King of Bots (Season 2)/Episode 5

Season 2 title card

The **fifth episode of *King of Bots* Season 2** aired on 11th August 2019. It marked the start of the next elimination round, where celebrity teams fought each other in a series of battles to ensure their robots' survival for later stages of the competition.

The end of the episode also featured *Robo Genius*, an educational segment exploring different aspects of robot building and combat.

## Competing robots

* Big Carioca
* Black Rabbit
* Cat King
* Cracked Sword
* Drift
* Megabyte
* Mr Hippo
* ORBY Blade
* Pixel Hunter
* Rhino
* Saber
* Snake
* Storm Cut
* Tánshè

*NOTE: Six additional robots, including Warrior, Shrederator Tiger Claw, The Hounds, Boxing Champion and Dragon King, were also shown as part of a rundown of the elimination round format.*

## Setup

At the start of the episode, each team was required to nominate a captain among their five robots, following discussions between the celebrity managers and robot builders. The team rosters at this stage were as follows; robots nominated as team leaders are highlighted in bold:

This preceded the next elimination round, where two teams at a time would choose to fight each other in three rounds of battles. The battles consisted of a single head-to-head and a pair of 2v2 melees; teams had the freedom to choose which robots they believed would be most suitable for each battle. If a team lost two consecutive fights at this stage, they had the choice of either eliminating one of two pre-designated robots from their line-up, or fighting a 2v1 battle with their captain to try and maintain their full roster. Teams which chose to fight and succeeded in winning all three of their battles would get the chance to select their robot first in the next round.

The episode also introduced six additional robots - Warrior, Shrederator Tiger Claw, The Hounds, Boxing Champion, Dragon King and Johnny and the Dinosaur - which were anticipated to join the competition at a later stage.

## Battles

### Zhu Zheng Ting vs Tao Shen

Prior to the round, Zhu Zheng Ting nominated Black Rabbit and Switch to be candidates for elimination, whilst Tao Shen nominated Earth Shovel and Pixel Hunter.

#### Black Rabbit vs Big Carioca

Despite a tentative start for both robots, Black Rabbit quickly got round the side of Big Carioca, before getting underneath and flipping the Brazilian machine upside-down. Big Carioca drove towards the red corner and re-righted itself while being rammed by Black Rabbit again; in doing so, Big Carioca tore one of the wall spikes off. The two competitors clashed again by one of the floor flippers; Big Carioca flipped itself over after striking the side of a spinning Black Rabbit, only for the flipper to throw it back upright. Black Rabbit pursued and slammed into Big Carioca once more, only for Big Carioca to land several more blows on it with its vertical spinner. Big Carioca continued to chase Black Rabbit, whose own drum spinner was struggling to get up to speed, before landing another heavy hit which sent Black Rabbit spinning away.

Black Rabbit quickly recovered, dodging then pushing Big Carioca into the wall spikes. Another head-on collision ensued between the two robots, before Black Rabbit resumed its earlier assault by pushing Big Carioca into the spikes again, then the circular saws. For the next few moments, Big Carioca bumped and chased Black Rabbit across the arena, only to be scooped up and steered towards the spikes once more by Black Rabbit. With less than fifty seconds to go, Big Carioca drove off the top of Black Rabbit, only to slam into and attack Black Rabbit's right-rear wheel with its spinner. This attack, however, did not affect Black Rabbit severely, as it proceeded to turn round and drive Big Carioca into the wall spikes yet again. A few more pursuits and rams ensued, with Big Carioca pushing Black Rabbit sideways just before time expired.

The battle went to a Judges' decision, which ruled in favor of Black Rabbit; Big Carioca's captain Rodrigo Duque later admitted his frustration and disappointment at having lost for Tao Shen's team.

**Winner: Black Rabbit (Zhu Zheng Ting)**

#### Snake & Tánshè vs Mr Hippo & Pixel Hunter

All four robots drove into each other in the opening seconds; Snake and Tánshè simultaneously scooped up Mr Hippo and Pixel Hunter, with the latter being launched into the air as a result. Both of Zhu Zheng Ting's representatives pushed and steered their opponents across different sides of the arena, with Pixel Hunter struggling to get forward momentum as Tánshè tried to line up a flip. Suddenly, Mr Hippo charged into the rear of Tánshè, throwing the Season 1.5 runner-up forwards into a grinder. Tánshè bounced off the grinder, landed on its wheels and drove away, while Snake simultaneously scooped up and pressed Pixel Hunter and Mr Hippo against the grinder mount. As the three robots became separated, Tánshè returned to flip Mr Hippo over, and pressured Mr Hippo further as the brown machine flicked itself up against the wall spikes.

Snake, meanwhile, dragged and pushed Pixel Hunter from the blue corner into a grinder, flicking its yellow and green opponent off itself. Pixel Hunter got its bar spinner up to speed and drove into the front of Snake, only to ride over the top of Unknown Son's machine. Nearby, Tánshè slammed into the front of Mr Hippo, before chasing, getting underneath and throwing the drum spinner over mid-charge. Snake and Tánshè continued to assert dominance over Tao Shen's machines, again pushing Pixel Hunter and Mr Hippo against the spikes. While Tánshè proceeded to push Mr Hippo away from the spikes and towards the red corner, Pixel Hunter sustained a blow from one of the hammers, right on top of one of its drive systems. A light ram from Snake appeared to stun Pixel Hunter, just before Mr Hippo drove into it while dodging a pincer attack from Snake and Tánshè.

All four robots gathered in the red corner, before Tánshè pushed Pixel Hunter under the hammer, and Mr Hippo immobilized itself against the spikes. Tánshè proceeded to flip Pixel Hunter and Mr Hippo simultaneously, leaving the former stranded against the wall in the process. During the countout, Snake and Tánshè celebrated their victory by parading across the arena and performing victory spins respectively.

**Winner: Snake & Tánshè (Zhu Zheng Ting)**

#### Team Results

After two back-to-back losses, Tao Shen and his team captain Po Feng had the option to fight Two BBQ and Switch in a two-against-one matchup, while Earth Shovel would go unused. Ultimately Tao Shen and the captain of Po Feng opted not to participate in this battle, and proceeded straight to the elimination process.

In the elimination process, Tao Shen was left with a choice between Pixel Hunter and Earth Shovel, and ultimately decided to cut Pixel Hunter from his team at this stage.

 Tao Shen

**Eliminated: Pixel Hunter**

### Emma Dumont vs Di Yang

Prior to the round, Emma Dumont nominated Cat King and Storm Cut to be candidates for elimination, whilst Di Yang nominated Mist Lion and ORBY Blade.

#### Megabyte vs Cracked Sword

Cracked Sword started the quicker of both spinners, approaching Megabyte as the Season 1 third-place finisher got its shell up to speed. Within seconds, both exchanged sparks with their weapons, before proceeding to damage and knock loose one of the wall spike panels. Debris and a spike flew as Megabyte and Cracked Sword retreated, then charged into each other again. The impact threw Cracked Sword upwards and sent it recoiling into the blue corner; however, this also allowed it to break Megabyte's pole off and send it flying against one of the control area screens. As both competitors approached each other again, Megabyte sent the loose spike into the upper polycarbonate screens, before severely damaging Cracked Sword's left wheel.

Cracked Sword skidded towards the red corner, and attempted to lunge at Megabyte again. However, it slid side-on into Megabyte's shell, sustaining even more damage as it was lifted and sent recoiling back towards the spikes. With its right tire punctured, Cracked Sword struggled to move away, but spun round into Megabyte once more. The collision sent the two robots flying across the arena in opposite directions, with Cracked Sword ultimately being left immobile and on fire in the red corner. Having ricocheted back into the blue corner, Megabyte emerged victorious via knockout, despite taking considerable damage to its shell.

**Winner: Megabyte (Emma Dumont)**

#### Spectre & Cat King vs ORBY Blade & Rhino

Immediately, Spectre and Cat King targeted ORBY Blade, the latter flipping the South Korean machine over while the Season 1 champion approached its minibot. ORBY Blade's srimech failed to work after this violent attack, preventing it from continuing the battle. As Di Yang's remaining representative, Rhino pushed Spectre back, before clipping its front wedge and throwing Spectre backwards with two successive blows from its spinner. As all three remaining robots congregated near the circular saws, Rhino launched Spectre into the air with another powerful blow, only for Spectre to land back on its wheels. Both of Emma Dumont's teammates rammed each other head-on as the count-out for ORBY Blade began, before Rhino and Spectre continued their duel, ramming, chasing and luring each other across the arena.

With ORBY Blade officially eliminated, Spectre and Cat King took turns in ramming Rhino, while all three competitors again gathered in the blue corner. Spectre lured Rhino towards the nearby hammer, allowing Cat King to hit and lift Rhino with its own spinner. With Rhino perched on top of Cat King, Spectre sunk its teeth into its fellow UK competitor, before pushing and dragging Rhino into the grinders, ORBY Blade and the spikes in quick succession. Cat King slammed into the helpless Rhino twice more, breaking Rhino's drive belts and flipping it over. Like its fallen teammate, Rhino was unable to self-right, resulting in Spectre and Cat King securing another knockout victory for Dumont.

**Winner: Spectre & Cat King (Emma Dumont)**

#### Drift & Storm Cut vs Saber

As Di Yang had lost two battles back-to-back, he and the captain of Saber were given the option to fight a one-against-two battle to redeem themselves, which Saber accepted, while Mist Lion would not participate in the round. For this battle, Saber sported an alternative flipper configuration, featuring a shorter arm and a broader front wedge to counter Storm Cut's horizontal spinner.

Initially, Saber and Drift approached each other, with Drift repeatedly getting underneath and steering the Excalibur team's machine towards the hazards. Under pressure from Drift, Saber twice drove within reach of Storm Cut's spinner, the first hit resulting in one of its sidepods being torn open. Saber drove head-on into and underneath Storm Cut, steering it into Drift before spectacularly throwing it across the arena. The two Dumont teammates retreated to the blue corner, at which point Saber rammed Drift again, but got steered into the wall spikes by Drift. Storm Cut got its spinner rotating again, staying out of trouble while Drift drove on top of Saber's flipper and unsuccessfully tried to throw it against the corner.

For some time, Saber remained in the blue corner, its front-left wheel buckled and the robot seemingly hesitant to drive away. Eventually, it reversed into Storm Cut, whose spinner ruptured Saber's CO2 supply and immobilized it completely. With its electronics, right-rear wheel and back panel also seriously damaged, Saber was promptly counted out, marking a third consecutive knockout win for Dumont's team.

**Winner: Drift & Storm Cut (Emma Dumont)**

#### Team Results

After an unsuccessful round, Di Yang was left with a choice between ORBY Blade and Mist Lion, with one robot to be eliminated at this stage. Di Yang's choice was not revealed within this episode, but in the next episode, his choice was revealed to be ORBY Blade.

 Di Yang