Providing a catchy alternative to professional wrestling and other popular combat sports, Comedy Central added a new series to its lineup of sitcoms.
“BattleBots,” an action-packed series consisting more of homegrown strength than loud, exaggerated wrestlers with colorful costumes and even more colorful names, brings reality-based fighting to a whole new level.
The show, which consists of one-on-one battles between metallic robots built entirely by contestants, is proving to be hot after just a few episodes.
“‘BattleBots’ is probably one of the most amazing shows I have ever seen,” Lyman Briggs freshman Manish Shah said. “You can’t describe the energy that comes out when one robot is fighting another.”
The radio-controlled robots fight their matches in the slickly designed “BattleBox,” a 48 feet by 48 feet arena that has shatterproof glass rising nearly 20 feet on four sides, with various hazards spread around the floor and walls.
There are traps, bumpers, hammers and even some pop-up weapons such as buzz saws and spikes that can end the game for any unlucky robot, regardless of how it is doing in the competition.
“It seems like most of the damage comes from the hazards,” mechanical engineering freshman Kevin Urek said. “The robots don’t always cause a whole lot of damage to each other.”
The show’s creators, Edward Roski III and Greg Munson, even compete with their own specially designed robots. Their latest, Ginsu, was placed in the super-heavyweight division and has been practically unbeatable in competition. The robot has six 20-inch saw blades as wheels.
Each robot has its own little surprises, techniques and special weapons, not to mention the brains behind the brawn: the people who designed the robots and control them.
“It is fun to see all the different techniques each robot uses to win,” Shah said.
The “BattleBots” team, consisting of color commentator Bill Dwyer, play-by-play announcer Sean Salisbury, technical expert Bill Nye, hosts Randy Sklar and Jason Sklar and “Baywatch” babe Donna D’Errico, covers everything that goes into the making of each robot all the way to the first victory - or loss.
The show probably won’t be picked up much by viewers, Urek said.
“The show is really interesting and entertaining, but I don’t think it will go mainstream and be really popular,” he said.
However, he could be wrong.
The show’s first episode sparked a lot of popularity, reaching more than 2 million viewers and becoming one of Comedy Central’s highest-rated premieres.
“We are thrilled that Comedy Central’s first foray into sports with ‘BattleBots’ is a success,” Debbie Liebling, senior vice president of original programming and development for Comedy Central, said in a press release. “‘BattleBots’ appeals directly to our core demographics by offering real excitement, serious competition and natural comedy.
“It’s rare when all of that can come together in one program.”
“BattleBots” shows from 10:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Wednesdays and 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturdays on Comedy Central.
