[robotic voice] Robots activate.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
Welcome to BattleBots.
I am Chris Rose, joined as always by my co-host.
He is a UFC legend and a robot combat analyst,
the one and only Kenny Florian.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
We're in the thick of this season,
Chris, and things are really starting to heat up in the box,
as we enter week five of World Championship VII.
The first round of the qualifiers
is officially in the books
and it's already been a wild ride.
Nineteen of the first 28 fights
have come by way of the knockout,
and we haven't had a single split decision.
These teams are coming out hot.
Some of the highest ranked bots
coming into the season have crashed and burned,
while some unranked squads are leaving their marks
all over the BattleBox
and in the box as we all know, chaos is king.
Speaking of chaos, we've got an explosive lineup for you tonight.
Literally, a couple of these guys
are probably going to blow up.
I know that you guys love that portion of the program.
So let's break down tonight's fight card.
Round two of the qualifiers rolls
on with an action packed lineup,
loaded with tournament darlings,
Giant Nut favorites and robots so violent,
even the Decepticons would cringe.
[Kenny] That's right. We'll see.
Championship contenders SawBlaze and Witch Doctor
put their perfect starts on the line,
while top ranked phenoms like Blip and Ribbot
try to get back to their winning ways.
[Kenny] And boy, do we have a thriller of a main event.
Martin Mason and his hyper aggressive
MaDCatTer wade into the water
with bad boy in training Ethan Kurtz
and his unrepentant ravager Riptide.
[Chris] This will be an all out assault.
The community college kids of MaDCatTer
are looking to scratch and claw their way
to victory while Ethan Kurtz is saying,
"it won't be curiosity that kills the cat,
it'll be our 60lb drum."
[Kenny] But we are coming out hot with two,
one and 0 teams on a mission
as the Brazilian brute Minotaur,
charges into the ring with everyone's favorite
pyromaniac Free Shipping.
All right, let's not waste any more time.
Faruq, take it away.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready?
It's robot fighting time.
In red square, you might not be intimidated by a guy
who's named Gary.
That's a name for a stepdad.
It's not all that scary, but you'll learn some respect.
He makes the rules in this house.
Don't get bratty.
He'll kill your bot, marry your mom and become your daddy.
He'll send you to your room and your doom.
It's Free Shipping!
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] There's the man.
Gary Gin, took out a Gigabyte in round one.
And Kenny, he might be on to something special
with this new look, Free Shipping.
[Kenny] Yeah.
What was once a bit of a novelty is now
a legitimate threat with the addition
of that vertical spinner.
But up against a tried and true contender like Minotaur,
we'll see if Free Shipping can continue its rise
and deliver a major upset.
In the blue square, they went to win it all
and I wouldn't bet against the foreign beast,
because they're here to win porca gigante.
That's the Giant Nut in Portuguese.
When it's all said and done, there's only one thing
they'll call you, "The newest world champion of Robos de Batalha."
Here to speak the universal language of robot destruction,
it's Minotaur!
[Chris] Team Minotaur let out of the tunnel
by captain Marco Meggiolaro
and the always emotional driver Daniel Freitas
kicked off their season with a beatdown
of the reigning champs Tantrum,
Minotaur is in the top of its game
right out of the chute, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, and Daniel is going to be locked in
on those exposed tires on Free Shipping.
Minotaur is like a junkyard dog.
Once you hop that fence, you are their prey.
This basically is going to be a battle of drivers.
I'm pretty sure, both drivers are very good.
Both drivers know each other very well.
They know the strategies, what to do.
Minotaur being smaller can make turns faster.
So Daniel is going to try to make turns
and try to get on the side to get the wheels.
When you're using a drum that has a very thick tooth,
so delivers a good punch.
Their plows of very heavy.
So we need to have a very powerful drum
to be able to really lift it.
Otherwise, it's just going to be shoving us around.
Whoo!
Minotaur is a really solid robot.
Really, really heavy hitter.
You know, Daniel is a great driver.
I think, he's just going to be coming at us.
He's going to be super aggressive.
And we just have to be just as aggressive back.
When that light turns green,
I mean, we're just going to have to go at it.
We're going to try to have to hit him
as soon as we can and as often as we can.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[robotic voice] Robots activate.
[Chris] Look at the difference in size
between these two robots,
is that going to be a factor here, Kenny?
[Kenny] Yeah, this could be a case of bigger,
not being better.
Minotaur's heavy drum has so much pop.
Gary needs to keep Minotaur away
from Free Shipping's sides and lead with those big wedges.
[crowd chanting] Gary!
Gary!
[robotic voice] Red team, ready.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[robotic voice] Blue team, ready.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Free Shipping.
Minotaur, someone's dream of an undefeated season
is about to go up in smoke.
Let the bot battle begin.
[Chris] Gary Gin says, "I ain't afraid.
I ain't scared, I'm coming after you."
[Kenny] These are two legendary teams,
two legendary drivers.
Oh, Minotaur strikes first blood!
The bull rips off one of Free Shipping's front forks.
[Chris] Oh, Daniel Freitas just is going to try
to chew on some tires.
One of his specialties.
Free Shipping backpedaling.
Now gets popped in the air, but lands on all fours.
[Kenny] Gary Gin with some tremendous defensive
driving there, Chris.
[Chris] Now he has Minotaur spun around,
drives it into the corner.
Gary Gin says you're not the only one
that can play the bully, Daniel Freitas.
Come on.
[Kenny] Well, look at those gyroscopic gymnastics by Daniel.
He's not here to be pushed around.
Minotaur back on the attack.
[speaking Portuguese]
[Chris] Free Shipping trying to stay squared up.
[Kenny] Gary Gin struggling a little bit though,
that tire already showing effects.
It's about to fall off.
It looks like.
[Chris] Can Free Shipping hold off the assault
by Minotaur and hold that on all four wheels?
[Kenny] Oh, he'll drive with that thing on fire.
No wheels, doesn't matter.
[Chris] Minotaur scoring with the polarizer
and connects on a nifty one, two combo
that lifts Free Shipping into the air.
[Kenny] Minotaur are just so low to the ground, Chris.
Consistently getting underneath.
Gary Gin and Free Shipping.
[Chris] Free Shipping with a more offensive mindset this season.
But Minotaur has put him squarely on the defensive here
in this bash, very impressive.
[Kenny] Daniel Freitas is relentless, cooking up a robot sandwich.
[Chris] Yummy.
[Kenny] Look at that drive for Gary Gin.
[Chris] Oh, and there it is.
Minotaur's done it.
Stripped the right front tire, right up a Free Shipping.
And now Free Shipping tucked into this short corner,
kind of like a wounded animal, Kenny Florian.
[Kenny] Gary staring down at his controller, confused,
Free Shipping may be stuck up against the side of the box.
And this could be it.
[Chris] The countdown has started.
Gary Gin doing all he can,
but Free Shipping simply cannot move.
[buzzer blaring]
[Chris] Minotaur improves to 2-0.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Kenny, this is why so many people love Gary Gin.
He sees Minotaur and he can't wait to go
meet him nose to nose.
[Kenny] Yeah.
The new look Free Shipping is swinging a big stick this season.
Just got outgunned in this one.
[Chris] Minotaur stayed grounded
with some Brazilian ballet moves and dished out
some impressive combinations.
[Kenny] Daniel Freitas is a surgeon.
The way he can attack, the angles he creates.
He picked off that front fork and from there, I mean,
Gary Gin was in big trouble.
[Chris] Daniel Freitas went tire hunting
and he stripped one loose.
The shipping may be free,
but those packages are arriving late.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Marco.
Oh, yeah.
Hi, Marco.
Hi.
Your driver, Daniel Freitas is relentless, isn't he?
Oh, yeah.
That was the driving duel.
You know, these guys have been fighting each other for, like,
13 years or so, they're heavyweights.
So they know each other very well.
It's going to be... it was going to be a very tough fight.
- I knew that. - All right.
I want to include Daniel Freitas in this one.
- Daniel. - Hello.
- Congratulations. - Thank you.
How much fun is it driving against a guy like Gary Gin?
Ugh, I fight for Gary since 2007 maybe.
- [Chris] Wow. - A long time, long time.
We have a great history.
The Gary for me, the, the great driver that won
the, the big driver for the world.
And it's very satisfactory
for me fight with this guy.
[Chris] Well, Daniel and Marco,
congratulations to you and Team Minotaur.
- Parabens. - Thanks.
Obrigada.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
Kenny, this is why we love BattleBots.
That was a clash of two absolute warriors.
[Kenny] Yeah, Daniel and Gary are fearless on the sticks.
Minotaur's drum was the clear difference maker.
[Chris] Well, the drum may just meet its match
in the form of Cobalt's disk spinner,
explosive third fight on deck for Minotaur.
And as for Gary Gin, this is a loss
he'll begrudgingly accept.
[Kenny] No question.
He hung in there with one of the best
in the sport in Minotaur.
All right. Next up, these guys are animals.
Will the frog get the jump on the snake
in the battle of the pond?
It is Claw Viper against Ribbot,
when we come back here onBattleBots.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
This is BattleBots World Championship VII.
Do you have your track shoes on right now?
I don't know, why?
I would change into them.
You're going to need them to keep up with our next contestant.
That would be the one and only Claw Viper
anchored by Kevin Milczewski.
You know, this is one of those bots
that's been around the last few seasons,
and they've kind of been, "meh," as the kids like to say.
But in its season opener, we went,
"What the heck is that thing out there?"
[Kenny] Claw Viper wasn't just fast.
It was put it in the Superman versus Flash debate fast,
but the improvements to its grabbing arm could take it from,
"meh to miraculous."
We saw flashes of dominant control
in its first fight, lifted the rookie Ominous up
and held it like a scene fromDirty Dancing. Speed and control.
That's a wicked combo.
But again, this is a totally different challenge in Ribbot.
[Chris] Ribbot, of course, the number two seed
in last season's tournament,
an intimidating machine and a major competitive step up for Claw Viper.
Although in fight number one Ribbot
took a serious beating from fellow green meanie Witch Doctor.
But Kenny, this is an experienced squad
led by David Jin that knows how to win.
[Kenny] Well, when you look at Ribbot's schedule,
Witch Doctor was far and away their toughest matchup.
And even with that loss, the career record is an impressive 13 and 7.
This team expected some adversity
after revamping their weapon motor in the off season,
but they love this new Ribbot, warts and all.
They've dealt with coming back and making adjustments before.
This is a very good team.
It should be a good match up.
Ribbot and Claw Viper.
Faruq, it's all yours.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
In the Red Square from Seattle, Washington.
He's about to slither in this BattleBox
and raven claw your eyes out.
But it's not magic.
It's science.
It's Claw Viper!
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Kevin Milczewski doing his thing.
And I guarantee you, this is the slowest Claw Viper will move all night.
[Kenny] Yeah.
If you blink during this fight,
it will look like Claw Viper's teleporting.
This robot is so well armored on the front and side.
That does leave them vulnerable in the back.
But good luck getting there.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
In the blue square from Worcester, Massachusetts,
the amphibian that will beat you into oblivion.
It's Ribbot!
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] David Jin, leading his team through the tunnel.
Oh, feeling a little froggy today.
Ribbot certainly capable of going vertical
or horizontal with their weapon.
Second straight fight with the vert, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, it only takes four bolts for them to swap weapons.
Always a bit of gamesmanship in the pits from Ribbot.
They leave teams guessing, this disc is 35 pounds
looking to punch Claw Viper in the fang.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
We increase the magnetic downforce,
the Claw Viper has four times over the last year,
so it's got the same motors,
but it's able to actually make use of them this year.
We're not just skidding out, we're actually going forward
a heck of a lot harder this year.
If we let them get control and start delivering hits to us,
we're in deep trouble.
We just watched them fight Ominous,
and that was one of the craziest fights we've ever seen.
It'll definitely be a challenge,
as a driver trying to keep up with something that quick.
We're definitely going to have to focus on
keeping ourselves pointed
and trying to show as much aggression as possible.
Although we fully expect Claw Viper to initiate all the engagements.
[robotic voice] Robots activate.
[Chris] Kenny, what is Claw Viper's strategy in this one?
[Kenny] Well, David Jin won't be surprised by Claw Viper's speed.
So that lifter will need to impact this fight.
Got to use it to disorient Ribbot.
Take it into the hazards and score some points.
All right.
[Chris] And you got to believe here
Ribbot has the weapon advantage.
[Kenny] No question that disc can tear
Claw Viper's lifter to shreds,
if Kevin leaves it exposed and one solid shot
from Ribbot's vertical could end this fight.
[robotic voice] Red team, ready?
Let's go.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[robotic voice] Blue team, ready?
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[chanting] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[Chris] Let the bots battle.
Before I can even get the word out begin.
There goes Claw Viper.
[Kenny] Yeah, there's that speed.
There's that box rush, Claw Viper looking for bite,
Ribbot's weapon is fully spun up.
Kevin Milczewski has to be careful with the placement here.
[Chris] Yeah. Ribbot.
- Oh, look at that. - [Kenny] Wow.
That is incredible!
[Chris] Whoa!
It was awesome, and so was that, by the way.
[Kenny] Yeah. Ribbot threatening to come back, that was a big hit.
[Chris] Nice job by Claw Viper to right itself
and square back up.
[Kenny] Claw Viper is fast, but is it durable?
Is it durable enough to take those huge hits from Ribbot?
Stay down! Stay down!
[Chris] Oh, no. Is Ribbot stuck in the corner now?
[Kenny] Oh, it might be.
[Chris] Oh, that is a huge problem.
Oh, he got loose.
How's his mobility is the question.
[Kenny] Not great. It's still moving, though.
[Chris] Yeah.
[Kenny] Claw Viper's going to have to go in for the kill at some point.
[Chris] And by the way, crab walking.
That is the way to move this season.
You won't get counted out as long as you're moving and all.
[Kenny] That left side of Ribbot's drive is compromised, Chris.
Can Claw Viper take advantage?
[Chris] Now, let's remember, Claw Viper can't just sit back.
He's not doing anything.
[Chris] Even if Ribbot isn't moving great.
[Kenny] Ribbot reengages.
[Chris] And here's Claw Viper right back in there,
- face first into Ribbot. - [Kenny] Yeah.
I don't know why Claw Viper's going right into that
active weapon of Ribbot's.
[Chris] Kevin Milczewski may have a death wish or something,
but with exchanges like this, Claw Viper forcing the judges
to take notice, at least in the aggression category.
More than halfway through this one.
[Kenny] Oh.
[Chris] It's been a back and forth brawl
with both teams dishing out serious damage,
Claw Viper a huge underdog in this one,
has put itself in position to pull off a serious upset.
[Kenny] Can it put Ribbot away?
Oh, look at this.
[Chris] Oh, the reverse suplex.
I like that one.
[Kenny] Oh, wow.
[Chris] Oh.
Oh, man.
Try to run right into the upper neck.
[Kenny] This is brilliant stuff here from Kevin Milczewski.
[Chris] Oh!
[Kenny] Ribbot inverted now,
but still has an active weapon, Chris.
Kevin doesn't seem to care, Claw Viper
going right at the claw.
[Chris] There's another shot.
And has that weapon started to slow, has Kevin broken it?
[Kenny] Claw Viper having its way
with last season's number two Tournament-C.
[Chris] Unbelievable, under 40 to go.
[Kenny] I have never seen another team
like Claw Viper use speed as a weapon like they have.
[Chris] And now feeding them into the screws.
[Kenny] These are two tough robots, Chris.
But the fact that it's Ribbot and not Claw Viper
that's lost its weapon here
after all of these exchanges is absolutely crazy.
No one saw this coming.
[Chris] A breathtaking display of speed and power here
from Claw Viper,
who's come out of nowhere this season
to put the entire field on notice.
Oh, wow, that's the way you finish up strong.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
- [Chris] Kevin Milczewski and Claw Viper. - [Kenny] What a fight.
[Chris] Putting on a show for the judges,
Derek Young, Lisa Winter, and Fon Davis.
They're going to be scoring this fight on an 11 point system.
Five points could be awarded for damage.
Three a piece for aggression and control.
Well, Kenny, I have an idea who is more aggressive.
[Kenny] Claw Viper was all over that BattleBox,
and he had Ribbot attached to him.
He was picking him up.
He was driving him all over the BattleBox
and ramming him into the sides repeatedly.
Boom!
[Chris] Put Ribbot in a BabyBjorn here,
turn the frog into a tadpole.
That new lifter working to perfection for Claw Viper.
But listen, let's give Ribbot some credit,
in terms of durability.
You know, there's a lot of bots
that would have died out there.
This one did not.
[Kenny] No, Ribbot is tough.
We knew that, landed a few nice shots,
but Kevin Milczewski was racking up points in every category.
Claw Viper came out of nowhere.
What a surprise.
[Chris] Faruq has the decision.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
The results from the judges are in.
[indistinct chatter]
The winner by unanimous decision is,
Claw Viper!
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Kevin] Well done, David.
[bleep] hell of a drive too. Hell of a drive.
Kevin Milczewski, how fast is that heart beating right now?
Oh, too fast. Oh.
Yeah. Speed kills for sure, man.
But also, you got a very powerful lifter as well.
That grabber was on point.
Yeah, it's working great this year.
We put that strap on it,
and I can now hold people up
and carry them whenever I want.
It's too much fun.
I want to do it again.
[Kenny] Kevin, How far can how far can Claw Viper go this season?
We won the top 32,
from there we'll make, we'll make do from there.
We won the top 32.
Kevin, congratulations.
You're doing your thing, 2-0.
Thank you. Whoo!
Great fight.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Kenny, you said it, speed kills.
I mean, I don't know if I've ever seen a bot
more improved from one season to the next than Claw Viper.
Yeah, and again, it seems like everything revolves around that.
So now you have to adjust your whole style,
all your strategy around that one thing, speed.
[Chris] And if you're David Jin,
I mean, Ribbot is a very good robot,
but you're staring at a record of 0-2 so far.
Where do you go from here?
[Kenny] Well, earlier we said Witch Doctor was the toughest
on their schedule, but Claw Viper is obviously
much better than we anticipated.
So I think David could deal with these two losses.
Even so, that upcoming match
with Jackpot is verging on a must win.
[Chris] All right.
Coming up, can the knight of the old guard
Donald Hutson and Lock-Jaw deliver a generational beatdown
on the prince of pain,
Jamison Go and SawBlaze?
Find out next on BattleBots.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
We continue on here on BattleBots
with a pair of veterans squaring off
for the very first time.
Jamison Go and Donald Hutson are both revving up
their bots for war inside the box.
But before we dive into that match up,
we've got eyes back in the pits
and there's a look at one half of tonight's main event.
MaDCatTer led by the king of all Cats, Professor Martin Mason.
Now, Kenny, we understand there's a bit of tension in the air
when you talk about MaDCatTer and his opponent tonight, Riptide.
[Kenny] That's right.
MaDCatTer's driver, Calvin Iba has won multiple titles
in the lower weight divisions of robot combat using his bot Lynx.
It's got almost a 90% career win rate,
one of the most dominant beetleweights in history.
Calvin feels that Team Riptide borrowed his design,
scaled it up to the heavyweight division.
There's a tradition in robot combat
of testing a design at the lower weights,
proving its viability and then scaling it up
to the heavyweight division.
There's a sense that Team Riptide
sort of cut the line,
whether that's true or not, bad blood fuels the fight.
[Chris] You know, every sport has its unwritten rules.
The MaDCatTer squad feels like
Ethan and Team Riptide broke a big one.
Either way, this main event could get nasty.
But right now, we've got Lock-Jaw versus SawBlaze.
Let's talk a little bit about Donald Hutson,
had a rough World Championship VI, over.
Didn't get a single win.
Well, he's already surpassed that in one match this year.
And good to see a smile back on Donald's face.
[Kenny] Donald feels 100% ready to take the fight
to all the young talent here in World Championship VII.
Talking about young talent, Jamison Go, he's got it.
He might be one of the favorites to win the entire thing.
[Kenny] No question about it.
Seems like every season he gets closer and closer to that goal.
That goal, of course, winning the Giant Nut.
He has a tremendous robot.
[Chris] Knocked off HyperShock in his first round match.
Let's see what he does against the legend.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] The teams are in position
and ready to throw down.
Let's get it on.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Kenny, we talked to Donald Hutson earlier today.
He said he is forgoing the ground game in this.
[Kenny] Yeah, that's right.
You know, he wants to utilize that weight
for front and top armor.
His goal is to try to tear up the front end of SawBlaze.
And there's Screw Job.
This is only the second time Lock-Jaw has sacrificed
some weight in favor of a mini bot here atBattleBots.
Looking to get underneath SawBlaze
and cause some headaches for Jamison Go.
[robotic voice] Blue team, ready?
Ready guys?
[Chris] Jamison Go at the top of his game right now.
Hit HyperShock so hard that Will Bales had to cut a hole
in his robot to remove the hammer saw.
And this team makes its money controlling the action.
[Kenny] That's right and he wants to get underneath
Lock-Jaw, try to scoop him up.
He also wants to try to attack those wheels.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[chanting] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[Chris] Let the bot battle begin.
Oh, SawBlaze with an all-out blitz.
All gas, no brakes to start this one.
Now he's got Donald Hutson, rams him right into the screw, oh,
and lands a nice shot into Lock-Jaw's underbelly.
[Kenny] Jamison's got him pinned, Chris.
[Chris] Oh, man.
[Kenny] I'm having flashbacks to the HyperShock fight!
[Chris] Here's Lock-Jaw grinding away now.
But SawBlaze... Whoa!
I've got another set of the screws
I'd like you to meet.
[Kenny] SawBlaze is overpowering Lock-Jaw,
but Lock-Jaw's still in this fight, Chris.
[Chris] Oh, there goes the mini bot.
Now, Jamison Go finally give it Lock-Jaw
a chance to breathe.
I think Donald Hutson's got to figure out a way
to get back right side up.
[Kenny] Yeah, while he can drive inverted,
that weapon is much more effective
when it's spinning up toward the ceiling.
Right now, it's striking down,
making it hard to do anything against that plow.
[Chris] Well, there you go.
Lock-Jaw is back on its feet.
Still two minutes left for Donald to turn it around.
Oh, SawBlaze has his feet up.
Backs off and now Lock-Jaw continues to eat away
at the sides of that massive plow.
[Kenny] He's starting to wear down one side.
- [Chris] Whoa! - [Kenny] Oh.
[Chris] Huge shot there and Lock-Jaw might be
in a precarious position.
Donald Hutson's trying to get his bot to move,
but it's not budging, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, that back left wheel is spinning,
but it's got nothing to hold on to.
[referee] Ten, nine...
[Chris] Well there is the countdown.
Jamison Go traps the mini bot in.
Don't even think about helping the big boy out.
And just like that SawBlaze moves to 2-0,
with two incredibly dominant performances.
[Kenny] Jamison Go is a man on a mission.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Well, Jamison Go
aggressive from the onset, as always.
[Kenny] Yeah.
I mean, this was a fun fight, Chris.
You see him get Lock-Jaw inverted.
Taking him for a ride around the BattleBox,
introducing him to the screws there.
Just so powerful.
[Chris] Yeah, He got Lock-Jaw right up on the rails there.
Then he went to work with the hammer saw.
Really showing him no mercy whatsoever.
[Kenny] Yeah.
Donald Hutson had some success eating away
at SawBlaze's plow,
but there was such a clear difference
in the speed of these two robots.
Chris, Lock-Jaw couldn't get around to the sides of SawBlaze.
A dominant performance by Jamison Go.
[Chris] SawBlaze is 2-0.
This is not a team you want to see come tournament time.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
We're going to run out of nozzles at this point.
[Chris] Jamison Go.
Congratulations.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
Jamison, you've been in the fight game
for an awfully long time, but how much fun is it
fighting a guy like Donald Hutson
for the first time ever?
Oh, incredibly fun.
We had a lot of great conversations before the match started.
There's nothing but smiles.
And I'm so nervous.
- I'm shaking right now. - Why are you nervous?
Oh,
because I love robot fighting, you know,
you guys love robot fighting, too, right?
[crowd cheering and applauding]
Dude, I think you've got the adrenaline
pumping through your veins.
I have a feeling you would like to skip
your last two regular season fights
in just advance to the round of 32 right now, huh?
It's always the goal with SawBlaze.
We just want to get into that tournament.
Try not to burn too many spares.
I know that my flamethrower guy
is really unhappy with me right now.
All right, well, Skorpios and Hydra
still ahead on your regular season schedule.
We'll look forward to those fights and much, much more.
Congrats.
Thank you very much.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[indistinct chatter]
[Chris] Kenny, I have no idea
what's going to stop Jamison Go and SawBlaze this season.
I don't see much.
[Kenny] They're really just amazing right now.
Again, his driving is on point.
He's shown that he's durable.
He's hitting extremely hard with that hammer saw,
he's getting underneath everybody.
Should I keep going on?
- No. - No.
[Chris] SawBlaze has a good chance
to lock up a tournament spot
with a win over Skorpios in its next fight.
And as for Donald Hutson,
which Glitch is he going to get?
[Kenny] That'll be a crucial fight for both squads.
We know Donald will have Lock-Jaw ready.
Can't say the same for Kyle Miller and Glitch.
[Chris] All right.
Coming up, can Aren Hill and his flywheel flipper Blip
step out of the enormous shadow of HUGE
and emerge with its first win?
Or will Jonathan Schultz keep the good times
rolling on its oversized wheels?
We'll find out next here onBattleBots.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] We are back here on BattleBots.
That is Kenny Florian.
I am Chris Rose.
We are super excited for this next fight
because HUGE has rediscovered its mojo.
Took it to Shatter!
in its opening fight and rode that
upgraded weapon system
all the way to a knockout.
Showing us this brand new version of HUGE
is one to be reckoned with.
[Kenny] Yeah, no question about it.
That weapon was hitting very fast and hard,
but even more impressive was its durability, its reliability.
There's still plenty of season to go,
but when that bar spinner stays active,
it elevates HUGE into a legit contender.
[Chris] He will take on Blip,
of course, commanded by Aren Hill.
They lost their season opener,
a tough one against End Game,
which might be the bot to beat this season.
[Kenny] Yeah.
Listen, no shame in losing to End Game,
especially going the distance, still Blip took a beating.
The teams put in some long hours back in the pits.
They don't want their hard work undone
by HUGE's bar spinner.
Aren needs to put that flipper to work
and keep HUGE airborne.
Or he might be staring down the barrel of 0-2.
Buckle up for safety on this one, Faruq.
In the red square, from Mountain View, California.
He's black and blue, but you're about to be, too.
It's Blip!
[Chris] Aren Hill rolling out there with Blip.
Hey, they did a pretty good job rebuilding that bad boy.
- Huh? - [Kenny] Yeah, it looks fantastic.
Looks like you got some extra armor there on the top.
He's attached what he calls,
fingers to the front of Blip there,
those black rails riding across the front of that wedge.
Aren says he's willing to eat
some shots to jam up HUGE's weapon.
He wants to hook those big tires
with the fingers and fire off
as many flips as possible.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Faruq] In the blue square, from South Windsor, Connecticut.
I'm about to say something I've heard many times before.
Its HUGE!
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Oh, Faruq, it is HUGE.
You are right about that, staring us down.
Looking mean.
Showed off a lot of power in that fight with Shatter!, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, Blip is much more compact,
so might be tough to land a critical shot.
They're going with their 36 inch blade for maximum reach.
We're going to be a super well armored brick
that drives really good and optimized for facing other more normal robots.
Obviously that presents a problem
when HUGE comes up,
that spinning bar's nasty and gets up to speed real fast.
I'm planning on getting under
and stopping that weapon
and we've got enough attachment on the front of it
in order to be able to either hook wheels,
stab into wheel and get flips going.
So we're hoping to be able to get underneath
and either flip one's wheel or flip the other wheel.
But just like I would say,
popcorn machine underneath them.
This is, the yappy little Chihuahua, if you will.
I mean, it's been like years since we were 1-0.
We're always showing up with something halfway there,
something working a little bit.
And this is the year we showed up
and it was all coming together.
Blip is an interesting robot,
primarily because of the team behind it.
They're one of the most prepared teams who are here at BattleBots.
We know that they're desperate
and the most dangerous opponent is someone
who's desperate and they know that
they need to win this fight and they're going to do
anything it takes to win it.
And so we're preparing for anything.
Right now, we're just set up to survive those falls,
land softly, go on the offensive again.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[chanting] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[Chris] You heard it from Jonathan.
He knows Team Blip is desperate to avoid an 0-2 start.
He's bracing for liftoff, and so are we.
Let the bot battle begin.
Blip, trying to get to the side.
Lift it up and HUGE takes the shot
with that asymmetrical blade.
[Kenny] Yeah.
Aren knows he's going to have to eat a few shots
if he wants to get in close enough to flip HUGE.
[Chris] Oh.
Big shot by HUGE.
Blip takes it on the chin and another pop,
Blip shakes that one off, too.
[Kenny] Oh.
[Chris] Oh, there's a nice flip by Aren Hill.
HUGE with a counter shot, and Blip
up against a giant again, back and forth action here.
[Kenny] Aren doing a nice job of keeping HUGE off balance.
[Chris] Oh.
[Kenny] Good shot there. Huge landing at a high clip.
How many of these big shots can Blip afford to take?
[Chris] Man, it must be so difficult to get the...
Oh, that's a nice maneuver.
Is that blade stuck in Blip's face?
Yeah!
[Kenny] Oh, no. Oh, no.
[Chris] HUGE trying to feed Blip in to the upper deck.
Oh, man.
[Kenny] That blade is stuck in the top of Blip.
[Chris] Shades and SawBlaze versus HyperShock
from earlier this season.
This is nasty.
[Kenny] It's going to be hard to swing that blade
with a 250lb robot attached to it.
[Chris] Let's see how strong your asymmetrical blade is.
[whistle] All right, guys, time out.
Time out.
Listen up, teams, listen up.
We got two robots that are stuck together here.
We're going to try to separate them.
If not, it goes to the judges, and it's a judge's decision.
[Chris] All right.
So the bar spinner of HUGE is absolutely buried in Blip's skull.
You know the drill now?
Our crew's going to work separate these two.
Then we'll throw them right back into the fray.
That's when we return onBattleBots.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] We are back onBattleBots.
Where our safety crew has just pried HUGE's bar
spinner out of Blip's noggin.
That was pretty impressive work.
[Kenny] Yeah.
Jonathan lined up Blip beautifully
and cut right into the hull.
We've never seen power like this HUGE.
[Chris] The drivers are reset.
We've still got plenty of fight left.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[chanting] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[Chris] Let the bot battle resume.
HUGE gets that asymmetrical bar back up to speed.
Blip picks up right where it left off,
getting underneath HUGE.
Let's see, if Aren Hill can get that flipper back in the mix.
[Kenny] Aren has been getting up close and personal with that blade.
HUGE's doing a good job of pointing out weapon out at all time.
Nice shot there.
[Chris] Blip keeping the pressure on,
continues to go straight at that weapon.
[Kenny] Oh, that's a big shot.
[Chris] No light from that clipper since the unstick,
Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, that shot to the face
may have just taken it out.
We'll see.
This was a very close fight before that stoppage.
But Blip could be behind the eight ball now.
[Chris] One minute remaining.
The weapon of HUGE still going strong,
Blip may have to break it
if it wants to even the scorecard.
Oh, another big shot from HUGE.
That one bent one of those front fingers on Blip.
Stop running away.
Stop chasing.
[Kenny] Aren Hill with some elite driving here
using Blip's speeds and corral HUGE
and control the action.
But without an active weapon,
he is fighting from behind Chris,
and he is running out of time to turn the tide.
I don't know what that means, but it's something.
[Chris] Whoa!
Bot parts flying, here's Blip pushing HUGE into the screws.
Kind of a dangerous spot for the big boy, but HUGE slips away.
Dicey moment there for Jonathan Schultz.
[Kenny] Oh, Blip takes it nasty,
one, two combination from the Killsaws then HUGE.
[Chris] Aren Hill trying to make one last push
but this one will go the distance.
Nonstop action and unsticking and two teams
giving it everything they got
in this fight, it had it all.
Enough guys.
[Chris] And now it's up to our judges to declare a winner.
[Jonathan] That was good fight.
That was a good fight.
[Chris] What a match up, Kenny.
It felt like Blip dictated the pace,
but had to eat a ton of shots to do it.
None bigger than this smash that resulted in the stick.
[Kenny] Yeah.
Once again, HUGE showing off
impressive power and reliability.
And as we saw after the separation,
Blip's weapon couldn't stand up to the punishment.
[Chris] And without its active weapon
Blip was fighting from behind
and HUGE started to pour it on.
[Kenny] Yeah, but Aren Hill was fearless out there
even with HUGE sending one of Blip's fingers flying at his face.
Aren went full Kobe Bryant, didn't even flinch.
[Chris] Two warriors treating the fans
to a full three minutes of action.
It's a shame one has to lose.
Here's Faruq.
The results from the judges are in.
The winner by unanimous decision is,
HUGE!
[crowd cheering and applauding]
That was awesome.
[Chris] Jonathan Schultz. Congratulations.
A rebuilt HUGE, now 2-0.
You're all smiles.
How great are you feeling?
I mean, like, what a set of teams for us to beat.
Shatter! and Blip, off the bat?
You know, we've had the up and downs
of the last couple of years and to actually, like,
we're taking it to top robots here.
You know, this isn't just anybody.
I feel so amazing with how things are going so far.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] John, it was kind of like
dealing with a mosquito out there.
Blip was kind of just all over you.
You're trying to swat it away, you know.
Were you a little nervous when it went to the judges?
I was, absolutely.
But I definitely credit a lot of it
to just about halfway through the fight,
we chose to start spinning downwards.
Instead, we went right through the top.
I got my first pin.
I took someone to the shelf.
We've never done that before.
But just I think that that versatility really led us
to the victory and the fight, and we're all really prepared.
We showed up with a robot that works and kicks ass
and it's just the strengths we've always had,
weaknesses smoothed over.
It's always had this potential.
Jonathan, congratulations.
Thank you very much.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Kenny,
I am so happy for Jonathan Schultz and HUGE, aren't you?
[Kenny] I'm very happy for him.
You know, they've been struggling the last couple of seasons.
They are now undefeated against very good robots.
[Chris] They've got Reese Ewert's Fusion up next.
And a chance to all but lock up a spot
in the World Championship Tournament.
On the other side of the ledger, you've got Blip at 0-2.
They're now set to face their sister team Tantrum next,
who sit at 0-1.
A little trouble in paradise brewing.
That's going to be a must watch.
Coming up next, it's a battle between
science and sorcery as Fusion
mixes it up with the Voodoo Queen herself,
Witch Doctor.
These are two of the most powerful robots
in the sport, coming off of opening fight victories.
But the road to 2-0 runs through each other.
You do not want to miss this one.
More BattleBots, right around the corner.
We continue on here on BattleBots.
That's Kenny Florian, I am Chris Rose.
And up next, Fusion taking on Witch Doctor
and the husband and wife,
tandem of Andrea and Mike Gellatly
told us before the season,
they did a total rebuild of their robot.
They said this is the most blind
we are going into this season.
We don't know how it's going to react.
Go ask Ribbot how it did
because Witch Doctor really took it to that frog.
[Kenny] Yeah, no question about it.
They gained a lot of power switching
to a brushless weapon motor.
More technical issues tend to pop up
with brushless motors,
but when you're a two time runner up for the Giant Nut,
a little risk might be what's needed to bring home the title.
Clearly, they're doing the right thing.
Uh, they better keep their distance at times
against tonight's opponent in Fusion
because that thing can catch on fire just about any time.
Remember, it was a Fusion inferno
in fight number one, but still managed to get the win.
That's almost, I want to stress,
almost put a smile on Reese Ewert's face.
[Kenny] Yeah, No one quite like Reese.
This team is known for its dual weapons setup,
and they'll need both operating at full capacity
to take down one of the top robots
in the world in Witch Doctor.
Somebody is moving at 2-0.
Let's find out which bot it is.
Faruq.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
In the red square, from Miami Springs, Florida.
She's here to write you a prescription,
200 milligrams of pick your aspirin.
It's Witch Doctor!
[Chris] Witch Doctor twice a runner up for the Giant Nut,
also a runner up last season in the Golden Bolt.
He's got that nifty little plow in front
and it's got a specific strategy.
[Kenny] Yeah, that's right.
Well, first of all, they've never faced a bot like Fusion before,
but they do suspect that the horizontal spinner
is what's causing those fires.
They're going to try to attack it with that wedge.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
In the blue square from Dorchester, Wisconsin.
His dual direction weapons are the most lethal pairing
since the combination Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.
Give it up for Fusion!
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] How nice would it be for Reese Ewert to get off
to a 2-0 start this season?
There he is pushing in Fusion,
two weapons one Reese, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, that's right.
And what's interesting is typically
he uses his vertical spinner as a defensive tool.
He says he's switching things around this time here
against Witch Doctor.
He's going to use his vertical spinner
as an offensive tool here.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
They actually have a vertical and horizontal in one robot.
We have the whole three minutes to knock them out.
We don't have to get it done in the first 30 seconds.
Well, time is on our side
because they have been known to catch fire
before the end of the match.
The goal is to get them to catch fire,
get that knockout and get out.
I'm gonna attack with my vert and hopefully hit them
while they're upside down and take off their drive or some component.
Mike's a good driver.
He's going to try running circles around me.
I'm going to have to stay steady and hold my ground.
[robotic voice] Robots activate.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] All right, Reese coming off an opening fight win.
But, Kenny, that darn Fusion caught on fire yet again.
[Kenny] Yeah. Whatever it is.
Speed controllers, weapon motors or just a flawed design.
It's the one thing truly holding Fusion back from contention.
[Chris] I'm sure a few fiery incantations
are being muttered over there by team Witch Doctor.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[chanting] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[Chris] The prolific Witch Doctor,
the dual threat Fusion.
Three powerful weapons ready to rumble.
Let the bot battle begin.
There's the hum of Fusion vertical firing up.
Oh, he draws first blood and sends Witch Doctor head over heels.
[Kenny] Looks like it damaged that front wedge there on Witch Doctor.
[Chris] No question. Oh, wow.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
[Kenny] Oh man.
[Chris] Reese Ewert has come out swinging.
[Kenny] Fusion off to a great start.
But are they durable enough here against Witch Doctor?
[Chris] Mike Gellatly circling now,
perhaps reconsidering going a weapon to weapon
with Fusion after those first exchanges.
Reese Ewert still tracking him.
Oh!
[Kenny] Another nice shot.
Whoa.
Reese said he was going to be aggressive with the vert,
and he is doing just that, Chris.
[Chris] Witch Doctor pushing back.
- [Kenny] Whoa! - [Chris] Huge shot.
That's it.
Fusion flying and may have knocked out
the vertical spinner.
Oh, boy.
Now, Witch Doctor and Mike Gellatly on the attack.
[Kenny] Oh.
[Chris] They've already taken down the vert.
Now going for the horizontal.
Big shot there.
[Kenny] Mike Gellatly, so skilled at playing the angles,
won't be rattled by this slow start.
He is as good as it gets at making adjustments on the fly, Chris.
[Chris] Fusion has that horizontal spinner working.
The vertical still out of commission, though.
Whoa!
Another huge shot.
Wow.
Now there's the 140 mark.
- Still no smoke. - [Kenny] Wow.
A jaw coming off of Witch Doctor.
[Chris] Yeah, bit by bit.
We're getting to see more and more of the innards
of the Witch Doctor.
[Kenny] And they are very exposed.
It is amazing
how hard Fusion can hit.
[Chris] And it looks like Fusion may have taken out
Witch Doctor's primary weapon.
Oh, now it strips off the left front tire, Kenny.
Wow.
Yep, that's a real problem.
Just kind of bouncing around the floor.
[Kenny] The last third of this fight
is going to come down to durability, Chris.
Who can stay functional down the stretch?
Oh! Huge shot.
[Chris] Nice shot there from Witch Doctor.
And uh-oh, now Fusion's inverted.
[Kenny] And a plume of smoke just popped
out of the back of the Fusion as well, Chris.
[Chris] Oh, that could spell disaster.
Fusion looking to be breaking down here.
[Andrea] Hammer be ready. Hammer be ready.
[Kenny] Durability, reliability has been an issue.
Look at this.
- Fusion. - [Chris] The horizontal spinner is alive, Kenny.
[Kenny] And they're not on fire, Chris.
[Chris] Can Fusion make it to the closing bell?
Witch Doctor continues to apply pressure.
[Kenny] Michael Gellatly trying to break that
horizontal spinner for good.
Is Fusion running out of gas here,
at the finish line?
[Chris] Under 30 to go with this one.
Is Fusion even moving at this point?
[Kenny] Mike has it pinned here.
No signs of life from Fusion.
And the judges are going to take note
as this fight draws to a close.
[Chris] Witch Doctor releases
and there's a little bit of a crab walk from Fusion,
just gasping for air as the final seconds
now tick way.
This one will end up going to the judges.
A fun filled explosive fight between two durable bots
in Fusion and Witch Doctor.
I got to tell you,
the judges have their work cut out for them
because there was some serious damage
dished out by both robots in this one.
Kenny Florian.
[Kenny] Yeah, but it was Fusion landing
the highlight shots early on, just tore up
the front end, of Witch Doctor.
[Chris] You know, Reese definitely came out blazing.
And no, I don't mean his bot this time,
but Witch Doctor punched back, landed some nice combinations
and eventually broke Fusion's vert.
[Kenny] But here's the beauty of the two weapon design.
Reese used the horizontal to go back on the attack.
He broke, Witch Doctor's weapon,
then stripped off half the wedge and a wheel.
[Chris] Both bots made strong cases
for the control and aggression category,
but Fusion had to be ahead on damage at that point, Kenny.
There were Witch Doctor parts all over the BattleBox.
[Kenny] Yeah, but Witch Doctor never stopped moving forward.
Michael Gellatly was excellent,
even on three wheels.
And this last shot that toppled Fusion
could leave a lasting impression
with the judges.
[Chris] This was an absolute brawl.
If it ended 20 seconds earlier, maybe it's a win for Fusion.
20 seconds later, perhaps Reese's bot gets knocked out.
Can't wait to see how the judges rule this one.
Let's send it on over to my man, Faruq.
The results from the judges are in.
We have a split decision.
Judge Fon scored the battle for Witch Doctor.
Judge Lisa scored the battle for Fusion.
Judge Derek scored the battle for the winner.
Witch Doctor!
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] Okay, with the first split decision of the season.
Let's bring you up to speed on a brand new rule.
Competitors now have the option to appeal a decision
and have the judges watch back the fight with every available camera angle
for potential re-scoring.
[Kenny] That's right.
And if your appeal is unsuccessful,
you can't make any more for the remainder of the season.
So despite the post-fight rush these teams experience,
they need to weigh their options carefully.
It'll be interesting to see if Reese wants to take another look at this result.
[Chris] Witch Doctor, congratulations.
Andrea, that is not the way your robot entered the arena.
The way it looks now, right?
Yeah.
I mean, the last time we fought a horizontal spinner
was all the way back in 2019,
and it was a win over Tombstone
and he didn't do that much damage.
So huge props to Fusion and what they've done,
not just with the horizontal, but with two weapons.
That was an incredible fight.
Yeah.
And about that, you guys have never faced another robot
with two weapons like that.
What did you learn?
Uh. [exhales]
So, we were really trying to go after Fusion's
horizontal weapon, not really into their vert, which of course,
didn't work out at the beginning there.
They got a couple of hits on us.
But I know their strategy, I'm sure,
was to keep their vertical spinner pointed at us.
Andrea, it was a split decision.
What do you think was the difference here
in the judges' eyes?
Honestly, I think it was mobility at the end of the match,
like both robots dish such big hits.
But at the end of the day,
damage is key and if you lose full drive,
I think that just counts heavily.
But, you know, I'm not going to hide the fact
that we took a lot of damage as well.
Yeah, I don't think you have to hide it.
By the way, we could see all the damage out there.
Andrea and Mike and Team Witch Doctor, congratulations.
You're off to a 2-0 start.
- Thank you. - Thanks.
Man, awesome fight.
That was insane.
Reese, that was a really close fight, man.
And you did it against one of the best teams in the world.
Is this appeal worthy in your opinion?
Oh, I don't know.
I guess I'll trust you, trust the judges on this one.
But I always vote for myself, so.
Now, the nice thing is you didn't catch on fire.
- I was... - Exactly.
- Did you see that? - I did.
- You seeing that? - I did.
No fire, three minute match.
I think we're improving.
Reese, I know you're a little happy under there.
I can see it.
Good eyesight, Kenny.
My name's, my name's Chris.
- Oh. - He was talking to me.
- I'm new to the game. - He was giving me the eyes.
All right.
Hey, Reese.
It was a great fight and very entertaining.
We'll see in your next bout.
- Thanks, man. - Thank you.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
Kenny, there's always a few fights per season
where we both say,
"we don't want to be the judges on this one."
That was tough to call.
It was an unbelievable fight.
Fair to say that was an instant classic.
Could have gone either way.
Reese didn't seem too interested in appealing there.
I think the judges got this one right.
Witch Doctor rebounded from Fusion's opening salvo
and left Reese's bot on its back.
[Chris] And despite the loss, this may have been Fusion's
best performance in the BattleBox.
Let's give our Reese Ewert a happy face.
- Good job, Reese. - Yep. Nice work.
When we return, a couple of prospects
make their case to join the greatest field of combat robots in the world.
It's Doomba versus Double Tap.
That's coming up on BattleBots.
[crowd cheering and applauding]
[Chris] We continue on here on BattleBotsand of course,
everybody this season chasing after the dream of lifting the Giant Nut.
But in addition to the 50 robots
that are trying to find their way
to the round of 32, BattleBotshas invited
a collection of brand new teams to test their metal right here
on the biggest stage in the sport.
These talented engineers have a whole lot to prove
if they want to join the big leagues,
but if you ask them, they're up to task.
We're a rookie team.
I'm a rookie captain.
This is my first ever combat robotics event.
To finally be here competing
is something else.
We even have our own mascot, Chunk.
It's really amazing. You know, I've gone to help from a lot of teams.
I didn't expect that much help.
[Jonathan] I talked to a lot of the builders
and they told us, you know, this is what you should do.
And we literally went the opposite way.
It should be interesting.
My bot is more beautiful than terrifying.
It's a real work of art and an engineering masterpiece.
Everyone kind of knows how you make a really destructive vert.
The really interesting challenge was to do something
weird and still be destructive.
Our robot is a 250 pound Roomba with a chainsaw on top of it.
And I know that sounds dumb and it is kind of dumb,
but that's what makes it so much fun.
[Chris] Kenny, these aren't bots in win-now mode.
There is no question, they're totally outclassed by our current field,
but this is a chance to put their design to the test.
A chance for new captains to rise up the ranks.
They're getting a very real look
from our selection committee
and they're trying to make their way maybe
into future seasons ofBattleBots and of course,
chase the Giant Nut.
[Kenny] That's right.
And they need to make the most of these opportunities.
There's really only one BattleBox in the world,
and it's right here in Las Vegas.
[Chris] And how about this?
The BattleBox is now open year-round
as Sin City plays host to nightly tournaments inBattleBots'
new live show Destruct-A-Thon.
So if you're in the neighborhood, swing on by.
You could see icons like Whiplash,
Witch Doctor, and HyperShock
duke it out as well as some of these up-and-coming squads.
So we got two of those now.
We've got Doomba and Double Tap.
Two outsiders looking for a way in.
Double Tap is led by Captain Jonathan Collazo,
the CEO of an aerial robotics company,
specializing in drone tech.
This team is excited to dip their toes
into the rough waters of robot combat.
[Kenny] Yeah, and they're facing
a veteran of the sport in Brice Farrell.
He's one of the original designers of Mammoth,
and he's built yet another monstrosity in Doomba.
I'm very excited to see these two in the BattleBox.
[Chris] Let's see if they have what it takes.
Faruq.
In the red square from Nottingham, Maryland,
they call this robot Bruce Campbell,
because his chainsaw is groovy.
Hail to the King, baby.
It's Doomba.
[Chris] Oh, Doomba.
That's thing is looking at me.
That's not the robot vacuum we ordered, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah.
Brice is a madman.
Doomba has got a dual motor setup
powering its 20-pound horizontal disk down below.
Plenty of offense on this bot.
In the blue square from San Jose, California.
The bot so nice,
he'll kill you twice.
It's Double Tap.
[Chris] Team Double Tap dressed to impress.
Big weapon on this bot, Kenny.
[Kenny] Big brains too, 40 engineers from over 20 countries
have helped design Double Tap.
That horizontal spins close to 250 miles an hour,
looking to pummel Doomba in its debut.
Building Doomba.
It was all about having fun.
So that's why we chose a really cute bot design.
We put big googly eyes on it because that's fun.
Put a chainsaw on it because that's fun.
Put a flame thrower on it, also fun.
And then we put a undercutter on it
so we can beat up bots
because ripping bots apart is the most fun.
Our weapon is leveled just perfectly to be able
to take out their weapon.
We should be able to do this fairly easy.
We're using the macerator, which is our lower-weight vertical spinner.
Our vertical spinner is gonna hit close to 250 miles an hour at tip speed.
We are going for a knockout.
So, Doomba, watch out.
Here comes Double Tap.
[robotic voice] Robots activate.
[Chris] Kenny, I just got some special information
from ourBattleBots newsroom.
That chainsaw is merely a prop.
[Kenny] That's right. It doubles as a self-righter.
But I think Brice really just loves it
for the intimidation factor.
[chanting] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
I may have bought the bot truck
to pick up the speed.
[Chris] Let the bots battle begin.
Let's see how these two rookie bots
navigate the battle BattleBox floor.
Double Tap spun up.
That is a nice jab to the front of Doomba.
[Kenny] Doomba is moving like it left its parking brake on Chris.
- [Chris] Oh. - [Kenny] And, uh-oh, here's some smoke.
[Chris] Oh, no.
There goes the top one hit and Doomba splits.
[Kenny] Oh, boy.
[Chris] Oh.
Nice little flip there.
[Kenny] And the guts are hanging out of Doomba. Call the coroner, Chris.
[Chris] They're gonna need to bring a couple of body bags for Doomba.
[Kenny] Oh, boy. Look at the chain. The chain, the guts.
[Chris] If you were ever curious how many wires
it takes to put a robot together.
- Start counting. Speaking of counting... - ...eight, seven, six, five...
- [Chris] Doomba is done. Congrats to Double Tap. - [referee] four, three, two...
[referee] ...One. Knock out.
[Chris] Victory number one.
[Jonathan] Okay. Did you see how it's done?
[indistinct chatter]
[Chris] Well, Kenny, after a very brief kind of feeling
out period, Double Tap was like, "Yo, just get out my way."
[Kenny] Yeah. Double tap got up to full speed
and it was pretty much one shot and done.
Doomba was Doneba.
[Chris] Yeah. The top came off. We got to see its innards.
That's always fun and time to head back to the pits for young Doomba.
[indistinct chatter]
[Brice] That's fun, man.
[Chris] Well, good for Jonathan and his crew there
over at Double Tap.
There's a lot of teams that are here that either visit us
in seasons past or have been watching the show
since we brought it back in 2015.
- If you're thinking about it, do it. - That's right.
The biggest lesson there that I learned is that
don't let your guts spill out all over the BattleBox floor.
- That's usually not good. - That's what you took from that?
- Yeah, that's what I took from that. - You are unbelievable.
I'm trying to give people a message of hope and desire, and you're like,
"Dude, look at inside of his bot.
- That's crazy." - It's fight world, man. It's crazy.
[Chris] All right. Coming up, a couple of knockout artists are gonna put up their dukes.
It's Riptide and MaDCatTer.
And these two squads certainly have a score to settle.
[Chris] And the Rookie of the Year goes to...
Glitch and Riptide.
[Ethan] The award is Rookie of the Year, not Rookies of the Year.
I think Riptide is the best rookie of BattleBotshistory.
[Kenny] Man, does Riptide hit hard.
[Chris] That is a knockout from the rookie.
[Chris] This is another upset for Riptide.
[Ethan] You know, we made it to the top eight in elims.
Glitch didn't make the round of 32.
So this year we had Glitch fight one.
And we beat them in six seconds.
They now know that Riptide was the better robot.
[Faruq] it's MaDCatTer.
[Martin] Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
You know to beat a bot like Whiplash.
One of the best control bots in the field...
[Chris] Oh, huge hit by MaDCatTer.
That wasn't Whiplash... That was Whip-last. [echoing]
It shows that we've got the strategy.
We're not just a one-hit wonder. We're hungry.
[Chris] That was brutal.
We're going up against Riptide. We're happy to do favors.
If you want assisted suicide, you come to us.
[Ethan] MaDCatTer is a very consistent robot,
but they're not a very durable robot.
It'll only take a few hits to actually take them down.
Calvin's a very impulsive driver,
but against us, he doesn't have room to make a lot of mistakes.
In the off-season, our driver, Calvin, has been at every single competitive event.
And you know what Riptide is?
It's a big version of Calvin's championship Lynx robot.
We know where the weaknesses are.
[Ethan] A three-pounder is not the same as a heavyweight robot.
Saying that Riptide hasn't innovated
and we built a heavyweight Lynx, is a really small view.
[Martin] You know what? They don't have any way to flip themselves back over.
It's gonna end with Riptide just showing its underside.
[Martin] Oh, yeah.
There's gonna be fire.
There's gonna be destruction.
There's gonna be mayhem.
And there's gonna be MaDCatTer.
[Chris] Oh!
[Ethan] To be completely honest,
they'll be dead in two seconds.
[Chris] We are back onBattleBots.
And it's time right now for our main event.
It is the killer kitty MaDCatTer
taking on the screaming sensation Riptide.
Let's start with Martin Mason and MaDCatTer.
Yeah, he's got the big bravado, the big-time personality.
Now he's got a big-time bot based on what he did to Whiplash.
[Kenny] Yeah, I was just gonna say, don't let that distract you.
The professor leads a talented team of students
who have this bot rolling, and leading the charge for Martin's kids
is driver Calvin Iba.
We've talked about the controversy with his bot Lynx and Riptide's design,
but the real story is Calvin's rise
as an elite driver here atBattleBots.
[Chris] Now, Martin's kids may sound like a charity,
but the only thing they're giving back to society
is pieces of their opponents.
And now they have a chance to stop the runaway train that is Riptide.
Ethan Kurtz is at the helm of what is becoming
one of the most dangerous bots in the game.
This guy has just been unbelievable
ever since we first saw him last season.
Yeah, 100%.
You know, last season what they had going for them is,
you know, a lot of people underestimated them.
We wondered if a sophomore slump
might be in the cards for World Championship VII.
And then in fight number one, they knocked out co-rookie of the Year,
Glitch before I can settle into my chair.
[Chris] Not since Bite Force have we seen a bot
with so much success to start its career.
We'll see if the community college
team MaDCatTer has a solution for the big problem that is Riptide.
Faruq.
[Faruq] Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready?
It's time for the main event.
[crowd cheering]
In the red square, this much-maligned feline
has played every character in Cats.
It had to because on opening night
it killed Rum Tum Tugger with the bat.
It's shanked Skimbleshanks, maimed Mr. Mistoffelees and gored Grizabella.
How about that? It killed the entire Broadway cast.
Now, the show is just called Cat.
It's MaDCatTer!
[Chris] Here comes the squad from Mt. San Antonio College.
And how about the driver? Calvin Iba holding his bot Lynx.
Man brought receipts to this grudge match.
Kenny, this squad has all sorts of cool nicknames
for its armor and its weapons.
[Kenny] Yeah, you see that in front armor there?
They call that the sword and the shoe.
Two different types of armor there on the front.
They're also going with a 35-pound spinning disc they call jumbo fry.
[Faruq] In the blue square.
Whoa, dude, this bot is, like, totally sick.
I'm stoked on his vibe. Bro, he rips.
If you can't hang, you better bail fast
because he'll like straight shred the gnar, it'll shred your ass.
Cowabunga, dude. It's Riptide!
[crowd cheering]
[Chris] Hey. Hey, now.
Loot at Ethan Kurtz with his high-energy squad.
Kenny, what's new with Riptide?
[Kenny] Well, they're going with their 60lb egg beater weapon,
but, you know, they had a difficult time
trying to make the 250lb weight limit.
So they may have weakened their robot by taking some armor off.
[Chris] All right. So Riptide shedding some weight for this one.
MaDCatTer following suit so it can get its mini bot, Gassy Cat in on the action.
And Kenny, I'm kind of curious where you stand on this
whole Lynx versus Riptide deal.
[Kenny] I don't think there's any question Lynx inspired Riptide's design,
but we're talking about scaling a robot from three pounds to 250.
That takes serious engineering prowess.
Riptide made last season's top eight.
It came into the season as the number 13 ranked robot.
That success speaks for itself.
[indistinct chatter]
- [man] Show no mercy. - Oh, yeah.
[robotic voice] Robots activate.
[Chris] No love lost between these two punishing heavyweights.
A little bit of finger-pointing. A whole lot of trash talk.
And we don't settle disputes by sharing our feels around here.
Time to let the weapons do the talking.
It's MaDCatTer and Riptide in the main event.
That's when BattleBots continues.
[Chris] Here atBattleBots
a great knockout is as much about the spectacle
as it is the robot death and destruction.
My name is Martin Mason.
I know a thing or two about showmanship.
Yeah! Oh, yeah.
Here are a few of my favorite showmen.
The Brazilians and Black Dragon.
Let's go. Yeah.
You know what? Those guys are all full of smiles.
They've got a great duck.
Anybody know what the heck a duck has to do with dragon?
Jamison Go and SawBlaze.
On the arena floor, he is silent and angry.
I'd call him the silent killer, folks.
You watch his face. I love what he brings to the arena.
Victor Soto and his shiny shoes.
This is a BattleBots.
He's got a cool demeanor. He takes this show to a whole 'nother level.
It's great showmanship.
[Chris] Welcome back to the main event here onBattleBots.
MaDCatTer and Riptide gearing up inside the box as we speak.
These are two teams with serious beef. How do they stack up, Kenny?
[Kenny] Here you go. MaDCatTer with a powerful drive.
Definitely has the advantage in terms of agility.
A big disparity in weapon weight favoring Riptide's drum.
But both of these bots spin those weapons up to full speed
in under five seconds.
Two of the best punchers in the business.
[robotic voice] Red team, ready?
Oh, yeah.
[robotic voice] Blue team, ready?
[Chris] The gloves are coming off. Ding, ding, ding.
[chanting] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[Chris] Let the bot battle begin.
Both weapons up to full speed.
And a good shot to start it out. MaDCatTer gets flipped off.
Oh, another huge shot. Both weapons still humming.
[Kenny] Oh, Riptide just cutting through that front armor.
[Chris] Oh, my gosh.
Oh. Okay.
[Kenny] These are knockout shots, Chris.
[Chris] Keep Riptide on a warpath.
There is no mercy for MaDCatTer.
[Kenny] Oh, my goodness. The wires are gone.
And that teeth gone.
[Chris] Unbelievable. In less than 30 seconds.
[Kenny] Wow.
[Chris] The kids out of Southern California have done it again.
And now Riptide is going after Gassy Cat too.
Oh, come on. Oh, my goodness.
[referee] Ten, nine...
[Chris] Martin Mason can't believe it. Even he is silent.
[Kenny] Riptide just put the field on notice, Chris.
[referee] ...one. Knockout.
[Chris] Ethan Kurtz doing it on every last bit of MaDCatTer.
That bad blood is boiling.
- Kenny Riptide is a monster. - [Kenny] Yeah.
I mean, when you have a weapon that's that powerful,
it does so much damage, so quickly.
It went right through that front armor on MaDCatTer.
- Oh. - [Chris] Unbelievable shots from Riptide.
You know, MaDCatTer is used to overpowering teams with its vertical spinner.
- Not today. Not today. - [Kenny] No.
Someone should call Bob Barker because this kitty just got put down.
[Chris] Yeah. Riptide may have taken a shot early,
but after that, it was all about the sophomores.
Ethan Kurtz delivers a cat-astrophic knockout
to the community college squad and MaDCatTer.
Ethan.
Hello, Ethan. Can you hear me?
Let's go!
[all yelling]
Oh, yeah.
Hi.
Ethan, you did the unthinkable.
You quieted down, Martin Mason.
You guys weren't hesitant at all.
You guys did not, you know, play defensive. You really went for it.
[Ethan] The strategy ended up being as MaDCatTer is really
a fast vertical spinner that goes pretty straightforward.
So we wanted to make sure that like we moved unpredictably.
So if you saw on the block, it's we're like showing our butt
like we just wanted to like not to give them anything.
And that's what we did.
We didn't give them anything and we got them on their back and it was over from there.
We just took them.
For those teams that are watching you in action back in the pits,
what do you think they're thinking?
Uh...
Riptide could go 4-0, this year, baby.
[bleep] scared man. We're gonna take them.
Like if I'm seeing that. I'm thinking, "Oh, man.
MaDCatTer is a tough robot." "Oh, man. Glitch is a tough robot."
We just took them out both, man.
I'd be scared, if I was you.
Ethan and Riptide. Congratulations. As you move to 2-0.
You know, I designed this robot to be unbeatable.
And, you know, it's a great robot to base it off of.
So good job.
Well, Martin.
Did you ever think something like that would happen to your robot?
You know what, folks? This cat's got nine lives.
You're gonna see it again, folks.
And you know what? Great job on these guys. They brought 100%.
That's what we want to see, folks.
We want to see that intensity in the arena.
But we're ready to go again, folks. Any time. You betcha.
- Oh, right there, man. - [Chris] Martin, thank you.
[crowd cheering]
Well, Ethan Kurtz talks the big game and then his bot backs it up.
[Kenny] That's a high-energy team
and that's a high-energy weapon that they have.
My goodness. That's one of the most devastating weapons
in the whole competition.
Riptide will take on Captain Shrederator next.
They got to think that's a winnable match up.
Much more difficult fourth fight against the Brazilians
and Black Dragon.
But I'm not doubting Ethan when he says, "This squad can go for 4-0."
[Chris] And for Martin Mason, Calvin Iba, and MaDCatTer,
Riptide just handed them a hefty repair bill.
We'll see how fast they can recover
for their upcoming fight with Big Dill.
How about tonight's episode by the way?
Six of the seven winners improved to 2-0.
There are some serious Giant Nut contenders out there.
We saw the likes of Witch Doctor, Minotaur,
HUGE, Claw Viper, and SawBlaze.
They're all super, super impressive.
[Kenny] And Fusion was equally impressive
despite losing that narrow decision,
Reese has delivered two of the best performances on this young season.
He might finally, finally be on the path to contention.
[Chris] Meanwhile, an early hole might turn
into an early grave for some of the top squads out there.
I'm looking at you Aaron Hill and Blip. An 0-2
start and a third matchup with their sister team
Tantrum who sit at 0-1.
That has all the makings of a family reunion gone horribly wrong, Kenny.
These are two championship contenders we're talking about, both winless.
[Kenny] I sound like a broken record every season,
but every single season the robots get more powerful, more dangerous,
the teams get better, the teams get smarter.
There's gonna be some really good teams that may not make the top 32.
And by the way, if this is what the postseason is gonna look like,
I can't wait for that time.
But of course, we aren't even halfway
through the regular season just yet.
So that'll do it for tonight.
For Faruq, my man Kenny Florian.
I am Chris Rose. We will see you next time here on BattleBots.
[crowd cheering]