Podcast
Behind the Bots
Hosted by Behind the Bots · EN
The podcast that brings you the stories of the builders behind BattleBots.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Pro Talk with Tombstone Builder Ray Billings!
4w ago01:26:27Summary readyThis week we chat with the man, the myth, the legend, the King of Kinetic Energy: Ray Billings! Ray has one of the most incredible careers in all of combat robots having competed in Battlebots since the Comedy Central days all the way to the reboot! Tombstone holds the distinction as one of the few winners of the Giant Bolt and the Giant Nut! He’s also competed at some of the most prestigious events in the western hemisphere such as Robogames, NHRL, Robocore, Motorama, and numerous robot events coast to coast. Besides highlights from Ray’s incredible career we’ll also touch on (non-spoiler) recaps of the Battlebots Pro League and NHRL’s May Pro Tour events!
Summary
April NHRL Recap with Supernova builders Jaaron Leibson & Ezequiel Solano!
Apr 2301:42:26Summary readyThis week we will recap the April NHRL event with WPI's own Ezequiel and Jaaron! Both of these builders have been competing with their 3lb robots Blink and Red Panda respectively alongside supporting larger machines like 30lb Waddles! This time they're back with 12lb Supernova where they made an impressive run to the Semifinals where they ultimately lost to Maximizer. We'll talk about their stories of robot building, fighting, and repairing! Let us know what questions you have for Ezequiel, Jaaron, and Jake about the event! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@jakemaximizer/streams where it will be shared to all of the audio apps the following week! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook: facebook.com/behindthebots Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PlayerFM, and all the other podcast places. Tell a friend about the show; we really appreciate your support!
SummaryRobot Rampage Recap with Team USA!
Mar 2002:07:16Summary readyThis week we will recap the Robot Rampage World Cup event from February with our very own Team USA! Henchmans Sam & Colin, Johnny Tsoumpas, and Corey Nason are joined by special member Aki to recap how America’s own Jump Rope, Spartan 30, Riposaw, and Synthesis 30 joined Bad Blood to compete in four days against top machines from New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil in a unique nation-vs-nation 5-a-side team match! Let us know what questions you have for Team USA! Also check out the Robot Rampage Youtube channel to rewatch each night of the four-night spectacle and follow Team USA’s road to silver medal! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@jakemaximizer/streams where it will be shared to all of the audio apps the following week! Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/behindthebots Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PlayerFM, and all the other podcast places. Tell a friend about the show; we really appreciate your support!
SummaryInterview and February NHRL Recap with UIUC's iRobotics!
Mar 301:20:20Summary readyThis week we will recap the NHRL February event with members of University of Illinois's iRobotics team! We'll talk about their experience with 30lb entries quack., FSH, and Killswitch and other famous entries from the team like Undertaker and Goose! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@jakemaximizer/streams where it will be shared to all of the audio apps the following week! Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/behindthebots Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PlayerFM, and all the other podcast places. Tell a friend about the show; we really appreciate your support!
SummaryNHRL Finals Recap with 3lb World Champion Alex Wang!
Dec 2301:30:08Tap to summarizeAlex has been steadily honing Pinevictus all year. Though Pinevictus has been around since November 2021 during his days at UMD as a Leatherback, 2025 is the year where the robot has been on a meteoric rise. It started the year strong by reaching the Semifinals at February NHRL with a Judges Decision loss to Silent Spring followed by solid runs at Motorama and Hive Hysteria. After designing and debuting a new version only two weeks out from Finals, it was a gamble that paid off to win the distinguished Golden Brett at the NHRL World Finals! Let us know what questions you have for Alex! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@jakemaximizer/streams on every other Thursday at 7pm EST! Otherwise, it should be available on all the podcast places later in the week! Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/behindthebots Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts Tell a friend about the show; we really appreciate your support!
Transcribe →November NHRL Recap and Finals Preview with Golden Dumpster Winner Liam King!
Dec 401:32:12Tap to summarizeLiam has been on a tear this year with Buzzzz-kill recently capturing the 12lb crown at November NHRL! Now the overall 2nd seed behind only Slam Plan, Liam looks poised for a deep run at Finals. Outside of 12lbs, Liam and the rest of Leatherbacks have been racking up wins in the insectweights at events like Water's Edge, MACRO and had a close fight with top bots like Mako at November NHRL with his 3lb Zenith. To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@jakemaximizer/streams on every other Thursday at 7pm EST! Otherwise, it should be available on all the podcast places later in the week!
Transcribe →Interview with Turbofiend Driver and Announcer Dima Papasian!
Nov 2102:04:21Tap to summarizeDima has launched onto the scene over the past year with her brother Julian as one of the most dynamic siblings at NHRL! First piloting the very kindly Turbofriend before helming the lethal TurboFIEND to a golden dumpster in October 2024, Dima has proven a very capable robot driver whose quick reactions and skills remain on display throughout the northeast robot scene. With a pedigree of professional gaming and now as a robot combat commentator Dima’s dynamism only grows!
Transcribe →Interview with End Game Co-Captain Jack Barker!
Oct 801:19:50Tap to summarizeJack has been known for years as the driver and co-captain of End Game, winner of Battlebots World Championship V and the Golden Bolt! End Game not only brought the top trophy of robot combat with them to New Zealand, but the whole sport with them in the form of Robot Rumble! Give it a listen!
Transcribe →Interview with Team Whiplash Captain Matt Vasquez!
Aug 2501:13:23Tap to summarizeBehind the Bots 234 Interview with Team Whiplash Captain Matt Vasquez! Matt has been building and competing in combat robots all his life with machines like Whomper, Lil Lash and Whiplash! Known as one of the best drivers in the sport, he’s qualified for NHRL Finals, won the Robot Combat Championship and mostly recently took part in Open Sauce! Let us know what questions you have for Matt! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@jakemaximizer/streams on every other Thursday at 7pm EST! Otherwise, it should be available on all the podcast places later in the week! Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/behindthebots Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts Tell a friend about the show; we really appreciate your support!
Transcribe →Interview with Team Honey Cracked Captain Zoe Lambert!
Aug 1401:23:15Tap to summarizeZoe and Team Honey Cracked have been perennial competitors at NHRL with entries like Minun & Plusle, BeeForce, HoneyBombers, and many more! Honey Cracked recently hosted the 2nd Hive Hysteria event on July 26th where 3lb & 12lb bots from near and far competed! Today we ask her about the team, the event, and her goals for the future! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@jakemaximizer/streams on every other Thursdays at 7pm EST! Otherwise, it should be available on all the podcast places later in the week! Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/behindthebots Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts Tell a friend about the show; we really appreciate your support!
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