TV Tues - HELLGA!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, not a whole lot of TV watching going on right now, but there's one thing that definitely bears talking about:

American Gladiators! (NBC 7:00 Mondays): It's amazing how much excitement this updated version of one of the staples of my TV watching youth has generated in the ranks of HyperForce 3000; the power of nostalgia, eh? From the moment we saw the first commercial for the revival, we've been counting down the days. And now that the show has landed, how are we feeling? Pretty favorable, overall. Yes, the behavior of a couple of the Gladiators is a bit over the top character-wise almost in a WWE sort of way* -- I'm looking at you, Wolf -- and the lack of any Gladiator participation in the Eliminator is mildly disappointing, and I wish they had gone with anyone other than Hulk Hogan as an announcer**, but still, the allure of watching gigantic guys and gals beating the heck out of everday folk retains its appeal. During the initial flashes of the new Gladiators, one of the female Gladiators stood out to us due to her size; then when they did the roll call we were anxiously awaiting the unveiling of her identity as they called off the names of the other female Gladiators one by one: Fury, Venom, Crush, Siren, Stealth, and, finally . . . Hellga.


Yes, that's right, Hellga, with two Ls, insinuating that when this 6'1" 205 lb bodybuilder comes at you, Hell is coming with her***. Unfortunately, Hellga has not yet lived up to the promise of her name -- or her "Hellga Smash!" frame, for that matter -- so far competing only in The Gauntlet and not proving super-effective in the bulk of the runs. And yet, we remain hopeful, if for no other reason than we love to yell "HELLGA!!!!!!" The initial episodes have gotten pretty good ratings, apparently, so with luck we'll be able to see another season soon; and, if the contender tryouts come anywhere near here, I'd lay good money on PigPen trying out.

And I couldn't finish the post without sharing the entertaining promo clip below.



Good stuff.

*Which shouldn't be surprising, I suppose, since one of the over-actors, Toa, is actually Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's cousin.
**Fun drinking game: take a shot every time the Hulkster says "yo," "brother," or "unbelievable." You'll be plastered before the first commercial break.
***Of course, after listening to her disturbingly deep voice in an interview, the general consensus among the HyperForcers is that there's a good chance she once was a dude.