Chomp (Machine Corps)

*For other uses of Chomp, see the disambiguation page.*

* World Championship V
* WC III
* WC II
* WC I

## Overview

**Chomp** is a heavyweight robot built by the The Machine Corps, which competed in four *BattleBots World Championships* on ABC and Discovery, as well as the 2019 re:MARS all:STARS event and *BattleBots: Bounty Hunters*.

Although Chomp did not overall fare too well in the competition, it was notable for its impressive engineering and unique design in each iteration. The first version of Chomp was armed with a pneumatic crusher and self-righting wings reminiscent of Razer. Ahead of the season, team captain Zoe Stephenson and an armorless Chomp joined Chris Rose and Kenny Florian in a promotional piece for ABC. Chomp's weapon power was demonstrated, as it crushed a television monitor with ease. However, in battle, Chomp lost in its debut battle to veteran Christian Carlberg and OverDrive. Despite being the first robot to receive a wildcard and be reinstated in the competition, Chomp was brutally destroyed at the hands of Icewave and was eliminated for good.

The second build of Chomp was visibly different, now sporting a large hammer and an array of technology never seen before in the BattleBox. This included, but was not limited to, an auto-targeting LiDAR system, which allowed for Chomp to track and fire its hammer immediately after detecting an opponent within firing range. These changes were not made in vain as Chomp proved to have its most successful run in World Championship II, earning a surprise win over the reigning champion Bite Force before losing to Yeti in the quarter-finals. Chomp's performance was further rewarded when it took home the inaugurated Founder's Award that same season. With Bite Force accumulating a total of 26 wins in 27 BattleBots fights, this remains their only career loss.

By contrast, Chomp would ultimately underperform in World Championship III, losing five matches and winning only once as it typically struggled to stay upright during battle. Teams also managed to negate the LiDAR system, with rookie bot HUGE notably using a minibot to trick its auto-targeting system. This iteration of Chomp would fight one more time at the 2019 re:MARS all:STARS event, losing to Skorpios on a judges' decision.

After a season away, Chomp was totally redesigned ahead of World Championship V, becoming the first 500lb walker since the 2015 revival of BattleBots. Although it won its debut fight against Gamma 9, Chomp lost its following two battles and was ultimately not selected to enter the Top 32.

Returning for *BattleBots: Bounty Hunters*, Chomp lost its opening battle against Bale Spear. Despite this early defeat, Zoe Stephenson's team took home the Best Design Award for the 2020 competition.

Chomp would not return for World Championship VI as although an official reason was not given, Zoe Stephenson was pregnant during filming for the delayed 2020 season. She gave birth to her second child in January 2021, and no word has been given on whether the team intend to apply for future seasons.

## Outside BattleBots

The 500lb walker build of Chomp was among the *BattleBots* competitors displayed at *Open Sauce* in San Francisco in July 2023.

## Robot History

### BattleBots World Championship I

Chomp's first battle was against Christian Carlberg and OverDrive. Before the fight, Chomp's veteran opponent stated his intention to steer clear of Chomp's crushing weapon. Kenny Florian also heaped praise upon Chomp's design ahead of the battle.

As the fight began, OverDrive charged towards Chomp, missing with its box-rush but keeping its front pointed at its opponent. By contrast, Chomp was slower out of the gate, but possessed the more damaging weaponry and threatened to spew fire from its front. OverDrive then rammed into Chomp, buckling its side armor and getting around to its back. From here, Christian Carlberg pushed Chomp towards the pulverizer before reversing over its front. It then got its four-bar lifter underneath, tipping Chomp up but failing to overturn Zoe Stephenson's machine. Chomp retaliated by chasing OverDrive down, and the veteran driver almost found himself tangled in the screws. In this momentary showing of poor control, OverDrive was penned near the rails, allowing Chomp to attack with its flamethrower at closer proximity. However, OverDrive reversed up its wedge and into the danger zone of its crusher. In doing so, this forced Chomp back into the screws. The teeth caught underneath Chomp's armor, dragging it up and onto the hazard, in front of Chris and Kenny. Chomp was unable to escape and therefore counted out by referee Michael Ayers. However, Chomp was awarded one of the four wildcards and given the No.15 seed, meaning they were reinstated into the competition.

Given a second chance to shine, Chomp met the No.2 seed, Marc DeVidts and Icewave. In the fight, Chomp once again attempted to use its flamethrower to exploit Icewave's petrol engine. Chomp received a tear in the front of her wedge before the left side was damaged after three attacks from Icewave, resulting in the armor being loosened. Chomp then had a tear in the front left side of the chassis with the following attack from Icewave damaging Chomp's rear and taking off a wheel. The right side of Chomp was then hit and damaged by Icewave. The next three hits tore off Chomp's remaining wheels, causing Chomp to be immobilized. Chomp was counted out and was eliminated from the tournament.

### BattleBots World Championship II

Chomp's first match in World Championship II was against Jason Bardis and The Disk O' Inferno. Here, with the arena floor disallowing the magnets to stick to the floor, Chomp kept toppling from the sheer power of its hammer swings alone. which Disk O' Inferno took advantage with its lifter, despite losing its primary weapon. In the fight, Chomp missed its first two axe blows, overturning itself with the force of the second one. The Disk O' Inferno capitalized by pushing Chomp back towards the pulverizer before catching Chomp's underside with its single-toothed flywheel, an attack which left a dent but took out the spinner's primary weapon, leaving it with just its lifter. Chomp was overturned again and shoved towards the screws but freed itself using the axe. The Disk O' Inferno then stopped suddenly, allowing Chomp to strike it twice. Disk O' Inferno escaped, but Chomp landed two more blows with the flamethrower also activated. On this second hit, The Disk O' Inferno lifted Chomp onto its lid and overturned it, pushing it around before Chomp righted itself. Chomp got in one final strike before the timer ran out and a controversial 2-1 judges' decision gave Chomp the victory.

This win put Chomp to the Round of 32 with a No.13 seeding, where it faced the No.20 seed, Captain Shrederator. Both robots approached cautiously from the start before Chomp misfired, toppling itself over. Chomp was then attacked by Captain Shrederator, backed into a corner of the BattleBox before escaping. Chomp retaliated by landing a shot to the top of its opponent. Both bots continued cautiously before Chomp fired another near-miss at Brian Nave's bot. Captain Shrederator charged directly at Chomp, allowing it to fire the hammer as both robots take a shot. This hit pulled out a power cable from Captain Shrederator, who seemed to be spinning down as Chomp fired a hit, unbalanced itself and threw Zoe Stephenson's bot on top of Captain Shrederator. Chomp was then bumped into the killsaws and became stuck momentarily. Chomp tried to free itself whilst Captain Shrederator hung back, trying to spin back up. Chomp eventually righted itself but misfired three times. Despite this, it became apparent that Captain Shrederator was no longer spinning and now immobile. Chomp eventually landed a hit to the side of Captain Shrederator, toppling itself over before self-righting and landing a follow-up blow to the top of its opponent. Captain Shrederator was eventually counted out, giving Chomp the win by KO at 2:08. This win put Chomp to the Round of 16.

Next up for Chomp was the No.4 seed and defending champion, Paul Ventimiglia and Bite Force. Thanks to Chomp's autonomous system, the LiDAR camera was able to track Bite Force's location and calculate the perfect time to automatically strike. Just four seconds into the match, Chomp had landed a direct hit to Bite Force's vertical disc spinner, breaking off the weapon chain and disabling its deadly spinner. Chomp then misfires, allowing Bite Force to push Chomp around as it attempts to self-right. Chomp managed to self-right on the red square before moving away and firing over the top of Bite Force. Chomp then misfired, allowing Bite Force to push Chomp into the screws. Chomp breaks free with its hammer but became unbalanced again. Chomp continued trying to self-right and eventually did so, but the hammer fired instantly, knocking itself over again. Bite Force then drove over its own weapon chain whilst pushing Chomp, allowing it the freedom to self-right as Bite-Force escaped. Chomp landed another hit on Bite Force before roasting it with its flamethrower. Chomp then struck the rear of its opponent but tipped itself over once more. Bite Force wriggled free of its weapon chain and attempted to attack Chomp again. Chomp then struck the left side of Bite Force, before being slammed into the arena wall by Bite Force, who was now having difficulty controlling Chomp but needed to find points if it went to the judges. Bite Force drove over the killsaws momentarily but pushed Zoe Stephenson's bot into the screws, and the pulverizer soon after, but dodges the hammer blow. Later in the fight, Chomp landed on its side having run out of CO2 gas. However, there was not enough time left to count Chomp out and the fight went the distance. The judges rule unanimously in favor of Chomp, ending the winning streak of the then-reigning champion. This surprise win put Chomp into the quarterfinals.

In the final eight, Chomp faced the No.12 seed, Yeti. For this fight, Chomp's opponent removed its forks and sported additional top armor. Straight out of the gate Chomp was rammed by Yeti and misfired, falling on its side. Chomp was then attacked by Yeti but self-righted quickly. It targeted Yeti's bottom-right wheel stud before Yeti retaliated. Chomp then hit Yeti's drum spinner as its opponent slammed itself into the rails, showcasing poor control. Chomp landed a shot near Yeti's drum spinner twice but fell onto its left self-righting wing, as Yeti ripped it off. Chomp did topple over again, but misfired and knocked itself over as Yeti began recklessly attacking Chomp's hammer head. Both bots recalibrated, before Yeti charged at Chomp and sent it spinning off balance, but Chomp managed to land a glancing blow on its opponent. Later in the fight, Chomp was knocked over by Yeti and attacked near the screws, but Yeti could not capitalize. Yeti then ripped away Chomp's back tail, and Chomp landed another shot to Yeti's drum spinner as it got knocked over again. Zoe Stephenson's bot was attacked by Yeti, but self-righted and escaped as the pulverizer dropped on Yeti. Chomp barrel-rolled again off Yeti as its flamethrower finally ignited, but suffered a strike to its underbelly in the process. Yeti's drum-spinner began smoking as it attacked Chomp's right side, who began spewing flames in retaliation but could not self right. Chomp was counted out, eliminating it from the tournament and giving Yeti the win by KO as it advanced to the semifinals.

At the end of the season, Chomp won the Founder's Award, presented by BattleBots co-founders Greg Munson and Trey Roski.

### BattleBots World Championship III

Chomp's first opponent of the 2018 season was against Team Whyachi's Warrior Dragon. Things were off to a poor start for Chomp as Warrior Dragon immediately flipped it over, but Chomp quickly self-righted. Chomp continued to maneuver and tried to land hits, but its opponent was quicker and toppled it again. This time, self-righting proved to be taking a while and by the time Chomp was almost righted, it was back on its side again. Chomp attempted to land another hit and missed, giving Warrior Dragon another attack opportunity. However, Warrior Dragon began emitting smoke and its flipper not only had stopped working, but it was bent up. Time ran out and the judges awarded a 2-1 split decision for Warrior Dragon.

Chomp's next opponent was Overhaul. For this match, Chomp added its normal self-righting wings in addition to the new pistons that were added for the tournament. Chomp was quickly toppled and controlled by its opponent. It eventually recovered and started swinging its hammer, but none of the strikes connected before Chomp found itself on its side again. Overhaul managed to grapple Chomp and take it to the screws in an attempt to get it out of the arena, but Chomp's shape and design made this too difficult and it escaped Overhaul's clutches. Chomp again fired its hammer, but missed and ended up on its side once more. Overhaul took advantage by grappling Chomp again, before taking it to the killsaws. Then, Overhaul began experiencing drive issues. Chomp was finally able to land some blows, but both robots were still mobile as time ran out. The judges awarded a unanimous 3-0 decision in favor of Overhaul and Chomp fell to a 0-2 record.

Up next for Chomp was HUGE, whose obscure design had proved effective to date. Chomp began poorly as HUGE was quickly able to bend the arms to their hammer. Still, Chomp continued to attack, trying to use the damaged hammer as a shield. However, its opponent was still going strong and eventually Chomp's weapon broke in two. Even so, Chomp managed to shove HUGE into the arena barrier, but HUGE escaped. Chomp found itself knocked over, but still managed to get back over. However, Chomp was defenseless without its weapon and was knocked over again as time ran out. The judges awarded a unanimous 3-0 decision for HUGE.

Desperate to avoid a 0-4 record, Chomp's final Fight Night opponent was Warhead. To combat Chomp's lack of stability, its weapon power was dialed down. The match got off to a pretty poor start for Chomp as they were immediately grappled by Warhead. However, they managed to get some hits on Warhead and stayed upright each time, though none of these hits were really damaging. Chomp was then grappled again by its opponent before being released. Chomp continued to try and line-up some shots but when it mistimed its attack, Warhead grabbed the axe itself, preventing Chomp from being able to escape as it was once again in the jaws of Warhead. When released, Chomp quickly self-righted and resumed the battle, but it was unable to make another hit before it was grabbed again. With ten seconds left on the clock, Chomp was grabbed a final time and held there until time expired. The judges awarded a unanimous 3-0 decision to Warhead.

Chomp returned for an exhibition match against Basilisk. When the match began, Chomp fired its weapon but missed. Luckily, Chomp's opponent was having drive issues and Chomp was able to land a hit. With Basilisk still not moving well, Chomp took another swing, this time taking out the pneumatics for Basilisk's flipper. This hit also toppled Chomp over. Chomp recovered and landed one final hit, but ended up on its side. Chomp tried desperately to right itself but its weapon was unable to properly swing so Chomp was counted out, giving Basilisk the win by KO.

Chomp's next opponent was newcomer, Kraken in a grudge match. The match started poorly for Chomp as Kraken was able to clamp down on Chomp and shove it around. Kraken then shoved Chomp into the screws and flipped it over. Kraken then grabbed Chomp's axe when it tried to self-right, this proved to be a fatal mistake however as Chomp retracted its axe, flipping Kraken over in the process. However unlike its last match, Kraken couldn't move because the spike on its head was bent, causing it to tip to one side. This allowed Chomp to land a hit that left Kraken high-centered, but also flipped Chomp onto its front. Kraken was counted out, giving Chomp the win by KO.

### re:MARS all:STARS BattleBots Challenge (2019)

Despite not being in the main competition, Chomp still took part in a livestreamed event with nine other robots to compete for the Giant Bolt trophy in Las Vegas, Nevada. At this event, it was chosen to face-off with Skorpios. The match was off to a very poor start for Chomp as they missed their attack on Skorpios and toppled over, allowing Skorpios to move in. Chomp quickly got back over but missed their next attack as well, leaving them vulnerable to Skorpios once more. Their third attempt was a bit more successful but didn't cause any damage and still allowed Skorpios to attack. After this third attack, Chomp was struggling to get back over and Skorpios was keeping them down. Finally, Chomp got back over with help from its opponent but it didn't stay upright for long as they missed another hit on Skorpios and toppled over. This time, Chomp found itself in the corner where it struggled to get away. Chomp was then toppled by its opponent and ended up against the arena barrier as time ran out, while still trying to self-right. The judges awarded Skorpios the victory and Chomp was not chosen by the audience to compete in the championship so it was eliminated.

### BattleBots World Championship V

Now a 500lb walker, Chomp's first match of the 2020 season came against Gamma 9. When the match started, Chomp slowly scuttled out of its square and waited for Gamma 9 to approach. When it did, Chomp landed a hammer blow but had managed to snag Gamma 9's lifting forks inside its own protective ring. Chomp was nearly flipped over, but stayed upright due to its weight and both bots quickly got freed. Gamma 9 circled Chomp in an attempt to outmaneuver its turret. Eventually, however, Chomp was attacked by Gamma 9 again, but missed with a hammer shot. Gamma 9 backed off and charged at Chomp once more to flip it over, but Chomp slipped off the forks and fired its weapon onto Gamma 9. Chomp continued to fend off Gamma 9's charges and quickly re-aligned itself with Gamma 9 and struck it again. However, the hammer-strike lifted Chomp off the ground and Gamma 9 remained aggressive, so Chomp was lifted again. Chomp spun its turret to face Gamma 9, but the hammer strike damaged Gamma 9's forks instead and both bots separated. Chomp then landed another blow that crumpled Gamma 9's signature dome. Chomp found itself on top of Gamma 9's forks once more, but managed to swing its hammer nearly 270° and struck Gamma 9 again. Chomp continued to batter Gamma 9's dome, but was driven into the screws by its opponent late in the fight. Still atop Gamma 9, Chomp struck the dome once more and finally landed a blow that got the hammer deep into Gamma 9's armor and evidently immobilized it. Chomp managed to free its hammer and landed one more shot seconds before time ran out. Chomp won a 3-0 judges' decision.

Next for Chomp was the returning Chuck Pitzer and Ghost Raptor. The match went unaired during the regular season, but was later released among the Basement Tape battles. The fight started with Ghost Raptor spinning up and lifting its arm up as Chomp walks towards the center of the box. Ghost Raptor then slowed down as Chomp blasted it with flame. After circling its opponent for much of the opening half of the fight, Ghost Raptor pushed Chomp towards the corner. Chomp could not seem to get its turret pointed at Ghost Raptor and equally, their spinner was also not spinning up. Ghost Raptor shoved Chomp around the arena for the remainder of the fight and won by a unanimous decision.

Sitting at a 1-1 record, Chomp closed out its 2020 season with an unlucky matchup against newcomer HiJinx, as the undercutter had a massive advantage against the Walker bot. Chomp started off okay as they were able to keep its opponent temporarily at bay with the flames and absorb impacts when their opponent did attack. However, Chomp missed with its hammer and took a shot underneath its protective ring. This didn't seem to phase Chomp much so they continued the fight and took a similar hit, missing with the hammer. After the final hit, Chomp was no longer moving and was counted out, giving HiJinx the win by KO. It was revealed that HiJinx had utterly wrecked five of Chomp's legs, which had to be completely disassembled and rebuilt. Chomp was not selected to enter the Top 32 tournament bracket and was therefore eliminated from the tournament.

However, Chomp would go on to win the "Best Design" award, dedicated to former competitor and judge Grant Imahara, following his untimely passing around the time of World Championship V.

### BattleBots: Bounty Hunters

Chomp also participated in the Bounty Hunter mini-tournament in hopes of taking on the Legend Bronco and claiming a portion of $25,000. Following its first match, Chomp squared off against an updated Bale Spear. Chomp started off well, using its hammer to hit the top-front of Bale Spear. However, Chomp was then pushed into the corner where it began to take shots from the Pulverizer. Bale Spear fired its spear into Chomp and hit something which ended up setting it partially ablaze. Chomp continued to fire its weapon but was briefly high-centred and no longer able to properly walk. Chomp was counted out, giving Bale Spear the win by KO and eliminating Chomp from the tournament.

## Results

* Wins: 5
* Losses: 12

## Faruq Tauheed Introductions

"You want the tooth? You can't handle the tooth! Here to leave a bad taste in your mouth, its CHOMP!"

"You want the tooth? You can't handle the tooth! The pitbull of the BattleBox, CHOMP!"

"It’s back with the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth... CHOMP!"

"Her Facebook status reads, "it's Chomplicated." Prepare to get tagged. its CHOMP!"

"No wilting flower. She's all about that girl power. From Los Angeles, welcome to her Chomping grounds. its CHOMP!"

"Chewing up bots, like Pac-man did dots, waka-waka-waka-waka-waka-waka \*Pac-man death sound\*, it's CHOMP!"

"When it eats Chinese food, it uses chompsticks and you're about to be general ploughstricted. its CHOMP!"

"Battling this bot is no waltz in the park. It takes chew to tango and this bot's about to cha-cha chomp all over you. Let's get ready to romba! This is CHOMP!"

"Bee-doo. Attention shoppers. We have a clean-up on aisle chew. Clean-up on aisle chew 'cause its about to wipe the floor with you. its CHOMP!"

"ALL ABOOOAAARD! This bot's the conductor of the pain train. its CHOMP!"

"Things are about to get gory. If this bot were a judge, it would be called Tooth Bear Ginsberg. Order in the BattleBox! The mean, green, robot supreme, CHOMP!"

"This bot just had the breakfast of chomp-ions, a complete and balanced wreck-fast. its CHOMP!"

"From Burbank, California, the vaporizer of the valley... CHOMP!"

"From beautiful Burbank, California, here's CHOMP!"

"From Burbank, California, they say the truth hurts, but this tooth's worse -- it's CHOMP!"

## Trivia

* Chomp's original CAD design was used in ABC's posters to promote the new show in 2015.
* Chomp's LiDAR system stood for "Light Detection And Ranging" and was the key component to Chomp's auto-targeting technology.
* While not an official part of the tournament, Chomp fought in an exhibition match against William Osman's Pumpkinbot around the time of World Championship II, where it won easily after two hammer shots and use of its flamethrower.
* This win against Pumpkinbot does not count towards its overall record.
* Chomp made an appearance on the red carpet at the 2015 ESPY Awards, with one side of its armor removed to show off its inner mechanics.
* Chomp was the first robot to successfully have an autonomous driver, due to the technology surrounding its sensors for drive and weaponry.
* Excluding its fights with Overhaul, Basilisk, Kraken, and Gamma 9, every robot Chomp has ever faced was armed with some sort of spinning weapon at some point in Battlebots.
* Coincidentally, with the exception of Gamma 9, every robot Chomp has faced has either fought Tombstone, or fought a robot that faced Tombstone.
* Chomp is the only robot to have beaten Bite Force, not unlike how middleweight T-Minus became the only robot to beat Hazard.
* The Season 5 version of Chomp is the first "true" walker to compete in the modern era of BattleBots, and the first robot not to use wheels or tracks since Wrecks in World Championship II - a gyro walker which makes use of its flywheel weapon for locomotion.
* It is also the first robot with a turret in the reboot, and it's turret-flamethrower combo is similar to that of the house robot Sergeant Bash of Robot Wars.
* Chomp was the first robot to win two most non-competition awards, having won two regular Giant Bolts for the Founder's Award (WCII), and the Grant Imahara Award for Best Design (WCV).
* This feat was tied by HyperShock in 2021, and twice in 2022 by HUGE and Monsoon respectively.