Extreme Warriors: Season 1/Civil War

Civil War
The Extreme Warriors logo from the introduction titles
Series	Extreme Warriors: Season 1
Winner(s)	Manta
First Broadcast	September 3rd 2001
Original channel	The New TNN
Preceded by	Annihilator
Succeeded by	Tag Team Terror

"Tonight, it's 'stars and stripes' vs 'stars and bars'. Will the South rise again, or will the North quash the insurrection once and for all? Eight robots - four Yankees and four rebels - are lined up, ready to pound out a history rewrite, by whipping some metal ass! And I can promise you one thing, my friends... this war is anything but civil!"

— Mick Foley's introduction

The Civil War was a competition held during the first season of Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors. In the episode, four robots from the North would fight four robots from the South in a Union vs Confederacy confrontation. The episode was originally broadcast on September 3, 2001 on TNN.

Format

Just like the War of Independence, the tournament would start with four eliminators in which a robot representing the Union would fight a robot representing the Confederacy. Whichever robot won would move on to the semi-final and then to the final round to decide the Civil War champion.

Competing Robots

Union

	Falcon
	Weight	214lbs
	Dimensions	16" x 50" x 36"
	Power	2 x 12V Motors
	Weapons	Lifting Spike
	Strengths	Interchangeable Weapons
	Weaknesses	Sluggish
From: North Oaks, Minnesota
Team Members: David Temple, Rand Whillock & Mark Whillock

	Sobek
	Weight	215lbs
	Dimensions	75" x 44" x 12"
	Power	24V Motor
	Weapons	Pneumatic Jaw
	Strengths	Powerful Weapon
	Weaknesses	Exposed Wheels
From: Massachusetts
Team Members: Glen Sears, Karen Glimer & Aaron Turoncotte

	Spike
	Weight	211lbs
	Dimensions	45" x 24" x 34"
	Power	2 x Electric Motors
	Weapons	Pneumatic Axe
	Strengths	Maneuverablility
	Weaknesses	No Self-righting Mechanism
From: Germantown, Ohio
Team Members: Jim Rowland, Jimmy Rowland & Jessie Rowland

	Tiger Cat
	Weight	220lbs
	Dimensions	40" x 26" x 20"
	Power	2 x Electric Motors
	Weapons	Pneumatic Axe
	Strengths	Quick and Powerful
	Weaknesses	Flammable
From: Shirley, New York
Team Members: Dave Sandel & David Sandel

Confederacy

	6 Million Dollar Mouse
	Weight	220lbs
	Dimensions	36" x 26" x 24"
	Power	24V Wheelchair Motors
	Weapons	Spinning Blade
	Strengths	Heavily Armored
	Weaknesses	Reliablility of Blade
From: Linwood, North Carolina
Team Members: Chris Hannold, Greg Hannold & Richard Hannold

	Bot-Ugly
	Weight	220lbs
	Dimensions	49" x 54" x 10"
	Power	24V Wheelchair Motors
	Weapons	Pincer Jaws
	Strengths	Can Run Both Ways Up
	Weaknesses	Exposed Mechanics
From: Tyler, Texas
Team Members: Jim Moulton, Kristi Simmonds & David Simmonds

	Manta
	Weight	185lbs
	Dimensions	44" x 37" x 13"
	Power	24v Motors
	Weapons	Spinning Steel Blade
	Strengths	Very Fast & Powerful
	Weaknesses	No Self-Righting Mechanism
From: Stephens City, Virginia
Team Members: Jeff Cesnik, Billy Boden & Chris Tyson

	The Revolutionist
	Weight	207lbs
	Dimensions	28" x 28" x 7"
	Power	4 x Electric Motors
	Weapons	Cutting Teeth
	Strengths	Hard To Approach
	Weaknesses	No Self-righting Mechanism
From: Ormond Beach, Florida
Team Members: Brian Nave, Michael & Rebecca Nave

Round 1

Spike (Union) vs Bot-Ugly (Confederacy)

"Ah, they would have been better off fighting the Civil War this way, with robots!"

— Stefan Frank at the start of the battle

Spike gets its axe stuck in the arena floor

Bot-Ugly trapped in the CPZ as Spike attacks Matilda

As the battle began, the two robot drove at each other, but when Bot-Ugly tried to grab Spike with its pincer jaws, Spike spun to prevent its opponent from grabbing it. Spike got around the pincers of Bot-Ugly and fired its axe, but Bot-Ugly turned against Spike, causing Spike to miss with the axe, which became stuck in the arena floor. Whilst Spike struggled to free the axe, Bot-Ugly got its pincer jaws around Spike and closed them. However, Spike was able to get its axe free, and although it was still caught in Bot-Ugly's pincer jaws, Spike managed to turn around and hit it with the axe, but this didn't cause any noticeable damage.

"...and look at those crushers, coming in on Bot-Ugly! They might make Spike ugly as well, but they don't look like they got a whole lot of power there, Spike just kind of looking on in disbelief"

— Stefan Frank as Bot-Ugly grips Spike

Shunt axes the tire of Spike

The two robots pushed against each other, with Bot-Ugly trying to push Spike into a CPZ, but Spike turned to pull Bot-Ugly in with it. Shunt came over to the CPZ and gave Bot-Ugly a little push on the side, but it would not let go. Refbot drove over, pushing against Spike, but this did not free it from Bot-Ugly's clutches either. Spike tried to axe Bot-Ugly, but it was at the wrong angle, so the axe missed Bot-Ugly's body. As Spike reversed into Shunt, Shunt pushed against Spike, helping loosen Bot-Ugly's grip on it, and Matilda came over to the CPZ, giving Bot-Ugly a push from behind. This loosened Bot-Ugly's grip on Spike, and Shunt pushed Bot-Ugly against the arena wall, with Spike also helping to pin it there. As Shunt reversed out of the CPZ, Matilda came over to attack, but Spike axed her instead of its opponent, managing to pierce her top and pull her back a little.

"Oh no, Spike into Matilda! He knows that was a wrong move!"

— Stefan Frank as Spike axes Matilda

Bot-Ugly gets axed by Spike

Spike let got and attacked Bot-Ugly, getting its axe right into the body, but as it did so, Shunt got at its side and fired his axe at one of Spike's wheels. The axe hit the tyre, but did not rip it and Spike was able to keep driving. Spike kept its axe in Bot-Ugly as Shunt pushed the two robots out of the CPZ, axing Bot-Ugly. Smoke began to rise from Bot-Ugly, and when Shunt let go, Spike was able to drag Bot-Ugly towards the pit, and with a little help from Matilda, was able to push Bot-Ugly into the pit, although its axe was still caught in Bot-Ugly's body.

"I've got to admit, for a while there, it looked like the General Lee's army was going to have its way, but the army of the Potomac just came fighting back, firing back! What you did to Bot-Ugly, made Sherman's march to the sea look like a walk in the park!"

— Mick Foley to the Spike team after the battle

Winner: Spike

Falcon (Union) vs 6 Million Dollar Mouse (Confederacy)

6 Million Dollar Mouse shoves Falcon towards the flame pit

6 Million Dollar Mouse got off to the faster start of the two robots, steering around Falcon and eventually landing a blow at the rear, dislodging a small panel. Falcon retaliated by driving around the back of 6 Million Dollar Mouse and trying to use its axe, but it missed. As 6 Million Dollar Mouse turned around to use its spinning blade, Falcon drove past, then turned around. 6 Million Dollar Mouse drove at the front of Falcon, but the blade merely stopped on impact, Falcon pushed against 6 Million Dollar Mouse and it reversed away.

"6 Million Dollar Mouse, with that spinning blade, seems to be getting in there but not doing a whole lot of damage with it. The Falcon's just got the arm lifted up, but he's not really doing anything with it, I wonder if it's stuck or something."

— Stefan Frank on the two competitors weapons

6 Million Dollar Mouse nearly gets flipped by Falcon

The two robots drove head-on at each other, and 6 Million Dollar Mouse pushed Falcon across the arena, onto the flame pit, but Falcon quickly reversed off. Falcon drove at the side of 6 Million Dollar Mouse, getting under the side and nearly tipping the robot over, but despite its pushing, Falcon could not topple 6 Million Dollar Mouse, and Refbot pushed the two apart.

"Look at that, perfect wedge design there, just lifting the Mouse up into the stratosphere! And Refbot comes in to break it up a little bit. Mouse goes away to see another day!"

— Stefan Frank as Falcon tried to overturn 6 Million Dollar Mouse, but then gets pushed by Refbot

Falcon is axed by Shunt

As the pit descended, Falcon chased after 6 Million Dollar Mouse, which kept steering away from its opponent, but then got at the side of Falcon, but couldn't attack as its spinning blade was no longer working. It tried to push Falcon into the pit, but didn't have enough power, and Falcon turned around 6 Million Dollar Mouse. 6 Million Dollar Mouse reversed, then drove back at Falcon, pushing it against the wall.

"Falcon backing up, that arm hasn't been any use to him all the way through this round. The 6 Million Dollar Mouse has got the Falcon backed up against the rails, and now backed up against Shunt in the Corner Patrol Zone!"

— Stefan Frank as 6 Million Dollar Mouse pushes Falcon around

6 Million Dollar Mouse backs Falcon into the wall

6 Million Dollar Mouse reversed for another charge, and as Falcon drove away from the wall, it pushed it straight into Shunt, who axed the top and pushed it away from the CPZ. In the last few seconds, 6 Million Dollar Mouse pushed Falcon against an angle grinder and pinned it there, and although it reversed, letting Falcon off the angle grinder, it pushed it back against the angle grinder just before time ran out.

"By the slimmest of margins, the winner, representing the South, the Confederancy, the 6 Million Dollar Mouse!"

— Mick Foley announces the decision

The decision was very close, but the Judges ruled in favour of 6 Million Dollar Mouse

Mick Foley: "Well, you weren't looking too great when that mouse's blade stopped rotating! It looked to me like you take the fall, almost like Lee did at Antietam. How do you feel about that?"

Greg Hannold: "We were just playing possum, we weren't worried about it too much"

— In the post-battle interview

Winner: 6 Million Dollar Mouse

Tiger Cat (Union) vs Manta (Confederacy)

Manta tears open the side of Tiger Cat

Manta rips the face from Tiger Cat

Manta got off to the faster start, and began by charging directly at the side of Tiger Cat, damaging its right side panel. As Manta reversed, Tiger Cat turned and drove erratically down the arena, turning one way then the other as it did so, then Manta rammed into its left side, dislodging the entire panel. Tiger Cat span around onto a flame jet, and Manta charged into its front, tearing the front panel clean off. Tiger Cat turned over the flame jet, waiting for it to set the fur on fire, where its fur caught fire, and Manta struck it from the side again, almost ripping the left side panel clean off.

"It's a flaming, faceless tiger!"

— Stefan Frank as Tiger Cat's fire catches fire

Tiger Cat catches fire

Tiger Cat fled across the arena, but Manta charged after it, ramming into the back. Tiger Cat kept driving across the arena, nearly driving into Refbot, which reversed, but Tiger Cat kept driving after Refbot. It drove into the Refbot's front, and Manta caught up with it, hitting the side and flipping the whole robot upwards with its spinner. This impact ripped off the loose panel and left Tiger Cat immobilised, and Shunt came out of his CPZ to axe it.

"Dosen't look good for the North in this round, boy I'll tell you, that Tiger Cat's looking mighty crispy by now, as Refbot puts out the flames! Tiger Cat, started out looking really beautiful, and just fell apart from the begininng, just decimated!"

— Stefan Frank as Refbot puts out the flames and begins to count Tiger Cat out

Tiger Cat is pitted

Refbot was able to extinguish some of the flames, before counting Tiger Cat out. Shunt placed Tiger Cat on the floor flipper, where it was thrown. As it landed, Manta rammed into it one last time, before Shunt pushed it over to the pit, then pushed it in with a little help from Sgt. Bash.

"The Tiger Cat went down in a blaze, but unfortunately for them, it was not a blaze of glory! It was a blaze of humiliation and crushing defeat! But on the other hand, we have some clear cut winners. Representing the Confederates, the team of Manta!"

— Mick Foley after the battle

Winner: Manta

Sobek (Union) vs The Revolutionist (Confederacy)

Rebecca Grant: "You going to be a tough Yankee?"

Glen Sears: "Yeah, Yankee ingenuity won the first time, we hope to do it again"

— Sobek's pre-battle interview

The Revolutionist rips off Sobek's tire

The Revolutionist smashes into Sobek

The Revolutionist started by darting down the arena to get away from Sobek, giving it time to get its spinner up to speed. As The Revolutionist began spinning, Sobek charged at it, but was knocked aside on impact, the sacrificial tire that the team had put on the jaw falling off. The Revolutionist stopped spinning, so rammed into Sobek, pushing it back, until Sobek turned and The Revolutionist drove past. Sobek turned and opened its jaw, but The Revolutionist slammed into its front then drove past, with Sobek not getting a chance to use its jaw. As Sobek turned, The Revolutionist hit Sobek's side, and Sobek was knocked back. Sobek drove at The Revolutionist with its jaw closed, and The Revolutionist bounced off the jaw.

"It looks like those jaws aren't going do any good, that Revolutionist is going too fast"

— Stefan Frank

Sobek pushes a weaponless Revolutionist

Sobek chased after The Revolutionist as it reversed up the arena. As it did so, the spinner kept hitting the jaw, bending it a little, but Sobek kept in pursuit, then drove into The Revolutionist. The Revolutionist stopped spinning, so Sobek pushed it, but then reversed for another charge. As Sobek drove back at The Revolutionist, The Revolutionist pushed back and Sobek reversed and turned away. The Revolutionist drove into the arena center and tried to get its spinner up to speed, but the spinner failed to spin up.

"It's not rolling much. It's rolling forwards, but the spin mode seems to be disabled!"

— Stefan Frank as The Revolutionists fails to get its spinner up to speed

Sobek is wrongly attacked by Sgt. Bash

Sobek drove at it, The Revolutionist rammed into it then drove up the arena. Sobek drove onto its sacrificial tire, and as it struggled to get off, The Revolutionist tried to push it towards the wall. Sgt. Bash came out of his CPZ, pinning Sobek against the wall. Refbot intervened, driving into Sgt. Bash's side, forcing him to return to the CPZ. Sobek used its side bars to lift itself off the tire, and it drove up the arena after The Revolutionist. The Revolutionist weakly drove at it, but the spinner still could not spin, so The Revolutionist drove down the arena. Sgt. Bash came out of his CPZ again, chasing Sobek down the arena. Sgt. Bash soon caught up with Sobek and grabbed it with his front jaw until Refbot intervened again, giving him a yellow card. Time ran out, and the battle went to the judges.

"The Revolutionist had a great design there, pretty much impenetrable, and Sgt. Bash gave him probably more assistance than he needed."

— Stefan Frank reviewing the highlights

The judges decided to give Sobek the win after a close battle.

"The spinning weapon did some damage right off the bat, but once it was nullified, it basically looked like a big ... birthday cake out there!"

— Mick Foley to the Sobek team after the battle

Winner: Sobek

Semi-Finals

"For the roboteers, it's about nothing less than patriotism. If you're a roboteer from the south right now, the last thing you want, is to get your ass kicked in front of the whole world by some damn yankee! Like me! Long Island New York, yeah! We've got four 'bots left, and they're all out for death! Will the stars and bars fly over the arena, or will old glory reign supreme!"

— Mick Foley before the Semi-Finals

Spike (Union) vs Manta (Confederacy)

Manta slams Spike into the arena side wall

At the start, Spike quickly gave chase towards Manta as it drove down the arena, but Manta turned around and rammed into Spikes side, pushing it by the flame pit. After this impact, Spike lost drive on one side and began spinning on the spot, but Manta was not deterred and rammed Spike onto the flame pit. Spike continued to spin, and eventually managed to turn itself off the flame pit. After accidentally turning into an angle grinder, Spike turned around, but Manta charged at it, slamming it against an angle grinder.

"Oh! Another head on collision by the Manta, who's just taking fearless runs right into the side and front of Spike!"

— Stefan Frank as Manta rams into Spike

Spike is knocked out by Manta's aggressive rams

Spike managed to drive forwards, but as it did so it drove close to Dead Metal's CPZ. It tried turning away, but could not get away from the CPZ, and the House Robot gave it a little push. As Manta closed in, Spike span on the spot, but this did noththing to stop Manta ramming it, driving around it and pushing it across to the arena centre.

"...but Manta is just too fast, too powerful. That wheel doesn't seem to be penetrating spike, but it certainly is pushing him back!"

— Stefan Frank as Manta pushes Spike across the arena

Sir Killalot crushes the side of Spike

Manta prepares to push Spike into the pit.

Spike slowly retreated across the arena, seemingly aiming for the pit release, but when it stopped to turn around, Manta rammed it into the arena wall. Spike appeared to lose mobility after this slam, as it was barely able to turn, and Manta slammed it with its ramming spike. Spike tried to turn away from the wall, but could only turn a tiny bit, and Manta reversed into it, ramming it against the arena wall. With Spike clearly immobile, Sir Killalot came over and grabbed hold of Spike, crumpling its armour and pushing it into the pit release button.

"I think it could be in the bag here for Manta, because Spike doesn't seem to be moving at all, and the House 'Bots know it! They can smell hydraulic fluid, look at the crushing power of Sir Killalot!"

— Stefan Frank as Sir Killalot grabs the immobile Spike

He spun Spike around, then threw the loanerbot aside, which landed right on the edge of the pit, allowing Manta to push it straight in.

"We have got our first finalist in Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors Civil War! Ladies and gentlemen, no doubt about that one, a clear cut, and may I say, a clear cut victory by Team Manta"

— Mick Foley after the battle

Winner: Manta

Sobek (Union) vs 6 Million Dollar Mouse (Confederacy)

6 Million Dollar Mouse breaks Sobek's arm

6 Million Dollar Mouse buckles the jaws of Sobek

6 Million Dollar Mouse had the quicker start, but Sobek started as the early aggressor, pushing its opponent around the arena, as the Mouse's blade was too low to hit Sobek's jaws. The Mouse broke away and tried to attack Sobek again, but was unable to land a blow on the low-slung Sobek, who continued to push back. Eventually, the Mouse's spinning blade snagged one of Sobek's arms, breaking off the wheel from it. Sobek continued to push the Mouse, getting underneath, but in doing so its right arm was clipped by the Mouse's blade and buckled completely.

Sobek loses a wheel as 6 Million Dollar Mouse comes in for another attack

Sobek is counted out as it burns on the flame pit

Sobek retreated momentarily but came back on the aggressive, pushing against 6 Million Dollar Mouse again, stopping the blade at one point and continuing to push it around the arena. However, as it reversed away for another charge, one of Sobek's wheels fell off, hampering its mobility. Despite shuffling back and forth across the arena, Dead Metal came out of his CPZ to grab hold of Sobek and drag it onto the flame pit. Refbot issued the house robot with a yellow card, but counted Sobek out moments later, as it was now completely immobilized. Dead Metal attacked Sobek with his saw before Sir Killalot picked it up, spun it around and dropped it into the pit, eliminating Sobek, and the Union, from the competition.

Winner: 6 Million Dollar Mouse

Final

6 Million Dollar Mouse (Confederacy) vs Manta (Confederacy)

Manta flips 6 Million Dollar Mouse

Sir Killalot carries 6 Million Dollar Mouse

6 Million Dollar Mouse got its blade spinning as the battle began, but Manta had the faster start, slamming it head-on and dislodging the Mouse's nose. It then pushed against the Mouse, eventually managing to achieve what Falcon had failed to do, turning the Mouse onto its side. After leaving it there for a moment, Manta pushed the Mouse into Sir Killalot's CPZ, whereupon he grabbed 6 Million Dollar Mouse by its blade and carried it to the flame pit.

"It's a bit of mouse kebab!"

— Stefan Frank as 6 Million Dollar Mouse burns

Manta slams into the burning 6 Million Dollar Mouse

Manta pits 6 million Dollar Mouse

After singing the fur slightly, Killalot placed 6 Million Dollar Mouse upside down on the floor flipper. The Mouse was thrown across the arena, its self-righting tail breaking in the process, but landed back on its wheels, allowing it to drive away. Manta quickly responded by slamming it back into the CPZ, but the Mouse drove away before any house robot could attack. Manta, unable to get it into the pit, forced its opponent into the angle grinders, where the Mouse struggled to escape from before Dead Metal grabbed hold of it. The Mouse desperately tried to drive away, but appeared sluggish as Manta continued to slam it again, forcing it closer to the pit. Eventually, Manta managed to get around the side of its opponent, and forced 6 Million Dollar Mouse into the pit.

"Well, they spent their 6 Million Dollars wisely"

— Stefan Frank, commending the Mouse

Winner: Manta (Confederacy)