American Gladiators on ESPN Classic
Nitro to Host Marathon Saturday at 1 P.M.
Regular Schedule to Begin Monday

ESPN Classic is bringing back American Gladiators, the hit television program in which the contestants (two male and two female) matched themselves against the program's stable of athletes in a variety of feats of strength and agility. American Gladiators premieres on ESPN Classic Saturday at 1 p.m. ET  with a seven hour Marathon hosted by former Gladiator Dan Clark aka "Nitro." American Gladiators will then air on ESPN Classic in its regular time slots on Mondays through Fridays beginning on April 2.

"We are thrilled to be able to bring back American Gladiators," said John Papa, vice president of programming, ESPN Classic. "The show still has an incredible following.  Now fans of America Gladiators will  have the opportunity to re-live all the entertaining and compelling action between the outrageous and very talented athletes who appeared on the show."

American Gladiators was and still is an incredible phenomenon. It inspired Gladiators 2000, a children's spin-off hosted by Ryan Seacrest, a clothing line, toys and international television syndication.

American Gladiators will air on ESPN Classic Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

The in-your-face Nitro was a Gladiator on the show from 1989 to 1992 and from 1994 to 1995, and was also a co-host of the show from 1995 through 1996. Mike Adamle hosted through the life of the show alongside (at various times) former NFL'ers  Larry Csonka, and Todd Christensen.

American Gladiators features events that tested the contenders' physical abilities and their competitive natures. Among the memorable events are:

• Assault :  The object was to fire a series of five weapons to hit a target at one end of the playing field. A Gladiator used a cannon to shoot tennis balls with crossbows, rocket launchers and cannons at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour at the contender. The weapons used by the contenders were located near protective barriers and varied from season to season.
• Breakthrough & Conquer: This was a two-part event that was part American football, part wrestling. A contender would have to carry a football 15 yards and into an end zone against a single Gladiator in the "Breakthrough" portion of the event. In the "Conquer" portion, the object was to freestyle wrestle a different Gladiator out of a ring.
• Human Cannonball: Contenders stood on a raised platform, opposite a Gladiator standing on a lower platform, holding a pad. The object was to swing on the rope and knock the Gladiator off the pedestal.
• Joust: The contender competed against the Gladiator in a stick battle; each trying to knock the opponent off his pedestal within 30 seconds.
• Atlasphere: Contenders climbed into large metal cage-like spheres, rolling them from within, and maneuvering them toward scoring pods on the playing field for points.
• The Wall: Contenders would have to scale a rock climbing wall before being pulled off by the Gladiator chasing them.
• Gauntlet: Contenders ran through a chute past  Gladiators armed with pads of varying size and shape, who tried to slow or stop their progress.
• Tug-O-War: The contender and gladiator dueled in a one-on-one rope pull. The twist to this event was that each competitor stood atop a fulcrum-based platform that shifted position with the person's weight.

The dreaded Eliminator, in which the two contenders would race through an obstacle course for time, determined the winner of each American Gladiator competition.

Among the many colorful Gladiators were Nitro, Turbo, Gemini, Lace and Zap.

       
Click here to view American Gladiators images.

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