Robot Wars: The Third Wars

Robot Wars: The Third Wars was the third series of the British television game show Robot Wars. It was originally broadcast from 1999 to 2000 on BBC Two. The series was hosted by Craig Charles, the pit reporter was Philippa Forrester and commentary was provided by Jonathan Pearce.

Format
For the third series, the Gauntlet and Trial sections of the previous series were scrapped and the championship took the form of a straight knockout tournament. The series consisted of sixteen heats featuring eight robots each with each heat champion progressing to the semi-finals and two robots from each going through to the Grand Final of the series.

As a result of the format changes for the third series, there were no seeded robots for the series, which often resulted in what many decided to be "unfair" line-ups.

Heat A
Robots competing in Heat A: Brimhur, Weeliwako, Mace 2, Stinger, Raizer Blade, Red Dragon, Forklift's Revenge, Suicidal Tendencies

Round 1
 * Mace 2 vs Stinger: Mace 2 won
 * Forklift's Revenge vs Suicidal Tendencies: Suicidal Tendencies won
 * Brimhur vs Weeliwako: Weeliwako won
 * Raizer Blade vs Red Dragon: Raizer Blade won

Round 2
 * Mace 2 vs Weeliwako: Mace 2 won
 * Raizer Blade vs Suicidal Tendencies: Suicidal Tendencies won

Round 3
 * Mace 2 vs Suicidal Tendencies: Mace 2 won

Heat B
Robots competing in Heat B: Abaddon, Technophobic, Pitbull, Sump Thing, General Carnage, Robocow, Behemoth, Shark Attack

Round 1
 * Pitbull vs Sump Thing: Pitbull won
 * Abaddon vs Technophobic: Technophobic won
 * General Carnage vs Robocow: General Carnage won
 * Behemoth vs Shark Attack: Behemoth won

Round 2
 * Technophobic vs Pitbull: Pitbull won
 * General Carnage vs Behemoth: Behemoth won

Round 3
 * Pitbull vs Behemoth: Pitbull won

Heat C
Robots competing in Heat C: Agent Orange, Max Damage, Spike, Blade, Aggrobot, Binky, Backstabber, Razer


 * Note: Binky was a reserve robot, who was instated after Daisy suffered electrical problems and were unable to compete.

Round 1
 * Razer vs Backstabber: Razer won
 * Binky vs Aggrobot: Aggrobot won
 * Blade vs Spike: Blade won
 * Agent Orange vs Max Damage: Agent Orange won

Round 2
 * Razer vs Aggrobot: Aggrobot won
 * Blade vs Agent Orange: Blade won

Round 3
 * Aggrobot vs Blade: Blade won

Heat D
Robots competing in Heat D: Sir Chromalot, Shell Shock, Big Brother, The Grim Reaper, Milly-Ann Bug, Bumblebot, Flipper, Ultor

Round 1
 * Sir Chromalot vs Shell Shock: Sir Chromalot won
 * Big Brother vs Grim Reaper: Big Brother won
 * Bumblebot vs Milly-Ann Bug: Bumblebot won
 * Flipper vs Ultor: Ultor won

Round 2
 * Sir Chromalot vs Big Brother: Big Brother won
 * Bumblebot vs Ultor: Ultor won

Round 3
 * Big Brother vs Ultor: Ultor won


 * Note: The Ultor team later awarded the victory to Big Brother as they believed that the judges' decision was incorrect.

Heat E
Robots competing in Heat E: Anorakaphobia, Miss Ile, The Big Cheese, Shrapnel, Crocodilatron, Chaos 2, Hammertron, Sonic

Round 1
 * Anorakaphobia vs Miss Ile: Anorakaphobia won
 * The Big Cheese vs Shrapnel: The Big Cheese won
 * Chaos 2 vs Crocodilatron: Chaos 2 won
 * Sonic vs Hammertron: Sonic won

Round 2
 * Anorakaphobia vs The Big Cheese: The Big Cheese won
 * Chaos 2 vs Sonic: Chaos 2 won

Round 3
 * The Big Cheese vs Chaos 2: Chaos 2 won

Heat F
Robots competing in Heat F: Mortis, Ming, Gravedigger, Manic Mutant, Vector, T2, Darke Destroyer, Sgt. Meikle

Round 1
 * Mortis vs Ming: Mortis won
 * Vector vs T2: T2 won
 * The Darke Destroyer vs Sgt. Meikle: The Darke Destroyer won
 * Gravedigger vs Manic Mutant: Gravedigger won

Round 2
 * Mortis vs Gravedigger: Gravedigger won
 * The Darke Destroyer vs T2: The Darke Destroyer won

Round 3
 * Gravedigger vs The Darke Destroyer: Gravedigger won

Heat G
Robots competing in Heat G: Bulldog Breed, Robopig, Kater Killer, Napalm, Henry, Haardvark, Steg-O-Saw-Us, Orac's Revenge

Round 1
 * Bulldog Breed vs Robopig: Robopig won
 * Kater Killer vs Napalm: Napalm won
 * Henry vs Haardvark: Henry won
 * Orac's Revenge vs Steg-O-Saw-Us: Steg-O-Saw-Us won

Round 2
 * Henry vs Steg-O-Saw-Us: Steg-O-Saw-Us won
 * Robopig vs Napalm: Napalm won

Round 3
 * Steg-O-Saw-Us vs Napalm: Steg-O-Saw-Us won

Heat H
Robots competing in Heat H: Ally Gator, Corporal Punishment, Berserk 2, Tut's Revenge, Hypno-Disc, Robogeddon, Death Warmed Up, Stealth

Round 1
 * Ally Gator vs Corporal Punishment: Ally Gator won
 * Berserk 2 vs Tut's Revenge: Berserk 2 won
 * Hypno-Disc vs Robogeddon: Hypno-Disc won
 * Death Warmed Up vs Stealth: Stealth won

Round 2
 * Berserk 2 vs Ally Gator: Berserk 2 won
 * Hypno-Disc vs Stealth: Hypno-Disc won

Round 3
 * Berserk 2 vs Hypno-Disc: Hypno-Disc won

Heat I
Robots competing in Heat I: Armour Geddon, Onslaught, Beast of Bodmin, Crusher, Vercingetorix, Terrorpin, Invertabrat, The Witch

Round 1
 * Onslaught vs Armour Geddon: Onslaught won
 * Crusher vs Beast of Bodmin: Beast of Bodmin won
 * Vercingetorix vs Terrorpin: Terrorpin won
 * Invertabrat vs The Witch: Invertabrat won

Round 2
 * Invertabrat vs Terrorpin: Invertabrat won
 * Onslaught vs Beast of Bodmin: Beast of Bodmin won

Round 3
 * Invertabrat vs Beast of Bodmin: Beast of Bodmin won

Heat J
Robots competing in Heat J: 101, Overkill, Centurion, Excaliber, Eric, King Buxton, The Iron Mask, Weld-Dor

Round 1
 * Centurion vs Excaliber: Centurion won
 * 101 vs Overkill: 101 won
 * The Iron Mask vs Weld-Dor: Weld-Dor won
 * Eric vs King Buxton: King Buxton won

Round 2
 * 101 vs Centurion: 101 won
 * King Buxton vs Weld-Dor: King Buxton won

Round 3
 * 101 vs King Buxton: 101 won

Heat K
Robots competing in Heat K: Axios, Panic Attack, Purple Predator, Toe Cutter, Hefty, X-Terminator, Judge Shred, Mr Punch

Round 1
 * X-Terminator vs Hefty: X-Terminator won
 * Purple Predator vs Toe Cutter: Toe Cutter won
 * Judge Shred vs Mr Punch: Judge Shred won
 * Axios vs Panic Attack: Panic Attack won

Round 2
 * Judge Shred vs X-Terminator: X-Terminator won
 * Toe Cutter vs Panic Attack: Panic Attack won

Round 3
 * X-Terminator vs Panic Attack: Panic Attack won

Heat L
Robots competing in Heat L: Undertaker, Panzer, Challenger 2, Atlas, Evil Weevil, Triterobot, Flip Flop Fly, Wild Willy

Round 1
 * Flip Flop Fly vs Wild Willy: Flip Flop Fly won
 * Atlas vs Challenger 2: Challenger 2 won
 * Evil Weevil vs Triterobot: Evil Weevil won
 * Undertaker vs Panzer: Panzer won

Round 2
 * Evil Weevil vs Flip Flop Fly: Evil Weevil won
 * Panzer vs Challenger 2: Panzer won

Round 3
 * Evil Weevil vs Panzer: Evil Weevil won

Heat M
Robots competing in Heat M: Hammerhead, Pussycat, Cassius 2, Dundee, Scutter's Revenge, Plunderstorm, Thermador, Zeus

Round 1
 * Hammerhead vs Pussycat: Pussycat won
 * Cassius 2 vs Dundee: Cassius 2 won
 * Plunderstorm vs Thermador: Thermador won
 * Zeus vs Scutter's Revenge: Scutter's Revenge won

Round 2
 * Cassius 2 vs Pussycat: Pussycat won
 * Scutter's Revenge vs Thermador: Scutter's Revenge won

Round 3
 * Pussycat vs Scutter's Revenge: Scutter's Revenge won


 * Note: Pussycat won the final round, but it was disqualified for using a hardened steel blade which shattered during the battle. Scutter's Revenge was awarded victory by default.

Heat N
Robots competing in Heat N: Thing 2, Prizephita, Crippler, All Torque, Daisy Chopper, Griffon, Cerberus, Killerhurtz

Round 1
 * All Torque vs Crippler: All Torque won
 * Killerhurtz vs Cerberus: Cerberus won
 * Daisy Chopper vs Griffon: Griffon won
 * Thing 2 vs Prizephita: Thing 2 won

Round 2
 * All Torque vs Thing 2: Thing 2 won
 * Cerberus vs Griffon: Cerberus won

Round 3
 * Thing 2 vs Cerberus: Thing 2 won

Heat O
Robots competing in Heat O: Schumey Too, The Steel Avenger, Diotoir, Sting 2, Firestorm, Crasha Gnasha, Terminal Ferocity, Facet

Round 1
 * Schumey Too vs The Steel Avenger: The Steel Avenger won
 * Terminal Ferocity vs Facet: Facet won
 * Crasha Gnasha vs Firestorm: Firestorm won
 * Diotoir vs Sting 2: Diotoir won

Round 2
 * Diotoir vs The Steel Avenger: Diotoir won
 * Firestorm vs Facet: Firestorm won

Round 3
 * Diotoir vs Firestorm: Firestorm won

Heat P
Robots competing in Heat P: Victor 2, Scarab, Trident, Twn Trwn, Rattus Rattus, S.M.I.D.S.Y., Dreadnaut, Psychokiller

Round 1
 * Rattus Rattus vs S.M.I.D.S.Y.: Rattus Rattus won
 * Twn Trwn vs Trident: Trident won
 * Scarab vs Victor 2: Victor 2 won
 * Psychokiller vs Dreadnaut: Dreadnaut won

Round 2
 * Rattus Rattus vs Dreadnaut: Dreadnaut won
 * Victor 2 vs Trident: Trident won

Round 3
 * Dreadnaut vs Trident: Trident won

Semi-Final 1
Round 1
 * Firestorm vs Pitbull: Firestorm won
 * Panic Attack vs Thing 2: Panic Attack won
 * Big Brother vs Mace 2: Mace 2 won
 * Chaos 2 vs Trident: Chaos 2 won

Round 2
 * Firestorm vs Panic Attack: Firestorm won
 * Mace 2 vs Chaos 2: Chaos 2 won

Semi-Final 2
Round 1
 * 101 vs Scutter's Revenge: 101 won
 * Gravedigger vs Steg-O-Saw-Us: Steg-O-Saw-Us won
 * Beast of Bodmin vs Blade: Beast of Bodmin won
 * Evil Weevil vs Hypno-Disc: Hypno-Disc won

Round 2
 * Steg-O-Saw-Us vs Beast of Bodmin: Steg-O-Saw-Us won
 * 101 vs Hypno-Disc: Hypno-Disc won

Grand Final
Eliminators
 * Chaos 2 vs Firestorm: Chaos 2 won
 * Hypno-Disc vs Steg-O-Saw-Us: Hypno-Disc won

Playoff
 * Firestorm vs Steg-O-Saw-Us: Firestorm won by default

Final
 * Chaos 2 vs Hypno-Disc: Chaos 2 won

Awards
These are the winners of the various awards given out at the end of the series:


 * Best Design: Razer
 * Best Engineered: Chaos 2
 * Most Original Entry: Hypno-Disc
 * Sportsmanship Award: Diotoir

Battle of the Series
This was voted for by the judges, the public were given the opportunity to guess which battle the judges chose, one of the correct entrants would receive VIP passes to the Robot Wars studio, get to meet the presenters and control the house robots. 20 runners-up won a copy of the First World Championship on video, a copy of the Robot Wars Magazine and a £25 voucher to spend in all Robot Wars stores.

The nominations were:


 * Hypno-Disc vs Robogeddon
 * Chaos 2 vs The Big Cheese
 * Panic Attack vs X-Terminator

Winning Battle: Chaos 2 vs The Big Cheese

Trial Competitions
Although the trials had been removed from the main competition, two of these, the Pinball and Soccer, were held as small competitions alongside the main championship. As was the case in previous years, the winner was the robot with the best performance (gaining the most points in Pinball, and either scoring the first goal or being the most active in Soccer). Other competitions were also planned, such as Sumo, but they were cancelled after the incident in the pits.

Pinball
Robots Competing: Dominator, Crusader, Eye of Newt, Six-Pac, Killerhurtz, R.O.C.S 2, Oblivion 2, Inquisitor Mk 2, Razer, Mortis.

Soccer
Robots Competing: Velocirippa, Demolition Demon 2, Malfunktion, Gnasher, Evil Weevil, Alien, The General, Spectre.

Preliminaries
 * Velocirippa vs Demolition Demon 2: Velocirippa won
 * Malfunktion vs Gnasher: Gnasher won
 * Evil Weevil vs Alien: Evil Weevil won
 * The General vs Spectre: The General won

Final
 * Velocirippa vs Gnasher vs Evil Weevil vs The General: Evil Weevil won

Special Events
In addition to the trial competitions, there were also three special battles held alongside the main championship. These consisted of the Series 3 Middleweight Championship and two battles featuring walkerbots. Other battles were originally intended, such as Lightweight and Featherweight Championships, and a Tag-Team Terror, but they were cancelled at the last minute, due to an accident in the pits.

Middleweight Melee
Tentomushi vs Hard Cheese vs Grinder vs A-Kill vs Ripper's Revenge

Joint Winners: Tentomushi & A-Kill

Walker Battles
Battles
 * Miss Struts vs Stomp: Miss Struts won
 * Mammoth vs Anarachnid: Draw declared

International Competitions
After the third series, two international Robot Wars competitions were held. These were the International League Championship and The First World Championship, which both pitted the familiar British robots against other robots from around the world.

International League Championship
The International League Championship was broadcast between the third and fourth series of Robot Wars and featured six robots from six different countries. These robots were split into two groups, with each robot fighting the other two robots in their group once in head to head battles. Robots would get three points if they won the battle, none if they lost, and one if both robots were still mobile at the end of time. The robot with the most points in each group at the end would go through to the final, a single head to head battle against the winner of the other group.

The First World Championship
The First World Championship was released exclusively on video and later on DVD. It featured all six robots from the International League Championship plus ten others, making sixteen robots overall representing eleven different countries. The robots were paired off to fight in a straight knockout competition, with the winner of the final battle becoming world champion.