Gladiators (British TV Show) - Controversies

Controversies

• During the show's first series in 1992, Contender Nicola Bawden caused controversy following the very first game of The Wall, after she slipped away from Scorpio (Nikki Diamond). Scorpio had managed to get hold of her, but she slipped off moments later and dropped to the floor. It turned out that Bawden had greased her legs so Scorpio could not get a firm grip of her. It also turned out that Bawden had undone her laces so that Scorpio could not hold onto her trainers. Although this wasn't explored on the actual programme, the incident was given mention on the show's first home video release, Into the Arena, as Scorpio did indeed make a complaint. John Anderson, after reviewing the footage, ruled that while Bawden did indeed use excessive grease on her legs there was no actual rule prohibiting this therefore she was allowed to retain the points she had earned. However Anderson also ruled that Bawden greasing her legs to escape Scorpio was not keeping in the spirit of the programme and new rules were immediately put in place to prevent her or any other contestants from trying the same trick. Scorpio was shown to be unhappy about this as she considered Bawden to have cheated. However, when she advanced to the semi-finals, Scorpio was given a second chance to chase her up The Wall. This time, she was successful in wrenching Bawden off The Wall.
• After the Wembley live shows in 1993, Phoenix (Sandy Young), Flame (Kimbra LeAnne Standish) and Hawk (Aleks Georgijev) were sensationally sacked from the show, having received the lowest number of votes from fans in a magazine poll. Series showrunner Nigel Lythgoe was heavily criticised for the decision, and was slammed by TV critics for such ruthlessness. For reasons unknown, Bullit (Mike Harvey), who also appeared at the shows, was never transferred over to the television series. He was dropped for unknown reasons, and despite many press articles regarding the incident, no reason for his departure was ever given.
• During the show's third series in 1994, Panther (Helen O'Reilly) suffered one of the most shocking injuries ever seen on the show during a game of "Tilt" When she fell from the platform and severely injured her back. She returned to the show later in the season and remained with the show for a further two years before retiring permanently.
• After the show's third series in 1994, Shadow (Jefferson King) was sensationally sacked from the show, after a newspaper uncovered evidence that he had taken steroids. King later confirmed the rumours were true and was dropped shortly after.
• During the show's fourth series in 1995, Raider (Carlton Headley) became the only Gladiator to face an immediate exclusion from the show, for having pushed a contender who beat him in the Gauntlet. The red card meant disqulification from the following show and a fine. The contender, while on the floor, had kicked Raider out of the Gauntlet so as to win, and was not punished.
• Season five became known as the "season of injury". Before filming even commenced Jet (Diane Youdale) retired after being injured during a live show in Sheffield on Pyramid, Amazon (Sharron Davies) was severely injured during training and had to pull out and did not appear although she was on all publicity for this season including photographs and annuals. Laser was brought in as a replacement. Zodiac's (Kate Staples) appearances were limited to only 2, both being on Danger Zone due to an injury on Pole Axe during training, she retired the following year. Nightshade (Judy Simpson) made only sparse outings due to a worsening virus picked up the previous year in Australia. She had to be helped off after a game of Skytrak by the training team and frankly never looked like the formidable Gladiator she had once been. Her final curtain call came when beaten on her speciality event Duel. Her only defeat during domestic competition. She would never appear again.
• Also During the show's fifth series in 1996, it was widely reported by the media that Hunter (James Crossley) and show presenter Ulrika Jonsson were in a relationship with each other. Although heavily denied at the time, Jonsson later admitted it in her 2003 biography.
• After the show's sixth series in 1997, Warrior (Michael Ahearne) was sacked from the show, after being arrested for a fire arms offence. Despite many questions as to his departure, it was only revealed six months in a newspaper article why he had departed.
• Season seven (1998) saw the show have a major overhaul. 2 new male Gladiators joined the team. One of which was Vulcan, the "bad boy" of the Australian version of the show. He was brought in to be an arch enemy of Wolf and give him a run for his money in the Villan stakes. Several cringeworthy moments followed including a "spontaneous" game of Duel between the two which was obviously planned and in fact looked choreographed. Behind the scenes aspects were added including clips of the contenders selections and training along with contenders choosing, via coin toss, which Gladiator to face on a paricular game. 3 new games were introduced, the most since 1994. All flopped with viewers, in particular "Dogfight" which was seen as the most pointless event ever. 3 events had rule changes: Powerball, where contenders would now go one on one instead to the customary 3 on 2, Pendulum now had lit "sectors" that the contenders had to activate and make flash to earn points and Gauntlet gave away 10 points if a contender got through in 30 seconds or a point for each section completed. The reason for these changes to event rules are unconfirmed although its believed it was to make the show more exciting by allowing contenders to score easier and not allowing Gladiators to dominate games like they had the previous year. Another major change was the Gladiators uniforms. The "logos" (Crossbow for Hunter, Cards for Ace etc.) were removed and a standardised outfit was brought in, all be it in different designs for each gladiator. In fact the actual "cut" of the costume remained the same for all gladiators from the previous year and design wise no two were the same. The main design was part of the word "Gladiators" written in black on each outfit. The outfits were white with flashes of black and red for females and white with flashes of black and blue for males. These new costumes did not go down well with fans who thought the individuality of each gladiator had been removed. Gladiators did remark however they were much more comfortable to wear and made them feel more like a Team. The entire overhaul did not go down well with the audience with viewers believing it to be too little too late. Viewing figures continued to drop and the series was axed in early 1999. However it was agreed to film another 4 episodes. These episodes were filmed in summer 1999 at the National Indoor Arena Birmingham as a final farewell and thank you to fans. Consisting of a 3 part mini series which saw previous winners compete to be crowned "Champion of Champions" and a one off special entitled "Battle of the Giants" where male gladiators competed against each other for the title of "Ultimate Gladiator". The honour went to Hunter (James Crossley). These 4 episodes attracted good ratings for the time slot with the series making it into a new millennium, finally bowing out on 1st January 2000.