02 March 2024 , 20:16
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Gladiators villain Viper has been given a formal warning by the show referee after pinning down a contestant unfairly during a challenge.
The iconic gameshow has been revived this year by the BBC - with Bradley Walsh and his son Barney as hosts, with the show winning rave reviews from telly critics and building an army of new fans. Those who recall the original Gladiators that aired in the 1990s will recall a show ‘villain’ named Wolf - who left contestants in fear and viewers watching from home in despair.
For the 2024 reboot, a Gladiator named Viper appears to be filling the villain role. And on Saturday night, he sparked outrage when he viciously pinned down a contestant during one of the rounds. The contenders were taking part in a challenge called The Ring. All the contenders had to do was reach the centre of a circle and hit a button in order to win two points.
But there were Gladiators standing in the way - and it was their job to stop the contestants from reaching the central button. A contestant named Ash was enthusiastic about the challenge - but was left in fear when Viper grabbed him and pinned him down. Ash was first to reach the button and tapped it, scoring two points, and Viper should have then let go but continued to hold him down - and refused to budge when referees rushed over to tell him to stop.
Viper was given an official warning by referee Mark Clattenburg on the BBC's Gladiators (BBC)The show commentator remarked: “Viper is not letting go. Sonia’s trying to prise him away, but he’s at it again. He’s more like a python than a viper. Ash looks genuinely frightened.”
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The audience began to boo and there were chants of “Off! Off! Off!” after Viper refused to play fairly. And his bitter technique was called out by the main referee, Mark Clattenburg. The former football ref said: “Viper! This is a formal warning! I told you in the locker room, no holding!” As the game continued, an undeterred Ash battled through the remainder of the round and scored an impressive 10 points - while fellow male contestant Dev could only make four.
Gladiators fans watching from home took to social media to comment on the wild scenes. One unimpressed fan wrote on X: "Why wasn't Viper removed from the game for the amount of time he held his opponent down? #Gladiators." Another outraged viewer asked: "#Gladiators What are you even doing Viper?! I know Ash beat you at Duel but that's just not nice! Stop trying to be like Wolf!" And a further fan grumbled: "Oh nice. Viper holds down his contestant once again and the ref gets involved. Again."
Following the unsportsmanly display, many viewers took to X to slam Viper and his bad attitude. One fan wrote online: "Is Viper good at any of the games? Genuinely curious because he's not covering himself in glory... and his bad guy act is terrible - becoming more and more convinced that was a producer led persona decision rather than his own #Gladiators." And another typed: "Anyone else who watch #Gladiators just sick of Viper now. The guys a joke. Trys to play the bad guy but is just pathetic."