Gladiators fans cry foul as ‘neither of the best two contenders make the final’
Gladiators fans have shared their anger as a contestant brought in as an injury replacement will face a rival he has already defeated in the final.
The eleven-episode series pits a new generation of Gladiators against the public: from an elite CrossFit athlete from Manchester to a James Bond actor and two Olympians.
The show has been marred by some controversies, including a recent major rule violation that was overlooked by referee Mark Clattenberg, which both infuriated viewers and caused numerous contestants to withdraw due to injury.
But the competition will soon culminate in a grand final between Wesley Male and Finlay Anderson on the men’s side and Marie-Louise Nicholson and Bronte Jones on the women’s side, taking place on Saturday, March 30.
While fans are still eager to watch, not all are happy with the format that led to the final and who will be participating.
Frustrated viewers pointed out how Wesley, who replaced the injured Finley Burkitt and wasn’t even in the match when the show started, will face Finlay who he previously defeated in the quarter-finals.
Fans are furious that Wesley Male is in the final of the show after being brought in as an injury replacement
Wesley pictured after beating Finlay Anderson in the quarter-finals of the competition
People quickly took to social media to share their thoughts on Saturday’s upcoming final
Finlay also has a controversial path through the competition, only reaching the semi-final eliminators as the fastest loser.
One person wrote on social media: ‘Neither of the top two contenders actually made it to the final. Gutted Chung, he could have won the whole thing.”
Another said: ‘Are we all in agreement that Wesley shouldn’t make it to the final? Someone from the heats should have been brought through instead of his mysterious selection.”
A third wrote: ‘Oh dear I have to bring in a replacement halfway through the show to hire another replacement for a chance in the final. It’s a dangerous game, #Gladiators.’
A fourth also said: ‘#Gladiators is still great but it’s not the best look when two of the guys in the semi-final eliminator shouldn’t be there at all and are only coming back in due to injuries.’
Many fans were furious that Wesley Finley replaced Burkitt, who suffered a knee injury in the Eliminator heat of the quarterfinals in February, and argued that the second-fastest runner-up should have been called up next.
One person wrote on
Another added: “Where the hell did Wesley come from? We bet the eliminated contestants are furious!’
In the eleven-episode series, a new generation of Gladiators competes against the public
Despite the furor over who made it through the competition, the BBC confirmed on Tuesday that Gladiators will return for a second series.
The rebooted show returned in January with father and son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh as hosts from Sheffield.
The revival was a ratings success story, with the debut episode attracting a whopping 6.4 million viewers.
Its future has now been decided after BBC chief Tim Davie included the series in his list of ‘big priorities’ for the year in a speech to the Royal Television Society on Monday.
The BBC has been contacted for comment.