Spinning Mayhem was a heavyweight robot built by Team Polecat which fought in the final three seasons of BattleBots on Comedy Central, and applied for World Championship VI in 2021 under the ownership of Team Science & Mayhem.
It was originally a round, silver robot with a four-toothed spinning shell designed around the wheel hub of a car. This shell doubled up as armor, protecting the bot's internals as it would spin up to speed. Spinning Mayhem was originally built for the Comedy Central era of BattleBots by Lowell Carpenter, but failed to win a single battle.
Spinning Mayhem's CAD in 2021.
After almost fifteen years since its last competitive fight, Spinning Mayhem was sold via Craigslist in January 2021 to long-time fan of the show Richard Riley, known as "battlebotsboy" on YouTube.[1] He documented his plans to restore the robot to a working condition, and applied for World Championship VI with modernized internals alongside Morgan Tilford, formerly of Comedy Central BattleBots fan favorite Mauler. With the help of his father and Zach Lytle, Richard Riley was able to get Spinning Mayhem running again and tested it outside the Skorpios workshop.[2]
He also produced CAD for the robot showcasing an electric blue color scheme, perhaps indicating he planned to produce a new shell for the robot using modern materials. However, Spinning Mayhem was rejected ahead of the season, as announced on Reddit's Season 6 Rumor Mill in May 2021.
On December 25, 2021, it was confirmed that Richard Riley had sadly passed away the previous day from cancer. BattleBots later updated their Facebook cover photo out of respect, having previously gifted him a written letter and various pieces of merchandise a few months prior.
Outside BattleBots[]
Spinning Mayhem competed under the ownership of its builder Lowell Carpenter in the 2004 RFL Nationals event, where it went 2-2 after winning its first two fights before losing to Stormovik and Sewer Snake. It then entered the 2006 edition of RoboGames, losing two fights to Final Verdict and Hexadecimator.
Lowell Carpenter last fought with Spinning Mayhem in 2007's RoboGames, where it managed to pick up a win against Eugene but lost two other fights to Brutality and again, Sewer Snake. Spinning Mayhem lay dormant until its purchase in 2021, but its whereabouts since Richard Riley's unfortunate passing are unknown.
Robot History[]
Season 3.0[] |
|---|
Spinning Mayhem vs. Sharkbyte (Forfeit) Spinning Mayhem's first opponent was supposed to be Sharkbyte, but Spinning Mayhem began to experience technical difficulties and had to forfeit. Sharkbyte won by default and Spinning Mayhem was eliminated from the tournament. |
Season 4.0[] |
Spinning Mayhem vs. RoboVore Spinning Mayhem first and only match was against RoboVore. RoboVore drove itself straight into the arena wall just as Spinning Mayhem started spinning. Spinning Mayhem got a couple hits on RoboVore and a piece of armor on RoboVore flew off from the impact of Spinning Mayhem. Spinning Mayhem stopped spinning and RoboVore started pushing Spinning Mayhem against the corner of the arena. The two robots circled and pushed each other before the time ran out. RoboVore won the fight on a 26-19 judges' decision and Spinning Mayhem was eliminated from the tournament again. |
Season 5.0[] |
Spinning Mayhem vs. Mauler 51-50 Spinning Mayhem's opponent this time was Mauler 51-50. Before the match, team captain Lowell Carpenter forgot to remove the safety pin that locks Spinning Mayhem's weapon, leaving Spinning Mayhem unintentionally weaponless for this match. Spinning Mayhem took one hit from Mauler and stopped moving. This quick knockout brought Mauler 51-50 to the final preliminary round and Spinning Mayhem was eliminated from the tournament once again. |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 3
Team Polecat, the original team, with Spinning Mayhem in Season 4.0
| Competition | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Season 3.0 | None | Sharkbyte (Forfeit) |
| Season 4.0 | None | RoboVore |
| Season 5.0 | None | Mauler 51-50 |
Trivia[]
- According to the Craigslist page in which the robot was advertised, Spinning Mayhem supposedly beat Tombstone by KO in 2002, despite the fact Ray Billings' machine did not compete until 2004.
- It is highly likely that Tombstone was confused with Final Verdict, another two-wheel drive bar spinner which Spinning Mayhem beat under the same circumstances.
- Interestingly, Final Verdict was built by Rick Russ, who would later become a part of Hardcore Robotics.
- It is highly likely that Tombstone was confused with Final Verdict, another two-wheel drive bar spinner which Spinning Mayhem beat under the same circumstances.
- Team member Morgan Tilford originally fought Spinning Mayhem in Comedy Central BattleBots Season 5.0 with Mauler, prior to both robots' retirements following the show's cancellation.
- Richard Riley himself was a big fan of Mauler, using its official BattleBots photo as his YouTube profile icon.