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In Robot Wars and other similar competitions, a Melee is a type of battle where more than two robots fight each other in the arena at once. The battle runs continuously until one robot is left standing, or the maximum number of robots required to qualify for later championship rounds (usually two) is reached. As with all other battle formats, a Judges' decision may be required to decide the winner(s) if multiple robots survive the full match duration.

The existence of Melees dates back to the original 1994-1997 US competitions run by Marc Thorpe, where the name was also used for multi-round tournaments based around this format. In televised versions, the first round of most main domestic championships usually comprised of Melees between three or four robots, with the aim of securing places in later one-on-one rounds. Melees also frequently formed the basis of side competitions and supporting weight class championships in the original UK Series, with both single and multi-round events taking place on various occasions. Some of the alternative names commonly used include Rumble, Eliminator, Mayhem and, in the Revival Series, Group Battle.

Among the most notable Melee battles in televised series include the Grand Final of The First Wars, broadcast at the end of the last Heat of the series; and the 10 Robot Rumble, determining the Wildcard place in the Series 10 Grand Final. Under the "Mayhem" name, they also served as a qualification stage for both of the Annihilator competitions in Robot Wars Extreme: Series 1. The official qualifiers for Series 5, 6 and 7 also incorporated Melee battles into the selection process for the televised series.

1994-1997 US Competitions[]

"A free-for-all fight among robots that are grouped within each weight classification. The last one to remain mobile will be declared the winner of this event. Each match is timed at 5 minutes."
— Official definition of 'Melee Event' fights, Fourth Annual Robot Wars 1997 General Rules and Guidelines[1]
Lightweight melee pileup

A multi-robot scrap involving Mouser develops during the 1997 Lightweight Melee tournament

Under the working name Mob Scene, the concept for Melee battles and events was first established in the rules for the inaugural US competition, taking place on 20 August 1994. Competitors from their respective weight classes would be 'randomly grouped' together for a series of 'free-for-all' matches, with the objective of surviving the full duration of each match (1994: 10 minutes; 1995-1997: 5 minutes). All robots deemed to be still mobile by the end of the battle would automatically progress to later rounds. Entry numbers would determine both the size of individual Melees and the number of rounds to be scheduled. The last-surviving robot by the end of the final round would usually be declared the overall winner.[2][3][4][5]

Two singular Melees took place at the end of the 1994 event; one for Lightweight class entrants (won by Bloodletter), and the other involving all operable robots from each weight class plus the Escort House Robot (won by South Bay Mauler).[6][7][8][9] The 1995, 1996 and 1997 competitions expanded these into multi-round championships for each available weight class: heavyweight, middleweight, lightweight and featherweight (initially known as super lightweight). Time limits, plus rules concerning pinning, immobilisations, 'excessive evasion', Judges' decisions and audience votes, would be the same as in the corresponding Face-Off (head-to-head) championships of each year. In the event that more than one robot survived the final round, an audience vote would be especially critical in deciding the overall Melee champions during this era.[2][3][4][5]

The 1996 Heavyweight Melee Final was notable for featuring the most robots in any single Robot Wars battle, at twelve competitors.[10][11] Unusually, the fourth Featherweight Melee qualifier the same year ended in all robots becoming immobilised, with none being selected for the class Final.[12][13][14]

In the first round of the 1997 Featherweight Face-Off, No Love was allowed by the event organisers to fight Gorange and Sabotage, after its original opponent The Little Green withdrew from their planned 'Dual Match' due to radio interference issues. This predated the inclusion of Melees into the knockout format of later UK Series, with No Love automatically progressing to the second round of the main bracket as a result.[15][16][17]

List of 1994-1997 US Melee Champions[]

1994[]
1995[]
1996[]
1997[]

*Blendo was awarded co-champion status in exchange of forfeiting due to safety concerns in Face-Off tournaments.

1995 UK Open Competition[]

Grunt vs the master vs la machine

Grunt pins The Master and La Machine during a Melee battle, 1995 UK Open Competition

At least one Melee battle is documented to have taken place during the 1995 UK Open Competition, the taped pilot and proof-of-concept for the televised UK Series. Clips of this battle - involving The Master, La Machine and a clusterbot variant of Grunt - were featured in the official home video release Robot Wars: The First Great War, though its exact place in the overall UK Open format remains unclear.

UK Series[]

Early rules for the UK Series carried over the same format and rules for Melee competitions as the US events. However, as the show format originally combined driving and skill-based challenges with head-to-head 'Arena' battles, Melee fights were largely deemphasised in earlier series, with the notable exception of side events and the Series 1 Grand Final (see below). Other aspects, including criteria for elimination and Judges' decisions, would otherwise be generally identical to those for regular knockout battles in each corresponding series.[18][19]

Series 1[]

Grand Final First

The six finalists from the First Wars prepare for the Grand Final

Broadcast at the end of Heat F, the Grand Final of The First Wars was a single six-way Melee involving every Heat winner from the series. This also marked the only occasion where robots other than heavyweights competed for the overall UK Championship, and one of the few occasions where no House Robots were present in the arena. According to a behind-the-scenes clip from The Making of Robot Wars, the Grand Final was at one point referred to as the Grand Melee by director Stuart McDonald.

The battle ended in a Judges' decision between the two surviving robots - Roadblock and Bodyhammer - with the inaugural UK Series title being awarded to the Bodmin Community College machine.

Series 2[]

SuperShowdown2

The four Series 2 Super Heavyweight finalists gather in the Final (Super Showdown, The Grudge Matches)

The Second Wars marked the first instance of Melees forming the basis of supporting weight class championships and one-off side events in the UK show. The former included the Featherweight, Lightweight, Middleweight and Super Heavyweight Championships. Of these, only the Super Heavyweight Championship would involve more than one round, with the first round comprising of three-way battles, followed by a four-way Final to determine the champion. The highest entry number was achieved by the Lightweight Championship, with seven competitors.

In addition to the above, two standalone competitive Melees took place, these being the Reserve Rumble (five competitors) and Internet Insurrection (four competitors). The Inferno Insurrection exhibition match also involved three robots in the arena (Nemesis, Ramrombit and Sergeant Bash), though no winner was declared as it was held purely to entertain the audience. All three battles, along with selected highlights from the lower/higher weight class championships, would be aired in the end-of-series Grudge Matches special.

Series 3[]

Tentomushi vs hard cheese

The Series 3 Middleweight Melee

A single exhibition Melee was televised as part of The Third Wars, in the form of the Middleweight Melee. Featuring five robots weighing 45.4kg or under, it was announced by Craig Charles as the first round of the series' planned Middleweight Championship, though the championship itself would not take place following a behind-the-scenes accident during filming.[20]

The Middleweight Melee marked one of the few occasions in which joint winners were officially declared in a televised battle, these being Tentoumushi and A-Kill.

Series 4[]

Thermidor2 vs gravedigger vs kronic

A standard three-way Eliminator in Series 4 (Gravedigger vs Thermidor 2 vs Kronic the Wedgehog, Heat G)

The main UK Championship of The Fourth Wars was the first to incorporate Melees into the knockout-only tournament format. A pair of three-way Eliminators would take place at the start of all sixteen Heats, with two losing robots from this round being eliminated. The two surviving robots from each Eliminator would progress to the second round (Heat Semi-Finals).

Extreme: Series 1[]

Killertron vs splinter vs aggrobot

A Mayhem from Extreme 1 (Killertron vs Splinter vs Aggrobot 3, Episode 4)

Robot Wars Extreme: Series 1 featured a much greater share of Melees in both large-scale and one-off events. Ten events in total incorporated the format, either as standalone battles or as part of a larger tournament.

The most significant formed the basis of Mayhem, a set of twelve three-way battles between robots aiming to qualify for the Annihilator events. Six battles each were held to determine places in either the first or second Annihilators. Unlike the Series 4 Eliminators, only one robot would win from these, earning a provisional place in their corresponding Annihilator. In case a certain Mayhem winner would be forced to withdraw - as with the cases of Atomic 2 and Bulldog Breed 3 from Annihilator 2 - one of the defeated machines from their corresponding battle (Fighting Torque and Spirit of Knightmare) would be selected to take their place.

First-round Melees would also become part of the Forces Special, operating identically to the Series 4 Eliminators, and The Second World Championship, the latter as four-way Heats. The World Championship Heats would require only one robot to survive and qualify for the head-to-head Semi-Finals.

A number of singular Melees also took place throughout the series, most of which required only one winner. The battles aired included:

The International Mayhem was unusual among the latter in featuring a 2v1 format. Dutch Series regulars Philipper and Alien Destructor sought to team up and win against then two-time defending UK Champion Chaos 2, but were unsuccessful in their challenge. The Flipper Frenzy was the first of four Melees exclusively featuring competitor robots with a specific weapon type, in this case rear-hinged flippers.

Series 5[]

WheelyFlipsPanic

A Losers Melee in Series 5 (Wheely Big Cheese vs Panic Attack vs Firestorm 3, Semi-Final 2)

Though reverting to the standard head-to-head format for all Heat rounds, The Fifth Wars introduced the Losers Melee as part of the updated Semi-Final format. Three losing robots from the first round of each Semi-Final would compete against each other for a place in the second. The winning robot from this Melee would automatically be reinstated.

Series 6[]

Cyrax Ruf Ruf Dougal Weld-Dor 3 1

A four-way Round 1 Melee in Series 6 (Cyrax vs Ruf Ruf Dougal vs Weld-Dor 3 vs Tetanus 2, Heat A)

The Sixth Wars Heats marked a return to the Round 1 Melee format, with each Melee now featuring four robots. As in The Fourth Wars, two robots from each would qualify for the second round. Both Semi-Finals also contained a Losers Melee, with the same qualification and victory requirements as in The Fifth Wars.

Extreme: Series 2[]

As with the previous series, Robot Wars Extreme: Series 2 featured no fewer than ten events incorporating Melee battles. This was the joint-highest of any televised series; all Melees would form part of larger competitions spanning two or more rounds.

The Heats of both the All-Stars and New Blood Championship featured two first-round battles with three robots each. Elimination and qualification requirements were the same as the Series 4 Eliminators, with two robots per Melee advancing into the second round. Three-way Melees also formed the first rounds of Minor Meltdown, Iron Maidens and University Challenge with identical victory conditions. A variation with four robots per Melee was used in the Challenge Belt and Commonwealth Carnage, in a mirror of the Series 6-7 Heats.

Lower weight class championships were showcased in the Robot Rampage episode, with all except the Lightweight Championship featuring Melee-focused formats:

  • The Middleweight Championship began with two four-way Round 1 battles. Two surviving robots from each would qualify for the four-way Final, where one robot would emerge as overall champion.
  • The Featherweight Championship would feature two Round 1 battles with either six or seven competitors each. Uniquely among combat-only UK competitions, a maximum of three robots would progress to the six-way Final, where, again, one robot would be crowned Featherweight Champion.
  • The Antweight Championship would begin with two six-way 'Heats', of which two robots from each would progress to the overall Final. The winner of the four-way Final would become the series' Antweight Champion.

Series 7[]

Series 7 arena

Four robots prepare for a first-round melee in Series 7 (Heat A)

Though The Seventh Wars maintained the same Round 1 Melee format as The Sixth Wars, the return to sixteen Heats instead of twelve meant that the Losers Melee was dropped from the UK Championship format.

Rip flips Prince of Awe

A Featherweight Championship Melee (Series 7)

Nevertheless, Melees would remain an important component of various side competitions taking place throughout this series, including those aired in main series episodes as 'Special Events'. The Third World Championship featured qualifiers and 'Heat' battles with up to three robots each, with only one robot being required to win. Similarly, the Featherweight Championship began with three 'Qualifiers' featuring between four and seven robots each. Two robots from each Qualifier would progress to the six-way Final, from which a single Featherweight Champion would be decided.

Four singular Melees were also featured and broadcast as 'Special Events', all featuring no more than three robots:

Series 8-9[]

Behemoth Eruption Cobra 1

Behemoth flips Eruption onto Cobra during a Series 9 Group Battle (Heat B)

Upon Robot Wars' return to UK television in 2016, the format of Series 8 included a pair of four-way Melees in the first round of each Heat, with identical qualification requirements to Series 6-7. Matches of this kind would be referred to throughout the Revival Series run as Group Battles. The first round of the Grand Final episode also included two three-way Group Battles between the Heat winners and the Wildcard, the latter chosen by the Judges from the pool of Heat Finalists. In both instances, the two surviving robots from each Group Battle would qualify for the round robin-based Head-to-Head rounds. The format would be carried over unchanged into Series 9.

Series 10[]

Though two Group Battles would remain as the opening rounds for the Heat and Grand Final episodes, Series 10 marked several changes with the number of robots participating and the requirements for qualification into the knockout-based Semi-Final rounds.

The three-way Group Battles in both cases would result in only one robot from each emerging victorious at a time. All four losing robots would fight again in the one-on-one Redemption Rounds, to fill in the remaining two Semi-Final places.

All Heat Finalists and third-place finishers would automatically qualify for the 10 Robot Rumble, a ten-way melee determining the Wildcard place for the Grand Final. For the first time, no time limit would be imposed, with the winner being simply the last robot still mobile.

Qualifiers[]

Gravity qualifier Series 7

The Series 7 qualifier featuring Gravity, Mechaniac and RCC 2

Beginning with the 2001 Live Event tour, Melee battles would be incorporated into the qualification process for later UK Series during the Classic run. These would depend on overall availability, with the Live Event shows otherwise featuring a head-to-head 'championship' format dubbed Metal Mayhem.[21] At least two examples featuring S.M.I.D.S.Y. were held during the Sheffield leg, each involving it fighting two or three opponents at a time.[22] Six-way Melees were also documented at the London Arena and Wembley Arena legs, with recurring appearances by then-World Champion Razer and House Robot Shunt.[23][24][25][26]

For Series 6 and 7, most of the official qualifiers were run as Melees, featuring up to four robots depending on availability.[27][28]

US Series[]

With the notable exception of the Season 1 World Championship - essentially a localised US broadcast of The Second World Championship - Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors featured much less emphasis on Melees in side competitions. Battles of this kind would still form the basis of opening rounds in the main US Championship, though the arrangements and qualification requirements for these would vary between both seasons.

Extreme Warriors: Season 1[]

Panzermk flips spartacus drillzilla vs general chompsalot

A US Championship 'Heat' from Extreme Warriors Season 1, involving General Chompsalot, Panzer Mk2, Drillzilla and Spartacus

During filming for Season 1, it was initially planned that the first round of the US Championship would comprise of three-way Melees, followed by a second round of head-to-head battles. Last-minute format changes meant that the opening 'Heats' would feature six robots each, from which only one robot was required to progress to the Semi-Finals.[29]

Extreme Warriors: Season 2[]

The US Championship Heats of Season 2 followed a format similar to Series 4 of the UK version, with Round 1 comprising of two three-way Melees. As in Series 4, two surviving robots from each would progress into the second round.

Nickelodeon Robot Wars[]

Rosiexylonph

Rosie the Riveter 2 battles Propeller-Head and Xylon in a Nickelodeon Mayhem match (Episode 3)

While the reduced scale of the US Championship precluded any integration of Melee battles, Nickelodeon Robot Wars still made use of the format in the Mayhem side competition.

As with their Extreme 1 namesakes, Mayhem battles featured no more than three robots, with only one robot emerging victorious. Three regular Mayhems would take place throughout the series, the winners qualifying for the Ultimate Mayhem, aired as the 'Main Event' of Episode 5.

Dutch Series[]

Dutch Series 1[]

Lethal Swan Rat Lizzard 1

The Lethal Swan, Lizzard and Rat square off in the Losers' Round (Dutch Series 1, Heat A)

In a similar arrangement to the Series 5 Semi-Finals, the Heats of Dutch Robot Wars: Series 1 incorporated a Losers' Round between the first and second head-to-head stages. Three Round 1 losers would fight each other for the last place in the second round, which would be given to one victorious robot. The Grand Final also began with two three-way Eliminators, with each determining two surviving robots to progress to the overall Semi-Finals.

German Series[]

Each Heat of German Robot Wars started with two three-way opening rounds, with identical requirements to the UK Series 4 Eliminators. A number of Melees originally filmed for Extreme 1 - including the German Melee and the first Heat of The Second World Championship - would also be broadcast with German dubs and other changes from their respective UK versions.

In the Grand Final, a Losers Melee would also take place to determine fifth to eighth places in the overall German Championship. This was to have included all four robots defeated in the Heat Finals, though ultimately only two of these (Junkyard Queen and Not Perfect) would be able to compete. Golem, one of the robots to withdraw, would still appear in the actual 'Melee' as the object held by The Drop Zone.

Annihilator[]

Main article: Annihilator
Behemoth flips razers onslaught

The Southern Annihilator

First introduced in UK Series 4, the Annihilator is an elimination-based competition format where up to six robots initially fought together in Melee-style rounds. A major difference is that only one robot is eliminated at a time in individual Annihilator rounds, until the last two fight head-to-head to determine the overall winner. Conventional Melees will often have more than one robot be eliminated, depending on victory or qualification requirements, without any intervals. Melees are also considered to be standalone battles in most instances, whereas the nature of Annihilator events means that surviving robots stay on through multiple rounds as their opponents are gradually eliminated.

References[]

  1. 'General Rules 1997', Robot Wars US website (archived 3 July 1997)
  2. 2.0 2.1 'RW94 Rules', Marc Thorpe/Robot Wars, reproduced on the Team Minus Zero website (archived)
  3. 3.0 3.1 'ROBOT WARS® 1995 RULES AND GUIDELINES', reproduced on the Team Run Amok website'
  4. 4.0 4.1 'THIRD ANNUAL ROBOT WARS 1996 CURRENT RULES AND GUIDELINES', reproduced on the Team Run Amok website
  5. 5.0 5.1 'About Robot Wars - Rules and Regulations', original US Robot Wars website (archived 10 December 1997)
  6. 'Robot Wars 1994 Official Promo', ASilva528 (YouTube), uploaded February 18 2015
  7. 'next step', compilation of Next Step segments on the 1994 US Robot Wars event uploaded by garth knight (YouTube), 1 March 2009
  8. 'First Annual Robot Wars', Team Minus Zero website (archived)
  9. 'Robot Wars 1994 Highlights Part 2', ASilva528 (YouTube), uploaded 28 February 2015
  10. 'Robot Wars 1996 - Heavyweight Melee 5', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded 28 October 2008
  11. 'Robot Wars 1996: Heavyweight Melee 5', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded 15 January 2019
  12. 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Melee 5', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded 13 January 2019
  13. 'Robot Wars 1996 - Featherweight Melee 3', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded 28 July 2008
  14. 'THE BLOW-BY-BLOW OF THE 3RD ANNUAL ROBOT WARS, ACCORDING TO TEAM UCSB', UCSB website (archived)
  15. 'NO LOVE', Team Spike website (archived)
  16. 'Robot Wars 1997: Featherweight Dual Match 2', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded 14 April 2021
  17. 'MATCH: SABOTAGE VS GORANGE', Team Spike website (archived)
  18. 'Robot Wars UK 1998 RULES AND GUIDELINES' [Series 2], reproduced on the Team Run Amok website
  19. 'Robot Wars UK SERIES 3 Rules', reproduced on the Team Run Amok website
  20. Recollection by Andrew Norton, 31 May 2012, addressing plans for and the cancellation of the Series 3 Middleweight Championship
  21. 'Robot Wars Live Event [Running Order], 'Robot Wars Official Souvenir Programme [Live Event]', 2001
  22. 'SMIDSY', Team Ixion website (archived)
  23. 'Lightning Interceptor Robot Diary 2001', Calvertfilm website (archived)
  24. 'Robot Wars Live event 2001', Calvertfilm (YouTube), uploaded 24 January 2012
  25. Unofficial Robot Wars Facebook post by Joseph Jack Prophet, 7 January 2021
  26. 'Events - Robot Wars Series 5 Qualifiers', Team Roobarb website (archived)
  27. 'Gyrobot - UK Robot Wars Series 6 Qualifier', Gyrobot (YouTube), uploaded 9 September 2013
  28. 'Gyrobot - UK Robot Wars Series 7 Qualifier', Gyrobot (YouTube), uploaded 9 September 2013
  29. 'Robot Wars Journal', Team Run Amok website

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