‘BattleBots,’ the robot mayhem competition show, is back

Is there a distinct lack of robot-battling action in your life? Does the sound of metal crashing and cutting other metal to bits strike your fancy? Do you love violence against machines?

If you answered yes to one or all of these questions, then you’re in luck. BattleBots is coming back to the Discovery Channel.

Here’s a trailer.

Discovery previously ordered 80 hours of the show and the battle arena was “completely reimagined for the new seasons with extra hazards for the robots⏤generating even more tension and excitement for viewers.”

The latest episodes start on Jan. 6 with over 60 teams in Las Vegas vying for glory and the coveted Giant Nut trophy. The latest season will have a 14-episode run.

“Delighted to kick off the new year and welcome viewers back into the BattleBox with 14 all-new episodes filled with some of the most intense bot battles we’ve ever seen,” said Scott Lewers, an executive VP at the network. “Thursday night robot fighting action’s back and better than ever!”

Faruq Tauheed will announce the show and Kenny Florian and Chris Rose are handling the play-by-play. Former robot builder Peter Abrahamson is also back as the so-called “bot whisperer,” reporting from ringside and providing insight on the bots.

“This year’s World Championship was the most exciting ever, and the battles are beyond amazing,” BattleBots founder and CEO Edward Roski said. “The builders did an incredible job raising the bar to a completely new level of imagination, skill and, frankly, violence. There are shocks and upsets, and heartwarming triumphs over technical and personal challenges. It’s going to be our best ever season, and we can’t wait for the start of January so we can share all the drama with our millions of fans.”

Some previous contestants are returning to the fray as well.

“Rivals meet again, more determined than ever to be victorious. Former title holder Tombstone returns to the BattleBox. After missing the 2020 season, Blacksmith, Minotaur, DUCK! and Icewave make their triumphant returns to wage war against fan favorites Witch Doctor, SawBlaze, Hydra, Whiplash and Valkyrie, but only one will be crowned the top bot in the world.”

The show originally aired on Comedy Central from 2000 to 2002, and was then rebooted more than a decade later on ABC in 2015. Discovery Channel picked it up in 2018 and it’s been there ever since.

BattleBots is an American version of the U.K. show Robot Wars. It will air on the Discovery Channel and the network’s subscription service Discovery Plus, where viewers can also catch up on old episodes.