Deep Six

Deep Six
Participation Information
Reboot Seasons	World Championship IV World Championship V (Withdrew) World Championship VI World Championship VII (Not selected)
Other Events	BattleBots: Champions I
Team Information
Team	Team Overboard
Team Members	Dustin Esswein (Captain) Andrew Rossol Chris Carlson (WC IV) Trevor Tish (WC IV) Andrew Burghgraef (WC VI) Bradley Hanstad (WC VI) Chris Haataja (WC VI)
From	Norfolk, VA
Other Entries	Triton
Associated Robots	Bad Kitty, Chronos, Captain Shrederator (Bradley Hanstad) JackPot, Warthog, Pardon My French (Chris Haataja) Lucky (Andrew Burghgraef) VD6.0 (Andrew Rossol, Bradley Hanstad) Lucky, Malice (Andrew Burghgraef)
Robot Statistics
Weight	250lbs
Power	3.4Ah 6S LiPo batteries
Drive	2x Castle 2028 brushless motors
Weapons	Vertical bar spinner
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Deep Six was a heavyweight robot built by Team Overboard which competed in BattleBots World Championship IV and VI, as well as the spin-off series BattleBots: Champions I.

It was a two-wheel drive, box-shaped robot armed with a large vertical spinning bar. In its debut season, the weapon itself weighed 110lbs and was made from AR500 steel. Despite its weight and 4ft span, it was capable of reaching speeds in excess of 200mph (officially clocked at 206mph) thanks to the collection of 10hp motors powering it. When at full speed, Team Overboard called the noise made a 'death thump' rather than the more traditional term, death hum.

Team captain Dustin Esswein is a Navy diver, and the name Deep Six derives from the term for a burial at sea, something Dustin himself explained in a Reddit AMA.

"Deep Six is an old nautical term. To "Deep Six" something means to throw it overboard to a depth that used to be considered unrecoverable (six fathoms). Basically to destroy or dispose of something so that it cannot be possibly recovered. That is our goal."

— Dustin Esswein explains the robot's etymology

Deep Six during World Championship IV hero shots.

The robot was inspired by the team's 2018 RoboGames entry Deep 6, which gained a reputation for being unpredictable in fights and bouncing around the arena. Ahead of the season, it was revealed via Reddit that the heavyweight Deep Six had damaged the Test Box floor during a spin-up test, something which was later posted to Team Overboard's YouTube channel and the show itself alluded to.

Deep Six caught the eye of many teams and fans alike during their rookie season, but showed up weighing approximately 270lbs according to Dustin Esswein. After shedding excess weight, Deep Six became notorious for damaging the Test Box during a spin-up. Deep Six surprisingly lost its debut rumble to Kingpin due to immobilizing itself after charging at the vulnerable Daisy Cutter. It redeemed itself with a KO victory over fellow rookie team Nelly The Ellybot, but did not get any more competitive fights during the season, finishing at 1-1 and missing out on the Top 16. Regardless, Deep Six featured in an exhibition match against Axe Backwards, and again won by knockout. After their debut season, Team Overboard promised an even "bigger and more powerful weapon" weighing "125 or more" pounds in total, though a change in build rules would put a halt to this.

In preparation for World Championship V, the team swapped belt drive for chain drive, and in order to meet the newly-enforced 80lb weight limit for spinning weaponry, designed a symmetrical weapon bar weighing the maximum of 80lbs. The lower speed and higher torque setting to their weapon hub does come with its advantages, as it now allows Deep Six to right itself even when the bar is at a stopped position. However, due to family events with the team, Deep Six withdrew from the 2020 season.

After sitting out in 2020, Deep Six's team posted videos showing off visible upgrades, including new forks on the sides for gathering robots and stabilizing the machine better than before, as well as its 80lb bar made for the 2020 season. This version of Deep Six also has an upgraded drive train and new wheels to accommodate it, as well as improved self-righting capability. The team confirmed via Facebook that with the old 110lb bar, which now exceeded the 80lb spinning mass restriction, Deep Six would no longer make weight due to the additional work done to make it able to self-right. According to Dustin Esswein, the primary weapon of Deep Six could now hit 206.9mph and achieved more bite with every hit.

Deep Six during World Championship VI hero shots.

Following these videos, Deep Six was officially confirmed for World Championship VI, sporting a predominantly black color scheme as one of the few purely aesthetic changes since its last appearances. Team Overboard picked up Bradley Hanstad, formerly of Chronos both in BattleBots and Chinese show King of Bots, as well as Chris Haataja, who was part of successful debutant JackPot in the previous season. Deep Six began strong with a convincing win over Pain Train, before losing to SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE in an untelevised fight. Team Overboard then lost to Minotaur in their third and final battle of Fight Night to finish the season with a 1-2 record and fell short of the Top 32.

"My initial strategy going into Season 6 was to drive cautiously but always keep my face at the opponent, and keep the wheels on the ground. This worked initially but ultimately cost us the Minotaur fight because I was too slow getting out of my square, got stuck on the wall and they were all over me. Coming into Bounty Hunters I was pretty upset at our performance being a direct reflection of my poor driving. This was our last chance to show what Deep Six can do. I decided to completely change my driving strategy to be super aggressive, stay on top of them and hit hard and fast."

— Dustin Esswein on his new approach to controlling Deep Six

Going into BattleBots: Champions I, Deep Six captain and driver Dustin Esswein reassessed his driving style, opting for a more offensive approach. This proved to be successful as Deep Six chalked up statement wins over former Top 16 and Top 8 finishers HUGE and Shatter! in the first two rounds of the bracket. However, Ribbot proved a step too far as Deep Six bowed out one step away from facing the episode's gatekeeper to the Golden Bolt tournament, Lock-Jaw.

In August 2022, Dustin Esswein confirmed in his Behind the Bots podcast interview that Deep Six had been outlawed from BattleBots due to safety concerns surrounding its spinner and its reputation for damaging the BattleBox. Esswein added that while Deep Six was effectively retired despite a new version of the robot being designed, various team members intended to compete with a new design. Deep Six's rejection was publicly confirmed by the team's official Facebook page a few days later. Prior to this, team member Chris Kaataja joined Pardon My French as its designated driver, therefore leaving Team Overboard.

A spiritual successor to Deep Six, Triton, was revealed in September 2022 as a separate applicant for World Championship VII, captained by Bradley Hanstad.

Deep Six in the blue square during World Championship VI.

Deep Six fitted with its asymmetrical 'anchor' spinner during World Championship VI.

Deep Six in the red square with its stabilizers during World Championship IV.

Deep Six in the red square during World Championship IV.

The aftermath of Deep Six's Test Box incident.

Deep Six damaging the Test Box in 2019.

Deep Six in The Pits during World Championship IV.

Deep Six being weighed during the 2019 season.

Deep Six under construction.

CAD of the heavyweight Deep Six, circa 2019.

The original Deep 6 which inspired the heavyweight build.

Robot History

World Championship IV
Deep Six vs. Daisy Cutter vs. Kingpin Deep Six charges at Daisy Cutter, but KOs itself in the process. Deep Six's first ever match was in an untelevised rumble against fellow newcomers Daisy Cutter and Kingpin. Deep Six spun up its weapon but initially held back while Kingpin and Daisy Cutter began to fight. Deep Six then landed a solid hit on Daisy Cutter's drum shaft, breaking it off its mounts. However, this hit forced Deep Six to topple over with no way to right itself, leaving Kingpin and Daisy Cutter left to duel. Deep Six played no further part in the rumble and was counted out along with Daisy Cutter, which got stuck under the wall, giving Kingpin the win by KO.
Deep Six vs. Nelly the Ellybot Deep Six rips off Nelly's right panel. The final clash between Deep Six and Nelly The Ellybot. Deep Six's next match was against Nelly The Ellybot. As a result, Deep Six had new rear-mounted pieces of metal to keep its balance while the weapon spun at high speed. As the match began, this seemed to work well as Nelly got high-centered pretty quickly and Deep Six ripped off Nelly's right panel completely before taking the left ear off shortly after and causing glass from a broken ceiling light to rain down. However, the third hit proved to be too much for Deep Six as it ripped Nelly's entire right side cover off, but it also made Deep Six land on its front, dig a six inch gash in the arena floor, and fling it backwards with no way to get down. Fortunately, this hit also disabled Nelly so both robots were counted out and the match went to the judges, who awarded a unanimous 3-0 decision to Deep Six.
Deep Six vs. Axe Backwards Deep Six dismembers Axe Backwards. Deep Six slashes Axe Backwards' drum. Deep Six then had an exhibition match against Axe Backwards. To combat the stability issues, the team added longer legs to the front of the robot. The weapon was reduced to 50% power and one of the motors powering it was removed. As the match got underway, both robots were a bit tentative, not wanting to make the first mistake. Deep Six soon delivered a big hit on Axe Backwards, but did not seem to affect it too much. Deep Six landed another shot on the side of Axe Backwards, tossing it up and spinning it in the air. Axe Backwards went in again, so Deep Six threw them backwards on the third and final hit which broke off a wheel, part of the drum, and caused smoke to pour out from the machine. Axe Backwards was no longer moving, so it was counted out, giving Deep Six the win by KO. However, this had also taken its toll on Deep Six as its front leg additions had bent dramatically and a fire broke out inside, but was quickly put out by crewbots. Team Overboard later revealed this was due to an impact from the match deforming a drive shaft, which in turn stalled the gearbox for that motor and fried the respective speed controller.
World Championship VI
Deep Six vs. Pain Train Deep Six's early attacks leave Pain Train's right side wheel exposed. Pain Train is thrown onto the arena hazard. Pain Train is stranded and counted out. After a season away from BattleBots, Deep Six returned for the 2021 season and its first opponent was the returning Evan Arias and Pain Train. While Deep Six remained in its square and turned to face its opponent, Pain Train attempted to box-rush but flew into the arena barriers. Pain Train recovered to face Deep Six as both weapons were now up to speed, but neither made contact for several more moments. Eventually, the first hit came courtesy of Deep Six as it tore away the wheel guard of Pain Train and took a chunk out of the tire. However, as the giant bar made contact with Pain Train's front, Deep Six flew backwards into the screws and bent one of their rear stabilizers, also causing damage once again to the floor. Pain Train could not capitilize as it was left spitting parts of its tire as it attempted to move towards its opponent. Unable to line up an attack of its own, Deep Six made contact a second and third time, tearing off Pain Train's lid and punting it away. Pain Train was now beached on the screws with parts littered around the BattleBox, and one of its lithium polymer batteries alight below it. Unable to escape, Pain Train was counted out, handing the win to Deep Six.
Deep Six vs. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE Deep Six approaches SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE with its bar at full speed. Deep Six becomes stuck in the killsaw slot with less than a minute gone. Damage inflicted to the wheel of Deep Six courtesy of SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Deep Six's second opponent was SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE in an untelevised YouTube exclusive match. As it tried to charge, the front forks of Deep Six lifted and allowed SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE to win the ground game momentarily, before backing its opponent near the corner and beside the Upper Deck. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE then attempted to wrap itself around Deep Six, but they were able to escape. However, as SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE was pushed and circled to reposition itself, it was able to slice one of Deep Six’s tires with an undercutter. Eager to land their first hit of the fight, Deep Six charged at SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE and in doing so, lodged its left-side fork into the killsaw slot. This lifted their right side off the BattleBox floor completely, and with their left wheel damaged, Deep Six did not have the purchase to free themselves. Joe Fabiani of SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE attempted to free their opponent to extend the fight, but Deep Six was ultimately counted out. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE took the win by KO, and pushed Deep Six to 1-1 ahead of their final Fight Night battle.
Deep Six vs. Minotaur Deep Six and Minotaur collide. Deep Six's third and final Fight Night opponent came against a fellow 1-1 bot in Minotaur. As the fight began, Deep Six remained within its starting square and positioned itself as Minotaur approached with its drum spinning. As Minotaur chewed into Deep Six's left stabilizer, Deep Six was pushed against a barrier connecting the screws, where its blade made contact from behind and launched itself straight into the air. It landed upside-down and was able to demonstrate its functional self-righting to get back onto its wheels, but not before Minotaur landed some glancing hits. The Brazilian bot dealt another shot to the front of Deep Six, who fell backwards across the paddle nearest the judges. Minotaur watched on as the 80lb weapon was jammed behind the rails and despite calls for it to hit Deep Six again, Minotaur honed in on the rear stabilizers and cut one away completely. Deep Six was immobile and counted out, falling to 1-2 for the season.
BattleBots: Champions I
Deep Six vs. HUGE HUGE approaches Deep Six. HUGE and Deep Six become stuck. Deep Six pins HUGE near the pulverizer. Deep Six also entered BattleBots: Champions I and met HUGE in the first round of the Lock-Jaw bracket. In order to prevent falling into the killsaw slots again, Team Overboard added feet to their stabilizers which were wider than the width of the slots. For this battle, Deep Six debuted its asymmetric spinning bar, a 70lb mass spinning at 200mph dubbed the Anchor. Both robots got up to speed early on, but Deep Six landed an uppercut to the left side of HUGE and throwing it over. This appeared to immediately kill one side of drive on HUGE, who gyro-danced into the path of Deep Six's asymmetric bar. As a belt lay on the BattleBox floor, Deep Six waited patiently before its weapon tore through the Tegris wheel, causing both robots to become stuck momentarily. They spun around to free themselves and the fight continued. As HUGE found its feet, this gave Deep Six the time and space to spin back up to speed as it dished out a brutal blow to HUGE, launching it high into the air. HUGE was able to escape the Upper Deck, but its mobility had been seriously affected. Neither robot's bar spinner was now active as Deep Six pushed against the flat side of HUGE, forcing it into the corner. HUGE escaped and both robots returned to the center of the arena for the closing moments. HUGE's weapon belt hung loose and Deep Six spun back up in the final seconds to prove functionality as it went to the judges. Deep Six won by unanimous decision and advanced with a statement victory. In his pre-match piece ahead of their next fight, Dustin Esswein revealed that HUGE had broken their weapon pulley and damaged the frame during the fight.
Deep Six vs. Shatter! Deep Six lands a combo on Shatter! Next up for Deep Six was Adam Wrigley and Shatter!. For this battle, Deep Six returned to its symmetrical bar which was seen throughout the main season. Shatter! began the fight by strafing in front of Deep Six, before Dustin Esswein's bot rode up its front briefly and grazed Shatter!'s top. Shatter! fired its hammer directly into the path of the spinning bar, but Deep Six caught Shatter! and threw it over, sending it twisting through the air as Shatter! fell into the primary weapon again. Shatter! lasted upside-down, but quickly self-righted. However, it was sent flying again as Shatter! fired its hammer into Deep Six's weapon once more, landing upright this time. Shatter! strafed to get a better angle and continued to attack, though Deep Six violently threw it upside-down again, the tip of its hammer now visibly bent. Deep Six ran into the hammer as Shatter! turned to face the screws and forced Adam Wrigley's bot into a frontflip. Deep Six turned sharply and arced, lifting its right-side wheel off the floor. Upon landing, Deep Six slammed its spinning bar into the top of Shatter! in a powerful impact which sent both robots flying to opposite corners of the BattleBox. Deep Six lost a weapon belt in this exchange, but Shatter!'s mobility had been clearly hampered. As it attempted to escape the corner, Deep Six watched on and Dustin Esswein threatened another attack. The injured Shatter! turned to face Deep Six again, who held it under the pulverizer before dishing out another big hit. It then dealt an uppercut to Shatter! before retreating to the center of the arena, awaiting a knockout call. Judge David Sanfilippo deemed Shatter!'s mobility insufficient and began to count it out. With just a few seconds to go, Shatter! began strafing with more intent while flailing its hammer. However, this was not enough to convince the referee, much to the disagreement of Bots FC's Eric Wrigley, who pounded the shield between both teams in frustration. The team consoled him as Adam Wrigley congratulated Team Overboard, who advanced to the bracket final.
Deep Six vs. Ribbot Deep Six slams into Ribbot. Ribbot hones in on the wheel. After another statement win, Deep Six advanced to the bracket final against Ribbot, where the winner would face Donald Hutson and Lock-Jaw. Deep Six again opted for its standard bar, and Ribbot sported its horizontal undercutter. Deep Six was allowed to get up to speed as Ribbot danced around it early on, looking for an opening. Ribbot forced Deep Six to arc on its one wheel, as the gyroscopic forces caused the right side to lift off the floor. Ribbot then oversteered and Deep Six charged forwards, delivering a big hit to the decorative exterior and destroying the frog shell. Ribbot spent the next minute of the fight patiently waiting to get to Deep Six's exposed wheels, but Dustin Esswein would not let it happen. Ribbot otherwise refused to engage, instead attempting to bait Deep Six into a driving error. Eventually, Ribbot managed to reach the back of Deep Six and unbalanced it, causing the bar to dig into the BattleBox floor and bounce away. Ribbot did not escape unscathed, however, as it lost a tire in this exchange. Deep Six landed on top of Ribbot, effectively high-centered, and David Jin's bot carried it to the screws. While the left-rear stabilizer was stuck on top of the hazard, Ribbot carved into Deep Six's left wheel as the screws reversed. Deep Six was no longer able to drive quite as freely as before, but could still show sufficient movement by arcing while the bar was spinning. Still wary of the primary weapon, Ribbot held off, but Deep Six's remaining tire gave way and Team Overboard's bot stopped moving. A count began on Deep Six and it was ultimately eliminated from the bracket, despite an impressive display up to this point. This fight would prove to be Deep Six's final appearance as its builder Dustin Esswein confirmed the bot's retirement following his announcement that Deep Six was rejected from competing in future seasons due to safety concerns regarding its primary weapon and the bot's reputation for damaging the BattleBox.

Results

Competitive Wins/Losses

• Wins: 4
• Losses: 4

Exhibition Wins/Losses

• Wins: 1
• Losses: 0

Total Wins/Losses

• Wins: 5
• Losses: 4

Competition	Wins	Losses
World Championship IV	Axe Backwards (Undercard Match) Nelly The Ellybot (Undercard Match)	Kingpin (Untelevised Undercard Rumble)
World Championship VI	Pain Train (Undercard Match)	SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE (Untelevised Undercard Match) Minotaur (Undercard Match)
BattleBots: Champions I	HUGE Shatter!	Ribbot

Faruq Tauheed Introductions

"Don't leave it hanging or your head will be banging. It just wants high-five you in the face. Up top, down low. Too slow for DEEP SIX!"

"Yo ho ho and a bottle of destruction. You can't fathom the pain of this bot, and it's coming after your booty. Dead bots tell no tales. Bot overboard! It's DEEP SIX!"

"It's the loooong arm of the law here to cut you short. You can get your kicks when you fight DEEP SIX!"

"From Norfolk, Virginia, the 'six' in its name stands for six feet under. Watch out for its spinner, it will tear you asunder. It's DEEP SIX!"

"From Norfolk, Virginia, a robot that makes Deep 5 look like a pile of garbage. It's DEEP SIX!"

"This next bot is deep like a classical poem. Opponents shakes-fear him the second they know him. When he's EE coming to the 'Box, your butt's getting a kicking, son. He'll punch you right in the Emily Dickinson. He's the bard that goes hard. It's DEEP SIX!"

"From Norfolk, Virginia, this bot's captained by a Navy diver and he's ready to shove a nerd into Davy Jones' locker, it's DEEP SIX!"

"From Norfolk, Virginia, prepare to get put in a shallow grave by DEEP SIX!"

"They say Virginia is for lovers and that slogan makes sense, because 'Virginia is for murderous robots' is just too intense. But if you're trying to grow tourism, let me help on your behalf. This bot can double the amount of tourists when he slices them in half. Give it up for DEEP SIX!"

Trivia

• Deep Six featured a message on the underside reading "Hi Jon!" during the 2021 season, referencing chief BattleBots photographer Jon Bennett.
• Deep Six was erroneously billed as being entered by Team Atom during World Championship IV Supporter reveals. However, this was the team name responsible for fellow 2019 season competitor Railgun MAX.