- "Robot Wars matches were edited for broadcast and it is unwise to call a match based on what you saw on television. I saw several matches that had 'controversial' outcomes when broadcast that were clearly correctly judged when viewed in person. The matches were edited to make them entertaining - not to make the outcome clear. "
- — Mark Joerger to those who might dispute a judges' decision[1]
Below is a list of all judges' decisions that have taken place on Robot Wars.
- Note: Robots in italics were deemed immobile at the time of the judges decision, and so are only acknowledged as a participant of the battle, rather than a loser of the judges' decision.
Judges' Decisions
Robot Wars: The First Wars
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Recyclopse | Mortis | Heat B, Heat Final | First ever judges' decision, and also the first that a team actively accused as wrong. According to Noel Sharkey, the decision was so tight that they attempted to call a draw, but such an option was not allowed at the time. |
T.R.A.C.I.E. | Skarab | Heat F, Heat Final | |
Roadblock | Bodyhammer, Cunning Plan, Recyclopse, Robot the Bruce, T.R.A.C.I.E. |
Grand Final | The final match of Series 1 went to the judges, to be chosen between Roadblock, who had immobilised two robots, and Bodyhammer, the last standing machine besides Roadblock. |
Robot Wars: The Second Wars
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Demolition Demon | Victor | Heat A, Heat Semi-Final | Victor was initially given the win after Demolition Demon was overturned by Shunt, but the decision was reversed after it was revealed that Victor was immobile for longer.[2] |
Napalm | Demolition Demon | Heat A, Heat Final | The audience noticeably disagreed with the decision. |
Mace | Leighviathan | Heat B, Heat Semi-Final | |
Mortis | Oblivion | Heat C, Heat Final | Despite both robots surviving to the end of the battle, the Judges' decision was never shown or mentioned onscreen. Instead, Mortis was immediately declared the winner. |
Disruptor | Corporal Punishment | Heat F, Heat Semi-Final | |
King Buxton | Robo Doc | Heat I, Heat Semi-Final | This judges' decision in favour of King Buxton started the famous rivalry between the two teams. |
The Mule | Demon | Heat K, Heat Semi-Final | |
Plunderbird 2 | Enzyme | Heat K, Heat Semi-Final | |
Plunderbird 2 | The Mule | Heat K, Heat Final | Heat K was the only episode of Robot Wars where all the battles went to judges' decisions. |
Jim Struts | Bumblebot, Forklift, Lateral Thought, Malice | Reserve Rumble | The first ever victory of a walking machine, and the first judges' decision not made in the main competition. |
Griffon | Bodyhammer, Corporal Punishment, Killerhurtz | Internet Insurrection | First judges' decision based on entertainment value, as none of the four robots had attacked or immobilised each other. Griffon was given the victory based on its successful attack on Sergeant Bash. |
Slippery Strana | Damacles, Rosebud, Shadow Fiend, Spartacus | Lightweight Championship | The match ended with all robots mobile, and the judges requested that all five machines perform their manoeuvrability. Slippery Strana was awarded the victory, initiating a shoving match in the pits afterwards. |
Kick Robut | Berserk, Demon Duck, Siren | Super Heavyweight Championship | |
Demolisher | Anarchy, Armadillo, Ripper | Featherweight Championship |
Robot Wars: The Third Wars
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Suicidal Tendencies | Raizer Blade | Heat A, Round 2 | |
Mace 2 | Suicidal Tendencies | Heat A, Heat Final | |
Technophobic | Abaddon | Heat B, Round 1 | |
Blade | Spike | Heat C, Round 1 | Blade dominated the fight and pitted Spike after 'cease' had been called. However, the pitting did not count as an official immobilisation, nor were the judges allowed to use it in considering the winner. Blade still won on points. |
Blade | Agent Orange | Heat C, Round 2 | Agent Orange displayed more aggression and control at the start of the match, whilst Blade was temporarily immobilised by an arena spike. As the battle wore on, Agent Orange slowed down and Blade maintained aggression of its own. Both robots showed signs of immobilisation but neither was immobile for long enough to trigger an elimination. The judges split 2-1 in favour of Blade. |
Sir Chromalot | Shell Shock | Heat D, Round 1 | Sir Chromalot dominated the fight, but appeared to break down towards the end with only minimal movement. It was pitted by the House Robots, but the judges chose to put Sir Chromalot through as they viewed it as unfair interference by the House Robots. |
Big Brother | Grim Reaper | Heat D, Round 1 | Both robots seemed immobilised by the end, with Big Brother steamrolled by Sir Killalot and Grim Reaper losing a wheel. Both robots were also pinned together by Killalot and Sergeant Bash. Big Brother's morningstar weapon was still active, and Craig Charles relayed that on damage and aggression, Big Brother had won. |
Ultor (Later handed the victory to Big Brother) | Big Brother | Heat D, Heat Final | The judges ruled Ultor the winner; however, the Ultor team could not attend filming for the Semi-Finals due to work commitments, and conceded the match to Big Brother.[3] First time a winning team overruled a Judges' decision. |
T2 | Vector | Heat F, Round 1 | After dominating the battle, T2 fell into the pit before cease was called. The judges were consulted, and they chose to put T2 through on the grounds of Vector's immobilisation. |
Darke Destroyer | Sgt. Meikle | Heat F, Round 1 | |
Darke Destroyer | T2 | Heat F, Round 2 | Although T2 appeared to control large portions of the battle, Darke Destroyer won a split decision based on aggression. According to Philippa Forrester, the disparity in weapon aggressiveness played a large part. The decision prompted boos from the audience. |
Napalm | Kater Killer | Heat G, Round 1 | |
Henry | Haardvark | Heat G, Round 1 | Haardvark largely dominated the battle against Henry, but broke down completely with less than ten seconds to go. The judges gave the victory to Henry, even though Haardvark had not been immobilised for the full 30 seconds. This decision was not addressed on television. |
Ally Gator | Corporal Punishment | Heat H, Round 1 | Split decision. |
Hypno-Disc | Berserk 2 | Heat H, Heat Final | |
Invertabrat | Terrorpin | Heat I, Round 2 | |
101 | King Buxton | Heat J, Heat Final | |
Toe Cutter | Purple Predator | Heat K, Round 1 | |
Flip Flop Fly | Wild Willy | Heat L, Round 1 | Wild Willy controlled the battle but drove into the pit. The judges had to determine whether Flip Flop Fly was still mobile, as opposed to who would progress. Deeming Flip Flop Fly as mobile, Wild Willy's pitting resulted in its elimination. |
Panzer | Undertaker | Heat L, Round 1 | |
Scutter's Revenge | Pussycat | Heat M, Heat Final | During the match that was dominated by Pussycat, the hardened steel blade of said robot shattered. Despite Scutter's Revenge breaking down, Pussycat was disqualified by the judges, putting Scutter's Revenge through. |
Griffon | Daisy Chopper | Heat N, Round 1 | Griffon was given the unanimous win, but for the first time, the opposing team called for a recount, during which the judges recalculated all criteria and delivered a split decision in favour of Griffon again. |
Fire Storm | Panic Attack | Semi-Final 1, Round 2 | |
Steg-O-Saw-Us | Gravedigger | Semi-Final 2, Round 1 | Despite Gravedigger controlling the battle and Matilda having to rescue a side-stranded Steg-O-Saw-Us, Gravedigger was eliminated and Steg-O-Saw-Us progressed. |
Hypno-Disc | 101 | Semi-Final 2, Round 2 | For the first time, the judges had to enter the arena and inspect both robots up close to determine the extent of the damage on each robot, before ruling in favour of Hypno-Disc. Widely regarded as one of the closest judges' decisions in Robot Wars history. |
Evil Weevil | Gnasher, The General, Velocirippa | Robotic Soccer, Final | With no goal scored in the battle, the judges were consulted and the decision was made on the criteria of a normal battle, and Evil Weevil was made the champion. |
A-Kill, Tentoumushi | Grinder, Hard Cheese, Ripper's Revenge | Middleweight Melee | Only two machines were standing at the conclusion of the battle - the American Tentoumushi, and the UK A-Kill. The judges were consulted and they ruled them as co-winners - possibly the first ever draw in Robot Wars. |
Anarachnid, Mammoth | None | Walker Battles | The other contender for the first instance of a draw in Robot Wars, as the filming order is unknown. |
Diotoir | Depoppesaurus Rex | The First World Championship, Eliminators | |
Razer | All Torque | The First World Championship, Eliminators | All Torque lost nearly all of its mobility at the end of the battle, but the battle still went to a judges' decision as it was not fully immobile. This was not shown on the aired version. |
101 | Weld-Dor | The First World Championship, Quarter-Finals | |
Behemoth | Diotoir | The First World Championship, Semi-Finals | |
Razer | 101 | The First World Championship, Semi-Finals | |
Razer | Behemoth | The First World Championship, Final | Razer inflicted damage on Behemoth, but was pushed around and pinned on flames and House Robots repeatedly. It appeared to be trapped sideways on the grille, but the judges ruled it was not a proper immobilisation. On a 2-1 decision, Razer won based on damage. |
Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
King B3, Medusa 2000 | Attila the Drum | Heat A, Eliminator | King B3 dominated the battle, primarily at the expense of Attila the Drum. Medusa 2000 was able to qualify despite having little impact on the battle. |
Firestorm 2 | Bolt from the Blue | Heat C, Semi-Final | An extremely uneventful battle, with only a single weapon attack (Bolt from the Blue lifted Firestorm 2 briefly). The Bolt from the Blue team actively disagreed with the decision, arguing that they had been more aggressive. |
Firestorm 2 | The Morgue | Heat C, Final | Firestorm 2 shoved The Morgue over the pit, before reversing in itself. The judges ruled that the baseplate of The Morgue had gone below the rim of the pit, counting as a pitting victory for Firestorm 2. |
Iron-Awe, Mortis | Mazakari | Heat D, Eliminator | Iron-Awe became immobile and was attacked by the House Robots, but the Judges regardless declared that Mazakari should be eliminated. |
Steg 2 | Iron-Awe | Heat D, Semi-Final | |
Dominator 2 | 101 | Heat E, Final | |
Wheelosaurus, Wheely Big Cheese | Prizephita Mk 2 | Heat H, Eliminator | A chaotic battle resulted in all three robots falling into the pit. The judges decided that Prizephita Mk 2 was not under control after an axe blow from Shunt and therefore immobile. This meant that despite Wheely Big Cheese going into the pit first, it proceeded to the second round. |
Wheely Big Cheese | Suicidal Tendencies 2 | Heat H, Final | Suicidal Tendencies lost the use of a track during the battle, and when Wheely Big Cheese attempted to pit its foe, it drove in itself. The judges deemed that Suicidal Tendencies was technically immobile before the pitting, and was eliminated. |
Eric, Killerhurtz | Destruct-A-Bubble | Heat I, Eliminator | |
Splinter | Eric | Heat I, Final | |
Bulldog Breed 2, Stinger | Spikasaurus | Heat J, Eliminator | |
Mousetrap | Little Fly | Heat K, Final | |
Wild Thing | Reactor | Heat M, Semi-Final | |
Arnold, Arnold Terminegger, Behemoth | Rambot | Heat N, Eliminator | |
X-Terminator 2 | Arnold, Arnold Terminegger | Heat N, Semi-Final | |
X-Terminator 2 | Behemoth | Heat N, Final | Behemoth is the highest ranked seed to lose a judges' decision in the heats. |
Panic Attack, S.M.I.D.S.Y. | Overkill GTI | Heat O, Eliminator | |
Tornado | Wheely Big Cheese | Semi-Final 1, Round 1 | |
Pussycat | Thermidor 2 | Semi-Final 1, Round 1 | |
Dominator 2 | Firestorm 2 | Semi-Final 1, Round 1 | The decision was by one point and the decision was 2-1 split, which Craig Charles announced as the closest decision in the war at that time. |
Pussycat | Dominator 2 | Semi-Final 1, Round 2 | |
Stinger | Panic Attack | Semi-Final 2, Round 2 | The judges went for Stinger, ruling that Stinger had won the aggression criteria by one point. The decision was very unpopular, and prompted boos from many of the audience. |
Hypno-Disc | Wild Thing | Semi-Final 2, Round 2 | |
Chaos 2 | Stinger | Grand Final, Eliminator | The judges decided that the two robots were equal on style, damage and aggression but Chaos 2 was ahead on control and was therefore awarded the victory. |
Chaos 2 | Pussycat | Grand Final, Final | |
Gemini | Killertron | Celebrity Special, Round 1 | |
Firestorm 2 & Scorpion | Bigger Brother & Plunderbird 4 | Tag Team Terror, Round 1 | First judges' decision on a Tag Team Terror. Despite being immobile at the end, Scorpion and Plunderbird 4's performances were taken into account. This would be contradicted by Lightning and Nasty Humphrey's Tag Team match in Extreme 2. |
King B3 & 101 | Invertabrat & X-Terminator 2 | Tag Team Terror, Round 1 | |
Attila the Drum, Behemoth, Onslaught, Razer, Spawn of Scutter | Vercingetorix | Southern Annihilator, Round 1 | Vercingetorix was seemingly immobile by the end, having been damaged by Razer and pushed around by Behemoth and Spawn of Scutter. However, the TV broadcast did not show time running out and the announcement of the judges' decision was done by Jonathan Pearce, rather than announced by Craig Charles as normal. |
Attila the Drum, Behemoth, Onslaught, Razer | Spawn of Scutter | Southern Annihilator, Round 2 | Despite Behemoth taking terminal damage from Razer, Spawn of Scutter broke down in the last few seconds and the judges deemed it to be the one eliminated, rather than Behemoth who was forced to withdraw as well. |
Mortis | Panic Attack | War of Independence, Round 2 | This battle was actually fought twice; the initial battle ended in a Judges' decision which went in favour of Mortis. The producers protested, wanting Panic Attack to go through instead, so the battle was re-fought, with Mortis again winning via the Judges. The televised battle consisted of footage from both battles edited together into one.[4]
On the televised edit, Mortis was revealed to have won the decision by just one point. |
Robot Wars Extreme: Series 1
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Wild Thing | Dominator 2 | All-Stars, Round 1 | |
Tornado | 3 Stegs 2 Heaven | All-Stars, Round 1 | |
Razer | Gemini | All-Stars, Round 1 | Razer dominated the twins in the battle, but not shown in the show was that the floor flipper activated whilst Razer was over it, before threatening to crush it. Because the flipper was only meant to be used on immobilised robots, the judges stopped the fight and judged it up until the flipper had been used, and the win was given to Razer. |
Pussycat | Stinger | All-Stars, Round 1 | |
Chaos 2 | Wheely Big Cheese | All-Stars, Quarter-Finals | |
Razer | Behemoth | All-Stars, Quarter-Finals | An extremely close Judges' decision was awarded in favour of Razer on the grounds of damage caused, winning by a margin of only one point[5]. |
Razer | Firestorm 3 | All-Stars, Semi-Finals | |
Tornado | Chaos 2 | All-Stars, Semi-Finals | |
Diotoir & Mega Morg | King B Powerworks & 101 | Tag Team Terror, Round 1 | |
The Steel Avenger & Suicidal Tendencies | Cerberus & Thermidor 2 | Tag Team Terror, Semi-Finals | Thermidor 2 was immobile, but Cerberus survived to the end. Whilst not determinative, Thermidor 2's immobilisation was key in the team's loss. Contrastingly, Comengetorix survived for the full five minutes of the other semi-final, but was not taken to a Judges' decision against Diotoir and Pussycat due to its partner Spawn Again being immobilised. |
Diotoir & Pussycat | The Steel Avenger & Suicidal Tendencies | Tag Team Terror, Final | Essentially two one-on-one battles, Jonathan Pearce opined that Diotoir had defeated The Steel Avenger and questioned whether Suicidal Tendencies had defeated Pussycat. It had not, so Diotoir and Pussycat won. |
Pussycat | Sumpthing, S.M.I.D.S.Y. | Mayhem | |
Arnold A. Terminegger | Wild Thing, Fluffy | Mayhem | |
The Steel Avenger | King B Powerworks, Tornado | Mayhem | With Tornado defeated, King B Powerworks and The Steel Avenger fought on, with The Steel Avenger inflicting serious damage to King B. However, Matilda exited the CPZ and crashed into The Steel Avenger, hurling it over with her flywheel. The judges ignored the damage done by Matilda, and voted The Steel Avenger through. |
Pussycat | Arnold A. Terminegger | Annihilator 1, Final | |
Drillzilla | Firestorm 3, NEAT Machine, Whirlpool 70 | The Second World Championship, Heats | |
Razer | Diotoir, The Revolutionist, Flensburger Power | The Second World Championship, Heats | In the Extreme Warriors version, Mick Foley tricked Team LOGICOM into thinking The Revolutionist had won the battle. |
Tornado | Philipper, Panzer Mk 2, Yeborobo | The Second World Championship, Heats | |
Razer | Drillzilla | The Second World Championship, Grand Final | |
Tornado | Behemoth | Challenge Belt, Challenge 3 (Behemoth as holder) | |
Tornado | Wild Thing | Challenge Belt, Challenge 3 (Tornado as holder) | |
Stinger | Ajjay | Wild Card Warriors | Ajjay fought strongly, but lost control after attacks from Killalot and Stinger. However, Sir Killalot lifted Stinger up and dropped it out of the arena after the cease, technically immobilising it. The judges had to make the call, and in a 2-1 decision, they gave the win to Stinger. |
Tornado | Stinger | Vengeance | First judges decision made by Mat Irvine. |
Ming 3 | Mega Morg | Vengeance | |
Plunderbird 5 | Mega Morg | Vengeance | |
Anvil | Mega-Hurts | Forces Special, Final | Mega-Hurts had been suffering from steering problems, but Dead Metal illegally pitted Anvil, which the judges disregarded in making their decision. |
Anvil | Mega-Hurts, Rhino | Armed Forces Melee | All three robots ended up in the pit. For the second time, the still-mobile Anvil won a judges decision despite being pitted by Dead Metal. |
Ansgar | Flensburger Power, Nasty Warrior, Golem | German Melee | |
Chaos 2 | Alien Destructor & Philipper | International Mayhem | |
Combat Ant | Little Nipper, Anto, Anty B, Legion, Pants, Razzler | Antweight Championship |
Extreme Warriors: Season 1
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
The Brute | Medusa Oblongata, Red Virus, 6 Million Dollar Mouse, Falcon, Shuriken | US Championship, Heat 1 | The first of the four USA Championship heats. The melee was put in an Annihilator style, but only one winner would emerge. Because of the short battle and number of opponents, all four of the melees went to a judges decision. |
The Revolutionist | Bot-Ugly, Coffin-Bot, Tricerabot, Sobek, Unibite | US Championship, Heat 2 | Despite not being able to spin, and Tricerabot being the only remaining robot to have inflicted damage on opponents, The Revolutionist was given the judges decision. |
Manta | Close Enough, Tiger Cat, Mad Cow, Rippa Raptor, Rosie the Riveter | US Championship, Heat 3 | With all five of the other robots were showing little to no sign of life, Manta was given the judges decision. Mick Foley remarked that the decision seemed to be disappointing for the audience. |
Panzer Mk 2 | Drillzilla, General Chompsalot, Cyclone, Run Away, Spartacus | US Championship, Heat 4 | Very little of Panzer MK 2 was seen, with the camera focusing mostly on Drillzilla and General Chompsalot, so it was not clear how it had accumulated enough points to win the judges' decision. |
Panzer Mk 2 | Manta | US Championship, Semi-Final | |
Rosie the Riveter, Tricerabot, Tut Tut & Silver Box; Matilda, Shunt & Sir Killalot | None | Robot Rebellion | The four competing robots managed to defeat Matilda and Shunt, before Sir Killalot entered the arena. Silver Box was pitted and Tut Tut seemed to break down, but Tricerabot and Rosie the Riveter managed to immobilise Sir Killalot by the pit. The judges declined to name a winner, but the consensus was a moral victory for the competitors. |
Drillzilla & Tut Tut | Tricerabot & Rosie the Riveter | Tag Team Terror, Round 1 | |
General Chompsalot & Run Away | Falcon & Joker | Tag Team Terror, Round 1 | Without provocation, the house robots left their CPZ's to attack Run Away. The damage Run Away received might have cost its team the match, but the judges chose to ignore it, as the House Robots' attack was out of order. |
6 Million Dollar Mouse | Falcon | Civil War, Round 1 | |
Sobek | The Revolutionist | Civil War, Round 1 | Mick Foley criticised the match for a lack of action, pitying the Judges as they made a decision. |
General Chompsalot | Stinger | War of Independence, Round 1 | |
Rosie the Riveter | Plunderbird 5 | War of Independence, Round 1 | |
General Chompsalot | Joker | War of Independence, Round 2 | |
Pussycat | General Chompsalot | War of Independence, Final | General Chompsalot's team disagreed with the Judges' decision. |
Dutch Robot Wars: Series 1
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Philipper | Lizzard | Heat A, Round 1 | |
Bamm Bamm | Rat | Heat A, Round 1 | |
Lizzard | Arena Killer | Heat A, Semi-Final | |
Alien Destructor | Scraptosaur | Heat B, Round 1 | The Jury ruled in favour of Alien Destructor, which had been harassed by the House Robots while it was still mobile. |
Twisted Metal | Alien Destructor | Heat B, Semi-Final | |
Pika 2 | X-Bot | Heat C, Semi-Final | |
Pika 2 | Botwork | Heat C, Final | |
El-Mower | Flextreme | Heat D, Round 1 | |
Enderbot | Flextreme, Project One | Heat D, Losers Melee | |
NEAT Machine | MaxiMill, Shapeshifter | Heat E, Losers Melee | |
Sater | Sniper | Heat E, Final | |
Bamm Bamm, Botwork | Sater | Grand Final, Eliminators |
Robot Wars: The Fifth Wars
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
8645T | T-Bone | Heat A, Eliminator | |
Bulldog Breed 3 | Lambsy | Heat B, Semi-Final | |
Stinger | Hippobotomus | Heat C, Eliminator | |
S3 | Mousetrap 2 | Heat C, Semi-Final | |
Wild Thing | Trouble 'n' Strife | Heat E, Eliminator | |
Napalm 2 | Warhog | Heat E, Eliminator | |
Wild Thing | Prizephita Mach 2 | Heat E, Final | In the only heat final in the entire series to go to the judges, Prizephita Mach 2 weathered attacks from Wild Thing's disc and flipped it over. However, Wild Thing fought back at the end, and the judges gave the result to it. Roy Alcock said to Craig Charles that he felt cheated. |
King B Powerworks | Kronic 2 | Heat F, Eliminator | |
Corkscrew | 13 Black | Heat F, Eliminator | Team 13 Black disagreed with the decision on their website, claiming Corkscrew were immobile. |
Dominator 2 | King B Powerworks | Heat F, Semi-Final | |
Corkscrew | X-Terminator | Heat F, Semi-Final | |
Evolution | Sabretooth | Heat G, Eliminator | Evolution was attacked mercilessly by the House Robots Sir Killalot and Sergeant Bash, both of whom were given yellow cards. When the battle went to the judges, they gave Evolution the benefit of the doubt and put it through. |
Crushtacean | Robochicken-Evo | Heat H, Eliminator | Split decision |
Splinter | V.I.P.E.R. 01 | Heat I, Eliminator | |
Tetanus | Onslaught | Heat I, Eliminator | Both robots were immobilised |
3 Stegs 2 Heaven | Eleven | Heat I, Eliminator | |
Widow's Revenge | Sumpthing | Heat K, Eliminator | |
Suicidal Tendencies | Rick | Heat K, Eliminator | Despite losing the judges decision, Rick was the one to progress because Suicidal Tendencies broke down irreparably. |
Terrorhurtz | Ming 3 | Heat L, Eliminator | As Ming was crossing the flame pit and dragging Terrorhurtz with it, Matilda came out of her CPZ and hit Ming 3 with her flywheel, immobilising it. Terrorhurtz was able to escape, but the match went to a judges decision because Matilda had intervened with the battle. The judges gave Terrorhurtz the win, whilst Team Ming was given an apology for what happened. Matilda was given a red card and "a good smack up the backside", according to Jonathan Pearce. |
Fluffy | 101 | Heat L, Eliminator | First time a seed lost a judges' decision in the first round. |
Pussycat | Clawed Hopper | Heat L, Semi-Final | |
Chaos 2 | Wild Thing | Semi-Final 1, Round 1 | Chaos 2 dominated the battle, but Wild Thing, on two occasions, came incredibly close to pitting the reigning champion. The judges put Chaos 2 through on its closest win. |
S3 | Wild Thing, Spawn Again | Semi-Final 1, Losers Melee | Spawn Again was eliminated, but Wild Thing and S3 fought to a very close judges decision. Wild Thing won on style and control, but the damage inflicted by S3 decided the battle, taking into account its attacks on Spawn Again. |
Razer | S3 | Semi-Final 1, Round 2 | |
Pussycat | Panic Attack | Semi-Final 2, Round 1 | |
Firestorm 3 | Panic Attack, Wheely Big Cheese | Semi-Final 2, Losers Melee | Despite Panic Attack finishing the stronger, the Judges awarded the victory to Firestorm 3 on the basis of a stronger performance throughout. |
Hypno-Disc | Dominator 2 | Semi-Final 2, Round 2 | One blow from Hypno-Disc knocked out Dominator 2's wheel, and the former runner-up sat back and waited for the judges decision, either to honour the Gentlemen's Agreement, or to avoid risking further damage. The crowd didn't like it and the judges declared it the most boring fight they'd ever witnessed on Robot Wars, but Hypno-Disc had done enough to win the battle on their decision. |
Firestorm 3 | Pussycat | Semi-Final 2, Round 2 | |
Razer | Firestorm 3 | Grand Final, Eliminator | Despite clearly major damage done to Firestorm in the opening minutes, Firestorm fought back gallantly, taking Razer to its closest win in history, with the judges once more descending from their panel to inspect both robots. |
Razer | Bigger Brother | Grand Final, Final |
Extreme Warriors: Season 2
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Panzer Mk 4, Snake Bite | Joker | Heat A, Round 1 | |
Rocky-Bot-Boa, The Bat | Medusa Oblongotta | Heat B, Round 1 | The Bat and Medusa Oblongotta were immobilised at roughly the same time, but The Bat was counted out and pitted by the House Robots. The Judges declared that a decision would be necessary, and a split decision reinstated The Bat over Medusa Oblongotta. |
Rocky-Bot-Boa | Manta | Heat B, Round 2 | A close pushing match which resulted in a split decision. |
The Bat | Mad Cow Bot | Heat B, Round 2 | Mad Cow Bot lost mobility to one side very quickly, but was still considered mobile enough to go to a Judges' decision. Mick Foley later addressed this match as a split decision. |
The Brute, Conquering Clown 2 | Sir Force A Lot | Heat C, Round 1 | |
Dragbot, King of Diamonds | The Termite | Heat F, Round 1 | Shunt came out of the CPZ and activated the pit release, before pushing the still-moving King of Diamonds into the pit. The judges ruled that even though Kind of Diamonds went into the pit, The Termite's limited mobility was cause for its elimination. Mick Foley noted the controversy of the decision. |
Brawler | Dragbot | Heat F, Round 2 | |
Buzz, Tyranabot | Xylon | Heat H, Round 1 | |
Falcon Mark 2, Bunny Attack | Paul Bunyan | Heat H, Round 1 | |
Falcon Mark 2 | Tyranabot | Heat H, Round 2 | |
Destructive Criticism | Conquering Clown 2 | Grand Final, Round 1 | |
Tricerabot 3.0 | Rocky-Bot-Boa | Grand Final, Round 1 | The match was largely a pushing fight between the two. Both robots displayed equal aggression, and the judges' decision was considered to be one of the closest in Extreme Warriors. |
Tricerabot 3.0 | Falcon Mark 2 | Grand Final, Round 2 | |
Panzer Mk 4 | Tricerabot 3.0 | Grand Final, Final | |
Rocky-Bot-Boa & Black Widow | Falcon Mark 2 & Joker | Tag Team Terror, Round 1 | Mick Foley tricked the Falcon and Joker team into thinking they had won the decision. |
G-Force & Sir Force A Lot | Mad Cow Bot & Texas Tornado | Tag Team Terror, Round 1 | |
Rocky-Bot-Boa & Black Widow | General Chompsalot 2 & The Termite | Tag Team Terror, Round 2 | Both General Chompsalot and Rocky-Bot-Boa were in the pit. Black Widow and The Termite survived to the end, but Mick Foley did not specify whether their contributions were taken into account. |
Rocky-Bot-Boa & Black Widow | G-Force & Sir Force A Lot | Tag Team Terror, Final | |
General Chompsalot 2 | Manta | International Championship, Semi Final | |
Tornado | Razer | International Championship, Semi Final | This was the first time Tornado faced Razer with its anti-crusher weapon in place. Though Tornado's frame was mangled and its weapon destroyed, the judges gave it the decision, having discounted the damage caused by the house robots and mistaken Tornado's weapon motor for Razer's wheel. Team Razer protested the decision, and the judges realised their mistake, but it was too late to overturn it. Judge Noel Sharkey later called the incident the worst moment of his career. |
Snake Bite | Rosie the Riveter 2 | Robot Rebellion, Semi-Final | After a pushing match where Snake Bite's lower ground clearance and longer pushes rivalled Rosie the Riveter's higher speed and aggression, a 2-1 split decision was called in favour of Snake Bite. |
Snookums | Ninjitsu | Robot Rebellion, Round 2 | For the second match in a row, the Judges called another split decision, in favour of Snookums which was more aggressive and controlled, despite sustaining damage from Ninjitsu and Sergeant Bash. |
Nickelodeon Robot Wars
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Ming 3 & Rick | Bigger Brother & Kat 3 | International Tag Team Terror, Round 1 | |
Bigger Brother | Zanzara | International Tag Team Terror, Playoff | Kat 3 and Run Away were too damaged to fight. |
Ming 3 & Rick | Spin Doctor & The Revolutionist | International Tag Team Terror, Final | Both Ming 3 and Rick were attacked by Sir K, resulting in them becoming immobilised and dumped out of the arena respectively. The Judges considered the latter attack as an 'illegal ejection' on Sir K's part, and chose to judge the battle up until that point. |
Hannibal, Bunny Attack | The Piecemaker | Annihilator, Round 3 | |
Hannibal | Bunny Attack | Annihilator, Final | |
Propeller-Head | Rosie the Riveter 2, Xylon | Mayhem, Round 1 | Propeller Head won because of damage caused to Xylon, even though Rosie the Riveter 2 had been the more aggressive. |
Vert-I-Go | Techno Trousers, Joker | Mayhem, Round 1 | |
Tut Tut | Rosie the Riveter 2 | Challenge Belt | Split decision. |
Tut Tut | Probophobia | Challenge Belt | |
Ninjitsu | Destructive Criticism | Battle of the Spinners |
Robot Wars: The Sixth Wars
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Cyrax, Tetanus 2 | Ruf Ruf Dougal, Weld-Dor 3 | Heat A, Round 1 | |
Razer | Cyrax | Heat A, Round 2 | |
Barbaric Response, X-Terminator | Robochicken, Spirit of Scorpion | Heat B, Round 1 | Despite Barbaric Response going into the pit, Robochicken and Spirit of Scorpion were eliminated as they were immobile first. |
Firestorm 4, Mega Hurts 2 | Cedric Slammer, Colossus | Heat B, Round 1 | All four robots were immobile. The judges eliminated the first two to be immobilised. |
X-Terminator | Mega Hurts 2 | Heat B, Round 2 | |
Sir Chromalot, The Alien | GBH 2, ICU | Heat D, Round 1 | The Judges overruled Sir Chromalot's perceived immobility at the end of the battle, and eliminated GBH 2 in a very close call. |
S3, Shredder | Armadrillo, Roobarb | Heat D, Round 1 | |
Shredder | The Alien | Heat D, Round 2 | Neither robot's weapon was active and both showed poor control, driving into the CPZs regularly to take damage at Shunt's hands. Karl Asplin openly disagreed with the decision, arguing with Craig Charles about The Alien's inactive weapon by pointing out that Shredder's was not working either. The crowd was noticeably divided between Shredder and The Alien, greeting the decision with a mixture of boos and applause. |
Vader, Wild Thing 2 | UFO, The Stag | Heat E, Round 1 | |
Wild Thing 2 | 259 | Heat E, Round 2 | Despite 259 being immobile for 26 seconds, Philippa Forrester questioned the Judges as to why Wild Thing had won. The Judges defended their decision. |
Wild Thing 2 | Vader | Heat E, Final | |
13 Black | Double Trouble | Heat F, Round 2 | |
13 Black | Stinger | Heat F, Final | |
Anarchy, Thor | Judge Shred 2, Revolution 2 | Heat G, Round 1 | |
Tornado | Thor | Heat G, Round 2 | |
Tornado | Anarchy | Heat G, Final | |
Ming 3, Spam | The Hassocks Hog, Hot Pants | Heat H, Round 1 | Spam went down the pit, but the judges intervened and held that The Hassocks Hog was immobilised because it had lost drive on one wheel. Spam was reinstated to go through with Ming 3. |
Dominator 2 | S.M.I.D.S.Y. | Heat J, Round 2 | |
Hydra | Comengetorix | Heat J, Round 2 | |
Dominator 2 | Hydra | Heat J, Final | |
Disc-O-Inferno | Killer Carrot 2 | Heat L, Round 2 | Disc-O-Inferno caught fire and broke down. Refbot then extinguished the flames and Disc-O-Inferno regained mobility. Because the robot had not been immobilised a full ten seconds, the judges made a decision with the fire as a factor, but a non-determinative one. |
Dantomkia | 13 Black, Wild Thing 2 | Semi-Final 1, Losers Melee | |
Razer | Dantomkia | Semi-Final 1, Round 2 | |
Tornado | Hypno-Disc | Semi-Final 2, Round 1 | The only Judges' decision that Hypno-Disc ever lost. |
Dominator 2 | Bigger Brother | Semi-Final 2, Round 1 | |
Tornado | Razer | Grand Final, Final | The Judges reportedly spent nearly an hour determining the winner of the Grand Final, declaring that Tornado did not count as pitted, and crowned it the controversial champion. |
Das Gepäck | Ansgar's Revenge | UK vs Germany Special, Round 1 | |
Das Gepäck, Fluffy | None | UK vs Germany Special, Final | The battle was declared a draw, although Das Gepäck's team received the trophy on-site. |
German Robot Wars
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Son of Armageddon, Tyke | Thorgrim | Heat A, Eliminator | Neither Tyke nor Thorgrim were moving, but the jury opted to eliminated Thorgrim. |
Golem, Junkyard Queen | Ansgar's Revenge | Heat A, Eliminator | |
Tsunami | Not Perfect | Heat B, Final | |
Black Hole | Son of Armageddon | Grand Final, Eliminator | |
Black Hole | Tsunami | Grand Final, Final |
Dutch Robot Wars: Series 2
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Lizzard | Meshuggah | Heat A, Semi-Final | |
Lizzard | Neater | Heat A, Final | Extremely close battle with damage caused by both robots, the resulting decision was booed by the crowd after being edged in favour of the spiritual 1st seed Lizzard. |
Philipper 2 | Trazmaniac | Heat B, Semi-Final | |
Flepser | Bamm Bamm | Heat C, Round 1 | |
Krab-Bot | Alien Destructor 2 | Heat C, Round 1 | |
Krab-Bot | Hammerhead 2 | Heat C, Semi-Final | |
Krab-Bot | Twisted Metal Evo | Heat C, Final | |
Gravity | Das Gepäck | Heat D, Round 1 | |
Gravity | Bloody Murder Weapon | Heat D, Semi-Final | |
√3 | ODT-Zero | Heat E, Round 1 | |
√3 | Pika 3 | Heat E, Semi-Final | |
Philipper 2 | Krab-Bot | Grand Final, Round 1 | |
Philipper 2 | Bamm Bamm | Grand Final, Semi-Final | |
PulverizeR | Philipper 2 | Grand Final, Final |
Robot Wars Extreme: Series 2
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
13 Black | Dominator 2 | All-Stars, Heat B, Round 2 | |
Mini Morg & X-Terminator | S.M.I.D.S.Y. & Sumpthing | Tag Team Terror, Round 1 | First enforcement of the rule that if two robots remain against one, the full team will win by default since the rules were reportedly changed. However, Comengetorix seemingly lost automatically in the previous year's competition due to Spawn Again's immobility. |
Lightning & The Steel Avenger | Nasty Humphrey & Stinger | Tag Team Terror, Round 1 | The Steel Avenger pitted Stinger but was dragged down itself. The two remaining robots fought, with the judges basing the result on them alone, voting that Lightning had fought better than Nasty Humphrey. This changed the precedent set in Series 4's Tag Team decision with Firestorm 2, Scorpion, Plunderbird 4 and Bigger Brother. |
Barbaric Response & Hydra | Mini Morg & X-Terminator | Tag Team Terror, Round 2 | X-Terminator survived until the end of the battle, but lost automatically as Mini Morg was immobile. |
Crushtacean, Panic Attack | Terror Turtle, Cerberus | Commonwealth Carnage, Round 1 | Terror Turtle was overturned by Sir Killalot prematurely, outside the confines of a CPZ. This meant that the immobilisation was not counted, and the decision went to the judges. Despite this, the judges ruled that Panic Attack, who had controlled the battle with Terror Turtle, and Crushtacean who had defeated Cerberus, would go through. |
Razer (Later handed the victory to Tornado) | Tornado | European Championship, Round 2 | The judges gave the win to Razer, but Simon Scott and Vincent Blood of Razer disagreed with the decision and later decided to give the victory to Tornado as they felt that their robot had been immobilised for more than 30 seconds. This was the second time that a victorious team overruled the judges and surrendered their place. |
Mute, Roobarb | Terror Turtle | New Blood Championship, Heat A, Round 1 | Mute fell into the pit, but the judges determined that Terror Turtle had been immobilised already and therefore Mute's pitting did not eliminate it. |
Mute | Mr Nasty | New Blood Championship, Heat A, Round 2 | |
Mute | Roobarb | New Blood Championship, Heat A, Final | Despite seemingly breaking down at the end, Mute won the judges decision. |
Pressure | Piranha | New Blood Championship, Heat D, Round 2 | Craig Charles and Piranha's team disagreed with the decision. |
Cedric Slammer | Pressure | New Blood Championship, Heat D, Final | Jonathan Pearce remarked that he thought Pressure had won. |
Storm 2 | Thor | New Blood Championship, Grand Final, Eliminator | |
Mute | Cedric Slammer | New Blood Championship, Grand Final, Eliminator | Cedric Slammer and Mute both broke down at the same time, so the judges based the battle up to that point, giving the fight to Mute on a split decision. |
Storm 2 | Mute | New Blood Championship, Grand Final, Final | A very close battle saw Storm 2 claim the New Blood Championship by one point. |
Iron-Awe 2, Terrorhurtz | Barber-Ous 2, Vader | Challenge Belt, Round 1 | Only Terrorhurtz was left mobile, and the judges deemed that Barber-Ous 2 was immobile before Iron-Awe 2. |
Infinity | Infernal Contraption | University Challenge, Round 2 | |
Tiberius 3 | Infinity | University Challenge, Final | |
Typhoon | Typhoon Twins, Steel Sandwich, 259 | Middleweight Championship, Final | The Air Force Cadets entered two competitors in the Middleweight Final, against the independent 259 and Steel Sandwich. All three Typhoon machines ganged up on the other competitors, easily immobilising both. Once they were down, all three Typhoon machines sat and waited for the cease, much to the distaste of the audience. The judges gave the win to the reigning champion, Typhoon. |
Cutlet, Gladiator, Micro-Mute | Dragon, Flybot, Kitty | Featherweight Championship, Round 1 | All six robots ended up in the Pit of Oblivion. The judges chose the three who fell in last to go through. |
Argh! | Bernard, Cutlet, Gladiator, Katnip, Micro-Mute | Featherweight Championship, Final | Time ran out, but Argh! was the only robot deemed mobile. |
Lower, Pants | The Serpent, Buzzant, Millitant, Minimalistic | Antweight Championship, Qualifier | Adam Clark acted as the judge. |
Pussycat | Kat 3 | Iron Maidens, Round 2 | A split decision, but both teams agreed with the outcome. |
Robot Wars: The Seventh Wars
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Pussycat, Roobarb | Twister, Brutus Maximus | Heat A, Round 1 | |
M2 | Pussycat | Heat A, Round 2 | A judge inspected M2 for damage, and the decision reportedly took 15 minutes to make, as M2 had lost a lot of mobility, but won regardless. |
Big Nipper, The Grim Reaper | Barbaric Response, Kan-Opener | Heat B, Round 1 | |
The Grim Reaper | Gyrobot | Heat B, Round 2 | |
The Grim Reaper | Big Nipper | Heat B, Final | |
Dantomkia, King B Powerworks | Rick, Hassocks Hog 2 | Heat C, Round 1 | Dantomkia dominated the fight, and the judges had to choose between King B Powerworks and Rick to progress. The judges were split in selecting King B Powerworks. |
Gravity, Thor | Hodaf the Bad, Hydra | Heat D, Round 1 | Gravity immobilised Hydra by throwing it out of the arena, but it first landed on the wall, damaging it and calling an emergency end to the battle. The judges based the battle up to that point, and put Gravity and Thor through to Round 2. |
Tetanus Booster | Ewe 2 | Heat E, Round 2 | Tetanus Booster caused cosmetic damage to Ewe 2, but was otherwise pushed around for the full five minutes, almost becoming immobile. The controversial decision was awarded to Tetanus Booster, after which Craig Charles and Team Coyote admitted they could not understand why the Judges had voted this way. The Tetanus team jokingly claimed they'd bribed the judges' beforehand. |
Constrictor, Killer Carrot 2 | Fluffy, Scarey-Go-Round | Heat F, Round 1 | |
Ceros, Scraptosaur | Ming Dienasty, Metalis | Heat H, Round 1 | The second of two instances of a seeded robot losing a Judges' decision in the first round. |
The Steel Avenger, Trax | Shredder Evolution, Sub-Version 1.1 | Heat I, Round 1 | |
Storm 2 | Trax | Heat I, Round 2 | |
Thermidor 2 | Mighty Mouse | Heat J, Final | |
Bulldog Breed, Mantis | Infernal Contraption, Jabber | Heat K, Round 1 | Bulldog Breed flipped Infernal Contraption around, but Infernal Contraption inflicted serious internal damage to the seed. In addition, what looked like illegal mesh inside Bulldog Breed became loose and dragged behind the machine. The judges decision put Bulldog Breed through, albeit it on a yellow card after Derek Foxwell investigated the mesh and found it was merely to protect the flipper valves. Meanwhile, Infernal Contraption team member Ray Thomson was very displeased about the result, as Infernal Contraption had caused significant damage to the chassis of Bulldog Breed which bent the wheels out of alignment. |
Kat 3 | Mantis | Heat K, Round 2 | Kat 3 and Mantis were very even throughout the battle, both managing to land numerous successful attacks on each other. The judges decision was so close that even Jonathan Pearce could not call it. |
Bulldog Breed | Kat 3 | Heat K, Heat Final | The judges descended to examine Bulldog Breed when weighing the damage criteria of Kat 3. Finding that the blows were superficial, the judges unanimously ruled Bulldog Breed through. |
Mute | Judge Shred 3 | Heat L, Heat Final | In the televised battle, Mute was flipped multiple times by Judge Shred and self-righted in spectacular fashion. Mute was only shown to get one significant flip in, and was given the victory by the judges. In the actual fight, Mute had used its rear flipper to lift Judge Shred multiple times, while only one of these incidents was shown on television. These attacks earned Mute a lot of aggression points in the judges decision, and it was given the victory by one point. |
Tough as Nails | Panic Attack | Heat M, Round 2 | |
Tough as Nails | Robochicken | Heat M, Final | |
Raging Knightmare, R.O.C.S. | Topbot, The Executioner | Heat N, Round 1 | |
Hammerhead 2, Iron-Awe 2.1 | Xenomorph, DisConstructor | Heat O, Round 1 | |
Reptirron the Second, Ripper | Aggrobot, Zorro | Heat P, Round 1 | |
Bulldog Breed | Tough as Nails | Semi-Final 1, Round 1 | |
Storm 2 | The Grim Reaper | Semi-Final 2, Round 1 | |
Storm 2 | Firestorm 5 | Semi-Final 2, Round 2 | The battle itself was won via KO, but the Judges were required to overrule the producers' claims that Storm 2 should be disqualified for failing to fire its weapon in the fight. |
Storm 2 | Tornado | Grand Final, Eliminator | After a scandal involving the pit being raised to trounce Storm 2's legal knock-out victory, the match went to the judges, who voted through Storm 2. |
Typhoon 2 | Storm 2 | Grand Final | Storm 2 dominated most of the battle, but Typhoon 2 was given the victory by the judges based on Storm 2 losing a front panel and some inner tubing. This battle was particularly controversial as Typhoon 2 appeared to lose a drive chain towards the end of the battle, although this was not highlighted in the decision. The chain itself had broken off due to pre-inflicted damage caused in Typhoon 2's previous battle against X-Terminator. In addition, Team Storm have claimed that Typhoon 2 was allowed to be repaired mid-fight, although Team Typhoon have denied this, insisting it would be impossible for them to do so. |
Pussycat | Kat 3 | All-Stars, Semi-Final | |
Crushtacean | PulverizeR, Snake Bite | The Third World Championship, Heat | Snake Bite was unable to move off the square and was counted out, but came to life later on in the fight. Snake Bite interfered in the fight between PulverizeR and Crushtacean, preventing a resolution, and came close to pitting Crushtacean before the House Robots intervene and dragged both robots clear of the pit. Time ran out and the judges had to make a decision between Crushtacean and PulverizeR. The question of whether Snake Bite's attacks were disregarded in tallying Crushtacean's points were not addressed on TV. |
Storm 2 | Tornado, Ansgar 3 | The Third World Championship, Heat | |
Storm 2 | Supernova | The Third World Championship, Grand Final | Supernova immobilised itself, but then Shunt lifted Storm 2 up and immobilised it as well, before freeing Supernova. During a replay, however, the judges ruled that Supernova should have been counted out, and Storm 2 was given the victory. |
Mantis | Pinser, R.O.C.S. | Crusher Crunch-Up | |
Prince of Awe, Rip | Alpha, Kitty, Cygnus, G2, Mini Maul | Featherweight Championship, Qualifier | |
Bernard, DTK | Alienator, Cutlet, Mammoth, Staglet, Typhoon Cadet | Featherweight Championship, Qualifier | |
DTK | Whipper, Bernard, Rip, Prince of Awe, Rampage 2 | Featherweight Championship, Final | Despite DTK winning the battle, Craig Charles felt Whipper should have been awarded the victory. |
Robot Wars: Series 8
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Turbulence | Merlin | Pilot Episode, Head to Head | The first Judges' decision to be made by Sethu Vijayakumar and Lucy Rogers, in favour of Turbulence. |
Behemoth | Nuts | Heat 1, Head to Head | The first Judges' decision on TV to be made by Sethu Vijayakumar and Lucy Rogers, in favour of Behemoth. Also the first battle to award the winner 2 points instead of 3, due to the lower value of a win via Judges' decision. |
Terrorhurtz | Nuts | Heat 1, Head to Head | Another example of Series 8's new format making an impact, Terrorhurtz would have had enough points to qualify for the heat final if they had defeated Nuts via KO, but Terrorhurtz's victory via Judges' decision did not award it enough points to progress to the next round. |
Thor | Shockwave | Heat 2, Head to Head | |
M.R. Speed Squared | Foxic | Heat 2, Head to Head | After an uneventful battle, a split decision was awarded in favour of M.R. Speed Squared. Professor Noel Sharkey remarked afterwards that this could have been the worst battle he had ever seen in Robot Wars. |
Dantomkia | Big Nipper | Heat 3, Head to Head | |
Storm 2 | Eruption | Heat 4, Head to Head | A split decision, which overruled Storm 2's perceived immobility in the final twenty seconds of the battle. A single point separated the totals of all three Judges' scores.[6] |
Apollo | Storm 2 | Heat 4, Head to Head | Apollo flipped Storm 2 repeatedly in the opening stages, but lost drive to one side halfway through the fight, and was pushed around the arena by Storm 2. A unanimous decision was given in favour of Apollo, to the surprise of roboteers in attendance. |
PP3D | Eruption | Heat 4, Head to Head | After both robots became semi-immobilised simultaneously, it was stated by Dara Ó Briain that the battle was judged based on the first minute alone. |
Ironside3, Chompalot | Pulsar, Thermidor 2 | Heat 5, Group Battle | Although Pulsar was eliminated here, the Judges would later reinstate it when Chompalot withdrew, due to it surviving for longer than Thermidor 2 in this battle. By filming order, this was the first main series battle to be reviewed by the new panel of Judges. |
Ironside3 | Gabriel | Heat 5, Head to Head | |
Gabriel | Beast | Heat 5, Head to Head | Though time ran out and the judges did make a decision, they decided that cease should have been called based on Beast's lack of mobility, and so Gabriel was awarded the full three points. |
Pulsar | Ironside3 | Heat 5, Head to Head | Ironside3 was flipped early on by Pulsar's drum, and was unable to self-right under pressure from Pulsar and Sir Killalot. However, upon being righted by Sir Killalot, Ironside3 managed to push Pulsar into the pit, though it fell in itself afterwards. The judges were consulted on how to proceed, and once again decided that their decision was actually a knockout, because Ironside3 had been immobile for more than ten seconds. Team Outlaw were noticeably displeased with the result, as the decision led to their elimination. Team Ranglebots defended the decision, pointing out that Ironside3 had indeed been immobile whilst upside down. |
Pulsar | Gabriel | Heat 5, Heat Final | |
Thor | Behemoth, Dantomkia, Gabriel, Storm 2 | Grand Final, Wild Card | Though no battle took place, the judges were still required to make a decision as to who received the wild card. Taking the performance of the robot from the whole series into account, they opted for Thor. |
TR2 | Carbide | Grand Final, Head to Head | TR2's inability to win the battle by knockout meant that it was eliminated from the competition at this stage in spite of victory. |
Apollo | Carbide | Grand Final | Fifth consecutive UK Championship decided by judges' decision. |
Robot Wars: Series 9
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
JAR | Interstellar: MML | Battle of the Stars, Episode 1, Head to Head | |
Soldier Ant | Dee | Battle of the Stars, Episode 2, Head to Head | |
Dee | Robo Savage | Battle of the Stars, Episode 2, Head to Head | A split decision that was openly disagreed with by Robo Savage's Robbie Savage and Jason Marston. After the decision, Robbie Savage not only offered a pair of glasses to the Judges, but also polled the audience of 1,000 over who deserved to win, to which Savage claimed only the two voting Judges felt that Dee won. Dee's Jordan Stephens however, disputes this. |
Jellyfish | Sabretooth | Heat 1, Head to Head | The first Judges' decision aired in Series 9 was also a split decision, with the Judges voting 2-1 in favour of the recently reinstated Jellyfish. |
Behemoth, Eruption | Cobra, Hobgoblin | Heat 2, Group Battle | |
Cherub | PP3D | Heat 2, Head to Head | Originally, the battle had to be restarted when recoil from Cherub hitting PP3D's disc caused it to slam into the arena wall, breaking a panel off. Once restarted, both robots were immobile, causing the Judges to unanimously vote for Cherub based on both halves of the battle. This decision led to much debate online[7], and Noel Sharkey felt the need to specify on Twitter that the decision incorporated no bias towards the youthful team[8][9]. |
Cherub | Behemoth | Heat 2, Head to Head | Originally, the battle had to be restarted as Cherub became trapped underneath the arena flipper, whereby the ruling dictated a robot could not be immobilised in that way. After the unanimous decision in favour of Cherub at the end of three minutes, Anthony Pritchard left the Control Room before the interview, angered at his team for deciding to equip Behemoth's untested interchangeable weapon rather than the original scoop, which Pritchard believes would have enabled Behemoth to win the battle. |
Concussion | M.R. Speed Squared | Heat 3, Head to Head | |
Concussion | Thor | Heat 3, Heat Final | |
Ironside3, Pulsar | None | Heat 4, Head to Head | During the battle, Pulsar suffered a loss of one of its drives, causing the immobilisation countdown to commence. Because Pulsar was still able to move on one side, the countdown ceased as per the rules on grounds for immobilisation stating a robot could not be counted out in that fashion. However, whilst the immobilisation countdown ceased on the screen that the Judges were viewing the battle from, a glitch caused the Ironside3 team to still witness the countdown on their side, meaning that once it ended, they believed they had won and did not attack the still-mobile Pulsar for the remainder of the battle. Originally, the Judges' decision was awarded to Pulsar, but once the Judges discovered the countdown glitch, they decided to investigate it. After the investigation, because of the facts that Pulsar was still mobile, and that Team Outlaw were victims of a technical error, the Judges decided to award both teams two points, believing it would be unfair to both teams if they made a decision based on the circumstances. |
Apollo | Crackers 'n' Smash | Heat 5, Head to Head | |
Apollo | Cherub, Pulsar, Sabretooth, Thor | Grand Final, Wild Card | Though no battle took place, the Judges were still required to make a decision as to who received the wild card. Taking the performance of the robot from the whole series into account, they opted for Apollo. |
Robot Wars: Series 10
Victor(s) | Loser(s) | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Behemoth | Sabretooth, Donald Thump | Heat 1, Group Battle | The first battle under the new Group Battle format was also the first to have a Judges' decision. Since Behemoth and Sabretooth were immobilised at the same time, the Judges decided to award the battle to the former based on the whole battle. Gabriel Stroud notably disagreed with the decision. |
Sabretooth | The Swarm | Heat 1, 3rd Place Wildcard | The first 3rd Place Wildcard battle also ended with a Judges' decision. However, the Judges unanimously declared that all of The Swarm were immobilised, handing the battle to Sabretooth by default. |
Carbide | Gabriel, Big Nipper | Heat 2, Group Battle | An extraordinarily close, yet unanimous decision, which Dave Moulds considered to be the best that Carbide has ever had. |
Eruption | Big Nipper | Heat 2, Semi-Finals | |
Rapid | Bucky the Robot, Track-tion | Heat 3, Group Battle | Although Bucky the Robot was unable to self-right after being flipped by an arena spike, the battle still went to a judges' decision as it had not been counted out. |
Terrorhurtz | Vulture | Heat 3, Semi-Finals | |
Iron-Awe 6 | Tauron, The Kegs | Heat 4, Group Battle | Although both robots were deemed immobile by the end, the Judges ruled that Iron-Awe 6 survived longer than Tauron, awarding it the victory. Team Tauron's Tom Brewster initially disagreed with the result, having managed to move Tauron off the debris which stranded it after 'cease' had been called.[10] Brewster claimed in an interview shown after the battle that his immobility at the end of the battle was a voluntary decision; he only became aware of Iron-Awe 6's victory once Dara Ó Briain informed both teams of the result.[11] |
Androne 4000 | Tauron | Heat 4, Robot Redemption | Noted as a remarkably close battle despite ultimately being a unanimous decision. |
Thor | Coyote, Expulsion | Heat 5, Group Battle | |
Expulsion | Push to Exit | Heat 5, Robot Redemption | Both robots were deemed immobile after a minute, causing the judges to unanimously vote for Expulsion based on the events up to the double immobilisation. |
Thor | Coyote | Heat 5, Semi-Finals | |
Nuts 2 | Carbide, Behemoth | Grand Final, Group Battle | Nuts 2 became the first robot to defeat Carbide since the Series 8 Grand Final after disabling Carbide's weapon. |
Eruption | Behemoth | Grand Final, Semi-Finals | |
Eruption | Carbide | Grand Final | A unanimous decision where the Judges had to repeatedly watch the replay of the battle before declaring a new Robot Wars champion[12], stating that Carbide's slices in Eruption's armour did not award it enough damage points to earn more than Eruption's flips[13]. |
Apollo, Gabriel 2 | Cobra, TMHWK | World Series, Episode 1, Tag Team | The first battle of the World Series ended with a Judges' decision, with the judges voting in favour of Team UK, which had two active robots. |
Cobra | Sabretooth | World Series, Episode 1, Head to Head | |
Rabid M8 | Gabriel | World Series, Episode 1, Head to Head | The Rest of the World representative Rabid M8 narrowly defeated Gabriel 2 on a split decision, where Gabriel 2 was also immobile for the final five seconds of the battle. Team Saint felt they would lose the Judges' decision, but burnt out a speed controller in order to reach the end of the battle, and limit the points that would be earned by Rabid M8[14]. |
Thor | Tough as Nails | World Series, Episode 2, Head to Head |
Audience Decisions
On some occasions, rather than consulting the judges, the outcome of the battle was decided by the audience. These were exclusively exhibition battles for entertainment purposes only.
Eventual Victor | Eventual Loser | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Bunny Attack | Hoot | Nickelodeon Robot Wars, Vengeance | Rather than having the fight go to the judges, Dave Aizer asked the audience to vote. Bunny Attack won the vote and the Vengeance match. |
Behemoth, Gravity | Cassius Chrome, Growler, Mr Psycho | Robot Wars: The Seventh Wars, House Robot Rebellion | Growler, Mr. Psycho and Gravity were all immobilised by the end of the battle. However, the nature of the battle meant that robots were not counted out. |
Gabriel | Behemoth | Series 8, Whiteboard match 3 | Unaired. The audience was relied upon because the judges weren't in attendance. Gabriel won despite being only partially mobile for much of the battle. |
Rematches
On some occasions of two robots becoming immobilised (typically early on in the battle and where the robots had not been immobilised by damage), the judges would ask both robots to restore themselves and begin again as if the previous battle had not happened.
These do not count as judges decisions, because the battles were decided by other factors.
Eventual Victor | Eventual Loser | Battle | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Chaos 2 | S.M.I.D.S.Y. | Robot Wars: The Fifth Wars, Heat A, Final | Chaos 2 flipped S.M.I.D.S.Y. against the side wall, before catapulting itself over into a position it was unable to right itself. The judges, unable to make a decision, called a rematch, which Chaos 2 won via knock-out. |
Firestorm 3 | Hypno-Disc | Robot Wars: The Fifth Wars, Grand Final, Playoff | Firestorm was in terrible condition, with its flipper not working after its earlier losses to Razer and Hypno-Disc. Despite this, Firestorm ran under Hypno-Disc and drove them both into the pit. For the second time that season, the judges called a rematch, but Hypno-Disc had suffered terminal electrical faults from the impact and were unable to fight again, giving Firestorm 3 the win by default. |
Ninjitsu | Buzz | Extreme Warriors: Season 2, Robot Rebellion, Eliminator | Within the opening moments of the battle, Buzz's flipping arm became hooked within Ninjitsu and, when Buzz carried Ninjitsu towards the pit, both robots fell in at the same time. The Judges decided to restart the fight and Ninjitsu eventually won after Buzz broke down. |
References
- ↑ Ask Aaron website
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20160108201853/http://freespace.virgin.net/oliver.steeples/enter.htm
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/robotwars/comments/7ayq0f/ask_ian_watts_the_swarm_anything/dpdwerl/?context=3
- ↑ YouTube comment from Arthur Chilcott
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20020802011119/http://www.razerlewis.fsnet.co.uk:80/RazerRWarsAllStars.htm
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/EruptionRobot/posts/1580694648898850
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/robotwars/comments/5z1532/a_poll_on_that_controversial_match_from_tonights/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/noelsharkey/status/841010459163660289?lang=en
- ↑ https://twitter.com/noelsharkey/status/841010459163660289?lang=en
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/robotwars/comments/7ci2yj/robot_wars_series_10_episode_4_postepisode/dpqdjhh/
- ↑ RoboCast#17: Robot Wars Series 10 Heat 4 - SamElliott64
- ↑ https://twitter.com/NoelSharkey/status/937431189190823937
- ↑ https://twitter.com/NoelSharkey/status/937433847628787713
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRA6F8KfBcY