BattleBots (2015– ) User Reviews

Battlebots is Back Again!

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 27 July 2015]

The concept of "Battlebots" is two bots battling each other in an arena, controlled remotely by their handlers.

Those who survive the first round of battles are seeded into a bracket for single elimination contests.

Except in the case of a knockout (when the bot is unable to respond to a ten-second countdown), three judges decide the winner of each contest. Usually the outcome is obvious because of the damage delivered.

There are rules, but they are not discussed much unless they come into play. But the competitors are aware of them.

The different strategies employed in the building of these bots range from flame throwers to powerful flippers, and may include mini-bots that accompany the main bots for purposes of diversion or inflicting damage.

The show is a nice blend of practical engineering and gladiator-style contests.

Better than the original

[jljacobi · 8/10 · 30 August 2016]

I witnessed the Battlebots contests and filming twice here in San Francisco when Comedy Central was doing the show. I sincerely thought that they never captured the spirit or the true violence of the event.

What still doesn't come across is how large and vicious these things are, but the present show does largely capture the spirit of the event instead of trying to gloss over it with lame humor and WWE- style antics.

A shout out to the the talking heads, especially Chris and Ken who show real enthusiasm for the fights. That was completely missing from the old show.

One thing has happened for the better with the actual event. The pure wedge bots that did nothing but try to upend or shove their opponents around have basically been eliminated. Good riddance!!! They were deathly boring and probably the reason the old show stretched so much.

A great show, nothing to offend, and a way better than the old version. Give it a try.

Fun, but too much fluff

[tomfsloan · 7/10 · 10 May 2021]

I really enjoy watching the robots fight. I do not enjoy the abundance of fluff and fanfare. In a typical hour, there's 6-9 minutes of battling. If they have to have filler, show details of how these machines were built. Show some behind the scenes of how the people put them together. They might do that for a minute but that's it. They don't have to make such a todo of the contestants pushing those stupid ready buttons.

Thank you discovery for giving us what we want.

[importuner923 · 10/10 · 13 October 2018]

What is there not to love. Discovery took an already great show and fleshed it out to what Battlebots always should have been. We now get 20 episodes, each one packed with spectacular robotic combat. We see returning faces and newcomers all fighting for their chance to take home the coveted giant nut. They're simply is nothing else like this on TV. As someone who grew up watching the comedy central show this is how I always dreamed it to be.

The Best Non-Sport Sport

[jordyntsmith · 8/10 · 19 March 2021]

One issue some find with combat sports is the inherent violence. The great thing about robot combat is the 'violence apart from people.' It is awesome to watch a machine simply wreck another machine!

My only real issues with the show are the long periods of time in between each fight. Also, this latest season had far fewer teams (who competed in fewer fights) when compared to previous seasons. However, this was due to the pandemic and the show runners did the best they could.

Season 3 new format is the best

[mr_view · 9/10 · 6 November 2018]

The new season 3 format is way more entertaining than previous years. Please stick with it.

Love this show!

[inuvik6 · 10/10 · 1 July 2018]

What's not to love? Robots destroying other robots! Fun commentary and lots of mechanical carnage.

Judges

[masoud-28771 · 6/10 · 30 May 2022]

I just finished the season 6 finale episodes, and the judges decisions were the worst. The finalist were the losers. Such an disappointment. The show is fun, everything is great except the JJJJ.

So glad it's back

[bblboy54 · 10/10 · 23 January 2017]

Years ago I wanted so desperately to watch Battle Bots but there is no way to catch copies of the old comedy central show.... I was so excited to learn that Battle Bots came back. Despite the fact that the talking heads are not exactly techies I actually find them entertaining especially since you can tell they genuinely get into it. The show really keeps the focus on the 2 robots that are fighting and they keep the "house hazards" to a minimum and organized in a way that a robot driver can use them for strategy but yet not be in the way. I really don't have a bad things to say about this show other than maybe I'd like to see a longer season that goes back a bracket... I was glad they did this for the second season by starting the coverage at 32 rather than 16 but I'd like to see them start the coverage maybe a little further back.... My biggest hope is that they don't start getting greedy for drama and go the way of the UK's Robot Wars where there is so much crap in the arena that the robot drivers don't have any option for strategy and we start seeing bots that aren't designed to do anything but push the opponent.

It still decent, but

[dufjon · 7/10 · 8 April 2022]

It seems that the more recent decisions by the judges are wrong. Why? I think it is due to the producers deciding who should move on and not the actual winner. It's not just one decision but many this season. I hope they stop doing this.

Getting better every year.

[soundstormmusic · 10/10 · 16 November 2020]

Battlebots used to be a show where the floor hazards would play a bigger role in damage as opposed to the actual robots. Everything was very rinky dink, and the few robots that were well build won.

Nowadays the budgets are bigger, the robots are badder, and the floor hazards have taken a back seat.

I used to dislike Battlebots for its fake sounds, overly American production and floor hazards (have I mentioned those yet?). I loved Robot Wars, which was waay better. Both got their reboots, and my opinion did a 180. Whereas Robot Wars went all out and had so many house robots and floor hazards a bot couldn't turn any way without coming in contact with either one, Battlebots went the opposite way. Only some saws in the floor and side, and two hammers - one controlled by each team -, and that's it. Combined with a fantastic pacing, great commentators, really good bots, it's just everything you could ever dream off.

The result is undeniably one of the greatest combat robot shows there is. Watch it if you want to marvel at all the technical engineering, and the destruction of it as well.

Fun, but cant find its identity

[finkelman · 7/10 · 6 July 2015]

Battlebots is a show that can be enjoyed by everyone. However in its aim to please everyone, it forgets its major appeal - the robots fighting.

The show has to last for a short season which is essentially to root of the problem. The robot fights themselves are limited to 10 minutes, however many of the fights are won in a few seconds. That means there is an extraordinary amount of fluff and time-filler to stretch the show.

The builders' bios, while moderately interesting, last longer than the fights.

There is a "boxing pre-game" type segment where non-technical people talk about utterly meaningless and arbitrary stats about the robots. One of the hosts is a MMA fighter. What insight does a MMA fighter have in robot fights? The answer is simple: none. While I am not overtly complaining, the director really seems to like Molly McGrath's legs. Obviously, she is there for the male audience and brings nothing but exceptionally good looks to the show.

Another fault, which I believe is an unfortunate oversight, is the show could be an excellent vehicle for education in electronics, mechanical engineering, robotics, etc. The show offers no information on how anything works.

Again, while I think the show if fun to watch, there is a lot that could be improved.

A Big Disappointment

[pedrokunonodera · 1/10 · 5 July 2022]

I was a huge fan of Battlebots, but after this last season it became clear just how fickle the judgments and rules are.

A long time ago there was a battle between Minotaur vs Tombstone. Minotaur was knocked out for being trapped in the arena, in a fight where both had a chance to win. It was a totally understandable action after all if you can't move, then it's a knockout. The biggest problem is that in the semifinals of season six, in the battle between Minotaur x Witch Doctor, The Witch Doctor's Robot had also been stuck like that on that occasion, however, instead of being considered a knockout, they took a break from the battle and released the robot. I think this is an extremely controversial decision as the Minotaur still had control over his robot while the Witch Doctor was imprisoned. If this was a serious show, it would have been a knockout. This kind of situation makes me very sad because I completely understand if the Minotaur had been defeated fairly, but what we saw was the Witch Doctor running like a coward and the judges finding it beautiful. This was my last time watching Battlebots, as no viewer likes to watch an unfair show.

Technology and Fighting have always been two things I've always loved, for me, Battlebots has always been the pinnacle of entertainment, but a final to the sound of boos and such an embarrassment really broke my heart...

Season 5

[cekadah · 10/10 · 12 December 2020]

What can I say but -- THANK GOODNESS!

I was afraid that due to Covid rules this seasons shows would be canceled. But It's back and as fun as ever. Crowd or no crowd.

The producers have maintained all the excellent standards and showmanship. Looking forward to more!

March 12, 2021 - what a great season! Enjoyed every episode. Looking forward to Season 6.

January 2022 - what a show! The talented Bot makers are the stars of the show. The botfghts are back! Bravo!

Season 4 Format Is Excellent

[jhuebel · 9/10 · 9 August 2019]

This season has been a lot of fun. Great battles and great commentary. Our family really enjoys this show.

Worth the wait

[georgehazard73 · 8/10 · 9 July 2015]

Although it's been almost 15 years since it was last on TV, it has proved that it still has what it takes to be a show. What's nice about it is that some of the original builders have returned, like Reason Bradly and Christian Carlberg and that's enough to offset the new people that do the robot intros and commentary. I kinda miss the "drag racing Christmas tree" from the original but the new version follows that pretty closely and Faruq does a pretty decent job introducing the robots in a manner that Mark Beiro would've done. Even the arena has maintained at least some of its charm from the 2000s version with the Killsaws, Pulverizers and the Screws all returning. I have yet to see the new "pinball flippers" do anything yet and since the hazards are now controlled via computer, it's less likely that there will be as much damage, especially since the Killsaws have only recently appeared.

Best show on Earth!

[justincrook · 10/10 · 16 July 2019]

Do not be fooled be lower ratings on here. This is the greatest show ever. Just watch!

iconic

[djurrepower · 7/10 · 24 August 2021]

Very enjoyable. But the whole reality tv esque parts don't really help. But if you skip all the talking and mumbo jumbo you're still left with very genuine robot battles.

7/10: good at the right moments.

Fantastic Entertainment

[westhoff_justin · 10/10 · 28 February 2021]

The best professional sport out there. Seeing the evolution of the technology and strategy is so exciting and the participants are fun and easy to root for. Much more relatable than the uppity football/basketball players out there. Love it 😍😍

Way too much drivel

[WalterMittee · 14 July 2019]

The two hour ep, S4:E5, had four, yes, only four bouts. The rest of the time is taken up by I don't know what because I just fast forward past the extraneous crap. If we're not being treated to an announcer that is more in love with his voice than anyone I've ever seen, we see a screaming, maniacal bout announcer yelling like a school boy.

The only thing enjoyable about this mess are the bouts themselves.

Love the action and commentators hate the announcer

[train1077 · 7/10 · 12 October 2020]

Amazing action from the robots. The builders are fun people and the commentators are doing a great job yelling and screaming. Faruq is just an annoyance ruining the the show with childish idiotic announcements.

Almost perfect format

[robertjusic8 · 10/10 · 25 December 2020]

Battlebots is basically boxing for engineers. Its absolutely amazing and thrilling fighting put into a hour or hour and a half format. The only thing I wish for is more money thrown into discovery for making this show because they deserve it.

Not enough battle

[tomfsloan · 7/10 · 30 January 2021]

In an hour, you'll see 5 minutes of battle. Too much filler and way too many commercials. If they want filler, show more of how they're made.

This season sucked

[carsnguitars-53185 · 1/10 · 8 April 2022]

Tantrum; while I think they are good, didn't deserve to get their spot. This was a terrible season hydra should have won and had a chance. I'm very disappointed in how this was handled. Makes me not want to watch the show anymore.

Great show!

[quockquock · 10/10 · 27 July 2019]

I love this show! It's just plain fun to watch. I suppose if you're not into this kind of thing how one might not like it, but overall I enjoy it!