It first aired on Seven from 1995 to 1996 and again in 2008, but the iconic battle program Gladiators had more than 2 million people hooked per episode and only ever aired a total of 85 episodes.
Now, production company Warner Bros and Channel 10 has confirmed the series return in Australia with I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Australia winner Liz Ellis and The Amazing Race host Beau Ryan as its new hosts.
Beau and Liz will host the Gladiators reboot.
(Image: Ten)Gladiators will feature a new generation of ‘gladiators,’ aka those at the peak of physical fitness, will compete in a series of confrontations against the ‘challengers.’
The Gladiators and Challengers featured very superhero like names including Amazon, Angel, Cheeta, Cougar, Hammer, Predator, and Fury.
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During an interview with TV WEEK, Beau assured the reboot will be very similar.
“Everyone had a favourite Gladiator, this year it’s going to be similar. It’s going to be, obviously, entertaining like it was back then. But it was a long time ago so we’re going to try and take it to the next level, make it more family friendly and a show that everyone can enjoy next year,” he said.
Gladiators returns in January, 2024.
(Image: Ten)“I am super pumped to be hosting Gladiators with Beau who is in the gym as we speak trying to match it with our Gladiators,” Liz said.
“It’s an iconic franchise and I’m excited about the reboot. It is set to showcase some of my favourite Gladiator challenges from the original series as well as throw up a few new ones for us to fall in love with!”
And Beau, who has been watching Liz compete in Netball since childhood, added: “I am beyond excited to be hosting Gladiators alongside the great Liz Ellis. Liz is a national treasure, and we are going to have a lot of fun. I grew up watching and loving Gladiators and can’t wait to get into it. It’s going to be spectacular.”
“She’s arguably the best netballer [Australia’s] ever had… she’s a lot taller than I thought.”
The revival series was filmed at The Dome, Sydney Showground in New South Wales. However, the new reboot has not confirmed whether it will be returning to the same filming location or searching for a new location.
Ten has confirmed some fan-favourite challenges including Hang Tough, Duel, The Wall, Power Ball, Pyramid and The Eliminator will be featured.
The official return date for The Australian Gladiators has been pushed back to January 15, 2024. This is the second time Ten has pushed back its premiere date, as it was originally set to air on January 7. Why the network has pushed the program back has not been revealed.
“There will be people from all walks of life and that’s the beauty of the show. We’ll have people who are all shapes and sizes, all walks of life taking on the Gladiators,” Beau told TV WEEK.
“Everyone loves an underdog and everyone wants the little man to do well, and that’s what I think we’ll be doing. We’ll be rooting for the underdog against the Gladiators, just like I was when I was 10 years old.”
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