YMMV / Gladiators (2024)

• Awesome Music: The original theme tune from the 90s series is back with only minor rearranging.
• Tear Jerker: Chung's elimination in the last semi final. Chung was beloved by viewers for his likable personality and despite his relatively small size quickly proved to be a strong contestant thanks to his speed and agility. He was one of only two contestants to score 18 points in The Edge, beat The Wall 3 times, and in both the heats and quarter finals entered The Eliminator with significant leads thanks to his performance. ^note 7.5 seconds in the heats, 12 seconds in the quarter finals. Many people predicted that he would become the champion, but unfortunately a tackle during Powerball resulted in him severely injuring his knee, forcing his withdrawal from the competition. While he appeared to be in good spirits about the situation and was clearly proud of his achievement, many fans felt sad that he had made it so far only to be forced to withdraw at the eleventh hour. ^note Compounding matters somewhat, Chung was the only male competitor in the semi finals to have won at every stage of the competition. Finlay had the fastest time in the Eliminator of any male competitors in the quarter finals, while Jake had the second fastest time and was brought in as a substitute following Dev's withdrawal due to injury. Wesley, meanwhile, skipped the heats entirely, being brought in to replace Finley in the quarter finals. Complicating matters even further Chung was replaced by Matt, who he had defeated in the heats, rather than any male competitor from the semi or quarter finals.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: While the revival has been well-received, some changes to "Gauntlet" have been criticised by fans of the original show. The Gauntlet itself appears to be shorter, with four Gladiators instead of five, and the rules about Gladiators pinning or holding are more strictly enforced. There have been comments that what was one of the toughest events is now too easy, with most contenders making it to the end and scoring maximum points. While the Sky reboot had also reduced the number of Gladiators for their heats (adding the fifth for later stages), Sky's contenders were slowed by the enclosed course and having to wear POV camera equipment on their backs. Even the producers seemed to realise mid-season that "Gauntlet" in its original form was too easy, as the semi-finals adjusted it to give contestants 20 seconds to get through instead of 30.

---