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Interviewers
Raye Hollitt
Danny Lee Clark
Michael M. Horton
Julie Resh
Dick Askin
Lori Fetrick
Jim Starr
Sha-Ra Pendleton
Debbie Clark
Bob Levy
Steve Hennebery
Shirley Eson
Eytan Keller
Elden Kidd
Peggy Odita
Richard Bornstein
Deron McBee
Branscombe Richmond
Erika Andersch
David Fishof
Broadcast
Muscles & Mayhem An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators
Netflix: June 28, 2023
Packagers
Campfire Studios
Game Seven Media

Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators was a five-part documentary series that chronicles the meteoric rise, dramatic fall and gripping behind-the-scenes stories of one of the biggest spectacles on television during the height of the 90's.

Plot[]

Told first-hand from the stars who lived through it, this five-part series reveals untold stories of the iconic American Gladiator's triumph, turmoil and ultimate price of fame. The participants includes appearances by: Dan "Nitro" Clark, Debbie "Storm" Clark, Erika "Diamond" Andersch Bunker, Jim "Laser" Kalafat, Lori "Ice" Fetrick, Michael "Gemini" Horton, Raye "Zap" Olson, Shari E "Blaze" Pendleton Mitchell, Shirley "Sky" Eson-Korito and Steve "Tower" Hennebery.

Episode Guide[]

Episode # Episode Title Description
1 Pilot Madness Six athletes with camera-ready smiles and cartoonish nicknames make their debut on a rowdy TV show dismissed by critics.
2 Let the Games Begin As injuries pile up and a risky stunt ends a star's career, producers add more Gladiators. A key player's meltdown is met with rumors of steroid use.
3 A Global Phenomenon Merchandising explodes, and the show becomes a ratings phenomenon, but the stars themselves have little funds to show for it.
4 Sex, Drugs & Merchandise The Gladiators go on tour as the third season wraps; frustrated by fatigue, injuries and low pay, core members meet with producers and get a shock.
5 The Final Legacy Gladiators merchandising explodes, but while the show becomes a ratings phenomenon, the stars themselves have little funds to show for it.

Trivia[]

In episode 1 called "Pilot Madness", clips of the 1988 pilot can be briefly seen.
Although this documentary mainly focuses on the original 1989-96 series, their has been no mention of the short-lived, kid-friendly syndicated spinoff Gladiators 2000 (a.k.a. "G2") from 1994, the 1995 special Superstar American Gladiators on ABC nor its short-lived, NBC Primetime reboot hosted by Hulk Hogan and Laila Ail from 2008. Although clips of Hogan from his WWF (now WWE) days as a wrestler can be seen and has been briefly mentioned sporadically.
This is the second documentary to be based on American Gladiators that was released in the same year of 2023. Thier first was appropriately called "The American Gladiators Documentary" as part of the 30 for 30 series on ESPN.

Spinoffs[]

American Gladiators - The one that started it all which aired in syndication from 1989 until 1996, followed by a brief revival on NBC in 2008.
Gladiators 2000 - (a.k.a. "G2") was a short-lived children's spinoff of American Gladiators that ran in syndication from 1994 until 1996.
Superstar American Gladiators - an hour-long, one-off primetime special featuring four teams of celebrities from four major television networks (i.e. ABC, CBS, NBC & FOX respectively) that were each represented by an American Gladiator as their team captain that aired on ABC on May 4, 1995.
American Gladiators (channel) - a defunct channel devoted to the series that aired on Pluto TV from 2019 until its demise in 2021.

Link[]

Official Website

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