Gladiators (2024 Australian TV series)
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment, Television |
| Founded | January 15, 2024 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Beau Ryan (Presenter), Liz Ellis (Presenter), Mark McGaw (Referee), John C. Ferraro (Executive producer), Barry Poznick (Executive producer) |
| Products | Television game show |
| Parent | Network 10 |
Gladiators—also referred to as Gladiators Australia—is an Australian television program that made its debut on 15 January 2024 via Network 10. The series is presented by Beau Ryan and Liz Ellis, drawing inspiration from previous Australian adaptations of the American franchise. The original iteration aired between 1995 and 1996, followed by a short-lived comeback in 2008.
The role of referee is filled by former Australian Gladiator and rugby league athlete Mark McGaw, known by his nickname "Hammer". Casting for the contenders commenced in August 2023, with the announcement of the twelve "Gladiators" occurring on 26 September 2023. In May 2024, Gladiators was officially discontinued after just one season, attributed to insufficient viewer interest.
Production
Following the second British revival, speculation arose about bringing back the Australian version of Gladiators. Contender auditions were publicized in August, with the series scheduled to broadcast on Network 10 in early 2024. Distribution responsibilities are managed by Amazon MGM Studios Distribution, while executive producers include John C. Ferraro and Barry Poznick. Filming took place at Disney Studios Australia located in Sydney.
Initially planned for a 7 January 2024 premiere during the summer non-ratings window, the release date was pushed back by one week to 15 January 2024 to attract a larger audience.
Marketing
Targeting family viewers through a blend of comedic sports entertainment and stylized "cartoon-like violence," the show’s sponsors comprise companies such as QSR International alongside automotive home delivery services, incorporating "back-to-school" themed promotional campaigns. The first official teaser trailer debuted on 6 November 2023, highlighting eight Gladiators: female competitors Arrow, Chaos, Comet, Halo, and male contenders Cyclone, Phoenix, Spartan, and Viking.
Format
The program features a roster of permanent "Gladiators" competing against "Contenders" across physical and mental contests. Each episode includes two male and two female contenders participating in four gender-specific events designed to accumulate points against the Gladiators. Victors then proceed to "The Eliminator," an obstacle course where points earned translate into time advantages. Episode winners advance toward Finals with the goal of becoming overall champions.
Champions from the series had the opportunity to join as Gladiators in subsequent seasons; however, no continuation beyond the initial season is planned.
Events
Contenders challenge Gladiators in activities that assess attributes such as speed, strength, endurance, agility, and power. The show revives classic events while introducing new competitions. Each episode features four randomly selected challenges culminating in The Eliminator obstacle course.
During the first season:
- Heats: Events included Duel, Powerball, Pyramid, and The Wall on a rotational basis.
- Quarter-Finals: New events Tilt and Hang Tough were added.
- Semi-Finals: Whiplash and The Edge made their debut.
The Edge
This newly introduced event involves contenders competing against a Gladiator atop a criss-cross platform suspended five metres above the arena floor. Points are awarded to contenders who successfully reach the opposite side without being dislodged. This format is adapted from the British version of Gladiators.
The Eliminator
The concluding obstacle course features a sequence of nine distinct challenges:
- Over-under bars
- Balance beams
- 6-meter rope ascent
- Hand ladders
- Pyramid climb, both ascending and descending
- Cargo net climb
- Fire pole descent
- Travelator
- Foam brick wall
Gladiators
On 26 September 2023, twelve athletes from Australia and New Zealand were introduced as Gladiators. In November 2023, the light heavyweight MMA competitor Tyson Pedro joined the roster as "Dragon," followed by the introduction of Bertrand Venail, known as "Black Ops," during the series, increasing the total number of Gladiators to fourteen.
The overall champions of the season, Kalani Lenehan and Taylah Bisshopp, were awarded the title of Gladiator.
| Alias | Name | Series | Age | Stats | State/Territory | Biography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrow | Harriet Roberts | 1 | 31 | 170 centimetres (5 ft 7 in) 74 kilograms (163 lb) |
QLD | Gymnastics coach and CrossFit Games competitor |
| Chaos | Jaymi-Lee Morris | 1 | 30 | 164 centimetres (5 ft 5 in) 82 kilograms (181 lb) |
NSW | Powerlifter and bodybuilder |
| Comet | Tatyanna Pogonza-Dumas | 1 | 24 | 170 centimetres (5 ft 7 in) 65 kilograms (143 lb) |
NSW | Two-time Ninja Warrior participant, sports model, basketball player |
| Elektra | Alethea Boon | 1 | 39 | 161 centimetres (5 ft 3 in) 64 kilograms (141 lb) |
NSW | Commonwealth Games athlete and CrossFit Games competitor |
| Halo | Chanique Greyling | 1 | 30 | 179 centimetres (5 ft 10 in) 68 kilograms (150 lb) |
NSW | Mixed martial artist, model, Hollywood stuntwoman |
| Raven | Katelin van Zyl | 1 | 31 | 173 centimetres (5 ft 8 in) 67 kilograms (148 lb) |
QLD | Former Australian field hockey player and CrossFit athlete |
| Alias | Name | Series | Age | Stats | State/Territory | Biography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Ops | Bertrand Venail | 1 | 36 | N/A | NSW | Ex-football player and F45 trainer |
| Cobra | Damien Rider | 1 | 48 | 190 centimetres (6 ft 3 in) 95 kilograms (209 lb) |
SA | Athlete, TED speaker, extreme adventurer |
| Cyclone | Blessings Chilufya | 1 | 22 | 191 centimetres (6 ft 3 in) 104 kilograms (229 lb) |
QLD | Fitness coach |
| Dragon | Tyson Pedro | 1 | 31 | 188 centimetres (6 ft 2 in) 99 kilograms (218 lb) |
NSW | Mixed martial artist in UFC |
| Maximus | Kwame Duah | 1 | 30 | 178 centimetres (5 ft 10 in) 108 kilograms (238 lb) |
SA | Influencer and bodybuilder |
| Phoenix | Sandor Earl | 1 | 33 | 192 centimetres (6 ft 4 in) 105 kilograms (231 lb) |
NSW | Former New Zealand NRL player |
| Spartan | Khan Porter | 1 | 33 | 182 centimetres (6 ft 0 in) 92 kilograms (203 lb) |
NSW | CrossFit Games competitor |
Viking
Jett Kenny 1 30 Template:Convert 188 cm ftin |
Episodes
- Notes
Episode overview
During the concluding eliminator stage, each point earned grants the victorious competitor a 0.5-second advantage at the start.
Heat 1
- Female
| Event !Ana !Makedonka !Gladiators |
|---|
- Male
| Event !Jonny !Ben/Kurt !Gladiators |
|---|
- The Eliminator
- Victors: Makedonka and Jonny
Heat 2
- Female
| Event !Taylah !Caitlin !Gladiators |
|---|
- Male
| Event !Chris !Alex !Gladiators |
|---|
- The Eliminator
- Victors: Taylah and Chris
Heat 3
- Female
| Event | Tee | Yani | Gladiators |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wall | 10 | 5 | Halo & Elektra |
| Duel | 5 | 0 | Chaos |
| Powerball | 5 | 4 | Arrow, Elektra, Halo |
| Pyramid | 10 | 0 | Arrow & Chaos |
| Overall points | 30 | 9 |
- Male
| Event | Zak/Danny | Chris | Gladiators |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wall | 10 | 5 | Spartan & Black Ops |
| Duel | 0 | 0 | Phoenix |
| Powerball | 5 | 4 | Cobra, Phoenix, Spartan |
| Pyramid | 5 | 0 | Cobra & Spartan |
| Overall points | 20 | 9 |
- The Eliminator
- Victors: Tee and Danny
Heat 4
- Female
| Event | Julia | Emilia/Bec | Gladiators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powerball | 2 | 2 | Chaos, Arrow, Comet |
| Duel | 10 | 5 | Chaos |
| Pyramid | 0 | 10 | Arrow & Halo |
| 'The Wall' | '0' | '0' | 'Elektra & Comet' |
| Overall points | 12 | 17 |
- Male
| Event | Leo/Daine | Dan | Gladiators |
|---|---|---|---|
| 'Powerball' | '4' | '3' | 'Viking, Phoenix, Cyclone' |
| 'Duel' | '5' | '0' | 'Spartan' |
| 'Pyramid' | '10' | '0' | 'Cobra & Cyclone' |
| 'The Wall' | '0' | '10' | 'Viking & Spartan' |
| Overall points | 19 | 13 |
- The Eliminator
- Victors: Julia and Daine
Heat 5
- Female
| Event | Sam | Rachelle | Gladiators |
|---|---|---|---|
| 'Duel' | '0' | '0' | 'Raven' |
| 'Powerball' | '2' | '0' | (Comet, Arrow, Chaos) |
| 'The Wall' | '5' | '10' | 'Raven & Elektra' |
| Overall points | 7 | 10 |
- Male
| -Event | -Kalani | -Torey | -Gladiators |
|---|---|---|---|
| 'Duel' | '0' | '0' | 'Maximus' |
| 'Powerball' | '3' | '7' | 'Spartan, Phoenix, Maximus' |
| 'Pyramid' | '5' | '0' | 'Cyclone & Phoenix' |
| 'The Wall' | '10' | '0' | 'Cobra & Black Ops' |
| 'Overall points' | '18' | '7' |
- The Eliminator
- Victors: Sam and Kalani
Heat 6
- Female
| Event | Michelle | Janice | Gladiators |
|---|---|---|---|
| 'The Wall' | '10' | '0' | (Comet & Elektra) |
| 'Duel' | '0' | '0' | (Halo) |
| 'Powerball' | '3' | '1' | (Arrow, Raven, Chaos) |
| 'Pyramid' | '0' | '0' | (Comet & Raven) |
| 'Overall points' | '13' | '1' |
- Male
| -Event | -Jason | -Sohrab | -Gladiators |
|---|---|---|---|
| 'The Wall' | '10' | '0' | (Black Ops & Cobra) |
| 'Duel' | '10' | '0' | (Phoenix) |
| 'Powerball' | '3' | '2' | (Phoenix, Spartan, Maximus) |
| 'Pyramid' | '5' | '5' | (Cyclone & Cobra) |
| 'Overall points' | '28' | '7' |
- The Eliminator
- Victors: Janice and Jason
Quarter Final 1
- Female
| Events | Tee | Julia | Gladiators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pyramid | 10 | 0 | (Arrow & Comet) |
| Tilt | 5 | 0 | (Elektra & Chaos) |
| Hang Tough | 0 | 5 | (Raven & Halo) |
| The Wall | 10 | 5 | (Raven & Elektra) |
| Total scores | 25 | 10 |
- Male
| Events | Jason | Chris | Gladiators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pyramid | 0 | 0 | (Dragon & Cyclone) |
| Tilt | 5 | 0 | (Phoenix & Maximus) |
| Hang Tough | 5 | 5 | (Dragon & Spartan) |
| The Wall | 10 | 5 | (Phoenix & Cobra) |
| Total scores | 20 | 10 |
- The Eliminator
- Victors: Tee and Chris
Quarter Final 2
- Female
| Events | Makedonka | Janice | Gladiators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hang Tough | 5 | 0 | (Comet & Halo) |
| Tilt | 0 | 0 | (Elektra & Arrow) |
| Pyramid | 10 | 0 | (Raven & Chaos) |
| The Wall | 0 | 10 | (Comet & Arrow) |
| Total scores | 15 | 10 |
- Male
| Events!
Jonny! Kalani! Gladiators! |
|---|
|
}
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cite error: <ref> tags exist for a group named "lower-alpha", but no corresponding <references group="lower-alpha"/> tag was found
- Articles with short description
- Gladiators (franchise)
- 2024 Australian television series debuts
- 2024 Australian television series endings
- 2020s Australian reality television series
- 2020s Australian game shows
- Network 10 original programming
- Television shows set in New South Wales
- Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
- Australian television series reboots
- Australian television series revived after cancellation
- Australian television series based on American television series
- Australian English-language television shows
- Pages with reference errors