10. They Were Hiding Secrets Under Those Muscles
If you ever felt the need to test your strength against hulked-out bodybuilders dressed in spandex so patriotic it makes the American flag cry or watch others attempt it for themselves, American Gladiators was your show. The games were secretly designed to make it easier for average athletes to take on the Gladiators and walk away as winners. The live audience also had a secret of their own.
The screaming fans in the arena weren’t always human. Many of the seats were occupied by people-shaped plywood because they had a hard time filling the seats in the early days. The show had a deal with Universal Studios, where they swapped tourists for advertising, but many of the tourists left because they were interested in a different kind of amusement.