INTERVIEW: BattleBots are back for some robotic madness
Photo: BattleBots returns to Discovery Channel with new episodes of high-adrenaline mechanized action. Photo courtesy of Daniel Longmire / Provided by press rep with permission.
The BattleBots are back on Discovery Channel. Watch out civilized society because the robots are ready to wreak havoc, and at the center of the warring is ring announcer Faruq Tauheed.
“It’s definitely a blessing to get it in, get it done, get it down for our fans,” Tauheed said in a recent phone interview.
This new season of BattleBots, which premieres Thursday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. on the network, almost didn’t happen. Filming was halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the TV crew and robot teams persevered and recorded the remainder of the season.
“All the safety protocols and the guidelines were truly amazing,” Tauheed said. “I never felt compromised in any way, shape or form. Testing was done every day, and it wasn’t really that bad. I wasn’t looking forward to all the testing, but actually it wasn’t too bad. Made everybody feel safe. Everybody got in and got out. No issues, it was great.”
When Tauheed first signed on the dotted line and joined the BattleBots team, he truly had no idea what he was getting himself into. The premise for newbies is that 60 teams of robotic engineers compete by having their robotic creations square off in a cutthroat area known as the BattleBox. The robot that is the last one standing earns the coveted prize called The Giant Nut.
“My style I guess kind of developed along with the show,” the TV host said. “The writers write some great stuff for me, and I’m able to go out there and just bring it to life and do my own thing. A lot of times when I get out there, nobody but me knows exactly how I’m going to do the introduction or what I’m going to do, so I love that part about it.”
Tauheed counts himself as a huge sports fan, so BattleBots is definitely within his wheelhouse. In fact, he believes the competition on the reality series is some of the best live-action sports available on television.
“It’s amazing being able to get in there and see the competition, see the mind games and all the different strategies that go along with it,” he said. “It’s an amazing sport, and I love the competition. … It’s sometimes beyond unbelievable. It’s so ingenious, and every year it gets better and better and better. Even this year we have even bigger robots with even better technology and better engineering going on. I can’t wait for you guys to see it.”
What the audience views on TV is fairly true to how it plays out in the BattleBox. Sometimes the robots get connected and need to be separated, otherwise the fight cannot continue and no winner would be awarded. On occasion, a robot will enter the box and not function at all.
“So we’ll shift fights around and things like that, but for the most part everything goes off without a hitch,” Tauheed said. “Everything you see is what you get.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
BattleBots returns Thursday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. on Discovery Channel. Click here for more information.
