Extreme Warriors: Season 1/US Championship

US Championship
The Extreme Warriors logo from the introduction titles
Series	Extreme Warriors: Season 1
Winner(s)	Panzer Mk 2
First Broadcast	September 24 2001
Original channel	The New TNN
Preceded by	War of Independence
Succeeded by	World Championship

"We don't have six, twelve, eighteen, no! Tonight, we've got twenty-four! Twenty-four of the meanest, toughest, most all-American fighting machines ever assembled! We've got them here, we've got them tonight! Ladies and gentlemen, take cover, because tonight... we've got hell!"

— Mick Foley's introduction

The US Championship of Extreme Warriors: Season 1 was the main competition of the first season of Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors, as well as being the national championship. Despite being the main competition of the first season, the US Championship was actually the sixth episode out of seven to be shown, and was originally broadcast on September 24, 2001 on TNN.

Format

Main article: US Championship

Unlike most domestic Robot Wars championships, the Season 1 US Championship was intended to be held during a single episode. To accomplish this, the 'Heats' actually consisted of four six-way melees, where only one robot from each would progress to the Semi-Finals. The four Semi-Finalists would be paired off into two one-on-one battles, where the winners would progress to the final to determine the first US champion.

Competing Robots

Note: Only the four semi-finalists' statistics were revealed in this episode. Where applicable, the stats tables shown are from other episodes of the series.

	6 Million Dollar Mouse
	Weight	220lbs
	Dimensions	36" x 26" x 24"
	Power	24V Wheelchair Motors
	Weapons	Spinning Blade
	Strengths	Heavily Armored
	Weaknesses	Reliability 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

	Close Enough
	Weight	220lbs
	Dimensions	47" x 53" x 10"
	Power	2 x Cycle Gas Motors
	Weapons	Ramming Teeth
	Strengths	Low Ground Clearance
	Weaknesses	Poor Weaponry
From: Omaha, Nebraska
Team Members: David Gilson, Elwin McKernan & Brenda Gilson

	Coffin-Bot
	Statistics not displayed
	From: Rome City, Indiana
	Team Members: {{{team}}}

	Cyclone
	Statistics not displayed
	From: Chandler, Arizona
	Team Members: Chris Harriman

	Drillzilla
	Weight	352lbs
	Dimensions	43" x 38" x 7"
	Power	4 x Electric Motors
	Weapons	Drill and Steel Jaws
	Strengths	Good Weight Advantage
	Weaknesses	Poor Destructive Capability
From: San Jose, California
Team Members: David Hall, Bruce Hall & Chris Kallai

	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

	General Chompsalot
	Weight	215lbs
	Dimensions	43" x 33" x 15"
	Power	2 x 36 Volt Electric Motors
	Weapons	Articulating Mouth
	Strengths	Runs Both Ways Up
	Weaknesses	Poor Destructive Capability
From: New Berlin, Wisconsin
Team Members: Tim Berghoefer, Dave Berghoefer & Cheryl Berghoefer

	Mad Cow
	Statistics not displayed
	From: Pembroke Pines, Florida
	Team Members: Jason Barger & Brent Hunter

	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

	Medusa Oblongata
	Statistics not displayed
	From: Citrus Heights, California
	Team Members: Mike Hertzig

	Panzer Mk 2
	Weight	218lbs
	Dimensions	49" x 30" x 18"
	Power	24V Electric Motors
	Weapons	Pneumatic Flipper
	Strengths	Heavily Armored
	Weaknesses	No Self-Righting Mechanism
From: Rancho Palos Verdes, California
Team Members: Don Lariviere, Jennifer Twisdom & Todd Mendenhall

	Red Virus
	Weight	200lbs
	Dimensions	48" x 28" x 33"
	Power	2 x Electric Motors
	Weapons	Lifter and Steel Fork
	Strengths	Versatile Weapon
	Weaknesses	Slow and Sluggish
From: Lakewood, California
Team Members: Walter Martinez & Michael McQueen

	Rippa Raptor
	Weight	217lbs
	Dimensions	53" x 23" x 28"
	Power	24V Electric Motor
	Weapons	Demolition Spinners
	Strengths	Good Control
	Weaknesses	Open Interior
From: Chandler, Arizona
Team Members: Robert Pitzer, Kelly Walterscheid & Robert Wilkinson

	Rosie the Riveter
	Weight	216lbs
	Dimensions	43" x 36" x 12"
	Power	2 Electric Motors
	Weapons	Iron Battering Ram
	Strengths	Fast and Powerful
	Weaknesses	Limited Weaponry
From: Gresham, Oregon
Team Members: Chris Gattman, Sharon Gattman & Kris Ender

	Run Away
	Weight	218lbs
	Dimensions	56" x 35" x 31"
	Power	2 x 24V Electric Motors
	Weapons	Scoop & Spinning Blades
	Strengths	Fast and Powerful
	Weaknesses	Fragile Design
From: Salem, Oregon
Team Members: Mark Joerger, Aaron Joerger & Alissa Joerger

	Shuriken
	Statistics not displayed
	From: Orange County, California
	Team Members: Evan White, Terry White & Jim Meuer

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

	Spartacus
	Statistics not displayed
	From: Germantown, Ohio
	Team Members: Jim Rowland, Jimmy Rowland & Jessie Rowland

	The Brute
	Weight	194lbs
	Dimensions	42" x 26" x 10"
	Power	36v Electric Motors
	Weapons	Lifting Spikes
	Strengths	Robust Design
	Weaknesses	Exposed Tires
From: Redondo Beach, California
Team Members: Mike Regan, Doris Regan & Ronn Holmes

	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

	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

	Tricerabot
	Weight	220lbs
	Dimensions	65" x 36" x 14"
	Power	Electric Motors
	Weapons	Armor Piercing Horns
	Strengths	Extremely Robust
	Weaknesses	Flammable
From: Corvalis, Oregon
Team Members: Mike Morrow, Nicole Morrow & Rob Ender

	Unibite
	Weight	217lbs
	Dimensions	51" x 43" x 12"
	Power	12V Electric Motor
	Weapons	Spinning Saw Blade
	Strengths	High Speed Weapon
	Weaknesses	Slow and Sluggish
From: East Provo, Utah
Team Members: Jerome Miles, Julie Miles & Jonathon Babb

Heats

Medusa Oblongata vs 6 Million Dollar Mouse vs Falcon vs Shuriken vs The Brute vs Red Virus

The Brute rams into 6 Million Dollar Mouse

Red Virus decapitates Medusa Oblongata

The six robots quickly converged into the middle of the arena at the start of the battle, with The Brute quickly ramming into 6 Million Dollar Mouse. Red Virus pushed into Shuriken before colliding with Medusa Oblongata, which was enough to knock off part of its skull decoration. Meanwhile, Falcon had gotten itself wedged on top of Shuriken. The Brute managed to push Falcon slightly off of its opponent, before 6 Million Dollar Mouse gave the two a harder push, separating them. Red Virus continued its brawl with Medusa Oblongata and eventually used its forklift to knock off Medusa Oblongata's head.

"Red Virus goes in with that forklift arm and decapitates Medusa!"

— Stefan Frank

Matilda smashes into Red Virus

The Brute pushes Falcon into the CPZ

However, moments afterwards, Medusa Oblongata backed away from an approaching Matilda, leaving Red Virus to take the full force of her flywheel. The Brute then pushed Falcon into Matilda's CPZ. Falcon's could only move on one side, and Matilda had stopped moving, so Shunt entered the CPZ, hit Falcon with his axe and pushed it further into the corner. This resulted in the house robot getting stuck on Falcon's wedge. Shunt attempted to axe Falcon again, but missed.

"A swing and a miss! Steeee-rike!"

— Stefan Frank quotes baseball

Shunt hits Falcon with its axe

The remains of Shuriken

Red Virus and The Brute were ganging up on Medusa Oblongata near the center of the arena, before Red Virus pushed Medusa Oblongata out of the way, as 6 Million Dollar Mouse then slammed into Medusa Oblongata's side. Shunt managed to free himself from Falcon, and dragged it a little further away, but Falcon appeared to have lost drive on one side. Shuriken, meanwhile, had not moved since Falcon had attacked it, so Shunt placed it on the floor flipper. The resulting flip caused one of Shuriken's discs to dislodge.

"Sending his dead, lifeless body into the stratosphere!"

— Stefan Frank as Shuriken flies

Moments afterwards, Refbot counted down to the end of the battle, leaving four active machines - The Brute, Red Virus, Medusa Oblongata and 6 Million Dollar Mouse - to go to a judges' decision. On aggression, The Brute won the decision.

Winner: The Brute

Tricerabot vs The Revolutionist vs Coffin-Bot vs Bot-Ugly vs Unibite vs Sobek

Unibite and Coffin-Bot clash

Sobek is attacked by Unibite

The battle started with The Revolutionist driving away from the other robots to get its spinner up to speed. Tricerabot drove straight into Bot-Ugly's pincers whilst Unibite drove at Sobek's side. It then started spinning, managing to attack both Coffin-Bot and Sobek at the same time. Tricerabot pushed The Revolutionist, who was not spinning, into Refbot. Unibite evaded an attack from Bot-Ugly before slamming into Sobek again before backing away.

"Bot-Ugly backs up, and Unibite backs up too! Everyone's in the reverse gear!"

— Stefan Frank

Bot-Ugly then attempted to grab Sobek as The Revolutionist fled from Coffin-Bot and Tricerabot. It managed to gain some distance when Coffin-Bot, Bot-Ugly and Unibite collided and got stuck together.

Tricerabot on top of Sobek. Note the latter's wheel about to break

Unibite deflects off of Tricerabot

At that moment, Tricerabot rammed into Sobek, getting stuck on top, but this was enough to dislodge one of Sobek's tyres. Sobek managed to free itself, only to be slammed in the rear from The Revolutionist, as Unibite slammed into Tricerabot. Unibite quickly drove back into the middle of the arena, trying to deploy its spin attack, whilst Bot-Ugly sat lifeless nearby. It then turned back onto Sobek, dislodging the tyre completely, before suddenly being slammed by a combined drive of Tricerabot and The Revolutionist.

"The Revolutionist doesn't seem to be spinning at all...and Unibite could be out of it! Oh, that would be an upset, they were so strong!"

— Stefan Frank as Unibite conks out

Coffin-Bot is slammed into the CPZ by The Revolutionist

Bot-Ugly squeezes in on Unibite

Moments later, Unibite broke down and was nudged towards the flame pit by The Revolutionist, who then turned on Coffin-Bot, driving it into an empty CPZ. As The Revolutionist and Tricerabot pushed against each other, Sergeant Bash grabbed hold of Coffin-Bot behind its disc with his pincers.

"Well, it's a good thing it's a coffin already, because we're getting ready for a real burial!"

— Stefan Frank as Coffin-Bot is attacked

Tricerabot is pushed back by The Revolutionist

The Revolutionist finishes strongly

Sgt Bash then turned his attention to Unibite, crushing through its armour, whilst Tricerabot and The Revolutionist continued their brawl and Sobek, now missing another wheel as well as its tyre, desperately tried to stay in the battle. The Revolutionist managed to push Tricerabot from the side as Sgt. Bash appeared to have broken down. Just before the cease call, Coffin-Bot and Bot-Ugly managed to regain some mobility, but to no avail. The judges decided that The Revolutionist had done enough to progress.

Winner: The Revolutionist

Tiger Cat vs Close Enough vs Rippa Raptor vs Manta vs Rosie the Riveter vs Mad Cow

Manta pushes back on Close Enough

Rosie the Riveter slams into Mad Cow

The battle began less cluttered than the previous two, with Mad Cow bumping into Rosie the Riveter, who seemed to have mobility problems immediately. Rippa Raptor, under no apparent pressure, drove straight into the arena wall. Manta took advantage and slammed Rippa Raptor into Dead Metal's CPZ, with Close Enough following behind. Manta then drove back to the arena center and slammed into Rosie the Riveter, whilst Tiger Cat did the same to Mad Cow. The two robots then changed targets, with Tiger Cat pushing Rosie the Riveter into the CPZ and Manta getting underneath Mad Cow. Tiger Cat then slammed into Mad Cow, but little more.

"He's going to be sliced beefsteak!"

— Stefan Frank on Mad Cow

Close Enough pushes Manta as it rams Rippa Raptor into the side wall

Mad Cow is carried around

Refbot came in to split the two robots up, but Mad Cow's tyre had been punctured, rendering it immobile. Rippa Raptor had not moved since its tussle with Dead Metal, and the house robot came in again to attack it, his saw causing massive sparks as Manta, the barely-mobile Rosie the Riveter and Tiger Cat, who was missing its entire left side panel, gave the odd occasional nudge. However, Rippa Raptor came back to life, which was enough for Refbot to issue Dead Metal with a yellow card. Rippa Raptor then tried to attack the immobilised Mad Cow along with Manta.

Tiger Cat edges Rosie the Riveter into the CPZ

Dead Metal attacks Rippa Raptor

Despite this, Rippa Raptor's mobility was still limited and Shunt began to investigate. Moments later, Refbot counted out Mad Cow, so Shunt turned his attention to the fallen machine.

"Someone's not working anymore...oh, it's the Mad Cow! The Mad Cow's a dead cow!"

— Stefan Frank

Shunt tried to push Mad Cow towards the floor flipper, but Rosie the Riveter, who was only shuffling slowly back and forth, was already there, so the flipper fired, throwing Rosie the Riveter on top of Dead Metal. Mad Cow was then placed on the flipper itself and it landed near the flame pit. It was pushed on the hazard moments later.

"I'd like mine medium-rare, please!"

— Stefan Frank as Mad Cow lands on the flames

Tiger Cat without its right side panel

Rosie the Riveter is hurled onto Dead Metal by the Floor Flipper

As the last ten seconds counted down, only Manta and Tiger Cat were still moving, and the latter drove onto a flame jet to burn its fur. The judges chose Manta to go through.

"I'm going to be honest, this seems like an upset, like maybe you weren't the crowd favourite"

— Mick Foley, noting some of the audience reactions

Winner: Manta

General Chompsalot vs Run Away vs Spartacus vs Cyclone vs Panzer Mk 2 vs Drillzilla

Cyclone cuts into Run Away

Panzer Mk 2 slams into Cyclone

Drillzilla got off to the fastest start, slamming Spartacus straight into the arena wall. Cyclone attacked Run Away knocking it up slightly, before Panzer Mk 2 slammed into the flywheel-wielding robot, stopping its disc and ramming it into the arena wall. One of Cyclone's wheels appeared to have been bent in this attack.

"Cyclone with that big wheel on the front - looks like the wheel of misfortune"

— Stefan Frank as Cyclone goes out early

General Chompsalot slams Cyclone into the side wall

Spartacus is barrelled over by Drillzilla

Drillzilla continued in its attack on Spartacus as General Chompsalot also attacked Cyclone, clamping onto the disc with its jaws. Drillzilla then slammed Spartacus into the CPZ, the force being enough to knock Spartacus on its side. The shufflebot then turned its attention to General Chompsalot, before the two turned on Run Away, dislodging its front wedge. Drillzilla then pushed Spartacus, who had been re-righted, along with General Chompsalot to the other side of the arena, with Panzer Mk 2 quickly following in an attempt to keep up. Drillzilla then pushed Run Away into the CPZ and turned its attention back to Spartacus, leaving Run Away at the mercy of Sir Killalot.

"And Run Away just ran into the wrong person!"

— Stefan Frank

General Chompsalot and Run Away bounce off of Drillzilla

General Chompsalot clamps down on the crippled Run Away

Run Away was able to escape and then managed to get its wedge underneath Panzer Mk 2, with General Chompsalot also aiding using its jaw. Drillzilla then pushed Run Away back towards the CPZ, but it was revealed that its drill had broken off during the attack. Panzer Mk 2 then turned its attention to Spartacus, adjusting its aim before driving it into the arena wall, at the same time as Drillzilla rammed General Chompsalot into Spartacus. The combined drive from the three machines nearly knocked Spartacus out of the arena.

"Look at that, right up on the rail! Right up on Chompsalot! I think General Chompsalot saved him, if anything"

— Stefan Frank reviews Spartacus' escape

Drillzilla rams Spartacus and General Chompsalot as Panzer Mk 2 backs away

Panzer Mk 2 almost flips Spartacus out of the arena as Drillzilla rams General Chompsalot

Panzer Mk 2 then began pushing General Chompsalot, before Drillzilla stole it away, ramming General Chompsalot into the arena wall. General Chompsalot was forced to drive on top of Drillzilla to get away, before it was rammed by Panzer Mk 2 again. During the attack, Panzer Mk 2 was lifted up slightly, which allowed Drillzilla to push underneath it. By now, only Panzer Mk 2, Drillzilla and General Chompsalot were still mobile, and the three pushed against each other until time ran out. Despite all of Drillzilla's aggression, the judges put Panzer Mk 2 through on a very close decision.

"I didn't even think we'd won, there were so many good robots still running at the end."

— Don Lariviere of Team Revelation (Panzer Mk 2)

Winner: Panzer Mk 2

Semi-Finals

The Brute vs The Revolutionist

"Well, here it comes, it's coming down to crunch time"

— Stefan Frank as the semi-finals begin

The Revolutionist make the first impact

The Revolutionist shears The Brute's wheel

Unlike in its heat, The Revolutionist got up to speed almost immediately. The Brute drove past it, and began spinning itself. After a small period, The Revolutionist drove into The Brute, hitting one of its wheels. It then continued, pushing The Brute into the CPZ. The Brute managed to escape, only for The Revolutionist to follow and smash one of its wheels again, tearing a piece of the tyre off.

"Oh, and it's already taking chunks of the wheel of the little Brute!"

— Stefan Frank

Sgt. Bash crushes down on The Brute

Matilda pits The Brute

The Brute broke down after this attack. The Revolutionist gave it another smash, showing that one of the wheels had buckled out of place, and Refbot promptly counted it out. Matilda and Sgt. Bash came in to attack the fallen robot, with Matilda buffeting The Brute with her flywheel. Eventually, Matilda took The Brute to the pit and eventually nudged it in, despite some late resistance.

"Looks like we saw Brute get brutalized"

— Mick Foley

Winner: The Revolutionist

Manta vs Panzer Mk 2

Panzer Mk 2 forces Manta backwards

Panzer Mk 2 got off to a faster start, charging straight at Manta and causing sparks to fly when it clipped its rear end as Manta moved out of the way. Manta turned around and the two collided head-on, but Manta's low ground clearance won out and it was able to get underneath Panzer with its disc and body. The two robots drove towards the arena wall before separating.

"Neither one of these guys got a self-righting mechanism, so they'd better watch themselves"

— Stefan Frank

As Panzer moved away, it collided with Refbot, before meeting Manta head-on again. Panzer fired its scoop, but missed and Manta was able to use its disc to lift Panzer up off most of its wheels. Panzer escaped and backed away to come in for another frontal charge, causing more sparks to fly as it made contact with Manta's disc. Panzer pushed Manta back, but Manta dodged away and pushed Panzer from the side, getting underneath again.

Panzer Mk 2 lands on its feet thanks to Refbot

Manta's disc seemed to stop after this attack and the two robots dodged around each other again, with Panzer nudging Manta towards the angle grinders before Manta drove towards Sgt Bash and briefly got caught in his pincers. Manta escaped, but was a lot more sluggish, allowing Panzer to ram it front-on back across the arena. Manta was slow to respond and when it did, Panzer continued to ram into it, causing a piece of armour to fly off. Eventually, Matilda left her CPZ to investigate Manta, but it managed to move out of the way, showing it was still mobile. Panzer came in for another charge but caught Manta at an awkward angle, riding up its shell and nearly overturning itself, just surviving after crashing into a passing Refbot and stabilizing itself.

"But he's a bit of a ramp, so they'd better watch it!"

— Stefan Frank as Panzer nearly overturns

As Panzer drove up and over the nearly immobile Manta again, Refbot yellow-carded Matilda for her attack on Manta, whilst Sgt Bash came to investigate Manta himself. Panzer managed to get one last slam on Manta's side just as time ran out. The judges declared that Panzer Mk 2 had won the battle.

"It's going to another judges' decision, but, uh, I don't think it takes a brain surgeon to figure out who won that one."

— Mick Foley

Winner: Panzer Mk 2

Final

The Revolutionist vs Panzer Mk 2

Dead Metal cuts into The Revolutionist

Panzer Mk 2 immobilizes its opponent.

The Revolutionist spun, but Panzer Mk 2 pushed it into Sir Killalot's CPZ. Panzer Mk 2 then pushed it across the arena and into Dead Metal, who cut into it. Panzer Mk 2 then pushed The Revolutionist into the wall before flipping it. The Revolutionist was attacked by Sir Killalot and Dead Metal, with the latter pitting it.

US Champion: Panzer Mk 2

Panzer Mk 2, The Season 1 US Champion

Trivia

• According to Mark Joerger, the format for the US Championship was originally intended to include three-way melees and additional one-on-one battles, amounting to an extra round for the championship. However, scheduling changes at the hands of TNN resulted in the format being shortened immediately before filming of the first heats began.
• Skullmania and Conquering Clown were meant to compete, but withdrew due to technical difficulties.
• According to Team Tornado's Robot Wars diary, the first two US Championship melees were the first two battles filmed during the filming of Extreme Warriors Season 1 and Extreme Series 1.