Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators (2023) User Reviews

90's nostalgia, humor, and heart

[johncg25 · 8/10 · 2 July 2023]

This is worth watching just from the 90's nostalgia as theres lots of clips of commercials back then and it really brings you back into that time. As a kid who watched this show I think on re-runs in the mid to late 90's on saturday mornings...I loved the nostalgia. But even better is getting to know who the characters were behind the camera which was probably the most interesting thing about it. It also shows you how the show was made and all the funny stories that go into that, as well as the drama that happened as well. Excellent doc, and the pacing is extremely good and keeps you watching.

Fun, Corky & Nostalgic!

[AnNiE2215 · 7/10 · 28 June 2023]

For those of us who grew up during the era in which this show aired, the nostalgia comes rushing in whilst watching this new series documenting American Gladiators.

I'll admit I was smiling through and through whilst watching this series. Initially, I hadn't even noticed my facial expression till the moment I happened to glance over at the mirror near the television and that's when I had decided I should actually write a review.

This is only my 2nd review ever -despite being on IMDb for 10+ years. Now was the original American Gladiator my favorite show? Not even close. Is this series my new favorite? Nope. But all-in-all, the telltale sign was that I enjoyed it so much that I was actually smiling and wasn't dreadfully checking to see how much longer till it's over (we all know how disappointing that feeling is when you realize something you're watching has let you down).

This series was made with the viewer in mind, which isn't so common nowadays. It's fun and exciting. What you'll really enjoy is that the episodes are short and sweet.

Too many productions have been packing shows and documentaries with fillers and B-roll just to extend them which leaves the viewer annoyed. This series, however, did the right thing, which was to get to the point but to tell the story in a fun way.

Give it a go!

Well done about a time not that long ago

[MajBlade2 · 8/10 · 30 June 2023]

The show first of all gave a good sense of the late 80's early 90's things WERE different then. Schrezegger and Stallone ruled at the movies American pride and nationalism were high so this was the right show at the right time. Now its interesting because it really foretold all the competition reality shows we have now days. They dont gloss over the sterorid abuse but at that time it wasn't the same issue as it would be today. Steroids were not well known outside of high end competitive athletes and rules were just starting to go into place mainly due to what was happening with baseball at the time. The big lesson here and you can see it when they interview the producers is hollywood will squeeze and squeeze and then blame it all on the people that had no control. Im betting those producers just moved on the athletes didn't And I remember this show very much they started out when I was in College and the whole football team would get together with woman from Track, basketball and swimming to watch in one of the big training rooms. We loved it. But when they fired everyone (which I just found out is what happened) most lost interest because it was about the gladiators they had been set up like pro wrestlers so they had a certain character and personality and when they dumped those people everyone lost interest. They absolutely if done right could still be going to today. Sam Goldwin Jr. Seems to be the biggest villian in this story for not giving them better money and part of the merchandising and he basically ran over the goose who laid the golden egg.

Wasn't Expecting this to Bring Me to Tears

[rightkeith · 7/10 · 7 July 2023]

But in the end, it did just that. The fun, light-hearted nostalgia-filled romp through the late 80's and early 90's carries the first few episodes. I enjoyed these as much as any, but the shining star of the series for me was saved til the last.

I couldn't help but smile as names and faces of original Gladiators floodes back to memory and left me reminiscing of lazy Saturday mornings. Sure the TV only went up to channel 13 and the only other options were fishing or cartoons, but it's hard to express just how special and unique this idea was for it's day.

The doc does a great job of taking a cast of characters who were obnoxious, egotistical, and somewhat laughable on the show and captures everything great (and at times dark) about the real people behind the characters. By the end, I was tearing up by myself in the dark as gladiators shared personal struggles and victories to wrap up a surprisingly loveable series.

The right way to do a documentary.

[LincolnSixEko · 9/10 · 29 June 2023]

5 episodes, 30-45 minutes each with interviews of most of the actual Gladiators, producers, show runners, etc with zero filler. Each episode had a good theme to it and they flew by fast. I never lost interest.

Unlike the other Netflix doc, "Pepsi, Where's my Jet?" which is the WRONG method to do a documentary, the American Gladiators documentary is by far something worthwhile to watch.

Even if you've only watched a single episode of the show when it was on TV, give this little mini series a shot. It's informative and interesting but most importantly - it's entertaining to watch, just like the TV show.

Just wrong

[jtandsk · 7/10 · 14 July 2023]

The documentary really upset me and I felt so bad for the Gladiators. All the work and injuries they endured to make the show a success and Goldwyn and co just treated them like meat. I am glad most turned out fine but absolutely wrong how they were treated. I really respect how the four primary Gladiators stood up for themselves and fought for what was right. I still don't understand why they couldn't sue and fight the slave contract they signed. People fight and contest contracts all the time. A great story as I grew up watching this show but very upsetting and sad how things turned out and the Goldwyn family can go to meet Abbadon!

A powerful well done documentary

[pgann3700 · 10/10 · 29 June 2023]

Amazing flow and depiction of what really went on behind the scenes of one of my favorite shows growing up. Powerful, honest and authentic. Really connects toll you to the real people who played the larger than life characters that played your favorite gladiators. Netflix really hir it out of the park with this one for sure. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good documentary to watch on Netflix. I can't say enough good things about it. I binge watched the entire series in one day. Very easy to get deeply involved with the content. I'm going to watch the whole thing again at some point because it was so good.

Entertaining albeit without going too deep

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 3 July 2023]

As "Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators" (2023 release; 5 episodes ranging from 36 to 46 min each) opens, we are reminded that American Gladiators ran from 1989 to 1996, and that it was a different world then (no smart phones; no streaming, etc.). We then go to "1987" as Johnny Ferraro comes up with the idea, but the transition from idea to actual TV show is easier said than done, as the pilot show is borderline disastrous... At this point we are 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: the mini-series comes on the heels of ESPN's The American Gladiators Documentary. "Muscles & Mayhem" is co-directed by Tony Vainuku (Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist) and Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite). Here they reassess the TV ratings success that was American Gladiators. Not that the early years made it inevitable. In fact, American Gladiators was an "overnight success 4 years in the making" (my own words). The film makers were able to get a lot of the gladiators to participate including Nitro, Blaze, Gemini, Laser, etc. Ample attention is given to the many injuries the gladiators kept incurring. And then there are the steroids. And let's certainly not forget the mayhem that was the American Gladiators live tour in 1991-92. As American Gladiators was filmed in Los Angeles, we get a lot of footage from the late 80-early 90s and I could not believe how sleepy and unbusy the city looked in those days (30+ years ago). Bottom line: the episodes are quite short and it all breezes by quickly. This mini-series was entertaining for sure, but it really doesn't bother to dig to deep. So with this mini-series and the recent ESPN documentary, I>'m still not sure that we've heard the definitive American Gladiators account.

"Muscles & Mayhem" premiered on Netflix last week. I just caught up on it. If you were a fan of American Gladiators, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Why does it look so old?

[atleverton · 7/10 · 8 July 2023]

Watching this documentary reminds me of the time when I showed my kids an episode of He-Man. And the cartoon looked so old. I was never very into the American Gladiators program, but I remember watching it from time to time and thinking that it looked very good. I mean aesthetically it looked very good. But clearly I was mistaken. It does not look good at all. About the actual events of the story, I'm struck by a few different thoughts. The first is that it was really strange how concerned the production was that their athletes might have been using steroids, when they did not care at all about basic safety procedures to protect their athletes. And the other thing is that the show was only on for seven seasons, but it could have kept going if the company had wanted to keep investing in its development. They had a chance to create a new sport entirely. It seems like they were only interested in squeezing out as much money out of the idea as possible in the quickest amount of time. So it's kind of strange how they sacrificed a lot of potential money for a little bit of real money. As for the athletes themselves, only a few seem to be sympathetic characters, but that doesn't mean that they deserved to be exploited and after watching this series that's exactly what seems to have happened. So if you watched the show when you were younger, or you want to have free good explanation of a pop culture phenomenon from 30 years ago, it's a good watch.

Nostalgia

[sajecha · 10/10 · 6 July 2023]

This docuseries was so well made. I enjoyed going down memory lane with all the gladiators. I loved that the gladiators were interviewed and the entire Muscles and Mayhem show was based on them, their experience on the American Gladiator show, how they were treated, and the real behind the scene footage and reasons of the failure of the show.

I remember when I used to watch the show when it first started and how I loved the gladiators and then by the end they were replaced and it wasn't the same anymore. I stopped watching the show when they started making the contenders the center of the show because the dynamics changed.

I'm glad that many of the gladiators were able to move on, get therapy, closure, and acceptance.

A lot of what happened to them contract and finance wise was def things that wouldn't fly by today. I'm sure their experience paved the way for many others.

I loved this docuseries and highly recommend to everyone who watched the American Gladiators back in the 90's because they would highly love and enjoy this series.

I had tears watching it.

An unexpected pleasure!

[MarkLotinga-1064 · 7/10 · 1 February 2024]

I was never a fan of Gladiators in the UK let alone American Gladiators which was the original show that went on to spawn the international versions.

Therefore my decision to watch Netflix's mini-series Muscles & Mayhem was a highly speculative one.

Having now watched all five episodes I am glad that I did watch, I found this to be a genuinely interesting, entertaining if "unauthorised" take on the once hit series.

I will take most of what I heard as gospel as it came from the mouths of the major gladiators themselves, and as they were there, they sure ought to know what went on!

Perhaps rather surprisingly I warmed to the featured gladiators almost without exception and felt genuinely sorry that they did not share in the vast revenues that were generated.

Goes to show how important either having a good contract or a better agent is when it comes to this business called show.

Their sacking from the show no doubt precipitated the show's demise and can be seen in retrospect as the beginning of the end.

Nonetheless, it was a show that went on to "inspire" many other shows that followed in its wake.

I would recommend this series without hesitation.

Only appeals to those involved

[OneAnjel · 1/10 · 30 August 2023]

I don't have any recollection of this show from that time period although i recall many people were interested in roller derby. I thought it would be interesting but it's mainly a platform to discuss the individuals' involved and more of a home video, in that sense, and a lengthy walk through how the show's slow development affected them. Also a good example of the lawlessness that can happen when a thing had never been done before, sort of like what's happening on social media today. I notice the low star reviews that were here previously are gone and my own keeps being deleted with no clear reason. Clearly someone is babysitting these reviews. There is some nostalgia in just seeing the hairstyles and clothing. But otherwise it's just a collection of footage, interviews, and data. Initially I gave this 3 stars but the battle of trying to give my opinion has tainted my feelings.

Amazing behind the story

[TheCarpooler · 10/10 · 13 August 2023]

You know, I'm giving this 10 stars. Is it the best show? No. For me, it humanizes the characters from this awesome TV program. You'll learn so much about the entire run of American Gladiators. From the early first season chaos, to a post series run I never knew happened.

You'll get to know the people who were, and are, our Gladiators. They were bigger than life back then, but they weren't invincible. They didn't get rich and they worked in some pretty bad conditions. Their paths ended unceremoniously.

And, they survived. They have families, lives and are friends to this day. I was in my late teens, early twenties, during the shows run. This felt great to watch.

A Neat Insight On A Legendary Show

[jeremycrimsonfox · 8/10 · 7 July 2023]

Amerian Gladiators was a neat sports competition/game show I used to watch, but like every other competition, it is bound to have some dark secrets.

A five-part documentary mini-series looking into the original incarnation of the American Gladiators that aired for seven seasons from 1989 to 1996, the series feature some of the original Gladiators like Michael Horton/Gemini, Danny Lee Clark/Nitro,and Ray Hollit / Zap, to even some of the show's staff and crew, as they talk about the history of the show, from the troubles filming the pitch pilot, to the struggle with the first season,to even some other behind the scenes stuff and incidents on the show.

To me, this is a neat documentary, as a fan of American Gladiators, as the interviews with Gladiators and crew members shed some new insight on the show. The documentary stays on topic, showing scenes from other media in order to prove that American Gladiators was made in an era where bodybuilders were popular stars, and even went into details with the show's various controversies, from the steroid use that led to the show's downfall to some of the Gladiators from the first season being let go after suffering horiffic injuries as well as controveries and bad behavior.

A fascinating and entertaining docuseries that exposes the truth behind the TV phenomenon

[ergo-58534 · 10/10 · 13 July 2023]

Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators is a docuseries that offers a comprehensive and candid account of one of the most iconic and influential TV shows of the '90s. The docuseries chronicles the origins, development, production, popularity and downfall of American Gladiators, which captivated millions of viewers with its spectacle of action, drama and humor. The docuseries also explores the impact of the show on pop culture, sports and fitness, as well as on the lives and careers of the people involved.

The docuseries is well-made and has an amazing flow, as it mixes archival footage, photos, clips and interviews to create a compelling narrative. The docuseries covers all aspects of the show, from its conception to its cancellation, from its casting to its stunts, from its ratings to its merchandising, from its controversies to its legacy. The docuseries also reveals some shocking and surprising facts and anecdotes that shed new light on the show's behind-the-scenes drama and chaos.

The docuseries is also entertaining and engaging, as it features the testimonies of the gladiators themselves, who share their personal and professional experiences on the show. The gladiators are charismatic, funny, honest and emotional, as they recount their highs and lows, their triumphs and struggles, their friendships and rivalries. The docuseries also features the perspectives of other key players, such as the producers, the directors, the contenders, the stunt coordinators, the publicists and others, who provide different insights and opinions on the show's creation and evolution.

Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators is a docuseries that will appeal to fans of American Gladiators and '90s nostalgia, as well as to anyone who enjoys documentary stories about TV history and culture. It is a docuseries that exposes the truth behind the TV phenomenon that was American Gladiators. It is a docuseries that deserves to be watched and enjoyed by viewers of all ages.

The Predecessor to American Ninja Warrior

[view_and_review · 8/10 · 14 August 2023]

Anyone between the ages of 35 and 50 probably knows the American Gladiators. And if you are between those ages AND a male, then you probably LOVED the American Gladiators. "American Gladiators" was must see TV for me in my youth, so to see a documentary about the show... there was no question I was going to watch.

"Muscles and Mayhem" is a five part series that takes us from "American Gladiator's" inception to its unfortunate demise. To see what it came from to what it developed into was quite amazing. Looking at its early version it's a wonder they made it to screen at all. My memories of it were when it was in its prime, and yes, I'd still watch it today if it survived the brutal dictates of Hollywood.

In the docu-series we get to see sit-down interviews with the most central figures from "American Gladiators": Nitro, Gemini, Tower, Ice, Zap, Laser and others. They talk about all the behind-the-scenes stuff that you never get to hear about until the end of a saga.

One of the things they touched on in the documentary was whether the show was about the game or the Gladiators. Could the show survive with just anybody or were the Gladiators so important that the show couldn't survive without the right Gladiators.

I, for one, think it was a little of both. The competitions and games had to be good, yet you had to have the right folks as Gladiators because they were essential to the competitions. And, I'd even say that the Gladiators themselves became even more important as they became merchandised; like the wrestlers in WWF (now WWE).

I wanted to see bigger than life Gladiators AND I wanted to see them lose. I always rooted for the contestants because they were regular people like me, but I wanted to see them beat larger than life characters, not other regular joes.

"Muscles and Mayhem" is a wonderful documentary for whoever had a passing interest in "American Gladiators" and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Netflix.