| humancannonball4.jpg Two contenders attempt to dislodge the Gladiators |
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| Year Introduced | 1989 |
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| Country of Origin | United States |
| Used In | United States |
| Last Used | 1992 |
| Number of Contenders | 1-2 |
| Number of Gladiators | 1-2 |
| Weapons | blocking pad |
Human Cannonball was an event played during the initial American series of Gladiators. In this event, contenders had to dislodge Gladiators from platforms by swinging at them from a rope.
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On the whistle, the two contenders simultaneously swing out towards their assigned Gladiator who are stood on a raised podiums. Each Gladiator is armed with a blocking pad to try to deflect the contender. The contenders have two attempts to knock the Gladiators off the podium, receiving 5 points for each successful swing.
Contenders were originally allowed to swing with their legs extended, knocking the Gladiators off with their feet. However, this rule was changed following an injury to Gladiator Malibu and contenders had to swing in a tucked position with their knees bent and feet tucked in underneath their body.
Failure to remain in the tuck position resulted in the Contender's disqualification for that swing. If the Contender was disqualified twice in a single round of Human Cannonball, they were disqualified for their third attempt as well.
Gladiators must take on the blow from the Contender and can be disqualified if they intentionally avoid contact.
Years active: 1989-1990, 1992
Human Cannonball was one of the six original American Gladiators events but was dropped from the event lineup before the second half of the second season.
In the first season, each contender separately swung out against three separate Gladiators receiving 30 points for each successful swing. If the contenders were successful at knocking off all three Gladiators, they earned 10 bonus points to bring their total to 100. In the second half of season 1, both contenders swung simultaneously and each successful swing was worth 3 points, with a 1 point bonus for successfully knocking off all three Gladiators. From the second season on, each Contender got only two chances, with each successful swing worth 5 points.
The event returned for the fourth (1992) series before being axed due to safety reasons. Therefore, American Gladiators Hawk and Jazz never participated in Human Cannonball.
The gameplay of swinging on a rope to dislodge the opponent was later incorporated into the Sideswipe event in the 2008 revival.
Human Cannonball did not return for the 2008 revival.
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