The American Gladiators Revival - a Good Move?
Nowadays I don't watch much TV anymore, but as a kid one of my favorite shows was American Gladiators. I loved seeing ordinary people take on ridiculously huge dudes in such classic events as Powerball, the Pyramid, and Joust (which, thanks to American Gladiators, has now become associated with pugel sticks instead of lances).
When I first found out that NBC was going to revive the show, I was just shaking my head. Have they finally run out of ideas (apparently they're going to be reviving Knight Rider, too)?
And then when I found out that Laila Ali and Hulk Hogan were going to be hosting the show, I cringed even more. What would American Gladiators be without Mike Adamle? Does Hulk Hogan really need more face time?
But then I saw some information on some of the Gladiators, and that peaked my interest.
Crush is Gina Carano, an up-and-coming MMA fighter who also happened to do a Maxim Photoshoot a while ago.
Venom is Beth Horn, a fitness competitor who also happens to be the author of the book The Natural Way: The Holistic Guide To Total Mind-Body Health & Fitness.
Siren is Valerie Waugaman, a figure competitor who has worked with Dr. John Berardi (a man who has had a great influence on my interest in sports nutrition).
Fury is Jamie Kovac (formerly known as Jamie Reed - I think she got married recently), another figure competitor . . . who happened to have graduated from Cornell!
All this made me feel compelled to watch, and so far I've enjoyed the new series. Even though I've never met any of the people involved, I feel more of a connection with the new Gladiators. I didn't know anything about the Gladiators back when I watched the old show, and back then I didn't pay attention to figure or anything like that.
I had my reservations, but now I'm eager to cheer on a fellow Cornell alum along with the other Gladiators.
When I first found out that NBC was going to revive the show, I was just shaking my head. Have they finally run out of ideas (apparently they're going to be reviving Knight Rider, too)?
And then when I found out that Laila Ali and Hulk Hogan were going to be hosting the show, I cringed even more. What would American Gladiators be without Mike Adamle? Does Hulk Hogan really need more face time?
But then I saw some information on some of the Gladiators, and that peaked my interest.
Crush is Gina Carano, an up-and-coming MMA fighter who also happened to do a Maxim Photoshoot a while ago.
Venom is Beth Horn, a fitness competitor who also happens to be the author of the book The Natural Way: The Holistic Guide To Total Mind-Body Health & Fitness.
Siren is Valerie Waugaman, a figure competitor who has worked with Dr. John Berardi (a man who has had a great influence on my interest in sports nutrition).
Fury is Jamie Kovac (formerly known as Jamie Reed - I think she got married recently), another figure competitor . . . who happened to have graduated from Cornell!
All this made me feel compelled to watch, and so far I've enjoyed the new series. Even though I've never met any of the people involved, I feel more of a connection with the new Gladiators. I didn't know anything about the Gladiators back when I watched the old show, and back then I didn't pay attention to figure or anything like that.
I had my reservations, but now I'm eager to cheer on a fellow Cornell alum along with the other Gladiators.