Shovelhead

Shovelhead
Participation Information
Comedy Central Seasons	Season 3.0 Season 4.0 Season 5.0
Live	Rochester Robot Rampage
Other Events	2004 NPC Charity Open
Other Names	SHOVELHEAD (NPC 2004, Rochester R3) Armageddon (Season 3.0-5.0)
Team Information
Team	DNA Robotics Team Mayhem (Season 3.0-5.0)
Team Members	Doug Groves Andrea Groves Amy Cicconetti Angelo Cicconetti Gabe Cicconetti Billie Groves Cathy Kuehn Dave Kuehn Sr.
From	Painesville, OH
Robot Statistics
Power	12V 17Ah Gel cell batteries
Drive	2x Etek motors
Weapons	Horizontal clamping arms Lifting wedge
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Shovelhead, formerly known as Armageddon, was a superheavyweight robot built by DNA Robotics (also referred to as Team Mayhem) which competed in three seasons of Comedy Central BattleBots as well as the 2004 NPC Charity Open and 2005 Rochester R3 events.

In its earliest appearances, under the name Armageddon, it was a six-wheel drive robot armed with two serrated clamping arms and a rear lifting wedge with two spikes underneath. It performed modestly in competition, winning just as many fights as it lost. It was originally unable to run inverted but gained the ability to do so in Season 4.0, before sporting a more rounded design in Season 5.0.

The robot eventually dropped the clamping arms altogether and after BattleBots ended on Comedy Central, adopted the name Shovelhead (alternately formatted SHOVELHEAD). With its new guise, it reached the semi-finals of the NPC Charity Open before going one better and winning the 2005 Rochester R3 event.

Armageddon in The Pits during Season 5.0.

Armageddon's internals.

Armageddon with its team during Season 4.0.

Outside BattleBots

Shovelhead achieved success outside of BattleBots-sanctioned events too, also winning two consecutive Robot Fighting League championships and finishing as superheavyweight runner-up in the 2005 edition of RoboGames.

Shovelhead during Steel Conflict 5 in 2004.

Robot History

Season 3.0
Armageddon vs. G.O.R.T. (Forfeit) Armageddon was scheduled to fight G.O.R.T. first, but G.O.R.T. had technical issues and was forced to forfeit. Armageddon won by default and advanced to the final preliminary round.
Armageddon vs. Half Gassed In the next round, Armageddon faced Half Gassed. Information on this battle is limited, but Half Gassed won on a close 24-21 judges' decision and Armageddon was eliminated from the tournament.
Season 4.0
Armageddon vs. Hurricane Armageddon's first fight was against Hurricane. It immediately rammed Hurricane and bent the Lexan body badly. Armageddon circled Hurricane, then rammed it continuously, mangling it severely. Hurricane eventually got stuck on the wall, but Armageddon shoved it free, breaking the lid free and lifting it up, almost knocking it off in the process. Hurricane did not do much in the fight as its spinner was broken, so Armageddon won on a unanimous 45-0 judges' decision. This win put Armageddon to the final preliminary round, where it faced The Probe.
Armageddon vs. The Probe In this match, The Probe very swiftly rammed and flipped Armageddon. Both robots seemed to become sluggish after the first hit. The Probe seemed to have some steering trouble because one of The Probe's drive motors were burning out. It became a pushing match for the most part and The Probe got cornered in the exit ramp. Armageddon accidentally hits the arena wall after trying to trap The Probe and The Probe managed to escape before the time ran out. The Probe won on a 32-13 judges' decision and Armageddon was eliminated from the tournament.
Season 5.0
Armageddon vs. Tomb of Doom Armageddon's first match in Season 5.0 was against Tomb of Doom in the second preliminary round. Armageddon won the match by KO as Tomb of Doom was suffering radio problems, and advanced to the final preliminary round.
Armageddon vs. Dreadbot Next up for Armageddon was Dreadbot. Little is known about this preliminary fight but Dreadbot won on a 35-10 judges' decision, meaning Armageddon was out of the tournament once again.
2004 NPC Charity Open
Shovelhead vs. Steel Reign Shovelhead lifts Steel Reign. Armageddon, now dubbed Shovelhead, received a bye before matching up against Steel Reign. The two robots chased each other around the arena early on as Shovelhead failed to lift its opponent. It then takes advantage of a driving error from its opponent, using its flat rear to ram Steel Reign into the arena wall. As the robots returned to the center of the arena, a part then came away from one of the robots, though it was uncertain which. After a period of neither bot getting a clear advantage, Shovelhead got a good lift in on Steel Reign, dragging it across the arena floor before letting it free. It then pinned Steel Reign once again, showing no let up with a minute to go. Steel Reign was freed but could not get its weapon into play throughout the fight, eventually finding itself flipped over completely and lifted again. Shovelhead won on a judges' decision and got to advance to the next round.
Shovelhead vs. The Judge The Judge approaches Shovelhead. Shovelhead now met The Judge in the next round of the bracket. The Judge landed an early shot to the top of Shovelhead, who then rode up the front of its wedge. Shovelhead tried to get around to its long sides and lifted it momentarily, but The Judge retaliated, missing a few blows before landing a few to Shovelhead's top again. Shovelhead then lost drive on one side and The Judge took the win by knockout, relegating Shovelhead to the losers bracket.
Shovelhead vs. The Black Knight Shovelhead fights back as The Black Knight pins it. Shovelhead lifts The Black Knight. Looking for redemption, Shovelhead faced The Black Knight. Early on, The Black Knight proved an awkward shape for Shovelhead as it struggled to lift its opponent early on. The Black Knight even pinned Shovelhead against the wall and threatened to lift it, but Shovelhead got back into the fight and attacked with more aggression. Time eventually elapsed and Shovelhead managed to win by judges' decision.
Shovelhead vs. Psycho Splatter II Shovelhead props Psycho Splatter II against the wall. Shovelhead squared off against Psycho Splatter II in the next stage of the bracket. Immediately, Shovelhead rode up the front of Psycho Splatter II and in doing so, became caught on its opponent's wedge for a moment. However, Psycho Splatter II could not capitalize and Shovelhead escaped. It quickly got under Psycho Splatter II and lifted it, coercing it into the corner of the arena. It then got in underneath the front of its opponent, upending it and propping Psycho Splatter II against the wall. It was deemed immobile and Shovelhead picked up another win to advance by way of knockout.
Shovelhead vs. Mer Madd Mer Madd is flipped onto its rear by Shovelhead. Next up for Shovelhead was a fellow lifter in Mer Madd. Shovelhead was quickly able to get underneath Mer Madd, but its opponent slipped away. Mer Madd drove into the center of the arena, only for Shovelhead to get in underneath again twice more. On the fourth attempt, Shovelhead was able to prop Mer Madd onto its rear end, and unable to right itself, Mer Madd was deemed immobile. Shovelhead advanced by virtue of knockout.
Shovelhead vs. OUCH!! Shovelhead pins OUCH!! in the corner. With a few wins under its belt, Shovelhead looked to continue its streak versus OUCH!!. For this fight, DNA Robotics bolted a new defence in place of its lifter to try and keep the shell spinner at bay. However, Shovelhead led with its rear and immediately trapped OUCH!! in the corner of the arena. After a few rams, OUCH!! was no longer moving and Shovelhead won once more to move on.
Shovelhead vs. The Judge The Judge spikes Shovelhead's top panel. Now in a rematch against The Judge, Shovelhead danced around its less agile opponent in the opening stages of the battle as The Judge missed a few hammer shots. It then landed a few in succession, one of which appeared to have damaged the top of Shovelhead. Despite this, Shovelhead was able to lift The Judge over. The Judge righted itself before landing several more hits, notably spiking part of Shovelhead's top armor. It attempted to outdrive The Judge as it looked for an opening, getting to the rear and lifting it from the back before dropping it. The fight went the distance for the second time and damage caused by The Judge appeared to be the deciding factor, as it took the judges' decision. Shovelhead ultimately finished the event third overall.
BattleBots Rochester R3
Shovelhead vs. Migraine Shovelhead's first match was against Migraine. It won the match, and advanced to the next round.
Shovelhead vs. Ziggy Shovelhead upends Ziggy. Next up for Shovelhead was Ziggy. It got underneath Ziggy in the opening exchange, initially struggling to upend it before driving Ziggy into the corner, overturning it in the process. Ziggy's flipper appeared stuck open as it could not retract to self-right. As such, Shovelhead won the fight by knockout, progressing in the bracket.
Shovelhead vs. Tomb of Doom Now in the semi-finals, Shovelhead met Steel Reign. Shovelhead managed to win again and moved on to its first finals.
Shovelhead vs. Ziggy It won, and was now in the finals against Ziggy in a rematch from the quarter-finals. Shovelhead again won and in doing so, became the final Superheavyweight champion in BattleBots history.

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 11
• Losses: 5

Competition	Wins	Losses
Season 3.0	G.O.R.T. (Forfeit)	Half Gassed
Season 4.0	Hurricane	The Probe
Season 5.0	Tomb of Doom	Dreadbot
NPC Charity Open	Steel Reign Black Knight Psycho Splatter II Mer Madd OUCH!!	The Judge The Judge
BattleBots Rochester R3	Migraine Ziggy Ziggy Steel Reign	None

* G.O.R.T.'s forfeit in Season 4.0 does not contribute to Armageddon's win/loss record.

Trivia

• Armageddon originally took 11 months to build in total.
• Still under the name Shovelhead, it faced OUCH!! again in RoboGames a year later. Using a very similar approach and a near identical keep-away addition to its front, Shovelhead was again able to win, this time by judges' decision.

External Links

• DNA Robotics Website (Archived)