| tilt1.jpg UK Gladiator Scorpio tilts her Tilt board back in order to gain the correct leverage |
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| Year Introduced | 1993 |
|---|---|
| Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
| Used In | United States United Kingdom Australia |
| Last Used | present |
| Number of Contenders | 1 |
| Number of Gladiators | 1 |
| Time Limit | 30 seconds |
Tilt is an event played in several incarnations of the television series Gladiators. In this event, a contender and Gladiator engage in a tug of war on tilting platforms. Due to their weight advantage, the Gladiator is located on the higher of the two tilt platforms.
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One Gladiator faces one contender, and on the whistle engage in a 30 second tug of war. The contender on the lower tilt platform has their platform tilted backwards, the Gladiator on the higher tilt platform with their platform tilted forwards.
As the rope is attached (using a belt) to the two participants, a win is signalled when one of the participants is pulled off their board. Letting go of the rope by either participant is not allowed and will result in disqualification. Sitting down or kneeling is also forbidden (except in the U.S.). At the start of the whistle, the tilt must be in the correct alignment with the Gladiators platform angled down facing towards the lower contender platform angled upwards.
In the UK and Australia, there were two pulls for each contest, in America, there is only one pull. The American version takes place over water and the gap between the tables is bigger. It also appears that sitting and kneeling down is not against the rules in America.
In Australia, the Gladiators tilt table was nearer the ground, and thus the tilt was not in a straight alignment.
Years active: 2008(ii)-
Tilt was introduced in the second series of the 2008 revival. 10 points are awarded for a win, 5 for a draw. The event replaces Tug-O-War which played during 1993-1996 of the original American run.
Years active: 1993-1995
Tilt was first road tested during the 1993 Wembley Live shows and made its first televised appearance in the 1993 series. It was the only event to have been roadtested in the Wembley shows to not receive any significant modifications before its Birmingham debut.
During series 2 (1993), 5 points were awarded for a contender win and 2 points for a draw. This was changed to 0 points for a draw in 1995.
The event proved unpopular with Gladiators due to the tilt alignment favouring the contender, and the events appearances declined from 1994 onwards. Furthermore, Tilt caused two serious Gladiator injuries to Panther in 1994 (back injury) and Nightshade in 1995 (neck injury). Following Nightshade's accident the event was axed, the first time an event had been axed during the UK run.
Tilt did not return for the first series of the 2008 revival.
Years active: 1995
Tilt appeared frequently during the first series (1995(i)) but made only one early appearance in the second series before being axed, possibly due to safety concerns raised in the UK. In the Official Gladiators magazine, most of the Gladiators listed it as their least favourite event.
Like the UK verion, challengers had two attempts against the Gladiators, with 5 points were awarded for a win and 2 for a draw. The events theme music would later be used for Skytrack in Series 3.
Tilt did not return for the first series of the 2008 revival.
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