The sick voyeur in me has always loved seeing Average Joes fight for their lives—which probably explains why Schwarzenegger’s The Running Man still remains a guilty pleasure for me to this day.  This fascination also fueled my enthusiasm for the horribly addictive show from the 90’s known as American Gladiators.

The series pitted male and female contestants against the Gladiators who reigned over their arena.  The poor souls would do their best to score points by navigating various obstacle courses.  They would also try and avoid being taken down along the way.  I would compare the show to Iron Chef+Battle of the Network Stars+WWE.

Gladiators, which ended its run in 1996, is now being resurrected by NBC as a mid-season addition.  Unfortunately, the show will be subject to an ‘updating’....which could mean just about anything.  (Having tried to watch Battle of the Network Reality Stars, I’m hesitant about anything that’s tweaked).

Here’s to hoping that some of my favorite challenges like The Assault and Breakthrough & Conquer will return.  If not, I may have to turn to the re-runs currently airing on ESPN Classic.

What were your favorite challenges?  How about your favorite Gladiators?  Let us know!

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