Pete Abrahamson is an American mechanical designer and special effects artist who has participated in robot combat since 1994. He has worked behind-the-scenes on reboot seasons of BattleBots and has held the on-screen role of "The Bot Whisperer" since World Championship V. He also presented the deep dive series Bot Whisperings parallel to World Championship VII.
Having competed as part of Team Sinister since the earliest combat robotics events and throughout Comedy Central BattleBots, Abrahamson served as a judge for the 2009 Championships alongside teammate Mark Setrakian as well as Frank Jenkins. He was then contacted to help mentor the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart ahead of and during the 2011 BattleBots IQ event - one of the high school teams which featured heavily in the Bots High documentary.[2] Having remained close with Greg Munson since BattleBots went off television, Pete Abrahamson was contacted ahead of the ABC reboot in 2015, initially with the view to compete but ultimately ending up in a technical role.
- "When BattleBots came back to TV in 2015, Greg (co-creator of BB and my best friend since 7th grade) called me and asked if I would build a new robot for the new version of the show. I told him no, my building/competing days were behind me BUT I would love to work on the show in some way. So I became a technical advisor/producer."
- — Pete Abrahamson explains how he got the role of Bot Whisperer[3]
His first segment in front of camera came between fights during the re:MARS all:STARS BattleBots Challenge special, which was livestreamed on Twitch in June 2019. Alongside Chris Rose, Kelly Link and others, he provided insight on the competing robots with from several decades of experience in the sport.
His role evolved as of World Championship V as he filled the role of fight analyst, often liaising with co-presenters Chris Rose and Kenny Florian about what to expect from an upcoming fight. Now in front of camera, Abrahamson could show off his energetic personality and extensive knowledge as a former competitor.
Pete Abrahamson's new position was largely well-received by teams, fans and producers alike, and he retained his Bot Whisperer role for World Championship VI, as well as serving as a fill-in commentator during the 2022 re:MARS all:STARS event. During the second episode of the 2021 season, Pete Abrahamson received a dedicated segment prior to the Main Event battle. It showed his involvement in Comedy Central BattleBots, playing part of Ronin vs. Ginsu and the judges' decision that followed, as well as various behind-the-scenes photos from his time with other projects.
For World Championship VII, his role was limited to the BattleBots YouTube channel. He presented the series Bot Whisperings, which saw Abrahamson interviewing various teams about what makes their robots work.[4] He and Greg Munson co-hosted a BattleBots panel during the Open Sauce event in July 2023. They would return to host a panel with BattleBots Giant Nut winners in July 2024.
Outside BattleBots[]
Pete Abrahamson's involvement in the sport dates back to the early days, working alongside Mark Setrakian as part of Team Sinister with The Master. He would then build Gigan, a featherweight for US Robot Wars in 1996, but achieved little success with it before designing Gigan II, which later became superheavyweight Ronin.
Away from the show, Pete was a partner and co-owner of Sozbots, a competition for 1lb robots held in the early 2000s not long after BattleBots was axed by Comedy Central. Competitors included fellow former competitor and future modern era judge Jason Bardis.
Pete Abrahamson has also been credited for an array of special effects pieces in film, television and commercials since 1987, ranging from the Alien series of films to Men in Black II, Hellboy and I, Robot.[5] He was also involved in The Muppets and spent time with Jim Henson's Creature Shop prior to his passing. Pete notably worked as an animatronic engineer for ABC sitcom Dinosaurs and as a puppeteer for Disney's George of the Jungle. He now owns his own company called Ronin FX, and works at Applied Invention alongside several other BattleBots connections.
Trivia[]
- Though "Bot Whisperer" is thought to solely describe his current role in front of camera, Pete Abrahamson has held this nickname since World Championship II.
- His official title was 'Play-by-play announcer' during the 2015 season, though executive producers felt he deserved a more bespoke name for the role he had on the show.
- In one of his animatronics/puppeteering roles away from BattleBots, Pete Abrahamson is pictured wearing a Gammatron t-shirt.