List of Eliminator Obstacles - Hand Bike

Hand Bike

The Hand Bike was first in Season 2 of the original run of American Gladiators and has been used in all versions of the UK Eliminator. This obstacle required contenders to traverse a pit by use of a specially designed mechanism that works in a similar fashion to the pedals of a bicycle. Contenders had to pedal the hand bike with their arms to cross the pit. Penalties for falling off the hand bike varied widely over the different versions of the show. In seasons where the Head Start format was used, contenders have been assessed time penalties of 7 to 15 seconds depending on gender, territory, and season. During the original UK run, falling off the hand bike resulted in a 10 second penalty, and only male contenders had to use the Hand Bike (female contenders used the Hand Ladder). During the original American run, Male contenders were delayed for 7 seconds, and females for 10 seconds. The Hand Bike was introduced for the male contenders in the second season of the original Australian run, and challengers who fell off were detained for 7 seconds. During Season 2 of the original American version, the Head Start format was not being used, and because the Eliminator was a scored event, contenders who fell off the hand bike were assessed a 10 point penalty. During the US revival Season 1, there was no penalty mentioned for falling off the hand bike, but several contenders appeared to be delayed for 7 or more seconds before being allowed to continue, and in one episode, an official with a stopwatch was seen in the pit beneath the hand bike. In Season 2 of the US revival, no time penalties were present, but contenders who fell off the hand bike had to negotiate the ball pit. In the UK revival, falling off the hand bike results in a 15 second penalty.