It didn't take long for Don "Hollywood" Yates to get recognized in public as Wolf from the new "American Gladiators" series.
"I was driving over to L.A. yesterday and I stopped off at a truck stop to fill up and get something to eat," said Yates, a Phoenix-area resident, two days after the series premiere. "I went to pay and the guy was like, 'Hey man. I love the show. Congrats. You are killing people.' It was very cool."
Yates is one of 14 athletes — 12 regulars and two alternates —chosen to be the new skull-thumpers in this revival of the popular show where contestants go up against hulking opponents on the way to cash and prizes. The original aired from 1989 to 1994.
Dubbed Wolf for his wild hair, boisterous attitude and tendency to howl after pummeling an opponent, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Yates grew up in Arizona and spoke with Caliente last week.
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Do you have any ties to Tucson?
"A couple of my step-siblings went to the University of Arizona, and I've done some rodeos down in that area. I was a rodeo clown bullfighter for a time. I haven't done the big rodeo in Tucson. But events like the Turquoise Circuit finals were held down there."
How did you end up becoming a Gladiator?
"I was in Las Vegas for the Mr. and Ms. Olympia contest. I was walking through the expo and the casting director for the show sent his assistant over to grab me. She asked if I remembered 'American Gladiators.' I said, 'Are you kidding me? I loved it. I was in front of the TV every time it was on.'
"They asked me to send a video of me working out from home, swimming, stuff I do normally. Three weeks later they had me out in L.A. to meet with execs at NBC. Three days after that I was training."
How much training did you get in before the show started filming?
"We had about a week-and-a-half to get ready. I tend to think they let the contenders train a little bit more than that. Fortunately, we are all world-class athletes and are able to adjust and go."
What are the big changes with the new show?
"The events are the same with added twists. We've got water under us this time around. In the game "Assault" on the old show, if the contender hit the gladiator's target, nothing would happen. Now, if they hit the target, the gladiator gets jerked 40 feet into the air and drops into the water. It is incentive for us to hit our opponents."
Does that mean the chance of injury is higher?
"We have had a few contestants who have gotten injured. One of the contestants in the first episode tore the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in her knee. This isn't ballet. This is a full-contact sport and people are going to get hurt. That is just part of the game and what makes it so fun."
Favorite event?
"I love any of the events where I get to hit people hard. The Pyramid is awesome. I love Powerball — that's like football without the pads. The event I like the most is Hang Tough. All the other events happen so quick. With this I can torment them. I get to talk to them as I'm swinging on the rings, get them nervous. Once I get ahold of them, I don't have to drop them right away. I can look into their eyes and see their soul. They know at that point they can't do anything. I've destroyed them."
ON TV
"American Gladiators" airs at 7 p.m. Mondays on NBC.
