BattleBots 2x1 - Robots Activate: Qualifying Round Begins

The extraordinary robot-fighting tournament "BattleBots" willkick things off with a two-hour season premiere on THURSDAY,JUNE 23 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT) on the ABC Television Network.Thefirst round of next-generation robots will go head to head, as32 teams converge in an arena full of hazards for the chance toadvance out of the qualifying round in pursuit of thechampionship. Each match will consist of a three-minute bout inwhich the goal is to completely destroy or disable theopponent. If there is no knockout during the three-minutebattle, the panel of judges will declare a victor to move ontothe next round. Judging the matches are former "BattleBots"competitor and special effects artist Fon Davis, the face of"Nerdist," Jessica Chobot, and special guest judge AdamSavage ("MythBusters"). 48 builders representing fourcontinents make up this year's field – double the size oflast year's tournament. With them they bring an unprecedentedarsenal, innovative designs, destructive new weapons and forthe first time in the history of robot-fighting tournaments,the launch of drone warfare. The competitors range from NASAengineers to teenage students and everyone in between — eachwith one goal: to claim the ultimate title and walk away withthe Giant Nut. Winners from the 24 matches in the qualifyinground automatically advance, after which the selectioncommittee picks eight wildcards from the losers to join them.Once the teams advance out of the qualifying round, it'ssingle elimination all the way to the title.