BattleBots (2015–…): Season 7, Episode 1 - ROBOTS, READY!!! - full transcript

In the 25 year
history of the sport,

Excellence at battlebots
has been measured in hardwar

The pride of the giant bolts

what a destructive robot!

The glory of the
desperado and bounty hunter.

They have run the gauntlet.

And the ultimate prize

For those seeking
battlebots immortality,

The giant nut.

World champion!

Now, a new
quest for greatness begins.



This is battlebots champio,

The race for the golden bolt

robots, activate.

Welcome to battlebots!

Hi, everybody, I am chris rose,

Joined by a man

Who graduated from
killer robot university

With a degree in communications.

Say hi to kenny florian.

Thanks, chris.
Shout out to my alma mater,

Kru.

Fight on rusty nuts.

Well, kenny,

Tonight we begin
a special new event



That not only allows
deadly weapons,

Quite frankly, it
encourages them.

Today is the start of
battlebots champions

Sin city slugfest.

For years, every
bot has had one goal:

To win the giant nut.

But tonight we introduce
a new holy grail.

Las vegas,

Say hello to the golden bolts!

I think we all agree.

The only thing better
than robot combat

Is more robot combat.

And much like the
champions league in soccer

Or the ryder cup in golf,

Special events like the
desperado tournamen

And bounty hunters
here at b attlebots

Have provided more

Opportunities for teams
to gain experience,

Build their resumes, and, of course,
take home some new hardware.

And that's what battlebots
champions is all about.

Now here's how it all works.

Tonight begins a March toward an
exclusive champions-only tournament.

And when I say "champions
only," I really mean it.

This epic six-episode serie

Will culminate in the
golden bolt tournamen

Where the first three spots in the
field belong to former giant nut winners

Tombstone,

End game,

And, of course, the 2021
world champion, tantrum.

The other five
spots are wide open,

And tonight we
will fill one of them.

But the road to the golden
bolt is a grueling one.

Each week, eight teams will
face a treacherous gauntlet,

And beating each other
senseless simply won't be enough.

They must also defeat
a b attlebots l egend

To join the field of champions.

That's right. And whoever
survives tonight marathon of mayhem

Will take on the formidable.

Gigabyte!

Captain john mladenik has be

In the robot fighting
game for 20 years,

And has racked up
over 100 career wins.

Gigabyte's cemented
its legend status last year

When it took down
four bots in one night

To claim the son
of whyachi bounty.

It is widely considered
to be the most dangerous

Full body spinner on the planet.

Will gigabyte be
a stubborn gatekeeper

And clinch a spot in
the field of champions?

Or will it be one
of our fearless

Contenders?

Let's look at tonight's
tournament bracket.

It's the most high stakes
arm wrestling match of all time,

When two lethal
grapplers square off.

It is claw viper
versus defender.

A one-of-a-kind bot

Takes on an enemy with
a one-of-a-kind captain.

It's todd mendenhall's
triple crown

Against martin
mason and madcatter.

Two heads are,
indeed, better than one,

But she's trying
to cut 'em both off.

It's smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
versus valkyrie.

Valkyrie!

But up first, it's a
bot that's got plenty of pluck,

And a bit of a "fowl" mouth

Hal rucker's duck!

Takes on a machine that
puts the kill in kilowatts,

Will bales and hypershock.

We cannot wait to see
how it all shakes out.

Faruq, let's get it on.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Are you ready?

It's robot fighting time!

Whoo!

In the red square,

From palo alto, california...

If you step to the quack,

He'll break your robot's back.

It's duck!

There is the
veteran, mr. Hal rucker,

Pushing in duck! Alongside his
16-year-old daughter, hannah.

So, kenny, what is a
defensive minded bot like duck!

Have to do to win
some fights tonight?

Well, winning
four fights in a nig

Requires some
serious durability.

And there aren't
many bots in the sport

More durable than duck!

Hal is coming off a
very tough season,

Going 0 and 3 in last
year's world championship.

So he is fired up
to remind everyone

That duck! Can still compete

At a high level.

There's a lot on
the line for this team

In this tournament.

In the blue square,

From miami, florida...

He's from the sunshine state,

And he'll leave
your box so broke,

It'll have to pan handle.

It's hypershock!

Here they come.

Team... Oh!

They are in total in lockstep.

I love this.

Very coordinated.

Hypershock, one of
the most popular bots around,

And after years of, well,
uh maddening inconsistency

This team really put togethe
a special season in 2021.

Absolutely, they looked

Downright dominant in stretches,

Grabbing the 13th
seat of the tournament.

And eventually losing,
a controversial decision,

To p1 in the round of 32.

I'm interested to see
which hypershock

We get here in the slugfest.

The fans want to see a deep

Run by this crew.

Let's see if they can deliver.

Normally I drive, but in
the sin city competition,

Hannah's gonna take the reins.

I'm really excited
to face hypershock.

I'm also a little nervous.

Will bales is such
an amazing driver.

Will's crazy driving

Introduces a new level
of chaos into the arena.

It's a little bit of trying
to attack a hurricane.

Duck!'s very robust.

It's incredibly well built.

Very durable.

Kind of the whole mo is
that they just don't quit,

And they wait for you
to make a mistake or die.

Our focus is gonna be
maintaining a good pace,

But not making mistakes.

This is all about getting to the...
The tournament of champions.

Um, we want to get to gigabyte,

Take out gigabyte,
prove that we belong,

And then take home the...
The big, old golden bolt.

Whoo!

Fight!

Fight!

- Let the slugfest begin!
- Go, hypershock.

You can see just
how fast both these bots are.

Here's hypershock trying
to get underneath duck!

We've seen will drive
on top of his opponents at times,

He has to be careful
doing that with duck!

You see that beak lifting?

That is a lifter, that can launch
hypershock and get them inverted.

The bots reset.

Here comes the... Oh!

Hard charge at hypershock,

But hannah rucker may have
gotten the worst of that one, kenny.

Yeah, chipped a
piece of that duck bill off.

So far, it's hypershock
that's winning

The ground war here though.

Those forks are
serving 'em well.

Whoa!

These are two fast
bots out there colliding, chris.

Hypershock
rocked up with that shot,

- Goes in for another!
- Whoa!

Will bales
came to party tonight.

He's been all over duck!

Whoa! Hypershock
up on two wheels!

Hypershock
almost got inverted there.

Oh!

'kay, that's
some serious damage.

Wow!

Oh, no, I don't think that bot's
gonna be doing much trash talking.

That was a massive hit.

Hypershock going to
town on duck!'s lifter.

But duck! Continues to
stick that beak in the danger zone.

Here's hypershock backing
duck! Down and into the screws.

Well done!

Oh, boy.

Aw.

He's
saying, "help, help!"

Duck wiggles free.

Oh, no, hypershock winding up.

Whoa!

Serious air time!

He almost fell on
top of hypershock.

I didn't know
hypershock was a flipper bot.

That was impressive.

Duck!'s doing... Wow.

Okay.

Ninety seconds in...

oh, and
duck!'s inverted.

Didn't stick the landing...

- oh!
- Goodness.

And one of
the wheels just flew off.

A wheel just fell off!

Or is it two?
No, one of the wheels.

- What a hit!
- But duck! Can still drive.

He sure can,
just not like he used to.

Way slower...

oh!

Hypershock goes
for the kill now, chris.

Will bales
delivering a flurry of shots.

Duck! Feels like there's ten
hypershocks out there at the moment.

Uh-oh.

Some smoke trickling
out of hypershock there.

We've seen this bot look
spectacular in the past, kenny,

Then, of course, die suddenly.

Yeah listen,
duck! Is beat up,

But it is built to outlast
its opponents, chris.

You know, hypershock is
looking for that knockout,

But you're right, you
never know with this bot.

Let's see if will can finish the
job without blowing himself up.

- Hit him again!
- But, kenny, don't you want

To pace yourself a little bit?

Once again, this is four fights
in one night you have to win.

It's not about just
expending all your energy.

No, it's a great point, chris.

You don't want to give yourself
more work than you need in the pits.

You gotta be
efficient in your wins,

But, will bales, he only
knows one gear. It's six.

Just about
20 seconds left to go,

In tonight's opening match.

Duck! Hanging on for dear life,

After an undressing at
the hands of will bales,

And team hypershock.

But it appears this one is destined
to go to the judges score card.

One last browning shock
there by hypershock on duck!

And trying to get the
pulverizer in as well.

It gets one last shot in.

Impressive performance
by team hypershock.

So now we turn things
over to our panel of judges,

Derek young, jason
bardis, lisa winter.

Scoring on an 11-point system.

Five points can be

Awarded for damage,

Three apiece for
aggression and control.

Will bales, attack mode,
they go hand in hand.

No doubt about it. Give hannah
rucker credit for some good driving.

Keeping duck! Squared
up as long as she could,

But hypershock, just
too much in this one.

And how 'bout this?

Going right to the beak, kenny.

Parts just flying
everywhere. That fort didn't last long.

And then the big one
sending duck! 12 feet into the air.

What a hit.

And then one
last sh into the rails

Just in case the judges
weren't impressed enough.

The results from
the judges are in!

You never know.

The winner by
unanimous decision is...

Hypershock!

That's an impervious robot.

You can't kill it.

It can't be killed.

Hypershock!
Hypershock! Hypershock! Hypershock!

Oh, will. That's a
pleasant sound, isn't it?

Ah. That's the kind of
judges' decision you want.

But you never know
what's gonna happen.

You know, they see something
different than I do, so...

Um, we're glad to have the win.

Well, is that why you stayed so
aggressive throughout that fight?

I wanted to stay aggressive.
I wanted to set the pace.

Um, but in our ending fight
in the tournament against p1,

I got a little too cavalier and
started monster trucking over people

And using them as ramps
instead of, you know, hitting 'em.

So, uh, I wanted
to learn that lesson.

Uh, already learned it once.

Um, and so we just
kept on trying to hit and

Maintain that pace.
And I think we did it.

- -will, congratulations.
- Great first fight out of the gate.

Thanks, guys.

Yeah!

All right. So hypershock moves
one ste closer to a possible showdow

With gigabyte at
the end of the night

Where a berth in the golden
bolt tournamen will be on the line.

Up next, a wall on wheels

Takes on one of the hardest
hitting spinners in the game

It's smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
versus valkyrie

Next on battlebots
champion, sin city slugfest.

Welcome back
to battlebots champions

Where hopeful contenders
and a b attlebots i con

Are fighting for a spot in the
exclusive golden bolt tournament field

Will one of our next two
competitors run the gauntlet

And lay claim to
tonight's open slot?

And quite a large
order for valkyrie.

Literally...

Because they are gonna b
taking on smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Which made its debut in 202
and caught everyone's eye.

This thing is eight feet
lon it is a monster, kenny!

Yeah, it's big. But it's
really defensively sound.

I think that's at that heart of what
joe was trying to do with this robot.

He's three and four
all tim in the battlebox.

So this incredibly unique
design has won him

Some fights. But he's
here tonight to prove

That it's not
just a novelty act,

And can actually be a legit
contender in this competitio

and for valkyrie,
they enter the slugfest

After a disappointing
2021 season.

Getting tossed out of the
world championshi tournament

In the first round by blip.

Valkyrie!

They are looking to
go deep in this thing, kenny,

And looking to remind
everyo why they were voted

Most destructive
bot way back in 2020.

Yeah, they were very down

After last year's
frustrating season.

They had weapon issues all year.

And are coming into this
eve to try to right the ship

And re-establish themselves
as a hard hitting top-tier bot.

All right. Let's
see what happens.

Valkyrie taking on
smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Faruq?

In the red square, from
new york, new york,

The bot so terrifying, it'll
make you evacuate your vowels!

It's smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

That's good stuff.

Well, smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
certainly made some adjustments

In the off-season,
but adding an extra "e"

To their name was
not one of them.

There is joe fabiani,

Looking like he just
came out of surgery,

And is wheeling in
the patient right now.

The smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee's
just fine. It's just it needs

A table that long
to make it in here.

Yeah, this is a fascinating bot!

It's designed to
absorb punishment

Along that long front wedge, and
corral bots against the rails and screws

In the hopes that they destroy
themselves in the process.

Those satellite bots
there on the sides

Feature horizontal
spinning blades.

But we have yet to see them do
meaningful damage in competition.

Let's see if they can
make an impact in this fight.

In the blue square, from
somerville, massachusetts...

It's valkyrie!

Here comes valkyrie.
Led by driver frederick moore

And captain leanne cushing.

So, kenny, tell us about
their weapon tonight.

That, my friend, is glory,

The latest and greatest
addition to the valkyrie arsenal.

It was designed with the
help of the brilliant minds

At autodesk.

It's a lightweight blade
that allows for a fast

Spit up time.

Knowing smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
is going to try to corral them,

Leanne wanted to use a weapon
that can pick momentum up quickly,

After every hit.

All to go with
their nice outfits.

I'm terrified. Valkyrie
has a really big spinner.

They're really fast

And they're really well built.

Our strategy is simple.

We want to get
them into the walls

And keep them from actually
getting their weapon up to speed.

We're using our steel
wedge, which bends a lot

Against heavy spinners.

So the goal is that
we can absorb energy,

But also remain rigid enough
to still control our opponent.

So we can push them around
when we're not getting hit,

And otherwise we can hopefully
survive the hits they're dishing out.

I'm kind of excited.

He's been my favorite
beetle weight, uh, design

In recent years.

I kind of know
his driving style,

I kind of know his general,
like, corralling, sheepdog idea.

We're hopefully gonna
get in some good punches,

Make it look good, and not
get corralled into a corner.

Fight!
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Let the bot battle begin!

Smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
on the attack

And valkyrie going
right for the middle.

Which I'm not so sure
is the right strategy.

Yeah, I mean,
they're so pliable there.

And they're so good at
diffusing those direct hits.

Ah! On the flanks is where
they're vulnerable though.

I think valkyrie has
kind of figured that out.

Yep. You'll
kind of notice

Smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
has those blades on the top side

Of his satellite
box for this match.

Frederick moore,
the outstanding driver

Of team valkyrie.

Trying to move from end to end.

It's almost like an electric
toothbrush though going

Straight up and down
those choppers in the middle.

Although remind me not to
put that in my mouth anytime soon.

No life from those horizontal
spinners on smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

At the moment.

Part of its strategy is to
try and break its opponent's

Weapon by wearing
it down on the wedge,

And then attack
with those spinners.

Valkyrie's still probing here.

Maybe looking for a way to get around to
the backside of smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Kenny...

yeah, that's where
smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee's tires are.

That would be the kill zone
if valkyrie could find a way.

Yeah. They're just kind
of waiting for their chance

To go on the offensive.

- Okay!
- Valkyrie's got... Cutting 'em up now, chris.

Yeah.

Little pieces of
tire are getting chewed up.

Uh-oh! Frederick moore
going to town on the back of the robot!

Smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee is
in some serious trouble here.

Frederick looking to take
out those tires and end this fight.

Valkyrie just chewing 'em up without any
response from smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Yeah.

Smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
is still able to move,

But very, very slowly.

Much like the old lady
dropped her... - oh!

There, man. Help you.

- Wow!
- Wow!

Just switched out that
weapons half in there.

There goes one of
those horizontal spinners.

It's officially off now.

Yeah, that thing
came off like it was just

Kind of glued on.

Still hanging in there, kenny.

It's early to break
valkyrie's weapon,

Maybe even-up the score cards.

Yeah, remember
valkyrie has had a ton

Of weapon reliability
issues as of late,

So crazier things have happened.

They cannot mess around here.

Valkyrie needs
to finish this fight.

Under a minute to go,

So watch out for the kill saws
which are now active as well.

Whoa!

How 'about that armor though?

I mean, the tip
speed on valkyrie

Is right around
250 miles an hour,

And that armor is taking it.

But for how long?

Valkyrie again eating
away at the backside

Of smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

And now really sinking
in deep into those tires!

Oh!

Valkyrie says, "I'm not waiting

For the referees
to get in on this...

- oh!
- I'm just gonna keep chopping away!"

fred moore, an
absolute surgeon out there.

You got it!

Here comes the countdown!

Valkyrie backs off.

Smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee gasping

For its final breaths!

Knockout!

What?

The best fight ever.

Kenny, seven out of
ten bot builders recommend

Cleaning your smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
at least twice a day.

Yeah, uh, valkyrie
just kind of brushing

At that front armor.

Smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
doing what it was designed

To do and absorbing
the punishment.

But it's the vulnerability
and ineffectiveness

Of those satellite
bots that so often leads

To smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee's
undoing.

That was the case again here

eventually valkyrie
got around to the backside,

And it was all downhill for
joe fabiani's bot from there.

Yeah. Great
choice by leanne cushing

To go with that cutting
weap for this match.

It took care of the tires,

And that was the
beginning of the end

For smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Actually. It was
the end of the end, kenny.

There you go.

All right, leanne.

Well, uh, I imagine

With your pre-game strategy,

It must have been awfully
fun to see it come to fruition

The way that it did tonight.

Definitely. We knew that if we
were getting corralled, there's a more

Of a chance for us
to get into a corner,

Which will make our blades stop.

So we were trying

To make sure we
stayed on either end,

And tried to get behind. And once
we got behind, I feel like we were able

To keep staying on one...
Either of the drive pods.

Guys, congratulations
on taking that first step!

Thank you.

All right, that's
two down in round on

As valkyrie advances
to face hypershock.

Coming up, it's a
battle of the grapple

As claw viper squares
off against defender

This sin city
slugfest continues!

Next!

Do you want more of the sin
city slugfest, here at battlebots?

- Of course you do, my man.
- Jeez, so aggressive.

I should stop touching you, you
could kill people with just your eyes.

Let's take a look
at our updated bracket.

So far, hypershock and valkyrie

Have punched their
tickets to the second round.

And joining them will be
martin mason and madcatter,

Who earned a de facto bye,

After veteran builder, todd
mendenhall's new bot, triple crown,

Couldn't get out of first gear.

A hard charge out
of the gate for madcatter,

And I don't think triple
crown is functional.

Aw, man!

That's a knockout!

Triple crown is an
extremely ambitious design,

Featuring multiple weapons
and a swerve drive motor.

But sometimes, with new
and complicated technology,

There's a steep learning curve.

We applaud todd for the effort,

But it is martin mason and
madcatter that are movin' on.

So with madcatter advancing only one
spot now remains in the second round,

And it's down to claw viper and
defender to wrestle it from each other.

Defender is led
by jason vasquez.

Of course, he is
the younger brother

Of the acclaimed, matty
vasquez of team whiplash.

Jason wanted to spread his
wings and lead his own team,

So last season he
unveiled his grappler bot,

And went an impressive two
and two in his rookie campaign.

And this is really a great
experience for jason.

No doubt, he
definitely showed some promise,

Making it all the way
to the play-in match

Of the world championship
tournament, eventually falling to hydra

But jason is chomping at
the bit for more stick time,

And this is a valuable
opportunity to build his resume

By making a deep
run here tonight.

Well, he will be taking
on fellow grappler, claw viper

Captained by kevin milczewski.

That's right, if
you haven't seen this robot

It can get up to 20 miles an
hour in under a half a second.

The team is two and five in their
two seasons here at battlebots,

So they are certainly in
need of some quality wins

If they want to remain relevant.

Again, this is one
fast bot, so buckle up.

Let's find out just
how fast. Faruq?

In the red square, from
seattle, washington,

This thing's a battle snake
and he's hisssssed off.

It's claw viper!

Captain, kevin milczewski,
there with the briefcase in hand,

And, kenny, he told us he's
given the snake a stronger bite

For this tournament.

Yeah, they upgraded
that viper strike head.

You see there, it now has a
four bar lifter mechanism on top,

Which is much more stable and has a
longer reach than their previous grappler.

Kevin's said he's hoping
to take control of defender,

And let the arena hazards
do the dirty work for him.

In the blue square, from
thousand oaks, california,

When this bot gives you a lift,
he'll have you seeing five stars.

It's defender!

Well, jason vasquez told us he wants
to prove to all the builders out there,

I'm not just the younger bro.

I've got my own identity and
my own robot that can run.

That's right, and he's dead set

On making a name for
himself with the control bot

In a sport filled with so many
dangerous spinning weapons,

Getting all the way to
the golden bolt tournament

Would mean instant
respect and credibility.

Tonight we're
gonna fight defender.

I'm super excited to fight
it, because it's not a spinner.

We get to have a long,
drawn-out, control match,

And see who the
better driver is.

I wanna use the hammers, hopefully
damage his robot with the arena.

Get him up on the screws,
maybe rip a wheel off at the screws.

Later in the fight, those
kill saws will come up,

We're gonna grab him, hold him,

Right on top of the kill
saw till they cut a wheel off.

I know he drives really fast and, I think
that's something I need to watch out for.

So I think I'll just try and
be a little more patient,

And just keep my front end of
my robot pointed towards him,

And maybe let him come to me.

Claw viper may be fast,
and really good with her lifter,

But I think I could
show them who's boss.

Good luck!

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Let the bot battle begin!

Oh, wow! Quick draw by defender
knocked claw viper out of the gate.

Defender getting
underneath claw viper, nice lift.

Let's see how much
claw viper can roll over.

Well, he gets a little
assist from defender,

Who's trying to put claw
viper in the upper deck.

Uh-oh.

Claw viper in danger, he
gets put into the screws!

And look at the power, the
reversal, on the bot from seattle.

These two grapplers kind of
look like cousins out there in the box.

Chris, in a control
battle, low bot usually wins,

That has been defender so far.

Defender doin' a good job
of getting the right angles,

Almost got a nice bite down
on the plank of claw viper.

Little head to
head smack and again.

Jason vasquez, an
excellent driver in his own right,

Looking for that angle. And he's
outdriving kevin, for sure, so far.

Claw viper's speed hasn't played
much of a role in the fight, to this point.

Here's defender getting
underneath claw viper, once again,

Let's see if it can drag it
over to an arena hazard.

Whoa! An elegant spin
there on the dance floor,

But defender looks like
it's stuck underneath the rail.

Ouch!

Oh, a big opportunity here for
claw viper, let's see if it can capitalize.

Claw viper scoops up
defender, ooh, but loses grip.

Missed opportunity
there for kevin milczewski.

Claw viper gets free and now
we've seen that speed for the first time.

- Looks like they're kickin' it into high gear, can he...
- Uh-oh.

- Grab defender?
- Yeah, defender might be havin' some drive issues here.

Let's see if claw viper
can take advantage.

Definitely has some ground
to make up on the scorecards.

Both of these
teams have struggled

With their grappling
mechanisms in this fight, chris.

Yeah, it seems like both are missing
just another gear weapon-wise, kenny.

Both are trying to
get that perfect angle

And boy, claw viper had him,
just couldn't grab down in time.

And a nice,
aggressive move by claw viper,

And look at this,
defender loses a wheel!

Yeah, that right
tire is on the box floor now.

There we go! That's the
first major hit of this fight.

That will look
good for the judges.

Took away a wheel,
got him over towards the screws.

Kevin finishing strong
here with claw viper.

And that all happened right in front
of one of our three judges, jason bardis.

So he got a great
look at it box-side.

Both bots circling, looking
for those angles and it's kevin again,

Almost got a flip
there on defender.

Under 30 to go.

Who's gonna leave
their imprint on this fight?

Will it be claw viper? Will
it be defender? And... Oh!

Defender got off to a good start
here and it's claw viper finishing strong.

That pulverizer
dropped down three times,

But didn't connect
on claw viper.

This one goes the distance
in a very technical fight.

The question is how
will the judges see it?

Kenny, we talk about
battlebots as being a matte

Of rock, paper, scissors, when
it comes to these robot's designs.

- Well, this was paper versus paper.
- That's right

Two control bots, neither with the type
a weapon that's gonna knock you out,

But defender was able
to win the low ground early

And that allowed them to
dominate the first half of this fight.

Neither captain's gonna be happy

With how their weapon performed,

But I thought claw viper's new four bar
grappling syste was a disappointment.

Yeah, it feels like that
bite radius may be too narrow,

Claw viper, never able
to get a good clamp.

Claw viper found a
way to score some points

After defender
encountered drive issues.

Eventually, took a wheel
off defender, as well.

That's gonna separate
claw viper in the damage category,

And may just be the
difference in this fight.

Let's go to
faruq with the decision.

The results from
the judges are in.

The winner, by
unanimous decision is...

- Claw viper!
- Yeah!

Whoo!

Ha, ha! Got it!

Yes, you did
get it, kevin milczewski.

It's gotta be nice that
when your weapon

Isn't working at full capacity,

And you can get...
Still get a win, right?

Yeah, yeah, we couldn't grab
him as much as we wanted to.

It's a brand new weapon, never
been done at battlebots before,

We wanted to try it.
Got a little tweakin' to do,

But I think it
worked pretty good.

Well, kevin, here in
the sin city slugfest,

It's not about
winning one fight,

It's about winning four fights.

Can you with the way this
machine is built right now?

Yeah, absolutely. We got spares
in the pits we got ready to go.

Um, we're lookin' forward
to fightin' gigabyte, right?

We lost to him last year,
this is a totally different robot.

We wanna put on that show.

Well, you got a few
steps before that, kevin.

Yup! We're gonna get there.

Oh, I like the confidence.
Congratulations!

Thank you!

So that wraps up the
first round of tonight's tournament.

As only four bots remain,

All with the hopes

Of taking on the
gatekeeper, gigabyte,

In our golden bolt
qualifying match.

Coming up...

The hotshot will bales will March
hypershock back into the arena

To face leanne
cushing and valkyrie.

The second-round
action kicks off next.

Welcome back to battlebots
champions sin city slugfest,

Where only four teams
remai in tonight's bracket.

Their goal? Win
three more fights

And qualify for the exclusiv
golden bolt tournament.

Who'll be joining this
deadly field of champions?

Will it be one of our contenders

Or will it be tonight's
gatekeeper, gigabyte?

There is captain john mladenik

Preparing his full-body
spinner for combat.

He says he's got a special
configuration planned

For whichever bot he faces
at the end of this evening.

What happens with the shell
spinner, it's kind of a one-trick pon

You don't have ways to
deal with every type of robot,

So, we changed the shell design.

We're gonna use this
for vertical spinners.

This shell's all for the
horizontal spinners.

The difference is
this flat part right here.

The reason is, for the
vertical spinner to hit on this

Instead of under
the area out here.

Where horizontal
spinner's just gonna be this.

Vertical spinner's this.

All right, we continue on.

It is the race to fight gigabyte
at the end of the night.

This is gonna be
a good one next.

Hypershock and valkyrie.

And, kenny, both
teams are no stranger

To collecting
battlebots hardware.

Each of these captains
has won a giant bolt award.

Yeah, that's right.

Valkyrie, of course, took ho
most destructive weapon in 2020,

And will bales was awarded
best driver back in 2016.

But in this sport,

Stacking your trophy
cases is what it's all about,

And these two would
love nothing more than

To qualify for the
field of champions

And get their hands
on the golden bolt.

First, they'll have to
go through each other.

Let's see what happens.

Faruq?

In the red square,
from miami, florida,

Here to turn up the
heat, it's hypershock!

Here comes the
consummate showman,

Will bales and team hypershock.

Kenny, it looks like
they're going with

A different configuration
for this fight.

That's right.

They've changed over
to a single-disk blade

With a big wedge out in
front in order to better defend

Against valkyrie's
hard-hitting, horizontal spinner.

And that single disk
features a two-inch wide tube

That is designed
to cut into bots.

Will said he is looking to tear the
armor of valkyrie apart in this one.

- I love you, will.
- I love you too.

In the blue square,

From somerville, massachusetts,

The new England nightmare,

It's valkyrie!

Once again, entering the arena,

Leanne cushing and team valkyrie

Looking pumped up to be
a part of the second round

Of tonight's slugfest.

She sure is, and for this fight,

They've also added uhmw armor
on the front of valkyrie as well.

Leanne knows how
important durability is

To survive this tournament.

And she saw what hypershock
did to duck! In its first match

Offense sells tickets but
defense win championships

And she's taking that
to heart for this fight.

Valkyrie! Valkyrie!

We made it into the second
round of our sin city slugfest.

We're excited to go
up against valkyrie.

We think we've got this one.

We're gonna try to
box-rush 'em, stay on 'em,

Uh, again, setting this pace,

Uh, that seems to
favor us really well.

If we can keep everyone
scurrying away from us,

And we're the cat
chasing the mouse,

Then that seems to
be where we strive.

We have a long road to go.

By no means are we in
the home stretch here,

But, uh, we see the light
at the end of the tunnel.

We wanna get
to that golden bolt.

Next up in the sin city
slugfest for us is hypershock.

Uh, we have faced
them once before

A couple of years ago.

We've learned a
lot about our robot

And gotten a lot better
at driving since then.

So, I'm pretty optimistic.

If we win this,

We're another fight away
before we get to gigabyte.

I think it's just gonna be a
matter of the best robot wins.

You got this, fred.

- All right. Ready?
- Yeah.

Robots, activate.

Two fan favorites

Ready to tear each other apart.

Hypershock! Valkyrie!

Only one can advance
in this deadly duel.

The fight when battlebots
champions continues.

Welcome back
to battlebots champions,

Where valkyrie and hypershock
are about to throw down.

Winner moves one step closer
to joining the field of champions,

And fighting for
the golden bolt.

Loser goes home.

Red team, ready?

That is will bales'
fiancée, alexandra.

Let's see if she brings him
some good luck here tonight.

Blue team, ready?

Valkyrie! Valkyrie!

Fight! Fight! Fight!

- Let the bot battle begin, and...
- oh!

Rush by hypershock and
he lands a shot right to valkyrie.

And he's right
on top of valkyrie.

Whoa!

What a shot!

Will bales just knocked
off valkyrie's weapon.

Unbelievable!
The blade is off of valkyrie.

Will bales going to work
on the front of valkyrie now

After dislodging that weapon
from the face of the robot.

Look at that thing!

This is that vintage
berserker barrage here, chris.

Whoa!

Oh, will bales just
destroyed everything in his path.

He's just taking
shots at the blade.

There's all sorts of
shrapnel inside the box.

How long can valkyrie
survive this, kenny?

I don't think they can.

This might be a knock
out. My goodness!

Well,
the... - jeez!

Hit with a punch.

It's not exactly
appetizing for valkyrie

And its driver frederick moore.

Eight! Seven!

Oh, my goodness.

We've seen some spectacular
moments with hypershock over the years,

But we've never witnessed something
quite as violent as that performance!

Unreal!

- That, like, fully broke the shaft, yeah.
- Yeah.

What has gotten
into team hypershock?

Kenny, what the heck happened?

I mean, when have you ever seen

The primary weapon of a
bot as well-built as valkyrie

Actually come off the robot

Look at that. Are
you kidding me?

That is 65 pounds of ar500 steel

Flying around the battlebox

And we know how people love
their memes here at battlebots.

There's one for you.

Check out leanne
cushing's face. Love it.

Yeah, chris, this
was no mercy all the way.

And at the very end,
a little death kiss.

Thanks for coming out.

Sorry, valkyrie.

Will bales a fan
favorite in seasons past

For the way his robot looks
and his fantastic persona.

Tonight, it's all about
a stud-like performance.

- Will.
- Whoo!

Hey, will, that was awesome.

Have you ever had
more fun than that?

That's pretty good.

This is what I call
berserko-barrage mode.

When you just... You're
out there to destroy.

And, man, did you do that.

I did not expect that.

I don't think anyone
expected that.

Um, I'm just happy
that the robot's working,

Our team's working,
um, you know, uh...

it seems like
you're very focused.

What would it mean for you
to get the golden bolt here?

I think this is...

I think hypershock's one of
the best robots here this year.

Um, it certainly feels like it.

Uh, when we're driving
and we're doing things well,

I mean, it works.

So, um, I think we wanna prove
that we belonged in the tournament,

And that we should
have kept going further.

And so getting
to the golden bolt,

And taking it home with us,

Would just kind
of solidify that.

An amazing run by you
and your entire team.

- Congratulations, will.
- Thanks, guys. Appreciate it.

So how about
mr. Will bales and hypershoc

Moving on to round three
of tonight's slugfest in style.

They will face the winner

Of claw viper versus madcatter.

And, kenny, gotta say goodbye

To leanne cushing
and her valkyrie squad.

Yeah, a disappointin
loss here for sure,

But have no doubt,

This team will be tuned
up and ready to go

For the 2022 world championship,

And they will have a
legion of fans in their corner.

All right, coming up...

Will the speedy claw viper
wipe the floor with madcatter?

Or will the wild
man, martin mason,

Scrape his way to the finals?

It's snake versus cat when
battlebots champions continues.

We continue on,

And who wants to face
hypershock in the next round?

Claw viper says, "me."
madcatter says, "meow."

there's a shot

Of claw viper captain,
kevin milczewski,

Back in the pits after
his first-round fight,

Making sure his
bot is ready to go

For a clash with the
wild ma martin mason,

And his vicious
vertical spinner.

Ooh, yeah!

I don't know if we have the
battlebots police on standby doing radar

Because both of these
bots could get pulled over.

- They are very speedy.
- Extremely fast.

But this isn't 100-yard
dash, chris, it's a fight.

And I do worry about claw viper's
lack of offensive firepower here

It does have the
ability to control bots

And use that grabbing arm

To suplex or deliver its
opponents into the arena hazards.

The question is, will claw
viper have that chance

Against the blitzkrieg style of madcatter?

Rumor has it, uh, madcatter's
martin mason is quite the character.

I don't know anything about it.

I can't wait to find out.

Faruq?

In the red square,

From seattle, washington,

It's a rain down brutality.

Give it up for claw viper!

For the second time tonight,

Here is claw viper,
captained by kevin milczewski,

Pumping his fist in the
air like he just don't care.

Kenny, how has kevin set
up the bot for this match up?

Knowing how
powerful madcatter is,

Kevin switched out the uhmw
plastic snake head on claw viper

For a metal one.

This one still features that new four
bar mechanism we saw against defender.

It was pretty
ineffective in that fight.

Couldn't seem
to get a good bite.

Let's see how the
weapon performs here.

In the blue square,

From pomona, california,

He'll make a fancy feast
out of your dead bot parts.

It's madcatter.

Yeah!

Professor of engineering by day,

The biggest showman
in robot combat by night.

It's martin mason and
madcatter and...

Look at his stare.

Amazing.

The team is going with their
big weapon, bar jolt, for this one.

They tested it before the fight,

And it popped a full-sized
car tire 40 feet in the air.

Martin said this is
his knockout weapon.

And that claw viper's
speed won't help it,

Once it's in a million pieces,
scattered all over the battlebox.

Look out.

Come on!

Yeah!

Ha, ha. I want it.

They're an extremely
powerful vertical spinner.

They've been wrecking
people all season long.

So, in order to fight them, we're
putting a metal top jaw onto our robot.

Usually, we use a plastic one.

This time we're
using a metal one,

To hope to snipe
their belts with it.

If we can cut their belts, we can stop
their weapon, then we got a chance.

They're also a very fast robot.

Their driver is very talented.

So I think they're gonna try to come at
me hard and fast and try to corner me.

But, you can't
corner claw viper.

Let me tell you our
strategy for claw viper.

We're gonna go out fast.

We're gonna hit hard.

And they're gonna have
to clean up the pieces.

They're gonna find out
what it's like to face a tiger.

Robots, activate!

And it looks like gassy cat
will be making an appearance here.

Yeah, madcatter loves using its
fiery minibot as a nuisance inside the box.

This squad is all
about creating chaos.

Red team, ready?

Make it happen.

Blue team, ready?

Yeah.

That's driver calvin iba,

Who really doesn't get enough
credit for this team's success, kenny.

Yeah, he's one of the
most aggressive drivers in this sport.

Some say he's even crazier than
martin when he's behind the controls.

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Claw viper and madcatter.

Winner advances
to face hypershock.

Let the bot battle begin!

And here comes
madcatter on a quick dash,

And right on top of claw viper.

Calvin iba
able to get underneath

Claw viper with
ease so far, chris.

Oh! What a hit to start
this fight, my goodness.

That was more of a punt,

That thing covered about
60 yards on a football field.

Getting
underneath claw viper again

And grinding away
at the underbelly.

Madcatter trying to take
claw viper onto the upper deck.

And little gassy cat
doing its part as well.

Don't forget about me, guys.

Claw viper's grappling
jaws look to be split open.

And I'm not sure kevin is gonna
be able to close those back up.

Big time damage caused
by madcatter already.

Yeah, and
claw viper at this point,

Just, kind of, spinning in
circles more than anything else.

And how about this? May I
show you to your corner office?

Claw viper went
with that steel snake head,

To try to protect it, but, uh, it's
not doing a very good job right now.

And now claw viper facing the
wrong direction to try and do any damage.

I don't know, it's insur...

Another big time shot
from the mad side.

Yeah, I mean, this
is what madcatter is all about.

Just creating chaos
in the battlebox.

Fighting so
impressively out there!

And then the
100-pound pulverizer

Drops on the noggin
of claw viper too.

- Oh, my god.
- Oh!

Claw viper wanted to see
if they're at the level of madcatter,

And right now, they can't
get anything going here.

- Including their wheels.
- All right, I gotta

See some movement.

- You can hear...
- gotta see some movement.

Claw viper is getting a
warning from the referee.

- "I've gotta see some movement."
- nine...

- Eight, seven...
- and now the countdown has started.

- Six, five, four...
- dominant performance by madcatter.

- Three, two, one.
- Is this the end?

Knockout!

Madcatter
is moving on to the next round,

Where it will face hypershock.

And perhaps a dream date

With the gatekeeper,
gigabyte, at the end of the night.

Check out this bit of gamesmanship
from madcatter at his start

Lining up sideways
in the square, kenny.

Yeah, martin knew
the box rush was coming

Sent gassy cat into the fra

And positioned madcatter
to slide out of harm's way.

Always fun to watch when these teams
play chess with each other in the box.

In the end, this
was a one-sided affair

yeah, it sure was.
Madcatter was flat out dominant.

Claw viper thought they had the
speed advantage, but it did not matter.

Here's madcatter sending
the snake flying. What a shot.

Ultimately, they managed to disable
claw viper and end its tournament run.

Claw viper doa
in the second round.

Martin mason, congratulations.

Another knockout for madcatter.

How are you getting
it done here, man?

You know what?
I'll tell you what.

After that, we're feeling hyper.

We're coming for
hypershock next.

That's what we're doing, folks.

One fight away from gigabyte.

What would it mean for your
team to get the golden bolt?

You know what? We're
so happy to be here.

We're happy to be
here in the slugfest.

You know what? And this time,
we're all about foster animals.

I'll tell you what, folks.

We got a picture of a
baby kitten on the robot.

You may never see it,
'cause it's on the bottom.

But it's there and
it's in our hearts, man.

Take care.

Great message. Don't forget
to get your pets spayed and neutered.

And if not, he's gonna throw
madcatter at your house.

Kenny, you talked
about it before the fight.

You were worried about the
weaponry, or the lack of weaponry,

That claw viper could
bring to the party.

Yeah, it's a grappler bot,

So there's only so much
it can do offensively.

But if kevin can improve
the durability of claw viper

He may be able to finally
start getting some quality wins

In the battlebox next season

and so with that, the
martin mason squad advances

And will need to
rush back to the pits

To get ready for a date with
will bales and hypershock.

The winner will face gigabyte
at the end of the night,

Where a berth in the exclusi golden
bolt tournament will be on the line.

Yeah!

It's hypershock
versus madcatter next.

You don't wanna miss it.

Welcome back to battlebots
champions, sin city slugfest.

And there you see a guy who's gonna
be watching our next match very carefull

Tonight's gatekeeper,
captain john mladenik,

And his full body spinner
of death, gigabyte.

This slugfest tournament
is, uh, very exclusive.

It's taken the best of the best.

We're talking the legend robots.

The best this sport has ever
seen from the beginning of time.

And just to be a part
of it I'm privileged.

It is just so exciting.

So let's find out who will
move onto the golden bolt qualifier

To face gigabyte.

Boy, this should be a good one
between two violent vertical weapons.

Madcatter and hypershock.

Yeah, that's right. Two
vertical spinners going at it here.

And both these guys have
been doing so well out there.

Everything has been on
point from both of these teams.

I love what madcatter has done.

Obviously, its
weapon is serious.

Yeah, madcatter
has really launched itself

Up the battlebots totem
p over the last few years.

But the team hasn't enjoyed
much tournament success,

Getting bounced in the round
of 32 with consecutive seasons.

So they're looking to
prove a point tonight

That they could
bring their a game,

When the lights are bright
and the stakes are high.

And, kenny,
hypershock is another bot

That hasn't celebrated a lot
of wins come tournament time.

Yeah, never
advanced past the round of 16.

Heartbreaking loss in the
round of 32, last season.

But will said the bot is
performing the best he's ever seen,

And he has his eyes set on breaking
into that golden bolt tournament.

He needs two more wins to do it.

And when you take
a look at the numbers, kenny

How do these two violent
vertical spinners compare?

Well, as you can see madcatter
is the more heavily armored bot,

Which gives the team
a wider margin for error

And allows them to indulge in
their aggressive driving style.

Obviously, hypershock has
the advantage in terms of speed,

But will bales is going to need
to win the battle for low ground

And stay squared up, if
he's gonna win this fight

And madcatter will have its
minibot, gassy cat, in the mix again.

Don't discount that little guy's
ability to disrupt the action.

Winner will face gigabyte, the
legendary robot, in the next round.

Let's find out which
one it'll be. Faruq?

In the red square,
from miami, florida,

This bot forgot to
take its ritalin... Again.

It's hypershock!

Ooh!

See what will bales'
team has in store for us.

Oh, yeah! Oh, ha, ha, ha.

Yeah!

They're mocking
mason. This is great.

- Oh!
- He got hit with the chair.

That's an illegal move, chris.

Oh! This is brutal.

Wait for the
four set hits to the eye.

We're really going old school.

They are something.

They're going back
to their double disc

And fork configuration
for this fight.

And they are
clearly feeling good.

Thank you. Thank you.

In the blue square,

From pomona, california,

It will ruin your
furniture and your face.

It's madcatter!

Oh, yeah.

Well, they always say that the
sequel's never as good as the original.

And I think they're right.

Oh, yes.

Who's having more
fun than martin mason?

Nobody!

The bot is looking pretty
clean after two fights,

Where it really didn't take
any meaningful damage, kenny.

That's right. We said earlier
that durability would be the key

To winning this tournament.

And so far, the cat doesn't
even have a scratch on it.

This fight will be tough.

We're not going with the
wedge. We're going with the forks.

I think it's the only way we can
go up against vertical spinners.

I think that our driving is still,
um, I think we're doing the best.

And again, I feel like
a broken record here.

Maintaining this pace that
no one can keep up with.

And it's great for us.

It's terrible for
everybody else.

And I'm just fine with that.

Tonight, we're
fighting hypershock.

And I'll tell you what. Tick,
tock. It's smash-o-clock.

One more fight and we get
to face the legend, gigabyte,

In the sin city slugfest.

And I'll tell you
what we're gonna do.

We're gonna do a
full format on them.

Are you ready over there?

I don't think you're
ready for the pounding.

Robots, activate!

Kenny, hypershock doesn't
have a self-righting mechanism.

Seems, kind of, risky
against a bot like madcatter,

That can turn your world
upside down in a hurry.

Yeah, last season, will
made the choice to ditch the self-righter

And redistribute that
25 pounds of weight

Into a larger, more powerful
weapon system and heavier armor.

Been working for him so far.

He is gonna let
it ride again here.

Here we go. Hypershock.

Madcatter.

Winner moves on to face gigabyte

For a berth in the golden
bolt championship tournament.

The loser eats a sad meal
at the hotel buffet later tonight.

The fight! It's next!

Welcome back to battlebots,

Where hypershock and
madcatter are about to square off.

Winner will face gigabyte for a chance
to advance to the golden bolt tournament.

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Let the bot battle begin and oh!

Madcatter clenches another shot.

Nice shot by hypershock
on the rebound.

Uh-oh.

Oh, will bales gets ahold
of madcatter. Flips it over!

Those forks working
beautifully for hypershock.

Oh! What a
great job by hypershock.

Wow. Oh, my gosh, madcatter!

- Oh!
- It's on fire! It's on fire, kenny!

Hypershock does such a good job.

Once they get you hurt,
they stay right on you.

- Look at this.
- Oh!

Madcatter went
down. Lifter getting it done.

Now hypershock vulnerable.

Hypershock inverted
and this is bad news.

It doesn't have a self-righter.

Will bales lost a big one
in last year's tournament

When hypershock
got flipped, remember?

Oh!

Madcatter self-righted it.

Man, oh, man.

Oh, look at this.

Going weapon on weapon and
now hypershock from behind.

It's just brutal here.

Epic hits.

And he flipped
back over. Look at that.

What a move!

Landed on top of
madcatter. Takes another shot.

This is just
complete chaos in here.

And hypershock trying
to get madcatter into the screws.

- Oh!
- What's up with that? Wow!

That was right
on madcatter's weapon.

Whoa, there goes gassy
cat and there goes madcatter.

- Jeez.
- And madcatter's back in the field of play.

- Oh, no!
- And hypershock's there to greet him.

Says, "get your gassy
cat back out there."

Oh, my gosh!

Poor gassy cat. Are
you kidding me right now?

We're only at the
halfway part of this fight.

And I might need a medic kitty.

Hypershock still locked in the catter.

Oh!

Are you kidding me?

A minute 15 to go.

Will bales and martin
mason had their coffee tonight.

My goodness.

Oh, and madcatter is just
losing piece by piece all over the box.

How is madcatter surviving this?

Oh, gosh!
It's sickening!

Yes!

Madcatter's weapon
is down! Everything is down!

Oh!

Wow!

I didn't know there were
this many ways to skin a cat.

This is brutal!

Oh, this has gotta be it.

Up on the shelf.

Hypershock saying, "I am headed
to the championship with gigabyte."

- Yeah!
- What's up!

Is there anything
left of madcatter?

Knockout!

And listen to the fans
give it up for that performance.

- Whoo!
- They wanted to play.

And we are witnessing one
of the most incredible, most violent,

Most dominant one night
runs in the history of battlebots

Yes!

I might just play this on a loop
in my house, it was that good.

Ha, ha. This was
violent. This was brutal.

This was a lot of fun.

Well, you saw madcatter
after it got flipped over once,

And then sent against the rails.

Then all of a
sudden, it was, like,

"okay, I'm on fire, but I'm
gonna start sending hypershock

Into trouble land."

yeah, they
say cats have nine lives.

It seemed like he died at least
three times and came back to life.

That was crazy.

This is where it starts
to get gnarly for madcatter.

Because bit by bit,
or by kibbles and bits,

It just kept falling apart.

Yeah, but madcatter
landed some great shots as well.

- Able to get hypershock inverted.
- Wow.

Will bales. Just
unbelievable with the driving.

Stayed right on him.

I mean, hypershock's
weapon just kept on spinning

Madcatter's fail ended
out with the difference.

Madcatter kept
comin back for more though.

Got off the upper deck.
Took another shot.

Brushed that off, and bales
is like, "oh, you wanna play?"

yeah, I mean,
this was one of those fights

They were fighting to the death.

This fight was not
gonna go the distance.

It was never gonna
go the distance.

Both guys were looking
for the knockout here.

If you need extra robot parts,

Please head inside the
battlebox in the near future.

They are available
for a very small fee.

- Hey, will.
- Yeah!

I thought you were an animal
lover. What happened here?

Uh, you know, when you're in
his vicinity, weird things happen.

So, you know, you just, kind
of, lose control, you know, man?

Is this the most destructive
your bot has ever been?

Is this the most destructive
anyone's ever been?

Yeah.

Whoo!

Not only
destructive, but durable, man.

I mean, you guys have
really pulled it together.

I keep being
amazed. It's incredible.

Uh, their fault.

Will, congratulations. We'll
see you in a bit against gigabyte.

Thanks, guys.

- Oh, my god.
- Yeah!

Well, martin. What
did you see there?

I'll tell you what. Hey, doc.
We've been hypershocked.

Martin, I notice what you put
on the bottom of your robot there.

Was it sad to see it flip over?

You know what? That's alfie.

That's a kitten
we lost this year.

But you know what? We
remember all the kittens out there.

And you know what? We're
so proud of what these kids did.

And, folks, there's so much you
can do for foster animals out there.

Do what you can, folks.

Martin. Love your message.

We always do. Thanks so
much for the entertainment.

Whoo!

Whoo! Yeah!

Whoo!

Whoo!

Man, was that fun.

- Whoo!
- Oh, my goodness.

I'm still trying
to catch my breath.

I mean, those guys.

- That's what battlebots is all about, right there.
- Yep.

They really went for it.
Two tremendous bots.

Um, and they were
there to entertain.

I mean, thank you,
gentlemen. Thank you.

But we have to say goodbye

To possibly the sport's
greatest showman

Martin mason.

The eyes of the
robot combat world we

On team madcatter

For this impressive
one-night run

And their stock in
the battlebots univer

Should benefit because of it

yeah, hats off to team madcatter

For always bringing it.

I know martin's disappointe
to miss out on a shot

At the golden bolt,

But we know that bot will be

Back and better
than ever next season.

And what has
gotten into will bales

Of team hypershock?

In years past, they're
always scrambling

To make sure that
everything is glued down

And into place.

Does anybody have
any extra staples

Or rubber cement because
we're fighting in about 60 seconds.

This year bitin' up.

They got their
choreography all nailed down

On their walk out of the tunnel.

And that bot is amazing!

Yeah. The fact that
hypershock's weapon kep

Spinning for that entire
mat is just insane.

Whatever secret sauce
this team has found

Back in the pits, it
is a game changer.

If hypershock keeps hitting
like this, there is no ceili

On how far it can
go in this event.

Team hypershock moves

Out of the final
fight of the night

To do battle with our
gatekeeper gigabyte

The winner will earn a bert
in the golden bolt tournamen

And have a chance to hoist
a brand-new trophy as well.

It's our main event
of the evening

And it's next.

Gigabyte is, by
far, the best shell spinner

On the planet.

Gigabyte!

Not only the best shell spinner

On the planet, but
the best shell spinner

That's ever existed.

Ahhh! Gosh!

- This is amazing!
- They're a legend for a reason.

They hit the hardest of
any full-body spinner here.

Huge shot there!

You know that
is an experienced team,

They build a great robot
they hit incredibly hard.

Oh, that's gotta be it!

We caught them before

And they completely
destroyed our robot.

- There it goes!
- That's a knockout!

Gigabyte is actually
a perfect robot

For a slugfest
because of the big hits.

And a robot who can't
handl those big hits is

In big trouble.

They won the bounty
last year with authority.

What a win!

They're all energy.
They're all action.

They live by the sword.

They die by the sword.

Gigabyte just too
strong, too tough.

If any of these bots
wants to get to the golden bolt,

They gotta get through gigabyte.

Here we go. We are ready
for the golden bolt qualifier

Between hypershock and gigabyte.

A berth in the first ever

Golden bolt tournament
of champions is on the line.

Let's start with
team hypershock.

What an electric run
it's be for this crew.

The fans have been going
nut watching will bales tear

His opponents apart tonight

But, kenny, this is fight
number four on the evening

For this robot.

Can hypershock now
finish the job here tonight?

Listen, we
are in las vegas, baby.

And hypershock has
been on a heater.

But this is the big one.

Gigabyte is as
experienced as they come.

And john mladenik has watched

Every minute of
will's fights tonight.

He's ready to go.

For me, the question here
I a familiar one in sports.

Would you rather come
into a big match like this o

With momentum in your
corne like hypershock?

Or do you prefer the bot
to 100% healthy and fresh

Like gigabyte?

My money is on the hot hit.

Somebody's gonna
be a champ tonight,

Move on, and face
other champions.

Who will it be?
Hypershock or gigabyte?

Let's find out. Faruq!

Ladies and
gentlemen, are you ready?

It's time for the main event!

In the red square,
this thing is from miami

Like that song by will smith.

And it'll toss you aside

Like jazzy jeff on
the fresh prince.

He's a bad boy like ali,

So you better play it mellow

Or agent j will give you an "l".

Here comes the bot in black...

And yellow.

Prepare to die, robot.

It's hypershock!

What an impressive
run tonight for will bales

And hypershock.

And for a team that's struggled
with consistency in the past,

Kenny, they have
looked rock solid.

Yeah, this
team has been dialed in.

They're going back
to their single disc

And wedge configuration here.

Obviously, full-body spinners
here with a ton of power,

And will knows he needs

That big front
attachment on hypershock

To deflect gigabytes energy

And try and keep it off balance.

I get it.

Full-body spinner.

All right. Let's go. Let's go.

Not available at the
battlebots team sho.

In the blue square,

It's a game show of pain
and he's the robo pat sajak.

Give him a spin

And he'll make your bones crack.

Makes other bots
say, "ay, ay, ay!"

Like they just bought a vowel,
he's the wheel of misfortune

And you just landed
on disembowel.

It's gigabyte!

And there he is!
Captain john mladenik

And the iconic full-body
spinner gigabyte.

So, kenny, how did
this team earn its spot

As a gatekeeper tonight?

Listen, john is a legend.

Twenty years' experience.

Over 100 career wins
in robot combat events.

This is widely considered to be

The most dangerous
full-body spinner in the world.

And it is more
durable than ever.

Always puts on a good show.

And if you want a
shot at that golden bolt,

You gotta get through gigabyte.

Gigabyte spins and hits hard.

Once they're up to
speed, it's terrifying.

So, what we have to do is
get on him, get on him quick,

And basically do
what we did to valkyrie

And get him off-kilter
from second number two.

If they get three, four
seconds to spin up

That might be the ball game.

At the end of the day,
this is all about getting

That golden bolt.

We want into that tournament.

We want into that bracket.

We wanna, you know,
play with the big boys

And, uh, you know,
just kick some bot.

Hypershock is a very
fast, very tough robot.

And he is gonna try to
get us up against the wall,

Stop us from spinning,
and bully us around.

When the bell rings,

We gotta get moving
and get up to speed.

If we can get into the center
of the arena up to speed,

Hit him and bounce off walls,

But if we keep hittin' him
and hittin' him and hittin' him,

I think we're gonna wear
him down and break him

And win the fight
by a, uh, knockout.

We really want the golden bolt.

And we want to be
in amongst the elite

In fighting that
golden bolt duel.

That is our whole
goal for this fight.

Robots, activate.

And for more on hypershock here

In the golden bolt qualifier,

Let's bring in our bot whisperer

Pete abrahamson.

Pete, what do you got?

Well, gentlemen, take
a close look at that weapon.

It may look like it's a
single disc in the middle,

But it's actually a sandwich.

They've got ar on both sides

Of a single piece
of s7 in the middle.

So, the ar is gonna
absorb the impact,

While the s7 in the middle is
gonna do a lot more cutting.

But the other weapon
to pay attention to is

Will's driving.

Look for will to charge
across this arena,

Possibly put on the brakes
right at the last second

To dive that nose down
right underneath gigabyte

And get them to flip.

All right,
pete. Here we go.

It is the golden bolt qualifier.

Red team, ready?

- Let's go.
- Whoo!

Blue team, ready?

Whoo!

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Winner moves on
to the field of champions.

Let the bot battle begin!

A box rush out of hyper...

oh!

Wow!

Oh, my gosh! That was insane!

What a hit by hypershock!

Oh!

Oh! Look at it continue to
go after gigabyte in the corner.

Those are some
of the biggest sparks

We've seen inside the battlebox.

My goodness!

Somehow,
hypershock's still running

And so too is gigabyte.

Whoa! Wow, that came right
at one of our judges! Wow!

Hypershock
picking up where it left off

With madcatter.

Oh, my gosh!

- Oh!
- Chris, are you okay?

I'm fine.

Look at the 100-pound
pulverizer dropping

Outside of gigabyte, too.

How tough is gigabyte?

And look at hypershock.
Might be feeling it here, chris.

Oh, have the big hits

Finally caught up
with hypershock?

It's just kind of
crab walking now.

Gigabyte hanging
back there, kenny.

Gigabyte has an opening.

Weird. Oh! My
transmitter got jammed.

Will bales trying
to work through the issue

And gigabyte content to lay off,

Perhaps looking for a
countdown from the ref.

I think will is having trouble

With his radio controls.

John mladenik may wanna
think about attacking here!

Gigabyte testing the waters.

And hypershock...

Oh! Oh! It's all over!

- Are you kidding?
- It's all over!

What a comeback!

It looks like will is
gonna be done for!

The head's on one
end, the body's on the other!

- Six, five...
- the self-righter is robbed!

- Four, three...
- last second hypershock came back to life!

- Two, one...
- are you kidding me?

- Knockout!
- Oh!

Look at team hypershock!

They cannot believe
what just happened!

Wow!

Will bales has run the gauntlet!

He's taken out gigabyte

And punched his ticket to
the golden bolt tournament!

- Listen to the crowd!
- Whoo!

Kenny, the
collision in this fight were

Flat-out insane.

It really was just craziness

Inside the battlebox here.

Gigabyte and hypershock
with some of the most epic hits

We've ever seen.

I mean, hypershock
just right on top of gigabyte.

Look at the power
of that weapon.

Sparks everywhere.
Hypershock aggressive.

And how about this - oh!

What the heck?

Fireworks
display right in front of us.

But gigabyte, tough as nails,

Took the punishment,
kept on spinning.

And, kenny, john
mladenik may have missed

A golden opportunity
to turn the tide.

Yeah. Will bales
wa having radio control issues

And the bot was a sitting duck.

Gigabyte hung back

And would quickly come
to regret that decision.

Here it is.

- The shot heard round the battlebots universe.
- Oh!

Shell goes one way, the bot goes the other.

Is that what you were gonna say?

That's exactly what I was gonna say!

So exciting!

Y'all good? You safe?

There's
a lot of stuff flying around.

- I wanna make sure you're okay.
- Yeah!

- Just a bit.
- Yeah, we're fine.

- Okay.
- Uh, derek young might want a word with you.

But,
yeah, everybody else is here.

And in one piece we
think. How are you?

Dog, um, okay, so...

Great.

Um, okay, so you
know how all of a sudden

We were stuck in the corner? I
was like, "oh, what's going on?"

I don't know what I did.

It was probably a
button or something.

But all of a sudden,
my steering turned

Into throttle, and my
throttle turned into steering.

And, uh, and whoo!
That was very exciting.

Dude, what
about the last hit, though?

It looked like you might
have been down for the count,

And somehow you
split that into two pieces!

Um, uh, it takes a lot of
energy to do those hits,

And, uh, so thank
you for driving at us.

And, um, uh, but wow!

We'll see you in
the fight for the golden bolt.

Congratulations, will
bales and team hypershock!

Hey, john mladenik.

Dude, that was crazy!

Yeah. I made a driver
mistake at the end.

I drove into his weapon.

I know you wanted to
win, but in 15 seconds,

Was it kind of cool
seeing your bot destroyed?

Well, I don't mind losing

If it's an exciting, good fight.

I didn't want him to
push us in the corner,

And stop us from spinning
and not getting any hits.

You know, it's a boring fight then. Right?

John, it's always a pleasure.

This definitely wasn't
boring. Thanks, john.

Absolutely incredible.

Will bales and team hypershock

Putting on a performance
for the ages, kenny.

Just crazy.

I mean, putting it
together as far as his bot.

It was phenomenal
heading into this,

And he delivered an
amazing performance

Here against gigabyte.

- And, again, we gotta give credit to gigabyte as well.
- T otally.

The durability of that bot.

Not a whole lot of bots woul
survive two of those shots,

Let alone the eleventeen
sho that were in there.

Yeah, I don't think
john lost this fight

Due to lack of preparation.

He just ran into a bot
with a ton of momentum.

This is an experienced team

And we will see them again
very soon, I have no doubt.

But listen, for year
uh, the narrative surroundin

Hypershock and will bales is,

Yeah, they're cute,
they got their skit down,

They got the cool uniforms,
the bot looks awesome.

But just inside the arena,
they were like,

"yeah, they're fine."

This year, though,
they are way up here.

No, this is
a whole different bot,

A whole different team.

Certainly appears that way

As hypershock is
officially headed

To the golden bolt tournamen

Where tantrum, tombstone,
and end game await.

What a story it would be
if will bales could make

Some noise in that elite gro
of champions.

Join us next time

When another band
of marquis bots

Will put it all on the line
for their shot at glory.

Who will be the first ever team

To take home the golden bolt?

Gonna be fun to see
how it all shakes out.

So, for faruq,
and our bot whisperer pete,

And my man kenny florian,
I am chris rose.

We'll see you next time here
on battlebots champions,

The sin city slugfest.