The Nostalgia Test Podcast

Dan, Manny, & Billy put the American Gladiators franchise to the ultimate test—THE NOSTALGIA TEST!

“It'd be a lot more American if they walked in the ring and just shot each other.”
-Billy D’Elia

While this episode was being recorded, the orange lunatic who’s technically our “president” was building a UFC octagon on the front lawn of The White House, which was ultimately a disaster (F Joe Rogan). We all should’ve seen the free-fall of America coming in the late 80s when we were all watching American Gladiators on TV. This episode attempts to figure out what this show is, why were people into it, and why was it resurrected, twice! That’s right, there is currently a new version with two seasons hosted by The Miz. Oh, and the first season of the 2026 version WAS FILMED IN FRANCE!?

Now, all credit goes to each and every gladiator that was on this show because in 1989 they were treated like trash. Safety wasn’t a thing, people were being knocked out, and gladiators were being forced to compete injured. Watching the “evolution” of American Gladiators is so interesting, because as the series continued the only thing that got updated were the games and the arena. They made it bigger and got rid of the cardboard cutout audience members. That’s right! They did that. At the same time, the gladiators remained overworked, injured, and forced to literally fight people like they were circus animals in an underground fight club.

This episode travels along a zig-zag path to get the controversial conclusion of the 2026 episode they watched, how The Miz is just screaming in people’s faces, some of the best knockouts, faceplants, and announcer quotes, all the way to the guys talking about how they need a 100% win for an episode because this is killing their souls.

So, grab your American flag bandanas, an oversized tank top, scream at the top of your lungs for no reason, and kick your best friend in the face, because it’s time to talk American Gladiators!

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Approximate Rundown

00:00 American Gladiators Setup

01:16 Show Format Challenge

02:18 Main Era Gladiators

03:20 Reboots & Hosts

05:34 Saturday TV Memories

07:44 Early Seasons Chaos

08:47 Games Evolve Over Time

10:17 Joust & Judge Bits

11:18 Reality TV Before Reality

13:12 Behind the Scenes Grind

14:48 Brutal Interviews &Trauma

17:33 Downfall & Exploitation

19:11 Injuries & Rule Nonsense

24:09 America Culture Context

25:38 Does It Pass Nostalgia

26:51 Competition Show Landscape

32:07 Steroids & Wild Stories

35:41 Trash TV Reboot Setup

36:50 Peak Games And 1996

40:10 Rewatch Reality Check

40:25 Hogan Ali Reboot

41:47 Schlock Backstories

43:00 Bad Names Bad Vibes

44:12 Water Hazards

50:32 Why It Failed

51:54 Miz Era Rant

54:45 Finale Disqualification

57:35 Filmed in France

01:06:06 Fixing the Format

01:11:22 Nostalgia Verdict

01:15:26 Next Episode Pick

01:17:10 Major League Storytime

01:19:25 Wrap Up & Plugs

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