BattleBots

The wait is over.

It's the last night of the qualifying round

as the world's best bots duke it out

for their chance to advance.

Let the bots battle begin!

A controversial builder from last year is back

with a new weapon for his shot at redemption.

He'll face off against a team

that spawned from the underworld.

Then a legend returns

to bear his teeth.

Versus a hot shot Alaskan

here to dominate the lower 48.

And will a fan favorite

who made a run in last season's title

be able to cast their spell on a newcomer?

Or will he flip the script?

Plus...

Three dead robots.

Two bitter rivals.

We're playing goodbye.

Look to settle the score once and for all.

I'm mad.

Just so I can kick the **** out of Chuck and Ghostcrafter.

That's right, ****!

It's all coming up on BattleBots.

Watch that game.

Welcome to BattleBots,

the world's greatest robot fighting tournament

where brilliant minds bring their beautifully crafted,

highly sophisticated machines

and then smash them to bits.

48 builders representing four continents

are here in Los Angeles

hoping to lay their claim

to the holy grail of robot fighting,

the Giant Knight.

Tonight is the final night of the qualifying round.

For the bots going into the battle box,

it's their last chance to win in advance

or impress the selection committee enough

to earn a wild card berth in the next round.

Because by the end of the night,

the field of 32 will be set.

Here to break down what's at stake,

our fight team.

One makes his living as a smooth talker.

The other made a career of roughing people up.

Please welcome broadcaster Chris Rose

and UFC legend Kenny Florian.

Hey, guys.

Hey, Sam.

First things first, guys.

Let's see how the tournament is shaping up.

Sixteen teams have won their battles

and advanced to the next round.

And tonight, we'll see eight more winners

claim their spots in the bracket.

Then, the selection committee will award wild cards

to eight deserving robots to round out the field of 32.

From there, it's single elimination

all the way to the title.

One thing to keep in mind,

wild cards should not be underestimated in battle bots

because last year, two wild cards, they succeeded.

Overhaul, witch doctor,

they each went on a nice little run.

And let's remember, when you're an underdog,

you start winning,

you start beating up on that other bot.

What happens?

The fans get involved.

Maybe that affects a judge's decision.

So wild card ain't a bad thing.

Rejection is a very strong motivator.

All right, let's meet one of the builders

in our first battle tonight.

Last season, a team of MIT engineers

went on an impressive run.

We're a judge!

But great minds don't always think alike.

And in the aftermath of a close loss

in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion...

Fight 4!

The MIT brain trust went the way of the Beatles

and split up, resulting in three new teams

all chasing glory this year's tournament.

I'm Adam Bracu.

I'm a neuroengineer.

My robot is Brutus.

Being on team Overhaul was tough

with so many talented builders.

I couldn't build the robot my way.

This year, I'm going solo

to build what I want to build

and build to win my way.

For season two, Adam is ditching

the grappling ways of Overhaul

for the flat-out oppression

of a heavy vertical spinner.

We're going in hard, coming in fast.

Never give him a chance.

And for good measure,

Brutus will also be packing heat.

We're just gonna light him up.

All right, guys, let's break down

Mobius versus Brutus.

Mobius is captained by Shaggy Mott,

and he is one of the great characters

you'll see around here,

roaming around the pits

with the colored contact lenses.

Just stand by and wait for his entrance.

Now the question is,

how are they gonna do inside the bot?

It's an impressive bot.

Now, this is a bot that uses a 74-volt motor.

That is twice the power of Tombstone.

So when this full-body spinner goes,

this thing spins and can cause a lot of damage.

Now, the guy that captains Brutus

is Adam Bracu.

And a season ago,

he was hanging out with the crowd from MIT.

Now he's got his own bot.

You might not recognize him

because he doesn't have

the whole orange hair anymore.

Yeah, Adam Bracu,

he's all grown up now.

It's pretty impressive when you look at his bot.

He not only has a powerful vertical spinner,

but he also has two mounted cannons.

Now, he won't reveal what they shoot,

but the rules committee has assured us

it is legal.

And this is actually the first bot

in BattleBot's history

that actually will be firing energy projectiles.

So very cool.

All right.

The fans here are ready to see

what they came to see.

Let's go now to Farooq.

Inside our arena, the BattleBots.

Ladies and gentlemen,

are you ready?

It's robot playing time!

There is Adam Bracu.

And remember, Kenny,

this is a battle-tested veteran,

a quarter-finalist with overhaul last season.

He's leading his own team here tonight,

but he knows what it takes to win.

Yeah, Chris,

and he's really bringing a perfect recipe

to go against a full-body spinner like Phobias,

a big wedge,

and a powerful vertical spinner.

Whoa, Kenny, are you ready to rock?

Yes!

Now this is how you make an entrance.

Team Phobias escorting their bot

seemingly from the depths of hell

to the battle box inside that coffin.

The crowd is going nuts right now.

Oh, yeah!

Well, these guys are showmen, Kenny,

and we talk a lot about

the different personalities of these bots,

but some of these builders are real characters as well,

and it's great to see the man match the machine.

In the red square,

a tisket, a tasket.

It brings its own casket.

It's Phobias!

Now that's a happy-go-lucky group, Kenny.

Oh, they look so happy to just be here.

Wow.

In the blue square,

here to toss you like a Caesar salad,

all hell rootless.

Oh, I like the guns on the side of that thing.

Those aren't guns. Those are gangster guns.

Gangsta.

Yeah.

I give credit to Phobias and his crew.

I mean, if you're going to go for it,

go for it, and they have.

Absolutely.

You know, the MIT guys, they're not so intimidating,

but I tell you what,

that vertical spinner looks very dangerous.

It's going to be fun.

Robots, activate.

Robots, ready.

Robots, ready.

Robots, ready.

Let the bot battle begin.

Imperius comes out firing.