The Blender

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The Blender
Participation Information
Reboot Seasons	World Championship IV (Not selected)
Unaired Events	High School Championship 2009
BBIQ	BattleBots IQ 2004 BattleBots IQ 2005 BattleBots IQ 2006 BotsIQ 2007 BotsIQ 2011
Other Names	Blender
Team Information
Team	Richardson High School (RHS Robotics) (BBIQ 2004-2009 Championships, WC IV) Team Blender UTDallas BattleBots/UTD Combat Robotics (BotsIQ 2011)
Team Members	Tony Abate Kevin Amador Brent Bowers Byron Burnham Kyle Casper Adrian Cleek Nick Cunningham Nate Diamond Pranay Jain,Murtaza Joher,Jerrod Johnson Justin Ju Clayton Juarez,Calvin Kohler-Katz,Jon Lambert Kevin Marr Chance McCoy John McKellar Bryan Muehleman George Nartey Scott Pullen Dale Roberts Malcolm Roberts Andrew Rojo Logan Shellstrom Whitney Shellstrom Andre Taylor Richard Tregilgas Summer Whetzel Tim Williams Eric Winderweedle (BBIQ 2004) Max Morales (2009 Championships) Jonathan Hancock (2009 Championships) Chad Wohlgehagen (2009 Championships) Tyler Unger (2009 Championships) Steven Karacostas (2009 Championships) Andre Handy (2009 Championships) Alex Kollaja (2009 Championships) Matthew Ryan Craddock (2009 Championships) Matthew Moen (2009 Championships) Riley Moses (2009 Championships) Christopher Winkler (2009 Championships) Devin Martinez (2009 Championships) Steve Whiffen (2009 Championships) Stuart Yun (BotsIQ 2011) Zachary Heins (BotsIQ 2011) Alex Kollaja (BotsIQ 2011) Cy Cantrell (BotsIQ 2011) Nikkan Yadegary (BotsIQ 2011) Abby Ramirez (WC IV) Luke Hileman (WC IV) Luke Sandidge (WC IV)
From	Richardson, TX
Other Entries	The Blender Mini
Robot Statistics
Weight	120lbs (BBIQ 2004-BotsIQ 2011) 250lbs (WC IV)
Power	6x 2.4Ah battery packs
Drive	2x 3.5hp Magmotors
Weapons	Shell spinner Interchangeable bar spinners
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

The Blender (also shortened to Blender) was a middleweight robot built by students of Richardson High School in Dallas, Texas. It is known to have competed in various BattleBots events between 2004 and 2011, and also applied for World Championship IV.

Fittingly for its name, the robot itself was a four-wheel drive shell spinner design with sharp teeth lining its outer circumference. The earliest incarnation of The Blender used an aluminum shell, which was supplemented and superseded by a set of interchangeable titanium ones by the time of its 2006 BattleBots IQ campaign. A full redesign was completed by the Richardson High School team ahead of the 2009 Championships, which included a new chassis and another interchangeable shell with an integrated 40lb bar. Both of The Blender's weapons by that time weighed approximately 50lbs each in total, with the blue-painted bar shell primarily being used against taller opponents such as Rhoto.

Upon its competitive debut, The Blender was immediately recognized for its destructive capability, taking the Best Engineered Award at the 2004 BattleBots IQ national championships. In the 2005 running, it achieved three wins in the main bracket of the High School Large Class (120lb) division, only to be eliminated through taking two consecutive losses against Green Wave and X respectively. However, it would still collect the Coolest Robot Award for the division that year. At the 2006 BattleBots IQ championships, The Blender was known to have lost again to X in the main 120lb High School competition, and to Mr. Plow in a highly-destructive Rumble match.

By far The Blender's biggest successes came at the 2007 BotsIQ event and 2009 BattleBots High School Championships, where it emerged as the overall champion on both occasions with no fewer than six victories. In the 2009 event, it achieved this feat despite being relegated to the loser's bracket at a late stage by Tin Shredder, a loss it would avenge in the overall final. Thus, The Blender holds the rare distinction of having won both a BattleBots and a BotsIQ event, a feat shared by future televised competitors Falcon and Witch Doctor.

By the time of its appearance at the 2011 BotsIQ Championships, The Blender was transferred to a team run by the University of Texas at Dallas, naming themselves UTDallas BattleBots or UTD Combat Robotics. Thus, it fought in the 120lb College/Pro competition, where it won the College division outright before losing to Pro class competitor Blue Flame.

Alongside their middleweight entry, the UTDallas team also created a 15lb counterpart, The Blender Mini, which is known to have fought at both the 2008 and 2009 BotsIQ National Championships. It picked up second place at the 2009 event.

Under a brand-new team adopting the RHS Robotics name, Richardson High School applied for the 2019 season of Discovery's BattleBots with a scaled-up heavyweight version of The Blender. This was to feature an array of three interchangeable spinners including dome and cylindrically-shaped shells, as well as an overhead bar. However, despite sharing its name, lineage and design philosophy with the highly-successful 120lb version, the heavyweight version of The Blender would not be selected to compete.

The Blender's spinning shell for its 2019 iteration.

The Blender's spinning bar and shell setup for its 2019 application.

The Blender's dome setup.

A look at the internals of The Blender, circa 2019.

Various renders of the weaponry for The Blender, circa 2019.

The Blender in The Pits during BotsIQ 2011.

The Blender equipped with its bar circa May 2009.

CAD of The Blender, circa 2004.

Outside BattleBots

The 120lb Blender remained active on the North American live circuit for some time after, competing at RoboGames 2013, 2015 and 2017.

Robot History

BattleBots IQ 2004
The Blender vs. Pretty in Pink The Blender next to a visually-damaged Pretty in Pink. The Blender is known to have fought cage spinner Pretty in Pink during the 2004 event. Following a few early hits, Pretty in Pink collided with the arena wall and damaged its weapon. The Blender was experiencing issues as well, however, as its shell ground to a halt and it struggled to engage with Pretty in Pink. The cage spinner maneuvered to the corner, where it remained for much of the battle. A count did not begin against either robot as both were partially mobile until the closing moments, where The Blender stopped moving altogether. It returned to life with just a few seconds remaining, edging towards Pretty in Pink, whose cage had collapsed across two of its diagonal beams. The winner of the judges' decision that followed is not known.
The Blender vs. ? The Blender first competed in the 2004 BattleBots IQ event. Though its opponents are not known, the fact it did not place in a podium position means it lost twice during the competition.
BattleBots IQ 2005
The Blender vs. Rage in a Cage The Blender swiftly immobilizes Rage in a Cage. The Blender's first fight of the 2005 event came against Rage in a Cage. It won this fight by knockout and moved on.
The Blender vs. Mario The Blender destroying Mario. Next up for The Blender was Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart entry, Mario. After tearing away Mario's front wedge, The Blender again advanced by knockout.
The Blender vs. Spinal Tap The Blender makes short work of Spinal Tap. Continuing in the winner's bracket, The Blender next took on Spinal Tap. It picked up a third win in as many fights and continued on in the winner's bracket.
The Blender vs. Green Wave Later in the competition, The Blender took on another powerful spinner in Green Wave. It lost this fight and fell into the loser's bracket.
The Blender vs. X Here, The Blender fought X and lost its second fight, confirming its elimination. However, the team would win the Coolest Robot Award at the end of the event.
BattleBots IQ 2006
The Blender vs. Black Widow The Blender's first fight of this competition was against Black Widow. Black Widow started by charging with its non-wedge side. The Blender immediately knocked one of its wheels off, which spun the robot around, knocking the second wheel off. This resulted in Black Widow being knocked out and a win for The Blender.
The Chupacabra vs. The Blender The Blender was also known to have fought The Chupacabra in this tournament. The Blender's first hit damaged The Chupacabra's bar which was swiftly shook off the top due to instability. At this point, The Chupacabra was knocked out, and The Blender was deemed the winner.
The Blender vs. X The Blender is known to have taken on X again in the 2006 competition, but suffered damage to its shell as several of its welds broke. This was The Blender's last fight in the bracket as it lost in the loser's bracket.
Middleweight Rumble The Blender (right) during the middleweight rumble. The Blender competed in the end-of-competition rumble, but lost overall to Mr. Plow.
High School Championship 2009
The Blender vs. Spawn of Gemini In The Blender's first fight, it fought Spawn of Gemini. The Blender started well, driving at its immobile opponent and smacking them into the corner. Spawn of Gemini moved before stopping again. The Blender got three more hits in before Spawn of Gemini escaped. Spawn of Gemini stopped again before The Blender hit it again and this blow caused the drum spinner to come back to life. The Blender hit its opponent into the wall before it escaped. Spawn of Gemini's drum had stopped working and The Blender hit it again, sending Spawn of Gemini into the screws by the red square. Spawn of Gemini stopped moving again and the team tapped out at 1 minute 56 seconds.
The Blender vs. SpiderPig In its second fight, The Blender took on Ransom Everglades Robotics and SpiderPig. Early on, repeatedly charged at The Blender before SpiderPig managed to get The Blender from spinning. It appears that The Blender could not spin up to full speed so both robots continued colliding with each other, accumulating very minimal damage until the fight ended. The Blender won the controversial judges' decision.
The Blender vs. ODDQUADD The Blender rips off ODDQUADD's wedge panel and one of its support. This put The Blender through to fight ODDQUADD from Bay Path Technical High School. The Blender bounced off ODDQUADD before a strip of metal was torn off the wedge. The Blender continued to toss ODDQUADD around the arena before the front wedge was torn off and a wheel was damaged. A merciless assault on the struggling ODDQUADD ensued before the match ends. This put The Blender through to fight BABS.
The Blender vs. BABS The Blender gets lifted by BABS. The Blender rips off one of BABS' skirts. The Blender spun up as BABS began its pursuit that will turn into a lengthy chase across the center of the BattleBox. It led to two head-on grazing collisions with The Blender's shell, throwing titanium sparks with minor damage suffered by both bots. BABS managed to lift The Blender into the spiked bumper after steering it into a corner. The Blender escaped only for BABS to hold The Blender under the pulverizer where it received multiple blows from the pulverizer. The Blender escaped and got hit by the killsaws, flying into the air before landing on BABS. The Blender moved away only to be caught by the hell raisers which BABS then did. BABS had a side of a skirt torn off and a white component was left hanging out the side. The Blender then managed to tear the top left panel up a little bit. The Blender won the unanimous judges' decision over this match that was met with standing ovation from audience members.
The Blender vs. Tin Shredder The Blender fought The Gow School's Tin Shredder next in the Winners final. Tin Shredder drove at The Blender, getting caught on the hellraisers. The Blender was deflecting Tin Shredder's boxrush attempts for a moment. The trend of the engagement was reversed later on as Tin Shredder got under The Blender a few times. The Blender took a bump from the hell raisers before hitting Tin Shredder away. The Blender was then wedged under by Tin Shredder and left under the pulverizer where it got hit once. The Blender escaped and ran away, getting caught by the hell raisers again. Tin Shredder took chase and got caught by the hell raisers as well, landing on The Blender, which started hitting the base of Tin Shredder. Tin Shredder escaped and The Blender was then pushed back by Tin Shredder. The Blender gives the final hit to Tin Shredder as it smokes. The two robots then got caught by the hell raisers, the two of them continuing to fight before they got caught by the hell raisers again. Tin Shredder then pushed The Blender into the screws before a bit of metal was made loose before Tin Shredder tried to wedge under The Blender. The Blender continued to hit Tin Shredder until the end of the fight. Tin Shredder won the judges decision.
The Blender vs. BABS The Blender peels up a side of BABS. The Blender tears up the lifting arm of BABS while they are being elevated by the hellraisers. The Blender severs and flings a second skirt piece toward the camera. The Blender had to fight in the loser's final, where it fought BABS again. The Blender gave some glancing blows to Whyachi's robot. BABS was unable to lift The Blender and the same top panel was damaged by the spinning shell of The Blender. Both robots were caught on the hellraisers and both robots then started attacking each other again. The Blender was then able to damage the lifting arm of BABS when BABS tried to lift The Blender. The hellraisers then caught The Blender, but it hit the lifting arm of BABS again, twisting it out of alignment. The Blender then managed to tear off the front wedge and side skirt of BABS, showing a battery hanging loose. The Blender struck the rear of BABS, which had been immobilised from the severe damage sustained. This also meant that Blender surprisingly finished off BABS in just over half the maximum fight duration.
The Blender vs. Tin Shredder The Blender strips the wedge off Tin Shredder. This put The Blender through to the title-decider, where it fought Tin Shredder again. In this fight, Tin Shredder changed strategy and did not drive at The Blender like it did in the first fight between the two robots. The Blender landed a few hits and missed a few. One of such hit damaged the corner of Tin Shredder's wedge. Tin Shredder reared up and bounced The Blender off its wedge twice, where it nearly took a hit from the pulverizer. The Blender was caught by the hellraisers before it continued hitting Tin Shredder, which was hobbling around. Tin Shredder had stopped moving and The Blender struck it once more, knocking the end of the wedge loose before ripping it off altogether. Tin Shredder was counted out and The Blender won by knockout to become the middleweight champion with a 6-1 record.
BotsIQ 2011 Please note that the order of the following fights is unknown, as documentation on the event itself is either limited or non-existent. This is typically true of untelevised events such as BattleBots IQ and those sanctioned by the BattleBots name.
The Blender vs. Catastrophe -TBA-
The Blender vs. Bear Tooth -TBA-
The Blender vs. PanDEMONium -TBA-
The Blender vs. Blue Flame -TBA-

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 21 (Minimum)
• Losses: 8 (Minimum)

Competition	Wins	Losses
BattleBots IQ 2004	?	?
BattleBots IQ 2005	Rage in a Cage Mario Spinal Tap	Green Wave X
BattleBots IQ 2006	Black Widow The Chupacabra	X Mr. Plow (Rumble)
BotsIQ 2007	PneuMagic Darkside 2 Care Bear DBC 5 E2V2 Fargo 2	?
BattleBots High School Championship 2009	Spawn of Gemini SpiderPig ODDQUADD BABS BABS Tin Shredder	Tin Shredder
BotsIQ 2011	Catastrophe Bear Tooth PanDEMONium	Blue Flame

Trivia

• The Blender team from 2011 was congratulated by the Texas House of Representatives with an official letter for winning the college division that year.