[robotic voice] robots activate!
[applauding]
Hey, everyone, and welcome to the final countdown,
Leave it all on the table, tournament selection episode of battlebots.
[cheering and applauding]
I'm chris rose, joined as always by ufc legend
And the best damned robot combat analyst in the entire world,
Say hello to kenny florian.
[cheering and applauding]
[kenny] thanks, chris. Tonight is do or die,
Because the final spots in this year's tournament are on the line.
These teams have to leave it all on the box,
Or they may walk out of the arena with a difficult seeding,
Or worse, their battlebots dreams in the rear-view mirror.
[chris] that's right, our machine-melting, bot-busting season
Has all been building up to this.
It's the final qualifying fight card,
And at the end of the night, we will show you the tournament bracket
And announce who's in and who's out
Of the 2021 battlebots world championship.
The historic single-elimination competition is where legends are made,
As the world's top teams go head to head
For a chance to hoist the most geometrically correct trophy in all of sports,
The giant nut.
[cheering and applauding]
[chris] now, there are only 32 spots available,
And so far, 25 teams are sporting records with at least two wins.
You have to imagine we'll see them in the tournament,
Which means there are precious few spots left up for grabs.
[kenny] now, bots that ended their season at one and two,
Like last year's top seed, hydra,
Aren't necessarily out, but they are certainly on the tournament bubble.
[chris] and that brings us to tonight's fight card.
These seven matchups
Will help determine the final spots in this year's bracket.
[kenny] that's right, chris.
Of the 14 bots fighting tonight, ten are 1-1.
For those teams, that means it's win and you're in.
[chris] we'll get into each matchup as the night goes on,
But we have a high-stakes brawl on deck to kick things off.
Justin marple, and the viciously violent bloodsport,
Will try to hunt down and destroy
The fastest robot in the field, claw viper.
The winner secures their spot in the round of 32.
You guys ready?
[cheering and applauding]
Faruq, take it away!
[cheering and applauding]
[faruq] ladies and gentlemen,
Are you ready? It's robot-fighting time!
[cheering and applauding]
[faruq] in the red square,
When his bar crushes you, you'll land with a thud.
You'll be dead, but he may be positive we can donate your blood.
Who does he wanna face?
Don't even sweat it, his blood type's o negative,
Which means anybody can get it.
Give it up for bloodsport!
[cheering and applauding]
[chris] here's justin marple and bloodsport
Looking to punch their way into the tournament with a big win tonight.
You like the blade choice for this one, kenny?
[kenny] I do. At 48 inches, this is bloodsport's longest bar,
And it's designed to carve out chunks of an opponent's armor.
The extra reach should come in handy tonight, though,
Because for claw viper to attack, they need to get close to bloodsport.
So, justin marple just needs to get spun up before that happens.
[fans chanting]
[faruq] in the blue square,
Let's get to the next fight. I know you all wanna.
This bot's from seattle, the home of nirvana.
Come as you are, and he'll kick your behind.
When it's your turn to face him, you'll say, "never mind."
When the lights go on, he's more dangerous.
It's claw viper!
[cheering and applauding]
[chris] team claw viper.
Captain kevin milczewski on the right there, with the goatee.
Knocked out the rookie, pardon my french, and got ko'd by black dragon.
How do they matchup with bloodsport, kenny?
[kenny] well, they need a win to get in the round of 32,
And this matchup is made for claw viper.
They're one of the few bots quick enough
To actually track down and control bloodsport.
However, claw viper's arms are made from uhmw plastic,
So, if bloodsport's able to spin up,
We're looking at a warm knife-through-butter situation here.
Tonight's match we're gonna use a traditional, uh, just two wedgelets in the front.
We did play around with some forks,
But we think it might just be... It might not allow us to self-right.
We've never really fought anyone like this before
So, it's gonna be an interesting challenge.
They are a really fast-grabbing robot.
It's gonna be a challenging, uh, driving match.
We think we're gonna beat bloodsport, because our armor is shock mounted to the robot.
It's not direct-attached.
We're gonna have to take a hit from him, to stop his blade,
But it's not directly connected to our electronics or motors.
There's things that can give, flex, and keep it from breaking our robot.
So, we can come back for another hit and suplex him just like everybody else.
[robotic voice] robots activate!
[chris] and you can see claw vipers' minibot, hatchling there.
Kenny, they think it could be a real factor tonight, huh?
[kenny] yeah, it's lower than bloodsport's blade and heavily magnetized.
So, they think they can actually use it to get under their opponent,
And set up claw viper for a grab and suplex.
Big dreams for a little bot.
Make sure you've got the right directions set.
[audience cheering]
[robotic voice] blue team ready?
[fans cheering]
[crowd chanting] fight! Fight! Fight!
[chris] bloodsport.
Claw viper.
A ticket to the world championship tournament is on the line.
[crowd chanting] fight! Fight! Fight!
[chris] let the bot battle begin!
Both bots circling around.
Whoa! The minibot hatchling gets slapped into the screws.
[crowd yelling]
It's chopped and claw back just lost an arm.
Garbage grappling system, I believe, kenny.
[kenny] that's his kick, chris.
[chris] oh, gosh! This movie may no longer be suitable
For children under the age of 13.
[kenny] yeah, that grabber is gone.
Not a good way to start here.
Claw viper reduced to being a push bot here.
Still has those front forks.
[chris] that is bad, bad news.
That means he's gotta stay at bloodsport,
Before bloodsport fires up that weapon to full capacity.
-But that's already happened. -[crashing]
Boom! More of it just hit one of the lights.
-It's on the bar. Oh, gosh! -[crashing]
[kenny] oh, my goodness.
He is chopping claw viper to bits, piece by piece.
[crashing]
[crowd gasping]
[chris] huge head-on collision, but great wedgework by claw viper.
[kenny] you know claw viper is very fast, but bloodsport isn't slow, man.
Its arm's going around pretty quickly as well.
-[chris] but here comes claw viper... -[crashing]
Pushing bloodsport, driving it into the corner,
Saying, "I don't need that stinking lifter to mix it up with you, pal."
Great bit of control there.
[crowd gasping]
Wow! What a great job by claw viper,
Almost knocking bloodsport out of the arena.
[kenny] kevin staying very aggressive with that wedge.
Trying to take out that primary weapon of bloodsport.
[chris] and kenny, even though that grappler is gone,
Claw viper's speed has become a weapon.
[kenny] yeah, no question about it. And chris, it looks to me
Like kevin is purposely giving bloodsport space to spin up now.
Maybe looking to try and break that weapon
By upending the bot at full speed.
[chris] closing in on the one-minute mark.
[kenny] that top bomber now on claw viper is being chewed away.
You can see the electronics exposed there.
[chris] but look at this.
Claw viper right on top of bloodsport, trying to take him for a ride.
Does so into the screws.
[kenny] claw viper staying aggressive and showing some insane durability.
[chris] can claw viper overcome the loss of its primary weapon?
Always a major contributing factor on the judges' scorecards,
And remember, a spot in this year's tournament is on the line.
Come on! Give me more!
[kenny laughs]
[chris] thirty seconds to go.
Another big shot from claw viper.
Bloodsport has taken out claw viper's lifter, its minibot,
And peeled back that top armor
And its spinner is still cranking, kenny florian.
[kenny] yeah, claw viper doing everything it can to try and break that weapon,
But no luck so far.
[chris] there's ten seconds to go in this.
So, the bots will go the distance.
Absolutely impressive performance by both robots.
[buzzer rings]
With so much on the line.
[audience cheering]
Oh! All right. So, now we turn things over to the judges.
All three are former battlebots participants.
You got derek young, jason bardis and lisa winter.
That was nuts!
[chris] kenny, this fight did not disappoint.
[kenny] no. Both drivers really went for it here.
That horizontal spinning blade from bloodsport... Ah!
[mimicking royalty] off with his head.
[kenny] you know they say to kill a snake you gotta cut off the head?
That's not true, apparently.
[chris] not in battlebots it's not.
[kenny] my goodness, the durability of claw viper was something to watch here.
That shock-mounted armor really paid off.
Claw viper able to take a ton of punishment from bloodsport.
[chris] even without its primary weapon,
Claw viper used its speed to keep the pressure on.
It nearly knocked bloodsport over the rails and out of the arena.
Somehow, bloodsport righted itself and was actually ready for more.
[kenny] yeah, both bots so aggressive in this one,
But this really was a nightmare matchup for bloodsport.
Claw viper dictated the action for long stretches,
But when you consider the loss of that primary weapon,
Bloodsport is probably going to win the damage category.
Will that be enough to put them over the top?
[chris] let's find out. Here's faruq.
The results from the judges are in.
[audience cheering]
The winner by unanimous decision is...
Bloodsport!
[audience applauding]
[cheering]
All right, justin, you can exhale.
Were you sweatin' it out?
Oh, yeah. What a match!
They just kept going. I was giving them hit after hit, after hit.
And, like, I saw batteries visible in the bot, like, as I was driving around.
And it was still going. It was unbelievable.
Justin, a season ago, you kind of shocked the battlebots world.
Unbeaten regular season number two overall seed,
So everybody was gunning for you come the round of 32.
Now you'll go in probably somewhere middle of the pack.
Do you think you can shock the world?
I think so. We're going for the nut.
[audience cheers]
Sounds good enough for me.
Justin marple, congratulations to you and team bloodsport.
Thank you.
[audience applauds and chants]
[chris] so, team bloodsport punches its ticket to the round of 32.
They may not get a top-ten seed,
But this is not a squad you wanna face in the tournament.
And for claw viper, we'll see if they can sneak in at one or two,
But either way, a much-improved season for kevin milczewski.
The slicing and dicing is just getting started, folks.
Get your popcorn ready because up next,
The craziest character in the entire sport,
Martin mason and his bot madcatter
Take on the knox family and rampage.
Don't go anywhere!
[audience cheering]
[chris] back on battlebots,
And kenny, it's been a while since we've seen madcatter,
Engineered by the crazy man, his words, not mine.
Martin mason and his college students,
They are one and one with a big win over yeti, and a tough loss to sawblaze.
This team is a heavy favorite tonight,
But they cannot afford to mess around, kenny.
[kenny] absolutely not.
If martin wants a higher seed he needs a decisive victory here.
We always say it's not just who you beat, but how you beat them.
And after such a long break between fights,
I'm wondering if we're gonna see any rust from madcatter.
Taking on the family affair of rampage,
Captained by 16-year-old daniel knox.
He's got a bunch of siblings. His parents are here.
Now, they lost an unaired fight to retrograde earlier this year,
So, they're still looking for their first career win here
In their sophomore season.
This is your classic david versus goliath matchup, kenny.
But could we see a buster douglas take down mike tyson here?
That's the question.
[kenny] well, anything can happen in the battlebox, chris.
This would be an all-time upset,
But every once in a while, the sun shines on an underdog's behind.
Let's see if they can pull it off.
Faruq?
[audience applauding]
In the red square from pomona, california,
Pressing paws on your plans for victory, and your neck,
It's madcatter.
[cheering and applauding]
[chris] martin mason, a robotics professor
At mt. San antonio college in california.
This team, it's made up of both his current and his former students,
And, yes, martin mason loves the camera.
[kenny] martin is locked in as always, but take a look at that red-blue paw.
Under it is a uhmw lifter arm,
And they wanna use that to feed rampage into their vertical disk
And send it flying.
Do not expect the madman to go easy.
-Yeah! -[cheering]
Whoo!
[faruq] in the blue square...
This bot's captain is a gen z killer,
So he'll shut you down, and do a fortnite dance on your grave...
[crowd cheering]
It's rampage!
-[cheering] -[chris] that-a-way, my man! How do I order that skin?
-That is a great one. -[kenny] good faruq, he's got more moves than u-haul.
[chris] 16-year-old captain daniel knox
Is holding the controller there,
Lost an unaired fight earlier this season to retrograde,
So what is rampage bringing to the table here, kenny?
[kenny] well, it's a disc spinner with a super wide plow
And every inch of this bot was custom built by the family.
Do they need a miracle to win? Sure.
Is that gonna stop them from thinking they got a shot?
Of course not.
[cheering and clapping]
Let me tell you how important this is.
Right now, we're 1-1.
But it's not any 1-1!
We faced yeti, who's gone undefeated after us.
We faced sawblaze, 2-1 in there,
They lost to end game, you know what, I don't even call that a loss!
Our next opponent is rampage, and you know what?
We're gonna turn the rampage, and close the book on 'em!
Feeling pretty nervous, but there is a chance,
There's a little chance that we could pull this off,
And we're about to try and take that.
We have worked tirelessly on this thing. We've spent...
-Days in the pit... -So many hours.
So many hours putting it together.
We made it here, we did the dream of competing,
Now we want that win, that's all we need.
We wanna prove that we know what we're doing here,
And we can pull this off.
-[crowd cheering] -I gotta get over here, tommy.
[crowd chanting] fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzers sounding]
[chris] let the bot battle begin!
-[kenny] whoa! Oh! -[chris] oh, big shot by madcatter!
[chris] holy smokes! You got rampage up on the upper shelf,
Who works its way down to the field level--
[kenny] oh, this is not good, here.
[chris] oh, madcatter not messing around.
[kenny] rampage has an exit there--
-[crowd exclaims] -[kenny and chris yell]
[cheering]
[kenny and chris] whoa!
[chris] I think that might be it!
[kenny] uh...
[chris] uh, any thoughts, kenny?
-[referee] ten! Nine! -[kenny] well, that didn't last long.
-Eight! Seven! -[kenny] I guess they weren't able to get up.
-[referee] six! Five! -[chris] the countdown has started!
-Madcatter, we'll see you in the round of 32! -[referee] four! Three! Two!
-One! Knockout! -[buzzer sounds]
-[applause and cheering] -[kenny] are you kidding me?
[chris] wow.
[chris] madcatter was not messing around.
He got rampage near that upper deck and he's like,
"okay, so you're gonna get off once, but kenny, not twice!"
[kenny] yeah, he had a very clear objective here,
Two vertical disc spinners going at it.
He was gonna get him up on that upper deck, no matter what.
-[chris] yep. [laughing] -[kenny] oh, wow!
-[kenny] what a shot! -[chris] that is such an evil laugh, rose, stop it.
[chris chuckles]
-[kenny] boom! -[chris] one more look. I mean how many flips?
[chris] four, five...
[kenny] some air miles, courtesy of air madcatter.
Okay, martin. Uh...
I guess your weapon is pretty explosive, huh?
You know what? I am so proud of what we did tonight!
These guys did a big comeback from that last fight,
And you know what, I gotta throw it out to this team over here,
This is a family team, you know what,
This shows that anybody can do this,
They built that robot, they got here tonight,
And, man, big kudos to them!
-Way to go, guys! -[cheering and applause]
Martin, you needed a win,
You needed to win impressively,
You pulled through,
What do you think you could do in the top 32?
Well, I'll tell you what!
We gotta take that shelf,
And we turned it into what we call the oh no plateau, man!
-[chris chuckling] -everybody's goin' up there!
You're gonna see us just send 'em, fight after fight!
-[kenny laughing] -[chris] oh...
[applause]
Martin, congratulations to you, your students,
Your former students, we'll see you in the round of 32.
We'll see you there! Oh, yeah! Thank you!
-[martin and team cheering] -[applause]
[chris] so, madcatter did exactly what it needed to do.
We'll see where the gritty kitty gets seeded at the end of the night.
But up next, it's a pair of 1-1 teams.
In fact, there's jonathan schultz and huge, moments ago.
They will fight switchback for a shot at the tournament,
When we return, on battlebots!
[cheering and applause]
Back on battlebots, that's kenny florian, I am chris rose,
Up next, it's 1-1 huge against 1-1 rookie bot switchback,
So lots on the line for both of these robots.
More so, though, for the veteran jonathan schultz,
Who started this season by telling us,
"listen, if we don't make a good run this year,
We're gonna have to rethink, you know?
Huge has been a fan favorite, a great robot,
But maybe, we're gonna have to build something else
If it doesn't work this season."
Lost his first one out of the gate against a rookie robot,
Then came back and had what he called
His best performance ever with huge.
That's right. You know, listen,
It's been going back to last season,
Where he was extremely frustrated.
You know, he brought a lot of new technology to huge,
It didn't go very well, so he's been waiting
For something to happen like what happened in his last fight.
He looked phenomenal, it was very powerful, he was hitting hard,
And he's ready to rock.
What do we make so far of greg needel, and his rookie bot switchback?
[kenny] well, we saw them opening night,
Where they took a loss to gruff,
The won their second match in an unaired fight against slammo,
This is a promising rookie bot with a unique design,
But this is gonna be a big test against huge, here.
-Smart group, though, those people. -Absolutely.
No question about it.
Lots on the line, like a 2-1 record,
Faruq, take it away!
[cheering and applause]
[faruq] in the red square...
From south windsor, connecticut,
A bot so big, part of it stretches into vermont!
-[laughing and cheering] -it's huge!
[chris] well, huge is not gonna sneak up on anybody, not with that look!
-[crowd] huge! -You love those tires too, don't ya?
[kenny] I do! Those tegris wheels are so cool,
And with the reach of switchback's weapon,
It might have been able to tear up the uhfw wheels
Huge normally uses.
Tegris is a much harder material, of course,
Jonathan schultz taking no chances,
With a tournament berth on the line.
[cheering and applause]
In the blue square, from dallas, texas,
You don't mess with texas,
Or switchback!
[cheering and applause]
[chris] there they are! 1-1 switchback,
One of the most unique designs we've seen this year, kenny!
[kenny] absolutely. And again, that arm can move almost 180 degrees,
Now, they can fit a maximum of 12
Of those black teeth plates on the weapon,
Going with only eight here,
Maybe giving huge fewer targets to hit,
Either way though, to win this fight,
They will have to survive
Multiple weapon-to-weapon shots with huge.
Let's see what you got, greg.
[cheering]
[crowd chanting] switchback! Switchback!
They can reach things and hit them,
But they still need to get past our blade, first.
There is a lot of energy that they need to either take,
Or dissipate, or damage,
Before they can get to our more fragile areas.
My hope is, if we can get them flipped over and on the back foot,
We can either damage the arm and keep them from self-righting,
Or we can damage the body as they go.
But it's really gonna be a reactive fight.
Giving the ability to move that drum around,
You know, we definitely can hit huge's underbelly,
Which is something not many people can do.
So what we're trying to do is,
We're playing some games with moving some armor around,
Uh, getting ready, we know we're gonna have to take at least a couple of hits.
All the weapons, uh, motors, batteries, motor controllers,
Are actually inside the arm itself, that drive our drum.
If we catch one of their blades underneath,
They might pierce through some of our added armor,
Which, we might lose our drum in this fight.
We're gonna try to avoid that hit, but
It's a concern, for sure.
[crowd cheering]
[robotic voice] robots activate!
[cheering and applause]
[chris] for more on this fight, let's bring in our bot whisperer, pete,
What are you keeping your eye on tonight?
Well, chris, the reason why they went with the less number of discs,
Is they didn't want to get tipped over super easy, when he gets hit.
Then, they're gonna be going against huge,
Who's now also given them a chin.
If you look underneath the eyes,
There is some uhfw pieces meant to absorb the impacts.
[chris] very good knowledge, as always, mr. Bot whisperer.
[scattered cheers]
[crowd chanting] fight! Fight! Fight!
[buzzers sounding]
[chris] let the bot battle begin!
Switchback with the box rush,
But huge slides out of harm's way.
-[kenny] uh-oh! -[chris] both bot's weapons up to full speed...
-[kenny] oh! -[chris] and huge with a pop on switchback!
[kenny] switchback having some control issues, chris!
-[chris] man, switchback's a sitting duck right now-- -[crowd] oh!
[chris] and that ain't a good thing! Can it self-right?
It can!
But switchback looks like it had too much fun
At the blackjack tables last night, kenny!
It is struggling to move around here!
[kenny] yeah, it's looking a little drunk out there,
Having some drive issues,
Huge taking full advantage--
[kenny and chris] whoa!
[kenny] huge running into the upper deck there, that wasn't great!
[chris] and now it's gotta get a little separation,
And protect itself, to get the long blade back spinning.
[kenny] now looks like huge is having some control issues.
[chris] in the meantime, switchback has gotta get in there and try--
[crowd gasping]
[chris] whoa! A little weapon-on-weapon!
[kenny] switchback's drum still going strong,
Looking to turn the tables here!
Getting cozy with huge!
[chris] and now just dunkin' under the blade,
Willing to take some shots!
[chris and kenny] whoa!
[kenny] jonathan schultz wanted to see their primary weapon
Fire up to full speed, and man,
Is it doing just that, it is hitting very hard,
And it hasn't really stopped.
[chris] well, how about the durability, though, of switchback!
Their weapon is still running full speed!
Their drive is having a--
-[crowd exclaims] -[chris] whoa-kay!
[chris] now that could be a problem!
[kenny] you just jinxed them, chris!
[chris] I did not!
It's not my, it's never the announcer's fault!
-[crowd cheers] -[kenny] oh, the guts are hanging out, chris!
-Look what you've done! -[chris] oh, man!
Now what's gonna-- oh, gosh!
Now the question is, are those six-pound blades
Of switchback gonna come off?
[kenny] well, switchback has no choice but to try
And break the primary weapon of huge now, chris.
-[crowd cheering] -[kenny] oh!
[chris] okay! Switchback with a nice toss of huge,
Using that articulating arm!
Greg needel, trying to hang on
And keep hope alive, here.
Switchback, still inching along,
Huge, looking to finish the job,
But can't quite get the traction here, kenny!
[kenny] part of the tread off of those
Wheels have come off of huge, and it looks like--
-[crowd exclaims] -[chris] whoa!
[kenny] huge is kinda slippin' on the battlebox floor a little bit!
[chris] kenny, I don't know if switchback has anything left!
There's still 40 seconds to go!
[kenny] oh, yeah, I mean,
-If you could throw it a towel into the battlebox... -[referee] ten! Nine!
-Eight! Seven! -[kenny] ...You probably should!
-Six! Five! -[chris] yeah, this is it!
-And huge does its celebratory dance... -[referee] four!
-Three! Two! One! -[chris] ...As it picks up its second straight victory!
Knockout!
-[team huge cheering] -[buzzer sounds]
-Yeah! Yes! -[cheering and applause]
[chris] oh, man! You gotta love the emotion from jonathan schultz!
Huge thinks it is tournament bound!
[cheering and applause continues]
[chris] kenny, huge went with the long blade,
I would say it was the right choice.
[kenny] yeah, no question about it.
They hit so hard, I mean...
That weapon just never stopped spinning.
This wasn't the case last season,
Where it really wasn't hitting that hard.
Whatever adjustments they made to that primary weapon,
They were the right ones.
[chris] and their opponent, switchback,
Had so much trouble getting around the battlebox floor.
If you are a sitting duck against huge,
Uh, you're not gonna last three minutes.
[kenny] yeah, and I'll tell you what,
Listen, switchback is very durable themselves,
-I mean, they took a beating out there. -[chris] yep.
[kenny] they hung in there.
[chris] but look at the damage to that robot,
And the shots that huge was delivering.
Oh!
[audience cheering]
[chris] jonathan schultz!
Hey, what a difference a, uh, couple of matches
Can make for the spirit of a team, right?
So something maddie's been saying all day is,
"let's have a banner day,"
And I think today was a banner day.
-[teammates chuckling] -like, this has been a good day,
Some good matches, I'm just, I couldn't be happier.
How excited are you to, uh, make it into the round of 32,
And show that huge is far from finished?
Uh, I think we've got one loss and two murders.
-[laughing] -so I really hope that that's what they need to see
To get us in, and it's a whole new ball game once we're in there.
Yeah, don't worry, the battlebots district attorney
-Is looking over the cases right now. -[laughing]
-Johnny-- -it was manslaughter!
-[laughing] -yeah, right! Congratulations, man!
-Job well done! -Thank you, thank you very much!
[cheering and applause]
[chris] well, it's fitting that switchback's season ends
At the hands of one of our most unique robots.
Great effort by greg needel and his crew,
Bringing a brand new design in their rookie season.
And for jonathan schultz and huge,
We'll find out a little bit later
Where they land in the bracket.
Coming up, it's a fan favorite
Versus an undefeated rookie.
Matt spurk and kraken will try and climb out of an 0-2 hole,
And keep their tournament hopes alive,
When they face kyle miller and glitch.
That's next on battlebots!
Wow, who's the favorite.
I assume you don't want me to pick myself,
Because, obviously, that's who's gonna win.
But...
Frankly, sawblaze is my favorite
To win the whole event.
I think mine would be sawblaze.
[kenny] oh my goodness!
I think rotator has a good shot, end game, of course...
Minotaur, and...
Uh, bloodsport.
Sawblaze is a contender, you know.
Obviously we're one of the top contenders as well.
I think it's gonna be end game.
I think the returning champion,
End game has to be the favorite.
[chris] what a hit!
However, ribbot is also looking really good right now.
Whiplash being another one to watch out for.
If hydra gets the right path
Through the tree of 32, he'll be right there.
Hydra will take the nod at final.
[commentators] uh-oh, ohhh!
[ribbot] I think it's really hard to predict,
At this point, who's gonna win the giant nut.
[chris] oh! Big shot.
[audience cheering]
[chris] and there she is, the giant nut.
Who will hoist that legendary trophy next?
Well, even though they're on the tournament bubble,
You heard a few teams predict it will be hydra.
Shows you the respect the field has for that robot.
And we're about to see the team that upset hydra
In dramatic fashion, earlier this season.
That is glitch squared off against kraken
And let's start with the rookies.
Captained by 19-year old, kyle miller.
They are 2-0 after shocking the world
With that victory over last year's number one tournament seed.
No one and I mean no one, saw that coming.
It has been an amazing run, kenny.
Yeah, no question about it.
[kenny] they showed it all in that fight,
Durability, power.
I think they're just tapping into this bot's potential, but...
That was a crazy upset.
We did see a rookie bot jackpot,
Go 3-0 during the regular season a year ago,
I think this would even be more impressive
If it happens tonight for glitch.
But first they gotta get past a veteran bot builder, kraken,
Led by matt spurk.
Granted, I know the record isn't great, they're 0-2.
But they have lost a pair of decisions
And kraken always puts up a great fight.
[kenny] yeah, I think this is one of those few teams
Who could get in the top 32
With a 1-2 record.
Kraken is one of the most durable bots here,
And when you look at their strength of schedule,
Rotator should be a top ten seed.
And at 2-1, hijinx probably makes it in too.
Kraken has to win tonight
But if they do beat this fantastic rookie team,
Maybe they squeeze in there?
You just never know, let's find out.
Maybe they squeeze in there?
Faruq.
[audience cheering]
In the red square, from titusville florida,
This swash buckling crew of pirates
Will hit you so hard,
You won't know your port from your starboard.
It's kraken!
[audience cheering]
[chris] ah, kraken also has a ton of fans.
Matt spurk and his entire family here dressed in the pirate...
Garrrrb!
Let's check out how those teeth are doing.
[kenny] well, the teeth are fine but get this,
Matt spurk has two kraken frames.
One was ripped to shreds by rotator,
The other by hijinx.
He took those beat up frames
To the lincoln electric welding guys,
And what we're seeing here is a frankenstein of the two.
He did say though, that is not going to stop him
From blitzing glitch tonight.
[audience cheering]
In the blue square,
From berkeley, california,
The monster of malware,
Who's insane in the mainframe,
It's glitch!
[audience cheering]
[kenny] it is the cinderella story of kyle miller.
19-year-old college student at the university of california
With all of his buddies.
[chris] had never fought anything heavier
Than 15-pound robots before this season.
[kenny] unbelievable.
At 2-0 with an upset of hydra under their belt,
Glitch is a lock for the tournament.
This fight is all about seeding for them.
A loss, who knows where they'll land.
But a win? They may crack the top ten.
[audience cheering]
I think we're gonna win this one.
They got a small diameter drum,
We do really well against that type of robot.
We've got the right teeth in there
That I would really want to use against that type of robot.
And kraken's really set up for just, biting down on those drums,
And stopping them and breaking them.
So as long as we're working, uh, we're winning.
They're 2-0, we're 0-2 at this point.
So we gotta try and grab a victory
To get back to, even having a shot at the play-offs.
Matt's an awesome driver
And he's really good at control.
We're a super low bot,
And that really helps, uh, him with grabbing on to us.
So I have to be super maneuverable,
Get out of the way and hit him on the sides.
I think it'll be a lot of back and forth,
I think they'll grab us a lot
And we'll get some pot shots in.
Uh, and it'll go for the full three minutes.
[robotic voice] robots activate!
[audience cheering]
[chris] kenny, we've seen how powerful glitch's drum spinner can be,
But he's also never faced a bot as tough as kraken.
Matt spurk's creation has gone the distance
In its last 13 matches.
[kenny] that is absolutely
One of the best built robots here, chris.
[chris] but kraken's season all comes down to this.
Can matt spurk get a win and sneak into the tournament?
Or will the new kids on the block
Prove they are not a one hit wonder?
We'll find out when battlebots continues.
[audience cheering]
[chris] and we are right back into the action
Here on battlebots.
Where the undefeated rookie, glitch,
Is staring down fan favorite, kraken.
Matt spurk's team is on the brink of elimination.
But a big win here...
It's really his only chance at sneaking in to the tournament.
[audience cheering]
[audience chanting] fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight!
[chris] let the bot battle begin!
Kraken, the sea monster, hunting glitch.
Glitch gliding around on its omni wheels.
[kenny] I love how kraken goes right for the weapon,
-It doesn't matter. -[chris] he doesn't care.
[both] whoa!
[girl squealing]
[kenny] nice shot!
Now kraken's up on the screws
And now he's up on top of the upper deck.
[chris] gotta flip back over and work its way back down.
Oh, man, a little tougher than it looks today.
Oh, nice work off the back board.
Now, let's see if...
[exclaiming excitedly]
Nice work to get back down there.
[kenny] not so elegant but he pulled it off.
[chris] but is kraken experiencing some drive issues
After absorbing that big shot?
Check out the right, front side of the robot.
It appears to be locked up now.
Still two minutes remaining in this match.
And now kraken, all it can do
Is kind of crab walk its way around the box.
[kenny] and look at glitch trying to finish the job here,
They may not need to though.
[both] whoa!
[chris] nice shot from behind.
[loud bang]
[kenny] that might be it for kraken.
[chris] and now the armor is coming off of kraken.
Getting chewed up in the screws.
[kenny] chris, if they're able to knockout a robot like kraken,
This is gonna do big things for their seedings here.
[chris] and that's exactly what has happened.
[buzzer]
[chris] kyle miller and glitch.
3-0 on this season.
Yet another knockout.
Remarkable work.
[kenny] are you kidding me?
[chris] kenny, I'll tell you.
Kraken can take a ton of punches
But that weapon on glitch is demonic.
[kenny] yeah, absolutely.
I mean kraken was going right for that weapon
And typically, it works out for him.
But glitch, just brutal there.
[chris] well kraken suffered the damage on the upper deck
And then when it got back into the field of play,
Two more good pops by the freshman bot,
And it was over.
[chris] kyle miller!
Oh, I can see you now.
Are you kidding me?
In back to back fights you take care of hydra,
And now you knock out the indestructible force in kraken.
What is happening here?
I couldn't tell you.
Hey kyle, I know you're a bunch of college kids
But why does everybody there have the giggles?
Have you shocked yourselves?
We were expecting to...
Lose one fight, and not continue.
Uh, and now we're somehow winning.
[audience laughing]
[commentators laughing]
[audience cheering]
Kyle, at the beginning of the season,
Did you realistically think that you could
Make it into the round of 32?
Mmm.
[audience laughing]
[kenny laughing]
Now do you think you deserve a top ten seed?
[audience cheering]
[commentators laughing]
Kyle's a man who lets glitch do the talking.
Great job so far, man,
Enjoy the ride, it's been fun to watch.
Thank you.
[audience cheering]
[chris] so glitch not only improves to 3-0,
They become the first bot to knockout kraken in over two years.
Showing folks that upset win over hydra
Was indeed, no fluke.
They are for real.
And for matt spurk and company,
Kraken is just so well built.
We hope they'll be back in one form or another.
[chris] okay, there's still a ton of action left to come
On tonight's do or die fight card.
Up next, we'll see ricky willems and mammoth
Try to avoid extinction
Against mark demers and lucky.
And remember, we are building up to our big bracket reveal
Of the 32 teams that'll be competing
In this year's championship tournament.
That's all just around the corner,
As battlebots continues.
[audience cheering]
[chris] welcome back to sin city,
Where we are just three fights away
From the revealing the bracket for this year's
Battlebots world championship tournament.
And I know you've probably heard me say this before, kenny florian.
But we've got a battle of a pair of 1-1 teams,
It's the prehistoric pachyderm, mammoth.
Squaring off with the most feared flipper in all of canada, lucky.
Let's start with the team led by ricky willems.
Mammoth started off the season by making quick work of hijinx.
Who again, is probably a tournament team.
And they followed that up with a double knockout
Turned judge's decision, loss to tombstone.
That's a decent resume, kenny.
What does ricky need to prove here tonight?
[kenny] well, win and they're in.
Mammoth looks like a better bot this season
But I do still have questions about its durability.
If ricky can go the distance here in his third fight,
That would go a long way with the committee,
Win or lose.
Only way to guarantee a spot in the round of 32 though,
Is to get that w.
[chris] and when it comes to his opponent, lucky,
Mark demer's bot lost a judge's decision
To tantrum, who of course is now 2-0.
Then they had a knockout win
Against the rookies from south korea, blade.
The way I see it, the canadians need to win here.
Right, kenny?
[kenny] yeah, and that means their season rests on the shoulders
Of rookie driver, matt olson.
His world renowned rc car skills
Were on full display against blade.
That final flip was a thing of beauty.
But in a do or die fight against an unorthodox bot,
The question is, will he be able to handle the pressure?
Why don't we find out and see for ourselves, faruq?
[audience cheering]
[faruq] in the red square...
I wanted to lose some pounds,
And thought I'd try eating paleolithic.
Until I saw this enormous bot,
And decided to go with something less specific.
This wooly beast is still gigantic,
After a lifetime on the diet.
It only eats bot flesh and seeds.
If you wanna get big? Just try it.
It's mammoth!
[audience cheering]
[chris] the towering mammoth, 6'4" a season ago,
Now clocking in between 5'6" and 5'11",
Depending on the configuration.
And while a lot is riding on the line tonight,
Ricky willems and this team
Are still having the time of their lives, kenny.
[kenny] I love it.
But check out that weapon.
It's made from tegris,
A much stiffer material than the uhmw they've been using.
It's better for lifting and launching,
Which is what they hope to do to lucky.
[faruq] in the blue square...
From the great, white north,
Show this bot some respect.
He's the canadian hero, like alex trebek.
If you see him coming, here's my suggestion,
Write your last words in the form of a question.
Who is lucky?
[audience cheering]
[chris] lucky and the team decked out in all red.
And as you said, kenny,
The skills of driver matt olson
Have been as sweet as maple syrup.
So what's the plan for this matchup tonight?
[kenny] well, in its last fight,
Lucky had ar500 armor all around its body.
Tonight the wheels are completely exposed.
That's a risk.
But it also allows for much more precise movements.
Which should help them get to the few spots on mammoth
That are vulnerable to the flipper.
Let's see if they can do some damage.
[audience chanting] lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky!
Depending on the configuration he uses,
There's not a lot for me to get under and hit.
I need to get around to his side or his back,
Something like that.
So that I can hook him and pop him up in the air,
Get him in a weird spot.
And at the same time I need to make sure
He doesn't flip me.
It's all about timing his hits,
Baiting him into firing prematurely,
That sort of thing.
There is a chance that we could make the top 32,
Even if we have a loss here.
But we really want to win,
So that we guarantee we're in that championship bracket.
They're a difficult problem,
They're really hard to get a hold of.
I think the only place we can go
Are the pods on each side,
So we're aiming for those.
And while we're doing that we're gonna try and avoid
Getting hit in the middle.
In order to get into the 32,
We've gotta win again.
We also have to win impressively and decisively.
So we're looking to be aggressive
And put on a good performance.
[robotic voice] robots activate!
[audience cheering]
[chris] all right, kenny,
I'm gonna put you on the spot here,
Who comes out with the win?
[kenny] well, because of how awkward mammoth is,
It's a really tough matchup for a flipper.
I give ricky willems' team the edge here.
But you can't count out a bot with a name like lucky.
[audience cheering]
[audience chanting] fight!
[chris] let the bot battle begin!
Lucky fires that flipper.
Mammoth punches back, and, oh, look at that!
Wow, man. It's almost at top of the upper deck after the first shot.
[kenny] took the risk of going right down the middle,
And got away with it.
[chris] matt olsen lining up that grill.
He's jumped! He scores!
Lucky punches that right tire clean off of mammoth.
Mammoth's only got one tire left,
So that's where lucky is going right now.
Try to get to the other side without getting nailed
Right in the nose by that blade.
[kenny] oh, and the front nose and elliptor of lucky, has been chopped off here.
It's lying right there in the battlebox.
[chris] but you know what? He's facing the right robot
Because he can still get under some part of mammoth.
[kenny] look at that stuff, right-- so close.
[man] you gotta get yourself right there. You've got a sense of control.
[chris] kenny, this reminds me of last season's mammoth versus huge fight,
Where mammoth kept rolling over and over, kinda like a gymnast.
[kenny] yeah, it was an unbelievable fight. A true classic.
But gary, he's having a lot of trouble trying to self-right.
[chris] he's trying to get over that-- oh, gosh!
Come on! I'm so close!
-[chris] get up there, mammoth! Everybody-- oh! -[audience cheers]
-[man whooping] -[chris] that is amazing.
[kenny] still only has the one wheel,
But mammoth is back in business.
[chris] so now lucky doesn't have its sharp lifter anymore.
Still has the lifting arm intact, though.
[kenny] yeah, and that launcher still spinning for mammoth.
[chris] that's the key for lucky, is stay away from the center of that robot.
-Looks like an oversized mosquito a little bit. -[kenny chuckles]
[chris] a spot in the tournament is on the line.
Lucky, looking for an angle.
[kenny] oh, timing was a little off on that launch.
And it looks like that lifter is pretty bent there, chris.
[chris] oh, yeah. It definitely is.
Mammoth's weapon makes contact there,
But not a whole lot of pop behind it.
[kenny] yeah, one of mammoth's weapon chains is toast.
And it's having major mobility issues because of that missing wheel.
[man] oh, no.
[chris] and now it's starting to smoke, kenny.
[kenny] yeah, those motors are starting to burn up for mammoth.
[chris] and lucky getting a little shot from behind, and another one.
[kenny] oh!
[chris] mammoth close to ending up in the screws.
Mammoth has not seen a lot of control here.
I'm not so sure mammoth can flip back from this one.
It is trying to get back over.
There is a countdown that has started.
Five...
[chris] mammoth was able to flip back over one time.
But now, it is done.
[buzzer]
[audience cheering]
Kenny, watching mammoth get tossed around the box is quite a spectacle.
[kenny] yeah, it's not everyday you see a woolly mammoth
Flying through the air.
Another amazing driving performance by matt olson.
Attacking from the sides.
Picking off a tire.
And upending that gigantic robot.
[chris] I mean, it was almost like the audience was willing it back
-Onto its right side. -[kenny chuckles]
And when it happened, it probably received the...
Loudest applause of the match.
But then, down to just one wheel, and already smoking a bit...
That was gonna do it for mammoth.
[audience cheering]
[audience chanting] lucky!
[chris] all right, mark. You should be all smiles, there.
I mean, you lost the front part of your lifter,
And you were still able to go to work. Impressive.
I'm happy with that, I gotta tell ya.
What pleased you the most?
Well, I mean we went, uh, we were able to get the win.
We got, uh, damage which, uh, kenny was talking about.
I gotta hand it to our rookie driver here.
Third match ever, driving, and I'd say, doing all right.
Ton of fun, thank you.
Very good.
He looks barely old enough to drive, for real.
-[both laugh] -but now you can drive a battlebot.
Congratulations. Good job, team lucky.
-Thank you. -Thanks so much, thanks guys.
[sighs]
[chris] ricky, I just heard the exhale.
How disappointed are you?
That-- that was rough.
I, uh... I was really hoping that was gonna go our way,
And that wheel coming off, uh...
That's gotta be damage from the tombstone fight that we didn't find.
And you know, it's the first time I've had,
Uh, my mom in the audience here, and, um...
[audience cheering]
Um.
I... I really wanted to win one, for her to see, but, um...
[clicks tongue] you know, give me another chance, selection committee, please?
[chuckles]
[chris] well, we can see your mom from right here.
She still loves you anyway. Don't worry.
All right, ricky. Good job to you and team mammoth.
[audience cheering]
[chris] so, at 2-1, mark demer's team is most likely dancing.
And at 1-2, the might mammoth
May once again, be on the brink of extinction.
[kenny] well, they're certainly on the bubble.
Both losses were at a tough tournament bound teams.
And strength of schedule is a factor for the committee.
So, I don't know. Maybe they squeeze in there.
[chris] we will see.
But before we get to the big bracket reveal,
We've got a little treat for ya.
Everyone's favorite junkyard bot, rusty,
Will be scooting back into the battlebox
To face1-1, witch doctor.
That's gonna be a ton-o-fun.
And it's next on battlebots.
[audience cheering]
[chris] all right, we are back on battlebots.
We are super excited because you know who's about to enter the box?
Rusty!
[audience chanting] rusty!
[kenny laughs]
[chris] you know, dave eaton's actually facing another fan favorite in witch doctor.
We talked to mike and andrea gellatly.
And, they said, "listen, we're conflicted.
Because we are like everybody else in the battlebots universe.
We love rusty, but this is a must win for us, at 1-1."
They're so conflicted.
Dave eaton is so smart. He just creates a, such a cute bot.
-It reels you in. -[chris laughs]
[kenny] he tries to make you weak.
But look, like we saw with madcatter earlier,
You have to take, even a favorable matchup, seriously,
Because it could make a difference
In where they land on the bracket.
Better seeding means an easier path to the nut.
It's gotta be business for these guys.
And, uh, for rusty.
He's gotta get his season pointed in the right direction.
Took a shot against blip. Didn't exactly work out.
I mean, still rusty's so adorable and cute.
But he wants to be competitive out here, a little bit.
[kenny] he tries so hard.
-He tries so hard. -[chuckles]
Oh, rusty!
You don't have a spare popcorn bowl I can just put on my head
-While we're calling this? -[chuckles]
I mean, they love him.
They love him. Let's get to it.
Faruq.
[audience chanting] rusty!
[faruq] in the red square.
Sometimes here in vegas, people drink too much.
It isn't a secret.
But you'll end up with a hangover if you face this bot.
You better believe it.
But it's not a pina colada or strawberry daiquiri that's killing you either.
Just the potent punch of rusty's trusty screwdriver.
Give it up for rusty!
[dave whoops]
[chris] well, if this is rusty's last time in the box this season,
Can't fault dave for trying to take it all in.
[kenny] a man of the people.
Yeah, whoo!
[chris] no hammer for rusty tonight.
Your thoughts, kenny?
[kenny] yeah, those cones are covering a custom built plough.
I think our bot whisperer will have more on that soon.
But dave's hoping to get under witch doctor,
Flip them, and hope they damage themselves.
[dave] all right, buddy. Here we go.
[audience cheering]
[faruq] in the blue square.
There's a witch in our midst.
But this won't go down like salem.
Because anybody who tries to mess with her, she'll full on assail 'em.
She's not riding a broom but she's raining down doom.
Real magic is no joke.
There's gonna be a witch burning tonight.
But this time, it's you that's going up in smoke.
It's witch doctor!
[audience cheering]
[chris] very popular bot from the state of florida.
Won a judge's decision against duck!
Ko'd by the champs, end game, last time out.
The husband and wife tandem, andrea and mike gellatly.
Ready to head to the round of 32 with a win tonight.
And put their stamp on this season.
[kenny] and you know, end game beat them up so badly,
This is an entirely new frame.
Which is why it looks so beautiful.
Like I said, though, they're not taking any chances with rusty.
I woke up this morning and find out that I'm fighting witch doctor.
So that is, uh... I was like, "wow, that's a steep order."
The thing with witch doctor is they hit hard.
So I'm planning to go head on into them
And try to keep that new plough I built aimed at their weapon.
Because if their weapon starts biting into me, and they start throwing me,
My biggest problem is gonna be scrambling to get back on my feet.
I gotta try to stay on top of the control game.
Keep them on the ropes.
Because once I'm on the ropes, I'm in trouble.
We did our homework. We watched every single rusty fight,
To learn how he drives, how he fights.
But he's always been a hammer bot.
And we were prepared to fight a hammer bot.
Until we realized he's not a hammer bot anymore.
He's actually a lifting wedge.
So we've had to adjust our strategy a little bit.
And it's gonna be a new game for both of us.
I can't even say with a straight face that I wanna beat rusty.
I mean, who-- I can't.
I mean, I hope we win.
And I think at this point in the fight card,
It's him or us in the tournament.
You know, we're down to the very last fight card. We're at 1-1.
I don't know if I can take beating rusty.
It's gonna be conflicting, either way.
[banging]
[robotic voice] robots activate!
[audience cheering]
[chris] kenny, I don't know if it's tin foil on rusty's back,
But I'm kinda digging the new look.
[kenny] let's get rusty some biker shades.
[chris] and for more on cute little rusty,
Our bot whisperer, pete has more on what I called tin foil.
Uh, it's not exactly tin foil, guys.
Kenny, as you did mention, that plough has history.
You should notice the artistic hand of donald hutson within that.
That is lock jaw's back plough
-That they've welded onto rusty. -Huh.
They've removed his pneumatic chisel.
And they've added the plough to allow rusty
To hopefully lift witch doctor to the sky.
[chris] oh, my god.
They didn't glue it on, did they, peter?
-No, it's welded. It is welded. -Okay, that's good news.
[robotic voice] red team ready?
-[kenny chuckles] -[chris] oh, god. Are you kidding me?
The cuteness never stops with dave e.
[kenny] I would like to order one stuffed rusty please?
[robotic voice] blue team ready?
[chris reading]
-Very cute. -[kenny chuckles]
[chris] so the legend, donald hutson, lending rusty a helping hand.
Let's see if that can help it spoil witch doctor's season.
We love you, rusty.
[chris] let the bot battle begin.
And here comes rusty, working his way across the box.
Come on.
[kenny] looks like rusty is trying to get witch doctor to play with him.
[chris laughs]
I mean, but no joking matter at how much is on the line for witch doctor.
-[bang] -[chris and kenny] oh!
-[chris] okay. -[kenny] oh, my goodness!
[chris] all right. Rusty went and popped up.
[kenny] the junkyard bot took that straight on to the face like a champ.
[chris] yeah. Oh!
[kenny] oh! What's he gonna do now?
-[chris] oh, my god. -[kenny] oh!
[chris] now he's got tin can hands.
[kenny] oh, get up!
Ah, you're chewing my nuts! Come on. [laughs]
[kenny] count twenty, please?
[chris] come on, dude.
[kenny] rusty, you can get up.
[chris] look at-- oh, my goodness.
[kenny] the tread is gone from rusty.
Eight...
[kenny] even if he gets up, he won't be able to move, chris.
[chris] oh, witch doctor just looking at it.
And that is his second win.
[man] knockout!
[chris] rusty is doa.
[laughs]
Damn! I didn't think that would snap in half. Whoo!
Rusty! Rusty! Rusty!
[chris] give mike gellatly, the driver and the co-captain of witch doctor, credit.
He let rusty roll around a little while before delivering the shot.
[kenny] yeah, he kinda took his time, but I...
Listen, you can't control that weapon.
That thing is spinning so hard.
The fact that it split that wedge in half is just ridiculous.
[chris] that eventually, rusty ended up on his side and...
[both] oh!
[kenny] and his arms are kinda like, going up, like, "why, witch doctor?"
-[chris laughs] -why?
[audience clapping]
[chris] andrea and mike.
How emotionally draining was that?
'cause you were even chanting rusty's name, andrea.
I love rusty.
Uh, but you know, we really, really wanna get into the tournament.
We think witch doctor still has a lot to prove and a lot to show.
We wish it didn't have to be through rusty.
Why did this have to happen?
Uh, but yeah, we're rusty's number one fan. [chuckles]
[audience cheering]
Well, a season ago, you had to win that third and final
Regular season matchup just to kinda,
Squeak your way into the round of 32.
You can breathe a bit easier, I think, this time around.
Are you ready to make a run at the giant nut, andrea?
Absolutely. We're taking every opponent incredibly seriously.
-[audience cheering] -this was a brand new robot for rusty.
And we're gonna rebuild it. Put all new parts on there.
And have a new bot for the 32.
Guys, congratulations. You've proved a 2-1 on the season.
-Thank you, chris. -Thank you.
Well...
That was...
So dave, is it fun getting hit by the best?
Yeah, it is. I tell you what.
They keep running like that, they could go to the top.
You know what I mean? That-- I--
That was like a... [blowing raspberry]
That was like a half inch hunk of metal in there.
And it wasn't... I mean, it's...
It's stainless steel.
But still, the fact that it's just
Shredded it in half, that's mean.
-[crowd laughs] -[laughs]
[chris] hey, dave.
We saw that cute little stuffed rusty.
-Oh. -Where is it?
-I want that thing. -Go grab that thing.
[kenny laughs]
-[crowd cheers] -oh, my god.
It's my little...
[chris] that's awesome.
-He's even got the matching blanket to go with him. -[chris chuckles]
A fan of mine knitted this thing together.
I don't wanna know how long it took
Because he's got all the details on him, you know what I'm saying?
Hammer works, look at that.
-[kenny laughs] -that's impressive.
[dave] you know what I'm saying?
-[dave chuckles] -[chris] one more time together.
-Let's hear it for rusty! -[rusty laughs]
-[crowd cheers] -thank you.
So, we expect to see witch doctor in the round of 32.
In the meantime, at least for now,
We say goodbye to rusty,
One of the great american stories out there.
Up next, it's the main event
And the final fight of the qualifying rounds.
Icewave and fusion are about to go mano-a-mano
For a spot in the tournament.
Let's take a look at the matchup.
[crowd cheers]
[faruq] icewave!
Fusion!
[reese] right now, both of us are 1-1.
One of us needs to win.
Icewave is definitely a legend.
-[chris] oh! It's torn in two. -[laughing]
With the gas engine,
It's so loud, it brings the crowd a mile away.
It's the '69 camaro of bots!
[kenny] it is awesome.
But my armor's pretty thick.
I don't see marc cutting' through it.
[marc] fusion's a good robot.
They've definitely performed well in the past.
[chris and kenny] whoa!
[chris] huge impact!
But because they're such a compact robot,
We have a good shot of hitting them where there's important things.
-[kenny] oh! -[chris] oh, my god!
[chris] grab the milk, kenny, he's split him like an oreo.
Obviously, winning is our goal,
But we're trying to show that we're still a contender.
[reese] I have no clue what's gonna happen.
There's zero margin of error doing anything in battlebots.
It's do or die. Win or go home.
[explosion]
-[chris] are you not entertained? -[kenny laughs] oh!
[cheering]
[chris] welcome back to battlebots,
Where we are getting set to reveal the field
For this year's world championship tournament.
But we still have one fight left in the qualifying rounds.
And yep, you guessed it,
It's a win and you're in scenario,
As the 1-1 fusion takes on 1-1 icewave.
So, let's start with reese ewert's bot, fusion.
It got off to a great start this year
By knocking out cobalt,
And then it just got done in by copperhead recently.
So, will the real fusion, please stand up?
[kenny] you know, a lot like icewave
These guys have that like
Kill or be killed attitude.
They're either knocking out their opponents
Or getting knocked out.
This should be a very exciting fight.
For marc devidts, the captain of icewave,
I think there's even more on the line
Because he told us at the beginning of the season
If we don't make some headway here,
We have to really rethink this.
Do we wanna come back in 2022 with the same icewave
Or change our engineering?
So, not just a playoff berth is on the line for him.
[kenny] yeah, they've got to be feeling the pressure here.
They're going against...
A bot in fusion that has both a vertical spinner
And a horizontal spinner.
Very interesting matchup.
And this should be exciting because these two teams
Have fought a combined four times.
All four have resulted in a knockout.
Faruq, take it away.
[crowd cheering]
[faruq] ladies and gentleman! Are you ready?
[crowd cheering]
It's time for the main event!
[faruq] in the red square...
This bot's like a rabid dog with no muzzle.
Two blades that cut both ways like a crossword puzzle.
Don't try to solve him. You don't have the vocabulary.
He's a six letter word that means
You're gonna get stabbed and buried.
It's fusion!
[crowd cheering]
[chris] there is captain reese ewert,
Pushing out fusion.
What does reese need to do to win this fight
And punch his ticket to the tournament, kenny?
[kenny] it's pretty simple. Don't burn up.
In my opinion, if fusion could consistently
Go a full three minutes,
It would be one of the most dangerous bots in the field.
But it's two-faced, and reese's tournament chances
Will all come down to which fusion we see tonight.
[crowd clapping]
[faruq] in the blue square,
He'll be riding the waves and shredding the gnar,
And leaving your face with an icicle scar.
Your cadaver's his surfboard down a glacier tsunami.
Why bring a board
When he can use your frozen body?
Cowabunga dead!
It's icewave!
[crowd cheering]
[chris] oh, marc devidts' bot, icewave,
Knocked out by black dragon
In its return to the battlebots.
But then it rebounded by knocking out deadlift.
Marc, once labeled the boy genius,
Now a man in his mid-30's with a family.
But boy, he still loves the competition.
[kenny] yeah, he sure does. And it's crazy to think
That a legendary bot like icewave
Is on the brink of elimination,
But here we are.
This bot is still one of the hardest skaters here,
But it's been plagued by reliability issues this year.
I think this fight is going to come down to
Which team's primary weapon can outlast the other.
[crowd cheering]
[chris] okay, kenny,
Icewave's weapon has had a reign of terror
For almost a decade now.
Tell us a little bit more about this blade.
[kenny] well, icewave is going with its longest bar here
Which should help keep fusion at a distance.
And you may remember those black tips
On the end of the weapon,
Blend into the floor,
Making it tough for their opponent
To see how close they are to doing damage.
Let's see if that messes with reese infusion.
Yes, there is is.
[blades whirring]
Yeah.
[robotic voice] robots activate!
[crowd cheering]
[chris] all right. It all comes down to this,
One fight left in the qualifying round.
Will we hear the sweet sounds of icewave's engine in the tournament,
Or will it be the dual weapons of fusion?
We'll have the answer,
As well as the reveal of this year's bracket
When we return on battlebots.
For the number one seed, we're looking at the undefeated top bots.
Would expect uppercut and maybe even ribbot
-To have pretty good seeds. -[frog croaks]
But right now, I'd put them up there.
They've been tough.
I think hypershock should probably be a top seed.
That robot's looking fierce this year.
You know, the previous champion last year from...
End game, and nick, and those guys,
They're just kickin' butt.
I think right now the top seed should just be end game.
Gotta be end game.
Has to be end game.
Probably end game.
-End game. -End game.
The top seed of the tournament, hands down is end game.
They're the reigning champs. They're 3-0. It's not even close.
There's no one else that's even in their atmosphere.
-[chris] oh, my goodness! -[kenny] oh! Oh!
[chris] are you kidding me?
[chris] welcome back to battlebots,
Where we are now moments away from revealing
The world championship tournament field.
But right now,
It's the final fight of the qualifying rounds.
Fusion versus icewave.
The winner should punch their ticket to the round of 32.
We are ready to rock.
[crowd cheering]
[crowd chanting] fight!
[buzzer starts]
[chris] let the bot battle begin!
Oh, man, listen to all that firepower in there.
[crashing]
[kenny] oh! Big hit there by icewave.
[chris] and now the key is
How many blades are down for the count on these respective weapons?
No life from the horizontal spinner of icewave.
Fusion looking a little punch-drunk,
But here comes some action from its vertical spinner.
[kenny] yeah, fusion still looking to mix it up here.
Icewave trying to keep it at bay with that front wedge.
Marc devidts is piloting a push bot now, chris.
-[chris] we've seen this out of marc devidts before... -[crowd cheers]
...Where he takes on big shot and all of a sudden--
[kenny] whoa!
[chris] parts are breaking off of the robot!
Icewave has been put up on the screws.
Can he get up to the upper deck courtesy of fusion?
The legendary spinner is on the ropes!
I got him.
[chris] and it looks like both robots might be stuck.
[kenny] we may be headed for a simultaneous knockout here, chris.
[chris] icewave has popped its way off and fusion has started to smoke!
[kenny] oh no!
[chris] oh my goodness!
Icewave is trying to free fusion,
But I am not so sure that fusion can even move, kenny.
[kenny] yep, may have been that first shot from icewave
That rattled fusion's internals.
And this is what has plagued fusion this year and last year.
-[chris] it's all about reliability. -Ten, nine, eight,
Seven, six...
[chris] and once again, fusion just doesn't have enough.
-As icewave is going to improve. -Five, four, three...
-[chris] to 2-1. -Two, one, that's a knockout!
-[buzzer beeps] -[crowd cheers]
[kenny] what in the hell would cause that?
[chris] well, the story of this fight was written in the first ten seconds
With this monster shot, kenny.
[kenny] yeah, this was a massive hit for icewave,
But that was the last we saw of that blade.
[chris] at that point, you're thinking, well, fusion has a huge advantage.
At least one of its weapons is working, if not both.
But then when we got over to the screws
Icewave worked its way off and fusion started smoking.
[kenny] yeah, quite the opportunity for fusion.
But I don't think the bot was ever the same after absorbing that first shot.
A nightmare end of the season for reese ewert,
Another burnout for fusion.
[crowd cheering]
[chris] well, marc...
Who would've thunk that your durability is
What would've gotten you to 2-1 this season.
Yeah, I mean, we've always had a pretty durable drive, the engine.
As everybody knows, a little bit flakey, I thought we had it
Figured out, but we gotta get back there and see what happened.
We're fortunate enough that we took the win, but it's still not, doesn't feel great.
We, we're gonna do better, don't worry.
Alright, so big picture, you sit at 2-1.
So do an awful lot of teams.
-Yep. -How worried are you
About the eyes of the selection committee being on you?
Yeah, I wish that the match had gone longer, for both of us.
And I mean, I know we're both capable of doing a whole lot more than that, so,
Hopefully the committee knows that and they'll choose us.
'cause we can definitely do it, don't worry.
-Marc devidts, captain of team icewave. Thank you. -Thank you.
[crowd cheering]
-Howdy howdy. -[chris] well, reese,
The selection committee is about to announce the round of 32.
You sit at 1-2.
Just like your brother jake and his bot, hydra.
Why should they take you over jake?
'cause I'd kick his ass.
-[laughing] -[crowd cheering]
If I, if I'm working, his ass is grass, man.
[laughs]
Reese, you always put life... In great perspective.
-Thank you, bud. Good luck down the road. -That's what I'm here for.
[both laugh]
[crowd cheering]
So, yes, icewave improves to 2-1, kenny.
But I really think this story is, "what happened to fusion, yet again?"
Yeah, they're kinda their own worst enemy there. It, it's hard to watch because
That bot has so much potential.
[chris] so, if you look at the results tonight
Icewave joins lucky, huge, bloodsport,
Witch doctor, and madcatter.
All teams that improved to two and one.
So, is there room for all those teams in the round of 32?
It is time right now to announce the world championship bracket
-In the fight for the giant nut. -[crowd cheering]
All right.
The top teams have been seeded based on their performance in the qualifying rounds.
As well as their overall pedigree.
And then placed in one of four quadrants.
In theory, the higher the seed, the better the team's chance of
Winning the giant nut.
And with thirty-one teams finishing with at least two wins,
We've just been told there'll be a pair of play-in matches
To decide the final two spots in the tournament.
The winner of those fights will then take on the number 1 and number 2 overall seeds
In the round of 32.
So, without further ado,
Let's reveal the bots competing in quadrant four.
Beginning with the number four overall seed.
-[crowd cheering] -yeah!
[chris] it's sawblaze!
Jamison go has been knocked out in the round of 8 in back to back years, kenny.
Let's see if he can finally break through this time.
[kenny] yeah, they had maybe the toughest schedule of any bot this season.
Even with that loss to end game, sawblaze was dominant.
This is a bot with a lot of experience
And they can go very far this tournament.
[chris] and here's who their competition in this group will be.
Sawblaze will see hijinx in the round of 32.
Hypershock will take on p1
Who gets its first shot at the post season.
Uppercut, maybe the most feared weapon here
Earns the fifth overall seed.
And then it's a fun one between shatter! And riptide, kenny.
[kenny] absolutely, as a rookie, riptide went 2-1.
Don't underestimate the college kid ethan kurtz.
Some heavy hitting young guns in this group.
But I like sawblaze to come out alive.
[chris] all right, moving to quadrant number three.
And the survey says the third overall seed is...
-[kenny] whoa! -[chris] oh yeah.
[chris] whiplash!
-Last year's runner-up, kenny. -[crowd cheering]
[kenny] yeah, they went 2-0.
The selection committee said they had shown enough after only two fights.
But this season was like every season, it seems.
The technique, the driving, the precision
Of matt vasquez was on full display yet again.
[chris] joining them in this quadrant is icewave.
Who sneaks in as the thirtieth seed.
And wow, that cobalt-yeti matchup is gonna be a slugfest.
Rotator-shrederator, and then tantrum-gigabyte
Round up this part of the bracket.
Tantrum was a semi-finalist last season
And they're looking stronger than ever.
[kenny] and look at the drivers here, chris.
Matt vasquez, matt maxham, victor soto.
We're going to see some absolutely incredible driving from this group.
[chris] and now let's head north for quadrant number two.
Only a few options left for that number 2 overall seed.
It's ribbot, led by david jin, kenny.
Yeah!
[kenny] yeah, they went 3-0 in qualifying.
These guys are for real, chris.
I mean, they're getting quick knockouts, they look phenomenal.
They've been together for a little while now.
They're no longer newcomers. They're looking very strong.
[chris] and they'll be taking on the winner of one of our play-in matches.
Let's find out which teams will square off for a chance to fight ribbot
In the round of 32.
Hydra will battle defender in that play-in match.
Hydra, of course, was last year's number one overall seed.
Yeah!
[chris] somewhere in the pits, jake ewert is laughing like dr. Evil.
And filling out this quadrant we'll also see the gritty kitty, madcatter
Try to be the first team to ever knockout black dragon.
While blip-valkyrie, and jackpot-tombstone round out this section of the bracket.
[kenny] well, ray billings is a former giant nut winner
So do not count him out.
And is it possible even as the seventh seed
The committee is underestimating aren hill and blip?
Lots of great teams here, chris.
This group should be a wildcard.
[chris] okay, kenny, and then there was one.
And the number one overall seed is...
-[chris] oh! -[kenny] oh my goodness!
[chris] that's right! It's the pride of new zealand, end game.
[crowd cheering]
[kenny] yeah, no surprise here.
The reigning champs win 3-0 and knocked out every bot they faced.
They've carried that momentum from last season.
They're looking like world champions again this year.
They are scary, chris.
[chris] and let's see what the rest of this quadrant looks like.
Including our other play-in matchup.
So, zach lytle and bunny sauriol will duke it out
For a chance to take on the kiwis.
Minotaur and bloodsport both went 2-1.
This one kinda feels like a semi-finals matchup.
We'll also see copperhead take on lucky.
And then the undefeated rookies, glitch, will face the 2019 runner-up.
[kenny] yeah, all I'm seeing here, chris,
Is a potential end game- minotaur matchup.
I am praying that the bot gods give us that one.
But with end game, witch doctor, minotaur, skorpios, bloodsport...
This quadrant is feeling like our group of death, chris.
[chris] two former runners-up in that group.
Will one of them finally get to hoist he greatest trophy on the planet?
We will find out in the coming weeks.
As all of these teams go head to head,
In what should be the most destructive battlebots championship tournament
That we have ever seen!
And, if you wanna fill out you're own bracket
Or start an office pool,
You can find a printable version at battlebots.Com/bracket.
Kenny, I think you still owe me from last year.
[kenny] no, no, I paid you with dogecoin.
[chris] don't know how I missed that, but we'll see you next time.
For faruq, our bot whisperer pete, my man kenny florian,
I'm chris rose.
The post-season party starts next week!
Here on battlebots.
[crowd cheering]