Muscles and Mayhem An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators is the latest documentary series on Netflix that explores the world behind the popular show American Gladiators. It is a Campfire Studios and Game Seven media production, directed by Tony Vainuku and Jared Hess. There are five episodes in the series with a runtime of about 35-48 minutes respectively.
It features people who were involved in the creation of the show, producers, directors like Eytan Keller, Bob Levy, Julie Resh and the Gladiators themselves. They included Michael Horton (Gemini), Ray Hollitt (Zap), Jim Starr (Laser), Sha-ri Pendleton (Blaze), Danny Lee Clark (Nitro), Lori Fetrick (Ice), Lisa McCullough, Steve Hennebery (Tower), Shirley Eson-Korito (Sky), Debbie Clark (Storm), Erika Andersch Bunker (Diamond) and several others.
American Gladiators was a competitive reality show, where people would go against the strong and professional ‘gladiators’ like people to win money. It ran from 1989 to 1996 with a much more difficult start to a chaotic end, and some drug-filled adrenaline rush in between. Johnny Ferraro has been credited as the person who came up with the name of the show and then his production team created the concept of the crazy games to play. On paper, it looked like an amazing idea waiting to take off and bring in all the popularity but the reality was brutal and grim.
They started out with no preparation or knowledge of carrying something like making two people fight ruthlessly. It started with a pilot on an equestrian ground with no infrastructure or assistance present for their safety. Yet the rawness and the zeal of the people in every task gave them a chance to make it a 13-episode show. One might think that the production team would learn the lesson from the pilot but it took a long time to get the things right. But at the centre of it were the gladiators, who used their whole bodies and most of their youth years in making the show, what we know of.
But like every take in showbiz, there are the higher authorities, who only care about the profits and making more than the previous time, at all times. The same thing happens in the docuseries, which only touches on the kind of lives the gladiators lived, through the lifespan of the show. Many stars of the show were looking for a chance to become something in life and the show was their ticket for it. And just like life, there were many ups like fame and recognition and downs like slave contracts or overworking with little to no reward.
If you have watched the show or are aware of the gladiators, the documentary will give a nostalgic trip to the 90s and maybe a little perspective behind everything that you watched. It mostly focuses on the people who were on the screen and what kind of lives they were living, what their childhood was like and what they are up to now. However, if you were wishing that the documentary might investigate more into the matter and controversies around it, and reveal something that is not known much, then this is not that.
The limited series shows that there were lots of blood, sweat, tears and dirt behind the glittery stars. But you can sense that the camaraderie between the gladiators is still there. One of the good things was that there seem to be no discrimination between male and female gladiators based on race or sexuality, as the cast reiterates. Were there scandals and controversies? Surely, there were but the cast often paints a picture devoid of that. There are mentions of steroid abuse and addiction briefly but it doesn’t go beyond the surface level.
There are many unanswered questions like what happened to the original production crew and the creator of the show. Why were they sacked, did the contestants ever sue them for life-altering injuries etc. The main reason for the show’s downfall lies in the fact that the show creators didn’t value the cast enough. They thought they were replaceable and the show would go on, as long as they wanted. The biggest hurdle was the contract which stated that they can’t get a pay rise, no responsibility over injuries and more so.
A person desperate for an opportunity might sign it for the time being, but when they realise their own worth, it’s too late and the people in power aren’t considerate enough to pay heed to their needs. As the original gladiators were removed from the show one by one, the show lost its charm and the fanbase that got attached to the original cast.
Final Thoughts: Muscles and Mayhem An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators
It is a quick and lighthearted watch that will give you a bit of nostalgia and make you think how different everything was back then. One of the unexpected parts was towards the end when the gladiator’s cast is shown making Tik-Tok videos, proving that no one can escape it. There was another ESPN documentary on the subject that was released this month as well, which you can watch if you are looking for a documentary that goes a bit beyond the surface and doesn’t paint it like a fairy tale with some conflicts for character development.
Rating: 3/5
Muscles and Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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