bblboy54 Years ago I wanted so desperately to watch Battle Bots but there is no way to catch copies of the old comedy central show.... I was so excited to learn that Battle Bots came back. Despite the fact that the talking heads are not exactly techies I actually find them entertaining especially since you can tell they genuinely get into it. The show really keeps the focus on the 2 robots that are fighting and they keep the "house hazards" to a minimum and organized in a way that a robot driver can use them for strategy but yet not be in the way. I really don't have a bad things to say about this show other than maybe I'd like to see a longer season that goes back a bracket... I was glad they did this for the second season by starting the coverage at 32 rather than 16 but I'd like to see them start the coverage maybe a little further back.... My biggest hope is that they don't start getting greedy for drama and go the way of the UK's Robot Wars where there is so much crap in the arena that the robot drivers don't have any option for strategy and we start seeing bots that aren't designed to do anything but push the opponent.

atlasmb The concept of "Battlebots" is two bots battling each other in an arena, controlled remotely by their handlers.Those who survive the first round of battles are seeded into a bracket for single elimination contests.Except in the case of a knockout (when the bot is unable to respond to a ten-second countdown), three judges decide the winner of each contest. Usually the outcome is obvious because of the damage delivered.There are rules, but they are not discussed much unless they come into play. But the competitors are aware of them.The different strategies employed in the building of these bots range from flame throwers to powerful flippers, and may include mini-bots that accompany the main bots for purposes of diversion or inflicting damage.The show is a nice blend of practical engineering and gladiator-style contests.

georgehazard73 Although it's been almost 15 years since it was last on TV, it has proved that it still has what it takes to be a show. What's nice about it is that some of the original builders have returned, like Reason Bradly and Christian Carlberg and that's enough to offset the new people that do the robot intros and commentary. I kinda miss the "drag racing Christmas tree" from the original but the new version follows that pretty closely and Faruq does a pretty decent job introducing the robots in a manner that Mark Beiro would've done. Even the arena has maintained at least some of its charm from the 2000s version with the Killsaws, Pulverizers and the Screws all returning. I have yet to see the new "pinball flippers" do anything yet and since the hazards are now controlled via computer, it's less likely that there will be as much damage, especially since the Killsaws have only recently appeared.

finkelman Battlebots is a show that can be enjoyed by everyone. However in its aim to please everyone, it forgets its major appeal - the robots fighting.The show has to last for a short season which is essentially to root of the problem. The robot fights themselves are limited to 10 minutes, however many of the fights are won in a few seconds. That means there is an extraordinary amount of fluff and time-filler to stretch the show.The builders' bios, while moderately interesting, last longer than the fights. There is a "boxing pre-game" type segment where non-technical people talk about utterly meaningless and arbitrary stats about the robots. One of the hosts is a MMA fighter. What insight does a MMA fighter have in robot fights? The answer is simple: none. While I am not overtly complaining, the director really seems to like Molly McGrath's legs. Obviously, she is there for the male audience and brings nothing but exceptionally good looks to the show.Another fault, which I believe is an unfortunate oversight, is the show could be an excellent vehicle for education in electronics, mechanical engineering, robotics, etc. The show offers no information on how anything works.Again, while I think the show if fun to watch, there is a lot that could be improved.