[faruq] tonight...
[audience chanting] fight! Fight! Fight!
...The 2020 battlebots world championship tournament begins.
This is gonna be a good one.
[chris] oh! This is trouble.
[faruq] after a punishing season of destruction...
-[chris] oh, my goodness. -[kenny] my gosh.
...Only the top 32 bots remain.
[chris] oh, my god, it got thrown out of the arena!
[laughing hysterically]
[faruq] but in a wide open field...
[yells]
...Danger lurks in every corner...
[chris] oh!
...And every fight could be your last.
[chris] let the world championship tournament begin.
[commentators] oh!
Back off!
[commentators] oh!
[faruq] the only way to survive...
[chris] wow.
[yelling]
...Destroy everything
in... Your... Path.
Yeah!
[faruq] who will claim the ultimate prize in robot combat?
The battle for immortality begins...
-Oh! -Okay, how you doing?
...Now.
[automated voice] robots, activate.
[cheering]
[chris] welcome to the 2020 battlebots world championship tournament.
Now, for some of our builders,
this is a dream literally decades in the making.
Every one of them has sacrificed so much,
and it all comes down to this.
[kenny] this has been a season unlike any other,
from shocking upsets of some of the most legendary names in the sport...
[chris] end game has done the unthinkable.
[kenny] ... To the thrilling rise
of the next generation of champion.
[chris] an amazing performance by hydra.
[chris] the 32 most impressive bots earned a spot in the tournament,
and they have been seeded based on their performances in the qualifying rounds.
And all of them are here with the same mission in mind,
to kick the living scrap out of each other
and make it all the way to the finals.
But to get there, they have to win tonight, full stop.
We're talking single elimination.
If a team loses, they're headed back home
with broken parts and broken hearts.
If they win, they're only four fights away
from taking home the giant nut.
[chris] and there she is,
the most coveted prize in all of robot combat.
So let's take a closer look at our bracket.
It's broken down into four quadrants or groups,
each headlined by one of our top four seeds,
hydra, bloodsport, copperhead and uppercut.
Tonight we're focusing on groups one and four, featuring eight epic fights
for some of the biggest names in the sport.
We'll break down the matchups as we go,
but kenny, it only feels right to kick things off
with the biggest name of them all...
Ray billings and the legendary tombstone.
[kenny] tombstone is the only previous champion in this year's field.
But ray is actually the lower seed in this fight.
That's because martin mason is having the season of his life with madcatter.
The cat is undefeated and looking to stick its claws into the 2017 world champ.
[chris] yeah, martin's wins have been as big as his personality,
but only a fool would underestimate ray billings and tombstone.
This one should be electric.
Let's find out who's moving on to the next round right now.
Faruq, take it away.
[cheering]
ladies and gentlemen, are you ready?
It's robot-fighting time!
[cheering]
in the blue square, here, kitty, kitty.
Be careful who you're cat-calling.
When these claws come out, prepare for the mauling.
After he kills you, your season will be done,
because this cat has nine lives
but you only have one.
It's madcatter.
[audience cheering]
[chris] martin mason and madcatter
coming in as the 12 seed after dominating the qualifying rounds.
How did he get rewarded?
Oh, just a little matchup with one of the baddest bots in history.
[kenny] well, if you want to contend for the crown,
you have to slay some giants along the way.
And if you know anything about martin mason,
you know he's not afraid to take on anybody.
They took apart and inspected every piece of this bot
to make sure they are in perfect shape to take on tombstone.
[all cheering]
[man] looking good, madcatter.
In the red square, one of the greatest of all time.
They call him the goat.
His horizontal spinner will straight cut your throat.
The home-run hitter that'll knock you out the park,
leaving you battered, bruised and left in the dark.
It's the living legend, tombstone.
[audience cheering]
[chris] tombstone dropped all the the way to the 21st seed,
thanks to that disappointing one-in-two record.
But I don't care what the record says,
I would still be afraid of 'em.
[kenny] yeah, and ray even told us, "look, there's not a single person
back there in the pits who wants to go up against us."
that's the kind of fear this bot strikes in people.
[chris] what's the blade of choice, kenny?
[kenny] oh, he's going with a new blade, actually.
It's an ar500 steel blade that weighs 72 pounds.
-[chris whoops] -[kenny] he says that heavier bar is tougher
and can better withstand collisions with a sturdy bot like madcatter.
[man] tombstone!
My strategy is to start sucking a little less,
and maybe, you know, turn up the kick-ass a little bit.
I will not feel bad at all about sending madcatter down.
So that's what we're looking forward to is,
you know, mad over here, catter over here.
We're gonna scatter it all over the place.
Let me tell you what's gonna happen.
Tombstone is gonna be in another time zone.
That's what's gonna happen, all right?
You're gonna see them up in the air, spinning around.
You're not gonna know where they are.
It's gonna be us all the way.
We're gonna have a tea party and we're serving tomb scones.
[audience cheering]
let's get us some cat.
[ray chuckling]
[automated voice] robots, activate.
[audience cheering]
[chris] kenny, after getting knocked out this season
by end game and skorpios,
do you think tombstone's shaking at all?
[kenny] I don't. You know, he really considers battlebots to be two separate stages.
There's the qualifying rounds, and then the season truly starts here
in the championship tournament.
He feels like he has a clean slate,
and he's very confident about his chances.
[chris] let's check in with our bot whisperer.
Pete, madcatter have any shot here?
Well, you know, madcatter has taken a playbook out of bite force
by going with a 36-pound disc as well as...
They're spinning only about a 125 mile-an-hour tip speed.
The interest here is not to be super-fast,
but to have a continuous punch and not slow down.
That's what they're looking for.
[chris] and one thing to always watch out for
when tombstone is in the box,
they hit with such high energy and such force,
sometimes they do themselves in.
[audience cheering and whooping]
[man] tombstone!
[automated voice] blue team, ready?
[slamming]
[automated voice] red team, ready?
[audience whooping]
[breathes deeply]
[chris] here we go.
The opening fight of the battlebots world championship tournament.
Can tombstone right the ship and make another run at a title?
Or will madcatter continue their hot streak
and send the former champion to an early exit?
[audience chanting] fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzer sounding]
[chris] let the world championship tournament begin.
[chris] yeah, that weapon of tombstone-- whoa!
There's a big shot that madcatter takes.
[kenny] madcatter's got to be careful with those wheels
on the back side of that bot, chris.
[chris] whoa!
Huge hit! There was already some shrapnel in there.
And another shot to the front wedge of madcatter.
[kenny] yeah, madcatter is having some drive issues
and I think their weapon might be down now.
[chris] oh! Tombstone takes a chunk of armor off the madcatter.
Oh, but here's madcatter with a countershot.
And tombstone goes wide.
Can ray billings recover? Lands a shot there.
[kenny] there goes some armor off the madcatter. That wheel is exposed.
-[chris] oh! Tombstone, face-first... -[kenny] oh!
[chris] face-first into madcatter's wedge!
Oh!
[kenny] some of these hits are so epic.
Madcatter struggling out there.
[chris] yeah, it's going in circles right now.
If it shows no controlled movement, that's a problem.
Oh, ray trying to end this fight. He can smell it.
[kenny] he's got to be careful as they get close to those screws, though.
Madcatter, I'm not seeing controlled movement, I'm seeing circles.
[chris] madcatter gets a warning from the ref.
[kenny] tombstone may want to think about backing off here.
[crashing]
[commentators] whoa!
[chris] ray gets itself into the screws.
That is such dangerous territory for tombstone.
Oh! More armor gets thrown into the lighting grid.
[kenny] oh, I think that's gonna be it for madcatter.
I think they've had enough, chris.
[man] going, going, going.
-[chris] well, look at this. Madcatter is actually moving, -[kenny] still moving.
[chris] uh, like an old lady across the street, but it's moving.
-[kenny laughs] -[chris] excuse me, miss?
-Are you in need of some assistance here? -Very polite of you, chris.
Oh, man.
[chris] tombstone just circling its prey.
-Now madcatter hasn't moved, and the countdown is starting. -[referee] ten, nine...
[chris] ray going in for one last shot at the wheels,
-and tombstone is going to move on to the round of 16. -[referee counting]
[buzzer sounds]
[ray] we got it.
[martin] nicely done, guys.
[chris] well, they say there's more than one way to skin a cat.
But I think ray billings may have just shown us all of them.
[laughing]
[chris] well, that brand-new blade of tombstone worked out a-okay.
[kenny] yeah, it sure did.
It's a tougher material that is less likely to snap.
And you could see how well it held up against madcatter,
just ripping along the sides of the bot and tearing off pieces.
Madcatter got in some good licks as well,
but tombstone looks like it has figured things out, chris.
[chris] what did you think of madcatter's approach?
Did you see any strategic issues here?
[kenny] you know, I think they might have tried to get a little too cute.
Instead of going head on with that wedge to attack tombstone's weapon
and send them flying,
madcatter tried to get around to those wheels,
and that left them exposed to some devastating hits.
[chris] yeah, you see in the last few shots,
and madcatter kept plowing away and plowing away,
but eventually rolling around in circles
en route to the end of its season.
[audience cheering and whooping]
[whoops] all right.
Ray billings, we did not see a ton of smiles during the regular season,
but you told us the playoffs is a different game.
Everybody starts out 0-0 at this point in time.
So, uh, tombstone's back, we're ready to keep going.
Ray, right before the fight started,
our cameras caught you with this enormous grin on your face.
-Did you know something the rest of us did not? -[ray laughs]
dude, I love this sport.
This is the best thing in the world to me, is to get out there.
When I got that control in my hand,
it doesn't get better than that.
Ray, there were a lot of great exchanges between both of you guys.
Can you take us through the fight?
Well, yeah. It's a very solid machine.
It's got a lot of, you know, ar plate up front for me to hit.
So it's a well-built machine.
Um, I gave a pretty good exchange to one of the screws in there, too.
So, you know, I'm kind of beating up the arena and the other guy.
Ray, keep smiling, man. You're on to the round of 16.
All right. Sounds good. Thank you.
[audience cheering]
[chris] so tombstone becomes the first team to punch its ticket to the next round.
Ray billings will await the winner of black dragon versus slammow!
But coming up, it's hard hits versus a bag of tricks
as uppercut faces off against hijinx.
That's next on battlebots.
[audience cheering]
[chris] welcome back to battlebots.
The world championship tournament is officially underway
after tombstone declawed madcatter
to advance to the round of 16.
We'll know their next opponent by the end of the night,
but right now the action continues in group four,
as the 29th seed, hijinx takes on the fourth overall seed, uppercut.
And alex hattori is feeling great about his robot,
even though they suffered a loss in the regular season finale.
Why's that?
[kenny] well, he's feeling confident because this is a bot on the rise.
And, yes, they lost to hydra,
but these guys were rookies just one year ago,
and now they're one of the top-ranked teams in the whole tournament.
Uppercut has all the things you look for in a championship bot.
It's dangerous, it's repairable, and it's reliable.
[chris] and tonight, they're taking on a rookie bot, hijinx,
captained by jen herchenroeder.
They're 2-1, but they didn't face any tournament teams, kenny.
[kenny] yeah, uppercut will be by far the toughest opponent they've fought this year.
But when jen split away from her former team, skorpios,
it was for opportunities like this,
to build a bot that could win these big tournament fights.
[chris] can hijinx deliver a major upset?
Faruq, it's all you.
In the blue square, from cambridge, massachusetts,
you can duck, bob and weave, but you can't get away from uppercut.
[audience cheering]
[chris] the number four seed, alex hattori and uppercut hailing from mit.
Last year, this squad, in its first season in battlebots competition,
surprisingly made it to the top 16.
What do they got working on the weaponry?
[kenny] well, it's that vertical bar that was so devastating
in their win over sawblaze.
It's hard to contend with because it spins up
in less than two seconds, with a tip speed of about 180 miles an hour.
So any impact can be absolutely crushing.
In the red square, from oakland, california,
about to jinx your chance at winning, it's hijinx.
[audience cheering]
[chris] here's the 29th seed,
hijinx, led by jen herchenroeder,
who was previously a member of team skorpios
since 2016.
She made the point that
uppercut ended skorpios' run a season ago.
She's out for a little revenge
as the captain of a new squad.
[kenny] that's right. She was with skorpios last year
when they lost to uppercut,
so she has seen firsthand
how dangerous uppercut can be.
But having that experience
in terms of facing alex hattori,
seeing what he likes to do
could be an advantage.
[man 1] go hijinx!
[man 2] you got this, hijinx!
[audience cheering]
hijinx has a really big spinner,
so they could hit us anywhere,
but hopefully we can keep the front
of the robot pointed towards them.
Like, our blade is one of the strongest parts of our robot.
So, hopefully that'll stand up to that.
Our strategy is to spin up and hit something.
It's just really awesome to be considered in the top 32.
We thought we were building a sort of funny robot,
and it turns out
it's a little more scary than we thought.
This is gonna be a hard fight,
and we have to be really specific about
when we make hits
and not stop for any reason.
We have to be precise and relentless.
Every hit is going to count.
Uppercut packs a lot of damage,
and it's very maneuverable on two wheels.
This is not a joke robot.
This is one to absolutely take seriously.
[audience cheering]
[automated voice] robots, activate.
[chris] let's bring in our bot whisperer, pete.
Did hijinx make any kind of adjustments for this fight?
[pete] uh, they're going with the shorter bar
so they can spin up faster.
Now, one of the things that jen had told me,
that they had designed this bot for verticals.
The undersides of the main support structure
are slightly sloped,
so that hopefully there won't be as much of a catch
by the vertical weapon.
But that weapon of uppercut is just so nasty
that I don't see this going their way.
[audience cheering]
[man] you got this!
[audience chanting] fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzer sounding]
[chris] let the bot battle begin!
Here comes uppercut.
[kenny] oh, boy.
Uppercut.
-[all exclaiming] -[chris] oh, my gosh!
It landed right in front of us!
-[kenny] whoa! -[chris] what an amazing way
to start and finish that fight, kenny.
Look, a shooting star.
-[referee] ten, nine... -[kenny] unbelievable.
-Uppercut over to... -...Eight, seven...
...Antagonize its opponent
and talk crap to it while it's down for the count.
Good job, dude. Good job.
-[referee] one! -[chris] wow.
-Knockout! -[chris] oh, my gosh!
-[audience cheering] -thank you.
That was it.
-Wow. -All right.
[chris] in just 33 seconds,
uppercut has moved on to the round of 16.
Kenny, see if those wheels work.
Can you touch 'em?
[kenny] no.
[audience chanting] uppercut! Uppercut!
[chris] don't blink, kenny, you're gonna miss it.
[kenny] man, it's unbelievable
what uppercut can do.
They landed just the perfect shot.
-Look at that. -[chris] jeez.
-I mean, right in the basket. -[kenny] unbelievable.
And I love seeing
exactly how this weapon works.
I know the bot is named uppercut,
but it's actually more like a jab
and then an uppercut.
That first hit popped hijinx up in the air
and then the second hit just blows them out,
clear out of the battlebox.
What a beautiful design.
[chanting] uppercut! Uppercut!
[chris] how about that for an opening statement
from uppercut, kenny?
That is a very dangerous bot,
it's very scary,
and I think it's gonna go very far.
[chris] I think if you're looking at
the rest of the field right now,
you say that thing might be the favorite.
[kenny] if it hits you, it will destroy you.
It's that simple.
There's not a whole lot of bots
with a primary weapon that powerful.
[chris] so uppercut advances to the round of 16.
They will face the winner of beta versus ribbot.
That fight is heading your way shortly.
But coming up,
it's the lawn lower versus the flame thrower
when slammow! Faces off against black dragon.
That's next on battlebots.
We are back on battlebots.
After tombstone's win earlier tonight,
ray billings awaits the winner
of black dragon and slammow!
Let's check in with the number-five seed overall,
black dragon, the robot from brazil.
And boy, they followed up
an amazing first season
with a special kind of year.
It looks like this bot is gonna be around for a while, huh?
[kenny] yeah, they're a young team,
but underestimate them at your own risk.
They're the number-five seed for a reason.
This bot could legitimately contend for a championship.
[chris] last year, they lost out in the round of 16
when the veteran donald hutson and lock-jaw beat them.
They are taking on the 28th seed, slammow!
And craig danby, to be honest with you,
he's just thrilled to have won any sort of fight
during the regular season.
[kenny] the turnaround that he's made
from previous seasons is remarkable.
Despite doing this for a long time,
this is his first time here at battlebots
going into the postseason.
So, no question that he's a major underdog in this fight.
But he does bring a lot of experience in this sport,
and that might help level the playing field
as he tries to spring the upset.
Faruq, bring the noise.
[audience cheering]
in the blue square,
from itajuba, brazil,
a bot of mythological proportions,
it's black dragon!
[audience cheering]
[chris] well, here comes the five seed.
They've always got that duck in hand.
And what sort of weapon they going with?
[kenny] well, they ditched the egg-beater weapon
even though that thing hits harder,
they went with the vertical dual disc spinner.
Doesn't hit as hard,
but the idea is to cut into slammow!
And use those discs
to rip off pieces of the other robot.
[chris] these guys know that a win
would put them in a matchup with tombstone,
a bot they have long dreamed of fighting,
but they have to take care of business here first.
[faruq] in the red square,
from raleigh, north carolina,
bringing "lawn and order,"
it's slammow!
[audience cheering]
[chris] here comes the 28 seed,
slammow!
Kenny, if it's possible,
craig told us he has 36
different weapon configurations for this robot
depending on who he's fighting.
[kenny] yeah, but he's going with ol' faithful.
He's keeping it in that grappling bot configuration
with that strong wedge.
[craig yells]
[audience cheering]
we are using the double disc spinner
for fast spinner
and the capability of shredding pieces.
And we are using wedge legs
so we can go underneath them.
I think that
this is the best way to win this fight.
We'll have black dragon spiting fire tonight.
So, tonight, we are facing black dragon.
We want to get a nice little grip on him.
Get a little squeeze on him.
And then hopefully get one suplex.
We only need one.
My wife made a cross of st. George for the front of it
because st. George, the patron saint of England,
slayed a dragon.
So, hopefully,
we can mimic that and slay another one.
[audience chanting] slammow! Slammow!
[audience chanting] fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzer sounding]
[chris] let the bot battle begin!
Slammow! On the offensive,
gets underneath black dragon
but can't quite get the lift.
Dragon retreats and lands a shot
to the underbelly of slammow!
[woman] come on, slammow!
-[chris] whoa! -[kenny] great hit there by black dragon.
[chris] that's right. Adding some pop
and pushing slammow! Into the rails.
[kenny] they're trying to get their flame thrower going, chris,
but seems like the igniter's having an issue.
[chris] black dragon's still on the attack.
Oh, big flip there!
A beautiful backhand spring.
That should impress the judges.
Just not in the way slammow!'s looking for.
[kenny] slammow!'s front wedge is beat up, chris.
[chris] whoa! Uh-oh.
Oh, craig danby could be in trouble.
Slammow! Near the screws.
Black dragon, however, backs up.
Slammow! Resets,
has to find a way to score some points here.
But black dragon has been able to
get underneath them at will.
And here it is again.
-[kenny] oh... -[chris] and taking him for a ride.
Where's he gonna end up?
[kenny] uh-oh.
[chris] oh! Big hit!
[kenny] uh-oh, I see some belts on the floor
coming out of slammow!
That's no good.
[chris] slammow! Trying to reset itself.
And the number-five overall seed,
black dragon, has been chewing up slammow!
Like an appetizer.
-Oh! -[commentators exclaiming]
[chris] huge flame!
Slammow! Is on its head.
Black dragon is leaking fire
and this may be it for the 28 seed, slammow!
[commentators exclaiming]
[chris] black dragon introduces slammow!
To some serious brazilian barbecue.
You can hear 'em.
The team's going crazy!
They think this one's in the bag!
-[referee] nine, eight... -And here comes the countdown!
[crowd] ...Seven, six, five, four...
Back off!
[audience] ...Two, one...
Slammow has gone down. Winner!
[cheering]
[chris] yeah, tensions running high
here on night one of the tournament.
Craig danby's season is over.
Black dragon is moving on to the round of 16.
Nearly had 'em.
Sick of nearly having people.
[speaking portuguese]
[chris] well, black dragon went on the attack,
delivered a shot and really never looked back.
[kenny] that's right. Very aggressive driving, yet very precise.
Right here, coming in from the perfect angle
to attack the side
and avoid the plow up front.
They never really gave slammow! An opportunity
to clamp down on them.
Just a dominant performance.
[chris] where do you think this bot is right now, kenny?
[kenny] this is definitely a top-ten bot.
I think they can go far.
They have the experience
despite being very young,
they can drive. Definitely an impressive team.
[cheering]
[chris] so, black dragon
flaps its wings to the next round,
setting up an epic showdown
with ray billings and tombstone.
[kenny] what a matchup.
These kids have been dying to get a crack at tombstone,
but you know ray is just as eager to show the world
that he's ready to make another run at the giant nut.
[chris] all right, coming up,
13th-seed beta looks to stay unbeaten
against the amphibious assassin, ribbot.
That's next battle on battlebots.
[chris] welcome back
to the 2020 battlebots world championship tournament.
The pits are buzzing with energy
as teams make their final preparations
for tonight's fights,
including our number-one overall seed, hydra.
[kenny] that's right. Captain jake ewert is gearing up
for a marquee showdown with hypershock.
After dominating in the qualifying rounds,
hydra proved once again
that they might be the greatest flipper in the sport.
[chris] but don't just take our word for it.
Even the team behind the most
iconic flipper of all time, bronco,
is high on hydra.
[commentators exclaim]
[kenny] that's that huge flip right there, chris rose.
[chris] and hydra's gonna try
and throw him out of the box...
-Whoa! -[audience cheering]
[chris] bronco, welcome to the hydra era.
With our loss to hydra last year,
it was... You know, nobody wants to lose,
and especially not at your own game.
[chris] a changing of the guard.
A passing of the torch.
There's a new flipper in town.
It's a different take on what we're doing.
They're all hydraulic...
[chris] no mercy from hydra!
...And we're pneumatic.
-[kenny] unbelievable! -[chris] wow!
To see people doing different things...
We're really proud of what they built.
It's a beautiful machine,
and we're pretty stoked to see them
doing well with it, honestly.
[chris] oh, I can't wait to see that nasty flipper
in action later tonight.
But let's dig into this beta versus ribbot matchup.
Beta brings a lot of momentum into this fight
after going 3-0 in the qualifying rounds.
And it also brought into the battlebox
the cute little bodkin.
What is a bodkin?
-It's this. -Oh, man.
It is so pointy and sharp
they're gonna attach it to the end of the hammer.
Good luck, ribbot.
[kenny] yeah, it's modeled after arrowheads
in the middle ages
that pierce through armor of medieval knights.
So, the idea is to puncture
the soft top of ribbot,
potentially damaging the electronics
and ending the fight with one fatal blow.
[chris] this is beta's first trip to the tournament
since 2016 after taking four years off.
But remember, they advanced
all the way to the quarterfinals that season,
so john reid knows what it takes to make a run.
As for ribbot,
david jin's team was very good
during the qualifying rounds.
[kenny] well, this is a young team,
it's their first time in the tournament.
But sometimes, when you're the underdog,
it actually takes a little bit of the pressure off.
They could just go out there, swing for the fences
and try to make something happen.
Winner moves on to the round of 16,
should be a good one.
Faruq, make your magic.
[cheering]
[faruq] in the blue square...
[in british accent] ...From jolly old England,
this bot's on a steady climb.
And when he opens your wounds,
he'll have a bloody good time.
When he wages war,
it'll be revolutionary,
definitely not civil.
And his hammer will have you
looking like pip-pip cheerio
with a big hole in the middle.
It's beta!
[audience cheering]
[chris] despite going 3-0,
beta is ranked 13th,
that is the lowest seed
of all the undefeated bots.
What gives, kenny?
[kenny] well, that powerful hammer
didn't get used much, chris.
They were very hesitant to attack
with their primary weapon
throughout the qualifying rounds.
And that lack of aggression
definitely hurt their seeding.
They need to let loose
now that it's do or die here in the tournament.
It's time to empty your tank
and give everything you got.
[chris] john reid has been tantalizingly close
to the giant nut in the past.
Could this finally be the year he gets it done?
[faruq] in the red square,
when I look at this bot,
I think frogger with its eight-bit graphics,
the old video game
where you have to hop through traffic.
Only difference is,
the frog in that game was way slower.
And when you die in the box,
the screen says...
[imitates powering down] game over.
It's ribbot!
[audience cheering]
[chris] ribbot, the underdog,
coming in as the number-20 seed.
David jin told us his rookie season
of 2019 was good,
but only gave himself a b-plus
because the bot didn't make it to the top 16.
Guess where they will land if they win tonight.
[kenny] well, if they want to pull off the upset,
they have to figure out a way to adjust
to the most powerful weapon they've faced all season.
It's gonna take some slick driving
to keep that frog's vulnerable back
away from beta's hammer.
[woman] yay, ribbot!
The stakes are raised now
because we're in the top 32.
All the bots now are really strong.
All the fights are gonna be hard fights.
One of the biggest threat from ribbot
is if they use their vertical disc.
So, we've fought with a wedge before many times,
and the vertical disc is the one that always kills us.
So, that is a big fear for us.
Our fight against beta
is probably our most intense fight we've ever had.
Beta, being a hammer,
is a very interesting weapon type to fight against.
Most bots, including ourselves,
don't really put that much armor on top of their robot.
So, for this fight,
we're gonna be adding a little bit of extra top armor.
I think everyone does that against beta.
But he's a great driver. This is gonna be a driving match for sure.
It's gonna be very tactical and should be fun, though.
[automated voice] robots, activate.
[audience cheering]
[chris] beta's going with a different armor configuration tonight.
What's the strategy there, kenny?
[kenny] instead of their traditional wedge,
they're using what they call their mullet armor, chris.
A little extra business up front
and the usual party in the back with that hammer.
It's designed specifically for vertical spinners.
They think it'll be harder for ribbot to bite into that vertical front wall.
Kenny, did you have a mullet?
-Never. -Oh, I did.
-[kenny] I'm sure. -Oh, it was shaggy and it was sensational.
A spot in the round of 16 and a date with uppercut is on the line.
Will ribbot become roadkill?
Or can the young guns from wpi
send beta to an early brexit?
That's coming up next on battlebots.
We are back on battlebots.
We've got the 13th seed, beta, about to throw down
with the number-20 seed, ribbot.
A spot in the round of 16 is on the line.
It is win or go home.
-All good? -Yeah.
[audience chanting] fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzer sounding]
[chris] let the bot battle begin!
Little kissy action...
And the frog taking beta into the rails.
[kenny] nice start...
Oh! What a hit!
[chris] that's a nice hit! And another one!
Oh, beta's up on the screws!
-Can beta get off? Yes. -[kenny] jeez!
[chris] but there's ribbot to knock it over.
[indistinct]
-[chris] can beta help itself? -Get up!
[chris] oh! I guess there's your answer.
Kenny, that hammer looks cockeyed.
Oh, but it fired off a shot!
[kenny] beta in serious trouble.
Oh!
My goodness!
[chris] oh, ribbot is trying to take beta
over the rails, out of the battlebox.
You're good, you're good, you're good.
[chris] beta can barely move at this point.
[kenny] this is gonna be a knockout, chris.
I'm not sure that armor configuration worked out for beta.
[chris] beta has gotta show some sort of control movement
-or this fight's gonna be over. -[referee] ten, nine...
[chris] the countdown is on!
[referee] ...Seven, six...
[kenny] amazing aggression and control.
[chris] this is gonna be it!
The kids from wpi with the ko!
[cheering]
whoo!
[kenny] wow! Chris, I'm not sure team beta knows what just happened.
[man] that's a powerful weapon.
[chris] david jin, he said,
"I don't take my foot off the gas," kenny.
[kenny] he did not at all.
He did exactly what he needed to do to win this fight.
You know, we talk about the analogy of rock, paper, scissors all the time.
This was just not a good matchup for beta.
[chris] that's spinner on ribbot
didn't seem to be slowed at all by the mullet armor.
[kenny] absolutely not.
But I don't think their traditional configuration
would have fared any better, given how strong ribbot looked.
They inflicted so much damage.
This second hit popped beta's gas tank,
and once that was gone, it was curtains for beta.
David jin. That worked out pretty well, huh?
That worked out pretty well.
They actually put on an attachment that we've never seen before.
So usually beta runs a nice big wedge,
but this time they tried a vertical surface,
and we weren't sure if we'd be able to bite on it.
-Turns out we can. -[chris laughs]
david, you were super aggressive throughout this fight.
Did you fear that hammer at all?
To be honest, I wasn't really thinking about it.
We did take a nasty hit in the middle there,
so we're gonna definitely have to check for damages.
But I knew from the beginning.
-We just got to go. -Well, wait a second.
How do you not think about the most lethal hammer that is at battlebots?
Because if you always think about the hammer, you'll always drive in fear.
No fear here.
I love it.
All right, so, before the season,
you said that last year, your rookie year,
you gave yourself a b-plus grade
because you did not make it to the round of 16.
You're now on to the round of 16.
So what sort of grade do you give yourselves?
Does that sound like an a, boys?
[all] yeah!
Uh, can you add the giant nut to that report card?
Uh, yeah?
[all] yeah!
Okay, there you go. There's the old college try.
David jin, congratulations to you and team ribbot.
Thank you very much.
[audience cheering]
[chris] so with that upset win,
ribbot moves on to the next round.
And would you look at this?
One boston area school against another.
Mit's uppercut
squaring off against wpi's ribbot.
We got ourselves a beantown brawl.
Kenny, it's your old stomping grounds.
[kenny] yeah, I can't wait for that one.
Two groups of whiz kids,
some of the best young minds in the sport going at it.
[chris] all right, coming up...
The action shifts to group number one,
where marquee teams like gigabyte, valkyrie,
and the number-one overall seed, hydra,
will begin their campaigns for the giant nut.
But it all kicks off with a rematch one year in the making
as huge looks to exact some revenge against whiplash.
The 2020 battlebots world championship continues, next.
We are back on battlebots as we continue on
with the round of 32.
The action in group number four is complete,
and we now move on to group number one,
where we have a clash between the eight seed, whiplash,
and the 25 seed, huge.
[audience cheering]
the vasquez family has said that anything less than the giant nut
would be a disappointment for team whiplash.
On the other side of the box, huge didn't even think
they would be in the tournament
after a disastrous 0-2 start,
but a late-season victory over kraken
helped them sneak their way in.
With a new lease on life,
jonathan schultz thinks huge could deliver a big surprise.
Our own jenny taft got the inside scoop on the strategies
these teams will be using tonight.
When it comes to whiplash and huge,
this is a rematch from the top 16 last year,
and it is a loss that jonathan and team huge had spent hours thinking about.
They believe that they lost because they were spinning upward
on team whiplash.
The strategy this season is to go the other direction.
Matt vasquez told me he needs to do
the exact same thing this time around, just better.
Get up underneath huge and then let the weapon go to work.
And he also has so much more confidence
in the durability of his wheels.
[chris] thanks, jenny.
So if something didn't work the first time around,
you can change it.
-Right, kenny? - [kenny] exactly.
And that first fight with the blades spinning upward,
it wasn't able to do a lot of damage
because most of the hits struck that armor on the front.
So, jonathan said he looked back at what other bots
did against whiplash, and he saw that sawblaze
was able to damage whiplash by hitting down on them.
He'll try to do the same tonight
as he looks to pull off a major upset.
Faruq, bring it on.
[cheering]
in the blue square, from thousand oaks, california,
here to whip it all night, it's whiplash!
[chris] it's number eight, whiplash, and the entire vasquez family.
They've been to the quarterfinals,
they've been to the semifinals.
There's only one mountain left to climb.
Kenny, what makes whiplash so good?
[kenny] well, you know, matt vasquez was talking about the speed advantage
he's going to have over huge.
He loves the fact that they have way better tires than they did last season,
and you'll notice their spinner is back, chris.
[chris] ah, welcome back, spinner.
In the red square from south windsor, connecticut,
here to knock you back to the pee-wee leagues, it's huge!
[chris] just one victory in the qualifying rounds for the 25 seed, huge.
But that win made jonathan schultz an entirely different man.
[kenny] that's right. Once he made it into the postseason,
everything kind of went away.
This is a great opportunity for this team.
[chris] so how is huge performing?
[kenny] well, as they demonstrated against kraken, that weapon
can deliver some monster hits when it gets up to full speed.
They just need to hit whiplash in the right spots.
[chris] yeah, that vertical bar spinner
is about ten pounds heavier than a season ago.
The thing about fighting huge is you have to have armor
in a lot of places you normally wouldn't have armor.
So we need to make sure the top is very well-protected.
And we need to make sure that I drive well enough
that they can't get too many hits on it.
I think if we stay underneath them,
no matter what weapon they use,
their weapon won't be able to spin
and we can just chew up the bottom of their robot with our spinner.
As long as we keep their weapon from spinning, I think we'll be okay.
Whiplash is honestly the biggest threat to us.
They're super maneuverable and they can take the hits
if we're not all the way spun up.
I'm not gonna have ten or 12 seconds
to run around to get my blade spun up.
So the faster it can get spun up,
the more energy we can put into them every time we hit them.
If the blade is spinning, they can't get close enough to hurt us.
That what we're gonna need to win the fight.
[audience cheering]
[automated voice] robots, activate.
[chris] pete, we know the key for huge
is getting that blade up to full speed.
What have they done to make it as deadly as possible?
[pete] they actually reduced their gear ratio,
so they're going to get a lower top speed,
but they're going to get a higher acceleration
and a little more torque out of it.
So they should be spinning down
to make a nice, hard attack on the top of whiplash.
[man] come on, whiplash!
-Let's go! -[audience cheering]
[audience chanting] fight! Fight! Fight!
[chris] two teams looking to move one step closer
to the giant nut.
Win and advance, lose and it's game over.
-Let's do this. -Yeah!
[buzzer sounding]
[chris] let the bot battle begin!
And whiplash right on the attack
and going after that spinning bar, kenny.
Oh, huge takes a chunk out of whiplash with that front spinning blade.
Here comes whiplash. Huge all over the place.
Wheels coming off the ground.
Matt vasquez on the attack.
Oh, yeah!
So far, that front spinning strategy paying off for huge.
Able to land some nice shots to the top of whiplash.
[kenny] but matt vasquez not backing down.
[chris] oh, boy!
Huge got up on the screws. That's a danger zone.
Earlier this season, we saw mammoth throw huge
right out of the arena
and whiplash is trying to do the same thing!
But jonathan schultz able to work its way back into the center of the box.
[kenny] that vasquez, just so precise,
so aggressive with his driving.
[chris] oh! And look at this!
Whiplash is willing to just take the shots and stop the bar of huge!
And now, try to score some points with that disc spinner.
[kenny] oh, yeah, matt just wedging himself in close,
now chasing huge into the corner, cutting off the angles here.
[chris] boy, whiplash has no fear of sticking its nose right in that bar.
[kenny] there was some great driving from jonathan schultz
to get away from whiplash there.
[chris] pretty remarkable job by huge to actually get away from whiplash.
And whiplash...
-[kenny] oh. -[chris] once again sticking its nose in there.
[kenny] but whiplash absorbed that with the front wedge, chris.
-[chris] whoa! -[kenny] nice shot by huge,
felt like that one got to the weapon of whiplash.
But whiplash has been so durable in this fight, chris,
just absorbing punishment and driving right through it.
[chris] more than 90 seconds in, huge's bar is fully functional
but whiplash has been able to dictate where huge ends up.
[kenny] yeah, this is just a classic whiplash flight.
It's a brawler.
[chris] now, whiplash getting into the underbelly of huge.
Huge spinning that weapon up again, and there is a big shot!
[kenny] that actually did some damage to whiplash, I believe, chris.
[chris] but look at that, whiplash's main weapon still going
and now they're trying to take apart the wheels.
Matt vasquez still dictating the pace of this fight
and showing off his world-class control skills.
Forty seconds to go, huge's weapon looks to be slowing down now,
but you couldn't say for sure,
as whiplash refuses to give it the time it needs to spin up.
To both bots, they've been aggressive,
they've landed their share of shots,
but it's been the eighth seed, whiplash,
that has controlled the majority of this fight, kenny.
[kenny] that's right. This has been a steady, tactical assault
by team whiplash, and huge just hasn't been able
to land the knockout shot they're looking for.
[chris] well, these bots are gonna end up going the distance.
What an all-out brawl!
-Whiplash, sticking its face in there. -[timer counting down]
huge dishing up some shots.
-[buzzer sounds] -[chris] 1-1 in the round of 32.
[audience cheering]
all right, let's bring in our bot whisperer.
Pete, what'd you see?
[pete] "oh, my god" is what I saw.
You know, I love both these bots.
I wanna see both advance because I want to see the chaos of huge
-in the 16-- -[chris] pete, enough kissing butt!
What did you see over there?
[pete] what I saw was, I'm pretty sure this is whiplash's fight.
They had more control in this.
They probably had bigger aggression points
and they definitely got the damage.
If you look around the arena, there are lots of small bits of huge everywhere.
[chris] good job, pete. I don't mean to yell you, but let's go.
People need the truth.
Once again, the judges are scoring on an 11-point system.
Up to five points can be awarded for damage,
three for aggression and three for control.
And your judges are all former battlebots participants,
derek younger, lisa winter and jason bardis.
Kenny, matty vasquez,
the driving skills on full display.
[kenny] vintage whiplash. He wanted to be positioned underneath huge,
and that's exactly where he was,
sticking his nose right into that vertical blade to stop it from spinning.
That aggression will play well with the judges.
[chris] however, when huge did get that weapon spun up, it landed some nice shots.
[kenny] yeah, I think that new spin direction
actually was effective when the hits landed.
The problem was that whiplash did such a good job
of limiting the number of times they could get up to speed.
[chris] no doubt about it. Outstanding control
as always by matty vasquez,
pushing huge around the battlebox.
[kenny] absolutely. Even when he couldn't get underneath huge,
he was still able to dictate the action,
using the lifter when necessary
and in the most important category, damage.
That spinner got in there
and chunked up those wheels and a lot of that frame.
[chris] now let's go to faruq to see who's moving on to the round of 16.
The results from the judges are in.
We have a unanimous decision.
The winner is...
Whiplash!
[audience cheering]
[audience chanting] whiplash! Whiplash! Whiplash!
Matt vasquez, you told us before the fight you really weren't all that worried.
But did you end up being worried
because this one went the distance?
I knew it would 100% go the distance.
I wasn't worried before the fight
because I knew we had a strategy.
But the second you step up here, that totally changes.
My hands were shaking and I was just like, let's get this over with.
[kenny] whiplash is a true brawler, and this seemed like
a vintage performance from you guys.
What was your strategy?
Our strategy against huge is if you stay underneath them,
they can't spin, so that was our goal for the fight.
If you're underneath them, the bar can't spin all the way around.
So we tried to do that, but, I mean, they were a great driver, this fight,
and they sort of kept their wheels into me
and sort of blocked me from doing that.
So that was kind of concerning.
They got their weapon spun up quite a few times,
but the armor we put were great.
That was our second line of defense
if I couldn't pull off that driving strategy.
So, yeah, our plan worked, and we're very happy.
[chris] sounds good.
Congratulations.
You're on to the round of 16.
Thank you.
[cheering]
so I guess matty vasquez was right.
He had nothing to worry about, although he admitted he got a little nervous
once the controllers got in his hand.
Listen, huge is a great bot, they're a great team.
There's some excellent driving out there,
but the way they matched up, I mean, he knew what he was talking about.
So jonathan schultz and huge get knocked out of the tournament
by whiplash
for the second year in a row, and the vasquez family
marches on to the round of 16.
They await the winner of our next fight, valkyrie versus subzero.
That's coming up on battlebots.
We are back on battlebots, and up next
it is the ninth seed, valkyrie, taking on the 24th seed, subzero.
And let's start with leanne cushing's robot, valkyrie.
A wonderful regular season,
and she's been doing her homework for this matchup.
She went on social media and subzero's page actually told the entire world
about how subzero is made, what the components are.
So valkyrie could sit there and figure out the strengths
and weaknesses of the robots.
So logan davis, you have a little bit of work to do.
How does he now upend
somebody that knows exactly what his bot is all about?
[kenny] well, he's also been making adjustments.
He added a lot of armor to his bot to protect against valkyrie's blade,
but because of the added weight, he had to strip out
some of the compressed air that he uses to power that lifter.
So he's going to have to be selective about when he fires them.
Logan davis was super excited to get subzero up and running the way he wanted.
He actually got a call from the selection committee
that woke him out of bed to find out he was in the postseason.
Let's see if he can now answer the call tonight.
Faruq, do your thing.
In the blue square,
she's the first viking of robot fighting, it's valkyrie.
[audience cheering]
[chris] the ninth seed, valkyrie, an outstanding season,
their lone loss was to whiplash.
First thing you always notice about them, kenny, weapon choice.
[kenny] that's right. There is dr. Teeth.
That is a menacing blade right there from valkyrie.
[chris] leanne said it can hit with the power of a bar spinner
without sacrificing the reach they get with a disc.
[cheering]
in the red square, from irving, texas,
everything's bigger there, even the wins.
It's subzero.
[audience cheering]
[chris] number 24, subzero looking for an upset.
What's new with the bot for this fight, kenny?
[kenny] well, they've added a new titanium wedge on the back.
That's part of the extra armor that logan is using to counteract valkyrie's disc,
and then additional heavy armor up front to help protect the wheels.
So I think the sides of subzero are going to be prime for us.
Their wheels are out with a fair amount of gaps.
So we're gonna be able to pull that off probably pretty easily.
And then right through there, that side panel is about an eighth-inch thick.
So if we gnaw away at that, we're hopefully gonna be able to disable it.
I'm gonna need to corral and get them out of the arena
before they can tear me up.
There's really not much area for us to touch that isn't their blade.
I've got to be very, very careful
to keep my armor pointed at them and take those hits there.
If they're able to scoot around to the side, we're done.
[audience cheering]
[automated voice] robots, activate.
[audience cheering]
[chris] neither of these bots has ever made it
to the round of 16, but that is about to change.
[audience cheering]
[audience chanting] fight! Fight! Fight!
[chris] valkyrie, subzero,
winner will meet whiplash.
We got this. Let's do it.
[buzzer sounding]
[chris] let the bot battle begin!
Subzero leading with a new wedge.
Valkyrie testing it.
Uh-oh. And again, oh!
-Wow! -[kenny] oh, my goodness.
[chris] subzero launches valkyrie against the glass,
valkyrie luck to make it out alive.
But can it recover?
[kenny] subzero keeping the pressure on,
forcing the action with its wedge.
[chris] now valkyrie chewing at that armor.
And, oh, subzero shows its front side
and valkyrie lands a clean, clean shot.
[kenny] uh-oh, I think that part of the flipper
might be compromised on subzero.
[chris] oh, valkyrie on the comeback trail.
-[kenny] oh! -[chris] another one.
[indistinct]
I'm rolling it back, don't worry about it.
[chris] what a shot. That titanium plate of armor
is bent completely off on subzero.
[chris] can subzero find a way to stay alive here?
Valkyrie freaking out of control!
[commentators exclaim]
[kenny] what a comeback shot by subzero.
[chris] holy smokes!
A huge part of subzero just came off.
[kenny] this is like a world championship heavyweight boxing fight.
[chris] valkyrie trying to clean up the floor a little bit.
Subzero's having driving issues now.
[kenny] is valkyrie gonna go in for the kill?
[chris] it goes in for a little love tap.
Yes, subzero just cannot move.
It's inching. That is not going to be good enough in the referee's eyes.
The countdown must be starting soon.
Like, now!
Nine, eight, seven...
That was a great fight, man. We took a lot of hits there.
[chris] the unbelievable run of subzero is over
as valkyrie finally reaches round of 16.
[buzzer sounds]
[audience cheering]
[chris] kenny, subzero looked like it was shot out of a cannon to start this fight.
Logan davis, he was not messing around.
[kenny] oh, my goodness.
He drove valkyrie straight into the screws.
Popped them into the air.
This thing could have been over after one hit.
[chris] no question.
A lot of bots, they wouldn't have survived that exchange,
but valkyrie managed to get back on its feet and then go into attack mode.
[kenny] yeah, that disc was unrelenting
as valkyrie continued to strike from all angles.
But I was so impressed at subzero's ability
to withstand a lot of those hits.
[chris] and the durability of valkyrie as well,
it is a big difference from seasons past.
[kenny] last season, have a couple really big shots.
But if it didn't knock you out after two or three,
valkyrie would basically be destroyed.
That is not the case this time around.
This bot has improved so much.
[audience cheering]
[chris] leanne cushing.
Welcome to the round of 16.
Finally!
Yeah, wow.
Leanne, that was a back-and-forth war.
Talk us through that fight.
So, we obviously knew that one of the strategies
for going against valkyrie, before we can fully spin up is to rush us.
So we tried not to let them get to us.
That's why we pivoted over.
And then it was just a matter of, like, staying in the center,
not getting cornered, hitting as much as possible.
What makes valkyrie so durable this year?
I honestly think that it's the luck...
We've now had over ten matches
in our whole entire career, and I think that's it's the multiple...
Having the iteration
and learning more and more every time, lose or win.
We learn so much,
and it really helps with making a bigger and better design.
Congratulations.
Welcome to the round of 16.
-Thank you. -[cheering]
[chris] leanne cushing and team valkyrie with a well-earned celebration
after finally breaking into the top 16,
setting up a rematch with whiplash.
That should be a ton of fun.
[kenny] these two bots went the full three minutes
in whiplash's win earlier this season.
Now valkyrie gets a chance to turn the tables.
[chris] but coming up, one of the season's biggest surprises,
the rookie bot malice takes on gigabyte.
That's next on battlebots.
We are back on battlebots,
and up next, it's a matchup between
two bots making their tournament debuts...
Malice and gigabyte.
Let's turn our attention to bunny sauriol's bot malice,
an outstanding regular season for them.
She told us she was so excited not only to make it to the round of 32,
but to have a great seeding, 16th overall.
Then she saw that she drew gigabyte.
She was like, "this is a terrible matchup for us. Why?"
yeah, you know, she was so happy just to be here.
Then to make it to the 32,
she feels like she's accomplished a huge goal
as a female captain here at battlebots.
But, yeah, she does not like this matchup,
and it's because of the angle of gigabytes shell.
She's worried that it will get underneath her horizontal spinner
and prevent them from getting any kind of meaningful force behind their hits.
They're not sure how this is gonna go down.
They're not confident anymore.
So when you talk about john mladenik's bot, next by gigabyte,
it's a full body spinner, it displaces so much energy inside the battlebox.
Is that malice's best shot at victory?
[kenny] absolutely. They have to allow
that full body spinner to really destroy itself.
We keep saying that throughout the season,
but that's just the way you got to approach a full body spinner.
So, of course, bunny wants to win the fight,
not only to move on to the round of 16,
but also to hold on to some bragging rights.
Her best friend ever since they were little girls, thy, is on team gigabyte.
Let's see how it goes.
Faruq, take it away.
In the blue square, from san jose, california,
she's one bad bunny,
it's malice!
[audience cheering]
[chris] oh, yeah, team malice.
A 2-1 season, they check in as the 16th seed.
Kenny, how effective will that weapon be against gigabyte?
[kenny] well, bunny's just not sure. They could be in major trouble
if the angle of gigabyte's shell gets underneath their weapon.
We will soon find out.
[faruq] in the red square,
from oceanside, california, about to clear your hard drive,
it's gigabyte!
[audience cheering]
[chris] so there is the 17th seed, gigabyte,
after ending the qualifying rounds with back-to-back wins.
Captain john mladenik told us his bot is indeed primed
for a deep tournament run.
[kenny] one thing that makes gigabyte so fun to watch,
all three of their fights this season ended by ko, chris.
They're either gonna smash you to bits or they're going to do it to themselves.
Our strategy to take out a gigabyte
is to hit them as hard as we can before they get spun up.
We are faster in our spin-up time than gigabyte is on theirs.
So we should be able to box-rush them, hit them
and hopefully crack their shell or get them to stop spinning before we do.
We're going to fight a really tough robot, malice.
It's going to be the same strategy as the last two fights
as we got to get up to speed and these guys don't have a wedge anyway.
So it's a weapon to weapon, horizontal against horizontal,
and the better weapon is going to win.
They're so solid and we're so solid now, neither of us break.
So I think it's gonna go three minutes of big hits.
[audience cheering]
they're all talk and no bite.
[audience chanting] fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzer sounding]
[chris] let the bot battle begin!
Here comes malice, looking to mix it up.
There's a few sparks.
[kenny] you see, right away, this is what bunny was worried about,
gigabyte is going to dominate the low ground.
So malice is going to have to look for another strategy here
and be very patient.
Oh! There's a nice shot by gigabyte.
[chris] but, kenny, when you're talking about damage in your primary weapon,
what other strategy can malice take?
[kenny] jeez, I don't know.
They might try to drive up over the top of gigabyte
or try to get it over towards
the sides of the battlebox,
wait for a mistake, perhaps.
[chris] look at the pounding that malice continues...
Like they're flying across the battlebox, kenny.
[kenny] this is an incredibly sturdy bot, they may be thinking
they need to wear gigabyte down,
see if they can use its energy against itself.
[chris] just little chip by chip.
-And gigabyte biding its time. -[kenny] oh.
[chris] some serious damage.
[kenny] john mladenik doing a good job of keeping gigabyte in the center of the box.
[chris] malice, though, going face-first, said, "I don't mind the big shots.
I'll take 'em."
[kenny] those shots might be taking their toll, though, chris.
[chris] yep, they are.
There's no question, oh!
There is a big hit, the biggest one of the match.
He lost a wheel, didn't he?
[chris] uh-oh.
And gigabyte now trying to attack the tires of malice,
and malice severely compromised now.
Trying to stay alive
against the full body spinner.
There's 90 seconds to go.
Can bunny sauriol's team find a way to hang on here?
[kenny] uh-oh. I think gigabyte realizes malice
is about to get knocked out here.
[chris] yeah, gigabyte might be going in for the kill. Oh!
[kenny] that might've been the kill shot.
Bot parts everywhere, getting flung over by us.
[chris] malice has to show some sort control of movement
or the referee will begin a countdown.
Gigabyte has malice pinned near the rails.
[commentators exclaim]
[kenny] this is what they wanted.
Gigabyte's still moving, though.
That was a risky move.
[chris] that might have been the best chance for malice
as gigabyte would have done in itself.
But no, gigabyte's still moving, still functioning.
Malice, just kind of the drunk stumble at this point.
Just hang in there.
Bunny sauriol not ready to throw in the towel just yet.
[referee] ten, nine...
[chris] but the ref has other ideas.
-He has seen enough. Malice... -...Seven, six...
[chris] ...Receiving its last rites.
Gigabyte is going to move on to the round of 16.
Malice is knocked out!
[audience cheering]
whoo!
[indistinct chatter]
[cheering]
[chris] kenny, I guess you gotta give malice some credit
for trying to get in there and, you know, have gigabyte
destroy itself at some point, it just never happened.
[kenny] yeah, you know, they were attempting to try to
chip away at gigabyte as well.
They realize that attacking straight on was not going to be effective.
So they tried to get creative, trying to drive over them
and nearly got a hit on the self-righter here.
But again, just a bad matchup for them, chris.
[chris] and then here is the shot that pretty much ended it all for malice.
Just had it stumbling around the box.
After that, gigabyte gets a ko and a date in the round of 16.
John mladenik is all smiles,
knowing gigabytes journey will continue.
And he will now meet the winner of our final fight in the evening.
It is the number-one overall seed, hydra,
looking to unleash that fearsome flipper
against will bales and hypershock.
That's coming up next on battlebots.
[jenny] with 32 teams in the field this season,
the 2020 battlebots championship tournament will be a war of attrition.
[jeff] they did a lot of damage to that wedge,
so we're gonna have to spend all of our time fixing that
and getting it ready to go again.
[jenny] it'll take five wins in a row to hoist the giant nut,
and the ability to repair and rebuild your bot in between matches
is more important than ever.
Doesn't sound good at all.
[indistinct chatter]
the job does not stop.
[jenny] thanks to the experts at lincoln electric,
this year's builders have access
to state-of-the-art welding equipment
right on site in the pits,
meaning they have the support they need to get their robots
into fighting shape as quickly as possible.
Lincoln electric welded some extra little things on our shell
to deal with robots.
And their welds are perfect.
[jenny] good luck to all the builders in this year's tournament,
and may the best bot win.
[audience cheering]
all right, the round of 32 continues.
Seven robots have already smashed and spun their way into the round of 16,
but we have saved the best for last.
The number-one overall seed, hydra,
taking on number 32, hypershock.
Kenny, why is hydra the top team this year?
[kenny] it's pretty simple, chris.
They fought great teams, and they beat great teams.
Oh! Beautiful timing by hydra!
They're dominating this fight right now.
A perfect 3-0 record against a murderer's row of witch doctor,
huge and uppercut.
They are battle-tested, and they are hungry.
[chris] and builder jake ewert told us
he'd like to put an end to what he called the whyachi curse.
Since battlebots returned in 2015,
no whyachi robot has ever made it out of the first round of the tournament.
Last time around, they were knocked out by minotaur.
That's a knockout!
[chris] this indeed the year?
[kenny] well, the guys on the other side of the box
might have something to say about that.
Hypershock has a little curse of their own they would like to break.
Will bales and company have never advanced to the round of 16.
They faced a brutal schedule this season,
so going up against hydra will not faze them.
This is gonna be a tasty one. Faruq, take it away.
[cheering]
in the blue square, the number-one seed.
He beat every bot on the schedule,
and had opponents bouncing off the walls
like they just pounded some red bull.
His launch is so good, you might start in the battlebox,
but take one hit and end up in the parking lot.
It's hydra!
[audience cheering]
[chris] interesting note, kenny.
A season ago, hydra fought five times,
all of them involved knockouts.
Three regular season fights this season
all went to the judge's scorecard.
Are we seeing a different hydra?
[kenny] you know, to me it indicates we're seeing a smarter team,
better driving, and a more durable bot.
[chris] unquestionably, it has become the premier flipper in this sport.
[kenny] absolutely. And despite him saying that it's his match to lose,
it looks like jake isn't feeling any of that pressure.
He's having a great time.
[cheering]
[faruq] in the red square...
Enjoy this moment.
I'm not sure you'll be living later
when this bot shocks you like a defibrillator.
He's been on battlebots for five seasons,
hoping this is the year when his opponents get sent to the er,
with the doc yelling, "clear!"
it's hypershock!
[audience cheering]
[chris] after a 1-2 mark in the qualifiers,
hypershock snuck into the tournament as the number-32 seed.
They were the last team to get in,
and they have a tall task in front of them to make it to the round of 16
for the first time.
[chuckles] and would you look at this, kenny?
Will bales tinkering with that thing until the very last second.
Are you kidding me? This guy never stops.
[kenny] he said he didn't like those wedges for a couple different reasons.
He doesn't wanna get stuck on the battlebox floor.
He thought he was scraping a little bit too much in his previous fights.
That's also gonna make it a little bit more challenging
for hydra to get underneath it and flip it.
My strategy against hypershock is I want him on his wheels.
He's more dangerous when he's upside down.
So if I flip him, I'm gonna wait for him to use the self-righter,
get back over, and then I'm gonna flip him again.
I don't want to come after him when he's upside down,
or he can use his weapon and just climb me with it,
and then start putting holes in the top of my shell, which I don't want.
He's a lot more dangerous upside down.
It's a driving match, 100%.
Jake is smart, jake is patient.
He'll just sit there and wait and wait and wait. And I'll run up to him,
and if I'm not careful, he'll...
Even if I'm up against his side,
he'll just do a little bit of a turn and go... Bink. And I'm down, so...
Or up. Like, very up.
[automated voice] robots, activate.
[chris] well, now that hydra has seen the configuration of hypershock,
kenny, do you think the strategy has changed at all?
[kenny] I imagine jake was eyeing those wedges
as nice, big targets for his flipper.
But even without them, I think the basic strategy remains the same.
[chris] well, there you get another look at hypershock.
Does will bales finally have his store in order?
[kenny] it's a real treat when you see him at his best when he's driving hypershock.
And typically that happens when he's being very aggressive.
But tonight, he said, "I need to be patient if I want to win this one."
[audience cheering]
[automated voice] blue team, ready?
I'm coming. I'm coming for you, will.
[automated voice] red team, ready?
[audience cheering]
[audience chanting] fight! Fight! Fight!
Be patient.
[buzzer sounding]
[chris] let the bot battle begin!
Hydra a little slow out of the gate.
Oh, just misses a flip.
But there's a little mini flyer for hypershock.
Oh. And again, hypershock trying to get its footing.
Oh, boy. Dangerous trying to climb on top of hydra
[kenny] yeah, but a nice shot landed there by hypershock, chris.
Will's trying to find just the right angle to attack
without exposing hypershock to that flipper.
Trying to thread the needle here.
[chris] he's got him in the spin cycle.
[kenny] yeah, hypershock literally driving circles around hydra.
[chris] what a shot by will bales!
-Wow! -[kenny] my goodness!
[chris] nice return of serve by hydra and jake ewert.
[kenny] now hydra believes that hypershock
will still be very dangerous in this position
if that weapon can still stay spinning.
Do not burn up the drive.
[kenny] but it's not spinning right now.
[chris] oh! Look at that! And he sticks the landing.
Hydra may have done hypershock a favor there.
[kenny] get a little high with the help of his friends.
What a flip by hydra. Unbelievable.
But hypershock like a cat.
[chris] meow! It lands on all fours.
[kenny] there is some damage to the corner of hydra right now,
and I believe one of the belts off of hypershock just came off.
[chris] yeah, it looks like it's having a little trouble driving,
in part because it keeps flying through the air.
And now it's trying to drive it... This is dangerous.
Oh, hydra almost got hypershock out of the arena.
[kenny] yeah, almost did the exactly same thing that end game did to hypershock.
[chris] holy smokes.
[kenny] hydra now really going on the attack,
and hypershock struggling there.
[chris] will bales digging deep,
trying to find a way to get back into this.
Oh! Hydra with another flip!
Hypershock up on the screws. Can he get him out of the arena?
Hey, will, you ready for this, buddy?
Take it apart.
[kenny] hydra looks like he's...
What a shot!
Unbelievable, again!
Hypershock still hanging in there. My goodness.
Showing a lot of toughness.
We are under a minute to go in this 1-32 matchup.
Hypershock up on the screws. This is trouble.
Put an end to this madness.
Can will bales get off of there?
Of course, those screws will reverse.
[audience cheering]
[kenny] that's some serious airtime. What a shot by hydra.
[chris] hypershock now officially an astronaut.
[kenny] this reminds me of bronco versus stinger, but without the fire.
[chris] what a performance!
And it looks like hypershock is starting to smoke just a tad bit.
Oh! Look at this. Bang!
The pulverizer tried to do some damage in the last 20 seconds.
[all cheering]
[kenny] and it's good!
[chris] hydra has booted hypershock out of the arena!
-Three, two, one! -[kenny] whoa.
[chris] thirteen major flips by hydra
en route to the ko with two seconds to go.
What a performance by the top seed.
[chris] kenny, while you do these replays,
I want to remind you to please fasten your seat belt.
[kenny] oh, man.
This was one of the most dominant flipper performances
we have ever seen on battlebots.
And again, you know, for people watching at home,
this is a 250-pound bot that's being thrown around like a piece of candy.
So impressed with hydra.
[chris] and pete, explain to people at home
because it looks like that flipper isn't even that enormous
to do this sort of power.
[pete] it is not. It is a very thin little piece of titanium
that is just getting in the right spot.
And with the snap that they've got
with the valve control underneath there,
it just produces power that is so high,
sends these bots flying.
[kenny] and let's give some credit to hypershock, too.
There are not a lot of bots sturdy enough
to withstand 13 colossal flips
and keep driving till the very end.
Both of these teams put on an incredible show.
[chris] jake ewert.
Jake ewert, hydra has some serious hops, don't you think?
Uh, it's got a little bit more of this time.
We had a sticky valve in all the rest of the fights,
so we swapped out everything.
We put new hydraulic fluid in, so we were ready for this one.
Jake, that was a campaign of carnage.
My goodness. Can you take us through the fight?
I mean, right off the bat, I see this weapon working,
and he was actually starting to hit me,
so I was getting a little afraid there.
But, I mean, once I got him tipped over
and I seen the weapon was dead, it's just free game then.
Did it throw off your game plan
when he removed those front wedges off of hypershock?
No, I don't care what they put on that crap. I'm still gonna flip him.
[chuckles] do you have any idea how many times
you got hypershock in the air?
I think was eight, maybe.
-Try 13, man. -Oh, that's better yet.
And less misses is even better.
And you said there was a little bit of a curse,
and you're a little bit nervous about
maybe getting ousted in the first round.
Uh-huh. We finally broke the whyachi curse. That is right.
We made it out of the first round in any tournament.
So, I mean, maybe it's giant nut time, right?
Well, I know that that's the biggest prize for you and your family.
Congratulations, as you now successfully move on to the round of 16.
Thanks, guys.
[audience cheering]
[chris] so, hydra snaps the whyachi curse
and advances to the second round,
where they will square off against gigabyte, kenny.
[kenny] a total contrast of styles.
It will be fascinating to see whether hydra's flipper
can get underneath that full body spinner.
[chris] and what a start to the round of 32 we had tonight.
We saw eight bots punch their tickets to the next round.
Big names like hydra and tombstone,
but also some low-seeded surprises like ribbot.
[kenny] what a night, chris. We got some spectacular fights,
and we're still only halfway done with the first round.
[chris] that's right. Next time, we're gonna dive head-first
into the other side of the bracket.
What jumps off the page to you, kenny?
[kenny] well, I can't wait to see what bloodsport can do
after going undefeated in the qualifying rounds.
And I really like the fight between skorpios
and last year's runner-up, witch doctor,
hoping to recapture their old magic
after looking shaky in the qualifiers.
I'm also watching out for copperhead.
Zach goff has dreams of the giant nut
after earning the number-three seed,
but he faces a tricky matchup there
against ricky willems and mammoth.
[chris] a full slate of explosive matchups
heading your way as we move closer
to crowning the 2020 battlebots world champion.
For jenny taft and faruq and our bot whisperer, pete,
and my man kenny florian, I am chris rose.
We'll see you next time as we complete the round of 32.
Think you have what it takes to be the next battlebots world champion?
Go to... [reading]
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