By Don Chareunsy
The family-friendly and nostalgic “BattleBots: Destruct- a-Thon,” the world’s premier robot-combat competi- tion, celebrated its grand opening in February 2023 in Las Vegas, and more than one year later, the bots are still battling their way to success in BattleBots Arena at Koval and Flamingo behind Horseshoe Las Vegas.
The daily theater show features live robot-on-robot carnage, never-before-seen combat robots and celebrity hosts Bil Dwyer and Steve Judkins. Containing the drama, action and destruction of the television series viewed in more than 150 countries, fights taking place during each 75-minute “BattleBots” show are real, and nobody – not even the drivers – knows which robot will win each night.
“BattleBots” delights audiences of all ages who shout “fight, fight, fight!” as the battles begin and cheer wildly for their favorite bots. Each show consists of six one-on-one robot battles – the results of which are not only unpredictable but also sure to be chock full of surprises as the bots and their weapons, such as deadly spinning blades that can slice through steel like butter and flame throwers that can shoot fire 6 feet into the air, take over the arena.
Weighing up to 300 pounds, “BattleBots” robots include many of the most famous that have delighted millions of fans. Witch Doctor, Kraken, Mammoth, Hypershock, Ginsu, Malice, Nightmare, Overkill, Tazbot and Whiplash are joined in the lineup by robots created for the live show.
Las Vegas audiences had the unparalleled chance to see new robots Chopper and Diablo before they were fea- tured on the television series. Las Vegas-based actress and singer Cheryl Daro was part of the opening cast of “BattleBots” and led Team Diablo.
“ ‘BattleBots: Destruct-a-Thon’ is an amazing family of people who care deeply about creating more visibility in the engineering, robotics and mechanics fields. It’s such a unique way to introduce this world to people who might not quite understand the depth of this work and might not have seen a future in it,” Daro said. “Watching these massive robots destroy each other every night really emphasizes the power of engineering and what you can do with that. Also, it’s just a whole lot of fun for all ages!”
Daro said being a part of opening “BattleBots” in Las Vegas was so special, especially being able to live day- to-day on the set and work directly with the real builder team. Learning from the builders from groups like Diablo, Hypershock and Witch Doctor and the OGs Trey Roski and Greg Muson really made what she did in the live show so much more exciting.
“I was immediately interested in joining the ‘BattleBots’ family because I watched the ‘BattleBots’ TV show growing up in the Bay Area,” Daro said. “The oppor- tunity to move in the same circles with the original creators and executive producers of the show like Tom Gutteridge and be a small part of this world was a dream come true … albeit, a geeky dream come true.
“Working with the ‘BattleBots: Destruct-a-Thon’ team is an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life.”
