What Happened to the Original ‘American Gladiators’?

American Gladiators was certainly tough for the contestants, those brave souls who faced off against bodybuilders and athletes in challenges of physical strength and endurance. But the ‘90s-era syndicated hit was hell on the gladiators themselves, as the recent documentary, Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators, details. Now, a new generation of gladiators is lining up for Prime Video’s reboot of the classic physical competition series.

American Gladiators 2.0 arrives on the streamer on April 17, but with all of these fresh hardbodies on full display in this iteration, you might be left wondering what happened to the first crew of bodybuilders that contestants have to power through to get their prizes.