Extreme Warriors: Season 2 was the second season of Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors - the US version of Robot Wars. It was originally broadcast on The New TNN in 2002. The season was presented by Mick Foley, the pit reporter was Carol Grow and commentary was provided by Stefan Frank. Filming occurred some time between UK Series 5 and 6, allowing this series to mark the first time that the Disc of Doom and The Drop Zone were seen in action.
Format[]
- Main article: US Championship
The second season of Extreme Warriors featured a greater emphasis on the main US Championship, which featured 48 robots split across eight qualifying heats. The format for the heats followed those of Series 4 of the UK series; the first round featured two three-way melees where one robot each would be eliminated. Two robots from each first round battle would progress to the second round, consisting of a pair of one-on-one battles to determine the two Heat Finalists. The winner of the Heat Final would progress to the Grand Final.
The Grand Final featured a simple knockout format similar to that adopted by the Grand Final of Dutch Series 2, beginning with two rounds of one-on-one battles between the eight heat winners. The two second-round winners would then fight each other in the final to determine the season champion.
In addition to the US Championship, Season 2 also featured four episodes dedicated to smaller side competitions, broadcast at the end of the season.
US Championship[]
Heat A[]
- Main article: Extreme Warriors: Season 2/Heat A
Competing robots: Panzer Mk4, Joker, Snake Bite, Cyclone, Spin Doctor, Probophobia.
Round 1
- Panzer Mk4 vs Joker vs Snake Bite: Joker eliminated
- Cyclone vs Spin Doctor vs Probophobia: Cyclone eliminated
Round 2
- Panzer Mk4 vs Spin Doctor: Panzer Mk4 won
- Snake Bite vs Probophobia: Probophobia won
Final
- Panzer Mk4 vs Probophobia: Panzer Mk4 won
Heat B[]
- Main article: Extreme Warriors: Season 2/Heat B
Competing robots: Manta, Mad Cow Bot, Trilobyte, Rocky-Bot-Boa, The Bat, Medusa Oblongotta.
Round 1
- Manta vs Mad Cow Bot vs Trilobyte: Trilobyte eliminated
- Rocky-Bot-Boa vs The Bat vs Medusa Oblongotta: Medusa Oblongotta eliminated
Round 2
- Manta vs Rocky-Bot-Boa: Rocky-Bot-Boa won
- Mad Cow Bot vs The Bat: The Bat won
Final
- Rocky-Bot-Boa vs The Bat: Rocky-Bot-Boa won
Heat C[]
- Main article: Extreme Warriors: Season 2/Heat C
Competing robots: Brute, Sir Force A Lot, Conquering Clown 2, Texas Tornado, Black Widow, Unibite 2.0.
Round 1
- Brute vs Sir Force A Lot vs Conquering Clown 2: Sir Force A Lot eliminated
- Texas Tornado vs Black Widow vs Unibite 2.0: Texas Tornado eliminated
Round 2
- Brute vs Unibite 2.0: Unibite 2.0 won
- Conquering Clown 2 vs Black Widow: Conquering Clown 2 won
Final
- Unibite 2.0 vs Conquering Clown 2: Conquering Clown 2 won
Heat D[]
- Main article: Extreme Warriors: Season 2/Heat D
Competing robots: The Gap, Trackzilla, The Revolutionist, Snookums, Psycho Chicken, Propeller-Head.
Round 1
- The Gap vs Trackzilla vs The Revolutionist: Trackzilla eliminated
- Snookums vs Psycho Chicken vs Propeller-Head: Snookums eliminated
Round 2
- The Revolutionist vs Psycho Chicken: The Revolutionist won
- The Gap vs Propeller-Head: Propeller-Head won
Final
- The Revolutionist vs Propeller-Head: Propeller-Head won
Heat E[]
- Main article: Extreme Warriors: Season 2/Heat E
Competing robots: Rosie the Riveter 2, Basenji, Night Stalker, Techno Trousers, Darkness, Mechadroid.
Round 1
- Rosie the Riveter 2 vs Basenji vs Night Stalker: Night Stalker eliminated
- Techno Trousers vs Darkness vs Mechadroid: Mechadroid eliminated
Round 2
- Rosie the Riveter 2 vs Techno Trousers: Rosie the Riveter 2 won
- Basenji vs Darkness: Darkness won
Final
- Rosie the Riveter 2 vs Darkness: Rosie the Riveter 2 won
Heat F[]
- Main article: Extreme Warriors: Season 2/Heat F
Competing robots: Tricerabot 3.0, Brawler, Diskotek, King of Diamonds, Dragbot, The Termite.
Round 1
- Tricerabot 3.0 vs Brawler vs Diskotek: Diskotek eliminated
- King of Diamonds vs Dragbot vs The Termite: The Termite eliminated
Round 2
- Tricerabot 3.0 vs King of Diamonds: Tricerabot 3.0 won
- Brawler vs Dragbot: Brawler won
Final
- Tricerabot 3.0 vs Brawler: Tricerabot 3.0 won
Heat G[]
- Main article: Extreme Warriors: Season 2/Heat G
Competing robots: General Chompsalot 2, Marauder, G-Force, Run Away, Destructive Criticism, Lightning Tracks.
Round 1
- General Chompsalot 2 vs Marauder vs G-Force: G-Force eliminated
- Run Away vs Destructive Criticism vs Lightning Tracks: Lightning Tracks eliminated
Round 2
- General Chompsalot 2 vs Run Away: General Chompsalot 2 won
- Marauder vs Destructive Criticism: Destructive Criticism won
Final
- General Chompsalot 2 vs Destructive Criticism: Destructive Criticism won
Heat H[]
- Main article: Extreme Warriors: Season 2/Heat H
Competing robots: Buzz, Tyranabot, Xylon, The Falcon Mark 2, Bunny Attack, Paul Bunyan.
Round 1
- Buzz vs Tyranabot vs Xylon: Xylon eliminated
- The Falcon Mark 2 vs Bunny Attack vs Paul Bunyan: Paul Bunyan eliminated
Round 2
- Tyranabot vs Bunny Attack: Tyranabot won
- Buzz vs The Falcon Mark 2: The Falcon Mark 2 won
Final
- Tyranabot vs The Falcon Mark 2: The Falcon Mark 2 won
Grand Final[]
- Main article: Extreme Warriors: Season 2/Grand Final
Competing robots: Rosie the Riveter 2, Panzer Mk4, Destructive Criticism, Conquering Clown 2, Propeller-Head, The Falcon Mark 2, Tricerabot 3.0, Rocky-Bot-Boa.
Round 1
- Rosie the Riveter 2 vs Panzer Mk4: Panzer Mk4 won
- Destructive Criticism vs Conquering Clown 2: Destructive Criticism won
- Propeller-Head vs The Falcon Mark 2: The Falcon Mark 2 won
- Tricerabot 3.0 vs Rocky-Bot-Boa: Tricerabot 3.0 won
Semi-Finals
- Panzer Mk4 vs Destructive Criticism: Panzer Mk4 won
- The Falcon Mark 2 vs Tricerabot 3.0: Tricerabot 3.0 won
Final
- Panzer Mk4 vs Tricerabot 3.0: Panzer Mk4 won
Annihilator[]
- Main article: Extreme Warriors: Season 2/Annihilator
The format of this episode was the same as the annihilator episodes in the UK series. Six robots would enter the arena together and one robot would be knocked out in each round until there was one robot left standing.
Competing robots: Brute, Cyclone, Hyperactive, Revenge, The Termite, Thor's Hammer.
- Sixth: Thor's Hammer
- Fifth: Hyperactive
- Fourth: The Termite
- Third: Revenge
- Runner-Up: Brute
- Winner: Cyclone
Tag Team Terror[]
- Main article: Extreme Warriors: Season 2/Tag Team Terror
In this episode, sixteen robots were paired into teams to battle each other. Only one robot from each team was allowed in the arena at a time and the teams could switch robots by 'tagging' them.
Competing teams: Trackzilla & Trilobyte, Mad Cow Bot & Texas Tornado, Sir Force A Lot & G-Force, Bang & Snookums, Rocky-Bot-Boa & Black Widow, Joker & The Falcon Mark 2, The Termite & General Chompsalot 2, Hyperactive & Mechadroid.
Round 1
- Trackzilla & Trilobyte vs Mad Cow Bot & Texas Tornado: Mad Cow Bot & Texas Tornado won
- Sir Force A Lot & G-Force vs Bang & Snookums: Sir Force A Lot & G-Force won
- Rocky-Bot-Boa & Black Widow vs Joker & The Falcon Mark 2: Rocky-Bot-Boa & Black Widow won
- The Termite & General Chompsalot 2 vs Hyperactive & Mechadroid: The Termite & General Chompsalot 2 won
Round 2
- Mad Cow Bot & Texas Tornado vs Sir Force A Lot & G-Force: Sir Force A Lot & G-Force won
- Rocky-Bot-Boa & Black Widow vs The Termite & General Chompsalot 2: Rocky-Bot-Boa & Black Widow won
Final
- Sir Force A Lot & G-Force vs Rocky-Bot-Boa & Black Widow: Rocky-Bot-Boa & Black Widow won
International Championship[]
- Main article: Extreme Warriors: Season 2/International Championship
In this episode, robots from the USA and the UK battled each other in a straight knock-out competition to see which nation had the best robot. The championship was essentially the same as the War of Independence.
Competing robots:
Round 1
- Manta vs Joker: Manta won
- Wowot vs Tornado: Tornado won
- Brawler vs General Chompsalot 2: General Chompsalot 2 won
- Kat 3 vs Razer: Razer won
Round 2
- Manta vs General Chompsalot 2: General Chompsalot 2 won
- Tornado vs Razer: Tornado won
Final
- General Chompsalot 2 vs Tornado: Tornado won
Robot Rebellion[]
- Main article: Extreme Warriors: Season 2/Robot Rebellion
This episode featured two knock-out rounds to decide which two robots would battle against Dead Metal, Shunt & Sir Killalot in the arena at the end of the show.
Competing robots: Paul Bunyan, Snake Bite, Night Stalker, Rosie the Riveter 2, Buzz, Ninjitsu, Snookums, Medusa Oblongotta.
Round 1
- Paul Bunyan vs Snake Bite: Snake Bite won
- Night Stalker vs Rosie the Riveter 2: Rosie the Riveter 2 won
- Buzz vs Ninjitsu: Ninjitsu won
- Snookums vs Medusa Oblongotta: Snookums won
Round 2
- Snake Bite vs Rosie the Riveter 2: Snake Bite won
- Ninjitsu vs Snookums: Snookums won
Rebellion
- Snake Bite & Snookums vs Dead Metal, Shunt & Sir Killalot: Dead Metal, Shunt & Sir Killalot won
Television ratings[]
Unlike Season 1, which enjoyed an average audience of nearly two million per episode, Season 2 was a ratings disappointment for TNN. An average Season 2 episode attracted around 339,000 viewers, beating BattleBots which attracted just 313,000 per episode, but ultimately being outmatched by Robotica, which gathered an average of 409,000 per episode. It was claimed in Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports that the reason for the sharp decline in ratings was that the robot combat genre was being oversaturated by new shows, diluting its overall popularity.[1]
Trivia[]
Ben Borthwick at the Extreme Warriors Season 2 filming
Round 1 battleboard from Heat G, including Burger King sponsorship (top-left)
- As part of his work for BBC's Humber Video Nations, Ben Borthwick was invited to watch Extreme Warriors Season 2 as a VIP guest. Aside from being able to view battles as part of the audience, Borthwick filmed 40 minutes of content detailing his interactions with the roboteers in The Pits, including Team Viper, to create a three and a half minute video diary entitled "Robots". The CBBC show Newsround broadcasted a segment that detailed Borthwick's experiences during filming and how he filmed and edited the footage.
- The battleboards for some Extreme Warriors Season 2 episodes - including those for Heat E, Heat G and the Tag Team Terror - incorporated a sponsor logo for fast food chain Burger King. Though the full extent of the partnership is unclear, these marked a few rare instances where sponsorship was featured within a televised Robot Wars episode.
References[]
- ↑ Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports
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