Clash Bots (Chinese: 机器人争霸), sometimes shortened to CBS, was a Chinese television show which aired from March to June 2018. The show followed the success of King of Bots, a robot combat show which premiered a year prior.
The show aired exclusively on the online video platform iQIYI, taking up an 8pm timeslot every Thursday. Following the conclusion of the competition, no future seasons of Clash Bots were commissioned and the show went into hiatus.
Filmed in the capital, Beijing, Clash Bots saw heavyweight robots from Asia, Europe, the United States and Brazil compete to become the overall champion.[2] Fights and other events took place within the Clash Bots Arena, which took heavy inspiration from the US show BattleBots and its BattleBox. Clash Bots also had a smaller tabletop-style arena for driving practice, which itself was inspired by the Fight to the Finish arena from Robotica.
Logos for each of the four celebrity teams.
Clash Bots was presented by Zhao Lixin, with celebrity faces Angelababy, Sheng Yilun, Li Chen and Lin Gengxin captaining each of the four teams. Commentary was provided by Yan Zijing and Guan Zeyuan.[3] The show was produced by iQIYI senior vice president Chen Wei.
Format[]
Clash Bots followed a unique format, as it was not a straight competition. Episodes included 1v1 battles, rumbles featuring multiple robots and even themed demolition tasks held between team captains. The competition followed numerous phases
First Phase[]
30 robots were selected to compete in this phase of the competition. Of these, two robots were granted automatic seeds and were able to skip these qualifiers - AU Thumper and Spicy Newt. The remaining 28 fought in 1v1 battles to split the field in half.
After the robot competition, the star can send an invitation to join the team by pushing the mechanical lever. If four stars invite to join the team at the same time, the star can choose to join the team directly afterwards. If the four stars do not invite the robot to join the team at the same time, will be chosen and fought by the star in the next turn.
| Four stars invite robots to join the team | Joining team |
|---|---|
| Atomic Bomb | Sheng Yilun |
| Angry Frog | Angelababy |
| Soul Reaper | Lin Gengxin |
| Dark Wolf | Li Chen |
| Nightmare Strangler | Not selected
(Relegated to next round) |
Second Phase[]
The 14 victorious robots were joined by AU Thumper and Spicy Newt, and each celebrity captain was drafted a team of robots.[4]
At the beginning, the four star captains control the robots of their teams to participate in an unlimited knockout match to determine the order of choosing the robots.
The order of decision: Sheng Yilun → Li Chen → Angelababy → Lin Gengxin
Demolition Task #1[]
Towards the end of Episode 2, the first demolition task took place. Four robots controlled by the celebrity captains were selected to destroy wooden crates and metal boxes, which revealed either red or blue smoke when destroyed. The items containing blue smoke scored 1 point, meaning the corresponding team could select one more robot for their roster, whereas each item containing red smoke scored 2 points, meaning the task's winner could add two robots to their team. The robots were not fighting against one another, instead earning an advantage for their team. The crates and metal boxes were prepared by two industrial diggers sporting Clash Bots logos.
Hurricane, controlled by Angelababy, ultimately destroyed the red crate worth 2 additions to her team. The other celebrity captains earned 1 addition to their teams by destroying blue crates with Love Hug, Brain Storm and Eggbeater.
Afterwards, the star team leader revived 6 1V1 against the failed teams through the Demolition Task, and then the robot team chose the team they wanted to join(distinct in bold)
| Celebrities | Robot 1 | Robot 2 | Robot 3 | Robot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angelababy | Angry Frog | AU Thumper | Toxic Fangs | Down Hook |
| Li Chen | Dark Wolf | Spicy Newt | Catfish | |
| Lin Gengxin | Soul Reaper | Nightmare Strangler | Brain Storm | Bull Devil |
| Sheng Yilun | Atomic Bomb | Eggbeater | Excalibur | Fire Kylin |
Fourth Phase[]
?
Competitors[]
All competing robots in Clash Bots are listed below.
| Robot | Image | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Name | Chinese Name | ||
| Angry Frog | 小跳蛙 |  |
Utah, USA |
| Atomic Bomb | 原子彈 |  |
China |
| AU Thumper | 黃金暴擊 |  |
Northampton, UK |
| Bermuda Triangle | 百慕大三角 |  |
China |
| Black Bull | 黑牛 |  |
China |
| Black Hole | 黑洞 |  |
China |
| Brain Storm | 頭腦風暴 | 
|
China |
| Bull Devil | 牛魔王 |  |
China |
| Black Whirlwind | 黑旋風 |  |
China |
| Breaking Boy | 旋風小子 |  |
Taipei, Taiwan (unconfirmed) |
| Catfish | 鯰魚 | 
|
China |
| Dark Wolf | 黑狼 |  |
Sorocaba, Brazil |
| Devourer | 吞噬者 |  |
Hertfordshire, UK |
| Down Hook | 下勾拳 |  |
China |
| Eggbeater | 打蛋器 |  |
India |
| Energy Bomb | 能量炸彈 |  |
Russia |
| Excalibur | 大寶劍 |  |
Oxfordshire, UK |
| Fire Kylin | 火麒麟 |  |
China |
| Flame Tyrannosaurus | 赤焰暴龍 |  |
Norwich, UK |
| Hyena | 鬣狗 |  |
USA & UK |
| Hammer | 重錘 |  |
China |
| Hurricane | 颶風 |  |
China |
| King of Ghost | 鬼王 |  |
China |
| Love Hug | 愛的抱抱 |  |
China |
| Nightmare Strangler | 絞殺夢魘 |  |
China |
| Princess of Wales | 威爾士公主 |  |
Wrexham, UK |
| Rampage Elf | 暴走精靈 |  |
China |
| Robin Hood | 羅賓漢 |  |
Nottingham, UK |
| Soul Reaper | 追魂刃 |  |
China |
| Spicy Newt | 火蜥蜴 |  |
Colorado, USA |
| Super ESports | 電競魔靈 |  |
China |
| Tilly | Tilly |  |
Derby, UK |
| Toxic Fangs | 毒牙 |  |
China |
| XIAO.T | 小T |  |
China |
Star Robots[]
Star Robots are robots for star captains. Most of them are made by Clash Bots, but robots made by other teams or participating in the competition will also be used as it (like Battle Ax ,Black Whirlwind and Smilodon).
| English Name | Chinese Name | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Black Shark | 黑鯊 |  |
| Black Whirlwind | 黑旋風 |  |
| Lightning | 閃電 |  |
| Twin Robots | 雙子機 |  |
| Dragon Scale | 龍鱗 |  |
| Battle Ax | 戰斧 |  |
| Fire Crab | 火蟹 |  |
| Soaring Shell | 沖天炮 |  |
| Smilodon(previously King of Ghost) | 劍齒虎 |  |
Boss Robots[]
These robots acted as bosses in special competition formats. Several of these, including Sky Ruler and Red Spider, were repainted versions of entrants from the main competition.
| English Name | Chinese Name | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Ripper | 撕裂者 |  |
| Smasher | 清道夫 |  |
| Sparta | 斯巴達 |  |
| Sky Ruler (previously Soaring Shell) | 拂雲獸 |  |
| Red Spider (previously Black Bull) | 紅蜘蛛 |  |
House Robots[]
| English Name | Chinese Name | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Dominator | 统治者 |  |
| Crocodile | 鱷斯拉 | 
|
Episodes[]
| Untelevised Qualifiers |
|---|
| Black Hole vs. Hurricane |
| XIAO.T vs. Love Hug |
| Black Whirlwind vs. Breaking Boy |
| Nightmare Strangler vs. Hammer |
Episode 1[]
| Celebrity Battle | Driver |
|---|---|
| Black Shark vs. Lightning vs. Black Whirlwind vs. Twin Robots |
Li Chen |
| Televised Qualifiers | Chosen By |
| Down Hook vs. Devourer | Lin Gengxin
Sheng Yilun |
| Excalibur vs. King of Ghost | Angelababy
Li Chen Sheng Yilun |
| Rampage Elf vs. Angry Frog | |
| Dark Wolf vs. Super ESports | |
| Toxic Fangs vs. Flame Tyrannosaurus | |
| Robin Hood vs. Nightmare Strangler | |
| Bull Devil vs. Hyena | |
| Atomic Bomb vs. Princess of Wales | |
| Energy Bomb vs. Eggbeater | |
| Soul Reaper vs. Black Hole | |
| Untelevised Qualifiers | Chosen By |
| Catfish vs. Tilly | |
| Brain Storm vs. Black Whirlwind | |
| Black Bull vs. XIAO.T | |
| Burmuda Triangle vs. Fire Kylin | |
| VIP Exhibition Fight | Chosen By |
| AU Thumper vs. Spicy Newt | |
| Wildcard Tournament | Chosen By |
| Flame Tyrannosaurus vs. Devourer | |
| Flame Tyrannosaurus vs. Energy Bomb | |
| Bermuda Triangle vs. Robin Hood | |
| Bermuda Triangle vs. Princess of Wales | |
| Hyena vs. Princess of Wales | |
| Exhibition Fight | |
| XIAO.T vs. Tilly | |
Episode 2[]
| Rumble | |
|---|---|
| Angry Frog vs. Dark Wolf vs. Atomic Bomb vs. Soul Reaper | |
| Televised Qualifiers | Chosen By |
| Eggbeater vs. Bull Devil | Sheng Yilun |
| AU Thumper vs. Toxic Fangs | Angelababy |
| Excalibur vs. Catfish | Sheng Yilun |
| Down Hook vs. Nightmare Strangler | Lin Gengxin |
| Fire Kylin vs. Spicy Newt | Li Chen |
| Black Bull vs. Brain Storm | Lin Gengxin |
| Crate Destruction Exhibition | |
| Eggbeater vs Love Hug vs Brain Storm vs Hurricane | |
| Join Team Last Chance | Choose |
| Bull Devil vs. Black Bull | Lin Gengxin |
Episode 3[]
| Televised Fights |
|---|
| Fire Kylin vs Catfish |
| Brain Storm vs Down Hook |
| Dark Wolf vs Down Hook vs Nightmare Strangler |
| Brain Storm vs Eggbeater vs AU Thumper |
| Angry Frog vs Atomic Bomb vs Bull Devil |
Episode 4[]
| Televised Fights | |
|---|---|
| Fire Kylin vs Soul Reaper vs Spicy Newt vs. Toxic Fangs | |
| Tower Destruction Competition | Time |
| Eggbeater, Atomic Bomb & AU Thumper | 4:41 |
| Bull Devil, Soul Reaper & Nightmare Strangler | 1:53 |
| Excalibur, Spicy Newt & Fire Kylin | 2:25 |
| Televised Fights | |
| Fire Kylin vs. AU Thumper | |
| Eggbeater vs. Atomic Bomb | |
| VIP House Robot Rebellion | |
| Breaking Boy, Black Bull, Hurricane & Rampage Elf vs. Dominator & Crocodile | |
Episode 5[]
Episode 6[]
Episode 7[]
Episode 8[]
Episode 9[]
Episode 10[]
Episode 11[]
Episode 12[]
Episode 13[]
Exhibition Fights[]
| Untelevised Exhibition |
|---|
| Spicy Newt vs. AU Thumper |
Controversy[]
Controversy later arose as many of the competing robots were lost to a warehouse incident, including several not necessarily commissioned by the show's producers.
Main article: Clash Bots/Controversy
Trivia[]
- Clash Bots had the shortest run of any televised robot combat show, with just a single series airing.
- Clash Bots was the only television show whose main sponsor was a fast food chain - KFC.
References[]
- ↑ https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%9C%BA%E5%99%A8%E4%BA%BA%E4%BA%89%E9%9C%B8/22192403
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/7zla02/clashbots_cbs_2018_info_thread/
- ↑ http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201802/14/WS5a83807aa3106e7dcc13ca20_4.html
- ↑ https://baike.baidu.hk/item/%E6%A9%9F%E5%99%A8%E4%BA%BA%E7%88%AD%E9%9C%B8/22192403