Gladiators (UK series 4)
After the show's third series in 1994, Shadow (Jefferson King) was sensationally sacked from the show, after a newspaper uncovered evidence that he had taken steroids. King later confirmed the rumours were true and was dropped shortly after. Scorpio (Nikki Diamond) also left, and along with Shadow was replaced by Amazon, Raider, Rhino and Vogue. This increased the number of Gladiators from fourteen to sixteen. Andrew Norgate replaced Derek Redmond to become the main timekeeper again.
In this series a number of post production elements were introduced that would last for the majority of the remainder of the show. This included event idents used prior to each event showing (one was also created for the Eliminator but only used in the Train 2 Win series and the Battle of The Gladiators special in 1999) and the introduction to the Gladiators during the opening credits was changed with each Gladiator turning their head towards the camera. The contender and Gladiator stats were made consistent (though the Gladiators poses differed each year) and this along with the style for the scoreboards was used for the next three seasons.
Due to the increasing pool of Gladiators a new approach was taken to the majority of the one on one events from this series onwards. On Duel, Hang Tough and Suspension Bridge as well as Joust (which was only used once before it was dropped), there would be a different Gladiator for a contender instead of the Gladiator challenging The Two contenders. This approach had already been used on Tilt but would not however be utilised for Pole-Axe or Danger Zone. From this season onwards, a recording of Showaddywaddy's "Hey Rock And Roll" would be played on introducing each Gladiator on Hang Tough.
Pursuit was significantly changed with the course being designed into a different order of balance beam, handladder, wire bridge, low wall, web trap (underneath), high wall, web trap (over), sprint finish. The course used for the second set of contenders/ gladiators was painted white (to ensure that participants did not use the wrong route as had happened the previous series). Additionally to PReVENT corners being cut, neon markers were added to the start and end of the balance beam, hand ladder and wire bridge as well as all corners on the balance beam with a requirement for participants to touch them or otherwise return to them. Cheerleaders G Force would watch participants and raise a neon flag should there be any infringements of this rule - this being the first instance that G Force were actively involved in an event. A point would be deducted from a contenders winning score for each fall from the balance beam, hand ladder and wire bridge.
The time limit in Suspension Bridge was reduced from one minute to thirty seconds but pushing and shoving was allowed. The contender headstart on The Wall was decreased from 10 seconds to 7 seconds. Tilt had a minor rule change in that a draw on a pull now resulted in 0 points (rather than 2). The contenders Atlaspheres were once again yellow and red in colour with the blue one being used for special episodes. From this season onwards for such specials, three Gladiators would compete against three contenders as opposed to two Gladiators against three contenders as in previous years.
Joust (which had been played in that Spring's live shows in Sheffield (as Pendulum which had due to be played was too large for the arena) received a slight makeover with the skybikes painted to red and white with the undercarriage no longer exposed. The bikes also rocked and rotated less violently than previous years. The event music was changed from the first 30 seconds of the event theme to just the last 30 seconds (a 60-second theme had been created for Joust though the event was only ever played 60 seconds at the Sheffield shows). The same was also done for Pole-Axe with the final 10 seconds of the 60 second Pole-Axe theme being used for this series rather than the first 10 seconds.
New events
There were two new events increasing the number of events from sixteen to eighteen.
Pendulum
This was an original event. The "Pendulum" was a ball 5 metres (23') in diameter, which hung from the roof of the arena, 40 feet (12.23m) above the ground. The event was contender versus Gladiator in a game of hide and seek. On the whistle, the ball would begin to swing from side to side. The aim of the contender is to avoid the Gladiator, who must track the contender down and remove the Velcro tag from their back. Once this is done, the game is over. If the contender remained on the pendulum for the full minute without the gladiator grabbing their velcro flag, they would score ten points. If the contender's velcro flag was grabbed by the gladiator or fell off the pendulum, either one of them while remaining on the pendulum for forty seconds or more, they would score five points. If the contender or Gladiator falls off, the remaining participant wins.
Whiplash
This event was based on American Gladiators which was a tug of war type game. Contender and Gladiator grip a "dog bone" and the contender must use this to pull the Gladiator out of a carpeted ring within thirty second or to obtain the "dog bone," sometimes known as "own the bone". No wrenching or pulling is permitted on the Gladiator's part, their role is strictly DeFence. However, the contender can use any means to remove the Gladiator. If the contender dragged the gladiator out of the ring in thirty seconds or obtain the "dog bone", they would score ten points.
Episodes
scope="col" style="background:#FF6600; | Episode |
scope="col" style="background:#FF6600; | Title |
scope="col" style="background:#FF6600; | Original airdate {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=1 |
Title=Heat 1: Melanie Blewitt vs. Tracey Fulthorpe / Geoff Kenyon vs. Brian Richardson |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Melanie 0 - 8 Tracey / Geoff 1 - 10 Brian
Melanie 0 - 13 Tracey / Geoff 1 - 10 Brian
Melanie 10 - 23 Tracey / Geoff 11 - 10 Brian
Melanie 10 - 23 Tracey / Geoff 11 - 10 Brian
Melanie 10 - 23 Tracey / Geoff 11 - 10 Brian
Melanie LOSER - WINNER Tracey / Geoff LOSER - WINNER Brian |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=2 |
Title=Heat 2: Janet Allen vs. Diane Thomas / Phil Ennis vs. David O'Halloran |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Janet 2 - 4 Diane / Phil 4 - 5 David
Janet 12 - 9 Diane / Phil 4 - 5 David
Janet 12 - 19 Diane / Phil 9 - 5 David
Janet 17 - 24 Diane / Phil 9 - 5 David
Janet 17 - 34 Diane / Phil 14 - 5 David
Janet WINNER - LOSER Diane / Phil WINNER - LOSER David |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=3 |
Title=Heat 3: Linda Dent vs. Jackie Kinsella / Glenn Williams vs. Chris Rawlinson |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Linda 5 - 5 Jackie / Glenn 0 - 0 Chris
Linda 5 - 5 Jackie / Glenn 10 - 10 Chris
Linda 5 - 10 Jackie / Glenn 10 - 10 Chris
Linda 5 - 13 Jackie / Glenn 19 - 13 Chris
Linda 5 - 17 Jackie / Glenn 19 - 15 Chris
Linda LOSER - WINNER Jackie / Glenn LOSER - WINNER Chris |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=4 |
Title=Heat 4: Kathy O'Dell vs. Rachel Whiteside / Regan Pilkington vs. Michael Bates/Mike Reynaud |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Kathy 0 - 7 Rachel / Regan 2 - 2 Mike
Kathy 10 - 7 Rachel / Regan 2 - 2 Mike
Kathy 20 - 7 Rachel / Regan 2 - 12 Mike
Kathy 21 - 7 Rachel / Regan 6 - 12 Mike
Kathy 26 - 12 Rachel / Regan 6 - 17 Mike
Kathy WINNER - LOSER Rachel / Regan WINNER - LOSER Mike |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=5 |
Title=Heat 5: Mel Cambridge vs. Mandy Beacher / John Tyson vs. Mark Everitt |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Mel 9 - 3 Mandy / John 0 - 3 Mark
Mel 9 - 3 Mandy / John 0 - 3 Mark
Mel 10 - 4 Mandy / John 4 - 5 Mark
Mel 10 - 9 Mandy / John 14 - 5 Mark
Mel 10 - 9 Mandy / John 14 - 15 Mark
Mel LOSER - WINNER Mandy / John LOSER - WINNER Mark |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=6 |
Title=Heat 6: Lynda Moore vs. Sonia Walker / Sean Clay vs. Lawrence Jean-Baptiste |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Lynda 10 - 10 Sonia / Sean 10 - 10 Lawrence
Lynda 12 - 16 Sonia / Sean 18 - 10 Lawrence
Lynda 17 - 21 Sonia / Sean 28 - 20 Lawrence
Lynda 22 - 26 Sonia / Sean 28 - 20 Lawrence
Lynda 25 - 29 Sonia / Sean 34 - 33 Lawrence
Lynda LOSER - WINNER Sonia / Sean LOSER - WINNER Lawrence |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=7 |
Title=Heat 7: Cheryl Quin vs. Julie Gray / Murray Stephen vs. Bill Cumberland |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Cheryl 6 - 3 Julie / Murray 0 - 0 Bill
Cheryl 6 - 3 Julie / Murray 0 - 0 Bill
Cheryl 16 - 13 Julie / Murray 10 - 0 Bill
Cheryl 16 - 13 Julie / Murray 10 - 0 Bill
Cheryl 16 - 18 Julie / Murray 15 - 5 Bill
Cheryl LOSER - WINNER Julie / Murray WINNER - LOSER Bill |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=8 |
Title=Heat 8: Jenny Waite vs. Kay Kershaw / Donald Williams vs. Steph Drury-Morris |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Jenny 0 - 2 Kay / Donald 5 - 3 Steph
Jenny 0 - 12 Kay / Donald 15 - 3 Steph
Jenny 0 - 12 Kay / Donald 15 - 3 Steph
Jenny 0 - 12 Kay / Donald 15 - 3 Steph
Jenny 5 - 12 Kay / Donald 25 - 3 Steph
Jenny LOSER - WINNER Kay / Donald WINNER - LOSER Steph |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=9 |
Title=Quarter-final 1: Janet Allen vs. Tracey Fulthorpe / Phil Ennis vs. Brian Richardson |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Janet 7 - 4 Tracey / Phil 0 - 0 Brian
Janet 7 - 4 Tracey / Phil 0 - 0 Brian
Janet 12 - 9 Tracey / Phil 1 - 0 Brian
Janet 17 - 14 Tracey / Phil 6 - 5 Brian
Janet 17 - 14 Tracey / Phil 6 - 5 Brian
Janet WINNER - LOSER Tracey / Phil LOSER - WINNER Brian |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=10 |
Title=Quarter-final 2: Kathy O'Dell vs. Jackie Kinsella / Regan Pilkington vs. Chris Rawlinson |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Kathy 6 - 0 Jackie / Regan 3 - 3 Chris
Kathy 11 - 5 Jackie / Regan 3 - 3 Chris
Kathy 11 - 5 Jackie / Regan 13 - 13 Chris
Kathy 14 - 15 Jackie / Regan 18 - 23 Chris
Kathy 14 - 15 Jackie / Regan 28 - 28 Chris
Kathy WINNER - LOSER Jackie / Regan WINNER - LOSER Chris |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=11 |
Title=Quarter-final 3: Mandy Beacher vs. Sonia Walker / Mark Everitt vs. Lawrence Jean-Baptiste |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Mandy 0 - 0 Sonia / Mark 4 - 2 Lawrence
Mandy 10 - 0 Sonia / Mark 4 -12 Lawrence
Mandy 10 - 0 Sonia / Mark 4 - 12 Lawrence
Mandy 10 - 0 Sonia / Mark 4 - 12 Lawrence
Mandy 15 - 5 Sonia / Mark 14 - 17 Lawrence
Mandy WINNER - LOSER Sonia / Mark WINNER - LOSER Lawrence |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=12 |
Title=Quarter-final 4: Julie Gray vs. Kay Kershaw / Murray Stephen vs. Donald Williams |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Julie 10 - 10 Kay / Murray 10 - 0 Donald
Julie 10 - 10 Kay / Murray 10 - 0 Donald
Julie 15 - 20 Kay / Murray 10 - 0 Donald
Julie 20 - 25 Kay / Murray 10 - 5 Donald
Julie 25 - 35 Kay / Murray 20 - 15 Donald
Julie LOSER - WINNER Kay / Murray WINNER - LOSER Donald |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=13 |
Title=Semi-final 1: Kathy O'Dell vs. Janet Allen / Regan Pilkington vs. Brian Richardson |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Kathy 3 - 4 Janet / Regan 4 - 0 Brian
Kathy 3 - 4 Janet / Regan 4 - 10 Brian
Kathy 13 - 4 Janet / Regan 14 - 10 Brian
Kathy 13 - 4 Janet / Regan 14 - 20 Brian
Kathy 18 - 14 Janet / Regan 14 - 20 Brian
Kathy LOSER - WINNER Janet / Regan WINNER - LOSER Brian |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=14 |
Title=Semi-final 2: Mandy Beacher vs. Kay Kershaw / Mark Everitt vs. Murray Stephen |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Mandy 6 - 2 Kay / Mark 5 - 4 Murray
Mandy 6 - 2 Kay / Mark 5 - 4 Murray
Mandy 8 - 4 Kay / Mark 17 - 10 Murray
Mandy 13 - 14 Kay / Mark 27 - 15 Murray
Mandy 13 - 24 Kay / Mark 37 - 25 Murray
Mandy WINNER - LOSER Kay / Mark WINNER - LOSER Murray |
LineColor=FF6600 }} {{Episode list |
EpisodeNumber=15 |
Title=Grand Final: Mandy Beacher vs. Janet Allen / Regan Pilkington vs. Mark Everitt |
OriginalAirDate= |
ShortSummary=
Mandy 0 - 2 Janet / Regan 0 - 6 Mark
Mandy 0 - 2 Janet / Regan 0 - 16 Mark
Mandy 5 - 2 Janet / Regan 0 - 21 Mark
Mandy 5 - 2 Janet / Regan 0 - 21 Mark
Mandy 10 - 7 Janet / Regan 10 - 21 Mark
Mandy LOSER - WINNER Janet / Regan LOSER - WINNER Mark |
LineColor=FF6600 }} |
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Rhino's high tackle on Michael during Powerball caused him to have a broken knee and he was forced to retire before the first event was over.