thedrifter
01-05-08, 07:34 AM
Posted on Fri, Jan. 04, 2008
Two local 'gladiators' competing in NBC revival of show
By MITCH MITCHELL
mitchmitchell@star-telegram.com
The show
NBC is placing some of its mid-year scheduling hopes on the return of "American Gladiators," a show with a bevy of loyal fans dedicated to watching amateur athletes get beaten to a pulp while chasing fame and fortune. A new group of Gladiators and contestants will air in the two-hour "American Gladiators" redux at 8 p.m. Sunday.
Over the course of the new "American Gladiators," 24 contentants will challenge a dozen gladiators in a series of timed obstacles. As in the previous franchise, everyday amateurs battle the gladiators in contests of strength and endurance.
The contentants compete in three rounds of challenges; the final man and woman left standing will win $100,000, a Toyota Sequoia and the opportunity to return as gladiators next season.
Contestants also receive a $50 per diem while in Los Angeles shooting their episode.
Hulk Hogan, of wrestling and "Hogan Knows Best" fame, and Laila Ali, a boxer who competed on "Dancing with the Stars," will host.
The original series was canceled after a seven-season run from 1989 to 1996. The original "American Gladiators" still appears in reruns.
Local contestants
Adam Levin was tending bar in Grapevine and Bonnie Blanco was going to school in Arlington, competing as a body builder and working as a promotional model, when the bell of pain tolled for them. Neither thought they stood a chance of making it to the arena before they auditioned for the NBC show.
In the two-hour series premiere, Blanco, 25, takes on a bevy of American beauties and her opponent, fitness trainer Shanay Norvell. Levin, 29, debuts in week two; his leg is broken during one of the challenges, according to a network official.
Blanco is studying advertising at the University of Texas at Arlington. She is a former Marine sergeant and a mother of two.
"Just mentally getting yourself through the whole thing was the tough part," Blanco said. "I think it's still hitting me that I was on the show."
The new show is meaner, more vicious and crueler than the original, contestants said.
"They've kept some of the same events, but they've made them harder," Blanco said. "I've reviewed the old tapes to see how they did it. We came into a more well-refined machine."
How did you find out about the tryouts?
Levin: I was working the bar at the Gaylord (Texan hotel), and some guys were looking for people. The casting guys asked me if I'd be interested. I think they were looking for people who were athletic. Not necessarily the biggest guys in the gym but someone who could carry their own weight. They came out to my bar and asked me if I'd like to try out.
I grew up watching it and playing it on Nintendo. I figured I'd try out and have a good time.
Blanco: Some friends from my gym sent me an e-mail about it. I decided to go. It was on a Saturday morning. My husband, Alex and I, both tried out. We both got called back for interviews. I sort of washed my hands of it because of school. But they called me back two days after Thanksgiving and told me I made the show.
What were you doing before you became an American Gladiator?
Levin: I lived in Key West for about 10 years, working in real estate and tending bar. I had been fascinated by Hemmingway and moved out to Key West to go through some of the things that he went through. When Hurricane Wilma blew through, my house was damaged and it blew the bottom out of the real estate market. I couldn’t sell my house. For me, American Gladiators is another good story in my life. I’m still trying to get my life back in order and the money would help with that.
Blanco: I was a staff sergeant in the Marines. I served eight months in Iraq. I joined the Marines for the challenge. I was only 17 and my mom had to sign the paperwork. The Marine recruiter came on campus and just blew me away. I wanted to be the best, so I joined the Marines. With the Marines, you get a confidence that you don’t get with anything else, with any other job or with any other unit. It’s like you can do anything.
Where to watch
American Gladiators debuts at 8 p.m. Sunday central time on NBC Channel 5 before switching to its normal time slot at 7 p.m. Mondays the following day. The series is to run Mondays through Feb. 11.
Ellie
Two local 'gladiators' competing in NBC revival of show
By MITCH MITCHELL
mitchmitchell@star-telegram.com
The show
NBC is placing some of its mid-year scheduling hopes on the return of "American Gladiators," a show with a bevy of loyal fans dedicated to watching amateur athletes get beaten to a pulp while chasing fame and fortune. A new group of Gladiators and contestants will air in the two-hour "American Gladiators" redux at 8 p.m. Sunday.
Over the course of the new "American Gladiators," 24 contentants will challenge a dozen gladiators in a series of timed obstacles. As in the previous franchise, everyday amateurs battle the gladiators in contests of strength and endurance.
The contentants compete in three rounds of challenges; the final man and woman left standing will win $100,000, a Toyota Sequoia and the opportunity to return as gladiators next season.
Contestants also receive a $50 per diem while in Los Angeles shooting their episode.
Hulk Hogan, of wrestling and "Hogan Knows Best" fame, and Laila Ali, a boxer who competed on "Dancing with the Stars," will host.
The original series was canceled after a seven-season run from 1989 to 1996. The original "American Gladiators" still appears in reruns.
Local contestants
Adam Levin was tending bar in Grapevine and Bonnie Blanco was going to school in Arlington, competing as a body builder and working as a promotional model, when the bell of pain tolled for them. Neither thought they stood a chance of making it to the arena before they auditioned for the NBC show.
In the two-hour series premiere, Blanco, 25, takes on a bevy of American beauties and her opponent, fitness trainer Shanay Norvell. Levin, 29, debuts in week two; his leg is broken during one of the challenges, according to a network official.
Blanco is studying advertising at the University of Texas at Arlington. She is a former Marine sergeant and a mother of two.
"Just mentally getting yourself through the whole thing was the tough part," Blanco said. "I think it's still hitting me that I was on the show."
The new show is meaner, more vicious and crueler than the original, contestants said.
"They've kept some of the same events, but they've made them harder," Blanco said. "I've reviewed the old tapes to see how they did it. We came into a more well-refined machine."
How did you find out about the tryouts?
Levin: I was working the bar at the Gaylord (Texan hotel), and some guys were looking for people. The casting guys asked me if I'd be interested. I think they were looking for people who were athletic. Not necessarily the biggest guys in the gym but someone who could carry their own weight. They came out to my bar and asked me if I'd like to try out.
I grew up watching it and playing it on Nintendo. I figured I'd try out and have a good time.
Blanco: Some friends from my gym sent me an e-mail about it. I decided to go. It was on a Saturday morning. My husband, Alex and I, both tried out. We both got called back for interviews. I sort of washed my hands of it because of school. But they called me back two days after Thanksgiving and told me I made the show.
What were you doing before you became an American Gladiator?
Levin: I lived in Key West for about 10 years, working in real estate and tending bar. I had been fascinated by Hemmingway and moved out to Key West to go through some of the things that he went through. When Hurricane Wilma blew through, my house was damaged and it blew the bottom out of the real estate market. I couldn’t sell my house. For me, American Gladiators is another good story in my life. I’m still trying to get my life back in order and the money would help with that.
Blanco: I was a staff sergeant in the Marines. I served eight months in Iraq. I joined the Marines for the challenge. I was only 17 and my mom had to sign the paperwork. The Marine recruiter came on campus and just blew me away. I wanted to be the best, so I joined the Marines. With the Marines, you get a confidence that you don’t get with anything else, with any other job or with any other unit. It’s like you can do anything.
Where to watch
American Gladiators debuts at 8 p.m. Sunday central time on NBC Channel 5 before switching to its normal time slot at 7 p.m. Mondays the following day. The series is to run Mondays through Feb. 11.
Ellie