American Gladiators announced a new cast member today -- "The Beast." He'll be there for the semi-finals. The final 12 contenders will have to deal with this "monster" (that's the term from the press release) to get to the ultimate prize.
Those of you who have watched the show know it's really the reverse treadmill thingie that poses the biggest obstacle between any contender and his/her victory. But The Beast should terrify a few of the hopefuls. He stands at seven-feet-tall and weighs 318 lbs. From the picture, you can see that 200 of those pounds are in his neck.
At least that's the somewhat sarcastic conclusion I'm jumping to. As I started watching the east coast feed, an email bounced into the TV Squad inbox from reader 'Jay.' He noted that when he tried to record The Middleman on his PC, he was greeted with an error message. I had to wait three hours for the regular airing on the left coast, but I dusted off an old Media Center PC and got that very same error, as you see in the picture. I like to think that Wendy is showing her shock and outrage at the snafu in that shot. But wait, there's more ... after the jump.
Out of the five nominees, AG not only got the most votes from the TV Squad staff but also our readers (getting about 50 votes more than Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?).
The show may not require a lot of brain power, but it is so physically demanding that some competitors leave the arena seriously injured.
Each week, four competitors (two women and two men) test their physical and mental strength, endurance and confidence in a series of wacky and challenging events such as the Joust, the Wall, Hang Tough and The Eliminator.
Last week, you had a chance to nominate shows for The Jeopardy Award. This award rewards the primetime game show requiring the most skill. Because of the fact that we are only looking for shows that air in primetime, a lot of game shows requiring skills are out of the running. So is the case for Cash Cab, which received a lot of nominations, Crosswords and Jeopardy.
After the jump you will find the nominees, listed in alphabetical order, for The Jeopardy Award, along with a poll for the Reader's Choice Award. Both winners will be announced next week.
The Incredible Hulk feature film, directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth and William Hurt, hits theaters four days later on June 13.
The Gladiators episode will feature guest star Lou Ferrigno (who played the green guy on the 1970s TV series) sharing the spotlight with host Hulk Hogan.
On Friday I attended the All-American Summer Press Event held by NBC Universal. The event was held at the Langham Hotel (formerly the Ritz-Carlton) in Pasadena, CA. It included the casts and producers of the following shows: American Gladiators, Nashville Star,Shear Genius, and Last Comic Standing. NBC also held panels for two new shows: Celebrity Circus and Baby Borrowers.
Find out what Wolf said and what's in store for next season on NBC and Bravo after the jump...
Hear that sound -- a nearly inaudible rumbling coming over the horizon? Everyday it is getting louder and louder. Soon, the stampede that is the return of scripted series back from the depths of the WGA strike will overrun our televisions and computer screens, bringing overwhelming joy to our lives.
Okay, that statement may be a little flowery, but the sentiment is still there. After a very long dry period a good many of our favorite comedies and dramas are returning to the television landscape. We've had a taste of it these last few weeks with the return of shows like The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Dirt, The Richesand Smallville. That was just a preview of what is to come. Over the next few weeks we will see the return of The Office, Scrubs, Ugly Betty, all of the CSIs, Battlestar Galactica, and Lost, among others.
Gallery: 2007-08 Season: After-strike series returns
Last night was the grand finale of NBC's remake of American Gladiators. Hosted by former WWE Champion Hulk Hogan and professional boxer turned Dancing with the Stars contestant Laila Ali, contenders faced off gladiators in events such as Joust, Power Ball, Pyramid, Hang Tough, etc.
The finale crowned a female and a male champion who each won $100,000, a car, and a position as one of the gladiators in the series' second season.
The last thing NBC needs right now is a scandal involving its pumped-up American Gladiators. The show premiered with decent ratings two weeks ago and, quite frankly, it's one of the few things NBC has going for it right now.
The network has been testing all twelve of its pumped-up Gladiators for steroids, according to Broadcasting & Cable (via AOL). The mag says all the performers were tested for steroids during their initial physicals and their contracts state that the network can re-test them at any time.
When I watched the season premiere, it didn't occur to me that these guys could be on steroids. I think they look pretty fit but not ridiculously huge or "juiced". That Wolf character... now he sure seems to be on something.
That didn't take long. Apparently, the absence of new Two and a Half Men episodes lead to the American Gladiator premiere getting the highest ratings of any new show this season, and an average of 12 million viewers sampling the first two episodes. All of this is enough for "starving-for-a-hit" NBC to sign up the competition show for another season. If the solid ratings continue, I'd look for NBC to go all Who Wants to be a Millionaire? with it and put it on every night of the week, sandwiched around new episodes of Deal or No Deal.
No word yet on when the new season will begin (this debut season is a short one wrapping next month) or how many episodes have been ordered, but this means it's not too late for me to try out to be on the show. Or better yet, if I start working out now, maybe I can be the thirteenth Gladiator. My Gladiator name will be Pudge, and luckily the giant cotton swab is already my weapon of choice in melee combat.
I am not ashamed to say that I was a fan of the original American Gladiators back in its heyday of the late 80's and early 90's. So, I'm pretty excited that NBC is airing a new version of the program shortly after the new year begins. Granted, that excitement may fade very quickly if the producers of the show decide to muck it up royally to fit into the genre that is 21st century reality television. I mean, if they make it more like WWE than an actual competition between professional athletes and regular people, then I'll be turning the show off very quickly.
Having said all of that, it will also be up to the contestants to determine if the show will be a success or just another filler show being aired until the Writers' Strike is over in 2012. Matt over at the site AmericanGladiatorsBlog lists all of the 24 contenders that will go up against Crush, Fury, Justice, Larry and Curly.
It was NBC's turn today to announce what its winter schedule would look like. The press release states that "NBC's first-quarter primetime schedule is slated to deliver significantly more hours of original programming than was ever the case in the first quarter of 2007." Besides the expected crop of reality and game shows, NBC's winter schedule will be filled with new episodes of series like ER, Friday Night Lights, Las Vegas, Medium, Scrubs and all three versions of Law & Order. Also added to the lineup will be Lipstick Jungle, a new dramedy starring Lindsay Price, Kim Raver and Brooke Shields.
NBC unveiled its schedule for the new year and, with scripted episodes becoming scarce, it is predictably heavier on the reality side. Joining existing shows Deal or No Deal and The Singing Bee are the returning 1 vs. 100, The Biggest Loser and The Apprentice. Returning after almost fifteen years, wrestling legend Hulk Hogan hosts American Gladiators. In it, eight "gladiators" face competition from everyday joes like you and me in a variety of physical challenges. Of course, when I say "like you and me" I mean you. Me they'd snap in half but I got a good feeling about you. I think you can take 'em. Now get in there, tiger!
If you are like me, you watched countless hours of NBC's American Gladiatorsbetween 1989 and 1997. Each week, athletic contestants faced off against body builders in games such as The Assault, Joust, The Wall, Breakthrough and Conquer, Hang Tough, and Powerball. Come midseason, NBC will bring the show back to primetime.
American Gladiators announced a new cast member today -- "The Beast." He'll be there for the semi-finals. The final 12 contenders will have to deal with this "monster" (that's the term from the press release) to get to the ultimate prize. 
And the winner for 
Last week, you had a chance to nominate shows for 
Some serious cross-promotion will take place on the June 9 episode of 
On Friday I attended the All-American Summer Press Event held by NBC Universal. The event was held at the Langham Hotel (formerly the Ritz-Carlton) in Pasadena, CA. It included the casts and producers of the following shows: 
Hear that sound -- a nearly inaudible rumbling coming over the horizon? Everyday it is getting louder and louder. Soon, the stampede that is the return of scripted series back from the depths of the WGA strike will overrun our televisions and computer screens, bringing overwhelming joy to our lives.
Last night was the grand finale of NBC's remake of 
That didn't take long. Apparently, the absence of new Two and a Half Men episodes lead to the American Gladiator premiere getting the highest ratings of any new show this season, and an average of 12 million viewers sampling the first two episodes. All of this is enough for "starving-for-a-hit" NBC to 
It was NBC's turn today to announce what its 
NBC unveiled its schedule for the new year and, with scripted episodes becoming scarce, it is predictably heavier on the reality side. Joining existing shows Deal or No Deal and The Singing Bee are the returning 1 vs. 100, The Biggest Loser and The Apprentice. Returning after almost fifteen years, wrestling legend Hulk Hogan hosts American Gladiators. In it, eight "gladiators" face competition from everyday joes like you and me in a variety of physical challenges. Of course, when I say "like you and me" I mean you. Me they'd snap in half but I got a good feeling about you. I think you can take 'em. Now get in there, tiger!
If you are like me, you watched countless hours of NBC's 
Doctor Who panel - Comic-Con Report
NBC's Kings panel - Comic-Con Report
The Dharma Initiative wants you - VIDEO - Comic-Con Report
