World Championship III, also known as Discovery Season 3 and the 2018 season, was the third season of BattleBots since its return to television in 2015, and the first season to air on the Discovery network.
After ABC did not renew the show after 2016, BattleBots saw a year-long hiatus before its eventual return in 2018. The Discovery network would often air the main episode on Friday evenings, with an "encore episode" airing the following Wednesday on the Science Channel. These encore episodes would often feature an additional fight exclusive to the Science Channel airings - typically a Rumble.
Episode 1's Fight Night card.
- "From now on, just like any other sports league, there will be an entire season of match-ups, battles and throwdowns."
- — Kenny Florian teases the Fight Night format during Episode 1
This season introduced the Fight Night format as opposed to the straight knock-out competition with qualifiers seen in ABC seasons. This new format allowed for a greater field of competing teams, with 55 robots gracing the BattleBox. Each robot would aim to fight a total of four times across the seasons, and earning a final win/loss record for the consideration of the Selection Committee, who would then pick the Top 16. Each episode featured a fight card - four or more fights in the order they would happen in the episode. This was often followed by the Main Event, typically comprising of two high-tier bots which would be the most hyped-up battle of the episode.
The Desperado Tournament was introduced during the season for mid-season strugglers, where teams could opt in to compete in an eight-way knockout bracket, where the eventual winner would be guaranteed a spot in the Top 16. In World Championship III, this was won by Donald Hutson and Lock-Jaw, who beat Kraken, Valkyrie and Lucky to earn a place in the Tournament Bracket. Lock-Jaw would ultimately progress to the semi-finals, earning two further wins before losing to Minotaur. Two further guaranteed places in the Top 16 were confirmed via two play-in matches during Episode 17. This saw End Game, WAR Hawk and Brutus fight it out for the No.15 seed, and six robots duel for the No.16 seed in the Last Chance Rumble.
The crew behind World Championship III.
Chris Rose and Kenny Florian returned as hosts, with Faruq Tauheed keeping his role as announcer. Former judge Jessica Chobot replaced Alison Haislip as pit reporter for the 2018 season. The judging team varied between episodes, often featuring guest judges which included former competitors Derek Young, Mark Setrakian and Grant Imahara, as well as film artist and creator Frank Ippolito, Canadian actress Naomi Kyle and NASA engineer Bobak Ferdowsi.
To break up the main season, BattleBots also produced a USA vs. The World special episode, This pitted US-based teams against some of the competition's international representatives.[1] These matches were primarily fought as 1v1s, with the exception of a single 2v2 Tag Team battle. None of the wins or losses from this were canon to the respective robots' season records.
The 2018 season was ultimately won by Bite Force, built and driven by Paul Ventimiglia of Aptyx Designs. This marked his second Giant Nut win, taking the title back from Ray Billings and Tombstone. The Most Destructive Robot Award was won by Victor Soto and ROTATOR, largely due to its demolition of Icewave en route to the quarter-finals. Team HUGE picked up the Best Design Award for their unique, yet effective design, and British entry Monsoon became the winners of the Founder's Award, given by Greg Munson and Trey Roski for the team and robot which best embodied the spirit of BattleBots.
Discovery also produced a six-part mini-series called BattleBots Resurrection which showcased the struggles various teams faced between battles during the season. Filmed parallel to the 2018 season of BattleBots, these episodes were released on the Discovery website in October 2018.
| Champion | Runner-Up | Semi-Finalists | Quarter-Finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bite Force | Minotaur | Lock-Jaw
Whiplash |
Bombshell
Monsoon |
Reveals and Trailers[]
In April 2018, the BattleBots YouTube channel uploaded a thirty-second trailer to promote World Championship III. The first half of the trailer focuses on Faruq Tauheed, confirming his return as ring announcer, performing poetry and various teams are shown entering the BattleBox. The second half hones in more on teasing upcoming battles, many of which were included in the first episode of the 2018 season, such as Bite Force vs. Blacksmith and Tombstone vs. Minotaur. Commentary lines from Chris Rose and Kenny Florian play over snippets of other fights, some of which are only a few frames long, before it is confirmed that "BattleBots is now on Discovery", naming May 11 as the season premiere date.
Fight Night Schedules[]
| Robot | Fight Night Record | Fight Night Opponents | ||||
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| Axe Backwards |  |
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| Bale Spear |  |
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| Basilisk | |
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| Battle Royale With Cheese |  |
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| Bite Force |  |
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| Blacksmith | |
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| Bombshell | |
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| Bronco | |
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| Brutus |  |
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| Captain Shrederator |  |
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| Chomp |  |
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| Deviled Egg | |
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| Double Dutch | |
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| Double Jeopardy |  |
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| DUCK! | |
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| End Game | |
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| Free Shipping | |
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| Gamma 9 | |
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| Gemini |  |
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| Gigabyte | |
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| HUGE | |
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| HyperShock | |
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| Hypothermia |  |
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| Icewave | |
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| Kraken | |
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| Lock-Jaw | |
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| Lucky |  |
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| Mecha Rampage | |
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| Minotaur | |
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| Mohawk | |
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| Monsoon | |
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| Overhaul | |
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| Parallax | |
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| Petunia | |
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| Predator | |
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| Reality | |
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| Red Devil | |
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| ROTATOR | |
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| SawBlaze | |
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| Sharkoprion | |
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| Skorpios | |
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| Son of Whyachi | |
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| SubZero | |
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| Tantrum | |
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| The Four Horsemen | |
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| Tombstone | |
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| Ultimo Destructo | |
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| Valkyrie | |
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| Vanquish | |
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| WAR Hawk | |
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| Warhead | |
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| Warrior Dragon | |
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| Whiplash | |
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| Witch Doctor | |
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| Yeti | |
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* This robot did not receive any further Fight Night battles.
BattleBots: Fight Night[]
Episode 1: It's Robot Fighting Time![]
- "The legends of robot combat put it all on the line for a shot at the 2018 World Championship."
- — Official description for Episode 1
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 1
| Blacksmith vs. Bite Force |
| Mecha Rampage vs. DUCK! vs. Free Shipping |
| SubZero vs. HUGE |
| Bombshell vs. Lock-Jaw |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Sharkoprion vs. Kraken vs. Deviled Egg |
Episode 2: Are You Yeti to Rumble?[]
- "Fan favorites Yeti and Witch Doctor face off in a world-class fight as top competitors battle to earn their spot in the postseason tournament."
- — Official description for Episode 2
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 2
| Icewave vs. Vanquish |
| ROTATOR vs. Petunia |
| Brutus vs. Red Devil |
| Captain Shrederator vs. End Game |
Witch Doctor vs. Yeti |
Episode 3: Everyone Wants to be the Hotshot[]
- "BattleBots legends Hypershock and Biteforce (sic) face off in an epic showdown, while up-and-comers try to prove they have what it takes to be crowned 2018 BattleBots World Champion."
- — Official description for Episode 3
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 3
| Overhaul vs. SawBlaze |
| Whiplash vs. Hypothermia |
| The Four Horsemen vs. Double Jeopardy vs. Gamma 9 |
| WAR Hawk vs. Axe Backwards |
HyperShock vs. Bite Force |
Episode 4: There's No Tapping Out in BattleBots![]
- "Reigning champion Tombstone takes on the legendary Gigabyte as the battles heat up to take home the renowned BattleBots trophy."
- — Official description for Episode 4
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 4
| Red Devil vs. Monsoon |
| Lucky vs. Skorpios |
| Tantrum vs. Battle Royale With Cheese |
| End Game vs. Lock-Jaw |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Gemini vs. Mohawk vs. Kraken |
Episode 5: Just Keep Spinning[]
- "A brutal match-up between Icewave and Yeti ignites the BattleBox, while the best bots in the world flex their gears."
- — Official description for Episode 5
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 5
| HUGE vs. Free Shipping |
| Minotaur vs. Hypothermia |
| Blacksmith vs. The Four Horsemen |
| Son of Whyachi vs. Brutus |
Episode 6: It's a Flippin' Robot Party![]
- "World class robots Bronco and Bombshell go head to head as the elite group of robots compete for the title of 2018 BattleBots World Champion."
- — Official description for Episode 6
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 6
| SawBlaze vs. Reality |
| Petunia vs. Monsoon |
| Captain Shrederator vs. SubZero |
| Warrior Dragon vs. Chomp |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Bale Spear vs. Valkyrie vs. Predator |
Episode 7: It's Fork Lifting Time![]
- "Rookie bot End Game and former BattleBots champ Bite Force duke it out in an action packed night of battles."
- — Official description for Episode 7
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 7
| Lucky vs. Son of Whyachi |
| SawBlaze vs. Mohawk |
| Whiplash vs. Mecha Rampage |
| Chomp vs. Overhaul |
Bite Force vs. End Game |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Axe Backwards vs. Deviled Egg vs. Basilisk |
Episode 8: I'm Here to Kick Some Bot[]
- "BattleBots royalty Bronco and Lock-Jaw fight to the death as the competition for 2018 BattleBots World Champion gets fierce."
- — Official description for Episode 8
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 8
| Warrior Dragon vs. ROTATOR |
| Reality vs. DUCK! |
| HyperShock vs. Battle Royale With Cheese |
| Witch Doctor vs. Blacksmith |
Episode 9: Ice, Ice, Baby[]
- "BattleBots elite Icewave and Skorpios square off in an epic throwdown, and the rest of the bots battle to secure their spots in the Sweet 16."
- — Official description for Episode 9
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 9
| Chomp vs. HUGE |
| Brutus vs. WAR Hawk |
| Captain Shrederator vs. Petunia |
| Yeti vs. Bombshell |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Double Jeopardy vs. Mecha Rampage |
Episode 10: A Smashing Good Time[]
- "Undefeated bots Bronco and Duck! duke it out in the BattleBox as the race to become BattleBots World Champion heats up."
- — Official description for Episode 10
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 10
| HyperShock vs. Free Shipping |
| Red Devil vs. SubZero |
| Sharkoprion vs. Warhead |
| Monsoon vs. Son of Whyachi |
Episode 11: The Desperado Tournament[]
- "In a special last-chance tournament, eight bots battle it out for one of the last spots in the 2018 World Championship Sweet 16."
- — Official description for Episode 11
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 11
| Desperado Quarter-Finals |
|---|
| (1) Lock-Jaw vs. Kraken (8) |
| (4) Valkyrie vs. Hypothermia (5) |
| (3) Lucky vs. Gemini (6) |
| (2) Gigabyte vs. Double Dutch (7) |
| Desperado Semi-Finals |
| (1) Lock-Jaw vs. Valkyrie (4) |
| (3) Lucky vs. Gigabyte (2) |
| Desperado Final |
Episode 12: This is BattleBots![]
- "Reigning BattleBots champion Tombstone and newcomer Whiplash fight to the finish as an advanced group of bots go head-to-head in the BattleBox."
- — Official description for Episode 12
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 12
| ROTATOR vs. Skorpios |
| Ultimo Destructo vs. Witch Doctor |
| Overhaul vs. WAR Hawk |
| Chomp vs. Warhead |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Sharkoprion vs. Gemini |
Episode 13: The Rematch[]
- "Minotaur continues its quest for the BattleBots title in an epic fight with Blacksmith, a rematch two years in the making."
- — Official description for Episode 13
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 13
| Red Devil vs. Valkyrie |
| Brutus vs. Gigabyte |
| Bombshell vs. Bite Force |
| Son of Whyachi vs. End Game |
Blacksmith vs. Minotaur |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Lucky vs. Reality |
Episode 14: It's Going to be a Flippin' Blast![]
- "Undefeated bots Bronco and SawBlaze battle to the death to preserve their perfect records in a night of epic clashes."
- — Official description for Episode 14
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 14
| Tombstone vs. DUCK! |
| Petunia vs. Yeti |
| Monsoon vs. Axe Backwards |
| Warhead vs. Warrior Dragon |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Mecha Rampage vs. Tantrum |
Episode 15: USA vs. The World[]
- "5 U.S. robots take on 5 robots from other countries in a special competition for bragging rights."
- — Official description for Episode 15
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 15
| Blacksmith vs. Warhead |
| Captain Shrederator vs. Vanquish |
| Kraken vs. Red Devil |
| HyperShock vs. Reality |
| SawBlaze vs. End Game |
| Exhibition Tag Team |
|---|
| Bale Spear & Double Dutch vs. Predator & Petunia |
Episode 16: A Bull in a Bot Shop[]
- "Minotaur goes head-to-head with Subzero in a ultimate smackdown as the two boys try and secure their spots in the World Championship."
- — Official description for Episode 16
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 16
| Warhead vs. Whiplash |
| Mohawk vs. Reality |
| Free Shipping vs. WAR Hawk |
| Witch Doctor vs. Overhaul |
Episode 17: Last Chance Rumble[]
- "Brutus, Warhawk, (sic) and End Game fight for a guaranteed spot, as the last round of bots put everything on the line to make it into the Sweet 16 round."
- — Official description for Episode 17
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 17
| Icewave vs. HUGE |
| Gemini vs. The Four Horsemen |
| Skorpios vs. HyperShock |
| Play-in Matches |
|---|
| Last Chance Rumble |
Lucky vs. Bombshell vs. Valkyrie vs. DUCK! vs. Red Devil vs. Gigabyte |
Top 16[]
Episode 18: It's Tournament Time[]
- "The Sweet 16 round kicks off with an epic night of fights featuring Tombstone, Minotaur, and Lock-Jaw, as the group of elite bots begin the battle to become the 2018 BattleBots World Champion."
- — Official description for Episode 18
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 18
| Round of 16 |
|---|
| (5) SawBlaze vs. Monsoon (12) |
| (1) Tombstone vs. Bombshell (16) |
| (4) Minotaur vs. Witch Doctor (13) |
| (8) Son of Whyachi vs. Lock-Jaw (9) |
| Quarter-Finals |
| (16) Bombshell vs. Lock-Jaw (9) |
| (12) Monsoon vs. Minotaur (4) |
Episode 19: The Tournament[]
- "The tournament begins with an epic night of smackdowns and legendary upsets as eight world-class bots go head-to-head to earn a place in the final four of the BattleBots World Championship."
- — Official description for Episode 19
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 19
| Round of 16 |
|---|
| (2) Bronco vs. WAR Hawk (15) |
| (7) Yeti vs. Whiplash (10) |
| (6) Icewave vs. ROTATOR (11) |
| (3) Bite Force vs. HUGE (14) |
| Quarter-Finals |
| (2) Bronco vs. Whiplash (10) |
| (11) ROTATOR vs. Bite Force (3) |
Top 4[]
Episode 20: Championship Night[]
- "It's championship night and just four bots remain to face off in the ultimate battles to decide the 2018 BattleBots World Champion."
- — Official description for Episode 20
Main article: World Championship III/Episode 20
| Semi-Finals |
|---|
| (9) Lock-Jaw vs. Minotaur (4) |
| (10) Whiplash vs. Bite Force (3) |
| Exhibition Fight |
| Tombstone vs. Tantrum |
| Final |
(3) Bite Force vs. Minotaur (4) |
Untelevised Exhibition Fights[]
| Chomp vs. Kraken |
| Basilisk vs. Chomp |
| Valkyrie vs. Overhaul |
| Gigabyte vs. DUCK! |
International Broadcasts[]
Soon after its original broadcast in the US, the 2018 season aired in many North and South American countries, courtesy of Discovery Latin America. BLAZE and Discovery Africa were responsible for airing the season in many African countries, with Discovery Middle East covering that portion of the world. Zee Café aired the competition in a handful of Asian countries such as India and Bangladesh, whereas Aceone Media broadcast it in South Korea. Australia and New Zealand received the season via their respective Discovery offshoots, whereas 9Go! aired it in Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Many of these networks would pick up future seasons of BattleBots, with the show transferring from ABC to Discovery in the US.
In February 2022, BattleBots announced that they had struck a deal to air the 2018 season in the United Kingdom on ITV4, with episodes initially planned to air every weeknight starting on April 18.[2] It was later confirmed that the first episode would debut two weeks earlier on April 4, with the season being shown on weekday evenings in a 7pm timeslot.[3] Episodes broadcast by ITV4 included the bonus battles and segments initially exclusive to Science Channel airings in the US.
A year later, World Championship III was picked up by Netflix in the United Kingdom as well as several European countries.
See Also[]
Trivia[]
- The season was supposed to feature 57 robots, but was reduced to 55 after the withdrawal of Raven and BattleSaw.
- In Episode 1 of the season, a graphic showcasing every competing robot replaced Raven with La Machine as a nod to Greg Munson and Trey Roski's robot.
- World Championship III saw the only series of BattleBots Resurrection, as it did not return for future seasons of the show.
- This season saw the first instance of a non-US team making the Championship final in the modern era, as Team RioBotz and Minotaur progressed to the title decider but lost out to Bite Force.
- Minotaur was also the only non-US bot to make the Top 4 in World Championship III.
- In UK airings of the 2018 season on ITV4, team sponsors were censored by the BattleBots logo in their pre-fight introductions.
- In Episode 13, a digital banner promoting the 2018 sci-fi film A.X.L. is shown beneath the control area during multiple battles, including Red Devil vs. Valkyrie and Blacksmith vs. Minotaur.
- According to a behind the scenes video uploaded by guest judge Naomi Kyle, Episode 6's match between Chomp and Warrior Dragon was set to be the backup Main Event choice in case the first choice Main Event, Bombshell vs. Bronco, was lackluster.[4] As it happened, the original first choice Main Event was not changed.
- The Last Chance Rumble is absent from the records of the bots that fought in it on the BattleBots website.
References[]
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