John Remar is a referee and executive vice president for BattleBots, who has been ever-present during the show's runs on Comedy Central, ABC and Discovery.
Following the retirement and unfortunate passing of Michael Ayers, he has been partnered with David Sanfilippo since World Championship IV.
John Remar calls a knockout.
Much like fellow referees, his role within the show consists of ensuring a competing team are abiding by the rules, counting down immobile robots, calling a pause in the fight if unsticks are necessary between bots, and calling the end of the fight if it has been decided by knockout.
- "Back in 1999, I owned a production company, that produced commercials and infomercials. But wait, there’s more! About three weeks before BattleBots was to host its first ever event, I received a call from my friend, the CEO of BattleBots, Trey Roski. He was still looking for a production company to produce his event. By the end of the call, that was no longer an issue as we agreed to work together. So, along with my business partner, Jock Petersen, we produced the first ever BattleBots competition alongside Trey and his cousin Greg Munson. It was an amazing show and BattleBots was born."
- — John Remar on his introduction to BattleBots[1]
John Remar deems Chinkilla victorious during Comedy Central BattleBots.
He is known for insisting for teams to show him movement before threatening a count-out as well as explaining various BattleBots rules in the form of YouTube videos, notably those of the Last Chance Rumble following Bombshell's controversial win during the 2019 competition.[2]
John Remar calling a fight during the 2009 Collegiate Championship.
Despite largely appearing in front of camera during the reboot, John Remar's involvement dates back to the Long Beach 1999 BattleBots competition, where he worked with lighting, cameras, rigging and overall production of the event. He would later become a referee during the televised Comedy Central era.
His role branched out into becoming vice president of marketing from March 2015, before becoming involved with the board of directors in October 2016, a post he has held ever since. This position involves marketing, merchandise and overall brand development, among other responsibilities. In June 2021, John Remar also took on a role as president of business development within BattleBots.
Outside BattleBots[]
At the age of 12, Remar met Trey Roski for the first time, having been introduced to a school specializing in developing children with dyslexia. By the time he was introduced to BattleBots, Remar ran a production company and nowadays balances his refereeing role with fathering two children.