2008 Winter TV Preview: American Gladiators

American Gladiators - Season 1

Premieres: Sunday, January 6 at 9:00 p.m. EST

Network: NBC

Starring:: Hulk Hogan (host), Laila Ali (host), Gladiators: Crush, Fury, Hellga, Justice, Mayhem, Militia, Siren, Stealth, Titan, Toa, Venom, Wolf

Website: NBC.com

American Gladiators is a remake of the late-80’s/early-90’s series of the same name. Each episode features different amateur athletes as they compete against each other and the gladiators (the team of series regulars made up of extremely muscular, athletic men and women) in a variety of events.

With a whole new set of gladiators ready to defend their arena, it looks like many of the events from the original version will be included in the remake. Of them is “Hang Tough,” in which the contestant had to hang from gymnastic rings that hung down from the ceiling. They would move from ring to ring in an attempt to get to the other side, while also trying to avoid the gladiator whose job it was to pull them down.

I was 11 years old when the original Gladiators aired, so the nostalgic side of me is extremely eager to see if the remake is as good as the original or at the very least, if it’s even half as enjoyable as I remember the original being. After all, back in ’89 I did consider Doogie Howser, MD to be one of the greatest shows ever made so basing my level of excitement for the remake of Gladiators on my feelings for the original series probably isn’t the best idea. That said, muscly men and women competing in crazy physical events and attempting to best the gladiators at their own games? Bring it on!

For the full 2008 Winter TV Premiere Schedule: CLICK HERE