American Gladiators (The Original Series) DVD

I was a huge American Gladiators fan in middle school.  My brother and I wanted to get on that show so badly but, by the time I was old enough to audition, the show had been canceled.  If you watched the series, you probably had your favorite gladiators and events. 

Despite the fact that he seemed about as intelligent as a piece of cardboard, I loved Malibu while I absolutely loathed Nitro.  Malibu just seemed so fun-loving and easy-going whereas Nitro came off as self-absorbed (to me, at least). 

One event that I couldn’t stand was Powerball.  So many contestants got injured during that game and I just didn’t see why they kept it around (even in the new series).  Yes, it’s challenging and maybe even a little fun but it’s not worth blowing your knee out (which was the most common injury, if I remember correctly).  I loved Joust and Assault as well as the many incarnations of The Eliminator. 

The American Gladiators: The Battle Begins three-disc DVD set covers season one and includes the mid-season wrap up and the 13 episodes leading up to the finals.  If you were a big fan of Atlasphere (like I was), you will be disappointed by the fact that it didn’t come around until the later years.  The events included in this season were Joust, Assault, Powerball, Human Cannonball, Breakthrough and Conquer and the Eliminator.  This is a must-have for fans of the show!

image: Amazon