival, or both? Jtrost (T | C | #) 17:12, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
 * If the revival is successful, then a full split will be necessary. If the revival fails, then it should simply be placed in a separate section in this article. --SMP0328. (talk) 02:02, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I agree completely with the above- if they bring the revival back for a full season after the first six episodes, then split 'em up. Otherwise, just leave it as a subsection. -- Mike (Kicking222) 02:35, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I agree as well that the articles should be split up for the reasons listed above - zachinthebox (User • Talk) 03:21, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Separate articles please. This isn't unlike the split for Top Gear (original format) and Top Gear (current format).  Whether the series gets a full season or not is irrelevant; we have many articles for shows that got canceled after just one episode (List_of_television_series_cancelled_after_one_episode). --Madchester (talk) 05:46, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Articles should be separate, as I stated above. The current page should be the disambig and we should have pages American Gladiators ( 1986 1989-1996) and American Gladiators (2008).  If the new show fails, that could be simply indicated in the disambig page.--Crossman33 (talk) 16:30, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I think it's unanimous and that you should go ahead with the seperation of the sections, Crossman33. - zachinthebox (User • Talk) —Preceding comment was added at 20:23, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Working on migrating the text now. --Crossman33 (talk) 02:37, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

I've renamed the split articles following the precedent for the renamed Top Gear articles. See Talk:Top Gear (current format) for that discussion. --Madchester (talk) 04:59, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Original Gladiators in Erie, PA
The Erie Times-News for 6 January 2008 is running an article Gladiators: Local Strongmen Recall Show's Erie Roots that says a man named Danny Carr came up with the American Gladiator concept and was paid $20,000 during the period 1989 - 1996 while the show was in syndication. Carr was the founder of Erie's Lower East Side Sports Center. His idea for a strongmen show came as a result of ironworker picnics he sponsored in Erie, Pennsylvania from the 1960s through the mid-1980s. "And the first organized show came in 1982 in front of a frenzied, sold out crowd at Tech Memorial High School." --Pat (talk) 17:52, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
 * The article fails to mention how Carr's strongman competition turned into American Gladiators. Without that important connection I don't think this source is too useful for this article. Jtrost (T | C | #) 18:31, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I found a stronger source at Time magazine. Real-Life Davids vs. Goliaths, Time magazine, 24 June 2001. Maybe that will provide sufficient details to augment the article? --Pat (talk) 00:15, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

It's not fair!
For those who saw the premier of American Gladiators Revival, I thought that it wasn't fair that Jessie twisted her knee and was unfortunate enough to be removed from the competition. I hope that they at least pay for her injury, or at least pay for insurance. Neo Guyver (talk) 03:49, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
 * It's perfectly fair. That's what happened on the original show.  You obviously assume the risk of getting injured when you compete on the American Gladiators.  No compensation for injuries. --SMP0328. (talk) 03:55, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Yeah, but I saw the original show, and although most of it is foggy, and I can only recall one major injury on the show (Malibu, who suffered a major blow in Joust). I was excited to see it come back on, but now I don't think I can take the suspense.  Not to mention (warning, spoilers), another one is going to have a major leg injury (based on what they showed at the end of the show on Sunday).  Neo Guyver (talk) 04:05, 14 January 2008 (UTC)
 * No major injuries??? Malibu (and it was Human Cannonball by the way) was the least of it.  Turbo hyperextended his knee (I think it was season 3 or 4) and missed a lot of time.  Elektra broke her nose when a contender fell on top of her during Hang Tough, not to mention all of the injuries that happened to Contenders during the run, like the severed pinky mentioned above.  Gladiators is a physical competition, and there are always risks involved.--Bigfoot2003 (talk) 04:22, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

Based on the Application for the new show, the producers MAY buy insurance for the competitors, but they strongly recommend that the contenders make sure that they have the insurance necessary to cover their participation in the show. I would assume that with a big network budget that the new AG would have some kind of insurance for the contenders, but we don't know for sure.--Bigfoot2003 (talk) 18:34, 16 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Please remember the banner at the top of the talk page:
 * This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the American Gladiators article.
 * This is not a forum for general discussion about the article's subject.
 * Thanks. - zachinthebox (User • Talk) 20:19, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

The schism between old and new
I've noticed this article, compared to the last time I saw it, becoming a bad combination of two articles.

I believe the old stuff should be left as is, locked (as a means to prevent disgruntled players and vandals from editing the article) while the new stuff gets covered on a new page, and anybody searching "American Gladiators" (and any variants thereof) should redirect to an disambiguation.

Whoever has the time and patience to file through all the information and separate everything should do so ASAP IMO. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.37.80.241 (talk) 05:50, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

new american gladiator rigged
why is there no discussion about the new american gladiator being rigged like wrestling. the original was a real competition. the new one is staged. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.85.181.48 (talk) 06:13, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
 * because that's original research and/or personal commentary. --Madchester (talk) 07:17, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
 * According to Talk page guidelines,the Talk page is a place to discuss the article itself, such as suggested revisions to the text or other editing ideas. It is not a place for general commentary on the subject matter. Chat rooms and discussion boards are more appropriate forums for that sort of thing. --Pat (talk) 17:22, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
 * The first post in this section is a completely unsubstantiated accusation. If it's permissible, this section should be deleted.  Unsubstantiated accusations should not be allowed to remain on Wikipedia. --SMP0328. (talk) 20:17, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

I didn't mean to treat this like a forum. many articles on wikipedia have sections for conspiracy theories and I think this could fall under that heading. If you go to any forum online, i.e. nbc.com, many people are suggesting that it is in fact staged. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.85.181.48 (talk) 20:36, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
 * So you are citing other people making the same unsubstantiated accusation? Unless you can cite evidence that this show is rigged, you should not make that claim.  BTW, you should sign your posts (click the tenth button from the left). --SMP0328. (talk) 20:43, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

This **** is staged. the old american gladiators was hella better--24.6.207.78 (talk) 04:50, 22 January 2008 (UTC)


 * As people have said before. This is not a website for unsubstaniated opinions.  Unless you have proof, go to a regular forum to air your conspiricy theories.  Second, this is a kid-friendly site, kindly watch your language.--Bigfoot2003 (talk) 06:46, 22 January 2008 (UTC)


 * BF2K,you are mistaken. Wikipedia is not censored for youths.-- Xt e  r  r  a1  18:04, 28 September 2008 (UTC)

Semi-Protection
User:Jmlk17 has had this article semi-protected. If you try to edit the article, you are told you must first sign in. When I sign in, I end up with a choice of going to the help page or the Main Page. When I get back to this article, I still can not edit it. Is there any way for me to be able to edit this article? --SMP0328. (talk) 02:11, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Backpacks
Why is it that they wear the backpacks on their backs? Is it a camera or what? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.123.188.196 (talk) 08:55, 29 January 2008 (UTC)
 * This should be moved to the talk article for the AG revival. This is the talk page for the original AG. 147.70.242.40 (talk) 00:05, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

Orlando Live Gladiators
What should we do about the Gladiators that have been purported to have appeared in the Orlando Live shows? Since there is no credible source other than Gladiators Zone on these Gladiators, and even that cannot be verified, shouldn't we just link to the website instead of listing them? --Bigfoot2003 (talk) 07:05, 11 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Recently, several new "Gladiators" have been added to this section that cannot be verified (the newest links to an article on a hockey player that has no mention of American Gladiators). Since there are no reliable sources cited and the article already mentions the Gladiators Zone website as a resource for the Orlando-only Gladiators, and even that source cannot be independently verified, I will remove this section if there are no objections. --Bigfoot2003 (talk) 19:06, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

The Zonk-a-strator
What does this sentence at the end of the visual makeovers section mean: "The newest version of American Gladiators did not revive the Zonk-a-strator."? Is it somebody's idea of a joke? Nothingbutmeat (talk) 16:39, 14 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Yeah this is unnecessary especially since this article only deals with the original version of the show. Matches10 (talk) 02:21, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

Possible move?
Does anyone think this page might want to be moved to American Gladiators (1989 TV series), to further distinguish from the page of the 2008 revival, and make "American Gladiators" a somewhat-dab page, like "The Price Is Right" is? Roadrunner3000 (talk) 19:36, 3 May 2008 (UTC)

Basic premise not clearly explained?
Two comments about the Format and Events sections:

1) The basic format of an episode of American Gladiators isn't really well-explained. The premise is described in a round-about format, but nothing explicitly says "contenders face glads, score points, then face eliminator; one wins and advances".  Should this be cleaned up?

2) Is the bullet list of events necessary given the separate article dedicated to them?

Psuwhammy (talk) 23:51, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

Cheryl Wilson
Somebody recently added information that Cheryl Wilson, one of the Grand Champions, was murdered by her husband a few years after appearing on the show. While this information is tragic to say the least, I am not sure that it is entirely relevant to the article, since it happened four years after Wilson's last appearance on American Glaidators. I would like to get other editor's opinion on the relevance of this information. --Bigfoot2003 (talk) 17:25, 18 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I think it should be removed. It happened after the show's conclusion, and isn't really relevant in a list of show winners.  If it was a list of U.S. presidents, similar comments about assassinations would be equally out of place (although in that case there'd be an article on the person to link to).  It should be a simple list, without a bunch of indirectly related trivia masquerading as notes to the table. Psuwhammy (talk) 02:49, 2 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I was the one who added that info. I couldn't cite the source at the time,but I later did.-- Xt e  r  r  a1  18:02, 28 September 2008 (UTC)

Downloads Section
Twice now, people have posted lists of shows (most of which come from the revival, and therefore are completely irrelevant to this article) that are available on iTunes. I removed the section at first, and after it was posted again, I removed the list and left a nominal statement. I believe that this section is little more than an advertisement, and there is no real reason to include it, other than a brief mention that iTunes has included it. Anything more than that violates the Spam guidelines for wikipedia in my opinion. --Bigfoot2003 (talk) 17:06, 30 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Since the introduction of the article mentions that Espn Classic airs this version of the show, the iTunes mention should go there, it is a more appropriate placing of that information and removes the need for an entire section. --Bigfoot2003 (talk) 17:13, 30 May 2008 (UTC)

Season Numbering Convention
As it recently became an issue, I thought that I would spell out the current Season Numbering Convention. A Season currently ends when a Grand Champion is crowned. For most of the series, that meant there were two half seasons. Despite the marked visual changes that occurred during the first season, there were two halves to the season. The First season ended when Brian Hutson and Brigit Venturi were crowned Grand Champions, not when Hutson and Traci Phillips won their respective Tournaments.Bigfoot2003 (talk) 13:39, 14 August 2008 (UTC)

My Family's Got GUTS
Hey, while American gladiators is cool and all, there is one show that American Gladiators cant beat, My Family's Got GUTS. It is my all time favorite show. There is also this sweet fan site with a live chat that I wont miss for anything. last night I was one talking to a bunch of other My family's Got GUTS Fans, it was so cool to watch the show and chat with fans. There is one tonight it will be awesome I can't wait to get back on. You can go to The fan site http://FamilyGUTS.tv the chat starts at 7:30.

Neema F.

Nfallon (talk) 15:38, 26 September 2008 (UTC)
 * What exactly does this have to do with the article? Not only is this quite frankly spam, since it appears that this post's only purpose is to advertise some website that has nothing to do with American Gladiators anyway, but Wikipedia is not a fan forum.  Because this is a talk page, I'm not sure if deleting this section is kosher, but if it is, I give permission for my post to be removed also.Bigfoot2003 (talk) 15:46, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

This talkpage needs cleanup
This talkpage needs cleanup. It's filled with crap that is totally unrelated to the original AG.-- Xt e  r  r  a1  16:43, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

International editions
The "international editions" section needs fixing. IT confuses international titles for "American Gladiators" and foreign versions of American Gladitors made in foreign markets. 76.66.198.171 (talk) 08:15, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
 * With the page for the Overall Franchise taking shape, that particular section really isn't needed anymore in it's current form. The international rebroadcasts should be mentioned, but the other original versions should be removed, and a link to the Franchise page left in the section.Bigfoot2003 (talk) 15:16, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

American Gladiators Live tour 1990 - 1991
Does anyone have any info on the Gladiators live tour the hit the US in the early 1990's. I was a contender in New Haven and was hoping to fine some video or info. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.123.120.21 (talk) 17:04, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Requested move 23 August 2019

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. 

The result of the move request was: page moved (non-admin closure) ___CAPTAIN MEDUSA talk   11:22, 30 August 2019 (UTC)

American Gladiators → American Gladiators (1989 TV series) – Title is ambiguous with American Gladiators (2008 TV series). Gonnym (talk) 08:28, 23 August 2019 (UTC)


 * Support – based on pageviews, the 1989 series is not enough of a "primary topic" to justify leaving it at the base title, as the 1989 series only has a 2.5-to-1 edge in pageviews (and presumably some percentage of those are people actually looking for the 2008 series...). Instead, American Gladiators should become a WP:DABPAGE for the two TV series and the video game. --IJBall (contribs • talk) 15:38, 23 August 2019 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Move discussion in progress
There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:American Gladiators which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RMCD bot 08:45, 23 August 2019 (UTC)

list of Gladiatrors?
Why is there no list of the various gladiators that appeared on the show? The hosts are listed by name in the infobox, so why ignore the gladiators? Elsquared (talk) 07:21, 5 August 2020 (UTC)


 * That is my question. The stars of the show are not in the article. 2600:6C40:7E7F:F9E8:432:AD74:7BC5:4B7E (talk) 11:39, 6 July 2023 (UTC)