[robotic voice] Robots, activate.
[crowd cheering]
Me with my old man Lin.
- [laughs] - Hey.
- Whoo!
Look at this place, I love it.
Hey, everybody, and welcome to Battle Bots.
I am still Chris Rose, and joining me
is still UFC legend and bad boy of bot combat,
the one and only Kenny Florian.
[crowd cheering]
And we're still in Vegas for World Championship VII.
Oh, they love it here in Vegas, don't they?
[crowd cheering, applauding]
Hey, we are just a couple of weeks away
from the round of 32, and the pressure is definitely on.
For some of these bots, it is make or break time.
Oh, yeah!
[Chris] Nearly every fight from here on out
will be a team's final chance to prove themselves worthy
of a spot in the World Championship Tournament.
So whether it's a showdown to decide a top seat,
or a bot on the bubble,
the race for the Giant Nut kicks into gear right now.
Just take a look at fight number four.
In a clash between two of the fastest machines
inBattleBots history, Claw Viper will try
to complete its undefeated Cinderella run
against a desperate one and two Hypershock.
Can Captain Will Bales rise to the occasion
and save his squad's season versus this year's
breakout team?
We're going to find out.
And tonight's main event doesn't just feature
two tournament-bound teams.
It could be a preview of this year's championship.
Hydra, coming off a record-setting 20-flip performance,
will try to ruin the perfect season of Jamison Go
and SawBlaze.
Winner could earn a top four seat.
But we kick things off by diving head-first
down the rabbit hole, as Martin Mason
and Donald Hutson square off in a clash of claws
versus jaws.
MaDCatTer and Lock-Jaw are both two-and-one,
with big-time wins on their resumes.
This fight's about proving to the world that
a deep tournament run is in their future.
Let's get into it. Faruq, take it away!
[all cheering]
Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready?
It's robot fighting time!
In the red square, you can call him Green Slay,
based on his color scheme.
He'll leave your hopes for the giant nut
on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
When he comes around and hits you, you'll fly through the sky.
I hope you had the time of your life,
because you're about to die.
Give it up for Lock-Jaw!
[Chris] Wins over Malice and Glitch, it's lone blemish,
a knockout against SawBlaze.
Donald Hutson over there on the left side,
still one of the most popular builders around.
[Kenny] Yeah, he's the definition of a grizzled vet,
coming in with some momentum after that big knockout
over Glitch.
And I think another strong performance tonight
could catapult him to a top-16 tournament seed.
In the blue square, this bot will be worshipped
by ancient Egyptians, and loved by sad spinsters
who read erotic fan fiction.
So bow down to Martin Mason and his robotic Sphinx.
He calls his team Bad Kitten.
Oh, Martin, you little minx.
Rawr! It's MaDCatTer!
[all cheering]
[Chris] MaDCatTer, led by Martin Mason,
who you can already hear coming down the tunnel.
Kenny, while this team has always been fun to watch,
it feels like they've turned into real contenders this season.
[Kenny] Yeah, we all love Martin Mason's big personality,
but I think that makes it easy to forget how tactical
and how powerful this robot is.
Driver Calvin Iba is really making a name for himself.
Don't let that lost Riptide cloud just how oppressive
MaDCatTer has been here at World Championship VII.
So it's going to be a very dicey match,
and it's probably going to come down to, again,
who gets first blood, changes each other's front end just a little.
We're both four-wheel drives, we both have good maneuverability,
we both have similar weapons that can disable the front of
the robot, but we tend to keep going.
I think it's going to go a full three minutes
of just knock-down- drag-out catfight.
You know what? Lock-Jaw, tremendous respect.
You have inspired us so much, but that doesn't mean
we're not going to take you down.
You know, let me talk about what's going to happen, folks.
I have a little haiku about this.
Here it is.
Low voltage, high current, Lock-Jaw on fire, Ohm's Law.
[robotic voice] Robots activate.
[Chris] All right, Kenny, lots of mini-bots in the box tonight.
Uh, who's who?
[Kenny] Yeah, MaDCatTer has his sidekick Gassy Cat
there on the right with the little purple wedge.
It'll try and get under Lock-Jaw and high center it.
It's joined by Lil Bubbles there in pink,
who can shoot flames, and Donald Hutson has
the drone Spitfire in the mix.
That's meant to try and distract MaDCatTer.
[all chanting] Fight, fight, fight.
[Chris] It all comes down to this, the final fight
of the qualifying rounds for both of these teams.
Your last chance to make a statement.
Let the Bot Battle begin.
Box rush by MaDCatTer.
Lock-Jaw, too smart for that.
The bots come together.
Oh, there goes Flintrow. Spitfire, we hardly knew you.
Oh, look at the pushing. Look at the stalemate, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, good job.
Lock-Jaw utilizing those forks to give 'em a little distance.
[Chris] Oh, MaDCatTer takes out his own mini-bot.
And now, nice shot to the under belly of Lock-Jaw.
[Kenny] These are two hard-hitting robots.
Lock-Jaw might be a little rock there.
MaDCatTer able to get underneath there.
[Chris] Yeah. Uh-oh. Lock-Jaw, that front-right tire's
got an issue. That looks like it's almost lost.
- Oh, my God. - Oh, my God.
[Kenny] What a shot by Lock-Jaw.
Wow, back and fourth more. MaDCatTer's hurt.
[Chris] Yeah, it is stumbling around. It might be moving enough to
avoid a knock out. Meanwhile, the mini bot Gassy Cat doing its best
to distract Lock-Jaw, but here's Donald Hutson
looking to reengage and put the Cat down for good.
[Kenny] Donald paying an awful lot of attention to the minibot.
[Chris] Still two more minutes I don't know if MaDCatTer can survive, Kenny.
[Kenny] Well, Calvin Iba doing everything he can to prevent
MaDCatTer from being counted out.
Lock-Jaw is gonna have to keep engaging,
and that is a dangerous proposition
with MaDCatTer's weapon still very much alive.
[both exclaiming]
[Chris] That just took out one of our lights that shot.
[Kenny] Wow, looks like that was one of MaDCatTer's front forks
that Lock-Jaw just turned into shrapnel.
[Chris] Lock-Jaw continuing to attack because, once again,
according to the new rules, a bot will not be counted out.
as long as it continues to show movement.
But MaDCatTer's still in a world of trouble here.
[Kenny] They're moving now.
[Chris] Indeed they are, Kenny Florian.
MaDCatTer with signs of life.
Let's see if Donald Hutson can get in there and finish the job.
Both weapons still going strong.
Tell me when you want to hit it.
Hit him.
[Chris] Lock-Jaw gearing up for one more shot,
but having serious issues on that shredded tire.
And check that Gassy Cat.
[Kenny] Had Lock-Jaw high centered there.
[Chris] Oh, MaDCatTer's back.
- Oh! - [Kenny] And it delivers a huge shot.
- Oh, my goodness. - Yeah.
[Chris] And now Lock-Jaw inverted.
Wow.
It's got to be careful to not stick its forks in the kill-saws lift.
[Kenny] Oh, my goodness. Look at this drive through, Donald Hutson.
He's trying to self-right here.
Trying to go off one of the wheels, and he does!
- Oh. - Oh my goodness.
- Nicely done, Donald. - [Chris] Can MaDCatTer still move?
[Kenny] This is back and forth, Chris.
[Chris] And the countdown has started.
Just ahead of the 10-second mark,
it is a race to the buzzer.
Will it go the distance?
Three, two, one, Knock out!
Oh, my goodness. He pulled it off!
That's a knockout!
[laughs] That looks crazy.
Wow.
[Kenny] Oh, my goodness.
Well done, Matt.
[Chris] All Martin Mason can do is shake hands
with his competitor after a classic fight.
[Kenny] Lock-Jaw, a winner by knockout.
Unbelievable.
[Chris] Kenny, there is an awful lot to digest here.
[Kenny] I mean, I'm still trying to catch my breath, bro.
I mean, this fight was ridiculous.
Back and forth.
These were two brawlers just standing and trading
the whole time.
You had the mini bots getting in on the action.
The drone got blown up.
Lock-Jaw even took out one of our lights.
Unbelievable.
[Chris] MaDCatTer shredding a tire on Lock-Jaw in the early going,
but Donald Hutson with a counter shot that stunned the Cat.
And this is really where the new rules this season
came into effect, because maybe in seasons passed at this point,
MaDCatTer would have been counted out, right?
But not this year.
Calvin Iba managed to keep the bot crab walking,
which meant Donald had no choice but to keep attacking.
This is a great rule change, Kenny.
[Kenny] Absolutely. It's made an awesome sport even better.
It delivers more action.
Both bots really have to go for the finish here.
Man, what a fight.
[Chris] Yeah.
And those new rules allowed MaDCatTer to get back into it.
They were able to spin up.
They were able to drive.
And they took shots at Lock-Jaw, who was dancing
on its head for a while.
[Kenny] Yeah. Look at this right here.
Donald Hutson fighting to get back to his wheels here
was just able to do it.
[Chris] Somehow survived.
And then MaDCatTer just couldn't move anymore.
And the countdown came right before the buzzer.
Donald Hutson, congratulations.
Is that your first buzzer beater you've ever had?
Oh, my God. Was that close?
That was an incredible fight.
And for all the fans out there, I mean,
that's kind of what BattleBotsis about.
We all want to see some kind of knockdown,
drag out fight like that.
You know, it was very close.
I thought at the end I was doomed
if I didn't right myself, you know.
And they must have been stuck on something.
And they came back.
And that's just the kind of fight that you can be proud of.
- Yes. - Yeah, no question about it, man.
You kind of out-brawled another brawler.
What was the strategy here?
Well, I mean, I considered us a little bit of an underdog,
really, because we have just had our troubles,
this and that.
But, you know, the robot actually did not catch fire.
[all cheering]
And, you know, put up a hell of a fight.
So, I mean, for us, that's a real morale booster
that the robot can take that kind of beating
and keep going.
So we're thoroughly, thoroughly excited.
Fantastic regular season.
Way to put a stamp on it, Donald.
Thank you, sir.
[all cheering]
Thank you, Donald.
All right, thank you.
And now the draw.
Kenny, in a word, incredible.
I didn't even know what to say.
That was one of the greatest fights I've ever seen.
It was back and forth, both robots coming back from the dead.
And they were just going for it.
That's whatBattleBots is all about.
[Chris] With that performance and this resume,
Donald Hudson's got to be feeling good
heading into the tournament.
[Kenny] Yeah, listen, he hasn't made it past the round of 16
since World Championship 4.
He didn't even make the tournament last year.
This is the best version of Lock-Jaw
we've seen in quite some time.
[Chris] And while Martin Mason's team finishes 2-2,
a loss like that is almost a win, right, Kenny?
[Kenny] Yeah, no doubt in my mind.
We'll see them in the round of 32.
If you're going to lose, that's how you want to do it
in a slugfest.
This probably bumps their seeding down,
but I still like them as a sleeper.
[Chris] All right, coming up, the hottest flamethrower
in robot combat, Gruff.
Will try to torch the postseason hopes
of Bunny Sauriol and Malice.
That's next when we return onBattleBots.
[Chris] Welcome back toBattleBots, where we just witnessed
Lock-Jaw knockout MaDCatTer
in a back-and-forth brawl that had
major tournament implications.
Both teams took heavy damage,
but Team Lock-Jaw probably earned themselves
an easier first-round matchup with the win.
MaDCatTer, not so much.
- Do I have to fix that? - Yes, with a toothbrush.
[chuckles]
All right, that's form A damage right there.
We'll lose a little bit of the paint on the top there,
but we'll be able to get that one together, get the other one together.
And then we just got to, you know, I can't imagine
they're not going to want us in the tournament.
Even our losses are spectacular, right?
So we're 2-2. I think we're solid.
We're going to get a pretty low rating,
which means we're going to fight somebody really tough,
but that's what we've been doing the whole time,
so we're no stranger to that, guys.
[Chris] Well, we'll see who MaDCatTer and Lock-Jaw get matched up
with in the round of 32.
But up next, we've got two teams who are still fighting
just to make it into the tournament.
Malice taking on Gruff, and Bunny Sauriol's bot
sits here at 2-1.
I think they're kind of fortunate to be there, right?
Remember the fight against Emulsifier?
Emulsifier really dominated and then lost out
in the final few seconds.
And then Malice had lost a judge's decision
against Valkyrie, but won the first ever appeal.
So she's sitting here at 2-1. I know she feels like
they can be a little bit better here.
[Kenny] Yeah, which is why they're on the bubble, even with two wins.
This is their last chance to prove they can take a hit.
Their weapon is reliable. They can win in multiple ways.
The things you need to thrive in the postseason.
Remember, they lost the play-in fight last year
and missed the round of 32.
No play-ins this time, so this could be it.
Well, Malice at 2-1, that's better than Gruff,
which is 1-2.
But those two losses are to Witch Doctor and Quantum,
who are a collective 6-0.
So you can't count them out of the tournament just yet, right, Kenny?
[Kenny] Yeah, but it's not going to be easy.
Sam McAmis' squad is coming off a total rebuild
after that vicious Witch Doctor fight.
They had to install a new frame and drive system.
And while we've grown accustomed to calling Gruff a tank,
four of its last five losses have been knockouts.
If they don't look good tonight and miss out
on the round of 32,
it could be a long offseason for these guys.
Let's get to it. Faruq.
[all cheering]
In the red square from Palm Harbor, Florida.
If you can't take the heat, get out of his face.
It's Gruff!
There is Captain Sam McAmis, is on the right,
and his son Vinny there on the left.
Gruff, of course, has one of the nastiest flamethrowers in the biz.
And Kenny, it looks like they're planning on doing
a little cooking tonight.
[Kenny] Yeah, those oven mitts are covering what Sam calls Gruff bars.
They're elevated forks that will help him pin
and then spit roast Malice.
And that flamethrower is powerful enough
to burn up belts and internal parts.
In the blue square from San Jose, California.
Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare?
Well, this is the sequel where the Bunny wins by knockout.
It's Malice!
[Chris] Bunny Sauriol and Team Malice
getting their seasons on the line.
So how do they get a definitive victory here tonight?
[Kenny] Well, weapon reliability has been an issue,
so it's all going to come down to that 55-pound drum.
Driver and Bunny's husband, David Liaw, needs
to create space, so that weapon operator David Rush
can get it spun up and then land some power shots.
Our plan is to stop their weapon,
or even if we don't stop their weapon,
grab a hold of them and torture them.
We think Malice is going to try to get around to our sides
and hit us there.
Our plan is just go face-to-face and not let them get there.
Our season really hinges on this fight.
We've had a real strong strength of schedule,
but obviously we want to be 2-2.
In this fight, ground game is absolutely
the most critical thing.
We have to drive it like we stole it.
We have to get around behind them.
We have to get underneath them.
We have to pick them up and get our weapon
into their bond.
The stakes of being 2-1 going into this, I want to be 3-1.
I want a guaranteed spot in the round of 32.
I don't want to be on the fence anymore.
I don't want to have to go through another Scorpio situation.
I want to get into the 32, and to do that I need
to be 3-1.
[all chanting] Fight, fight, fight.
[Chris] Let the bot battle begin!
- [Kenny] There's that flame already. - [Chris] Oh, yeah. Big time.
[Kenny] Man, that thing is serious.
[Chris] But so too is Malice's drumstick weapon,
and there goes the battle bot sign.
That's coming out of your paycheck, Eddie.
But how about Gruff pushing back?
[Kenny] Gruff has scooped up Malice.
Oh, smashing him into the side.
Burn, burn, burn!
[Chris] And then breathing fire on top of it.
- [Kenny] Oh, boy. - [Chris] Oh, man!
[Kenny] That's where they could potentially burn up the eternal--
- What a shot! - [Chris] Look at that!
[Chris] Oh, and Malice ends up on the upper deck.
Can they find their way off of it and also house
their weapon?
[Kenny] What a sequence from Gruff.
But Malice's weapon is still spinning.
[Chris] Whoa! Nice head-to-head hit by Malice.
Now they're on the attack.
[Kenny] Yeah, Malice starting to come back here.
Attacking the sides of the back would be their best bet here.
[Chris] Gruff having trouble with its mobility
- just spinning in circles. - [Kenny] Malice needs to capitalize.
- Finish the fight right here. - Go after him.
[Chris] Oh, a new kick!
[Kenny] Nice follow-up by Malice to the backside of Gruff.
That was a nasty shot, Chris.
[Chris] Yeah, they can't move.
They're trying to get some mobility thanks to the weapon swinging.
Malice's weapon still going strong.
Certainly a welcome sight for that team.
Gruff is crashing, but that's not going to be good enough
as the countdown has eventually started.
Six, five, four, three, two, one.
Malice survives an early onslaught
- and knocks out Gruff. - Knockout!
[all cheering]
[Kenny] Bunny felt like she had to go 3-1
to lock up a tournament spot.
Malice gets it done.
- Good job. - Yeah.
[Chris] Kenny, Gruff had those
twin flame-throwers cooking in this one.
[Kenny] My goodness, Gruff ate a few early shots
but ended up taking Malice coast-to-coast
and driving it into the screws.
And then, look at that.
That's 3000 degrees Fahrenheit
straight to the face of Malice. Insane.
[Chris] Given it's reliability issues,
I think we figured that might be it for Team Malice,
but somehow, David Liaw
able to get it back on the playing surface
with a fully-functional weapon.
[Kenny] Big-time kudos to Malice for showing
toughness and tenacity in this fight.
That's going to help it's case tremendously with the committee
come tournament time.
[Chris] Malice delivering a combination of shots
that disabled half of Gruff's drive.
Then followed it up with a picture-perfect kill shot.
[crowd cheering]
- [Chris] Hey, Bunny! - Oh, yeah... Yes, hello!
[Chris laughs]
- Sorry. - Hello!
How's it going? [chuckles]
Well, it's probably going better for you, isn't it?
It is going amazing for me.
3-1, all thanks to my amazing team.
Look at how great they were driving.
Like how hard we worked in this year.
- [crowd cheering] - We really dialed in
the reliability on the weapon,
and the reliability of the entire robot itself.
And I'm just so proud of these guys.
We've all been working so hard
and it's just so nice to show
that we actually belong in the round of 32.
- [crowd cheering] - Bunny, congratulations.
3-1 record during the regular season.
Outstanding job.
Thank you. Have a great day.
What an amazing job by Malice.
I mean, you talk about durability.
I'm just really impressed
with the turnaround from last season.
Looked like a completely different robot.
We wanted a statement fight tonight
and we got one.
A 3-1 record after that performance
should secure their spot in the round of 32.
[Chris] And for Sam McAmis and Gruff,
they finished their season 1-3.
Where do they go from here?
[Kenny] Well, probably no post-season
and time to really think about upgrades.
Control bots can still win.
We're seeing it right now.
Sam needs to look at
what they're doing and replicate.
[Chris] Up next, a pair of renegades
roll their razor-sharp new designs into the arena,
for a match-up you simply don't want to miss.
It's Dragon King vs Doomba!
[Chris screams]
Things are about to get lit,
whenBattleBots continue.
[Chris] Anybody have a fire extinguisher?
[audience cheering]
[Chris] Welcome back toBattleBots.
That is Jamison Go of SawBlaze,
making the final preparations on his robot
before his main-event match-up with Hydra.
That final fight of the night
could decide one of the top tournament seeds.
And a reminder, we're just one match away
from our mid-major between HyperShock and Claw Viper.
And for Captain Kevin Milczewski,
velocity has equaled victory this season.
Here's a breakdown of what makes Claw Viper
the fastest robot in the field.
[Chris] Holy smokes,
look how fast Claw Viper is.
[Kevin Milczewski] Speed is one of
Claw Viper's primary weapons.
When you're the faster,
more controllable robot,
it lets you get
the better attack angles
on another robot,
avoid their weapon and apply your own.
- [Kenny] Overhaul! - [Chris] Oh!
Doesn't even know what's hitting them, right now.
[Kevin] Claw Viper uses electric ATV motors
made for a person to ride around on, on one of them.
We have four of them in the robot.
Riptide uses two of them
to power his weapon.
We have one on every wheel.
[Chris] He's like a mosquito,
except he packs a little more punch.
[Kevin] And on top of that,
Battle box has a very heavy steel floor,
so we're able to suspend magnets above the floor
and gain downforce from a distance.
It gives you extra traction on the tires.
[Kenny] I have never seen another team
use speed as a weapon like they have.
I think we've shown that speed kills.
[Chris] That is impress-- Oh! [laughs]
HyperShock, we're coming.
[Chris] One of the stories of the season, so far.
Claw Viper whips its 3-0 record
into the Battle box in just a bit.
But up next, we've got an exhibition match
between two interesting-looking teams,
Doomba and Dragon King.
So let's start with Dragon King.
This is a robot that is engineered
by Team Skorpios, if you will, right?
Zach Lytle, Diana Tarlson that entire crew.
Will Prater is their captain.
What do we expect to see out of this robot?
A lot of cutting.
It was actually designed by Jerome Miles,
the creator of Red Devil,
and you could see the resemblance.
Dragon King features twin articulating saws
and it uses treads instead of wheels
just like Red Devil.
It can also turn around by inverting itself,
which is pretty cool.
I'm excited to see
what this treaded terror can do.
[Chris] And they are taking on Doomba,
the internet's favorite exhibition bot.
Brice Farrell's twisted creation
lost its first ever fight against Double Tap.
But how can you not love this robot, Kenny?
It's like Mr. Clean meets the evil dead.
[Kenny] Yeah, again, it features a flame thrower,
a 20-pound undercutter and a chainsaw.
And the word is that the chainsaw
in this fight is functional.
Doomba is the kind of creativity
you love to see in robot combat.
Glad they are getting another shot at the box.
[Chris] All right. Well, both of these experimental machines
are locked, loaded and ready to prove themselves.
Let's go!
[robotic voice] Red team ready.
[electronic buzzing]
[Chris] Okay, Kenny, what is that violent
vacuum cleaner from hell
have to do to get its first career win tonight?
[Kenny] Well, Brice said their plan is to
come in with the undercutter
and try to rip apart the treads on Dragon King.
And once they are crippled,
it's time to attack with the chainsaw
and rip into them like they are in a horror movie.
[robotic voice] Blue team ready.
[team member growls]
[Chris] All right. Well, that... That was odd.
So what do we expect from Dragon King's
first time in our box?
[Kenny] Well, Will said he wants to box rush them
so Doomba's undercutter doesn't get up to speed.
And then they can grab them with the jaws
and then, bring in the claws.
[audience cheering] Doomba! Doomba!
[electronic buzzing]
[audience shouting] Fight! Fight!
[alarm buzzing]
[Chris] Let the bot battle begin!
Dragon King's saws are already up to speed.
Meanwhile, Doomba takes a chunk
out of the upper deck.
[Kenny] Check out those jaws on Dragon King.
Should open wide enough
to clamp down on Doomba.
[Chris] Well, Dragon King missed a bite there,
but turns it around
and now sinks those teeth into Doomba.
- [Kenny] Aw! - There you go!
Nice little shave.
[Kenny] Nice mobility from Dragon King so far.
[Chris] But here comes Doomba.
- [audience exclaiming] - [Chris] Oh! They cut the chainsaw back
with a Tomahawk jam!
[Kenny laughs]
[Chris] Dragon King says, "Get me out of here."
But Doomba's winding it back up.
- [Kenny] Oh, boy. - That was just a bit outside.
[Kenny] Remember, Doomba does have that undercutter.
I think they were aiming for the treads
on Dragon King and just missed.
[Chris] Well, here we go.
Dragon King sinking those jaws and saws
into Doomba, nice work.
- There you go! - [Kenny] Oh!
[Chris] Nice.
I can't do anything
when he's on me like that.
[Kenny] Looks like Doomba lost an eye
during that exchange.
Not sure the chainsaw's
working anymore either.
[Chris] Well, Doomba's the robot built on a vacuum,
but Dragon King's the one who's
cleaning up so far, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, Zach Lytle's doing a nice job
driving Dragon King.
Will Prater on the weapons.
[Chris] But uh-oh.
Now Doomba looks like it's stuck.
Ah!
- [Kenny] There you go, Dragon King. - [Chris] Nice.
And now, take it for a ride.
[Kenny] Oh! Great job by Zach Lytle.
Dropped Doomba off right under their pulverizer.
- [Chris] Oh! - [audience gasping]
- [Chris and Kenny] Oh! - [Kenny] Oh, boy!
- [man] Yeah. - [Chris] The pulverizer anti-chainsaw.
It's an anti-chainsaw pulverizer.
[Kenny] Yeah. Doomba's got to
try to get out of that corner.
[Chris] Oh, good shot, there.
Doomba now out from under the pulverizer.
But Dragon King starts slicing away
like they're serving up some birthday cake, Kenny.
And I don't think this is what
Brice Farrell wished for
when he blew out the candles.
[Kenny] Speaking of candles,
where is that flame thrower?
Let's see some fire.
We're just going to bait them into more sparks.
[Chris] But, hey! That chainsaw may not be working
but, at least, they are sticking it in there,
trying to cause some problem.
Is there more sawing to be done?
[Kenny] Yeah, Doomba's got that
chainsaw jammed in there good.
[Chris] Oh, there goes the belt
on one of Dragon King's saws.
Are we going to see a late push from Doomba?
[Kenny] Well, they've got to get their chainsaw
or the undercutter going again
and do that Chris.
[Chris] Come on, now.
Give us some sparks.
[Kenny laughs]
[Chris] We're approaching 10 seconds
and Dragon King's not backing down.
Oh, look at that. This match is over.
We're going to a JD.
[Chris] Well, these two bots may be
flopping around like fish out of water.
But you just heard it from Brice Farrell,
this one's going to JDs.
[Kenny] Whoo!
[Chris] That means it's now in the hands of the judges.
That was awesome.
- [man] That was awesome. - [man 2] Not bad.
[team member cawing]
[man] Not bad.
[Kenny] Well, that was fun.
[Chris] Your esteemed panel of judges
working on their score cards.
They are Derek Young,
Lisa Winter and Fon Davis.
Well, Kenny, we love Doomba,
but Dragon King just dominated that fight.
[Kenny] Yeah, I mean, anytime you can put
a chainsaw on a vacuum cleaner you have to do it.
Dragon King ain't exactly fast
but it's a very cool design.
I love those jaws.
And Will Prater did a nice job using the saws
to carve up his opponents.
[Chris] Well, Doomba's chainsaw stopped working,
but they did manage to bust up
one of those saws on Dragon King.
[Kenny] Yeah, Brice Farrell squad never gave up,
but I think, you still got to give
all three categories to Dragon King here.
[Chris] Brice Farrell may be the breaker of chains,
but let's see if it's Dragon King's Will Prater,
first of his name,
whose record stays unsullied.
The results from the judges are in.
[audience cheering]
The winner by unanimous decision is...
[audience member] Dragon King!
[audience cheering]
Whoo!
[all cheering]
[Dragon King member growling]
- Hey, great match. - Yeah.
- Nice fighting. - [Dragon King member growling]
[Chris] All right. Well, congrats to
newbie captain, Will Prater.
And Doomba, you've already won the internet.
So what more could you ask for?
Coming up, grab the green flag
because the Battle box is about to become a race track.
Kevin Milczewski and the lightning-quick Claw Viper
will try to remain undefeated against
Will Bales and HyperShock.
And it's next, here, on BattleBots.
[audience cheering]
[Chris] Right, we are back onBattleBots
and the playoffs start now.
Technically, they don't,
but for HyperShock and Will Bales
they really do tonight,
because they are sitting at 1-2.
They have had one of the most difficult schedules
of any teams this year,
and at the start of the season.
I don't think Will thought this final fight
was going to be such a tough match-up.
But Claw Viper's 3-0.
Maybe one of our most improved robots.
And while Will needs a strong performance
to avoid being on the tournament bubble,
a win for Kevin Milczewski's team
would solidify them as real-deal contenders.
And both captains told us
just how important this fight is.
[Chris] Oh, wow!
That's the way you finish up strong!
- Winner! - Yeah!
[Kevin] This is the robot I wanted to be bringing
the last two years.
We fought some really tough opponents,
some big spinners.
And we bullied them.
Yeah! Stay up there!
Claw Viper is handling
exactly how I want it to.
It goes where I want it,
when I want it.
It doesn't matter if your robot's in front of it,
it's going down.
I think some of the vertical spinners are scared of me.
I think some of them don't want to fight me.
I'll take them on.
[Will Bales] We have one of the harder schedules this year.
We've fought End Game,
Whiplash and SawBlaze
who were all ranked higher than us.
Now I have another robot
that's really difficult and has a 3-0 record.
We know the robot can do more.
It's just back down to me,
to make sure I do the driving right.
[Kenny] What a comeback by HyperShock!
[Kevin] There's always a game of chicken.
Of who is going to box rush?
I like to box rush
because it puts the opponent on the back foot.
[Chris] Wow! Lightning fast!
[Kevin] They know I'm so fast,
they have to react.
And when you're driving a robot reactively,
it's a different mindset.
I want to put Will on the defensive,
instead of the offensive.
[Will] We're fast but they're quick.
We have to play a close-quarters game with them
where you can't get that speed up
and just hunt us across the arena
like he did with Ribbot.
[Chris and Kenny laugh] Oh!
[Will] I expect to see Robots flying all over the place.
Whether it's him slamming us into the wall
or us hitting them up in the air,
someone's going somewhere fast.
This is going to be a whole lot of fun. Faruq...
[audience cheering]
[Faruq] In the red square,
if you blink, you'll miss him.
You'll think he's disappeared,
because this thing is fast,
like the voice of an auctioneer.
So if you're facing him,
you might want to reconsider
or he'll sell your bot corpse
to the highest bidder.
Hey, now, I got a dead corpse.
Can I get 25... [auction chant]
Can I get a two? All right.
I got two going once, going twice.
Sold, to the woman in the back, for $200.
It's Claw Viper!
Yeah!
[Chris] Here comes the Speed Demon.
Captain Kevin Milczewski on the left,
leads a squad of Seattle-based software engineers.
And how do they keep their
perfect season alive, Kenny?
[Kenny] Well, HyperShock's quick, but guess what?
Claw Viper's still has twice as much horsepower
as Will's bot.
The key will be suplexing HyperShock
before its weapon gets up to speed.
Will can drive inverted
but he has a much harder time
doing damage upside down.
[Faruq] In the blue square.
Clear! We're losing him!
Dr. Faruq here and it's not looking good.
Your pulse is slowing
and we haven't administered your last rites.
To be honest, we probably should.
We tried 100 CCs of WD-40
and that didn't loosen death's grip.
Then we cracked open your chest cavity.
Oh, no! He's starting to slip.
Beep.
Hit them with the HyperShock!
[Chris] Ah, the always electric HyperShock
hoping to bounce back
from a loss to End Game.
Kenny, what are the odds looking like in this one?
[Kenny] Well, at the start of the season,
I thought, there was no way
Will would be the underdog in this fight,
but now, I'd probably say,
HyperShock's lying at plus 130.
Will knows he can't win the speed game.
So look for a more calculated approach.
He needs to keep that weapon pointed forward.
[Chris] For all the non-gamblers out there,
plus 130 would be like
a three point underdog in basketball.
Too much time on the strip with Kenny.
All right, let's see who the builders are picking.
Still pretty close.
Any prop bets you want to set, Kenny?
[Kenny] Uh, how about over-under two and a half suplexes
for Claw Viper,
and maybe, over under 30 seconds
Will spends driving inverted.
[Chris] Oh! I like it!
Well, everybody place their bets
because these two ponies
are getting into the starting blocks.
Can Will Bales avoid
being on the tournament bubble?
Or will Claw Viper
enter the round of 32, a perfect 4-0?
Find out next on BattleBots.
[robotic voice] Robots, activate.
[Chris] Welcome back to BattleBots
where we are about to go racing.
Two speed demons are set to square off
as Claw Viper looks to complete
a perfect regular season
against a team whose back is against the wall.
It's do-or-die situation for that man, Will Bales
and Team HyperShock.
On your marks!
Get set!
Go!
[audience chanting] Fight! Fight! Fight!
[electronic buzzing]
[alarm buzzing]
[Chris] Let the bot battle begin!
Box rush, of course, by Claw Viper.
Nice defensive driving by Will Bales.
- Gets underneath Claw Viper. - [audience exclaiming]
[Kenny] How about that shock from HyperShock?
Great avoidance of that box rush there.
- Chris, HyperShock all over Claw Viper. - [Chris] Oh!
Oh, and he's got him in the screws!
Getting him all the way up there!
He's laying on them!
[Kenny] Oh, this is vengeance Will Bales right now,
taking full control of this bot.
- [audience cheering] - [Chris] HyperShock keeping that weapon
pointed right at Claw Viper.
The first time this season
that Kevin Milczewski is fighting from behind!
[Kenny] Oh! Wow!
[Chris] Claw Viper getting double-teamed
by the robot and the pulverizer.
He can't be fast if he can't get going.
HyperShock dominating the ground game.
Delivers another shot!
- [Chris and Kenny] Oh! - [audience gasps]
- [Chris] A masterclass by Bales! - [Kenny] Whoa!
[Chris] Unreal! Right in front of us, Kenny!
[Kenny] Claw Viper is rocked right now!
Oh!
[Chris] Claw Viper... Its arm is bent.
I'm not so sure it's moving!
[Kenny] I think it might be over, Chris.
[Chris] Wow.
Claw Viper's moving just a little bit.
Is that enough movement?
[referee shouting] Countdown!
- [Chris] It is not. - Ten! Nine! Eight!
- [Chris] The referee's countdown has started. - [referee] Seven! Six!
- Five! Four! - [Chris] HyperShock's going to get that
- all important second victory-- - Four! Three!
- [Chris] ...of the regular season. - Two! One!
Knockout!
[audience erupts]
[Chris] Kevin Milczewski through one of the stories
of the season so far,
but the buck stops with HyperShock!
[indistinct shouting]
[laughing]
[Chris] Kenny, that was a near-perfect
fight by HyperShock.
[Kenny] Chris, they say speed kills.
You know what else kills?
Power and precision.
Just a phenomenal driving performance by Will Bales.
He took deliberate angles,
attack in short, quick bursts,
and kept the weapon pointed at Claw Viper
from start to finish.
[Chris] Yeah, threw him onto the screws,
and from there, just waited for his prey.
[Kenny] Just shot, after shot, after shot.
Let the Battle box sandwich him a little bit.
Just brilliant stuff.
[Chris] And not one time did Will Bales
let that arm of Claw Viper
drape all over him
and take him out for a spin around the joint.
[Kenny] Well, he never allowed Claw Viper to be fast,
and once he got him in that corner, it was all over.
Great killer instinct
by Will Bales and Team HyperShock.
[audience cheering]
Will Bales...
congratulations. I imagine that is exactly the way you drew it up, huh?
[laughs]
[mockingly] Well, HyperShock's not destructive anymore.
- It doesn't get hits in. Mmm-hmm? - [Chris laughs]
Are you mocking Kenny Florian?
- 'Cause that's exactly what he's been saying... - I never said that.
- ...all season. - I didn't say that.
- Yeah, you did. - I... I wouldn't dare.
- I'm not that foolish. [chuckles] - [laughs]
Hey, that was great bullfighter move there.
You let him drive right by you,
and then it seemed like you just took over from there, Will.
That was my only shot.
Kevin is so fast, like unbelievably fast,
and I knew that he was gonna box rush us
and just kind of punt us on top of the screws.
So my only prayer was to get to the side,
and... and whip around and get a good shot on him.
Uh, luckily, uh, the thing worked and [laughs] it did the thing,
and... and I came on top.
Will, you were one and two coming into this match,
this was your last chance to prove something to the selection committee.
Did you treat this like a play-off game?
Uh, I think you have to.
Uh, especially at this level of the game,
when they're doing so well, and we're up against such... such amazing robots.
Every robot that we're up against is a contender.
Uh, so we had to show that we're a contender, too.
Fair enough. Congratulations to you and your team.
Thanks, guys. [chuckles]
Hey!
[laughs]
[both laugh]
[Will] That was a hell of a fight.
[Chris] You know, with some of the veteran bot builders,
when their backs are against the wall...
that's when they raise their game just a little bit.
Yeah, absolutely.
And, uh, it's at this stage where they get to know the robot a little bit more,
learn from their mistakes, get better.
That's exactly what HyperShock's doing.
[Chris] Both teams are locked for the tournament.
HyperShock finishes the qualifying rounds two and two.
Maybe a 15 to 20 seed for them.
Claw Viper meanwhile ends their fantastic regular season
at three and one.
All right, up next,
at one and two, Garry Gin and Free Shipping
find themselves in a bit of a pickle.
Oh, no, no. Sorry, they're... they're facing a pickle.
It's Free Shipping versus Big Dill.
And joining us to break down that match up,
a winner of the Giant Nut and The Golden Bolt...
Nick Mabey from team End Game is gonna be box side
when we return onBattleBots .
[metal music playing]
[Chris] We are back onBattleBots World Championship VII.
This is Kenny Florian. I am Chris Rose.
This, of course, the champion from season five.
You know him as the co-captain from End Game.
Say hello to Nick Mabey, everybody!
[cheering]
- [Nick] Hey, guys. - [Chris] Hi.
All right, so you guys are two and one.
Uh, very interesting season so far.
You told us at the beginning of the year you were the team to beat,
and you still feel that way, correct?
- Yeah, for sure, yeah. - [Chris] Why?
Well, I mean, we obviously lost in our second match
against the... against the pizza.
Uh, [chuckling] which, uh, you know...
we kind of beat ourselves.
Uh, yeah, we don't really feel too bad about that loss.
Uh, even after he beat us,
we still had a... we still had a great match.
Uh, so what's the takeaway in... in a fight like that against RIPperoni,
uh, what did you guys learn?
- I mean, obviously, don't fall on the kill switch. - [Nick and Kenny laugh]
- It makes sense. - In... In the first second.
- Yeah, yeah. - Don't drive directly straight into them.
Uh, that's the... First, number one,
and we won't do that again. Uh, we'll...
We've actually got geometry that won't let that happen again.
Uh, and then, secondly, like, he got, like, a bunch of free shots on us,
and we were fine afterwards.
He knocked us out of the killsaws
and... and it was just all go, it was like, "Come at us."
Well, we get it, you're supremely confident.
We understand it.
You already have a Giant Nut back there.
So let's, uh, break down our next fight.
We got one and two, Free Shipping,
taking on 0 and three, Big Dill.
For Emmanuel Carrillo, this is a chance to head into the off-season
on a high note.
For Free Shipping though, this is it for 'em.
They need a dominant victory here
or they're not making the round of 32, Nick.
Have you gone against Garry Gin before?
No, never.
Uh, obviously, you know, watched him for a long time.
Uh, he's been around forever.
[Chris] Yeah, what makes it so fun just to watch him compete?
[Nick] I mean, Free Shipping is always chaos.
- [Chris laughs] - [Kenny] Yeah.
[Nick] He never stops,
uh, even when, like, half of his robot is literally detached
from... [chuckling] from... Just, like, hanging on a chain
he even decides, like, "Now this is my weapon,
and I'm gonna use this to swing at my opponent."
Yeah, it... it's always a blast.
He's taking on Big Dill and Emmanuel Carrillo. And, Kenny,
we both thought that Big Dill had its best performance that we've ever seen
in his last fight.
[Kenny] Uh, he's getting better every single time.
I... I thought the weapon was hitting way harder,
he was driving way better.
Uh, but you know, if you're approaching Free Shipping
and you're Emmanuel Carrillo, uh, from Big Dill,
how do you beat Garry Gin?
Yeah, uh, like you said, their previous fight was... was amazing.
- [Chris] Mmm-hmm. - [Nick] And I think if they... if they play like that,
they've got a really good chance.
Like, if they can get under and control him,
uh, I think they can take the win.
I'm not sure they can knock him out.
- Like, you know, Free Shipping is really hard to kill. - Right.
He's known for that.
Uh, but I'm sure they can get a good judges' decision.
[Chris] Well, it's win or go home for Garry Gin.
Let's get to it. Faruq.
[cheering]
[Faruq] In the Red Square,
from San Leandro, California,
here to deliver your coffin to your family,
or at least a note that says, "Hi. It's the post office.
We tried to deliver this coffin, but nobody was home.
We will try again tomorrow between 2:30 and 2:32,
and if then no one is there, you'll have to come pick it up at the office."
Give it up for Free Shipping!
[Chris] Free Shipping, one and two, with a win over Gigabyte.
Captain Garry Gin to the right of the robot.
He told us he really doesn't have a plan.
Nick, maybe you guys are meticulous in your preparation.
How is that that he's got no plan?
[Nick] I couldn't, you know, get into the battle box with... with no plan.
Uh, I would be terrified.
[Chris] But, Kenny, how does Garry make his way to the postseason.
[Kenny] Well, he's gotta get around in the flanks,
can't go headfirst into Big Dill because of the forks.
And I think a definitive win does get him in.
[Faruq] In the blue square,
from Seattle, Washington, here to smack you around like a game of pickleball,
give it up for Big Dill!
[Chris] Losses this season to HiJinx, Skorpios,
and most recently, MaDCatTer.
But I love Emmanuel's attitude, Nick.
[Nick] Yeah, he's actually a really great guy.
Uh, we've... I've gotten to know him over the last couple years
and I actually really enjoy watching Big Dill.
He's, uh... It's a beautiful-looking robot.
[Chris] There is the minibot, Killy Pepper.
Apparently, that little vertical spinner packs a punch, huh, Nick?
[Nick] It could definitely take out a tire or two.
Like, Free Shipping's tires are exposed,
and I mean, Garry only really needs one tire to drive around.
Uh, so, you know, there's some work to do.
[cheering]
I gotta be on my driving game in order to win.
I've gotta, you know, not let him get underneath us
and take control of us.
And I've gotta get around and do some damage to him.
When that light turns green,
I think I'm just gonna charge at him and see what happens.
Usually that's what I... I normally do with a... a new opponent,
is just, you know, go head-to-head and see what happens,
and then just react from there.
So, we're fighting, uh, Free Shipping in the last round.
Garry Gin is a great driver.
We're just gonna have to just outslug him.
Um, he never stops, I think you have to knock off all his wheels.
Our main goal is just to kind of come in,
use the lifter to kind of help get under him,
and then just try to get a lot of shots on his wheels.
We're 0-3 right now.
Not really... The season's not really going the way we want, uh, with wins.
But I think we're getting better every single match
and the goal is, for this fourth fight,
to really have our best fight yet,
and hopefully, uh, that means a win.
[audience] Garry! Garry!
- Garry! Garry! - What the hell is that?
[audience] Garry!
- [Garry] That... I guarantee, he's going for the tank. - [audience] Garry! Garry!
[electronic voice] Robots, activate.
[Chris] Kind of a cool vantage point from here, Nick, isn't it?
[Nick] Yeah, it's real different. I can see the light
that I, uh... That we knocked down on you
at... at one point, Kenny.
[laughs] Yes.
- Yeah, he's still pissed about that. - [laughs]
- [robotic voice] Red team, ready? - That's for all the money.
[robotic voice] Blue team, ready?
[glitch electronic music playing]
[audience] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[Chris] Free Shipping's postseason hopes hinge
on a dominant performance here.
Can Garry Gin get it done?
[buzzing]
[Chris] Let the bot battle begin.
Right, here comes Garry Gin.
He's already a ball of fire.
- Free Shipping backing it up now... - [Kenny] Whoa!
[Chris] ...as both bots slam into the wall.
- Oh, and Emmanuel Carrillo's taking it... - [Kenny] Oh!
[Chris] ...right to Garry Gin's face.
[Kenny] So much to love about the splinter spinner configuration from Big Dill.
- [Chris] Whoa! - [Kenny] That's getting right under Free Shipping.
[Chris] Impressive combination there from Emmanuel Carrillo.
[Kenny] Yeah, Garry Gin's gotta try to attack at an angle.
There you go.
- Oh, there's the flame. - [Chris] Oh.
Free Shipping going on the offensive,
starting to punch back.
Oh, gets caught on the killsaw slots.
[Kenny and Chris] Oh!
[Chris] Uh-oh, Garry Gin's on the slide
and the minibot takes him out.
[Kenny] Killy Pepper doing work.
[Chris] Free Shipping driving inverted,
- but hey, that's no problem for Garry Gin... - [Kenny] No.
[Chris] ...as he slams Big Dill into the wall.
[Kenny] Uh-oh, looks like we got some smoke coming out
- of Free Shipping now, though. - [Chris] Yeah.
Nick Mabey, what does it look like to you?
[Nick] It looks like it could just be belts.
Although, it keeps going.
[Chris] Well, it's gonna take a little more than smoke to stop the legendary Gin.
- [Kenny] It really is just pure chaos, - [Chris laughs]
- Well, Garry could be this crazy. - [Kenny] Oh.
Emmanuel Carrillo's got Free Shipping boxed into a corner here.
- [Kenny] Aw! - [Chris] And the 100-pound pulverizers getting in
on the action. Nice flip.
Oh!
- [Chris] Uh-oh. - Uh-oh.
- [Chris] Garry Gin, how are you gonna get off that? - [Kenny] Oh, my goodness.
- Oh! - [Kenny] Oh! The hammer helped him out!
[Chris] But Big Dill right back on him.
What a display of control by Big Dill.
[Kenny] How about Emmanuel Carrillo outdoing the master tonight?
[Chris] What is this, a pin?
- Oh-ho! - [Kenny] Big Dill is trying to pin him like a wrestler.
[Chris] Nice.
Well, Free Shipping's getting hammered.
Let's see if Garry Gin can get his bot moving again.
Meanwhile, Big Dill just hanging out by its lonesome.
[Nick] He's trying to free his minibot.
That's dangerous.
Uh-oh.
I think Free Shipping's done.
[Kenny] Yeah, he might be done.
[Chris] Let's see if we get a countdown.
Oh, there it is!
- Big Dill, you should spin to win! - Seven, six, five...
- [Chris] You're gonna be picking up... - [referee] ...four...
- [Kenny] ...your first victory of the season. - [referee] ...three, two, one.
Knock out!
Whoo!
[dramatic music playing]
[Chris] Oh, man, you know, Garry Gin,
he was ready to just go nose to nose, Kenny.
[Kenny] Man, ain't no party like a Garry Gin party
'cause a Garry Gin party don't stop.[chuckles]
Check out this footage from out thermal cam.
Free Shipping brings it every single time.
But I mean, Big Dill just... It's amazing
- seeing their first fight here this season... - [Chris] Yeah.
[Kenny] ...to where they're at right now,
they have been so improved.
Uh, and you can just see it, everything, from their driving style
to the robot, the durability,
of how well that weapon is hitting,
very impressed.
[Chris] Nick, you saw some serious collisions here.
How good does it feel when you're sending a robot several feet into the air?
[Nick] I mean, it's hard to describe.
It... It's like one of...
- It's one of the best feeling [chuckling] you could feel. - [Chris laughs]
[Nick] Like, you put so much effort into this stuff
and to see it, like, perform in such a spectacular fashion,
it's... it's incredibly rewarding.
[Kenny] Nick, what about the other side of things,
when you see your robot up in the air?
[Nick] It's also kind of cool, just as a...
- as a fan of the sport. - [Chris laughs]
[Nick] But... But, you know, you're thinking, like, "Oh, I have to fix that."
[Kenny laughs]
Big Dill impressive in its final fight of the season.
[audience cheering]
[Emmanuel] What's up, man?
[Chris] Emmanuel, congratulations.
Thanks. Thanks.
- It's great to finally, uh, sneak out a win. - [chuckles]
Well, come on, that was more than a win.
You dominated throughout that fight.
How much fun was it creating a fireball through the sky?
Oh, n... No.
Uh, it was great, it was super fun.
Uh, getting those big hits in.
Um, feel like we're finally kind of doing what we thought
we were gonna be doing all season,
it just took us four fights.
Um, so like I said, we're getting better every single match
and it was good to just kind of end the season with a... a good win.
[Chris] Well, at one and three,
you might be a long shot to... to cruise into the round of 32,
but can you take what you've learned this season
and carry the momentum for BattleBots season eight?
Totally. Uh, yeah, we would love to come back for season eight.
Um, I think we learned a ton.
Um, you really can't get this experience everywhere else
but inside the box, and getting four fights this season,
uh, really learning a lot about the bot, I think, next season,
we could just take all these learnings
and really step it up another level.
Well, congratulations. Way to finish strong, Emmanuel.
Thanks. Appreciate it.
- [triumphant music playing] - [audience cheering]
[Chris] You know, Nick,
when you guys burst on to the scene several years ago,
you had so much success,
but for a lot of teams out here,
it's kind of a... a... a slow boil, if you will.
And I think that's what we're seeing
- with a team like Big Dill, right? - Yeah.
So, like, the first couple matches they had, uh, this season,
like, weren't that impressive.
But, like, both that match and the match previously, they looked really good.
Like, those are some actually, like, serious hits out there.
[Kenny] Yeah.
And then when you're talking about Garry Gin.
This sport needs Garry Gin.
- I don't care if they go one in three every year. - [Kenny laughs]
Don't you agree with me?
[cheering]
[Chris] I mean, come on.
He's entertaining, he doesn't have a playbook, nothing like that.
- I know it drives you nuts, but-- - I--
I can relate to him being, [chuckles] like, just don't have time.
Like, there's a...
there's a lot this, uh, sport takes out of you.
You... You have to put a lot of effort in, and I... I...
I get it. Like, you run out of time for everything.
[Chris] Hey, Nick, uh, it's great
seeing you. Thanks so much for hanging out.
- Best of luck in your fourth and final regular season... - Yeah.
...fight against Gigabyte, all right?
- Yeah, thank you. - Good luck, man.
Those are very rough hands.
- [chuckles] - Good job, though.
Great seeing you.
All right, so coming up,
the Canadian flipper, Lucky, has had only two fights so far this season.
But they'll try to stay undefeated
against SHREDDIT BRO! after the break.
- That should be just about good. - Yeah, that's good.
[Chris] There's Lucky's hotshot driver, Matt Olson,
making some final tweaks on the robot.
He knows how to put on a show.
So stick around.
- [audience cheering] - [suspenseful music playing]
[Chris] Welcome back toBattleBots where we are now
just one fight away from our marquee matchup.
We got two of robot combat's biggest stars set to collide
as the two and one, Hydra,
meets the three and 0, SawBlaze,
in a dog fight between legitimate title contenders.
Kenny, you could feel the excitement building in the arena
as we get closer to tonight's main event.
[Faruq] It's SawBlaze!
Right now, we're three and 0.
SawBlaze has never gone undefeated in the fight nights.
My toughest critique is myself.
But this is gonna be the best version of SawBlaze we've ever fielded.
The power this year has been incredible out of Hydra.
Rotator fight and the Free Shipping fight...
[Chris] Jake Ewert has some pent up anger in his tank.
[Jake] ...and now, I got the always destructive
Jamison Go and SawBlaze.
The last time we fought a flipper was Bronco in 2018.
- [Kenny] Oh! - [Chris] Oh! Nice flip!
He got SawBlaze on its head.
[Jamison] People always forget that it's not just spinners
that are causing the pain.
Gravity does quite a bit of work
all on its own.
But the robot is vastly improved,
and Hydra has to get underneath us first.
Hydra is known for their ground game, but so are we.
I bet Jake is actually back there right now
sweating about how he's gonna guarantee
that his ground game beats ours.
I win...
just because my ground game
is superior than most other people's.
I've learned over five seasons how to kind of get around the arena.
These guys who are putting on all these super sharp wedgelets now,
getting stuck on the floor,
they don't know how to move.
[Jamison] We're gonna keep those forks low.
We've measured them, we've sharpened them.
We have a little bit of a reach advantage,
and we're gonna use that as feelers
to make sure that we have good engagement before going in.
[Jake] I'm gonna get underneath him.
Then I'm free game to just go after him.
And I just have my way with him for... for three minutes.
I know what the... My robot's capable of and I do expect to win.
[Jamison] SawBlaze is in full predator mode.
We are a chase robot.
We are a bully of the BattleBots.
We wanna catch you
and we wanna bring the hammer saw down.
[audience cheering]
[Chris] And there's a look at the two squads now.
Both hard at work.
They know what's on the line tonight.
Possibly number one overall seed for Jamo,
maybe a top four for Jake and Hydra.
And, Kenny, while you can't gamble on robot combat just yet,
you put together a list of your favorites to win it all,
which includes these two, right?
[Kenny] Yeah, now this isn't how I think
the tournament should be seeded,
but it's who I think has the best chance at taking home the Nut.
The lower the number, the better the odds to do it.
[Chris] SawBlaze and Hydra, the fourth and fifth most likely to win,
according to card check Kenny.
Riptide further down the list than I thought you'd have 'em though.
[Kenny] You gotta beat the best to be the best.
They still have a lot to prove to me.
[Chris] All right, our next two teams are getting loaded into the box,
the undefeated flipper from Canada, Lucky,
will try to stay perfect against Evan Arias and SHREDDIT BRO!.
Let's start with Lucky.
They haven't exactly faced the toughest competition so far this season,
but they have taken care of business in every fight, Kenny.
Yeah, that's right, and Matt Olson driving extremely well.
In just his second season, the pro RC car pilot has solidified himself
as one of robot combat's best drivers.
The once inconsistent flipper now seems like it can compete with the big boys,
and while they're doing everything that's been asked of them,
with this easy of a schedule, they need to come out and dominate again tonight.
- You said, "Inconsistent." I say, "SHREDDIT BRO!." - [laughs]
[Chris] Captain Evan Arias, a few guys have more enthusiasm than this guy.
He really believes in his robot.
It's sitting at one and one. But if we're being honest,
these finally two fights aren't necessarily about making the tournament,
but rather proving he deserves to be invited back next season.
[Kenny] Yeah, we've mentioned it before,
but this is just a scaled up version
of Evan's champion-level Beetleweight bot,
so does this design just not work at 250-pound
or has it just been, Gremlins, I don't know?
But look, Lucky is 0 and four all-time against drum spinners.
So if SHREDDIT BRO! can get its weapon working tonight,
it should have a punter's chance.
[audience cheering]
[Chris] All right, the bots are locked and loaded inside the box.
Let's get ready for this fight.
[cheering]
[robotic voice] Red team, ready?
[Kenny laughs]
[Chris] So, Kenny, if SHREDDIT BRO! can get it going,
now how do they win this fight?
[Kenny] Well, Evan said he's gonna try to to bait Matt Olson
into firing LUCKY!'s weapon.
It takes a bit for LUCKY! to reset
and that's when Evan will go in for a strike.
[robotic voice] Blue team ready.
[Chris] Great stat earlier
about LUCKY! being 0-4 against drum spinners.
Kenny, why do you think that is?
[Kenny] Well, I think it has to do with the trajectory
of LUCKY!'s flipper. It's more of a puncher.
So, any head-to-head shot goes right into the opponent's drum.
Now, they are using this fight to beta test a new fork configuration.
It's designed to get under spinners
and deflect energy into the floor.
With Cobalt up next,
they want to give it a spin against the BRO!
[audience cheering]
[all cheering] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzing]
[Chris] Let the bot battle begin.
- SHREDDIT BRO! goes right at LUCKY! And oh... - [Kenny] Oh.
[Chris] ...offers himself up to the flipper right out of the gate.
Kind of an ill-advised move by Evan Arias,
flirting with LUCKY!'s front end.
Still staring down the barrel, and that flipper...
It's not HYDRA-esque, but still pretty solid
when he gets it at the right angle.
[Kenny] Yeah, he mixes in, you know, his little jab shots
and then his big-power overhand rights.
[Chris] Matt Olson, the driver of LUCKY!.
Very patient, very deliberate.
Hunting for the right angle to get underneath SHREDDIT BRO!
and give it a good punt.
Here we go.
- LUCKY! punting SHREDDIT BRO! up into the screws. - [Kenny] Oh!
[Chris] Oh, no.
- Oh, it's gonna get stuck like a piece of toast. - [talking indistinctly]
Yummy!
[Kenny] Great job by Matt Olson.
SHREDDIT BRO! getting shredded.
- BRO!? - He's got me in.
[Chris] Now, those screws are actually gonna continue to rotate
in opposite directions,
which may spit the BRO! back out here.
But I'm not sure they have anything to bite into, Kenny.
Evan Arias could be in serious trouble here.
- [referee] Ten, nine... - [Kenny] Yeah, that's gonna be
- his final resting place, Chris. - Eight, seven...
- [Chris] That is it. We'll see you, BRO!. - [referee] Six, five, four...
- [Chris] LUCKY!'s gonna improve to 3-0. - [referee] Three, two, one.
Knock out!
[buzzing]
[audience cheering]
[indistinct conversation]
[Chris] Kenny, that was just a very patient, surgical performance
from Matt Olson right there.
[Kenny] Absolutely. SHREDDIT BRO! didn't offer up much in the way of resistance.
But credit to Matt for taking his time and executing his gameplan.
Looked like he was targeting the screws from the start
and he slotted the BRO! right in there,
dropped him into the toaster like a piece of sourdough.
[Chris] Those screws did reverse direction,
but that robot is just so darned flat, they had nothing to grab onto.
SHREDDIT BRO! was left to be ground down and eventually counted out.
[audience cheering]
[Chris] Hey, Mark.
Hi, Mark. Congratulations.
Thank you.
So, you improved to 3-0.
I... I wanna know, did you have a very specific strategy?
'Cause it looked like you weren't interested in flipping right off the bat.
Well, we're, uh, exercising a little patience there,
Chris, this year, so...
Got a little bit of game planning for sure.
So, the only thing standing between you and a perfect regular season
is a date with Cobalt.
Yes, sir. Yeah.
We're looking forward to that, but there's, uh,
there's one or two ways I can go, right?
Okay, and what are those two ways?
Well, we come out with the right hits and we win,
or you go home in a box.
- You know the way it goes. - [Chris and Kenny laugh]
Mark, we look forward to that fight. We wish you luck.
Congratulations on another W.
Thank you.
[audience cheering]
Good job guys.
Pleasure.
Kenny, LUCKY! is another example
of a bot this season that just continues to build some momentum.
Yeah, no question about it.
You know, when we first saw them,
they had a ton of issues, they were riddled with problems, uh,
but now, to see the improvements that they've made,
uh, from that first fight to where they are now, it's very impressive.
[Chris] And again, LUCKY! will finish the qualifiers
against the vicious vertical blade of Cobalt.
[Kenny] Yeah, they'll make the round of 32
regardless of what happens in that fight.
But they haven't fought a top-tier opponent yet.
So, Cobalt will be a great test
to see if LUCKY! is the real deal.
[Chris] And for SHREDDIT BRO!, one last shot at redemption
against Charles Guan and OVERHAUL.
[Chris] All right, coming up. It's main event time.
Can SawBlaze be the first team to finish a perfect 4-0 this season?
Or will Jake Ewert crash the party
and possibly the ceiling?
It's SawBlaze versus HYDRA,
and it's next onBattleBots.
[audience cheering]
[Chris] We are back onBattleBots World Championship VII.
And we are so excited for this main event.
SawBlaze and Jamison Go
going for a perfect regular season,
trying to improve to 4-0.
Kenny, in recent years, we've seen them progress come playoff time.
From the top 16 to the top eight a couple of times,
last season in the semi-finals,
this bot just keeps getting better and better.
Yeah, absolutely.
And Jamison's really evolved as a leader as well.
He runs his team like a business.
They now have a system using a literal checklist
to tear down the robot after each fight,
analyzing every nut, bolt and screw
to see how they can improve.
So far, that focus has them 3-0
and in the mix for a top overall seed.
A tough task tonight, however,
squaring off against HYDRA and Jake Ewert.
They seem to be peaking.
In their last match against Gary Gin and Free Shipping
they had him jumping up into the sky 20 flips that night.
Yeah, absolutely. But this is a completely different beast
- Yeah. - in SawBlaze.
In terms of just X's and O's,
this is a dangerous match-up for Jake.
He cannot let Jamison get around to his sides.
If he does,
SawBlaze should be able to slice
right through HYDRA's lightly armored top.
On the other hand, if Jake can win the ground game
and stay pointed at SawBlaze,
he's got a good shot to get his flips off and win this fight.
[Chris] Yeah, and remember. These two have never fought before.
But here's why fans are saying this could be a preview
of this year's championship.
Just unreal stats here, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, incredible. Two of the best bots on the planet,
and neither is a four-wheel drive vertical spinner.[chuckles]
We still have a few weeks of the qualifiers left,
but again, I think it's very possible.
Whoever wins this fight will earn
one of those highly coveted top four seeds.
Quite the challenge for both robots. Let's see how it plays out.
Faruq, it's all yours.
[audience cheering]
[Faruq] Ladies and gentlemen,
are you ready?
It's time for the main event!
In the red square,
Wisconsin is the birthplace that this bot and Chris Farley share.
You'll be a [in singsong voice] fat bot in a little grave.
[in normal voice] When he's giving you the scares,
forget Tommy, you'll run to Mommy, boy.
When you see what he can deliver,
he'll kill you quick like a Beverly Hills Ninja
and hide your body in a van
down by the river.
It's HYDRA!
[audience cheering]
[indistinct conversation]
[Chris] Attaway, Faruq.
HYDRA and Jake Ewert. The man's doing the heavy-lifting right now.
Or at least pushing.
Now, Kenny you mentioned HYDRA's vulnerable overhead attacks.
But Jake did make some adjustments for this fight, right?
[Kenny] Yeah, Jake removed a few pounds of armor
that usually sits on HYDRA's sides and put it on top.
Should help him take
at least a few shots from Jamison's hammer saw.
[audience cheering]
[Faruq] In the blue square,
this bot swings a blade like Conan the Barbarian
and has no sense of humor.
It'll give you a splitting headache, but don't worry.
[in Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice] It's not a tumor.
[in normal voice] Thinking you can beat him is true lies,
and when this terminator attacks,
you can just call the cemetery and tell them...
[in Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice] "I'll be back. Hasta la vista,baby."
[in normal voice] It's SawBlaze!
[audience cheering]
[Chris] Yes, honoring one of the legendary actors of our time with that intro.
[team members cheering]
Jamison Go, the man to the right, fired up.
[Jamison] Touch and go!
[Chris] And how does... he gonna do a perfect 4-0 tonight, Kenny.
[Kenny] Well, it all comes down to those forks and dustpan setup.
For the weapon to reach HYDRA, Jamison has to attack the sides
and try and get under Jake's robot.
Pay attention to the first couple of interactions.
It can tell us a lot about how this fight is going to go.
[audience cheering]
[Chris] Now, this will only be Jamison Go's second ever fight against a flipper.
The other one was against Bronco back in 2018,
and SawBlaze lost in a unanimous judges' decision, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, and while SawBlaze is much better than what it was back then,
it is still generally the same design.
You have to wonder if Jake watched that fight
to look for any particular vulnerabilities SawBlaze has to flippers.
[Chris] And let's see who the other builders like in this match-up.
Ooh, another close one.
[Kenny] Yeah, the one thing I will say, though,
is that the few times Jake has lost the fight, he beats himself.
Either the bot gets stuck or he makes a driving error.
I have a hard time picking against HYDRA in any match-up.
[audience cheering]
[robotic voice] Robots activate.
[audience cheering]
[Christ] All right, could Jake Ewert catapult HYDRA
to a top tournament seed with a win tonight?
Or will Jamison Go's picture perfect season continue?
It's a match-up between two of the biggest stars in robot combat
when we return
onBattleBots.
Let's get it going.
[audience cheering]
[Chris and Kenny] Oh!
[Chris] Masterclass by Bales!
- [Kenny] Claw Viper is rocked by Bales. Oh! - [Chris] Oh!
Its arm is bent. I'm not so sure it's moving.
[Kevin] We took a lot of damage.
Stuff got hit that's not supposed to get hit.
He went into the inside of our robot
and hit the internals of the robot.
We definitely lost both of our lifter motors
our lifter gearbox is all messed up.
Our robot is designed to have pieces that swap in and out.
But we've now damaged all three copies of some of the pieces.
And they're not designed to be repaired.
We have a small team compared to everybody else.
And, uh, our team's wearing out.
So, we're gonna go to Lincoln,
they're gonna help us out, and we'll get the robot back running.
It's a lot of, like, physical labor to repair it.
This is gonna be many, many hours of work.
That was our season goal is to make the top 32.
So, if we're in there,
our season was a success.
Now, it's up to see how far we can go.
[audience cheering]
[Chris] Welcome back toBattleBots.
We are just moments away from a massive main event
as Jamison Go and SawBlaze try to finish the qualifiers perfect
against Jake Ewert and HYDRA.
It is golden boy versus bad boy
in a fight that could decide the top tournament seed.
What a way to finish the night. I am amped.
[audience cheering] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzing]
[Chris] Let the bot battle begin.
SawBlaze quick out of the gate but nails himself on the floor.
And, uh-oh, that leaves them susceptible to the first pop-up by HYDRA.
[Kenny] Great start for Jake Ewert.
HYDRA looks like the lower bot here.
And that is bad news for Jamison Go.
HYDRA just kinda waiting for SawBlaze now.
[Chris] SawBlaze hunting for an angle to attack.
Oh, man. HYDRA puts SawBlaze on its head.
Jamison with a quick self-right.
But Jake Ewert looks dialed-in tonight.
SawBlaze resets.
[Kenny] Yeah, Jamison Go looking to get around the sides of HYDRA.
So far, Jake Ewert is shutting that strategy down.
[Chris] Yeah Jake Ewert's at his best driving lights when he waits.
- [Kenny] Oh! - [Chris] Wow, oh! Oh!
Those forks are definitely fed as SawBlaze goes flying again!
[Kenny] HYDRA really taking over here. SawBlaze seemed rocked.
[Chris] Yeah, SawBlaze took some damage to its forks in that exchange.
You can actually see the front end is sort of cocked up for now.
HYDRA has jumped out to a big lead
here in the first minute of this fight.
No question about it, Kenny.
Yeah, but SawBlaze's weapon is still active.
Oh, there's gonna be another flip here from HYDRA.
[Chris] And there it goes. Wow.
We saw 20 flips in HYDRA's last match against Free Shipping.
Off to a great start here.
[Kenny] Now Jake is locked in, but SawBlaze is capable
of racking up damage in a hurry.
Just has to find an angle.
[Chris] Yeah, he cannot get those forks low enough to control HYDRA, Kenny,
and take him for a spin around the box.
[Kenny] Yeah, HYDRA's been very patient, methodical, but look at this.
That fork had a hold of HYDRA. But he's, uh... he's gone.
I think they're gonna try to get that flame going.
[Chris] SawBlaze has HYDRA pinned.
Can it drop the hammer saw?
[Kenny] I think the forks are actually preventing...
His own forks are preventing him from hitting with that hammer saw.
[Chris] Whoa. Oh, yeah.
- SawBlaze bouncing around like a basketball... - [Kenny] Uh-oh.
[Chris] And uh-oh. For the first time, HYDRA's got...
But he takes a hammer saw shot for the first time.
[Kenny] Yeah, HYDRA doesn't want to take too many of those.
[Chris] Under a minute remaining.
Can SawBlaze claw its way back into this fight?
- [Kenny] Oh! - [Chris] Oh! HYDRA with another big, high flip.
[Kenny] Nice recovery by SawBlaze.
Gets under HYDRA...
- [Chris] Oh! - [Kenny] ...a nd drops the hammer saw!
Don't write SawBlaze off yet.
[Chris] Oh! SawBlaze head over heels!
- HYDRA's best play. - [Kenny] Oh.
Jamison Go's bot is inverted.
Will it be able to self-right?
- [Jake] Come on. - [Kenny] Now that might be it.
- That was a battle, y'all. - [Kenny] That might be it.
- Get ready for the little self-right there. - [Kenny] Wow.
SawBlaze cannot move.
This would be a massive win for HYDRA.
- [referee] Nine, eight... - [Chris] The countdown
- [referee] Seven, six... - [Chris] has started.
- five, four, three... - [Chris] SawBlaze are loser for the first time this season
as HYDRA does the deed.
- Oh! - [Kenny] Oh, Jake wants to keep going.
[Chris] Jake Ewert just can't resist landing one last flip.
Even if it means sending this match to a decision.
- What's he doing? - [man] Everything is all right.
Have you had enough yet?
- [Chris laughing] Wow. - [man] Cool.
- [man 1 gasping] - [man 2 cheering]
[Jake] Attaboy, Jamo!
- Yes, buddy! - [both laughing]
[woman] Nice going.
[Jake] Whoo!
[Chris] So, after two and a half minutes of mayhem,
HYDRA decides to resurrect SawBlaze,
forgo the knockout and send this one
to a judges' decision.
Kenny, how impressive was HYDRA?
[Kenny] Uh, unbelievably impressive.
I mean, there's not a whole lot of robots
that can go out there and beat SawBlaze,
it is even fewer that can make it look easy like HYDRA did tonight.
[Chris] HYDRA consistently able to get under the forks
or wherever he wanted on his opponent
and sent SawBlaze airlifted several times.
[Kenny] Yeah, I mean he was able to win the ground game.
That was key.
- [Chris] Here's another major flip. - [Kenny] Wow.
Those are the kind of shots that are going to do a lot of damage to your robot.
That 250 pounds flying up in the air, Chris.
[Chris] 14 flips against SawBlaze.
What an enormous number.
Jake Ewert looked to be cruising to a knockout,
but in classic fashion, he decided to play with his food
for just a bit longer
and let the crowd hear the name HYDRA one more time.
The results from the judges are in.
[audience cheering]
The winner by unanimous decision is...
[audience member cheering] HYDRA!
[audience cheering]
[Chris] Jake Ewert, congratulations
as you knock off the previously unbeaten SawBlaze.
Were you surprised with... with the ease you were able to do it?
Um, honestly, I was deathly afraid of him.
Uh, this... this... this was my nightmare match for sure.
It's a top attack.
He got underneath, scooped me up like he usually does.
Uh, it was gonna be super hard for me to get a win.
Um, so I went razor sharp this match.
I sacrificed a little bit of drive control.
But, uh... That's why we were going so slow at each other.
'Cause we wanted to make sure that we got underneath them
so he couldn't bring down the hammer on top of us
'cause it would have been devestating otherwise.
[Chris] So, Jake, you sit at 3-1.
You're gonna wait for your call from the selection committee.
Do you think this is the bot to beat?
[Jake] No, not yet.
Um, I'm hoping that we get, uh, a pretty high seed.
Not that it really matters because, uh, 32 seed last year.
- I pretty much rocked the world, right? So, uh... - [Chris laughs]
I'm fine wherever I get in.
Well, you remain one of the most popular bots around.
- Congratulations on your 3-1 regular season. - Thank you.
[indistinct conversation]
[Chris] Jamison,
you're arguably the best bot in the regular season
coming into this fight at 3-0.
What went wrong, in your opinion?
Well, uh, like... like Jake said, they sharpened real well
and we spent a lot of time yesterday sharpening our stuff.
Uh, we thought it was the lowest you can go,
we were scraping paint all over the test box,
but apparently, you can go lower than that.
- So, very impressive. - [audience laugh]
So, Jamison, uh, 14 flips is what your bot took tonight.
- [audience cheering] - Ooh.
- Whatever. - Now, that's a lot.
But how satisfied were you that you made it the full three minutes?
Oh, only by the... the grace of Jake himself,
- that last one. - [Chris laughs]
It was, uh... We were definitely probably getting counted out
if he didn't flip us back over.
- So... thank you. - You're welcome.
Well, you hit new records, yeah.
- You got more the last time, your last fight. - Right.
Well, Jamison, congratulations on an amazing regular season.
We'll see you in the round of 32.
Thank you. Is that a guarantee?
- Um... - I get that in writing?
I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm not the... I'm not the legal expert here.
- Okay. - Maybe we'll see you in the round of 32.
I'll ask the crowd. What do you think?
[audience cheering]
[Chris] Okay, so both teams close out the qualifiers with identical 3-1 records
and some really quality wins in there as well.
Kenny, where do you think these two will be seeded in the round of 32?
[Kenny] Yeah, great strength of schedule.
SawBlaze is still probably a top ten seed after this loss.
I'm sure Jake Ewert, on the other hand,
is hoping for one of those highly coveted top four seeds.
But we still have a handful of undefeated teams
who are thinking the same thing.
Copperhead, HUGE, Riptide are all in the mix,
and then Minotaur and Witch Doctor will fight each other
in the final main event of the qualifiers.
The winner could take the top overall seed.
[Chris] And remember, getting a top seed is so important
because in theory, the higher your seed,
the easier your path to the Giant Nut.
[Kenny] Yeah, just look at the difference
between the four versus the 14.
In the first round, the four seed
faces a team that barely made the tournament,
while the 14th seed has to take on the squad
that probably has a similar resume.
[Chris] And again, we will reveal the entire bracket
just three weeks from today.
Incredible night, incredible fights.
Thanks to everybody for joining us.
For Faruq and my man, Kenny Florian,
I am Chris Rose. We will see you next time here
with more BattleBots.
[audience cheering]