Gladiadores Americanos

Contestant Rico Constantino, winner of an American Gladiator series went on to work for the WWE under his own name. As of the beginning of 2004, Rico has performed as the fashion designer/manager of Chuck and Billy, two later-shown-to-be-false homosexual wrestlers, and is now wrestling on his own as a flamboyant wrestler of questionable sexual orientation. He is managed by Jackie Gayda.

The first time I saw "American Gladiators," I was skeptical. The show seemed cheap and I didn't think it would last. I mean, they stopped a Powerball game to staple a scoring bucket back together! From such humble beginnings came one of the most successful syndicated shows of the '90s, not to mention one of my personal favorites.

"AG" was a whole lot of fun to watch, with competitors from all walks of life competing against each other and the colorful Gladiators to prove their athletic superiority. Though the Gladiators wore glitzy red, white, and blue spandex outfits, their own personalities were allowed to shine, instead of adopting some carefully crafted persona like a professional wrestler would have. I think that it made them feel more real. In later years, they would profile some of the Gladiators, which further showed that Gladiators were people, too.

As the show gained popularity, the sets became more elaborate and sophisticated. Gone were the flimsy Powerball cylinders and shrubbery that was often a contender's undoing in Assault. New games were also added; from the bungee craze-inspired Swingshot to the shoulder-popping Whiplash. And from season to season, more grueling versions of the final event, the Eliminator, were born.

By the mid '90s, international versions of the show popped up in the United Kingdom and Australia, and other countries like Germany, South Africa, Russia, and Finland had their own versions, which seemed to cement the broad appeal of the Gladiators concept.

"AG" seemed to just fade from TV screens all of a sudden, and the Gladiators were reduced to performing in dinner theater shows in Orlando. I don't know if they even do THAT anymore. I wish that someone someday will see fit to release the shows on video.

I used to get so hype off of "American Gladiators." You had a couple of athletic contestants who had to do various competitions such as jousting or the ball shoot and they'd have to deal with these larger-than-life bodybuilders. I was always rooting for the contestants just because they were such underdogs. It was a fun game show.

After discovering the show sometime around '94, I watched every episode, including the reruns that were on at the time. The varied competitions made it something of an athletic game show, and it was always entertaining. My favorite was always the Eliminator.

Some people have expressed uncertainty as to why this show left the air. Well, watching the reruns you will never realize it, but the big problem with the show was that near the end new episodes became something of a rarity. The "International Gladiators" specials became more and more common, which eroded their mystique and made them somewhat dull. But in the end it seemed like every week (and I mean EVERY week) was a rerun--especially of the episode with Dean Cain, which must have shown at least twenty times. (An exaggeration perhaps, but not much of one.) So yes, the show was canceled without much fanfare, but that's because most viewers thought the show was already over. One new episode every couple of months isn't enough to hold viewers--I don't care how popular the show is.

I was just thinking about the show the other day and how neat it would be to have a traveling version of Gladiators that would work similarly to American Idol. Perhaps it's just nostalgia on my part, but I think it would be quite cool.

when i was a kid, i dreamed of being a contender to face the gladiators in 8 rounds of competition. but all i can do is watch reruns on TNN and watch people with mullets and frizzy hair from the early 90's period battle it out. and there is never a dull moment. no show can ever match this one. whats more fun than watching washed up football players giving play by play as gladiator sized men and women stop contenders from earning points which are needed for the all important ...!!ELIMINATOR!!... but why must the good shows be cancelled.