Discovery Season 4 was the fourth season of BattleBots since its return to television in 2015, and the second season since the Discovery network picked the show up from ABC.
Similar to the previous season, the 2019 season of BattleBots aired Fridays on Discovery, with an "encore episode" the following Wednesday on the Science Channel, often featuring a bonus fight. The show kept its Fight Night format throughout the season, with the majority of the field of 68 competitors being guaranteed four fights. From then, the selection committee would pick the majority of the Top 16, who fought a single-elimination knockout tournament until a winner was found.
A thirty second trailer was launched to the BattleBots YouTube channel in May 2019, showcasing hero shots of several robots, including End Game and Kraken, as Chris Rose hyped up the season to include the largest field of competitors to date. The later snippets of battles focused on different Fight Night battles including SawBlaze vs. Rotator, End Game vs. DeathRoll and Quantum vs. Blacksmith as various commentary lines are played. Faruq Tauheed closes the trailer with his iconic "It's robot fighting time!" catchphrase as a couple more fights are teased, before it announces June 7 as the date for the first episode of Discovery Season 4.
The Desperado Tournament made its return, with the mid-season tournament format remaining the same. This was ultimately won by Team Uai!rrior and Black Dragon, who defeated Captain Shrederator, WAR Hawk and fellow Brazilian team Minotaur in the Desperado final to win the Giant Bolt trophy and earn a guaranteed spot in the Top 16. Ironically, their 8th seeding put them up against the 2018 Desperado Tournament winner Donald Hutson and Lock-Jaw, but Black Dragon fell at this hurdle and were eliminated from the competition.
Chris Rose, Kenny Florian and Faruq Tauheed once again kept their roles on the show, but FOX Sports broadcaster and sideline reporter Jenny Taft took over pit reporting duties. Neither Alison Haislip nor Jessica Chobot returned to BattleBots.
Changes were made to not only the judging criteria ahead of Discovery Season 4, but also the personnel. There were no guest judges for the 2019 season, with the panel being made up of three former BattleBots competitors of both the classic and reboot eras: Derek Young of Complete Control, Pressure Drop and Son of Smashy, Jason Bardis of Dr. Inferno Jr., Towering Inferno and The Disk O' Inferno, as well as Lisa Winter of Tentoumushi, Plan X and Mega Tento. The criteria saw a 7 point system split between three categories - 3 points for damage; 2 points for aggression; and 2 points for control.
| Champion | Runner-Up | Semi-Finalists | Quarter-Finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bite Force | Witch Doctor | Tombstone
Death Roll |
Lock-Jaw
Whiplash SawBlaze Minotaur |
The season was again won by Bite Force, built and driven by Paul Ventimiglia of Aptyx Designs. He successfully defended his Giant Nut became a three-time champion in the process - a feat which had only previously been met by Tony Buchignani and his incredibly successful middleweight, Hazard. Three Giant Bolt awards were also presented to competitors for other categories: the Founders Award was won by Jake Ewert and Hydra, whereas the Most Destructive Robot was won by Cobalt and the Best Design Award was won by Quantum.
BattleBots: Fight Night[]
Episode 1: That's What You Call a KO![]
- "The season begins as bots compete to be the 2019 BattleBots World Champion."
- — Official description for Episode 1.
| SawBlaze vs. Rotator |
| Cobalt vs. SubZero |
| Kraken vs. Ribbot |
| End Game vs. DeathRoll |
| HyperShock vs. Valkyrie |
| Blacksmith vs. Quantum |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Marvin vs. Gruff vs. Gemini |
Episode 2: You Mess with the Bull, You Get the Drum[]
- "Minotaur goes against Whiplash as a new group of 14 bots make their debut."
- — Official description for Episode 2.
| Son of Whyachi vs. HUGE |
| Texas Twister vs. Black Dragon |
| DUCK! vs. Bombshell |
| Shatter! vs. Witch Doctor |
| Axe Backwards vs. Mammoth |
| Wan Hoo vs. Captain Shrederator |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Chronos vs. Gigabyte |
Episode 3: Don't FLIP OUT![]
- "BattleBots Champion Bite Force squares off against famed bot Yeti."
- — Official description for Episode 3.
| Skorpios vs. Copperhead |
| Bloodsport vs. Lucky |
| Free Shipping vs. Hydra |
| Monsoon vs. Ragnarök |
| MadCatter vs. Railgun MAX |
| Breaker Box vs. Falcon |
Bite Force vs. Yeti |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| WAR Hawk vs. Petunia |
Episode 4: A Duck Only a Mother Could Love[]
- "Elite bots Tombstone and Sawblaze go to war in the BattleBox."
- — Official description for Episode 4.
| DUCK! vs. Cobalt |
| Rotator vs. Bombshell |
| Nelly The Ellybot vs. Rainbow |
| Quantum vs. Lock-Jaw |
| Kraken vs. Blacksmith |
| End Game vs. Ribbot |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| DeathRoll vs. Foxtrot |
Episode 5: A Family Affair[]
- "Undefeated bots Son of Whyachi and the Ewerts look to continue their reign."
- — Official description for Episode 5.
| Black Dragon vs. Bloodsport |
| Captain Shrederator vs. Witch Doctor |
| Jasper vs. HUGE |
| Gigabyte vs. Minotaur |
| Mammoth vs. Uppercut |
| Wan Hoo vs. Shatter! |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Texas Twister vs. Axe Backwards |
Episode 6: Buckers and Brawlers[]
- "Defending champ Bite Force takes on legendary flipper Bronco."
- — Official description for Episode 6.
| Hydra vs. WAR Hawk |
| Sidewinder vs. Skorpios |
| Valkyrie vs. Ragnarök |
| Free Shipping vs. Yeti |
| Gruff vs. Copperhead |
| HyperShock vs. Monsoon |
Bronco vs. Bite Force |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Petunia vs. Marvin |
Episode 7: The Most Destructive Robot[]
- "Tombstone and Rotator look to settle a year-long feud once and for all."
- — Official description for Episode 7.
| Quantum vs. DeathRoll |
| Bombshell vs. Cobalt |
| Gemini vs. Tantrum |
| Lock-Jaw vs. DUCK! |
| SawBlaze vs. Blacksmith |
| Railgun MAX vs. Shellshock |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Falcon vs. Ribbot |
Episode 8: The Desperado Tournament II[]
- "Eight bots go head-to-head in the last-chance Desperado tournament."
- — Official description for Episode 8.
| Desperado Quarter-finals |
|---|
| (1) Minotaur vs. (8) Lucky |
| (4) End Game vs. (5) Gruff |
| (3) Black Dragon vs. (6) Captain Shrederator |
| (2) WAR Hawk vs. (7) Ragnarök |
| Desperado Semi-finals |
| (1) Minotaur vs. (4) End Game |
| (2) WAR Hawk vs. (3) Black Dragon |
| Desperado Finals |
(1) Minotaur vs. (3) Black Dragon |
| Exhibition Match |
| Deep Six vs. Axe Backwards |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
| The Four Horsemen vs. Extinguisher |
Episode 9: Eyes on the Prize[]
- "Undefeated Whiplash and Witch Doctor look to end an enemy's hot streak."
- — Official description for Episode 9.
| HUGE vs. Gigabyte |
| Breaker Box vs. Uppercut |
| Wan Hoo vs. Mammoth |
| Son of Whyachi vs. Texas Twister |
| SubZero vs. P1 |
| Deep Six vs. Nelly The Ellybot |
Whiplash vs. Witch Doctor |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Double Jeopardy vs. Rainbow vs. Extinguisher |
Episode 10: Flips, Fires and Flinches[]
- "Undefeated Hypershock looks to take down the reigning champ, Bite Force."
- — Official description for Episode 10.
| Hydra vs. Petunia |
| Rainbow vs. Yeti |
| Skorpios vs. Tantrum |
| Bronco vs. Free Shipping |
| Valkyrie vs. Monsoon |
| Copperhead vs. Chronos |
Bite Force vs. HyperShock |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle* |
|---|
| Ragnarök vs. MadCatter |
* This battle only aired as part of the South Korean airing of Episode 10.
Episode 11: Like a Bot to a Flame[]
- "In the Main Event, Rotator and Death Roll compete in the BattleBox."
- — Official description for Episode 11.
| DUCK! vs. Quantum |
| Blacksmith vs. Captain Shrederator |
| Bombshell vs. Lock-Jaw |
| Tombstone vs. Gruff |
| End Game vs. Cobalt |
| Ribbot vs. SawBlaze |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Shatter! vs. Kingpin |
Episode 12: This is Gonna Be Huge[]
- "Huge looks to earn its first win against the legendary Bronco."
- — Official description for Episode 12.
| Minotaur vs. Shatter! |
| Son of Whyachi vs. Kraken |
| Railgun MAX vs. Wan Hoo |
| Witch Doctor vs. Gigabyte |
| Breaker Box vs. Bloodsport |
| Texas Twister vs. Whiplash |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle* |
|---|
| Petunia vs. Valkyrie |
* This battle only aired as part of the South Korean airing of Episode 12.
Episode 13: One Flipper to Rule Them All[]
- "Hydra and Bronco fight for the title of greatest flipper in the world."
- — Official description for Episode 13.
| Breaker Box vs. HyperShock |
| Yeti vs. Tantrum |
| Copperhead vs. WAR Hawk |
| Bite Force vs. Monsoon |
| Free Shipping vs. Railgun MAX |
| Uppercut vs. Skorpios |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Bloodsport vs. The Four Horsemen |
Episode 14: Live to Die Another Day[]
- "The greatest bots redouble their efforts for a spot in the knockout round."
- — Official description for Episode 14.
| Play-in Matches |
|---|
| Valkyrie vs. Quantum |
| Yeti vs. DUCK! |
| Lock-Jaw vs. Skorpios |
| HyperShock vs. HUGE |
| Railgun MAX vs. Bloodsport vs. Uppercut |
| Rotator vs. Blacksmith |
| Son of Whyachi vs. Copperhead |
| Cobalt vs. Minotaur |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
| Ribbot vs. Sharkoprion |
Top 16[]
Episode 15: My Super Sweet 16[]
- "The 2019 BattleBots World Championship kicks off a Sweet 16 competition!"
- — Official description for Episode 15.
| Round of 16 |
|---|
| (1) Bite Force vs. Uppercut (16) |
| (8) Black Dragon vs. Lock-Jaw (9) |
| (5) Whiplash vs. HUGE (12) |
| (4) Tombstone vs. Quantum (13) |
| (2) Witch Doctor vs. Blacksmith (15) |
| (7) SawBlaze vs. Son of Whyachi (10) |
| (3) Hydra vs. Minotaur (14) |
| (6) DeathRoll vs. Yeti (11) |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
| Nightmare vs. Mammoth |
Top 8[]
Episode 16: 2019 BattleBots World Championship[]
- "The final eight bots face off for the 2019 BattleBots World Championship!"
- — Official description for Episode 16.
| Championship Quarter-Finals |
|---|
| (1) Bite Force vs. Lock-Jaw (9) |
| (4) Tombstone vs. Whiplash (5) |
| (2) Witch Doctor vs. SawBlaze (7) |
| (6) DeathRoll vs. Minotaur (14) |
| Championship Semi-Finals |
| (1) Bite Force vs. Tombstone (4) |
| (2) Witch Doctor vs. DeathRoll (6) |
| Championship Final |
(1) Bite Force vs. Witch Doctor (2) |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
| Team U.K. (Monsoon & Ragnarök) vs. |
Critical Reception[]
Trivia[]
- The only drop-out from Discovery Season 4 was Electric Ray, who failed safety checks during filming and was omitted from the 68 total competitors.
- Despite not competing, much like the drop-outs from ABC Season 2, Electric Ray is still present on the BattleBots website.[1]
- Discovery Season 4 marked the 20th anniversary of BattleBots with, up to 2019, the largest field of robots in the reboot era to date.
- Discovery Season 4 marked the final appearance of Nightmare, who was effectively retired after losing its exhibition match to Mammoth.
References[]
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