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75-732: American Gladiators may refer to: American Gladiators (1989 TV series) , an American competition television program that aired from 1989 to 1996 American Gladiators (2008 TV series) , an American competition television program that aired in 2008 American Gladiators (video game) , a video game made in 1991 by Imagitec Design See also [ edit ] [REDACTED] Search for "American Gladiators" on Misplaced Pages. All pages with titles beginning with American Gladiators All pages with titles containing American Gladiators American (disambiguation) Gladiator (disambiguation) Gladiators 2000 , children's edition of

150-503: A half-second; the first contender to cross the finish line won. Of the events that debuted in the show's first season, only six lasted the entire original run on American television: Breakthrough and Conquer, The Wall, Joust, Assault, Powerball, and the Eliminator, although The Wall did not debut until the second half of the first season. Throughout the series, American Gladiators had several regular segments that were not related to

225-435: A large obstacle course as quickly as they could. In the first two seasons, the Eliminator had a time limit, and both contenders started the course at the same time. Contenders scored points for every second left on the clock when they finished the course; the contender with the highest final score won the day's competition. Beginning in season 3, the contender in the lead was given a head start with each point they led by worth

300-529: A lesser level can wipe out holders of common stock because of the leverage of value of shares upon the difference between assets and liabilities. Such fraud has been known as watered stock , analogous to the practice of force-feeding livestock great amounts of water to inflate their weight before sale to dealers. The regulation and prosecution of securities fraud violations is undertaken on a broad front, involving numerous government agencies and self-regulatory organizations . One method of regulating and restricting

375-454: A national stock exchange , regardless of price, are exempt from regulatory designation as a penny stock, since it is thought that exchange traded securities are less vulnerable to manipulation . Therefore, CitiGroup (NYSE:C) and other NYSE listed securities which traded below $ 1.00 during the market downturn of 2008–2009, while properly regarded as "low priced" securities, were not technically "penny stocks". Although penny stock trading in

450-554: A part of MGM ). Ferraro is the sole creator of the 1994 kids' version of the series, Gladiators 2000 (a.k.a. G2 ). An all-star, one-off primetime celebrity special, Superstar American Gladiators aired on ABC on May 4, 1995. Flor-Jon Films, Inc and the Samuel Goldwyn Co in 1993 granted a license to Chariot Entertainment in an effort to launch a live American Gladiators show on the Las Vegas Strip , but

525-644: A problem of such scope that the Bush administration announced what it described as an "aggressive agenda" against corporate fraud. Less widely publicized manifestations continue, such as the securities fraud conviction of Charles E. Johnson Jr., founder of PurchasePro in May 2008. FBI Director Robert Mueller predicted in April 2008 that corporate fraud cases will increase because of the subprime mortgage crisis . Dummy corporations may be created by fraudsters to create

600-427: A public company's financial reports, and lying to corporate auditors. The term encompasses a wide range of other actions, including insider trading , front running and other illegal acts on the trading floor of a stock or commodity exchange. Fraud by high level corporate officials became a subject of wide national attention during the early 2000s, as exemplified by corporate officer misconduct at Enron . It became

675-411: A publicly traded firm include any dishonest official within the company who has access to the payroll or financial reports that can be manipulated to: Enron Corporation exemplifies all five tendencies, and its failure demonstrates the extreme dangers of a culture of corruption within a publicly traded corporation. The rarity of such spectacular failures of a corporation from securities fraud attests to

750-460: A share. Many penny stocks, particularly those that sell for fractions of a cent, are thinly traded. They can become the target of stock promoters and manipulators . These manipulators first purchase large quantities of stock, then artificially inflate the share price through false and misleading positive statements. This is referred to as a pump and dump scheme. The pump and dump is a form of microcap stock fraud . In more sophisticated versions of

825-559: A soundstage at Universal Studios Hollywood . Beginning with the third season and continuing for the rest of the run, the show relocated production to the CBS Studio Center in Studio City, Los Angeles . The studio used to tape the show was referred to on air as “Gladiator Arena”. In each episode, the contenders competed in a series of events. Six to eight events were played per show, varying from season to season. Most of

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900-521: A specific type of fraud perpetrated by pump and dump manipulators , is to target the category of stocks most often associated with this scheme. To that end, penny stocks have been the target of heightened enforcement efforts. In the United States, regulators have defined a penny stock as a security that must meet a number of specific standards. The criteria include price, market capitalization , and minimum shareholder equity . Securities traded on

975-476: A win was worth another $ 7,500 and a berth in the Grand Championship. In season six, the Grand Championship winners would each receive an additional $ 15,000 on top of what they had already won, making their total cash prize out to $ 25,000. Season seven's winners were given an additional $ 10,000, with their total cash winnings amounting to $ 20,000. That season's Grand Champions were also given berths as

1050-407: Is about collusion." A Ponzi scheme is an investment fund where withdrawals are financed by subsequent investors, rather than profit obtained through investment activities. The largest instance of securities fraud committed by an individual ever is a Ponzi scheme operated by former NASDAQ chairman Bernard Madoff , which caused up to an estimated $ 64.8 billion in losses depending on which method

1125-515: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages American Gladiators (1989 TV series) The concept was originally created in 1982 by Johnny C. Ferraro and Dann Carr. Carr gathered the Gladiators and hosted the show, and Ferraro financed and produced the original competition at Erie Tech High School in Erie, Pennsylvania so Ferraro could have

1200-480: Is sold without being borrowed and without any intent to borrow. The practice of spreading false information about stocks, to drive down their prices, is called "short and distort". During the takeover of Bear Stearns by J.P. Morgan Chase in March 2008, reports swirled that shorts were spreading rumors to drive down Bear Stearns' share price. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., said this was more than rumors and said, "This

1275-498: Is used to calculate the losses prior to its collapse. The Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) reports that the Federal Trade Commission , FBI , and state securities regulators estimate that investment fraud in the United States ranges from $ 10–$ 40 billion annually. Of that number, SIPC estimates that $ 1–3 Billion is directly attributable to microcap stock fraud. Fraudulent schemes perpetrated in

1350-523: The International Gladiators competitions. The series, a co-production of Trans World International and Four Point Entertainment, was distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Television . The original Pilot was hosted by Fran Tarkenton and Tim Wrightman . The first 13 episodes were recorded from July 24 to August 5, 1989. The remaining 13 episodes of the first season began production on January 9, 1990. The entire 26 episode second season

1425-600: The Lumina , Lumina APV, Cavalier , Metro , Tracker , Storm, C/K pickup, Caprice , Suburban , Camaro , Beretta , Blazer , etc.), were awarded to the Grand Champions. In season 3, a 1992 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer and in season 4 a 1993 Suzuki Sidekick was awarded to the Grand Champion, and the runner up received a Club Med vacation. The runner up prize was eliminated in the fifth season. To coincide with

1500-464: The stock or commodities markets that induces investors to make purchase or sale decisions on the basis of false information. The setups are generally made to result in monetary gain for the deceivers, and generally result in unfair monetary losses for the investors. They are generally violating securities laws. Securities fraud can also include outright theft from investors ( embezzlement by stockbrokers ), stock manipulation , misstatements on

1575-602: The 1989 show Gladiators (franchise) , franchise for the 1989, 2008, and video game Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title American Gladiators . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Gladiators&oldid=1158723044 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Gladiators (franchise) American Gladiators Hidden categories: Short description

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1650-417: The 2019–20 season, the 30th anniversary of the franchise's television debut. In September 2021, it was reported that MGM Television has teamed up with WWE (formerly WWF ) for a reboot of American Gladiators that will feature WWE wrestlers. The project is currently being pitched to broadcasters and streaming platforms. In April 2024, it was officially reported that the creator of the show, Johnny Ferraro

1725-523: The Gladiator and five points if the event was a draw. No points were awarded to the contender if the Gladiator won. Other events had no maximum score, with the objective being to perform a task as many times as possible (such as scoring goals in Powerball) within the set time limit for the event. Points in this case would be awarded based on how many times the contender accomplished the objective during

1800-612: The Stanford Law School Securities Class Action Clearinghouse. During 2006 and 2007, securities fraud class actions were driven by market wide events, such as the 2006 backdating scandal and the 2007 subprime crisis. Securities fraud lawsuits remained below historical averages. Some manifestations of this white collar crime have become more frequent as the Internet gives criminals greater access to prey. The trading volume in

1875-429: The United States securities and commodities markets , having grown dramatically in the 1990s, has led to an increase in fraud and misconduct by investors , executives , shareholders , and other market participants. Securities fraud is becoming more complex as the industry develops more complicated investment vehicles . In addition, white collar criminals are expanding the scope of their fraud and are looking outside

1950-476: The United States for new markets, new investors, and banking secrecy havens to hide unjust enrichment . A study conducted by the New York Stock Exchange in the mid-1990s reveals approximately 51.4 million individuals owned some type of traded stock , while 200 million individuals owned securities indirectly. These same financial markets provide the opportunity for wealth to be obtained and

2025-673: The United States is now primarily controlled through rules and regulations enforced by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the genesis of this control is found in State securities law. The State of Georgia was the first state to codify a comprehensive penny stock securities law. Secretary of State Max Cleland , whose office enforced State securities laws

2100-538: The United States representatives in the second International Gladiators competition, held at the site of the British series in Birmingham, England. During the first half of the first season, the show's set resembled that of an ancient Roman gladiatorial arena , with the stands raised high above the ground. For the second half, the show's set was changed into a modern indoor sports arena style. An onscreen clock

2175-529: The brokerage. Some 'boiler rooms' are not licensed but may be 'tied agents' of a brokerage house which itself is licensed or not. Securities sold in boiler rooms include commodities and private placements as well as microcap stocks, non-existent, or distressed stock and stock supplied by an intermediary at an undisclosed markup. Abusive short selling , including certain types of naked short selling , are also considered securities fraud because they can drive down stock prices. In abusive naked short selling, stock

2250-406: The change in tournament structure in season six, contenders won $ 2,500 for winning matches. Once the competition reached the semifinals, the winners received $ 10,000. The Grand Champions for that season won an additional $ 20,000, while the runners-up won an additional $ 5,000. In season seven, the structure was the same but the Grand Champions won an additional $ 10,000 for their victories and a berth in

2325-519: The competition of the day. These segments were used to allow the audience to get to know the Gladiators or to highlight some of the best moments of past competitions. The show was taped at Universal Studios Hollywood until 1991, then moved to Gladiator Arena (Studio 3) at CBS Studio Center in Studio City for the rest of its initial run. The National Indoor Arena , home to the UK version , hosted

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2400-424: The contenders had to withdraw due to injury. The tournament was spread out over the course of twelve episodes. The first five episodes comprised the preliminary round of play. Eight contenders would advance from this round to play in the quarterfinals. The five winners from each side would automatically advance, as would the three highest scoring contenders that had not won. Once the quarterfinal brackets were set,

2475-536: The corporation, or otherwise misappropriated. In microcap fraud, stocks of small companies of under $ 250 million market capitalization are deceptively promoted, then sold to an unwary public. This type of fraud has been estimated to cost investors $ 1–3 billion annually. Microcap fraud includes pump and dump schemes involving boiler rooms and scams on the Internet. Many, but not all, microcap stocks involved in frauds are penny stocks , which trade for less than $ 5

2550-455: The course of the season. For the first time, there were no wildcard spots used in the tournament. Instead, the preliminary round was used for the purposes of seeding, as all eight of the competitors on each side were guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals, known in this season as the elimination round. After the preliminaries, the contenders were seeded 1-8 based on their performance. The tournament then proceeded as normal. The tournament format

2625-555: The defrauder. Sometimes the losses caused by securities fraud are difficult to quantify. For example, insider trading is believed to raise the cost of capital for securities issuers, thus decreasing overall economic growth. Any investor can become a victim, but persons aged fifty years or older are most often victimized, whether as direct purchasers in securities or indirect purchasers through pension funds. Not only do investors lose but so can creditors, taxing authorities, and employees. Potential perpetrators of securities fraud within

2700-432: The end of each episode, Kato would encourage Kurama to join the Gladiators. USA Network was the first network to air reruns of American Gladiators , acquiring a total of 104 episodes. In 1992, USA began airing episodes daily in the late afternoon following its game show rerun lineup and preceding Cartoon Express , and later moved the episodes to air as part of its mid-morning lineup. The network initially had rights to

2775-544: The event on film so as to shop the new creation. In 1983 Ferraro financed, developed and packaged the American Gladiators as a movie project. In 1984 Carr sold his interest in a literary purchase to Flor-Jon Films. Ferraro had been the main driving force behind the American Gladiators brand since 1982. In 1987, Flor-Jon Films then licensed the unscripted rights to The Samuel Goldwyn Company (now

2850-407: The event. Starting with the fourth season, the final event before The Eliminator, was labeled "Crunch Time", and was played for more points. Season six used a format in which events were referred to as "rounds" due to more than one game played per round. Three games per show were played by both males and females and three were split between the males and females, two each in a round. In split rounds

2925-483: The events tested the contenders' physical abilities against the superior size and strength of the Gladiators, who were mostly pro or amateur bodybuilders and former football players. In most events, the contenders were not directly pitted against each other, but against the Gladiators. In each event, the contenders earned points based on their performance. In the first half of season one, the points in each event were given in minimum 5-point increments, with 100 points usually

3000-422: The firm's shares. This is generally legal, but there are certain reporting requirements. The other type of insider trading is the purchase or sale of a security based on material non-public information. This type of trading is illegal in most instances. In illegal insider trading, an insider or a related party trades based on material non-public information obtained during the performance of the insider's duties at

3075-433: The first three seasons and picked up rights to the fourth when it finished airing in 1993, but did not pick up any additional seasons beyond that. USA aired reruns through at least 1996, just as the show ended its original run. Spike TV purchased a rerun package they began airing during their last days as The National Network in 2002. Originally airing weekday afternoons and late night Saturdays, Spike eventually scaled back

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3150-443: The fraud, individuals or organizations buy millions of shares, then use newsletter websites, chat rooms, stock message boards, press releases, or e-mail blasts to drive up interest in the stock. Very often, the perpetrator will claim to have "inside" information about impending news to persuade the unwitting investor to quickly buy the shares. When buying pressure pushes the share price up, the rise in price entices more people to believe

3225-421: The general reliability of most executives and boards of large corporations. Most spectacular failures of publicly traded companies result from such innocent causes as marketing blunders ( Schlitz ), an obsolete model of business ( Penn Central , Woolworth's ), inadequate market share ( Studebaker ), non-criminal incompetence ( Braniff ). Even if the effect of securities fraud is not enough to cause bankruptcy,

3300-442: The hype and to buy shares as well. Eventually the manipulators doing the "pumping" end up "dumping" when they sell their holdings. The expanding use of the Internet and personal communication devices has made penny stock scams easier to perpetrate. But it has also drawn high-profile public personalities into the sphere of regulatory oversight. Though not a scam per se, one notable example is rapper 50 Cent's use of Twitter to cause

3375-467: The idea for American Gladiators was for the championship winning contenders to become part of the cast of Gladiators for subsequent competitions, a concept that was later adopted for the 2008 sequel series. However, due to the popularity of the initial series of episodes, that idea was done away with. Instead, a second tournament began in early 1990 with a new set of twenty men and women. The two winning contenders from that tournament would then face off with

3450-535: The illusion of being an existing corporation with a similar name. Fraudsters then sell securities in the dummy corporation by misleading the investor into thinking that they are buying shares in the real corporation. According to enforcement officials of the Securities and Exchange Commission , criminals engage in pump-and-dump schemes, in which false and/or fraudulent information is disseminated in chat rooms, forums, internet boards and via email (spamming), with

3525-440: The legitimate growth in production and use of lithium, while touting Lithium Exploration Groups position within that sector. According to the company's December 31, 2010, form 10-Q (filed within months of the direct mail promotion), LEXG was a lithium company without assets. Its revenues and assets at that time were zero. Subsequently, the company did acquire lithium production/exploration properties, and addressed concerns raised in

3600-506: The maximum in every event. After the first half of the first season, single point increments were used. Some events had objectives where each contender had to perform a certain task against the Gladiator, while the Gladiator was trying to do the same thing to them (such as attempting to knock each other off the platforms in Joust). In these types of events, where a clear winner could emerge, contenders were usually awarded ten points for defeating

3675-497: The men went first. Including the Eliminator, ten events appeared in each episode, and the lineup of single and split rounds changed during the season. The sole exception to this format was in the semi-finals and grand championship, in which each round was a single event. There were four lineups used during the season: The Eliminator was the final event played in each episode, and determined which contender would win that day's competition. The contenders competed side-by-side to complete

3750-429: The opportunity for white collar criminals to take advantage of unwary investors. Recovery of assets from the proceeds of securities fraud is a resource intensive and expensive undertaking because of the cleverness of fraudsters in concealment of assets and money laundering , as well as the tendency of many criminals to be profligate spenders . A victim of securities fraud is usually fortunate to recover any money from

3825-469: The play-by-play voice. That version lasted two seasons. In July 2014, a revival of American Gladiators was planned in the works by A. Smith & Co. Productions where it would have incorporated elements that were inspired by the popular film franchise The Hunger Games along with mixed martial arts. In August 2018, MGM Television, with Ferraro and actors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg , announced plans to bring American Gladiators back again for

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3900-584: The president of Chariot became mired in a securities fraud prosecution, through no fault of Flor-Jon Films or The Samuel Goldwyn Co, and the live show went unrealized. MGM Television , the successor company to the Samuel Goldwyn Company, during the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike , sold to NBC a prime-time revival that was closer to the British version than the American, with hosts Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali , and Van Earl Wright

3975-519: The press. Penny stock companies often have low liquidity. Investors may encounter difficulty selling their positions after the buying pressure has abated, and the manipulators have fled. In 2002, a wave of separate but often related accounting scandals became known to the public in the U.S. All of the leading public accounting firms—Arthur Andersen, Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers— and others have admitted to or have been charged with negligence to identify and prevent

4050-516: The price of a penny stock (HNHI) to increase dramatically. 50 Cent had previously invested in 30 million shares of the company, and as a result made $ 8.7 million in profit. Another example of an activity that skirts the borderline between legitimate promotion and hype is the case of LEXG. Described (but perhaps overstated) as "the biggest stock promotion of all time", Lithium Exploration Group's market capitalization soared to over $ 350 million, after an extensive direct mail campaign. The promotion drew upon

4125-546: The publication of falsified financial reports by their corporate clients which had the effect of giving a misleading impression of their client companies' financial status. In several cases, the monetary amounts of the fraud involved are in the billions of USD. Boiler rooms or boiler houses are stock brokerages that put undue pressure on clients to trade using telesales, usually in pursuit of microcap fraud schemes. Some boiler rooms offer clients transactions fraudulently, such as those with an undisclosed profitable relationship to

4200-443: The purpose of causing a dramatic price increase in thinly traded stocks or stocks of shell companies (the "pump"). In other instances, fraudsters disseminate materially false information about a company in hopes of urging investors to sell their shares so that the stock price plummets. When the price reaches a certain level, criminals immediately sell off their holdings of those stocks (the "dump"), realizing substantial profits before

4275-412: The reruns to the late Saturday airing and then dropped them in 2003. Spike was only given rights to seasons two through four in their entirety, special episodes from seasons five and six, season seven in its entirety, and both editions of International Gladiators in their entirety. Securities fraud Securities fraud , also known as stock fraud and investment fraud , is a deceptive practice in

4350-409: The second International Gladiators competition. Joe Theismann and Mike Adamle co-hosted American Gladiators during the first half of the first season, with Theismann presiding over the proceedings and Adamle serving more of an analyst's role. After Theismann left the series, Adamle became the lead commentator and remained in that role for the remainder of the series. Todd Christensen initially

4425-468: The securities and commodities markets can ultimately have a devastating impact on the viability and operation of these markets. A 2023 study by economists Alexander Dyck, Adair Morse and Luigi Zingales estimated that on average 10% of large publicly traded firms commit securities fraud every year, and that the corporate fraud destroys 1.6% of equity value each year. Class action securities fraud lawsuits rose 43 percent between 2006 and 2007, according to

4500-442: The series aired under the title Clash! American Muscle Battle ( 激突!アメリカン筋肉バトル , Gekitotsu! Amerikan kin'niku batoru ) , and was shown as a sports variety program produced by TV Tokyo aired on its' affiliated stations from October 16, 1992 to March 1993. It compromises of the series' footage from its' heyday, dubbed into Japanese, with exchanges between the hosts of the late Tatsuya Kurama and Reiko Katō respectively. At

4575-489: The series as "contenders", faced off in a series of physical games against each other and against a cast of costumed athletes looking to prevent them from succeeding (the titular "Gladiators"). Each match saw the competitors trying to advance in a tournament, with one man and one woman crowned champion at its conclusion. When the series premiered in the fall of 1989, ten men and ten women were selected to participate with several more chosen to be alternates in case one or more of

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4650-523: The series ended in 1996. The referees were assisted by several game judges, including Bob Wucetich, Fred Gallagher and Jim Marcione. During International Gladiators , Thompson was also joined by the British Gladiators referee, John Anderson . Theismann also was the announcer of the first season and was replaced by legendary game show announcer John Harlan in 1990, who remained with the show until his retirement from announcing in 1993. There

4725-407: The six winners on each side advancing to the quarterfinals. The winners of the three quarterfinal matchups automatically advanced to the semifinals, with the highest scoring contender that did not win their match receiving a wildcard spot. The tournament then continued as before, with the winners of the semifinals facing off to see who would earn a Grand Championship berth. 32 contenders competed over

4800-419: The stock price falls back to its usual low level. Any buyers of the stock who are unaware of the fraud become victims once the price falls. The SEC says that Internet fraud resides in several forms: There are two types of "insider trading". The first is the trading of a corporation's stock or other security by corporate insiders such as officers, key employees, directors, or holders of more than ten percent of

4875-421: The tournament became single-elimination. Any alternates from here on in would come from the pool of defeated contenders, if they were necessary. The winners of the four quarterfinal matchups were guaranteed a prize, which increased based on how far they advanced. A contender eliminated in the semifinals went home with $ 2,500. The winner of the final match won $ 10,000, while the runner-up received $ 5,000. Initially,

4950-495: The winners of the initial 1989 tournament in what became known as the Grand Championship, with the winners becoming the overall champions for the season and receiving an additional cash prize as well as a new car. The second season also used this specific format; the half-season tournament format, with some adjustments as the series progressed, was used until the end of season five. A total of 48 competitors were selected. Six preliminary round matchups were played in each half, with

5025-500: Was Adamle's replacement as analyst, with Larry Csonka joining the series at the beginning of season two in 1990. Csonka was replaced by Lisa Malosky following the fourth season, and she held the analyst position for seasons five and six. Danny Lee Clark , who spent the first three seasons and most of season six on the show as Gladiator Nitro, became co-host for the final season and was credited on air as Dan "Nitro" Clark. Adamle also hosted both seasons of International Gladiators and

5100-583: Was a principal proponent of the legislation. Representative Chesley V. Morton , the only stockbroker in the Georgia General Assembly at the time, was principal sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives. Georgia's penny stock law was subsequently challenged in court. However, the law was eventually upheld in U.S. District Court , and the statute became the template for laws enacted in other states. Shortly thereafter, both FINRA and

5175-515: Was added in the second half of the season, which allowed viewers to see how much time a contender had left to complete an event. The hooded figures that officiated the games were replaced by veteran NFL referee Bob McElwee (No. 95). Starting in Season 2, former Pacific-10 football referee Larry Thompson became the referee. In case of ruling explanations, a host would interview the referee for an explanation. The first two seasons were recorded on

5250-403: Was adjusted to resemble the one used on Gladiators , the British adaptation of the series that had premiered in 1992. Each contender was now competing to not only win their match, but to also be one of the four contenders after all of the matches had been conducted with the highest score. Winning a match earned a contender $ 2,500. The four highest scoring winners advanced to the semifinals, where

5325-437: Was awarded for winning the half-season finals. Runners-up in these finals were guaranteed $ 5,000. Contenders that lost in the semi-final rounds were guaranteed $ 2,500 for advancing that far. Grand Champions received $ 15,000 more, while the runners up won $ 10,000 more. In the first two seasons a new 1990 or 1991 Chevrolet automobile of the Grand Champion's choice, worth up to $ 20,000 (vehicle selections included GM vehicles such as

5400-439: Was joined by John Fashanu in season one and Ulrika Jonsson and Kimberley Joseph in season two. A referee wearing an executioner costume appeared during the first half of the first season (portrayed by former football player Jeff Benson). Then-NFL referee Bob McElwee became the referee for the second half of season one. Larry Thompson (a former Pacific-10 Football referee) took over for season two in 1990 and remained until

5475-421: Was no announcer after that, although Adamle introduced the Gladiators in the final season. The show was a popular success, but critically panned. American Gladiators was broadcast in the UK by ITV as part of their Night Time slot starting on September 1, 1990. In 1992, ITV debuted their own version called Gladiators and in doing so became the first country to adapt American Gladiators . In Japan,

5550-401: Was recorded in five weeks from June to July 1990. During the first half of season one, the intention was to reward the winners by promoting them to the role of American Gladiators, but that reward was never implemented and was abandoned after the first half of the first season. The show awarded cash prizes depending on how far the contenders advanced. For the first five seasons, $ 10,000 cash

5625-547: Was signed with Range Sports , in plans to potentially remake the show. The decision was accelerated by the success of the BBC ’s reboot of the British version in 2024, that has already been confirmed for a second season. A casting call for the remake surfaced on May 4, 2024. A month later, Deadline reported that Amazon Prime Video had ordered the remake. American Gladiators featured four competitors, two men and two women, in most episodes. The players, referred to throughout

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