We are going back to the year 1989, when the concept of reality series had yet not been placed into the entertainment industry. Yet again, a brand new documentary has been released on Netflix and we can’t wait to tell you more about the popular pilot show! This brings us back to The American Gladiators, a 90s reality show which truly took us by surprise. A bunch of power-packed men and women were fighting against competent commoners. Initially, it was just a random idea that struck a gym owner named Johnny Ferraro. In the beginning, no one knew what would be the purpose of the show.
The creators did try to reach out to big production houses! But the only company which offered help to them was Samuel Goldwyn Television. From being infamous to suddenly experiencing the high of stardom, it was indeed a dream come true for all of them. But then, one sudden day, after the last episode of American Gladiators Season 7, it was announced that the reality show has been canceled officially!
Shockingly enough, no warning signs were given to the regular cast members. Again, you will be highly surprised to know how these few popular men were treated on the sets of the show. But guess what, after a really long time, most of the old and incredibly famous Gladiators have come back on our radar. Thus, on popular demand, here are some interesting facts about Muscles & Mayhem Season 1.
Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators Ending Explained
This is by far the most asked question about American Gladiators! A shortened TV program was stretched into a huge franchise, the growth was surely massive. Who could have possibly thought that the audience would like to see people brawling and fighting violently? Originally it had only 6 gladiators but when Season 2 came out, the whole table was turned upside down.
The original production house only had one thing in mind, they wanted to make the show profitable. They just cared about more audience engagement! This is where Bill Garnet and Eytan Keller come in. One of the most notable changes made to the show was the appointment of Bob Levy! Moreover, as the years and seasons were passing by, the creators were slowly trying to put more emphasis on the games presented in the show.
Whether it was games like Powerball or The Eliminator, these deadly games were pumping up the audience so much that more and more commoners wanted to be a part of the show. After all, back then who didn’t want to be on TV? But the reality show also had some major shortcomings! The regular cast members, the original gladiators, were getting injured but the production didn’t take proper care of them! Again, with every season passing by, new Gladiators were getting introduced!
But then around Season 6 and Season 7, the show faced a massive dip! The ratings were falling, and this was a major triggering point for Samuel Goldwyn Television. Four extremely popular and old Gladiators were fired and the audience wasn’t much happy with their replacements. Again, after Season 5, the games presented in the show did become a bit boring for the audience. Eventually, the show was pulled down from the TV screen. Despite poor ratings, the epic franchise tried to root itself within a dinner theatre, but in the end, the whole concept failed miserably.
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Were The Gladiators Treated Righteously?
Well, if you have binged the docuseries thoroughly, then you already know by now that the original Gladiators weren’t treated well at all. In the beginning, they weren’t even offered any instant medical treatments. With every passing season, the contestants were gaining new injuries, but not a single responsibility was taken by the production team. Even during their Live Tour, they were not offered to live in lavish hotels. It was only when they started complaining, that the food quality in the motels was made a bit better.
Most of these contestants had failed somewhere in life and they all needed money to rebuild their career! And this is where the show started taking advantage of them. They were channelizing their talents and skills to gain fame and in return, barely any massive amount was paid to the Gladiators. This is also the main reason why Zap, Ice, Nitro, and Gemini decided to voice against Samuel Goldwyn! But shockingly enough, they weren’t given any counteroffer, but fired!
Were The Gladiators Taking Anabolic Steroids?
The show had a timeline of 7 years and it was the producer, Eytan Keller who had found some mysterious syringes in the dressing room. To everyone’s surprise, they did call for an urgent drug test. And given the fact that most of these macho men and women were taking steroids, it was surely a stress sign for all of them. Especially for Nitro and Laser, the test would have possibly ruined their fame and career. But then comes the mysterious meeting where they were informed that the test will be conducted after a gap of six weeks.
Thus, all of them were given the required amount of time to clean up! By this time, American Gladiators have already become immensely popular! The name of Seven-Eleven was connected and in no way, this shocking news could have been leaked out of the locker room. Moreover, the steroids were necessary for most of the contestants, these drugs were used to keep them sane and in action! But this cannot change the fact that these hard drugs have also harmed them in various ways.
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