Gladiators was back with a bang on Saturday night (January 25), and the tension soared high as one contestant was led away by medics after sustaining a nasty injury.
Contestant Nikki faced off against Dynamite in ‘The Edge’, the evening’s fourth event. Their tussle resulted in a tumble into the safety net below.
Concerns arose immediately, with Dynamite attending to Nikki and the concerned voice of the commentator saying: “There’s some concern from Dynamite, Nikki looks like she’s got herself injured.” Reviewing the incident, the commentator noted: “Well it looks like there was something in the landing, let’s hope Nikki is okay.”
Bradley Walsh, the host, stepped in, directing Nikki to get checked, saying: “Just go and get checked off-camera”, as a medical professional took her aside, reports .
With the competition rolling on, Bradley sought inspirational words from Dynamite for Nikki, who praised the injured contender: “She smashed it, she’s done absolutely amazing and no matter what happened up there and how she’s probably feeling up there right now, she’s done so well to come this far and she should be very proud of herself.”
Don’t miss…
Nikki faced an injury after falling (Image: BBC)
Bradley then rallied the crowd, calling for a round of applause to honour Nikki as attention shifted to the following competitor Keeva. Later on, the audience was informed that Nikki had suffered an injury during The Edge, with Barney, who is a co-host and Bradley’s son, relaying: “She’s been checked over by our brilliant medical team but unfortunately she will not be able to compete in the Eliminator.”
Nikki’s unfortunate exit proved to be bittersweet for Keeva, who found herself advancing to the quarter finals and offered her best wishes to her rival in the competition.
Keeva commented: “I’m absolutely devastated for Nikki, as much as I’m happy that I’m in the quarter finals, it’s tough but I’m sure she’s in good hands.”
Before introducing the competition participants at the start of the show, Barney announced some news as he said: “There’s a storm brewing over the arena!” which left Bradley, 64, bewildered as he queried: “What does that mean, what does that mean?”
Don’t miss… [NEWS]
Bradley Walsh was forced to halt the show (Image: BBC)
Barney declared: “Well, tonight we’re going to be introducing a brand new Gladiator!” leading Bradley to exclaim incredulously: “No!” only for Barney to confirm “Yes!”
The first new Gladiator is 23-year-old Cyclone, who is an Irish Powerlifter and she made her debut on Saturday night. She considers herself the ultimate all-round athlete. “I’ve got the look, I’ve got the energy and I’ve got the muscles,” Cyclone said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Cyclone is joined by World Rowing Champion Hammer, who is 32-years-old. At 6ft 5 inches tall, Hammer believes that his height, strength and speed set him apart from everyone else. “When you’ve got 19 stone sprinting at you, you’ve got no chance. I’m getting you,” he shared in a statement.
Gladiators continues next Saturday at 5:50pm on One and iPlayer