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{{short description|American robot combat television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = BattleBots logo.png
| alt_name             = ''Comedy Central Sports Presents: BattleBots'' {{small|(seasons 1-5)}}
| genre              = [[Robot competition]]
| creator            = {{plainlist|
* Greg Munson
* Trey Roski
}}
| director           = {{plainlist|
* Dan McDowell
* Ryan Polito
}}
| presenter          = {{plainlist|
* [[Tim Green]]
* [[Sean Salisbury]]
* [[Bil Dwyer]]
* [[Molly McGrath]]
* [[Samantha Ponder]]
* [[Chris Rose]]
* [[Kenny Florian]]
}}
| starring           = {{plainlist|
* Mark Beiro
* [[Bill Nye]]
* [[Donna D'Errico]]
* [[Traci Bingham]]
* [[Sklar Brothers|Randy Sklar]]
* Jason Sklar
* [[Heidi Mark]]
* [[Arj Barker]]
* [[Carmen Electra]]
* [[Alison Haislip]]
* Faruq Tauheed
* [[Jessica Chobot]]
* [[Jenny Taft]]
}}
| narrator           = {{plainlist|
* [[Chris Rose]]
* [[Kenny Florian]]
}}
| composer           = Vanacore Music
| country            = United States
| language           = English
| num_seasons        = 12
| num_episodes       = 191
| list_episodes      = List of BattleBots episodes
| executive_producer = {{plainlist|
* Mack Anderson
* Bradley Anderson
* [[Debbie Liebling]]
* Lloyd Braun
* Chris Cowan
* Trey Roski
* Greg Munson
* Aaron Catling
}}
| editor             = Jonathan Siegel
| runtime            = 30–60 minutes
| company            = {{plainlist|
* [[Whalerock Industries]]
* BattleBots Productions
}}
| network            = {{plainlist|
* [[Comedy Central]] (2000–2002)
* [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (2015–2016)
* [[Discovery Channel]] (2018–2023)
}}
| first_aired        = {{Start date|2000|8|23}}<!-- Per infobox instructions, this field is for the date that the first episode aired, nothing else. Do not add network information or other dates. -->
| last_aired         = {{End date|2023|5|25}}
| related            = ''[[BattleBots: Bounty Hunters]]''
}}
'''''BattleBots''''' is an American [[robot combat]] television series and company. ''BattleBots'' is a series of competitions in which competitors design and operate [[Remote-control vehicle|remote-controlled]] armed and armored machines designed to fight in an arena combat elimination tournament. As a show, BattleBots aired for five seasons on [[Comedy Central]] (2000–2002), returning with two seasons on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (2015–2016) and five more on [[Discovery Channel]] (2018–2023), in addition to several spin-offs.

BattleBots was inspired by untelevised American ''Robot Wars'' competitions (1994–1997), created by [[Marc Thorpe]]. Thorpe's competitions also inspired the British TV program ''[[Robot Wars (TV series)|Robot Wars]]'' (1998–2004, 2016–2018), which acquired the name's television rights in 1995. Starting in 1997, Marc Thorpe's ability to continue his Robot Wars competitions came under legal threat from his former sponsor. In response, competitors Greg Munson and Trey Roski put together a new company, BattleBots, as an unofficial continuation of the American competitions. The first official BattleBots event was hosted at the [[Long Beach Pyramid]] in [[Long Beach, California]], in August 1999, while a second event in [[Las Vegas]] was used to pitch the competition to television networks.

For five seasons, ''BattleBots'' aired on the American [[Comedy Central]] and was hosted by [[Bil Dwyer]], [[Sean Salisbury]], and [[Tim Green]]. Comedy Central's first season premiered on August 23, 2000, and its fifth and last season ended on December 21, 2002. While small untelevised competitions continued to be run under the BattleBots name since 2002, the show was on hiatus until it was revived on ABC in 2015.

A six-episode revival series premiered on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] on June 21, 2015, to generally favorable reviews and ratings. Additionally, ABC renewed ''BattleBots'' for a seventh season, which premiered on June 23, 2016. In February 2018, [[Discovery Channel]] and [[Science (TV network)|Science]] picked up the show for an eighth season, which premiered on May 11, 2018.<ref>{{cite web|last=Durkan|first=Deirdre|title='BattleBots' Revived on Discovery and Science Channels (Exclusive)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/battlebots-revived-discovery-science-channels-1081917|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=February 7, 2018|access-date=February 7, 2018|language=en}}</ref> A ninth season of ''BattleBots'' premiered on Discovery Channel on June 7, 2019,<ref name="season9">{{cite web|title=BATTLEBOTS Returns For Second Season This June On Discovery|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/BATTLEBOTS-Returns-For-Second-Season-This-June-On-Discovery-20190520|work=[[BroadwayWorld]]|publisher=BWW News Desk|date=May 20, 2019|access-date=June 4, 2019|language=en}}</ref> the tenth season premiered on December 3, 2020,<ref name="S10prem">{{cite web|title=The Ultimate Robot Combat Series, "BattleBots" Returns for an All-Out Battle Royale, Premiering December 3 on Discovery Channel|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2020/11/12/the-ultimate-robot-combat-series-battlebots-returns-for-an-all-out-battle-royale-premiering-december-3-on-discovery-channel-842012/20201112discovery01/|work=[[The Futon Critic]]|date=November 12, 2020}}</ref> the eleventh season on January 6, 2022, and the twelfth season on January 5, 2023.

Two spin-off competitions have debuted on [[Discovery+]]. The first spin-off, ''[[BattleBots: Bounty Hunters]]'', premiered on January 4, 2021, on [[Discovery+]].<ref name="BattleBots: Bounty Hunters">{{cite web|title=discovery+ Announces Exclusive Original Series Debuting in January 2021|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2020/12/03/discoveryplus-announces-exclusive-original-series-debuting-in-january-2021-592304/20201203discovery01/|work=[[The Futon Critic]]|date=December 3, 2020}}</ref><ref name="BattleBots: Bounty Hunters 2">{{cite web|title="BattleBots: Bounty Hunters" to Launch on Discovery+ with the Top Robot Competitors Smashing It Out|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2020/12/07/battlebots-bounty-hunters-to-launch-on-discoveryplus-with-the-top-robot-competitors-smashing-it-out-398203/20201207discovery01/|work=[[The Futon Critic]]|date=December 7, 2020}}</ref> A second spin-off premiered on August 5, 2022, under the name ''BattleBots: Champions''.

==History==

=== Early competitions ===
''BattleBots'' is an offshoot of the original Robot Wars tournaments, the brainchild of Marc Thorpe. Robot Wars had financial backing from Sm:)e communications, a New York record company. The Thorpe partnership broke up in 1997, starting many years of legal wrangling between Thorpe and [[Profile Records]] (the former Sm:)e Communications). Profile licensed ''Robot Wars'' to [[Mentorn]], a UK television production company''.'' Mentorn's ''[[Robot Wars (TV series)|Robot Wars]]'' ran from 1998 to 2004 as a popular television program in the UK, with a short-lived revival from 2016 to 2017.

The robot builders left behind in San Francisco formed BattleBots, Inc. and began a series of larger competitions. The first was held in [[Long Beach, California]] in August 1999 and [[webcast|streamed online]], attracting 40,000 streams. Lenny Stucker, a television producer known for his work on telecasts of [[professional boxing]], was in attendance and showed interest in being involved with ''BattleBots''—believing the concept of [[robot combat]] was "hip" and have shown an interest in technology. Stucker made changes to the competition's format and presentation to make it more suitable for television, including elements reminiscent of boxing (such as a red and blue corner) and shifting to a single-elimination format. The creators tried selling the competition as a television series to networks such as [[CBS]], [[NBC]], [[HBO]], and [[Showtime (TV channel)|Showtime]], but none picked it up. A second event was held as a [[pay-per-view]] in [[Las Vegas]] in 1999, the PPV was in turn, used as a [[Television pilot|pilot]] to pitch the show again, with a higher rate of success.<ref name="sbnation-oralhistory">{{cite web|title=Robot Wars: An oral history of the birth and death of BattleBots|url=https://www.sbnation.com/longform/2013/6/18/4438250/battlebots-robot-wars-combat-oral-history|website=SBNation|date=18 June 2013 |access-date=29 June 2015}}</ref>

=== Comedy Central seasons (2000–2002) ===
Among the networks interested was [[Comedy Central]], who ultimately picked up the program. [[Debbie Liebling]], the network's Senior Vice President of original programming and development, felt that the concept would appeal to the network's young adult demographic, explaining that "it was really funny and really nerdy. The Internet was not a big thing yet, so the nerd culture wasn't so celebrated. It was sports for the nerdy person, I guess."<ref name=sbnation-oralhistory/> Co-creator Greg Munson viewed the deal as a double-edged sword; it gave ''BattleBots'' an outlet and a larger budget, but the network insisted on the addition of comedic aspects to ''BattleBots'' as a program, such as [[Sketch comedy|sketches]] involving contestants. However, the competition itself was not affected by this mandate; Liebling described the final product as being "a parody of a sports show without being a parody". Munson lamented that the network had also ignored his suggestion for the co-host role to be filled by "attractive geek girls" with sufficient knowledge to speak with builders, having elected to "[keep] throwing bigger and better hot babes at it", such as [[Carmen Electra]].<ref name=sbnation-oralhistory/>

Despite this, viewership and awareness of ''BattleBots'' grew progressively over time; contestants Christian Carlberg and [[Lisa Winter]] were invited to appear on ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]'', ''BattleBots'' beat ''[[South Park]]'' as Comedy Central's highest-rated program for a period during Season 3, competitor interest grew and licensing deals also emerged.<ref name=sbnation-oralhistory/> The success of ''BattleBots'', however, resulted in competition from other broadcasters; [[TLC (TV network)|TLC]] introduced a competing program, ''[[Robotica (TV series)|Robotica]]'', while other channels imported episodes of the British ''Robot Wars'' series.<ref name=sbnation-oralhistory/> By 2002, the program had begun to face further difficulties; Munson felt that the bouts had become "homogenized" because the participants had "perfected" the sport of robot fighting, leading to a lack of innovation in robot designs and strategies.<ref name=sbnation-oralhistory/> Furthermore, ''BattleBots'' had sued [[Anheuser-Busch]] and its advertising agency for producing and airing a [[Super Bowl commercial|commercial during Super Bowl XXXVII]] that parodied the program and featured a robot greatly resembling one from ''BattleBots'' (this lawsuit, however, was dismissed in 2004, after a judge ruled that the ad was a [[parody]] protected by [[fair use]]).<ref name=lat-battlebotslawsuit>{{cite news|title=Lawsuit Over Bud Light Ad Dismissed|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jul-13-fi-bots13-story.html|access-date=29 June 2015|agency=Bloomberg News}}</ref> In September 2002, Comedy Central cancelled ''BattleBots'' after its fifth season, ''BattleBots 5.0''. [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]] acquired full control of the network in April 2003;<ref name=sbnation-oralhistory/><ref name=cnnmoney-viacombuyscc>{{cite web|title=Viacom buys Comedy Central|url=https://money.cnn.com/2003/04/22/news/companies/viacom/|website=CNNMoney|publisher=CNN|access-date=29 June 2015}}</ref> Stucker believed that Comedy Central had become "tired" of the program, and Roski stated that Viacom had wanted to shift Comedy Central back towards traditional comedy programming.<ref name=sbnation-oralhistory/>

Between August 21 and 26, 2009 a BattleBots-branded event was held and filmed in California.<ref>{{cite web |title=The BattleBots Season That Never Was |url=http://thirdlawsports.com/2016/07/14/battlebots-season-that-never-was/ |website=Third Law Sports |publisher=thirdlawsports.com |access-date=13 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160719213420/http://thirdlawsports.com/2016/07/14/battlebots-season-that-never-was/ |archive-date=19 July 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Three competitions were held: The High School Championship, Collegiate Championship and Pro Championship. Competitors included a mix of Comedy Central stars and newcomers who would return to the reboot. CBS sport originally agreed to air the Collegiate Championship before dropping out due to lack of commercial interest. A deal with Fox was later signed before also falling apart for unknown reasons.<ref>{{cite web |title= CBS Drop BattleBots College Series |url=https://battlebots.com/college-show.html |website=BattleBots |publisher=BattleBots.com |access-date=13 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707214334/https://battlebots.com/college-show.html |archive-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The pilot episode of the Collegiate Championship was released onto the official BattleBots YouTube Channel on the 17th of September 2010.

=== ABC/Discovery Channel revival (2015–present) ===
In December 2014, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] announced that it had picked up a six-episode revival of ''BattleBots'', produced by [[Whalerock Industries]], to premiere in June 2015. Roski and Munson served as executive producers, joined by [[Lloyd Braun]].<ref name="fastco-bb2015">{{cite web|title=At The "Intersection Of Design And Destruction," ABC Reignites "BattleBots" With Creative Combat|url=http://www.fastcompany.com/3047032/at-the-intersection-of-design-and-destruction-abc-re-ignites-battlebots-with-creative-combat|website=Fast Company|access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref> The 2015 revival drew an average viewership of 5.4 million in its Sunday-night timeslot, with a 1.9 share in the 18-49 demographic. In November 2015, ABC announced that it had renewed the ''BattleBots'' revival for the seventh overall season of the series. The 2016 competition expanded to a 56-team field.<ref name="thewrap-renewed">{{cite web|title=ABC Renews 'BattleBots' for Season 2|url=http://www.thewrap.com/abc-renews-battlebots-for-season-2/|website=TheWrap|date=5 November 2015 |access-date=6 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="verge-renewed">{{cite news|title=BattleBots is coming back for a second season on ABC|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/11/6/9680466/battlebots-season-2-abc-summer-2016|access-date=6 November 2015|work=The Verge}}</ref>

After ABC declined to renew the revival for a subsequent season, the series was picked up by [[Discovery Channel]] and sister network [[Science (TV channel)|Science]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/battlebots-revived-discovery-science-channels-1081917|title='BattleBots' Revived on Discovery and Science Channels (Exclusive)|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=2018-05-14}}</ref> In April 2018, the networks announced that a new season would premiere that year: May 11 on Discovery and May 16 on Science Channel.<ref name="DiscoveryRevival2018">{{Cite web|url=https://press.discovery.com/us/dsc/press-releases/2018/discovery-and-science-channel-announce-season-4330/|title=Discovery And Science Channel Announce the Season Premiere of 'Battlebots'|date=April 18, 2018|website=Discovery|publisher=Discovery Communications, Inc.|access-date=October 17, 2018|quote=Hit Series to Launch Friday, May 11 at 8 PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Wednesday, May 16 at 9 PM ET/PT on Science Channel}}</ref> The announcement reported that among the returning bots would be favorites Tombstone, Minotaur, Chomp, Witch Doctor, Bronco, Bombshell, Bite Force, and Yeti. [[Chris Rose]] and [[Kenny Florian]] return to call the action, provide background information about the bots and teams, and offer commentary. [[Jessica Chobot]] served again as the sideline reporter. Faruq Tauheed returned as the ring announcer.

BattleBots returned for another season on June 5, 2019, on Discovery and Science Channel. Chris Rose and Kenny Florian returned as hosts with a new sideline reporter, [[Jenny Taft]], interviewing all of the BattleBots competitors in the workshop. The [[COVID-19 pandemic]] delayed the tenth-season premiere on Discovery, planned for May 2020. Filming finally occurred October 10–21 for the season 10 premiere on December 3, 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=Discovery Ramps Up 'BattleBots' With 50 Hours of Programming (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/discovery-ramps-up-battlebots-50-hours-programming-1280035 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=20 February 2020 |access-date=20 February 2020}}</ref> An eleventh season ran from January 6 to April 7, 2022, establishing a permanent base for production at Caesars Entertainment Studios in Las Vegas. A twelfth season—marketed as "World Championship VII"—ran from January 5 to May 25, 2023.

Apart from the televised competitions, BattleBots has hosted several untelevised shows in Las Vegas. In 2019 and 2022, minor tournaments were hosted in collaboration with re:MARS, a technology conference run by [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]]. The re:MARS competition on June 6, 2019, was won by Witch Doctor (out of ten competitors), while the competition on June 23, 2022, was won by HyperShock (out of eight competitors). A live show, 'BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon', was presented four days a week from February to May 2023. 'Destruct-A-Thon' exhibited unscripted fights between replicas of classic and reboot BattleBots competitors. The replica bots, or 'ShowBots', were built and driven by a production crew with guidance from the original teams who designed them. Starting May 2023, the production space was utilized for another live show, 'BattleBots Proving Ground', which involved fights between newly designed or untested bots from newcomers or unproven teams.

==Personalities==
For the first five seasons, ''BattleBots'' was hosted by [[Bil Dwyer]], [[Sean Salisbury]], and [[Tim Green]]. Correspondents included former ''[[Baywatch]]'' actresses [[Donna D'Errico]], [[Carmen Electra]], and [[Traci Bingham]], former [[Playboy Playmate]] [[Heidi Mark]], comedian [[Arj Barker]] and identical twins [[Randy and Jason Sklar]]. [[Bill Nye]] was the show's "technical expert". The show's match announcer was longtime boxing ring announcer Mark Beiro.

The 2015 edition was hosted by [[Molly McGrath]], with [[Chris Rose]] and former [[Ultimate Fighting Championship|UFC]] fighter [[Kenny Florian]] as commentators. The battle arena announcer was Faruq Tauheed, and [[Alison Haislip]] conducted interviews on the sidelines and behind the scenes. The judges were engineer and [[NASA]] astronaut [[Leland D. Melvin|Leland Melvin]], ''[[Nerdist News]]'' anchor [[Jessica Chobot]] and visual effects artist, and former competitor, Fon Davis.

For the 2016 season, [[Samantha Ponder]] was added as host, replacing [[Molly McGrath]]. The returning judges were Fon Davis, Jessica Chobot, and Leland Melvin, as well as celebrity guest judges actor [[Clark Gregg]], ''[[MythBusters]]'' host and former Battlebots builder [[Adam Savage]], [[National Football League|NFL]] [[tightend]] [[Vernon Davis]], and [[YouTube]] star [[Michael Stevens (educator)|Michael Stevens]] a.k.a. [[Vsauce]].

For the 2018 season, Rose, Florian, and Tauheed all returned in their roles, with Rose and Florian taking over as the primary hosts of the show. Chobot and Haislip switched their roles, with Chobot becoming the new sideline reporter and Haislip one of the rotating judges.<ref name="bbotshost18">{{cite web|title=BattleBots: The cast – BattleBots|url=https://battlebots.com/cast/|website=battlebots.com|access-date=21 May 2018}}</ref> Other judges include former ''Battlebots'' competitors [[Lisa Winter]], Derek Young, [[Grant Imahara]] and Mark Setrakian.<ref name="bbotshost18"/>

For the 2019 season, Chobot was replaced with Jenny Taft as a sideline reporter, and the judging panel was fixed to Winter, Young, and former competitor Jason Bardis instead of rotating as it had done in previous seasons.

For the 2020 season, former builder Peter Abrahamson was added as a ringside "bot whisperer" who provided technical details and in-depth analysis of matchups, robots, and damage.{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2015}}
* [[Jamie Hyneman]] and [[Adam Savage]] (creators of heavyweight [[Blendo]]), and [[Grant Imahara]] (creator of middleweight [[Deadblow]]) of [[Discovery Channel]]'s ''[[MythBusters]]'' are former competitors. Deadblow sometimes appeared as a "guest MythBuster", assisting Grant with various experiments including [[MythBusters (2009 season)#Driving in the Dark|"Driving In The Dark"]].
* [[Will Wright (game designer)|Will Wright]], the creator of ''[[SimCity]]'' and other [[List of Sim games|Sim games]], as well as ''[[Spore (2008 video game)|Spore]]'', was a long-time contestant. He competed with middleweight Chiabot in Seasons 1–5, multibot RACC along with Mike Winter in Long Beach 1999, and lightweight The Aggressive Polygon in Season 1. His daughter Cassidy competed with middleweight Misty the WonderBot in Seasons 4–5.
* [[Michael Loren Mauldin]], founder of [[Lycos]], entered multiple bots over the series, competing with Team Toad.
* One of the founders of ''BattleBots'', Trey Roski, is the son of [[Edward P. Roski|Edward Roski Jr.]], one of the owners of the [[STAPLES Center]] sports arena in Los Angeles.
* [[Jay Leno]] appeared with a novelty BattleBot, Chinkilla – a lift-type robot, Chinkilla did not comply with the competition rules and only competed in special exhibition matches at BattleBots events.
* Mark Setrakian, builder/creator of the fighting robots and control suits used on ''[[Robot Combat League]]'', is known for his visually appealing robots such as Mechadon and Snake. He has also worked on control technology used for films like ''[[Men in Black (1997 film)|Men In Black]]'', ''[[How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film)|The Grinch]]'', and ''[[Hellboy (2004 film)|Hellboy]]''. Whilst Setrakian did not compete in the ABC revival series, he built Axis, a claw-like podium that rotated the Giant Nut on top of it while it was on display.
* [[Gary Coleman]], in promotion with UGO.com, joined Jim Smentowski on Team Nightmare for ''BattleBots'' Season 5.
* [[Daniel T. Barry|Dan Barry]], retired [[NASA]] [[astronaut]] and ''[[Survivor: Panama]]'' contestant, competed in ''BattleBots'' Season 7 with Black Ice.

==Format==
{{More citations needed|date=September 2019}}

===Weight classes===
Robots at BattleBots tournaments were separated into four weight classes in seasons 1–5. The weight limits increased slightly over time. At the final tournaments, the classes were:

*Lightweight – 60 pounds (30 kilograms)
*Middleweight – 120 pounds (54 kilograms)
*Heavyweight – 220 pounds (100 kilograms)
*Superheavyweight – 340 pounds (154 kilograms)

Starting in season 6, there were no longer separate weight classes, while the weight limit for heavyweights was increased from 220 to 250 pounds.

"Walking" robots (stompbots) propelled by means other than wheels were initially given a 50% weight bonus. The rules changed following the victory of a heavyweight stompbot (Son of Whyachi) at BattleBots 3.0. For BattleBots 4.0 and beyond only a 20% weight bonus was given to walkers and the technical rules specified that walking mechanisms do not use [[Cam (mechanism)|cam]] operated walking mechanisms as they were functionally too similar to wheel operation. Since the rules change, walking robots have entered the competition, but none has achieved any success beyond preliminary rounds. As of 2020, true walkers are given a 100% weight bonus, allowing the only competing walker, Chomp, to weigh 500 pounds.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=BattleBots rules & entry – BattleBots |url=https://battlebots.com/rules/ |access-date=2022-03-03 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Matches===
Matches are three minutes long. During a match, two robots do their best to destroy or disable each other using whatever means available. The match begins with a series of lights that flash from yellow to green. The original Comedy Central version used a standard [[Christmas tree (drag racing)|Christmas tree]] as seen in the sport of [[drag racing]]; the ABC revival uses just one box of lights that flash yellow three times, and then flash green.

If a robot pins or grabs an opposing robot by any means, the aggressor can hold the defender for up to 30 seconds before needing to release, though they are allowed to attempt another pin/grab after releasing, thereby granting another 30 seconds. Robots that are unable to release their opponent or otherwise become entangled may cause the match to be paused, allowing BattleBots technicians to enter the BattleBox and attempt to separate them. If they are able to be separated, the match restarts with the remaining time on the clock. If unable, the match will be ended prematurely and sent to the judges.

If a robot is unable to move for ten seconds, because it is too badly damaged or it is stuck in some manner (e.g., ensnared in an arena-trap), it is declared knocked out. In the Comedy Central version, the driver could also call a "tap-out" to forfeit the match if his or her robot is about to be destroyed. This ends the match ten seconds later; the opposing driver is "asked" (but not instructed) not to attack during the ten-second count.

If both robots survive the three minutes, or if the match is prematurely halted, a panel of judges distribute a total of 33 points (11 points a judge) over three categories: Damage, Aggression, and Control. Damage is weighted more heavily with five possible points, while Aggression and Control account for three each. Judges are provided with detailed guidelines for scoring, but in general terms, Damage points are awarded for how much non-cosmetic damage is inflicted to both robots either directly by their opponent and/or by arena hazards, Aggression refers to how much each robot engaged or avoided the other, and Control points are awarded based on how skillfully the drivers either evaded their opponents' attacks or positioned their own for maximum effectiveness. The robot with the higher score wins. Starting in Season 7, competitors who disagreed with the judges' decision may file an appeal, prompting a closer look at the fight and potentially overturning the decision. If this appeal fails, that team loses the ability to challenge further rulings that season.

At the end of the tournament, a series of 'rumbles' or 'melee rounds' is typically held in each weight class, allowing robots that survived the main tournament to fight in a 'free for all' in a 5-minute match. Occasionally, there are too many robots for one rumble, and multiple rumbles are held with the top surviving bots competing in a final event. During the Season 5 Heavyweight rumble (the first rumble of that competition), a sheared-off robot part went through the Lexan arena roof and fell (harmlessly) into the audience. Because of this, the rest of the rumbles were canceled due to safety concerns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nightmare- San Francisco 2002 |url=http://www.robotcombat.com/nightmare_sf02.html |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=www.robotcombat.com}}</ref>

===Arena===
The BattleBox is a {{Convert|48 x 48|ft|abbr=on}} square arena designed to protect the drivers, officials, and audience from flying debris and charging bots. It was originally designed by Pete Lampertson. As of the 2015 season, Pete was still overseeing the box with the help of Matt Neubauer. It has a steel floor and steel-framed walls and roof paneled with thick, bulletproof polycarbonate plastic. The teams bring their robots in through doorways, which are sealed after all humans have exited. The drivers control their machines from outside the sealed arena.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

Arena booby-traps are intended to make fights more interesting and unpredictable and to reward drivers who can avoid the traps while pushing or carrying their opponent into them.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

=== Prizes ===

Besides the Giant Nut trophy awarded to the winning team of the championship tournament, there are cash prizes for all robots that compete in combat at the tournament. In the [[BattleBots (season 7)|second season of the ABC revival series]], the winner of the championship tournament finals was awarded a cash prize of US${{formatnum:25000}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tournament Rules (2016) |url=https://battlebots.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Tournament-Rules.2016.Rev1_.2.pdf |website=battlebots.com}}</ref> During [[BattleBots (season 10)|Season 10]], the prize was US${{formatnum:10000}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prize Money 2020 Breakdown |url=https://battlebots.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Prize-Money-2020.2.png |website=battlebots.com}}</ref>

Additionally, the Giant Bolt trophies are awarded to teams based on their robot's design and operation, regardless of their performance in the tournament. The awarded categories are: Most Destructive Robot, Best Design, and the Founder's Award (which celebrates those that "best represent the spirit and values" of ''BattleBots'').<ref name=":0" /> Following the death of longtime competitor [[Grant Imahara]] in 2020, the Best Designer award was renamed to the Grant Imahara Award for Best Design in his honor.

==Episodes==
{{main|List of BattleBots episodes}}
{{:List of BattleBots episodes}}
== Spin-off series ==

=== ''BattleBots: Bounty Hunters'' ===
{{Main|BattleBots: Bounty Hunters}}

On December 3, 2020, a spin-off streaming series was announced, titled ''BattleBots: Bounty Hunters''. The streaming series was filmed concurrently with the 2020–2021 season and aired from January 4 to March 18, 2021, on [[Discovery+]].<ref name="BattleBots: Bounty Hunters"/><ref name="BattleBots: Bounty Hunters 2"/>

''BattleBots: Bounty Hunters'' is a six-episode series involving 48 bots in total. Each episode is themed around a "bounty" placed on the heads of six destructive veteran bots: Bronco, Icewave, Tombstone, Beta, Witch Doctor, and Son of Whyachi. In each episode, eight bots (including newcomers) fight through a single-elimination tournament for the chance to fight in a bounty match against the veteran bot in question. Whichever team wins the bounty match earns US$25,000.

=== ''BattleBots: Champions'' ===
On July 19, 2022, a second spin-off, titled ''BattleBots: Champions'', was announced. The streaming series aired from August 4 to September 8, 2022, on [[Discovery+]]. ''BattleBots: Champions'' is a sequel to ''BattleBots: Bounty Hunters'', filmed concurrently with the 2022 season.

''BattleBots: Champions'' is a six-episode series involving 48 bots in total. In each of the first five episodes, eight bots fight through a single-elimination tournament, called the "Sin City Slugfest". Each winner of the Sin City Slugfest then battles a winner of a ''BattleBots: Bounty Hunters'' bounty match. The victor progresses to the Golden Bolt tournament. The sixth episode is the Golden Bolt tournament, where the five surviving bots face off against each other and three current or former BattleBots champions (for 2022, Tombstone, End Game, and Tantrum). The overall winner of ''BattleBots: Champions'' is awarded the Golden Bolt.

From October 5 to November 9, 2023, a second season of ''BattleBots: Champions'', titled ''BattleBots II: Sin City'' aired on [[Discovery Channel]] and streamed on [[Max (streaming service)|MAX]]. The format was similar to the earlier series, eschewing the bounty match battle and replacing Tombstone with SawBlaze as an automatic Golden Bolt qualifier. It was filmed concurrently with the 2023 ''BattleBots'' World Championship VII (season 12).<ref>{{Cite web |title=BattleBots Champions II – Episode 1 (Discovery) |url=https://battlebots.com/event/bbc2-01 |access-date=February 23, 2024 |website=battlebots.com}}</ref>

Currently, End Game is the reigning champion with two consecutive wins.

== Competitors and results ==

=== Comedy Central ===
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Comedy Central seasons
|-
! Season 
!Year
!Weight class
!Number of competitors!! Winner !! Runner-up !! Semi-finalists
|-
| rowspan="4" | '''[[BattleBots (season 1)|1.0]]'''
| rowspan="4" |2000
|Superheavyweight (325 lb)
|15|| Minion|| DooAll ||Rammstein, Ronin
|-
|Heavyweight (210 lb)
|20|| Vlad the Impaler || Voltarc ||Punjar, Killerhurtz
|-
|Middleweight (115 lb)
|12
|Hazard
|Deadblow
|Super Orbiting Force, Pressure Drop
|-
|Lightweight (58 lb)
|24|| Backlash || Alpha Raptor ||Das Bot, Mouser Mecha Catbot
|-
| rowspan="4" |'''[[BattleBots (Season 2)|2.0]]'''
| rowspan="4" |2000–2001
|Superheavyweight (325 lb)
|26
|Diesector
|Atomic Wedgie
|War Machine, Revision Z
|-
|Heavyweight (210 lb)
|33
|[[BioHazard|Biohazard]]
|Vlad the Impaler
|FrenZy, Voltronic
|-
|Middleweight (115 lb)
|29
|Spaz
|El Diablo
|Bad Attitude, The Master
|-
|Lightweight (58 lb)
|40
|Ziggo
|Backlash
|Beta Raptor, Toe Crusher
|-
| rowspan="4" |'''[[BattleBots (Season 3)|3.0]]'''
| rowspan="4" |2001
|Superheavyweight (325 lb)
|62
|Vladiator
|Minion
|Diesector, Toro
|-
|Heavyweight (210 lb)
|90
|Son of Whyachi
|Biohazard
|Hexadecimator, Overkill
|-
|Middleweight (115 lb)
|132
|Hazard
|Little Drummer Boy
|T-Wrex, SABotage
|-
|Lightweight (58 lb)
|115
|Dr. Inferno Jr.
|Gamma Raptor
|Sallad, Wedge of Doom
|-
| rowspan="4" |'''[[BattleBots (Season 4)|4.0]]'''
| rowspan="4" |2002
|Superheavyweight (340 lb)
|69
|Toro
|New Cruelty
|Little Blue Engine, Diesector
|-
|Heavyweight (220 lb)
|71
|Biohazard
|Overkill
|Tazbot, Surgeon General
|-
|Middleweight (120 lb)
|106
|Hazard
|Complete Control
|Heavy Metal Noise, Zion
|-
|Lightweight (60 lb)
|104
|Ziggo
|The Big B
|Death by Monkeys, Carnage Raptor
|-
| rowspan="4" |'''[[BattleBots (Season 5)|5.0]]'''
| rowspan="4" |2002
|Superheavyweight (340 lb)
|92
|Diesector
|Vladiator
|New Cruelty, Maximus
|-
|Heavyweight (220 lb)
|101
|Biohazard
|Voltronic
|Aces and Eights, Overkill
|-
|Middleweight (120 lb)
|150
|T-Minus
|SOB
|Hazard, Turtle
|-
|Lightweight (60 lb)
|156
|Dr. Inferno Jr.
|Wedge of Doom
|Gamma Raptor, Code:BLACK
|}

=== ABC / Discovery Channel ===
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" style="text-align:center;"
|+ ABC / Discovery Channel seasons
|-
!Season (overall)
!Revival season
!Year
!Number of competitors!! Winner !! Runner-up !! Semi-finalists (top 4)
!Quarter-finalists (top 8)
|-
|[[BattleBots (season 6)|6]]
|1
|2015
|24|| Bite Force|| Tombstone ||Ghost Raptor, Bronco
|Overhaul, Witch Doctor, Icewave, Stinger
|-
|[[BattleBots (season 7)|7]]
|2
|2016
|55|| Tombstone || Bombshell ||Yeti, Minotaur
|Beta, Poison Arrow, Chomp, Bronco
|-
|[[BattleBots (season 8)|8]]
|3
|2018
|55
|Bite Force
|Minotaur
|Whiplash, Lock-Jaw
|Rotator, Monsoon, Bronco, Bombshell
|-
|[[BattleBots (season 9)|9]]
|4
|2019
|68
|Bite Force
|Witch Doctor
|Tombstone, Death Roll
|Lock-Jaw, SawBlaze, Whiplash, Minotaur
|-
|[[BattleBots (season 10)|10]]
|5
|2020–2021
|59
|End Game
|Whiplash
|Tantrum, Black Dragon
|Shatter!, Hydra, SawBlaze, Ribbot
|-
|[[BattleBots (season 11)|11]]
|6
|2022
|59
|Tantrum
|Witch Doctor
|Hydra, SawBlaze
|Cobalt, Minotaur, Blip, Riptide
|-
|[[BattleBots (season 12)|12]]
|7 (World Championship VII)
|2023
|50|| SawBlaze || HUGE ||Ribbot, Copperhead
|Minotaur, Witch Doctor, Hydra, Riptide 
|}

=== Other televised competitions ===
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" style="text-align:center;"
|+Long Beach 1999
!Weight class
!Number of competitors
!Winner
!Runner-up
!Semi-finalists
|-
|"Gigabots" (200 lb)
|24
|Biohazard
|Killerhurtz
|Tazbot, Vlad the Impaler
|-
|"Megabots" (109 lb)
|13
|Son of Smashy
|Knee Breaker
|Deadblow, Carnivore
|-
|"Kilobots" (55 lb)
|27
|Ziggo
|Defiant
|Toe Crusher, Tentomushi
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" style="text-align:center;"
|+Las Vegas 1999 pay-per-view
!Weight class
!Number of competitors
!Winner
!Runner-up
!Semi-finalists
|-
|Superheavyweight (325 lb)
|24
|Vlad the Impaler
|Voltarc
|Rhino, Punjar
|-
|Heavyweight (210 lb)
|8
|Minion
|Ricon
|World Peace, Mechadon
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" style="text-align:center;"
|+''BattleBots: Bounty Hunters (2021)''
!Bounty / Episode
!Bounty Match Winner
!Bounty Match Loser
!Pre-bounty Finalist
|-
|Bronco (Episode 1)
|Rotator
|Bronco
|MadCatter
|-
|Icewave (Episode 2)
|Skorpios
|Icewave
|Hypershock
|-
|Tombstone (Episode 3)
|Tombstone
|Gruff
|Kraken
|-
|Beta (Episode 4)
|Lock-Jaw
|Beta
|Bloodsport
|-
|Witch Doctor (Episode 5)
|Witch Doctor
|SubZero
|Malice
|-
|Son of Whyachi (Episode 6)
|Gigabyte
|Son of Whyachi
|Copperhead
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="text-align:center;"
|+''BattleBots: Champions (2022)''
!Episode
!Golden Bolt Qualifier Winner
!Golden Bolt Qualifier Loser
!Sin City Slugfest Finalist
|-
|Gigabyte (Episode 1)
|Hypershock
|Gigabyte
|MadCatter
|-
|Lock-Jaw (Episode 2)
|Ribbot
|Lock-Jaw
|Deep Six
|-
|Rotator (Episode 3)
|Glitch
|Rotator
|Uppercut
|-
|Skorpios (Episode 4)
|Skorpios
|Bloodsport
|Blacksmith
|-
|Witch Doctor (Episode 5)
|Witch Doctor
|Whiplash
|Black Dragon
|-
|style="background:#E6E6E6;"|'''Golden Bolt Tournament Winner'''
|style="background:#E6E6E6;"|'''Golden Bolt Tournament Runner-up'''
|style="background:#E6E6E6;"|'''Golden Bolt Tournament Semi-finalists'''
|style="background:#E6E6E6;"|'''Golden Bolt Tournament Quarter-finalists'''
|-
|End Game
|Witch Doctor
|Tantrum, Hypershock
|Ribbot, Glitch, Tombstone, Skorpios
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="text-align:center;"
|+''BattleBots: Champions II (2023)''
!Episode
!Golden Bolt Qualifier
!Slugfest Finalist
!Slugfest Semi-finalist
|-
|Episode 1
|SHREDDIT BRO!
|Valkyrie
|Switchback, Rotator
|-
|Episode 2
|Whiplash
|Black Dragon
|Malice, MadCatter
|-
|Episode 3
|Free Shipping
|Gigabyte
|Beta, DeathRoll
|-
|Episode 4
|JackPot
|Cobalt
|Lucky, Emulsifier
|-
|Episode 5
|RIPperoni
|HyperShock
|Monsoon, Claw Viper
|-
|style="background:#E6E6E6;"|'''Golden Bolt Tournament Winner'''
|style="background:#E6E6E6;"|'''Golden Bolt Tournament Runner-up'''
|style="background:#E6E6E6;"|'''Golden Bolt Tournament Semi-finalists'''
|style="background:#E6E6E6;"|'''Golden Bolt Tournament Quarter-finalists'''
|-
|End Game
|SawBlaze
|JackPot, Tantrum
|Free Shipping, SHREDDIT BRO!, Whiplash, RIPperoni
|}

==See also==
{{commons category}}
{{Portal|Television|United States}}
*[[Robot Fighting League]]
*[[Survival Research Laboratories]]
*[[RoboGames]]
*[[Robot Wars (TV series)]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{official website|http://www.battlebots.com/}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20001109043900/http://comedycentral.com/bots/index_flash.shtml (Comedy Central version)]
*[http://abc.go.com/shows/battlebots (ABC version)]
*[http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/battlebots/ (Science Channel version)]
*[http://runamok.tech/whowon.html Full results of major robotic competitions including Robot Wars, BattleBots and Robotica]
*{{IMDb title|0259128|2000 Series}}
*{{IMDb title|4816364|2015 Series}}

{{BattleBots}}
{{Discovery Channel programming}}
{{Comedy Central programming}}
{{Robot Wars}}

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[[Category:American Broadcasting Company game shows]]
[[Category:American television series revived after cancellation]]
[[Category:BattleBots]]
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