2021 Open Ballot -- Detailed Breakout
For this ballot I repeated the requirement for voters to complete an 'info-quiz' that runs thru the important voting elements and makes a strong suggestion that worthy sub-lightweight robots be considered for inclusion. In 2019 this 'reminder' resulted in 'Silent Spring' becoming the first beetleweight full member in the Hall. I had hoped for another strong sub-lightweight showing in 2021, but the result of this year's ballot was less inspiring. I'm actively considering an 'off-year' ballot in 2022 restricted to sub-lightweight robots. Stay tuned.
Some Things Change, Some Things Do Not
- An outstanding 191 different combat robots appeared on at least one ballot -- fewer than 2019 but still the second-highest mark to date.
- Fewer than 50% of the robots that appeared on ballots in 2019 repeated that appearance 2021. This again reinforces my belief that many votes come in for 'flavor of the day' robots that are only briefly prominent and quickly fade.
New Members - Heavy on Heavys
The new requirement for a full member to be first elected to Honorable Mention status had no impact on the outcome of the 2021 ballot. The two robots that appeared on 50% or more of the submitted ballots already had Honorable Mention status:
- Behemoth The Robot Wars icon gained Honorable Mention in the 2019 ballot and was promoted to full membership by an overwhelming vote from European ballots and solid support from North American participants.
- Eruption The gritty 10th Robot Wars comeback champion rose from a 2019 Honorable Mention to full Hall of Fame membership in 2021 by appearing on an astounding three-quarters of European ballots.
Five new names have been added to the Honorable Mention roll by this ballot. Not since the creation of the Hall of Fame in 2003 has a single ballot year added so many. Three from Battlebots, one from Robot Wars, and a North American beetleweight:
- End Game The 2020 Battlebots champion from New Zealand gets some respect, although two Battlebots runners-up received greater support?
- Nuts 2 This simple thwackbot had little success until it started landing some very lucky hits in the 10th Robot Wars. Fans world-wide like the plucky 'bot.
- Shreddit Bro The NHRL beetleweight fights in a ton of tournaments and wins a lot with an appealingly simple spinner weapon. Fans in Europe pushed it to a place on the Honor list.
- Whiplash Battlebots runner-up with a winning record in each of the three seasons it has fought adds up to international balloting support.
- Witch Doctor An inconsistent record, but always an entertaining fighter. The robot looks great and the team is very media savvy. Very strong with US fans.
Some Robots Just Can't Win
I did receive a few ballots this time mentioning robots that are not eligible for membership in the hall.
- A robot must have competed in a combat robot tournament to be considered for membership. This excludes robots that have only given exhibition matches (Ginsu), "House Robots" (Dead Metal), and that have not yet entered a tournament (Caulk).
- Robot kits (D2, Viper, Saifu...) are not, as a group, eligible for membership. As there are dozens of each type operated by multiple teams, they do not qualify as a discrete robot. A single robot based on a kit may be inducted into the Hall, but the kit itself is ineligible.
Regional Breakouts
North America
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Europe
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All robots on at least 10% of the ballots
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Fun Facts
First ballot Birmingham, England
Last Ballot Manchester, New Hampshire
Robots mentioned on at least one ballot 191
Robots mentioned on ONLY one ballot 52%
Contents copyright Mark Joerger, 2003, 2023
'Combat Robot Hall of Fame' is a trademark held by Mark Joerger, 2003