| Host | |
| Ryan Seacrest | |
| Hostesses | |
| Maria Sansone (Season 1) Valarie Rae Miller (Season 2) | |
| Referee | |
| Peggy Odita | |
| Broadcast | |
  | |
| Packagers | |
| One World Entertainment Four Point Entertainment The Samuel Goldwyn Company | |
| Distributor | |
| Samuel Goldwyn Television | |
Gladiators 2000 (a.k.a G2) was a short-lived children's version of American Gladiators. This show had the traditional games with the added twist of trivia questions thrown in for the educational element.
Gameplay[]
Two teams of two children, each accompanied by two gladiators (only one in Season 2) as coaches competed in a series of events and answering questions. Success in the events and answering the questions correctly scored points.
Events[]
Some events were played the same as the adult shows but with minor alterations.
- Assault – In this Assault, instead of the contenders running the course and the gladiators shooting tennis balls them, it's the other way around. IOW, the gladiators run the course and the contenders fire the tennis balls. The gladiator had 90 seconds (1:30) to run the course and firing weapons at a target above the contenders while the opposing contenders fire tennis balls at him/her. In between the first four safe zones, the gladiator must complete an obstacle; they are climbing a rope ladder to a marked rung, walk a balance beam, and jump from circle to circle. The gladiator will be disqualified should he/she not complete an obstacle correctly. After the first 45 seconds the opposing contenders trade places with each other. Each time the gladiator hits the target he/she earned 5 points for his/her team (with no points awards for a disqualification), while the opposing contenders scored 10 points each time they hit the gladiator.
- Bones (Snapback, only seen in Season 1) – The contenders are attached to bungee cords, with each contender having an outline of a human body. A bunch of bones fell to the floor, and each contender had to grab a bone and place it on their outline, scoring 5 points for a successful placement. The Gladiators could help the kids up if the bone was too high for placement, but they couldn't tell them where it supposed to go.
- Food Pyramid – The contenders had 90 seconds to climb up a 30 foot food pyramid of red and blue mats to collect giant pieces of food from each of the six food groups (three foods from the grains section, two from each of the next two rows and only from the top representing fats) and place them in a bin and then reach the top and press a button. Contenders from both teams alternate turns. Each completed food group is worth 5 points. The first contender to collect all the foods and reach the top and presses the button received 20 bonus points for a possible total of 50 points.
- Swingshot – The contenders had 60 seconds to grab as many colored balls hanging in the air connected to bungee cords. They earned points according to the colors of the balls and by placing them in a container. There are two version of this event.
- Season 1: Balls were of mixed colors on 5 tiers, plus the colors represent one of three food groups. 5 points for blue (carbs), 3 points for red (proteins), 1 point for yellow (fat). And all four contenders swung.
- Season 2: Two kids played at a time, only the two lower velcro strips on the cylinder were used. Also the point values of the red blue balls switched and all balls did not represent any food group.
- The Wall – As in AG, the object of this event was to reach the top of the 32 foot rock climbing wall. The contender had 90 seconds to do that. The first contender to make it to the top received 10 bonus points and the second contender to make to the top received 5 bonus points. Unlike AG, should a contender come off the wall, he/she can start again but the points were lost. Again, two formats were used.
- Season 1: The wall was divided up into five colored zones (green, blue, pink, purple & red). Each time a contender climbs up to a new zone he/she earns 5 points.
- Season 2: Played the same way except that the zones of the wall were now numbered 1-4. Also only one contestant from each climbed up the wall. Their partners remained on the ground to play a matching game. After climbing to a new zone, the partner revealed a hidden word or phrase corresponding to that zone; the team earned 5 points for matching each hidden word on the left to one of the words on the right.
Bonus Questions[]
In Season 1, after each of the first two events, the teams were asked two questions (one for each team) about what they saw in a special learning video starring the gladiators or characters. Correct answers scored 25 points.
In Season 2, after the Swingshot event, the teams played a special game of Powerball. The kids used their balls grabbed in Swingshot to answer questions on what was taught for the day. A list of was given, and the kid in control had to put the ball in the appropriate powerball cylinder (which were labelled with answers) for each item in 30 seconds, tagging off after each item. Each correct answer was worth 5 points.
The Eliminator[]
Like AG, this was the final event of the day, an obstacle course in which instead of competing simultaneously, both teams took turns in a relay-style race.
One teammate started by climbing a ladder (modified version of the regular show's versaclimber), going down a slide, swinging across a short path of hang tough rings, towards a pair of spinning logs (in Season 1) and a ballpit split into two sections (in Season 2). Each log or section represented an answer to a question; the player had to run across the log or go through the appropriate section of the ballpit that represented their guess.
After that, the player would jump off a platform, and comes to two doors, again each one representing an answer to next question. The correct answer had its door unlocked while the door representing a wrong answer was locked; if the player chose the locked door (and in turn, the wrong answer), they had to go back and through the other one and they lost time in the process. Likewise getting it right the first time picked up time and scored.
After going through the unlocked/right answer door, the player would tag their partner, who came up to the next obstacle and another question, this time represented by one of two ropes hanging off a plexiglass wall. Regardless of whether the player chose the right rope, they were given three attempts to go over, if they failed after that, they could go around.
After this, the player had to run up a reverse treadmill (after two tries, the contender was allowed to go up the side), they then faced one final question, represented by two ropes leading to two paper barriers. They had to swing through the appropriate barrier. Going through the barrier no matter which one it was also stopped the clock.
Each correct answer was worth 25 points. The team with the fastest time earned an additional 50 points, for a possible score of 150 points.
Both teams received prizes, but the team with the most points won a grand prize package.
UK Version[]
A British version of Gladiators 2000/G2, called Gladiators: Train 2 Win, aired on CITV from 1995 until 1998. It was originally hosted by Sharron Davies & Daley Thompson (1995) followed by various Gladiators on rotation from the adult version of the show (1996) then by Margherita Taylor & Kyran Bracken (1997) and finally Lee Sharpe (1998).
Trade Ads[]
Trivia[]
Referee Peggy Odita was the season five grand champion of the original grown up version.
During the first season and going into the first break, a cartoon boy named Ben would complain, criticize or even hate on the gladiators and what they say about staying healthy; and it always ends with disastrous results. The character was voiced by now veteran actress & voice-over artist Pamela Segall Adlon.
Rating[]
Music[]
John Arrias & Richard Freeman Davis
Studio[]
Stage 3, CBS Studio Center, Studio City, CA
Inventor[]
Based on American Gladiators by Dan Carr and John Ferraro
Taglines[]
"That's it for this week! Be sure to join us next time for exciting competition here on Gladiators 2000!" - Maria Sansone/Valerie Rae Miller (1994-1996)
"See ya next time! Bye Bye!" - Ryan Seacrest (1994-1996)
See Also[]
American Gladiators the one that started all.
Superstar American Gladiators an hour-long, one-off primetime special featuring four teams of four celebrities each represented by an American Gladiator as their team captain that aired on ABC on May 4, 1995.
