World Championship IV, also known as Discovery Season 4 and the 2019 season, was the fourth season of BattleBots since its return to television in 2015, and the second since Discovery picked the show up from ABC.
Similar to the previous season, the 2019 season of BattleBots aired Fridays on Discovery, with an 'encore episode' the following Wednesday on the Science Channel, often featuring a bonus fight. The show kept its Fight Night format throughout the season, with the majority of the field of 68 competitors being guaranteed four fights. From then, the Selection Committee would pick the majority of the Top 16, who fought a single-elimination knockout tournament until a winner was found.
Chris Rose and Kenny Florian presenting during Episode 7 of World Championship IV.
The Desperado Tournament made its return, with the mid-season tournament format remaining the same. This was ultimately won by Team Uai!rrior and Black Dragon, who defeated Captain Shrederator, WAR Hawk and fellow Brazilian competitor Minotaur in the Desperado final to win the Giant Bolt trophy and earn a guaranteed spot in the Top 16. Ironically, their 8th seeding put them up against the 2018 Desperado Tournament winner Donald Hutson and Lock-Jaw, but Black Dragon fell at this hurdle and were eliminated from the competition.
Chris Rose, Kenny Florian and Faruq Tauheed once again kept their roles on the show, but FOX Sports broadcaster and sideline reporter Jenny Taft took over pit reporting duties. Neither Alison Haislip nor Jessica Chobot returned to BattleBots.
Changes were made to not only the judging criteria ahead of World Championship IV, but also the personnel. There were no guest judges for the 2019 season, with the panel being made up of three former BattleBots competitors of both the classic and reboot eras: Derek Young of Complete Control, Pressure Drop and Son of Smashy, Jason Bardis of Dr. Inferno Jr., Towering Inferno and The Disk O' Inferno, as well as Lisa Winter of Tentoumushi, Plan X and Mega Tento. Each of the three judges were provided with a Judges' Guide, explaining the format as well as a brief FAQ of likely circumstances they would have to mutually rule upon.[1] The criteria saw a 7 point system split between three categories - 3 points for Damage; 2 points for Aggression; and 2 points for Control.
The season was again won by Bite Force, built and driven by Paul Ventimiglia of Aptyx Designs. In successfully defending his Giant Nut, he became a three-time champion - a feat which had only previously been met by Carlo Bertocchini's BioHazard and Tony Buchignani's incredibly successful middleweight, Hazard. Three Giant Bolt awards were also presented to competitors for other categories: the Founder's Award was won by Jake Ewert and Hydra, whereas the Most Destructive Robot Award was won by Cobalt and the Best Design Award was won by Quantum.
| Champion | Runner-Up | Semi-Finalists | Quarter-Finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bite Force | Witch Doctor | Tombstone Death Roll |
Lock-Jaw Whiplash SawBlaze Minotaur |
Reveals and Trailers[]
A thirty second trailer was launched to the BattleBots YouTube channel in May 2019, showcasing hero shots of several robots, including End Game and Kraken, as Chris Rose hyped up the season to include the largest field of competitors to date.
The later snippets of battles focused on different Fight Night battles including SawBlaze vs. ROTATOR, End Game vs. DeathRoll and Quantum vs. Blacksmith as various commentary lines played. Faruq Tauheed closed the trailer with his iconic "It's Robot Fighting Time!" catchphrase as a couple more fights were teased, before the trailed announced June 7 as the date for the first episode of World Championship IV.
Rule Changes[]
Amidst the rule changes for the 2019 season was the way in which referees would count out a robot they thought to be immobile. Whereas the referees would initiate a 20 second countdown from the moment they thought a robot was immobile, the last ten seconds of which were called out loud, the wording was now changed to read 'counts' rather than seconds. This was changed to account for unintentional inconsistencies between a referee's ten-count and the total seconds a robot is immobilized for. This also reflects ten-counts seen in combat sports such as boxing, which are not exactly ten seconds in length.
Concerning robot design, one new rule was the enforcement of batteries being removed after a match and only reinstalled just ahead of the next match in order to ensure accessibility at all times.[2] Another concerned flamethrowers, which could now operate for a maximum of 60 seconds at maximum gas flow.[2]
Fight Night Schedules[]
* This robot did not receive any more Fight Night battles during the season.
** This robot was featured in the 2019 season roster, but had to withdraw.
*** This robot appeared exclusively in exhibition battles during the season.
BattleBots: Fight Night[]
Episode 1: That's What You Call a KO![]
- "The season begins as bots compete to be the 2019 BattleBots World Champion."
- — Official description for Episode 1
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 1
| SawBlaze vs. ROTATOR* |
| Cobalt vs. SubZero |
| Kraken vs. Ribbot |
| End Game vs. DeathRoll |
| HyperShock vs. Valkyrie |
| Blacksmith vs. Quantum |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Marvin vs. Gruff vs. Gemini |
*Aired as the Main Event of Episode 1 of the ITV4 version.
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 1 of the ITV4 UK version (That's What You Call A KO! - Part One).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 2 of the ITV4 UK version (That's What You Call A KO! - Part Two).
Episode 2: You Mess with the Bull, You Get the Drum[]
- "Minotaur goes against Whiplash as a new group of 14 bots make their debut."
- — Official description for Episode 2
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 2
| Son of Whyachi vs. HUGE |
| Texas Twister vs. Black Dragon |
| DUCK! vs. Bombshell |
| Shatter! vs. Witch Doctor* |
| Axe Backwards vs. Mammoth |
| Wan Hoo vs. Captain Shrederator |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Chronos vs. Gigabyte |
*Aired as the Main Event of Episode 3 of the ITV4 version.
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 3 of the ITV4 UK version (Voodoo You Think You Are?).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 4 of the ITV4 UK version (You Mess With The Bull, You Get The Drum).
Episode 3: Don't FLIP OUT![]
- "BattleBots Champion Bite Force squares off against famed bot Yeti."
- — Official description for Episode 3
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 3
| Skorpios vs. Copperhead |
| Bloodsport vs. Lucky |
| Free Shipping vs. Hydra |
| Monsoon vs. Ragnarök* |
| MadCatter vs. Railgun MAX |
| Breaker Box vs. Falcon |
Bite Force vs. Yeti |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| WAR Hawk vs. Petunia |
*Aired as the Main Event of Episode 5 of the ITV4 version.
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 5 of the ITV4 UK version (Don't Flip Out!).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 6 of the ITV4 UK version (The Champ Returns).
Episode 4: A Duck Only a Mother Could Love[]
- "Elite bots Tombstone and Sawblaze go to war in the BattleBox."
- — Official description for Episode 4
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 4
| DUCK! vs. Cobalt* |
| ROTATOR vs. Bombshell |
| Nelly The Ellybot vs. Rainbow |
| Quantum vs. Lock-Jaw |
| Kraken vs. Blacksmith |
| End Game vs. Ribbot |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| DeathRoll vs. Foxtrot |
*Aired as the Main Event of Episode 7 of the ITV4 version.
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 7 of the ITV4 UK version (The Duck Only A Mother Could Love).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 8 of the ITV4 UK version (Flames, Frogs and Fights to the Death).
Episode 5: A Family Affair[]
- "Undefeated bots Son of Whyachi and the Ewerts look to continue their reign."
- — Official description for Episode 5
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 5
| Black Dragon vs. Bloodsport |
| Captain Shrederator vs. Witch Doctor |
| Jasper vs. HUGE |
| Gigabyte vs. Minotaur* |
| Mammoth vs. Uppercut |
| Wan Hoo vs. Shatter! |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Texas Twister vs. Axe Backwards |
*Aired as the Main Event of Episode 9 of the ITV4 version.
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 9 of the ITV4 UK version (The Heat Rises).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 10 of the ITV4 UK version (A Family Affair).
Episode 6: Buckers and Brawlers[]
- "Defending champ Bite Force takes on legendary flipper Bronco."
- — Official description for Episode 6
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 6
| Hydra vs. WAR Hawk |
| Sidewinder vs. Skorpios |
| Valkyrie vs. Ragnarök |
| Free Shipping vs. Yeti |
| Gruff vs. Copperhead |
| HyperShock vs. Monsoon* |
Bronco vs. Bite Force |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Petunia vs. Marvin |
*Aired as the Main Event of Episode 11 of the ITV4 version.
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 11 of the ITV4 UK version (Buckers and Brawlers).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 12 of the ITV4 UK version (Who Needs Strategy When You've Got a Big Fat Drum?).
Episode 7: The Most Destructive Robot[]
- "Tombstone and ROTATOR look to settle a year-long feud once and for all."
- — Official description for Episode 7
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 7
| Quantum vs. DeathRoll |
| Bombshell vs. Cobalt |
| Gemini vs. Tantrum |
| Lock-Jaw vs. DUCK!* |
| SawBlaze vs. Blacksmith |
| Railgun MAX vs. Shellshock |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Falcon vs. Ribbot |
*Aired as the Main Event of Episode 13 of the ITV4 version.
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 13 of the ITV4 UK version (Duck Hunting).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 14 of the ITV4 UK version (The Most Destructive Bot).
Episode 8: The Desperado Tournament II[]
- "Eight bots go head-to-head in the last-chance Desperado tournament."
- — Official description for Episode 8
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 8
| Desperado Quarter-Finals |
|---|
| (1) Minotaur vs. (8) Lucky |
| (4) End Game vs. (5) Gruff |
| (3) Black Dragon vs. (6) Captain Shrederator |
| (2) WAR Hawk vs. (7) Ragnarök |
| Desperado Semi-Finals |
| (1) Minotaur vs. (4) End Game |
| (2) WAR Hawk vs. (3) Black Dragon |
| Desperado Final |
(1) Minotaur vs. (3) Black Dragon |
| Exhibition Match |
| Deep Six vs. Axe Backwards* |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle** |
| The Four Horsemen vs. Extinguisher |
*Omitted from the ITV4 UK version (Episode 15, The Desperado Tournament). **Aired in Episode 24 of the ITV4 UK version (Last Chance Saloon).
Episode 9: Eyes on the Prize[]
- "Undefeated Whiplash and Witch Doctor look to end an enemy's hot streak."
- — Official description for Episode 9
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 9
| HUGE vs. Gigabyte |
| Breaker Box vs. Uppercut |
| Wan Hoo vs. Mammoth |
| Son of Whyachi vs. Texas Twister* |
| SubZero vs. P1 |
| Deep Six vs. Nelly The Ellybot |
Whiplash vs. Witch Doctor |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Double Jeopardy vs. Rainbow vs. Extinguisher |
*Aired as the Main Event of Episode 16 of the ITV4 version.
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 16 of the ITV4 UK version (Eyes on the Prize).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 17 of the ITV4 UK version (It's Robot Carnage Time!).
Episode 10: Flips, Fires and Flinches[]
- "Undefeated HyperShock looks to take down the reigning champ, Bite Force."
- — Official description for Episode 10
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 10
| Hydra vs. Petunia |
| Rainbow vs. Yeti |
| Skorpios vs. Tantrum |
| Bronco vs. Free Shipping* |
| Valkyrie vs. Monsoon |
| Copperhead vs. Chronos |
Bite Force vs. HyperShock |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle** |
|---|
| Ragnarök vs. MadCatter |
*Aired as the Main Event of Episode 18 of the ITV4 version.
**This battle only aired as part of the South Korean broadcast of Episode 10, and as part of Episode 19 of the ITV4 UK version.
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 18 of the ITV4 UK version (Fires, Flips and Flinches).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 19 of the ITV4 UK version (The Ultimate Challenge).
Episode 11: Like a Bot to a Flame[]
- "In the Main Event, ROTATOR and Death Roll [sic] compete in the BattleBox."
- — Official description for Episode 11
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 11
| DUCK! vs. Quantum |
| Blacksmith vs. Captain Shrederator |
| Bombshell vs. Lock-Jaw |
| Tombstone vs. Gruff* |
| End Game vs. Cobalt |
| Ribbot vs. SawBlaze |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Shatter! vs. Kingpin |
*Aired as the Main Event of Episode 20 of the ITV4 version.
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 20 of the ITV4 UK version (It's Not Just The Winning...).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 21 of the ITV4 UK version (Like A Bot To A Flame).
Episode 12: This is Gonna Be Huge[]
- "HUGE looks to earn its first win against the legendary Bronco."
- — Official description for Episode 12
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 12
| Minotaur vs. Shatter! |
| Son of Whyachi vs. Kraken |
| Railgun MAX vs. Wan Hoo |
| Witch Doctor vs. Gigabyte* |
| Breaker Box vs. Bloodsport |
| Texas Twister vs. Whiplash |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle** |
|---|
| Petunia vs. Valkyrie |
*Aired as the Main Event of Episode 22 of the ITV4 version. **This battle only aired as part of the South Korean airing of Episode 12, and as part of Episode 23 of the ITV4 UK version.
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 22 of the ITV4 UK version (Do or Die).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 23 of the ITV4 UK version (This Is Gonna Be Huge).
Episode 13: One Flipper to Rule Them All[]
- "Hydra and Bronco fight for the title of greatest flipper in the world."
- — Official description for Episode 13
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 13
| Breaker Box vs. HyperShock |
| Yeti vs. Tantrum |
| Copperhead vs. WAR Hawk |
| Bite Force vs. Monsoon* |
| Free Shipping vs. Railgun MAX |
| Uppercut vs. Skorpios |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
|---|
| Bloodsport vs. The Four Horsemen |
*Aired as the Main Event of Episode 24 of the ITV4 version.
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 24 of the ITV4 UK version (Last Chance Saloon).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 25 of the ITV4 UK version (One Flipper to Rule Them All).
Episode 14: Live to Die Another Day[]
- "The greatest bots redouble their efforts for a spot in the knockout round."
- — Official description for Episode 14
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 14
| Play-in Matches |
|---|
| Valkyrie vs. Quantum |
| Yeti vs. DUCK! |
| Lock-Jaw vs. Skorpios |
| HyperShock vs. HUGE |
| Railgun MAX vs. Bloodsport vs. Uppercut |
| ROTATOR vs. Blacksmith |
| Son of Whyachi vs. Copperhead |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle* |
| Ribbot vs. Sharkoprion |
*Omitted from the UK ITV4 version (Episode 26).
Aired in the UK as Episode 26 of the ITV4 version.
Top 16[]
Episode 15: My Super Sweet 16[]
- "The 2019 BattleBots World Championship kicks off a Sweet 16 competition!"
- — Official description for Episode 15
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 15
| Round of 16 |
|---|
| (1) Bite Force vs. Uppercut (16) |
| (8) Black Dragon vs. Lock-Jaw (9) |
| (5) Whiplash vs. HUGE (12) |
| (4) Tombstone vs. Quantum (13)* |
| (2) Witch Doctor vs. Blacksmith (15) |
| (7) SawBlaze vs. Son of Whyachi (10) |
| (3) Hydra vs. Minotaur (14) |
| (6) DeathRoll vs. Yeti (11) |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
| Nightmare vs. Mammoth |
*Aired as the Main Event of Episode 27 of the ITV4 version.
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 27 of the ITV4 UK version (2019 World Championship - Top 16 Part One).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 28 of the ITV4 UK version (2019 World Championship - Top 16 Part Two).
Top 8[]
Episode 16: 2019 BattleBots World Championship[]
- "The final eight bots face off for the 2019 BattleBots World Championship!"
- — Official description for Episode 16
Main article: World Championship IV/Episode 16
| Championship Quarter-Finals |
|---|
| (1) Bite Force vs. Lock-Jaw (9) |
| (4) Tombstone vs. Whiplash (5) |
| (2) Witch Doctor vs. SawBlaze (7) |
| (6) DeathRoll vs. Minotaur (14) |
| Championship Semi-Finals |
| (1) Bite Force vs. Tombstone (4) |
| (2) Witch Doctor vs. DeathRoll (6) |
| Championship Final |
(1) Bite Force vs. Witch Doctor (2) |
| Science Channel Exclusive Bonus Battle |
| Team UK (Monsoon & Ragnarök) vs. |
Matches highlighted in red were aired in Episode 29 of the ITV4 UK version (2019 World Championship - The Quarterfinals).
Matches highlighted in blue were aired in Episode 30 of the ITV4 UK version (The 2019 World Championship Finals).
Untelevised Fights[]
| P1 vs. Extinguisher vs. The Four Horsemen |
| Lucky vs. Kraken |
| Petunia vs. SubZero |
| WAR Hawk vs. Wan Hoo |
| End Game vs. DUCK! |
| Texas Twister vs. Free Shipping |
| Kraken vs. Wan Hoo |
| HyperShock vs. Hydra |
| Gruff vs. Railgun MAX |
| Bloodsport vs. Sharkoprion |
| Shellshock vs. Nelly the Ellybot |
| Petunia vs. Jasper vs. BattleSaw |
| Double Jeopardy vs. Daisy Cutter vs. Foxtrot |
| Ribbot vs. Valkyrie |
| Jasper vs. Uppercut vs. Tantrum |
| Marvin vs. Falcon |
| Marvin vs. Axe Backwards |
| Mammoth vs. Foxtrot |
| Deep Six vs. Kingpin vs. Daisy Cutter |
| SubZero vs. The Four Horsemen |
| The Four Horsemen vs. Double Jeopardy vs. Lucky |
| Extinguisher vs. BattleSaw |
| Mammoth vs. Gemini |
| BattleSaw vs. MadCatter |
| Lucky vs. Tantrum |
| Skorpios vs. Black Dragon |
| Shatter! vs. Kraken |
| SubZero vs. Gemini |
See Also[]
Trivia[]
- Both Electric Ray and Ghost Raptor withdrew from this season.
- Despite not competing, much like the drop-outs from World Championship II, Electric Ray is still present on the BattleBots website.[3]
- World Championship IV marked the 20th anniversary of BattleBots with, up to 2019, the largest field of robots in the reboot era to date.
- World Championship IV marked the final televised appearance of Nightmare, who was effectively retired after losing its exhibition match to Mammoth.
References[]
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