Gladiators: Springbok Challenge 2

Gladiators: Springbok Challenge 2
Title card
Genre	Game show
Based on	American Gladiators by  Dann Carr John Ferraro
Starring	Glenn Hicks Ursula Staplefeldt Cyril Mitchley
No. of episodes	13
Production
Producer	Keith Shaw
Production locations	Standard Bank Arena, Johannesburg
Running time	60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production company	Shaw Pictures
Original release
Network	SABC 3
Release	March 2000 (2000-03) – July 2000 (2000-07)

Gladiators: Springbok Challenge 2 (mentioned on-screen as The Second International Challenge) was a competition that comprised the second half of the fourth series of MTN Gladiators, the South African adaptation of the international Gladiators franchise.

The series saw a number of former domestic South African contenders, including past champions and finalists, compete against their British counterparts for the overall title of international champion. The format involved 24 contenders, each of whom would compete twice across two heats, to determine who would be selected by their team to compete in an overall grand final. Only contenders with two wins across the heats stage would be eligible for selection.

Broadcast in 2000 on SABC 3, it would be the last series of MTN Gladiators to be presented by Glenn Hicks, who had been with the programme since its inception, as well as the last series to be refereed by Cyril Mitchley.

Broadcast

The series aired on Friday nights between 7pm and 8pm on SABC3, as mentioned several times on screen by Hicks and Staplefeldt. Several sources erroneously listed the series as airing between March 20 and July 3, 2000, however, these are Mondays, and eighteen weeks apart, suggesting these dates are not correct, seen as the series had only 13 episodes.

Notably, despite the inclusion of British contenders and Gladiators, it is the only series featuring either which has never been broadcast on British television, having been recorded after the final domestic series was broadcast on ITV.

After being largely unseen since its initial broadcast, ten of the 13 episodes resurfaced on YouTube for the first time in 2025.

Contenders

Gladiators

The British Gladiators team were largely made up of Gladiators who had featured in the final series of the domestic run, with the exception of Gold, who had not competed since Series 6, some three years before the series was filmed. Her brother, Jason, also appeared as a contender for the South African team and competed in the South African domestic series.

Notably, Fox (Tammy Baker) made such an impression on the South African producers, that she was later signed on for the fifth domestic South African series.

Events

• Atlas Spheres — The South African version of Atlaspheres follows a different format to the international version. Five giant bowling pins are positioned across the arena floor. The contender has 60 seconds to knock as many of the pins down as possible, whilst the Gladiator tries to prevent them from scoring. Four pins are silver and are worth 2 points each - these must be knocked down first, before the contender can go for the final red pin, which is worth 4 points.
• Demolition Run — A South African version of Hit and Run, which follows the same rules as the original incarnation, albeit with slightly heavier demolition balls than those used in international versions.
• Duel — This event follows the same rules as the original incarnation.
• Gauntlet — This event normally follows the same rules as the original incarnation, except that all five gladiators use "Battle Sticks" instead of ram rods and power pads. For this series only, contenders are awarded two points per zone cleared and a ten-point bonus for clearing the Gauntlet in under fifteen seconds.
• Hang Tough — This event follows the same rules as the original incarnation.
• Powerball — As per the first Springbok Challenge, UK Series 7 and 8, and every SA MTN Gladiators series, contenders face two Gladiators rather than three. Each gladiator is assigned to a contender.
• Rat Race — A South African version of Pendulum, where the globe is positioned just above the arena floor, rather than in the air, and rotates rather than swings (hence why it's called a globe). Contenders are also chased by two Gladiators rather than one.
• Suspension Bridge — This event follows the same rules as the original incarnation.
• The Mountain — Announced as The Mountain but with a title card that reads MTN Mountain, this event follows the same rules as its international counterpart, The Wall, but with a much higher summit than any other international incarnation.
• Whiplash — Unlike its international counterparts, this version is played on a platform six feet above the arena floor, and involves the contender attempting to pull the Gladiator from the platform. If the contender gains control of the wishbone, they receive ten points. Pulling the Gladiator from the platform also receives ten, but a combination of the two earns fifteen points. Contenders are not allowed to step over the Gladiator, but the Gladiator is allowed to sit down unlike most other versions.
• Eliminator — Similar in design to its British counterpart, the only differences being that the hand ladder is slightly longer (and referred to as the Sky Ladder), and in place of the rolling beam/trapeze before the cargo net, contenders must drop down from the platform and climb through a "Spider's Web" (similar to Spaghetti Junction used in the fifth British series) back up to the platform to reach the cargo net. On the Travelator, contenders are not allowed to touch any black areas outside of the conveyor belt itself (hence the term, "Black No-Go Zone"), as this results in a penalty and both contenders being ordered back to the start of the balance beam for a "run off".

Episodes

Bold indicates the winner of each competition. Like the Australian series, only four events are played in each episode prior to the Eliminator. Each contender competes in two heats, only by winning both of their heats could a contender qualify for selection by their team for the grand final.

References

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