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  • WEDNESDAY JULY 18 2007 8:00 PM

My Name Is Gladiator... But You Can Call Me Malibu

Submitted by TheCoolerKing

Edited by TheCoolerKing

Tags: American Gladiator, NBC, the 80's



There was once a time, on this great rock we call Earth, where men settled their differences like men... by battling in giant, rolling, metal cages painted blue and red. Or by clinging from the underside of a metal grate and kicking one another.

Women too, competed in such a fashion. Wielding oversized, leather-covered Q-tips in a effort to knock each other off of literal pedestals. By using a rope to hurl their own bodies against a Gladiator in an attempt to bash him to the ground. By dunking an undersized basketball into a 3-foot high, traffic cone... Ahem. Okay, it wasn't all awesome.

Well, in addition to other, less exciting announcements, it seems that NBC is contemplating bringing back American Gladiators.

Silverman confirmed that he's looking to develop a new take on the campy 1980s franchise "American Gladiators" via his old Reveille banner. Given the success of "Heroes," a reality show with superhero themes seems logical. Exec refused to discuss how the show may fit into NBC's brand, however, dismissing a question about the project by saying, "There's no deal done."


This could be interesting. I liked the original. Packed with insane stunts and super-charged Gladiators like Blaze, Nitro, Zap, Louis* and Diamond... True, I also liked tree-forts, prank-calling neighbors and being 11, but, it might work.

Do they stick with the campy, over-the-top ridiculousness?

Or do they modernize it? I could see them trying to make it more "reality-based." Setting it on a faux, street-corner set. Sending a man down a dark alley where suddenly a muscle-bound behemoth bursts through a wall and the man is forced to defend himself with a lamp post turned baton.

Maybe they could bring back the greatest of all-time, Nitro, as the world-weary veteran who's seen it all, to mentor and train the newest batch of rookie Gladiators.

They'd do well to remember that the best episodes featured a former athlete/marine/ninja who turned the tables on the Gladiators, enraging them at all turns for the entire episode, only to get smited in the end.

And to get rid of "Powerball."

TheCoolerKing is betting you can help shift the "no done deal" part of the story by signing this petition he found. So far they've got 10,261 signatures. Is that a lot?



* I wish there'd been a Gladiator named Louis.

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xazapdmytinu

xazapdmytinu

Fort Collins, CO
July 2007

JUL 18, 2007 08:22 PM

who among the nickelodeon era remembers the kid's version of American Gladiators?

D-d-d-d-d-do you have it?

GUTS!

Quirky

Quirky

Birmingham, AL
October 2005

JUL 18, 2007 08:26 PM

xazapdmytinu said:
who among the nickelodeon era remembers the kid's version of American Gladiators?

D-d-d-d-d-do you have it?

GUTS!



Fuck that noise.
This is what was awefuckingsome:

zoom image

Shakyamuni

Shakyamuni

I'm lost
December 2006

JUL 18, 2007 08:27 PM

You know what? I loved that show.

That's right, I said it and I'll say it again.

I loved American Gladiators.

I am also, still (basically) 13.

Dovanna

Dovanna

Minneapolis, MN
March 2007

JUL 18, 2007 08:39 PM

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of watching Gladiators, Quantum Leap, and MacGyver on the USA channel while eating lunch. lol

::wipes tear from eye::

Those were the days!!

ash67

ash67

USA
October 2005

JUL 18, 2007 08:47 PM

_Poptard_ said:

xazapdmytinu said:
who among the nickelodeon era remembers the kid's version of American Gladiators?

D-d-d-d-d-do you have it?

GUTS!



Fuck that noise.
This is what was awefuckingsome:

zoom image





Right on! And what do they have now on that channel? Crap. Personally, I've been downloading all sorts of shows from when me and my sis were kids for my nephew to watch. Biggest one? Are you Afraid of the Dark? !

SignalNoise

SignalNoise

USA
February 2004

JUL 18, 2007 08:48 PM

Some weird dude from The Lost Boys was on that show once. I also met a couple of the gladiators at a car show once. And, basically, that show kicked ass.

PaulNikon

PaulNikon

Palm Bay, FL
February 2003

JUL 18, 2007 08:51 PM

Muscle women:
zoom image

kingleroy

kingleroy

I'm lost
April 2006

JUL 18, 2007 08:59 PM

HAHAHA!! Perfect timing. Just today I watched re-runs of AG on ESPN Classic. It still makes me happy biggrin

Greatest array of mullets in the history of "sports'.

xazapdmytinu

xazapdmytinu

Fort Collins, CO
July 2007

JUL 18, 2007 09:17 PM

ash67 said:

_Poptard_ said:

xazapdmytinu said:
who among the nickelodeon era remembers the kid's version of American Gladiators?

D-d-d-d-d-do you have it?

GUTS!



Fuck that noise.
This is what was awefuckingsome:

zoom image





Right on! And what do they have now on that channel? Crap. Personally, I've been downloading all sorts of shows from when me and my sis were kids for my nephew to watch. Biggest one? Are you Afraid of the Dark? !



I can't believe I forgot about that show...considering it's where I'm pretty sure my love for redheads originated.

I was going to try to find a picture to put here, but apparently the redhead host of WACK dropped of the face of the earth.

so he's a picture of a redhead who's still around.


FunkySkunk

FunkySkunk

Gainesville, FL
July 2004

JUL 18, 2007 09:20 PM

ash67 said:

_Poptard_ said:

xazapdmytinu said:
who among the nickelodeon era remembers the kid's version of American Gladiators?

D-d-d-d-d-do you have it?

GUTS!



Fuck that noise.
This is what was awefuckingsome:

zoom image





Right on! And what do they have now on that channel? Crap. Personally, I've been downloading all sorts of shows from when me and my sis were kids for my nephew to watch. Biggest one? Are you Afraid of the Dark? !



Good luck with showing Are you Afraid of the Dark. That show gave me some serious nightmares.

"I'm cold. I'm cold" shit still scares me.
eeek eeek

Westley

Westley

Vatican City
April 2004

JUL 18, 2007 09:22 PM

SignalNoise said:
Some weird dude from The Lost Boys was on that show once.


This guy. I remember thinking it was fake (for a little while) because of that. I thought the same thing about People's Court because I saw Marla Gibbs on there one time, but it turned out she really was suing someone for like, 280 bucks.

Formus

Formus

Milwaukee, WI
May 2007

JUL 18, 2007 09:27 PM

Malibu was the best. Hands down.

thefreak

thefreak

NEWSWIRE

Gardner, MA

JUL 18, 2007 09:27 PM

American Gladiators FTW.

I always remember watching it as a kid, "Assault" and "Human Cannonball" being my favorites. biggrin

-TM

Vestril

Vestril

Coronado, CA
February 2003

JUL 18, 2007 09:29 PM

Oh man, that show was too cool. When I was 13. I hope it still is.

Sexdwarf

Sexdwarf

Hermosa Beach, CA
February 2003

JUL 18, 2007 09:30 PM

Oh Malibu, he was so great, as in bad, in the 5 episodes he was in.

Actually, by the end of the series, Nitro did become an announcer.

Also, Assault was THE BEST gladiatorial game on the entire fucking show, I've always wanted to shoot tennis balls at people from upon high since then.

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