American Gladiators

My thoughts in general: Recently, NBC finished airing their new version of American Gladiators, a show in which "average" people compete against the gladiators in contests of strength and endurance. This show was first created about 15 years ago. I loved watching this show when it was first on TV, and I have enjoyed watching re-runs over the last decade and a half. Then, in January, NBC started airing the new American Gladiators show.


I was interested in watching the new show to find out how they would alter the show to fit today's television programming. Many of the events were the same that they had on the original show, though they made a few changes like having the losers fall into a pool of water (a la Dog Eat Dog and similar shows). The gladiators changed, but they were still the same kind of body builder types that they have always been. The competition between the contestants was organized like a tournament bracket with semi-finals, finals, etc. This change seemed to be influenced by the popularity of reality TV. It was a fun show and brought back a lot of memories of enjoying the original.

My thoughts on application: Using this show in the classroom would be a good study in how media changes in accordance with contemporary society. The American Gladiators of the early 90s definitely reflected that time period in certain ways, especially in the hairstyles and the general attitudes and discussion of the contestants in interviews. The new American Gladiators also reflects how television has changed over the last 15 years. Comparing the two shows could be a good lesson in media reflecting its time. It could prompt some good discussion.