# Where have all the robots gone?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 8, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755 "2003-12-08T20:18:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/1 "2003-12-08T20:18:26Z")
Last year seemed to be a big year for robot wars on TV. You pretty much couldn’t turn on the tube without seeing some jury-rigged stainless steel box whacking another one with a pneumatic axe. At the peak, I think there were three different shows, all with pretty much the same format. Plus other shows aimed at the tinkerer at heart, e.g. Full Metal Challenge, Junkyard Wars, and so on.
This year…nothing but Trading Spaces and various clones. Unless you count Monster House which is just Trading Spaces with a touch of Junkyard Wars thrown in.
So where did all the robots go? Were the shows too expensive? Did they oversaturate the market and bomb in the ratings? I’d think that there’d be at least one show remaining.
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### Author:  [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/2 "2003-12-08T20:47:23Z")
They’re all dead. Killed themselves off. A metaphor for our kind.
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### Author:  [@Tremmie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tremmie)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/3 "2003-12-08T20:54:23Z")
I think interest died down alot when people begun to realize that the most succesfull type of battle robot was also the most boring. I believe it was called a “wedge” and was basically just a ramp that would try to get under the other robot to flip it over.
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### Author:  [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/4 "2003-12-08T21:54:45Z")
Long time passing.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/5 "2003-12-08T22:00:07Z")
_♫Long time passing…♫_
Dammit, took so long coding that, **Captain Amazing** beat me to the joke! Well, I’m posting it anyway.
[sub]Bastard![/sub]
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### Author:  [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/6 "2003-12-08T22:00:49Z")
“Robot Wars” is or at least was on Tech TV (British show hosted by Craig “Lister” Charles). The one that dominated was a flipper 'bot (NOT a simple wedge) that managed to flip two of its competitors out of the arena (and managed to flip a house robot) (!)
I miss “Operation Junkyard” which was akids version of Junkyard wars that showed sat mornings on NBC last season.
Brian
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### Author:  [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/7 "2003-12-08T22:10:09Z")
Addendum: A common TV situatuion
1)Station A comes up with a cool idea which meets sucess
2)Stations B-Z copy said idea, usually poorly
3)Public gets sick of idea (which they wouldn’t have if only station a had it)
4) rations drop so stations A-Z drop idea
Brian
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### Author:  [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2003, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/8 "2003-12-09T01:42:41Z")
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
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### Author:  [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/9 "2003-12-09T03:35:55Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Finagle \*
> \*\*… Monster House which is just Trading Spaces with a touch of Junkyard Wars thrown in. \*\*
Yeah, what is the deal with this show? It seems like what they do every episode is take a bland, boring, average home and turn it into a total piece of shit.
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/10 "2003-12-09T05:47:34Z")
I’ve been busy. What’d I miss?
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2003, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/11 "2003-12-09T06:35:19Z")
I miss Tom and Crow.
And Gypsy.
☹
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2003, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/12 "2003-12-09T08:06:05Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \*
> \*\*I miss Tom and Crow.
>
> And Gypsy.
>
> ☹ \*\*
Nobody ever misses Cambot. Poor Cambot, the robot nobody loves.
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### Author:  [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2003, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/13 "2003-12-09T09:10:59Z")
I miss nanites. Oh wait no, there they are.
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### Author:  [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2003, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/14 "2003-12-09T09:27:24Z")
Doesn’t anyone miss Twiki?
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2003, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/15 "2003-12-09T12:48:22Z")
I miss the _original_ Cylons. Yup, the old “heads like toaters” model. 🙂
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### Author:  [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/16 "2003-12-10T02:28:20Z")
The robots have all boarded their Great Space Armada and blasted off to scour the stars for the race which attacked Earth. Little do they know that the almost legendary Last War, during which Man became extinct, was not the result of alien treachery…
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### Author:  [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/17 "2003-12-10T02:42:27Z")
Yeah, can someone fill me in on why Cylons now look like slinky blonde bimbos in spaghetti-strap hooker dresses?
I’m probably never gonna get around to watching the show, but I’m damn curious about that one aspect of it.
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### Author:  [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2003, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/18 "2003-12-10T03:22:18Z")
So long, and thanks for all the wing-nuts.
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### Author:  [@Vezer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vezer)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/19 "2003-12-10T03:32:39Z")
Bah forget Cambot, I miss the “Voice”. Apparently the later seasons didn’t though.
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### Author:  [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-robots-gone/217755/20 "2003-12-10T05:03:28Z")
Yoshimi took care of the robot threat. Doesn’t anyone else keep up with current events?
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