[robotic voice] Robots activate.
Welcome to BattleBots, I am Chris Rose
and I'm joined by the man, the myth, the beard, Kenny Florian.
Man, Chris, we've had some incredible crowds this year,
but this one might be the loudest yet.
And they have a lot to cheer for tonight.
Something tells me there'll be a lot of fans losing their voices.
And a lot of bots losing ground in their race to join the field of 32.
[Kenny] That's right, Chris.
Tonight's lineup features teams
entering their fourth and final fights
of the qualifying rounds.
This is it.
Their last chance to show the world what their robots can do
and prove they belong in the postseason.
And check out these matchups.
We've got the former world champs, End Game
taking on the heavy hitter, Gigabyte.
Rotator and Fusion, Skorpios and Ribbot,
these are teams that are fighting
for their tournament lives tonight.
Things are gonna get tense.
[Chris] And our main event is a real sloberknocker.
Copperhead, a perennial contender.
Perhaps once limited by a revolving door of captains,
is now thriving under the leadership of Luke Quintal.
He's got the team sitting at 3-0
and has us wondering if this is finally the year of the snake.
But blocking the path to perfection
is one of the most talked about rookies inBattleBots history.
Rising star, RIPperoni
has the world whispering that the giant killer pizza
might have what it takes to grab the Giant Nut in year number one.
Captain Anna Zolnikov can put the finishing touches on her rookie champaign
in spectacular fashion with a win tonight.
But up first, it's the king's men, James and Grant Cooper
and the British bot Quantum.
They're looking to finish their qualifiers with a perfect 4-0 record.
But a dangerous rookie has other plans.
Emulsifier wants to slay the unbeaten beast and land a spot in the tournament.
Faruq, let's go!
Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready?
- It's robot fighting time. - [audience cheering]
In the red square, from Columbus, Ohio,
trained at the Cordon Bleu,
and here to julienne the vegetables and you, it's Emulsifier.
[Chris] Emulsifier, one half of the Bots FC organization.
Captain Matt Bores has Adam Wrigley wheeling out the bot.
Loses to Fusion and Malice this season.
Big-time opportunity for the rookie here Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, has a real chance at an upset as well.
Quantum's been incredible, but it isn't designed to take massive shots
from the weapon, like Emulsifier's.
They've also added those vertical hard steel plates on both sides,
that's to protect against Quantum's bite.
In the blue square, Birmingham, United Kingdom,
serving blowfish and chips, it's Quantum.
[audience cheering]
[Chris] James and Grant Cooper,
what a return toBattleBots it's been for team Quantum.
Remember, they got that first win they said, "Hey, we can go home now"?
And we said, "Ha-ha, no, you don't."
This bot can do a lot of damage in the postseason Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, there's not a single team
here that wants to face Quantum in an elimination fight,
the jaw is just too powerful, the teeth are crippling.
If they can take out a big vertical spinner like Emulsifier
that'll be the cherry on top of a masterful run in the qualifiers.
Quantum is a terrifying hydraulic crusher.
They're, honestly, one of the robots I did not want to fight going into this.
Wherever they sink that tooth,
it's gonna hit something important.
Really, I think we only need one clean shot on his arm to disable him,
so we're gonna try to keep the front facing him and hope,
in case that fails, our thick top armor plate
keeps him out of our electronics.
This match is huge.
You know, as a rookie,
I wanna make it in to the top 32 and make a statement,
and we have to win this match to do that.
See, in the back of our mind, it's always how far can we go? Can we get that Giant Nut?
we are on the back foot being a first year,
but the opportunity's there and we're going to take it.
This next fight is critical for us really,
to make sure we come out of it in one piece,
Emulsifier's weapon is really savage.
The key for us is just to get ahold of it,
and once we can get ahold of it we can relax for a few seconds
and think about what we do then.
There's something quite, um, grotesque about the brute force nature
of sinking your teeth into another robot.
But, you know what?
Those spinners dish out a enough damage it's time for a crusher to.
[audience cheering]
[robotic voice] Robots activate.
[Chris] Kenny, if Quantum does end up perfect,
are they a contender for the number one overall seed in your opinion?
[Kenny] I don't think their easier schedule is gonna give them that opportunity.
They also don't have the pedigree
of bots like Minotaur, Witch Doctor,
who have shown they're consistent winners.
But if Quantum can pull off another one of these dominate wins,
they have at least got a shot a controlling a tournament quadrant with a top four seed.
[audience chanting] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[Chris] Quantum trying to put the finishing touches on a perfect season.
Emulsifier gunning for a major upset and a chance to crack the round of 32.
Let the BotBattle begin!
And here comes Quantum straight at the weapon
and loses a tooth in the process, wow.
But manages to sink the other one straight into the treads of Emulsifier.
What a start!
[Kenny] Yeah, big shot right outta the gate.
A lot of people wanted to see what would happen if Quantum took on a powerful weapon,
like a vertical spinner.
Clearly, their strategy is the same,
they are being aggressive looking for a bite.
Up, up, up, up, up!
[Chris] Well, we'll see how effective Quantum is moving forward
after sheading one of those K9s.
Emulsifier looking for space to spin that disk back up.
Quantum all over him though.
[Kenny] Oh, and there goes the other tooth, Chris.
[Chris] Man, oh, man. I have a reoccurring dream that's just like this.
It's more of a nightmare.
[Kenny] Quantum getting in close like a grappler,
trying to stop that weapon on Emulsifier.
Took off one of those armor bars
and it looks like they have a bite.
[Chris] Yeah, they are locked on. Like, who needs teeth?
Bottom's gonna try and gum Emulsifier to death.
Absolutely incredible what this robot can do in the box, Kenny.
- [Kenny] It is so impressive... - [Chris] Ahh.
...what they can do out there.
You see him grab ahold of Emulsifier,
drag him around the BattleBox showing control, showing aggression.
I mean, look how close they are to that weapon on Emulsifier.
Yeah, they've lost those teeth,
but they're still willing to get in there and bite down with precision,
avoid taking more damage, and just exert their will.
Quantum is no joke.
[Chris] We are 90 seconds into tonight's opener
and Quantum's squarely dictating the pace of this match.
Took that huge shot early on, but has dominated ever since that.
And now Emulsifier's weapon trying to do a little, uh, cosmetic surgery on Quantum.
Feather it.
[Kenny] Quantum has another nice clamp here.
Little smoke outta those tires.
Pushing Emulsifier around.
- Right, leave him there. Leave him there. - [man] Yeah!
- [Chris] Emulsifier not moving right now, Kenny. - Uh-oh.
[Kenny] Quantum may have gotten himself a knockout.
[Chris] You can see Matt Bores running around to the side of the box.
[Kenny] Yeah, he's looking for a better radio signal.
[Chris] Emulsifier being warned,
they have to show us some sort of movement or the countdown's coming.
They are on their way to being counted out.
Quantum now just seconds away from improving to 4-0 this season.
Matt Bores desperate to get his bot to go. And he does!
Emulsifier is back, Kenny!
[man] Heck yeah, baby!
[Kenny] He sure is.
Right back in, it's got that primary weapon working as well.
Quantum staying on Emulsifier though.
[Chris] The ol' okie doke by Matt Bores.
But, oh, no! Emulsifier looks to be hung up on the floor now.
The treads are spinning but the bot cannot move.
[Kenny] Trying to come back to life again,
I don't think he's gonna be able to pull it off here.
Matt Bores refusing to give up,
running back to the Driver's Deck
to see if he can get his robot to respond.
[Chris] Well, Emulsifier's gonna make it the full three minutes here,
that is simply remarkable.
- [referee] ...two, one! - [audience cheering]
[Chris] You have to imagine that Quantum will remain unbeaten.
Still, nothing is of course official until our panel of judges weighs in.
They'll be scoring this match in the categories of damage, aggression, and control.
What a fight.
[Chris] Well, Kenny,
Quantum with another excellent display of control in this match.
Especially because Emulsifier's weapon looked like
it could end this fight at any moment.
[Kenny] Yeah, nice work early on by Quantum,
avoiding the disk and going after the treads.
Ended up losing both teeth, but completely smothered the rookie.
[Chris] Hey, credit to Emulsifier for achievements in dentistry.
Made this a much tougher fight on Quantum.
That giant disk was active all fight long.
Later on, played a little possum and landed a niffy shot.
[Kenny] Matt Bores definitely got his steps in,
going anywhere he could for a signal to his robot.
Emulsifier is gonna earn some damage points,
but I gotta think this is Quantum's fight.
[Chris] One more look at Matt Bores, never say die.
Here's Faruq with the decision.
The results from the judges are in.
[audience cheering]
The winner, by unanimous decision is...
- Quantum! - [audience cheering]
[Chris] The brothers Cooper, congratulations, 4-0.
Thank you, thank you.
It's, uh, a fight we really didn't want to go in on that one.
We knew we performed well up until this point
and we wanted our machine ready,
in its A-game, for the round of 32.
And, yeah, this was a machine we really didn't want to see in the arena.
And, yeah, we're just thankful it's come out in one piece.
Do us a favor and talk us through the fight.
Well, it started off quite quickly.
They, uh, didn't have any forks on,
so we went with our horizontal spinner setup which...
So we can both drive around, exactly how we want to,
instead of worrying about the floor.
So it was really nip and tuck, they put some really big impacts into us.
But you get to the point with Quantum where you're just like,
"Just shove the head into the disk."
[chuckles] Just, whatever it takes, just stop that disk.
But, uh, it's a relief.
Um, I'm glad we've, uh,
we've still got a machine to carry on in the competition.
[Chris] 4-0, a magical season for Quantum.
We'll see you in the tournament, guys.
Thank you very much.
- [Matt] Well done. - [Grant] Thank you.
[Matt] You guys deserve it, that was awesome.
All right, so Quantum's certainly good enough here.
And this is really a remarkable moment, Kenny.
A crusher bot just finished the qualifiers with a perfect record.
Absolutely nobody saw this one coming.
[Kenny] Yeah, teeth or no teeth, Quantum is the real deal.
And, listen, Emulsifier did a great job in this one, hanging around.
Didn't get the W of course, but I think it's a win in that,
they went three minutes against one of the best crushing bots in the world.
[Chris] Yeah, they end up in 1-3 in the regular season.
Won't be the only team in that position,
praying for one of the last spots in the tournament.
And so, obviously, the Selection Committee
is gonna have a lot of work to do.
But we know Quantum's gonna be in the field of 32 'cause they went 4-0.
All right, coming up, End Game ain't happy.
They're saying, "Hey, you're putting the rookie
that beat us in the main event?
Well, what gives?"
Well, they can address their grievances
to the nasty, full-body spinner standing in their path.
It is Gigabyte versus End Game coming your way next onBattleBots.
[Chris] Welcome back toBattleBots,
and I certainly hope you're ready for more top-shelf robot carnage.
Because up next we've got the former Giant Nut winner
and reigning Golden Bolt champion, End Game
looking to tame the chaotic full-body spinner, Gigabyte.
Bots are ready to make their way into the arena.
- You ready to check it out? - Let's do it.
Faruq, do your thing.
[Faruq] In the red square.
I don't know much about wine but I am a bot sommelier.
Might I recommend a rich, full-body spinner today.
There's a robust flavor of doom with hints of[sniffs] broken bones.
And when he leaves you in the dirt you'll get those earthy undertones.
Pairs well with fish, pasta, or a trip to the emergency room.
Raise your glasses for Gigabyte.
[Chris] Gigabyte broke into the win column
in its last outing against Starchild.
Rookie captains Camden Wallraff and Derek Tran
finally looked comfortable and reined the full-body spinner in.
Now they have a chance to launch themselves into the postseason.
[Kenny] That's right, you gotta think beating End Game
is like a fast past to the tournament,
but realistically this fight is more about Gigabyte looking competitive
and proving it can hang in there with one of the best in the sport.
In the blue square.
Put the controller down, son.
This game's too violent for beginners, it's rated M for murderous.
These winners eat noobs for dinner.
A perfect tool of modern warfare with sonic speed,
that's the scenario.
It's game over when he pops you like, "Its-a me, a Mario."
Here to put you in a pine Xbox, it's End Game.
[Chris] They got a Giant Nut, they got a Golden Bolt,
they are Jack Barker and Nick Mabey, of team End Game.
Kenny, ever since that loss to RIPperoni the Kiwis have been out for blood.
[Kenny] Yeah, you can see it on their faces,
they wanna close out their qualifiers with another KO
and start prepping for a deep tournament run.
Can't overlook Gigabyte though,
when it spins up anything can happen.
We are twice as fast as we were last year, so we have a lot more control
as to dodging, and getting around and positioning ourselves
around our opponents.
I am not worried about not doing damage to them,
so long as we can get up to speed.
End Game is going to box rush us.
They are going to push us into the wall as often as possible.
And our goal will be to avoid that, stay in the middle,
get up to speed, and hit them really hard so that they break.
Gigabyte can take a while to spin up.
But once they are up to speed it's a big amount of weapon
that can come around and hit us.
So we wanna take control early
and make sure that we're just battering them the whole fight.
Yeah, if we can stop Gigabyte getting up to full speed they won't be able to hurt us.
And then we'll just be able to bully them around the BattleBox.
I don't think this fight is going to the judges.
[referee] Good to go.
[robotic voice] Robots activate.
[Chris] Kenny, I love hearing Camden from Gigabyte talk a big game,
but he and Derek are up against it here.
[Kenny] Yeah, and this is a fight where they need to be in total sync.
You can see the cord connecting the two.
Camden's there on the right with the weapon, Derek is on the driving.
I think the real pressure's on Derek here.
He needs to buy Gigabyte spin-up time and stay elusive out there.
[audience chanting] Gigabyte! Gigabyte!
[audience chanting] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[Chris] The former bounty winner, Gigabyte.
The former world champ, End Game.
Are we in for another big-time upset here?
Let the BotBattle begin. End Game quick across the box.
- Look out. - [Kenny] Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
- [Chris chuckling] Oh! - [audience exclaiming]
- [Chris] Oh, no! - [Kenny] Oh-ho-ho!
[Chris] Oh, my gosh! What a shot.
[man] Get up.
[Kenny] End Game sends Gigabyte flying.
Oh, again.
- [Chris] Oh! - [Kenny] This is brutal.
[Chris] They must have been studying the old HyperShock team build against Gigabyte
'cause that's gonna be it.
Wow! The directional indicator is done.
The spinning is done.
The match is done, Kenny.
- [referee] ...nine... - [Kenny] End Game not playing around.
Taking it out on Gigabyte here, what a performance.
[referee] ...four, three...
[Chris] I think End Game's still ticked off
about that controversial loss against RIPperoni.
As the former champs improve to 3-1.
Kenny, hey, you said End Game was gonna press the issue.
How about a 43 second KO.
[Kenny] Yeah, this was peak End Game right here.
Jack Barker did give Gigabyte an extra second to spin-up.
I thought maybe something could happen
and then[chuckles] oh, man what a combination.
[Chris] Unbelievable shot.
Gigabyte like a UFO flying back to the mother ship.
Their self-righter gone in a flash.
And End Game in total command, booting them all over the BattleBox.
That was awesome.
[Kenny] Yeah, Will Bales is mugging for a camera somewhere,
he knows exactly how End Game is feeling.
[Chris] One last look at the final punt into the corner
and the pulverizer says, "Stay down, buddy, it's over."
- Glasses on. Back on top. - Yeah.
[Chris] Jack and Nick congratulations.
Is that a huge sigh of relief for you?
- I mean-- - I--
I've been pretty tired all day, I'd really like to go get some sleep.
- The quicker we knock them out the less damage we take, so. - Yeah, for sure.
[Kenny] Yeah, I guess it's a quick way to get to the playoffs.
Uh, what was the strategy against those guys?
So, basically, the strategy was to take 'em on a specific side of the wedge.
Uh, we know which way it spins,
so, uh, it's better to hit 'em on the right side.
And then once we destabilize 'em just never let 'em go.
All right, so you sit at 3-1 after four regular season fights.
Where would you rank yourself in the top 32?
It doesn't really matter to us.
You know, we're here for that final fight.
Doesn't matter where they put us in the bracket,
you gotta beat some good robots to get through it, so.
Yeah, anyone in the tournament can win it.
You can come in from the 32nd seed and go straight all the way through.
Like, it doesn't matter where you place. You gotta fight everyone anyway.
[Chris] All right, guys, nice job.
Congratulations on 3-1 regular season.
- Thank you, cheers. - Thanks.
[Chris] All right, so, earlier this season,
End Game got knocked out
by a rookie bot in RIPperoni.
They weren't gonna let some rookie captain's lead
in Gigabyte do the same.
No, they were taking out
all of their frustrations on Gigabyte.
I mean, End Game, again,
showing why they're one of
the favorites here for a reason.
I know they said they don't care about seeding,
but trust me, they want the easiest path possible.
They know how cruel the bracket can be.
I'm sure they're hoping for a top 10 seed.
And this punishing K.O. will help them get there.
[Chris] And this loss likely brings an end
to Camden and Derek's first season
at the helm of the iconic Gigabyte.
They finish at one in three.
[Kenny] Yeah, we were all hoping to see
a quality fight here from Gigabyte.
Instead, they got wiped out in dominant fashion.
It just goes to show that no matter how seasoned,
how dangerous a robot is,
the team behind it has to be just as dialed in.
[Chris] All right, coming up next,
a pair of one-in-two teams
in desperation mode.
It's Shreddit Bro versus Overhaul -
and they're already getting loaded in -
who will have to fight next
right here onBattleBots.
[audience cheering]
We continue on here on BattleBots
with a pair of very interesting personalities.
Evan Arias and Shreddit Bro. Charles Guan and Overhaul.
They've got their bots inside the box, and, Kenny,
both squads sit at one in two.
[Kenny] Yeah, this is desperation time.
Neither team has made the most of softer schedules.
The performances have been underwhelming.
Whoever ends up at two in two
has to compare their resume against
a very talented field.
Right now, the post-season prospects are slim.
So no choice but to go all-out here.
[Chris] The teams are in position
and ready to throw down. Let's get it on!
[cheering]
[robotic voice] Red team, ready.
[Chris] Captain Evan Arias short on wins,
but never short on confidence.
Left his old bot Pain Train behind this season
and brought the Bro.
Awfully similar-looking robot,
and having awfully similar results there, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, but remember, Shreddit Bro is
scaled up from a championship beetleweight bot.
There's potential here, but you're all out of runway
at this point. It's time to take off.
[robotic voice] Blue team, ready.
[man laughing]
[Chris] One of our favorites,
the man with the spinner grudge,
Charles Guan, captain of Overhaul.
What's he gotta do to land a spot in the round of 32?
[Kenny] I think it'll take a knockout,
which obviously isn't Overhaul's strong suit.
We know it can grapple as well as any bot out there,
but can it prove it can finish fights?
This is the kind of soft match-up Charles needs
to take advantage of,
and he needs to do it in spectacular fashion.
[Chris] Overhaul and Shreddit Bro.
Not just fighting for their post-season lives.
Their futures in the sport may very well be on the line.
Time to show us something special, boys.
[audience chanting] Fight, fight, fight!
[Chris] Let the bot battle begin!
The teams are gonna meet in the middle.
[Kenny] Overhaul with a nice lift here.
Oh! Overhaul slamming Shreddit Bro
against the Battlebox. Oh, that's gonna hurt.
[Chris] So he first grabbed him by the wheel,
then he said, "Screw that,
I'm gonna take him by the weapon."
That is one strong beak, Kenny Florian.
Oh!
[Kenny] What a start by Charles Guan.
Looks like a puppy with a new toy.
[Chris] Oh.
[Kenny] Overhaul just taking over here.
Very dominant early on against Shreddit Bro.
[Chris] You hear that drum spinner
coming to life now, though.
But Overhaul says, "Not so fast, little Bro."
Slams him face first into the Battlebox floor.
Overhaul, out the gate, huge early lead,
continuing to flex its muscles.
[Kenny] No question about it,
Overhaul is sneaky powerful.
Literally grabs Shreddit Bro by the weapon
and lifts it up in the air.
[Chris] Can Overhaul find a way to finish the job
and grasp for a K.O.?
Shreddit Bro feeling the effects of the punishment,
but Overhaul backs away, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, can't be tentative
in a fight of this magnitude.
- [loud bang] - [Chris] Whoa! Hey now.
[Kenny] Nice shot by Shreddit Bro.
Lost a belt there.
As long as that drum keeps spinning,
this fight isn't over.
[Chris] Whoa!
Yeah, for years, Evan Arias has said,
"You gotta believe me when I tell you
that weapon can do some damage."
[Kenny] Oh!
[Chris] Well, there's no time like the present, Bro.
[Kenny] Yeah, that's right. Shreddit Bro,
this is the best we've seen this weapon work all season.
[Chris] More than halfway through this,
so less than 90 seconds to impress
not only the judges, perhaps,
but the selection committee as well.
Shreddit Bro, one in two on the season,
and perhaps behind on the score cards in this one.
Plenty bursts of momentum here in the fourth and final fight.
[Kenny] And Overhaul looking to go right back to work.
Trying to get its lifter going.
Don't hammer me.
[Chris] Just missed the pulverizer shot.
Under a minute to go.
[Kenny] Nice driving there by Evan Arias.
[Chris] Overhaul just doing a nice job staying in control.
Although it did take a shot to its underbelly
from the kill saws.
That's it, Shreddit Bro. The time to spin up.
Deliver a shot!
[cheering]
[Kenny] Nice shot there by Shreddit Bro.
Made Overhaul do a little flip there, Chris.
[Chris] Yeah, that's what Evan Arias
has been talking about with Shreddit Bro.
Got his weapon up to full speed,
saying, "I'm bringing the pain!
I'm bringing the damage!"
[Kenny] Shreddit Bro might be mounting a comeback here
against Overhaul.
- Yes! - [Chris] Oh!
[Chris] Nice little flip there.
Final 30 ticks left.
Shreddit Bro fighting from behind,
and starting to rack up some points
in the heavily weighted damage category.
[Kenny] Yeah, no question about it.
[Chris] Whoa!
[Kenny] Now really putting the hurt on Overhaul,
taking advantage at the end of this fight.
This is exactly what they needed.
- Back up, back up. - I'm trying, I'm trying.
[Chris] This is gonna go the full three minutes.
Just keep in mind that Shreddit Bro
will not have its appeal
if it is indeed that close,
and the decision goes to Overhaul.
[Kenny] Chris, Overhaul lost its drive
at the very end of that fight.
See if that factors in.
[Chris] Listen, it doesn't matter
how badly you're getting beat up,
tossed around, whatever.
Anything can happen in three minutes, Kenny.
[Kenny] Absolutely.
Shreddit Bro was getting abused early on.
Overhaul doing whatever it wanted.
Picking it up, slamming it down,
picking it up again.
[Chris] Yeah, Shreddit Bro must have felt helpless.
Like, "I guess this is my life now."
But once the rookie could drive around a little,
it started chipping away bit by bit.
[Kenny] Great work by Evan Arias,
staying active, landing some nice shots
with the egg-beater.
Definitely outworked and out-damaged Overhaul
down the stretch.
And to do that after losing a belt,
that shows incredible progress for Shreddit Bro.
[Chris] Sort of a tale of two halves here
for the judges to figure out.
Let's turn it on over to Faruq.
The results from the judges are in.
[audience cheering]
We have a split decision.
- Whoo! - Oh...
Oh, man. Oh, man.
Judge Fon scored the battle for Overhaul.
- Yeah! - [audience cheering]
Judge Lisa scored the battle for Shreddit Bro.
Whoo-hoo!
Judge Derek scored the battle for the winner...
Shreddit Bro!
[cheering]
[bleep]
[laughing]
We're through! We're through!
Am I allowed to hug y'all now?
[Chris] Evan Arias.
- I wanna hug y'all. - [Chris] Congratulations.
So, how you guys feeling?
I feel great! We feel great.
- [laughing] - Yeah!
It takes teamwork to make the dream work,
and, honestly, if, uh...
I'm never worried about the things in front of me
because of the people behind me.
So please, everyone give a round of applause to my team.
[cheering and applause]
[Kenny] You guys were driving great.
The weapon was hitting extremely hard.
You guys were reliable, durable.
What has been the key
to you guys making this huge change?
Yeah, so we had to go back and hit it.
Uh, in the beginning, the first two fights,
our drive was horrendous.
Never wanna see that again.
I'll skip the season.
And then, last fight,
one of our speed controls burnt out immediately,
so this time, we really wanted
to make sure we were dialed in.
And especially such a great robot like that,
we had to make sure we were on point,
'cause Charles is... he's great.
All right, so you sit at two in two.
What do you think, Evan?
Do you deserve to sneak into the tournament?
Well, I'm handsome,
I'm the most aggressive driver to ever come out of robotics,
and, uh, my team is the best. That's my family.
So I think we have a fair shot
to get the Giant Nut this season.
- [team members] Yeah! - Whoo!
Evan, congratulations on the W.
Thank you, brother.
- [Charles grunts] - [Evan chuckles]
All right, Kenny, somebody was gonna end up
two in two tonight,
and that is Evan Arias and Shreddit Bro.
You know, personally, I don't foresee
a Giant Nut in his near future.
But you gotta love the attitude.
He should enjoy this win.
Definitely. And I thought it was a tough match
up against Overhaul,
and the fact that they looked that good,
the weapon was spinning the whole time?
This was big for them.
[Chris] The big question of course,
will it be enough to get Shreddit Bro
into the post-season now?
[Kenny] Oh, man.
Listen, I think they're gonna be
one of those two-in-two teams
fighting for the last few spots in the tournament.
But huge credit to Evan Arias.
Picked a great time to have the best fight of his career.
The dude never quits.
[Chris] All right, coming up,
Victor Soto and Rotator.
Reese Ewert and Fusion.
A pair of heavy-duty hitters sitting at one in two.
And both are looking to pull
the play-off ladder up behind them.
We'll have that fight next onBattleBots.
[audience cheering]
You have returned for more of BattleBots
World Championship Seven.
That is Kenny Florian, I am Chris Rose.
Okay, Kenny, it's a pair of veteran bot builders.
Victor Soto of Rotator,
Reese Ewert of Fusion.
They both sit at one in two.
This is really a must-win,
'cause you don't wanna be at one in three
and begging the selection committee to say,
"Please, let us in! Let us in to the round of 32."
[Kenny laughs] Yeah, no, definitely.
Very important fight for both of these bots.
These are two big names in the sport.
Two dangerous, destructive robots.
Both have been through wars this season
with really tough schedules.
And they're in simultaneously great and horrible positions.
If you win here,
you're almost on lock for the post-season.
If you lose, as you said, you're going begging.
It's a position that certainly has them wondering,
"How did I end up here?" Well, let's see for ourselves.
[Faruq] Rotator!
[Chris] All right, Rotator kicking off its season
here against HYDRA.
Let the bot battle begin!
Oh...
[Kenny and Chris] No!
- [Kenny] No! - [Chris] Oh, my God!
- [Chris] Wow! - Almost hit the lights there.
That's how high Rotator went up in the air.
[Chris] Not the debut Rotator was looking for.
[Kenny] Rotator, he's taking it to Jackpot right now.
Oh!
[Chris] Jeez! Okay, we got bot parts flying everywhere.
Knockout!
[Kenny] Rotator was on point tonight.
[Chris] Once more, right from the get-go.
[Kenny] Looks like Rotator might be having some serious damage.
[Chris] Oh, man.
[both] Oh!
[Chris] This was a critical loss for Victor Soto.
His tournament hopes are on life support.
[Faruq] Fusion!
[Chris] So, Fusion gets the rookie Emulsifier
to kick off its World Championship
Season Seven campaign.
[Kenny] Whoa!
[Chris] All the way to the upper deck.
[Kenny] My goodness!
[Chris] Is this the new and improved Fusion?
The prolific Witch Doctor ready to rumble.
- And... wow! - [Kenny] Whoa!
- Oh! - Huge shot.
[Chris] Huge, and hanging tough
with one of the best bots in the field.
Wow!
[Faruq] Witch Doctor!
[Chris] Fusion falls to one in one.
- [Kenny] Whoa! - [Chris] Oh, no.
[Kenny] Reese Ewert in huge trouble here, Chris. Huge.
Going in for more.
Oh...
That one ripped Fusion's head off.
[Chris] Fusion in a hole now,
and a pivotal final clash against Rotator coming up.
Reese's season hangs on a knife's edge.
Might be the last chance for one of these popular squads.
- Yeah. - Let's see which bot builder
can best dial it in tonight. Faruq.
In the red square, from Miami, Florida,
eureka? No, you'll shriek-ah,
because there's gold in them dark hills.
It's Rotator!
[cheering]
[Chris] The golden boy, Victor Soto,
brining out Rotator for what he hopes
isn't the last time this season.
How's he gonna deal with Fusion tonight, Kenny Florian?
[Kenny] Well, he loves to back teams down with his plow,
and he's added some forks to jam up the weapons.
Rotator is very durable,
so Victor might be looking to stay conservative
and wait for Fusion's self-immolation ritual.
In the blue square, from Dorchester, Wisconsin,
the Ewerts are the most murderous herd
in all the dairy state,
and this calf's no exception.
It's Fusion!
[cheering]
[Chris] Representing the famed Whyachi clan,
there is Reese Ewert.
Is he nervous? Is he excited?
Is he angry? Yeah, we can't tell either.
But we do know his bot
has been a wrecking ball this season.
[Kenny] Yeah, Fusion's been hitting with
so much power from every angle.
The vertical is deadly.
The horizontal whips with so much energy.
Reese might be hard to read,
but I know he's thinking about delivering a knockout.
You know he tends to lead with the drum,
'cause it spins up faster.
We're gonna fight him as if he were a vertical spinner,
and hopefully we can somehow
stop his horizontal by just pushing him against the wall.
Basically send him up in smoke again.
This is a very critical match for us,
because we're not guaranteed anything in this competition.
We have had very tough match-ups,
but we do need to win this, go two-in-two,
and show that, yeah, we can hang with the tough bots
and make our way to the Championship tournament.
Well, basically, I'm gonna go at him with a vert,
into his plow a couple times.
Then maybe once he's upside down
or tumbling, you know, try to take out one of his highers.
He's got a powerful horizontal too, so...
try not to take too much damage.
Hopefully that's it. Quick match.
[cheering]
[robotic voice] Robots, activate.
[Chris] Victor Soto and Rotator.
Reese Ewert and Fusion.
A pair of teams with destructive power,
elite versatility, and a real chance
of missing out on the post-season.
It's time to prove they belong with the best of the best.
We'll find out which bot can launch itself
headfirst into the World Championship Tournament
whenBattleBots continues.
[audience cheering]
[Chris] We are back onBattleBots,
where we've got Rotator
and Fusion inside the box
for the last fight on their schedules.
Both squads sit at one in two.
A win all but guarantees a trip to the post-season,
while the loser will face an uncertain future.
Time to lay it all on the line and punch that playoff ticket.
[audience chanting] Fight! fight! fight!
[Chris] Victor Soto, Reese Ewert,
they've been through some wars this season.
Who's got the juice to win one more?
[beeping]
[Chris] Let the bot battle begin!
[Kenny and Chris] Oh!
[Kenny] What a shot there by Rotator.
Sends Fusion across the BattleBox.
[Chris] And Fusion's now inverted.
Rotator started the match this way, but now,
both bots have those forks raised above the floor, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, look out. Oh!
[Chris] And another big shot.
Kenny, who has the advantage in this inverted position?
[Kenny] Well, it has to be Rotator.
Victor's forks are designed to work in either position.
And being upside down like this
means Fusion's vertical is spinning downward.
Not ideal for Reese.
[Chris] Here's Rotator looking to engage.
The horizontal plate of Fusion, by the way,
has gone quiet for the moment.
[Kenny] Rotator doing some serious damage on Fusion.
Both these teams need a win here.
[Chris] You saw a small puff of smoke released
from the vertical weapon of Fusion there.
Reese Ewert's trouble with overheating
and this robot catching fire, they are well-documented.
Come on, Victor. Come on.
[Chris] Fusion's horizontal blade back up to full speed.
Rotator hanging back.
No life from the vertical weapon of Fusion.
[Kenny] Yeah, and this has been an issue for him.
Running both of those weapons
causes an insane amount of heat
inside of Fusion.
And oh, my God. No! Oh!
There's a fire. Here we go again.
[Chris] No, no, no, no. Oh!
We've got major sparks.
A little bit of a fire under Fusion.
Rotator trying to go in for the kill.
[Kenny] Uh-oh. And Fusion is not moving, Chris.
The weapon is spinning
but the bot is broken.
[Chris] And they'll be counted out.
Reese Ewert's Fusion will fall to one in three.
Will it fall out of play-off contention?
That is the question moving forward.
Whoo!
[Chris] Kenny, so much riding on this fight,
and I have to imagine Victor and Reese
collectively held their breath
on that incredible opening shot.
[Kenny] Yeah, Fusion with the tail whip,
into the plow, goes flying across the box.
Rotator also looked a little stunned after that hit.
But Victor did a great job re-engaging.
[Chris] Rotator landing some additional shots.
Started pushing Fusion around.
And then Reese's arch rival made an appearance, Kenny.
[Kenny] The Fusion inferno is back.
Just a small one here.
Because the bot was inverted,
those motors were working overtime,
grinding away on the floor.
Took the worst of those
big exchanges, and Fusion couldn't fight through.
[Chris] ROTATOR with the horizontal kiss off,
and the golden bolt goes two and two.
Victor Soto, that is a big-time victory. You needed that.
I needed it. Yes, absolutely.
All right. Break down the strategy for us.
Okay, yeah. So tried to go plough first, or fingers first,
and buy some time for our weapon to spin up.
We were having some issues getting it spun up to speed before the match.
And it just seems like just those impacts, for some reason, went our way,
even though he hit us with its horizontal on the forks,
which are not designed to take sideways hits.
So I think we got some lucky contacts there.
Got us some time so spin up and then start attacking.
Victor, you're two and two. You just beat a very dangerous robot in Fusion.
Is this enough to get it to the top 32 in your opinion?
I think so. I think we can get in,
and I think we can go to the end.
We just need to get in.
[audience cheer]
[Chris] Well, that was a great turnaround. Congratulations on the win.
Thank you.
[Chris] Reese, another tough loss. How you doing, bud?
Oh, it's been a rough day.
On the walk over here, there was a homeless guy,
and, well, he tried giving me money.
[laughter]
Oh, man. So what went wrong out there?
Well, I kind of got inverted, Top-Gun-style,
and I don't work so well upside down.
Do you feel like you've made a big imprint on the selection committee
to crack the round of 32?
I think so. I mean, ROTATOR's a good bot.
It's not a big loss. I mean, they're a good bot.
They had a tough season. They've been having problems,
and, well, they messed me up pretty good.
[Chris] Well, Reese, you always bring it.
We'll see if you can sneak in to the round of 32. Good luck.
Thank you.
[Chris] All right, Kenny. Both these robots were one and two coming in.
Obviously, you get to two and two, you feel so much better.
So Victor Soto, I don't know if he can breathe a sigh of relief,
but at least he's feeling better.
He needed this. He defeated a very dangerous robot in Fusion.
He did it by knockout.
That's gonna impress the selection committee, for sure.
[Chris] In the meantime, Reese Ewert and Fusion-
they sit in here at one and three.
Very difficult strength to schedule.
It's weird to say, but I think far and away,
this is the best version of Fusion we've ever seen.
[Kenny] When they are running well, they are very dangerous.
They can defeat a lot of teams by knockout.
Reese is gonna be watching these fights closely over the next few weeks
leading up to the bracket reveal.
He wants a lot of other good teams to fall to one and three
so he could point to his own tough schedule and his highlights and say,
"See? You want me in the play-offs."
[Chris] All right. Coming up next.
Skorpios taking on Ribbot.
The pair of veteran bot-builders going at it with something to prove.
If Ribbot can win number one.
That's coming your way next here on BattleBots.
[Chris] Welcome back toBattleBots.
Up next, we've got a match-up between Skorpios and Ribbot.
Skorpios sits at two and one, coming off a tough loss to SawBlaze.
Zach Lytle and Diana Tarlson's play-off hopes still very much alive.
But it is team Ribbot that has its back against the wall.
No idea what's happened to Ribbot. None.
A season ago,
they went into the tournament as the number two overall seed.
Right now, their records sits at 0 and three.
The play-offs start today.
[Kenny] Yeah, and if it weren't for their pedigree and grueling schedule,
I'd already say that they're out.
They need a big win, probably a KO,
but can't close the book on them just yet.
[Chris] And it sounds like David Jin's team is using everything in the playbook,
including a little gamesmanship
to give them the edge in this fight.
The winner by unanimous decision is...
- ...Jackpot! - [cheering]
[David] Obviously, this season isn't going exactly how we want it to go.
This is our final chance, right.
This is code red. This is every alarm is going off.
If we don't win this match-up,
we are finishing our qualifiers zero and four.
We're not the best undercutter out there.
We're not the best vertical spinner out there.
But we are both, and that's what makes us unique.
We're probably gonna need to clamp this.
When opponents have to prepare for us,
they don't really know what they should configure for.
They don't know if they should configure for a vertical spinner
or a horizontal spinner.
However, with Skorpios, that team is so prepared and has so much experience.
They actually have multiple robots ready to go.
We're confident that we prepared what we could for the match-up.
It is do or die now. This is our last shot.
Don't lose. Don't lose. That's it. At this point, don't lose.
[croaks]
[Kenny] I love Ribbot's unpredictability,
knowing they can swap weapons with only four bolts on the bot.
It's so effective throwing other teams off, but I will say this, Chris.
Zach and Diana may not know if Ribbot's going horizontal or vertical,
but they are some clever veterans,
and they're gonna be prepared for anything.
[Chris] Well, we have a real chess match brewing here in a high-stakes fight.
It's gonna be fun to see how this plays out.
Everything's on the line for team Ribbot tonight.
Let's check it out. Faruq.
[Faruq raps] In the red square,
this team came to World Championships VII looking for a win.
When I look at them, I think of Se7en,that movie about the seven deadly sins.
They're a glutton for punishment and have no shortage of pride.
When they unleash their wrath,
everyone in the pits runs and hides.
I don't envy their opponents because if they slob, they're taking an L.
This team lusts after destruction,
and that way, they're greedy as hell.
What's in the box? What's in the box?
It's your dead robot, courtesy of Skorpios.
[chanting] Skorpios! Skorpios! Skorpios!
[Chris] Okay. Here's Zach and Diana walking their bot out,
and it looks like they've gone with their anti-vertical configuration.
Is that right, Kenny?
[Kenny] Yeah, with the long forks and smaller front wedge.
It's meant to get under and deflect a vertical.
It's new for this season and did help them beat Jackpot a few weeks ago,
but if they did guess wrong, and Ribbot goes horizontal,
those forks could get ripped up real quick.
[chanting] Skorpios! Skorpios! Skorpios!
[Faruq raps] In the blue square,
this next bot will jump around till you're in a house of pain,
so pack it up, pack it in, and run if you're sane.
Word to your mom. This bot, it embalms
your body for free after it kills without qualms.
It came to get down, it came to get down,
so get out your seat and run! It's Ribbot!
[Chris] David Jin, captain of Ribbot there on the right,
leading out his crew from WPI.
And look at this! They did go vertical, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, looks like Zach and Diana guessed correctly,
which means David will need to rely on Ribbot's speed to get around to the sides
of Skorpios.
If he tries to go head-to-head,
Skorpios is set up to control and push them around.
If that happens, the season's over.
[Chris] Let's take a quick look
at who the builders like in this one.
Okay. Last year's number two overall seed still getting some love back in the pits.
[Kenny] Well, Chris, here's a little insight
into why Ribbot probably went with their vertical weapon.
In 28 career matches, Skorpios has a 73% win rate against horizontal spinners.
- Against verticals, just 47%. - [Chris] Ah, makes sense, then.
It's a team full of engineers. Of course they're playing the odds.
[robotic voice] Robots activate.
[audience cheer]
[audience chant] Ribbot! Ribbot! Ribbot! Ribbot!
[robotic voice] Red team, ready?
[audience cheer]
[robotic voice] Blue team, ready?
[audience cheer]
[audience chant] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[Chris] Let the bot battle begin!
The two bots connect, and Skorpios just overpowers Ribbot.
Zach Lytle pins him against the wall.
Might be lining up a shot.
- [Kenny] Oh! - [Chris] And Skorpios draws first blood,
Not how David Jin wanted to start this one.
[Kenny] Yeah, Ribbot's back literally against the wall here
and facing a legendary team in Skorpios.
They need this one. There's a good shot by Ribbot.
[Chris] Yeah, nice reversal there by David Jin.
[Kenny] Oh, Chris, did you see the chain fall off
of the weapon on Skorpios? That is not good.
[Chris] Looks like the chain hit the hammer saw,
but Zach Lytle's not backing down.
Good job pushing Ribbot into a short corner.
[Kenny] Yeah. Skorpios has to shift their gameplan
to be all about control now.
[Chris] Nice job by Ribbot, getting a few shots into Skorpios' forks.
- Oh! - [Kenny] This is a huge opportunity for team Ribbot
to take advantage, and, boy, are they right now!
Just cutting up the underbelly of Skorpios.
Whoa!
[Chris] And that weapon on Ribbot! It is fierce. It is fully-functional.
And it is doing some damage to Skorpios in the corner.
[Kenny] Yeah, David Jin's really taking control here.
Zach Lytle needs to turn things around
and get Ribbot's back against the wall.
[Chris] Well, both bots are staying aggressive.
Skorpios hasn't given up just yet.
An excellent move, putting Ribbot right under the pulverizer.
[Kenny] Yeah, but Skorpios might be the one in trouble now, Chris.
[Chris] Ribbot trying to chew on those tires.
And it looks like he got the back left one, Kenny.
[Kenny] And I'll tell you what.
They're gonna need a knockout to impress the selection committee,
and they are definitely trying to go for a knockout here.
[Chris] I'm curious whether or not Zach Lytle can make it another minute.
I mean, look at that left tire.
That thing is just shredded.
[Kenny] Yeah, and Zach Lytle's doing everything he can
to try and keep that plough pointed forward,
but Ribbot's just not letting up.
[Chris] Just a dominant performance so far by David Jin's squad.
[Kenny] Chris, if they hang on and end up making the round of 32,
this is a team that could be a major bracket buster come tournament time.
[Chris] Zach Lytle's bot in Skorpios is not functional at this point.
- Let's go! - [Chris] Ribbot doing an amazing job
- staring him down. - Four...
- ...three, two, one. - [Chris] They're for the win by knockout.
The question is: at one and three, have they done enough
to advance to the round of 32?
[cheering]
[David] Yeah! Knockout! Let's go!
Thanks.
[Chris] Both these veteran squads in must-win mode
came out locking horns like a couple of grizzled old bucks, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah. Sort of playing 'Who is gonna flinch first?' early on.
Skorpios eventually provided an opening,
and Ribbot landed this nasty combo.
[Chris] Skorpios losing a chain in the exchange, and the hammer saw was kaput.
A rare and critical driving error from Zach Lytle.
[Kenny] This was another really disappointing outing from Skorpios,
but I don't wanna take anything away from Ribbot.
Their vertical disk was active all fight and tore Skorpios to shreds.
[Chris] David Jin and team Ribbot,
they have suffered all season long
wanting to put on a show, and, boy, did they deliver.
[audience cheer]
[Chris] David Jin, congratulations.
David, you knew you needed a win.
What were you thinking coming into this fight?
Oh, we were really, really nervous.
Skorpios was doing so well this year.
We knew that there's such a huge risk of them sniping our chains,
sniping our drive chains. Oh, sorry.
Sniping our drive chains, sniping our weapon belts.
Anything could go wrong.
Everything seems to have been going wrong for us this season.
It feels really nice. I hope you can see it in the whole team.
We were really waiting for this one.
[Kenny] Yeah. Huge difference in your robot, man.
What was the gameplan here for Skorpios?
We took a look at all the other teams at what they're doing,
and we decided if you have a lot of force,
you probably can pull off a win,
so we just added as many as we could fit.
That was the whole strategy. We could barely drive, and we just went with that.
So, you look at your strength of schedule,
even though you sit at one and three.
Do you think that you've done enough
to earn a spot in the round of 32?
I think our schedule had some surprise contenders in there.
I think Claw Viper surprised everyone with their performance.
Witch Doctor's Witch Doctor. Everybody knows them.
I hope that they don't take those losses too harshly,
and I hope they give us some weight for a knockout on Skorpios.
Man, amazing performance there. Way to come back
- Congratulations. - Thank you so much. Thank you.
[audience cheer]
Good fight.
Well, Kenny, Ribbot had to make a stand tonight,
and that's exactly what happened.
That's how you come back in the season,
and that's how you prove to the selection committee that you deserve a spot.
[Chris] And for Skorpios, not a great ending to the qualifiers.
They limp in at two and two.
[Kenny] Yeah. We'll see how these final fights shake out,
but that's a second straight ugly loss,
and it could put their post-season chances in jeopardy.
Remember, this team started two and 0.
This had been a long, hard fall for Skorpios.
[Chris] All right. When we come back,
it is a pair of rookie robots going at it
from the exhibition field, if you will.
Terrortops, Dragon King coming your way next.
All right. We continue on here on BattleBots.
And we are now just one fight away
from tonight's marquee match-up
between the compact killer, Copperhead
and the spectacular rookie, RIPperoni.
Not a lot of us would have believed the pizza bot
would be headlining a fight card this late in the season.
It's a well-deserved honor.
There's a real glow around team RIPperoni, but tonight,
they are walking into the snake pit.
[Faruq] It's Copperhead!
Copperhead is a perfect specimen.
It's just a tank. It's a little brick of a robot.
It's just really well balanced.
We have a lot higher durability
than a lot of the other robots,
but at the same time, our weapon does massive amounts of damage.
[commentators exclaim]
[Chris] Copperhead can destroy it with one shot.
The other robots go out in a body bag,
and we just wheel the car back to the pits and charge the batteries.
[commentators exclaim]
[Luke] There's no other robot I'd wanna drive.
Now that we're three and 0, we're gonna make it to the round at 32.
Now it's just the question: how high are we gonna get ranked?
[Faruq] RIPperoni!
The fight with HiJinx was fantastic.
RIPperoni actually threw HiJinx at me
in the first five seconds of the fight.
[all exclaim]
That freaked me out a little, but we were able to get it back together
and deliver a good match.
- Let's go! Whoo! - [cheering]
[Anna] Winning two fights in a row really solidifies us
as a team that's here for a reason.
We're definitely looking ahead to the tournament.
We're starting to plan out what parts to save and what parts we can use.
Just starting to strategize a little bit, which is new for us.
We're very into, like, just throwing stuff at the wall
and seeing what sticks, but time to start thinking a little more.
Copperhead is an absolute brick.
So there's nothing for RIPperoni to tear off.
We are gonna be avoiding the weapon.
The weapon stores as much energy as ours.
So going weapon to weapon would be,
while epic, a little dangerous for RIPperoni.
RIPperoni is an amazing robot.
I think there's gonna be a lot of chaos,
and we've seen what they did to End Game.
Their weapon does massive damage,
and if we give them the wrong opportunity to hit us,
it could be devastating for Copperhead.
To beat them, we're gonna have to wait for Luke to make a mistake,
and we would charge the wheel and rip it off.
But Luke is a fantastic driver.
So I think we're gonna end up weapon on weapon,
and one of us is going into the ceiling.
I know a lot of teams have infinite configurations.
That's not how Copperhead does it.
We just go in there, and we smash.
[Anna] This is two very destructive robots,
and I think the fight is gonna end in carnage.
[Chris] Copperhead with a chance of perfection,
and we'll find out if the pizza bot is ready for prime time.
All right. Shifting gears. We've had a lot of fun this season,
watching a collection of bot prospects audition their designs
in the one and only BattleBox in the world.
Remember, these are up-and-coming teams
with dreams of one day joining the big leagues here at BattleBots.
That continues right now with Dragon King and Terrortops,
two very cool-looking machines.
Let's dive right in to the action
and see if these two can leave a lasting impression.
[robotic voice] Red team, ready?
- [roars] - [Chris laughs]
Captain Will Prater of Dragon King.
Got those duel saws and coming off a win over Doomba, Kenny.
[Kenny] Yeah, the team loves this bot.
Look at Zach and Diana shaking off their loss and getting into it.
Forget Ribbot. It's all about taking on Terrortops.
[robotic voice] Blue team, ready?
[Chris] That's 19-year-old Ben Burton.
Looks like he just came from his other job hatching raptor eggs.
Terrortops also got a win in its first exhibition match.
[Kenny] Yeah, the bot has some nice versatility
with the lifter and vertical disk.
Showed that off against Slammo!.
I'm gonna be focusing more on his lasting power and durability in this one.
To me, that's the ticket to earning a World Championship invite.
[chanting] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[Chris] All right. Dragon King and Terrortops.
Show us what you got.
Let the bot battle begin!
Both bots taking a right turn.
And we got some sparks!
[Kenny] Terrortops just missed with that lift again.
[Chris] Dragon King looking to capitalize,
moving Terrortops towards the screws.
Remember, this is a pair of newbie bots
still getting the feel for the BattleBox,
with dreams of maybe one day joining our field of 50.
[Kenny] Dragon King trying to get behind Terrortops
and saw off those ribs and dino bust. Nice work.
[Chris] Yeah.
Using the tread on those wheels, too.
I like that design.
- Oh! - [Kenny] Speaking of tread,
there goes the tread Terrortops, in one shot.
[Chris chuckles] Okay.
Strike that from the record, Your Honor.
[Kenny laughs]
[Chris] That is a terrible idea.
I don't know what I was thinking.
[Kenny chuckles] Oh, no.
Oh, Dragon King's left side drive is totally shot.
The vertical disk on Terrortops isn't spinning now, Chris.
[Chris] Both bots a little punch-drunk after that shot.
[Kenny] Yeah, Dragon King still able to move,
but they're kinda circling here
- and kinda ripe for the taking. - [Chris groans]
Terrortops, nice lift.
[Chris] You know, both of these teams won in theirBattleBots debut,
but, boy, it is something of a new experience
when you get inside of that Box.
So you've really got to try and figure out
exactly how to move your robot the right direction.
It ain't easy.
[Kenny] No, and Dragon King...
Yo, look at that flip.
Nice little suplex there by Terrortops.
Beautiful stuff.
[Chris] Love that!
Excellent move by Terrortops.
[Kenny] Great job getting the lifter involved
with their primary weapon down.
Dragon King really struggling without that tread.
Terrortops with a big opportunity to separate itself on the scorecards here.
[Chris] Dragon King on the merry-go-round just kinda spinning,
trying to get its bearings.
[Kenny] Terrortops doing a nice job staying aggressive.
- That's gonna play well with the judges. - [Chris groans]
- Trying to control the fight which was-- - [Chris] There we go.
- [Kenny] Oh, how about that one? - [audience exclaims]
[Chris] Nice work by Terrortops.
Another little mini suplex, if you will.
Under a minute to go in this clash
between a mechanical dragon and a dinosaur.
- Hey, how can you not loveBattleBots? - [audience exclaims]
[Kenny] A nice flip by Terrortops.
Ben Burton is locked in.
You'd think he was resequencing some dino DNA.
[Chris laughs]
[Chris] Dragon King really struggling,
dragging his weapon on the floor, Kenny,
without one of his treads.
They're a mess.
[Kenny] Yeah, not a good sign that it only took one shot
to pretty much dismantle that tread.
Terrortops getting some great lifts,
and it's a good thing for Dragon King
that that vertical disk spinner isn't activated,
because this fight would've been over.
[Chris] Well, this one's starting to look like
a couple of toddlers punching each other in their sleep.
Ben Burton and Terrortops still hunting for flips,
trying to put the finishing touches
- on a solid performance... - [audience] Five, four, three,
- two, one! - ...as this one goes to the judges.
[audience cheering]
[roaring]
[Chris] Kenny, Dragon King came out aggressive with those dual saws.
It's an intimidating look and a pretty cool concept.
[Kenny] Yeah, both bots with really unique designs.
Terrortops landed this shot on the treads
and took out Dragon King's left side drive.
Also shut down their own disk with that hit.
[Chris] Terrortops' versatility with that lifter paid off big time.
Gotta sort of toy around with Dragon King most of the match.
[Kenny] Terrortops definitely controlled a majority of this fight,
and doing it for the full three minutes
is very impressive for a prospect.
[Chris] If you ask me, Terrortops was dino-mite!
We'll see if the judges agree.
[audience cheering]
The results from the judges are in.
The winner by unanimous decision is...
...Terrortops!
[all cheering]
- Congrats. Congrats. - [woman growling]
[Chris] Hey, good for Terrortops.
2-0. That's a big deal.
Absolutely.
If you're a rookie team coming in here going 2-0,
trying to prove yourself to get into season eight,
massive.
[Chris] All right, still ahead,
earlier this season,
RIPperoni pulled off the upset of all upsets
knocking out End Game.
Can they end Copperhead's dream of a perfect regular season?
We'll find out next, here onBattleBots.
All right, this is a big-time matchup we've got coming your way
as we return here on BattleBots.
It is our main event between Copperhead and RIPperoni.
Copperhead, captained by Luke Quintal,
3-0 this season,
looking for the perfect 4-0 regular season record.
Copperhead is just rolling along.
They are supremely confident.
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, they have everything.
Defensively, they're very sound.
Offensively, that thing hits extremely hard.
Luke is driving the heck out of that robot.
So, yeah, they're firing on all cylinders.
But beware. The giant killer has arrived.
RIPperoni, captained by Anna Zolnikov,
a rookie robot.
Sure, it lost its first fight of the season.
But since then, it's ripped off consecutive wins,
including one against End Game.
Took out HiJinx in its last match.
Kenny, a lot of folks think RIPperoni has locked up the Rookie of the Year award.
But are we getting ahead of ourselves
declaring this team a Giant Nut contender?
[Kenny] Well, Copperhead is about 10 steps up from HiJinx,
so this is going to be a challenge for them.
You go back to the End Game fight.
If Jack Barker doesn't get stuck,
we could be having a completely different conversation.
[Chris] I'll tell you this, even if they lose tonight,
they'd finish in 2-2.
They've had a spectacular debut season,
and there's no question RIPperoni is gonna be
a dangerous fixture in this sport.
[Kenny] Absolutely.
Everything Anna predicted would happen
if that flywheel design worked as intended
has come to fruition.
The weapon hits with so much power,
and Fred Moore is not just driving great.
He's also putting on a show every time he's out there on the driver's deck.
Can't wait to see what happens in this one.
All right, this is gonna be a whole lot of fun. Faruq?
Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready?
It's time for the main event!
In the red square...
There's no better sound in Vegas
than the clack of rolling dice.
But you'll be screaming, "Oh, craps!"
when you see this snake's eyes.
He'll rattle from the Strat to Caesars.
His fangs give seizures that make you die.
Don't worry. He'll make it quick.
He's got tickets for Magic Mike Live.
It's Copperhead!
[Chris] Wins over Bloodsport, Triton, Kraken.
Team Copperhead, captained by Luke Quintal.
I have a feeling I know where he is.
- [Kenny] Luke? - [Chris] Yeah, there we go!
Out of the box.
[Kenny] His driving skills will be put to the test here.
He needs to stay elusive and twist RIPperoni in the knots,
cannot get lured into a weapon-on-weapon hit.
[Faruq] In the blue square...
Remember the BOOK IT! Program where you got free pizza for reading books?
Well, this bot is committing R. L. Crimes,
givingGoosebumps as it cooks.
The Botcar Children are all in hiding
somewhere in A Wrinkle in Time.
It burned down theBridge to Terabithia,
then picked up theHatchet and cut out its spine.
It's RIPperoni!
[chanting] Pizza, pizza, pizza!
[Chris] RIPperoni!
They're actually one half of a larger collective
known as Team Omega,
sharing that banner with Starchild, led by Brandon Zalinsky.
Kenny, this bot continues to surprise us.
[Kenny] Yeah, major credit to Anna Zolnikov,
didn't let that opening loss to Gruff discourage the team.
They got right back to work, kept having fun.
[Chris] Yeah, I'll say. They're slicing up meat out here.
I mean, come on, guys! At least put on some gloves.
- That's not sanitary. - [Kenny chuckles]
All right, so we got a fascinating battle of designs brewing.
Copperhead with the compact, economical build.
RIPperoni is, well, it's a giant killer pizza.
So how do they stack up here, Kenny?
[Kenny] Easy to get caught up in the size of RIPperoni's disk.
But that drum on Copperhead is massive at 55 pounds.
When you look at these weapons next to each other,
that's kind of hard to fathom.
But it's that density that allows Copperhead
to deliver those colossal shots it's known for.
To me, this fight comes down to mobility,
and I have to give the advantage to Copperhead.
It has the more powerful drive,
and its compact size should give it superior maneuverability.
Fred Moore will need to lean on RIPperoni's reach advantage with the disk,
because I don't see him outdriving Luke and Copperhead.
For the record, I like pizza and snakes the same, okay?
- [laughs] - All right, all right.
[in Italian accent] It's gonna be a spicy fight!
[robotic voice] Robots, activate.
[Chris] The sensational, the flavorful RIPperoni,
with a chance to finish its qualifiers at 3-1.
Copperhead not looking to do it any favors
and cruise into the post-season with a perfect record.
Will it be another pizza party,
or will the rookie bot be snake-bit?
Buckle up for tonight's prime time main event,
coming your way next!
[Chris] From the depths, a monster has risen...
...riding a wave of disruption.
[man] Let's go!
[cackles]
[Chris] Riptide is coming.
Let's go!
[Chris] Black Dragon has no fear...
...because the Brazilians know...
- Oh! - ...dragon fire cannot be extinguished.
Yeah!
[Chris] In next week's incredible main event...
...the unbreakable Black Dragon.
Oh, nice shot!
The unstoppable Riptide.
[Kenny] Oh, my goodness!
[Chris] Only one coming out alive.
[Chris] All right, BattleBots fans,
we are back for this phenomenal main event.
Can Copperhead seal the deal on a perfect regular season,
or will RIPperoni continue its rise
from funky rookie to legit title contender?
Kenny, what do the builders think?
[Kenny] Copperhead's getting the most votes on this one,
and for good reason.
We hear it from everyone, "This bot is a tank."
Luke Quintal is kind of a mellow guy,
but he's a beast on the sticks.
RIPperoni's gonna have its hands full in this one.
Okay, wait for the green light.
Good luck, good fight.
[audience chanting] Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
[chanting continues]
[beeping]
[Chris] Let the bot battle begin!
The prized rookie, RIPperoni, the undefeated Copperhead.
- [audience exclaiming] - [Kenny] Oh, oh, no!
[Chris] Now RIPperoni's sends Copperhead into the rails.
Are you kidding me?
[Kenny] Copperhead's inverted and it's hurt, Chris.
- [Chris] Oh... - [Kenny] Oh!
- What a shot by RIPperoni! - [Chris] That was enormous.
Frederick Moore, the driver of Ripperoni,
has he knocked out Copperhead?
[Kenny] Uh-oh, Copperhead not moving here, Chris.
Gotta show me something.
[Chris] What a performance by the rookie bot.
- [Kenny] Yeah, that's a knockout. Oh, ho, ho... - 10, 9, 8...
[Chris] They're going after the little snake, too!
- [Kenny chuckles] - [Chris] Get going, buddy!
[Kenny] No mercy from RIPperoni!
- [Chris groans] Oh, nasty. - [referee] Three, two, one!
- Knockout! - [Chris] You're a killer, RIPperoni,
and did improve to 3-1.
- [cheering] - [Kenny] Wow.
[audience chanting] RIPperoni! RIPperoni!
[Chris] Well, Kenny, we heard it from the captains before the fight.
They were scared to go weapon-to-weapon.
They were looking for a way to get around the back side.
RIPperoni got there first.
[Kenny] Fred Moore with some fundamental phenomenal driving
in a high-pressure situation.
Look at this sharp first cut.
He forces Copperhead to try and get around him.
pushes it towards the wall and lands an absolutely devastating shot.
[Chris] I mean, that is just remarkable
for RIPperoni to outdrive Copperhead in that spot,
given its size.
[Kenny] It really is, and with that huge reach advantage,
RIPperoni closed the gap so fast.
That's a world-class moment for the rookie.
[Chris] Copperhead with this beautiful counter-shot.
I mean, that is a ridiculous angle,
nearly turned this fight around.
[Kenny] Yeah, but RIPperoni shook it off,
went back on the attack, and look at that.
That weapon is so powerful.
[Chris] That was the knockout shot.
RIPperoni with another stunning victory,
and we all wanna know just how high this pie can fly.
[audience chanting] RIPperoni!
RIPperoni!
[Chris] Anna, can you hear me?
RIPperoni, congratulations, a knockout in under a minute.
How does it feel to be 3-1?
It feels amazing!
Do you guys have the hardest-hitting robot right now?
I think we do.
I thought it was them based off of the last three fights, but...
- Well, now I'm not so sure. - [Kenny chuckles]
What was the strategy against Copperhead?
3-0, you know, very defensively sound.
They hit very hard.
Oh, yeah, well, the strategy was to get a wheel,
and if he exposed to back, to get the back.
That's exactly what we did.
Do you think it was that first shot
that you landed against Copperhead that did it in?
Yeah, I think so.
Yeah, like, we were really leveraging our flywheel technology there,
our anti-gyroscope.
We had everything up to full power, going great.
We were able to really drive very well for a weapon that size, and just...
Luke may have made a mistake, over-corrected a little bit,
and I'm sorry, buddy, but I had to do it to you.
- [chuckles] - It's all right.
All right, so you sit at 3-1
after four regular season fights.
Where would you rank yourself in the top 32?
We're in a pizza tier, all to itself.
[Chris laughs]
Whoo!
Three Michelin stars, baby!
- [laughs] - [cheering]
[Chris] End Game, Copperhead, these aren't upsets anymore.
Congratulations.
Thank you so much.
[Chris] We'll see you in the top 32.
[chanting] Pizza, pizza, pizza, pizza, pizza!
[Kenny] You guys are also in the top 32.
Still 3-1, it seems, you know.
Uh, what happened out there?
Yeah, I mean, on the first hit,
uh, they obviously,
they got one of our chains, so we lost drive.
As soon as that happened, we lost a lot of mobility.
Um, we couldn't get around them at that point.
When we have one drive side down, we're really low on power.
It's hard to maneuver.
And then they got around, hit us on the back side.
It's really the, the weakest side of Copperhead.
Uh, that's right where our power switches are,
so I think they deactivated us from that back end.
You guys have still had a very impressive, uh, season so far, um...
You know, how would you assess your regular season right now?
I mean, 3-1's not bad.
I mean, we're doing really well, um...
You know, we really wanted to go 4-0.
But, uh, you know, we're very pleased with the results.
You know, we wanted to get the highest ranking possible
to, you know, make the round of 32
as smoothly as it could be.
But, you know, 3-1's not bad, and we're happy with that.
Congratulations and good luck in your next fight.
All right, thank you.
- Great job, Luke. - Oh, guys.
- No, I'm good, I'm good. - Good job.
You guys were terrifying.
All right, folks, I am on the train of RIPperoni.
I am on board.
They just knocked out Copperhead in under a minute
after disposing of End Game earlier this year.
I'm on board.
RIPperoni is building one hell of a resume, Kenny.
[Kenny] I don't think there's a whole lot of robots
that could do that to Copperhead.
I mean, to knock out Copperhead in that short of a time,
I mean, RIPperoni's got a nasty weapon.
They're gonna be rolling into the post-season with a lot of confidence.
They know they can take down any bot in the world.
Listen, uh, this was a really fun evening.
And now we've got 12 more teams
in the clubhouse, so to speak,
with their qualifying rounds in the books.
[Kenny] A lot of clutch performances out there, absolutely.
So this is kind of my favorite time of the season.
- Yep. - Because this is when teams are so close to the edge
- of either making it or not. - Mmm-hmm.
Yeah, with that in mind,
let's take a look at the post-season prospects for some of tonight's teams
and play a little pick 'em.
How about Ribbot at 1-3 versus Shreddit Bro at 2-2?
[Kenny] Yeah, both had solid wins.
Evan Arias might have delivered the fight of the night against Overhaul.
He saved his best performance for last,
but after a very lackluster season,
it might be too little, too late.
I'm giving edge to Ribbot here.
Not only did they come through with a clutch KO,
they battled through a really tough schedule
and had so many exciting fights.
Major credit to David Jin for keeping the team focused
and fighting till the bitter end.
It might just pay off.
[Chris] All right, talk to me about some other teams
that fell to 1-3 tonight.
Emulsifier, Fusion, Overhaul.
Any of them still alive in your book?
[Kenny] Well, man, I think we can safely say our goodbyes to Overhaul.
Charles Guan is always entertaining,
but the loss tonight likely sealed his fate.
Emulsifier is going to be a long shot,
but I won't count them out.
The rookie has a powerful weapon
and looks like it will have a solid future in this sport.
If I have to pick one,
I'm going with Reese Ewert and Fusion.
Had a really tough strength of schedule this season,
had some memorable fights,
and at times, has looked like it could beat anyone in the world.
Sounds kinda funny, but Fusion's loss to Witch Doctor
might be its ticket into the post-season.
That was one of the best fights of the year.
Reese is gonna have to sweat it out, though.
We've still got plenty of great teams
wrapping up their qualifying rounds in the coming weeks.
[Chris] Well, back to those on tonight's fight card
that have wrapped up their regular seasons.
You tell me where you think they'll land in the bracket.
How about the former champs, End Game?
[Kenny] Yeah, they finished at 3-1,
the one loss to RIPperoni.
Started out as the number one ranked robot in the preseason.
I still see them as the favorite
going into the tournament,
but let's call them a top 10 seed, for sure.
[Chris] Okay, here's a hard one.
Got the big win over Fusion to finish at 2-2.
I'm talking Victor Soto and Rotator.
[Kenny] Yeah, I just gave a lot of love to Fusion.
And guess what? Rotator handled them.
And getting the KO looked so good to the committee.
The bot hasn't been at 100% for most of this season,
and it's still managed two wins on a stacked schedule
that included Hydra, Jackpot, Bloodsport.
That's some real competition.
Victor's shrugged off the struggles,
and now I think Rotator has a shot at cracking the top 20.
Pretty amazing turnaround,
considering he was possibly fighting for his life earlier.
[Chris] Well, we talked earlier
about Quantum likely ending up with a top four seed
after their 4-0 finish.
How about Copperhead and RIPperoni, both at 3-1?
[Kenny] Yeah, both teams with some dominant wins this season.
I think they'll be part of a very scary group battling for a top 10 seed.
There's some insane talent everywhere you look in this field.
These last couple weeks heading into the post-season are gonna be crazy.
We are getting closer to the round of 32.
More Faruq, my man Kenny Florian.
I am Chris Rose.
We'll see you next time, here on BattleBots.
[audience cheering]