Bite Force's Season 2 appearance.
Bite Force is a heavyweight robot which competed in the first two seasons of ABC's BattleBots reboot. It was built by Paul Ventimiglia of Team Aptyx Designs. Bite Force was a tracked robot armed with a grabbing jaw so it could lift and even overturn opposing robots. It also had multiple interchangeable setups - it had small blue "wedgelets" which could be mounted to the front of the robot, and a large steel wedge could be mounted to the back of the robot to battle spinners. However, in order to make weight with the steel wedge, the top claw of the robot had to be removed and the little "wedgelets" could not be used. The robot also had high-power magnets attached to the tracks in order to increase grip. These magnets, however, had little effect on the floor of the BattleBox. Bite Force performed outstandingly in its debut outing, winning the championship.
For Season 2, the robot was completely redesigned with a vertical spinning bar instead of its grabbing jaw and runs on wheels instead of tracks, this is the version that Paul wanted to build for Season 1, but he didn't because he thought that there were too many robots with spinning weapons However, he decided to build it for Season 2 because he loves building robots. Bite Force didn't do as well in Season 2 as it did in Season 1, but still preformed decently overall, defeating Mohawk in the round of 48 and The Ringmaster in the round of 32, but losing to Chomp in the round of 16, but redeemed itself by winning the royal rumble.
Paul Ventimiglia built several other robots over the course of BattleBots - most notably the heavyweight champion of 2009 (the last time BattleBots had a heavyweight class), Brutality. He also built Tantrum and Green Wave for the show's initial run, of which only Green Wave did well, winning the Middleweight championship in the 2005 BattleBots Rochester R3 event.
Bite Force was originally going to be named Chompy, but it was changed when the team learned there was another robot in the competition name Chomp (The robot that defeated Bite Force in Season 2). They changed the name to Bite Force after the bite force quotient, which is used to measure crushing force in animal jaws.
Robot History
ABC Season 1
Bite Force's Season 1 appearance.
Bite Force almost flips Warhead.
Bite Force's first round match was against Warhead. Bite Force was able to avoid Warhead's dome by skillfully using its rear wedge and pushing it around the BattleBox, eventually maneuvering it into the screws and pulverizer. After Warhead's weapon broke down, Bite Force got underneath it using its forks and lifted it up and over. The match ended shortly after, and Bite Force was given the win by unanimous judge's decision. This win put Bite Force to the round of 16, where it faced HyperShock.
Bite Force pushes HyperShock against the screws.
This match did not start off well for Bite Force, as HyperShock was able to gain the upper hand early and pushed Bite Force into the pulverizer. HyperShock then delivered a brutal uppercut to Bite Force with its weapon, knocking it onto its back. Bite Force struggled to right itself without the top of its jaws, only being able to right itself with help from HyperShock. However, once righted, the match turned in Bite Force's favor. HyperShock's drum stopped working and Bite Force began pushing it around the BattleBox. Soon after, smoke began pouring from HyperShock's fried drive motors, and it broke down completely against the arena wall. Bite Force lifted HyperShock several times with its forks, attempting to jostle some life back into HyperShock, but it was no use, and HyperShock was counted out. Bite Force won by KO at 2:41 and advanced to the quarterfinals, where it faced Overhaul.
Bite Force almost flips Overhaul.
Bite Force and Overhaul traded blow after blow during their match. At first, Bite Force seemed to be the superior robot, as it was able to latch onto Overhaul for long periods of time. However, Overhaul wasn't easy to push around, as it often tried to do the same thing but with varying degrees of success. Eventually, the match came down to the judges. After their evaluation, Bite Force won the match on a unanimous 3-0 judge's decision. This win put Bite Force to the semifinals, where it faced Ghost Raptor.
Bite Force lifts Ghost Raptor.
Before the match began, Team Raptor modified Ghost Raptor with a small attachment to its forks which was designed to get in between Bite Force's tracks and rip them off. Despite this, Bite Force dominated the match, pushing it under the pulverizer, which hit Ghost Raptors head, and it then gave Ghost raptor a piercing blow in it's rear end with an arena spike, which made a hole. Bite Force then flipped Ghost Raptor against the screws, which caused on of the wheels to fall out of Ghost Raptor. Ghost Raptor was counted out and Bite Force won by KO, as it humiliated Ghost Raptor. This win put Bite Force to the championship final, where it faced the No.1 seed Tombstone.
Bite Force pushing Tombstone in the finals.
Bite Force had the early advantage, absorbing hits well and attacking Tombstone when it was able to. Midway through the match, Tombstone's batteries gave out, and its blade stopped. However, Bite Force also had issues, as its frame was warped, meaning only one track was working. Eventually, time ran out and the battle went to the judges. Bite Force won on a unanimous 3-0 judge's decision and was declared BattleBots champion.
ABC Season 2
Bite Force attacking Mohawk with its spinning bar.
Bite Force's first match in Season 2 was against Mohawk. Before the match, Bite Force added rubber wedges to help get underneath Mohawk. In the match, the initial collision caused all six of the feet to come off, leaving Bite Force to grind away entirely with the disc. Bite Force kept on hitting the rear and sides of Mohawk with its spinning bar and at one point, it ripped off one of Mohawk's side panels. As this was happening, Mohawk's sealed gasket, which was covering its crushing arm, was causing propane to congregate inside the bot (igniting twice) and it stopped moving entirely. The match was paused to ensure Mohawk wasn't stuck under the arena barrier. When the match resumed, it was clear Mohawk couldn't move. Mohawk was being counted out around the driver's booth and Bite Force won the match by KO at 1:36. This win put Bite Force to the round of 32 with its No.4 seeding, where it faced the No.29 seed The Ringmaster.
Bite Force throws The Ringmaster into the corner
The match started out very well for Bite Force as it was able to toss The Ringmaster over several times with its spinning flywheel. Unfortunately, Bite Force's weapon eventually stopped working and the match became a pushing match. Nevertheless, Bite Force was more effective with its wedge and continued to control the fight. Time ran out and Bite Force won a unanimous 3-0 judges decision. This win put Bite Force to the round of 16, where it faced the No.13 seed Chomp.
Chomp hits Bite Force's weapon drive chain.
In the match, Chomp hit Bite Force's weapon drive chain off, disabling Bite Force's weapon. Bite Force started to control the fight and pushed Chomp around before getting caught on its own weapon drive belt. Chomp took advantage by occasionally spraying it with fire, pushing it into the killsaws and attacking with its hammer. Time ran out and despite Bite Force's control for much of the match, the judges awarded Chomp the victory, ending Bite Fore's reign as champion and eliminating it from the competition.
Bite Force teams up with Wrecks to send Witch Doctor out
Bite Force hits Wrecks' rear
Bite Force wasn't done yet, as it competed in a rumble against Wrecks and Witch Doctor. Bite Force and Witch Doctor decided to leave Wrecks alone and fight each other. After Wrecks got moving, Bite Force landed some hits on Witch Doctor, tearing off the self-righting mechanism, Witch Doctor then found itself between Bite Force and Wrecks, allowing the two robots to send Witch Doctor flying and out of the arena. Somewhere during the rumble, Bite Force found itself upside down, which had occurred during one of it clashes with Wrecks and decided to use the arena barrier to right itself, though it took multiple attempts to be successful. After taking out Shaman, Bite Force turned to hit Wrecks multiple times, causing smoke to pour out of Wrecks. Bite Force hit Wrecks once more and nearly got it out of the arena but Wrecks managed to get out. However, it was too late as Wrecks was counted out, giving Bite Force the victory by KO.
Wins/Losses
- Wins: 7
- Losses: 1
| Competition | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
|
ABC Season 1 |
None | |
| ABC Season 2 | Mohawk | Chomp |
Faruq Tauheed Introductions
"Here to devour the competition, this is BITE FORCE!"
"This vicious beast doesn't even think it's in a competition! He thinks it's a buffet line. Makes some noise for BITE FORCE!"
"It came for the food, but it stays for the mayhem. Here's BITE FORCE!"
"It's so tough when it goes to the dentist, it drills him. Keeping Novocaine in business, it's BITE FORCE!"
"From Mountain View, California, it's the Minister of Maul, the Prince of Pierce, the Reigning King of Crush. It's BITE FORCE!"
"It was the champ with the clamp. Now it's the star with the bar. Give it up for the undisputed irrefuted, batteries included, BITE FORCE!"
"Cover your ears. This bot bites harder than Mike Tyson. It's the undisputed heavyweight champion of the 'Box. It's BITE FORCE!"
"Come on down! You're the next victim on The Bite is Right! The undefeated reigning champion. It's BITE FORCE!"
Trivia
- Bite Force is the first tracked robot to win a championship.
- Bite Force only used its main setup in two out of its five fights in season 1.
- Builder Paul Ventimiglia is the first person to win the championship of the same weight class with two different robots (Brutality in 2009 and Bite Force in 2015)
Merchandise
Any appearances by Bite Force in merchandise are listed below: