Although there was nothing wrong with the premise of American Gladiators and the show was very popular, it ultimately ended because the cast was so unhappy.
American Gladiators may have aired all the way back in the 80s and 90s, but with Netflix’s recent “Muscles & Mayhem” documentary, the show is, once again, making waves.
While the original American Gladiators was an incredibly popular and successful show, it ultimately ended because it was falling apart behind the scenes.
The American Gladiators resurgence
The original American Gladiators show may have ended more than two decades ago (a little less if you count the 2008 revival).
But Netflix’s Unauthorized documentary “Muscles & Mayhem”, which debuted just a few days ago on June 28, 2023, has not only reminded fans of how much they used to love the show, but it has also sparked a new wave of questions and conspiracies around the original show.
Why did American Gladiators end?
If a limited docu-series about the show has managed to take the world by storm so quickly, you may have found yourself wondering why the original game show series was ever cancelled in the first place.
Watching various wrestlers duke it out in the ring for their chance at glory has always been a popular pastime. And American Gladiators certainly gave fans all of the excitement and feats of incredible strength that they could have hoped for.
The show is even often referred to as the front-runner for other popular shows like Wipeout and American Ninja Warrior, which also push their competitors to the absolute limits of their physical strength.
So the premise of this original show was definitely solid enough to ensure that it would stay on the air for years to come.
Unfortunately, the Muscles & Mayhem documentary has revealed many behind-the-scenes details about why American Gladiators ended, despite its great commercial success and seemingly bright future.
Most notably, this documentary has revealed how exploitative the American Gladiator contracts were and why the cast eventually fell apart before the show ended.
The Samuel Goldwyn Company (which produced the show) was reportedly raking in millions from various exclusive merchandising deals centered around the show.
However, the cast of wrestlers, who were filming and touring basically non-stop at this point and putting their bodies through the wringer to perform all of these impressive stunts, were only being paid a much smaller, set amount for their appearance on the show.
This salary amounted to about $500 per cast member per show (at the time) and was nowhere close to what the cast would have received if they received a cut of these merchandising profits.
Eventually, Myke Horton (Gemini), Lori Fetrick (Ice), Raye Hollitt (Zap) and Dan Clark (Nitro) were fired after they refused to film until they were fairly compensated. This is what ultimately caused the downfall of the show.
Why was the 2008 revival cancelled?
Even though there was so much behind-the-scenes drama in the original American Gladiators, the show was eventually rebooted by NBC in 2008.
While this reboot started off strong, with about 12 million people tuning in to watch the special two-hour premiere, this initial interest was short-lived, and the reboot was cancelled just a year later in 2009, before its planned third season could even air, reportedly because of its poor ratings.
The tragic history of American Gladiators revivals
This failed reboot was not the last time that producers would try to restore American Gladiators to its former cash-cow glory.
In fact, the original show’s producers even tried to introduce an American Gladiators dinner theatre show in an attempt to keep its momentum when the original series was cancelled.
There were even talks of several other spin-off shows and revivals between 2014 and 2018, after the first 2008 revival failed, including a Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg led-reboot. This was set to be produced by MGM in 2018, but it has yet to air.
What happened to the American Gladiators cast after the show ended?
Though their time on the American Gladiators set was shrouded in unfair treatment and controversy, most of the original American Gladiators cast has gone on to have highly successful careers in the fitness and entertainment industry.
This includes the cast members who left the show first. Gemini works as a successful fitness trainer, Ice eventually opened her own gym, and Zap moved away from her former job as a paralegal and is now a trainer and massage therapist.
Moreover, Nitro has had a few notable acting gigs since his time on the show (including a role alongside Meryl Streep in Death Becomes Her) and he now works as a motivational speaker and media executive.
