Early competitions

BattleBots is an offshoot of the original Robot Wars tournaments, the brainchild of Marc Thorpe. Robot Wars had financial backing from Sm:)e communications, a New York record company. The Thorpe partnership broke up in 1997, starting many years of legal wrangling between Thorpe and Profile Records (the former Sm:)e Communications). Profile licensed Robot Wars to a UK production company. Robot Wars ran from 1998 to 2004 as a popular television program in the UK, with a short-lived revival from 2016 to 2017.

The robot builders left behind in San Francisco formed BattleBots, Inc. and began a series of larger competitions. The first was held in Long Beach, California in August 1999 and streamed online, attracting 40,000 streams. Lenny Stucker, a television producer known for his work on telecasts of professional boxing, was in attendance and showed interest in being involved with BattleBots—believing the concept of robot combat was "hip" and have shown an interest in technology. Stucker made changes to the competition's format and presentation to make it more suitable for television, including elements reminiscent of boxing (such as a red and blue corner) and shifting to a single-elimination format. The creators tried selling the competition as a television series to networks such as CBS, NBC, HBO, and Showtime, but none picked it up. A second event was held as a pay-per-view in Las Vegas in 1999, the PPV was in turn, used as a pilot to pitch the show again, with a higher rate of success.^[6]

Comedy Central seasons (2000–2002)

Among the networks interested was Comedy Central, who ultimately picked up the program. Debbie Liebling, the network's Senior Vice President of original programming and development, felt that the concept would appeal to the network's young adult demographic, explaining that "it was really funny and really nerdy. The Internet was not a big thing yet, so the nerd culture wasn't so celebrated. It was sports for the nerdy person, I guess."^[6] Co-creator Greg Munson viewed the deal as a double-edged sword; it gave BattleBots an outlet and a larger budget, but the network insisted on the addition of comedic aspects to BattleBots as a program, such as sketches involving contestants. However, the competition itself was not affected by this mandate; Liebling described the final product as being "a parody of a sports show without being a parody". Munson lamented that the network had also ignored his suggestion for the co-host role to be filled by "attractive geek girls" with sufficient knowledge to speak with builders, having elected to "[keep] throwing bigger and better hot babes at it", such as Carmen Electra.^[6]

Despite this, viewership and awareness of BattleBots grew progressively over time; contestants Christian Carlberg and Lisa Winter were invited to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, BattleBots beat South Park as Comedy Central's highest-rated program for a period during Season 3, competitor interest grew and licensing deals also emerged.^[6] The success of BattleBots, however, resulted in competition from other broadcasters; TLC introduced a competing program, Robotica, while other channels imported episodes of the British Robot Wars series.^[6] By 2002, the program had begun to face further difficulties; Munson felt that the bouts had become "homogenized" because the participants had "perfected" the sport of robot fighting, leading to a lack of innovation in robot designs and strategies.^[6] Furthermore, BattleBots had sued Anheuser-Busch and its advertising agency for producing and airing a commercial during Super Bowl XXXVII that parodied the program and featured a robot greatly resembling one from BattleBots (this lawsuit, however, was dismissed in 2004, after a judge ruled that the ad was a parody protected by fair use).^[7] In September 2002, Comedy Central cancelled BattleBots after its fifth season, BattleBots 5.0. Viacom acquired full control of the network in April 2003;^[6][8] Stucker believed that Comedy Central had become "tired" of the program, and Roski stated that Viacom had wanted to shift Comedy Central back towards traditional comedy programming.^[6]

Between August 21 and 26, 2009 a BattleBots-branded event was held and filmed in California.^[9] Three competitions were held: The High School Championship, Collegiate Championship and Pro Championship. Competitors included a mix of Comedy Central stars and newcomers who would return to the reboot. CBS sport originally agreed to air the Collegiate Championship before dropping out due to lack of commercial interest. A deal with Fox was later signed before also falling apart for unknown reasons.^[10] The pilot episode of the Collegiate Championship was released onto the official BattleBots YouTube Channel on the 17th of September 2010.

ABC/Discovery Channel revival (2015–present)

In December 2014, ABC announced that it had picked up a six-episode revival of BattleBots, produced by Whalerock Industries, to premiere in June 2015. Roski and Munson served as executive producers, joined by Lloyd Braun.^[11] The 2015 revival drew an average viewership of 5.4 million in its Sunday-night timeslot, with a 1.9 share in the 18-49 demographic. In November 2015, ABC announced that it had renewed the BattleBots revival for the seventh overall season of the series. The 2016 competition expanded to a 56-team field.^[12][13]

After ABC declined to renew the revival for a subsequent season, the series was picked up by Discovery Channel and sister network Science.^[14] In April 2018, the networks announced that a new season would premiere that year: May 11 on Discovery and May 16 on Science Channel.^[15] The announcement reported that among the returning bots would be favorites Tombstone, Minotaur, Chomp, Witch Doctor, Bronco, Bombshell, Bite Force, and Yeti. Chris Rose and Kenny Florian return to call the action, provide background information about the bots and teams, and offer commentary. Jessica Chobot served again as the sideline reporter. Faruq Tauheed returned as the ring announcer.

BattleBots returned for another season on June 5, 2019, on Discovery and Science Channel. Chris Rose and Kenny Florian returned as hosts with a new sideline reporter, Jenny Taft, interviewing all of the BattleBots competitors in the workshop. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the tenth season premiere on Discovery, planned for May 2020. Filming finally occurred October 10–21 for the season 10 premiere on December 3, 2020.^[16] An eleventh season ran from January 6 to April 7, 2022, establishing a permanent base for production at Caesars Entertainment Studios in Las Vegas. A twelfth season—marketed as "World Championship VII"—ran from January 5 to May 25, 2023.

Apart from the televised competitions, BattleBots has hosted several untelevised shows in Las Vegas. In 2019 and 2022, minor tournaments were hosted in collaboration with re:MARS, a technology conference run by Amazon. The re:MARS competition on June 6, 2019 was won by Witch Doctor (out of ten competitors), while the competition on June 23, 2022 was won by HyperShock (out of eight competitors). A live show, 'BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon', was presented four days a week from February to May 2023. 'Destruct-A-Thon' exhibited unscripted fights between replicas of classic and reboot BattleBots competitors. The replica bots, or 'ShowBots', were built and driven by a production crew with guidance from the original teams who designed them. Starting May 2023, the production space was utilized for another live show, 'BattleBots Proving Ground', which involved fights between newly designed or untested bots from newcomers or unproven teams.

Weight classes

Robots at BattleBots tournaments were separated into four weight classes in seasons 1–5. The weight limits increased slightly over time. At the final tournaments, the classes were:

• Lightweight – 60 pounds (27 kilograms)
• Middleweight – 120 pounds (54 kilograms)
• Heavyweight – 220 pounds (100 kilograms)
• Superheavyweight – 340 pounds (154 kilograms)

Starting in season 6, there were no longer separate weight classes, while the weight limit for heavyweights was increased from 220 to 250 pounds.

"Walking" robots (stompbots) propelled by means other than wheels were initially given a 50% weight bonus. The rules changed following the victory of a heavyweight stompbot (Son of Whyachi) at BattleBots 3.0. For BattleBots 4.0 and beyond only a 20% weight bonus was given to walkers and the technical rules specified that walking mechanisms do not use cam operated walking mechanisms as they were functionally too similar to wheel operation. Since the rules change, walking robots have entered the competition, but none has achieved any success beyond preliminary rounds. As of 2020, true walkers are given a 100% weight bonus, allowing the only competing walker, Chomp, to weigh 500 pounds.^[18]

Matches

Matches are three minutes long. During a match, two robots do their best to destroy or disable each other using whatever means available. The match begins with a series of lights that flash from yellow to green. The original Comedy Central version used a standard Christmas tree as seen in the sport of drag racing; the ABC revival uses just one box of lights that flash yellow three times, and then flash green.

If a robot pins or grabs an opposing robot by any means, the aggressor can hold the defender for up to 30 seconds before needing to release, though they are allowed to attempt another pin/grab after releasing, thereby granting another 30 seconds. Robots that are unable to release their opponent or otherwise become entangled may cause the match to be paused, allowing BattleBots technicians to enter the BattleBox and attempt to separate them. If they are able to be separated, the match restarts with the remaining time on the clock. If unable, the match will be ended prematurely and sent to the judges.

If a robot is unable to move for ten seconds, because it is too badly damaged or it is stuck in some manner (e.g., ensnared in an arena-trap), it is declared knocked out. In the Comedy Central version, the driver could also call a "tap-out" to forfeit the match if his or her robot is about to be destroyed. This ends the match ten seconds later; the opposing driver is "asked" (but not instructed) not to attack during the ten-second count.

If both robots survive the three minutes, or if the match is prematurely halted, a panel of judges distribute a total of 33 points (11 points a judge) over three categories: Damage, Aggression, and Control. Damage is weighted more heavily with five possible points, while Aggression and Control account for three each. Judges are provided with detailed guidelines for scoring, but in general terms, Damage points are awarded for how much non-cosmetic damage is inflicted to both robots either directly by their opponent and/or by arena hazards, Aggression refers to how much each robot engaged or avoided the other, and Control points are awarded based on how skillfully the drivers either evaded their opponents' attacks or positioned their own for maximum effectiveness. The robot with the higher score wins. Starting in Season 7, competitors who disagreed with the judges' decision may file an appeal, prompting a closer look at the fight and potentially overturning the decision. If this appeal fails, that team loses the ability to challenge further rulings that season.

At the end of the tournament, a series of 'rumbles' or 'melee rounds' is typically held in each weight class, allowing robots that survived the main tournament to fight in a 'free for all' in a 5-minute match. Occasionally, there are too many robots for one rumble, and multiple rumbles are held with the top surviving bots competing in a final event. During the Season 5 Heavyweight rumble (the first rumble of that competition), a sheared-off robot part went through the Lexan arena roof and fell (harmlessly) into the audience. Because of this, the rest of the rumbles were canceled due to safety concerns.^[19]

Arena

The BattleBox is a 48' x 48' square arena designed to protect the drivers, officials, and audience from flying debris and charging bots. It was originally designed by Pete Lampertson. As of the 2015 season, Pete was still overseeing the box with the help of Matt Neubauer. It has a steel floor and steel-framed walls and roof paneled with thick, bulletproof polycarbonate plastic. The teams bring their robots in through doorways, which are sealed after all humans have exited. The drivers control their machines from outside the sealed arena.

Arena booby-traps are intended to make fights more interesting and unpredictable and to reward drivers who can avoid the traps while pushing or carrying their opponent into them. Traps from the first five seasons include (and where noted, omitted for the later ABC/Discovery/Science Channel-shown seasons):

• Pulverizers: Originally pneumatic powered standard sledgehammers that did minimal damage, the Pulverizers were first upgraded to 50-pound aluminum mallets for season 2, and were again upgraded to 150-pound mallets for season 3 and beyond, now with one near each corner. The pulverizers were capable of causing serious damage, making lighter weight class robots vulnerable.
• Spike Strips: The lower walls of the arena are lined with inward-pointing 6-inch long sharpened steel spikes. Pushing an opponent hard into a wall may lodge it in the spikes, immobilizing it.
• Spinners: Large, rapidly spinning discs embedded in the arena floor, Not intended to damage a robot, but rather to interfere with navigation. The spinners could fling lighter class robots across the arena, but the impact on heavier robots was minimal. Omitted for the ABC/Discovery/Science Channel-shown seasons.
• Kill Saws: Spinning circular saw saw-blades comprising eight twin-blade hazards, that rise out of slots in the arena floor that was originally under the control of "Pulverizer Pete". These carbide-tipped saw blades can damage a robot's tires or chassis. In later seasons, red 'throwing blades' were added to increase the chance of a bot being thrown across the arena.
• Pistons: Introduced in Season 3, the Pistons are steel columns that raise and lower from the floor without warning. They can stop a charging robot or tip a slow-moving robot onto its side. The Pistons were removed for Seasons 4 and 5, and omitted for the ABC/Discovery/Science Channel-shown seasons.
• Ramrods: Sharpened steel spikes that rise up out of the arena floor in groups of six, serving either to lift a robot off the ground or damage vulnerable portions of the undercarriage. Omitted for the ABC/Discovery/Science Channel-shown seasons.
• Hell Raisers: A pneumatic ram that can tilt up specific sections of the arena floor. The 15-degree tilt may become a launching ramp, or may abruptly block passage. The Hell Raisers were removed for Season 5 onwards, to allow more uncluttered room for the robots.
• Screws: Introduced for season 3, these devices were a modification to the static spike strips. The screws were continually rotating augers placed horizontally along the edges of the arena floor. The Screws were intended to scrape up a bot, and possibly drag it closer to the Pulverizers due to the corkscrew design. Much like the Spinners, the Screws had a greater effect on the lighter weight classes—although their impact on all weight classes was small. For Season 5 onwards, the screws were upgraded with biting 'teeth' to better catch onto robots. Their rotation was also modified so that instead of 'pushing' in one direction, they converged in the center of themselves from opposite directions and created a 'V' that could damage or turn over robots.
• The Shelf: Introduced in season 10, the Shelf (also known as the Upper Deck) is a raised platform within the arena upon which robots could be lifted or flipped onto to potentially strand or high-center them. Its presence also created two "short corners" in the arena which present a driving challenge to escape for robots pushed into them. If a robot lands on the Shelf, the robot has 20 seconds to escape before it is declared immobile, indicated by a row of lights that flash red when a robot lands on the hazard. To make escape from the hazard even more difficult, some edges of the hazard have tall walls.

Prizes

Besides the Giant Nut trophy awarded to the winning team of the championship tournament, there are cash prizes for all robots that compete in combat at the tournament. In the second season of the ABC revival series, the winner of the championship tournament finals was awarded a cash prize of US$25,000.^[20] During Season 10, the prize was US$10,000.^[21]

Additionally, the Giant Bolt trophies are awarded to teams based on their robot’s design and operation, regardless of their performance in the tournament. The awarded categories are: Most Destructive Robot, Best Design, and the Founder’s Award (which celebrates those that "best represent the spirit and values" of BattleBots).^[18] Following the death of longtime competitor Grant Imahara in 2020, the Best Designer award was renamed to the Grant Imahara Award for Best Design in his honor.

BattleBots: Bounty Hunters

On December 3, 2020, a spin-off streaming series was announced, titled BattleBots: Bounty Hunters. The streaming series was filmed concurrently with the 2020–2021 season and aired from January 4 to March 18, 2021 on Discovery+.^[4][5]

BattleBots: Bounty Hunters is a six-episode series involving 48 bots in total. Each episode is themed around a "bounty" placed on the heads of six destructive veteran bots: Bronco, Icewave, Tombstone, Beta, Witch Doctor, and Son of Whyachi. In each episode, eight bots (including newcomers) fight through a single-elimination tournament for the chance to fight in a bounty match against the veteran bot in question. Whichever team wins the bounty match earns US$25,000.

BattleBots: Champions

On July 19, 2022, a second spin-off, titled BattleBots: Champions, was announced. The streaming series aired from August 4 to September 8, 2022 on Discovery+. BattleBots: Champions is a sequel to BattleBots: Bounty Hunters, filmed concurrently with the 2022 season.

BattleBots: Champions is a six-episode series involving 48 bots in total. In each of the first five episodes, eight bots fight through a single-elimination tournament, called the "Sin City Slugfest". Each winner of the Sin City Slugfest then battles a winner of a BattleBots: Bounty Hunters bounty match. The victor progresses to the Golden Bolt tournament. The sixth episode is the Golden Bolt tournament, where the five surviving bots face off against each other and three current or former BattleBots champions (for 2022, Tombstone, End Game, and Tantrum). The overall winner of BattleBots: Champions is awarded the Golden Bolt.

From October 5 to November 9, 2023, a second season of BattleBots: Champions, titled BattleBots II: Sin City aired on Discovery Channel and streamed on MAX. The format was similar to the earlier series, eschewing the bounty match battle and replacing Tombstone with SawBlaze as an automatic Golden Bolt qualifier. It was filmed concurrently with the 2023 BattleBots World Championship VII (season 12).^[22]

Currently, End Game is the reigning champion with two consecutive wins.

Comedy Central

ABC / Discovery Channel

Other televised competitions