The Gauntlet

The Gauntlet was a challenge set in the first round of each heat in the first two series of Robot Wars. The six robots would compete in a assualt course to get as far as possible in the time allowed with the robot putting in the poorest performance being eliminated. In Series 2 obstacles in the Gauntlet would alternate each week whereas in Series 1 the course would be largely the same each episode. The Gauntlet was scrapped after the second series of the show when the format was changed to a straight knock-out competition. The basic idea of an assualt course was used in Techno Games another show similar to Robot Wars and produced by the same makers.

Series 1
Each robot would start on a turntable and would then have three choices of which route to take.

The route on the left of the competitors was largely clear of obstacles but was patrolled by the House Robots making it very difficult to get past. Skittles and Pyramids also featured in this route as well as a grill near the beginning of the course. Choosing the middle route meant a robot had to climb over a seesaw ramp, negotiate the corkscrew lances and make its way over a second ramp that issued smoke from the middle. Robots with low ground clearance struggled with this route. The route on the right of the competitors started with a labyrinth maze. This route was rarely chosen and required a fair amount of driving skills. After the maze the oute opened up to grills, corkscrew lance, 'landmines' (Large weights designed to stop robots in their tracks) and spikes that would come up from the floor. A small spiked mace would swing back and forward over all three routes just in front of the end zone.