Behind the Bots

The podcast that brings you the stories of the builders behind BattleBots.

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22 episodes
Avg 1 hr 34 min
English

Episodes 22

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#247
Thursday · 1 hr 26 min
Interview with NHRL Pro Tour 30lb Winner Sam Herman!
This week we chat with Sam Herman! Brandeis University graduate, Team Pandamonium member, and recent winner of the 30lb division in Round 2 of the NHRL Pro Tour, Sam is an ascendant competitor in the sport of combat robotics. Since his debut in 2022, Sam has become one of the foremost bigwheel builders in the sport, fielding the 3lb robot Colossus and the 30lb robot Gargantuan. Both robots have seen competitive success, earning Sam multiple podium finishes at a variety of competitions and earning him two entries to the NHRL Pro World Championships later this year. In this episode, we will dive into Sam’s history as a competitor, his preparation and path to victory for Round 2 of NHRL’s Pro Tour, and his plans for the NHRL Pro World Championships!
#246
August 28 · 1 hr 44 min
NHRL September Pro Tour Preview with Brian Kaspr!
We chat with Brian Kaspr, event director at NHRL! Kaspr was originally an artist based in Norwalk, CT known for his abstract art that led him to co-found the critically acclaimed studio Flat Vernacular! In the robot he’s been introduced to many as one of the hidden hands that has kept the NHRL ship going on event days! As we look forward to NHRL’s 2nd Pro Tour event of 2026 we will be diving into Kaspr’s history and his view on this major upcoming event! Let us know what questions you have for Kaspr! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@Behind_The_Bots 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!
#245
August 13 · 1 hr 29 min
Battlebots ProLeague Recap with Team Valkyrie!
We chat with Team Valkyrie members Leanne Cushing, John Mayo, and Bam Singhasaneh about their time at Battlebots Pro League! Valkyrie has been a staple of Battlebots since 2018 with some of the most powerful fights in all of Battlebots history! Their 2020 culminated in their first major trophy of the ‘Most Destructive’ giant bolt later matched in Battlebots Faceoffs with their giant washer! Now they are part of the very first Battlebots Pro League as one of the few remaining horizontal spinners. Let us know what questions you have for the team! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@Behind_The_Bots 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!
#244
July 23 · 1 hr 19 min
Interview with Hive Hysteria EO and Honey Cracked Captain Zoe Lambert!
We chat with Zoe Lambert, captain of Honey Cracked, mentor of growingSTEMs, builder of Minun and Plusle, and member of Team Mammoth! Zoe and growingSTEMs have been one of the first groups to host the NHRL XP events with robots winning in the classes receiving full invitation to compete at NHRL’s Open league! Between the event running, multibot building, team managing, and parts selling Zoe and her team have become household names in the NHRL community. Let us know what questions you have for Zoe!! 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!
#243
July 9 · 1 hr 33 min
Interview with KaZaa Lite builder and 30lb World Champion Joshua Rhinehart!
We chat with the builder of reigning 30lb world champion and June golden dumpster winner Joshua Rhinehart! Josh's robots Kazaa Lite and Kazaa Eins have literally set ablaze the 30lb division with their ultra-resilient chassis, unmatched ground game, and ultra-power flame thrower. They've defeated top 30lb machines including Synthesis 30, Lil Lash, Emulsifier, and Megatron all while reshaping what flame dominance can mean in small-scale robot combat. Let us know what questions you have for Josh!! 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!
#242
May 28 · 1 hr 26 min
Pro Talk with Tombstone Builder Ray Billings!
This 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!
#241
April 23 · 1 hr 42 min
April NHRL Recap with Supernova builders Jaaron Leibson & Ezequiel Solano!
This 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!
#240
March 20 · 2 hr 7 min
Robot Rampage Recap with Team USA!
This 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!
#239
March 3 · 1 hr 20 min
Interview and February NHRL Recap with UIUC's iRobotics!
This 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!
#238
Dec 23, 2025 · 1 hr 30 min
NHRL Finals Recap with 3lb World Champion Alex Wang!
Alex 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!
#237
Dec 4, 2025 · 1 hr 32 min
November NHRL Recap and Finals Preview with Golden Dumpster Winner Liam King!
Liam 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!
#236
Nov 21, 2025 · 2 hr 4 min
Interview with Turbofiend Driver and Announcer Dima Papasian!
Dima 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!
#235
Oct 8, 2025 · 1 hr 19 min
Interview with End Game Co-Captain Jack Barker!
Jack 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!
#234
Aug 25, 2025 · 1 hr 13 min
Interview with Team Whiplash Captain Matt Vasquez!
Behind 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!
#233
Aug 14, 2025 · 1 hr 23 min
Interview with Team Honey Cracked Captain Zoe Lambert!
Zoe 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!
#232
Jul 8, 2025 · 1 hr 24 min
Interview with GSCRL EO and Floor Letter Word Builder Alex Curtis!
Alex has been a perennial competitor at NHRL with Floor Letter Word and a member of the Brett Breakers! He's also well known for event organizing GSCRL whose season championship will be coming up on August 2nd! Let us know what questions you have for Alex! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@jakemaximizer/streams on Tuesday, June 17th 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!
#231
Jun 25, 2025 · 1 hr 19 min
June NHRL Recap with 3lb Golden Dumpster Winner Glenn Boxell!
This week on the podcast we will be Glenn Boxell, member of team 2 Hot 2 Handle builder of Caldera 12 and recent 3lb Golden Dumpster winner Caldera ! Let us know what questions you have for Glenn! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@jakemaximizer/streams! 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!
#230
Jun 6, 2025 · 1 hr 48 min
June NHRL 2025 Preview with Buffalo Wings Builder Eli Davis!
This week on the podcast we will be interviewing Eli Davis of Team Sawblaze while looking forward to the June NHRL event! We’ll talk about Eli’s experience with Sawblaze and his cool robot designs ! Let us know what questions you have for Eli! To watch the podcast live check out https://www.youtube.com/@jakemaximizer/streams on Tuesday, May 27th 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!
S2 · E1
Apr 28, 2025 · 2 hr 1 min
LIVE with April 2025 Golden Dumpster Winner Kezia Skye!
This week on the podcast Jake and Brandon will be interviewing Kezia Skye of Sleepy Anime Girl Club about their recent (and very first!) Golden Dumpster with perennial hard-hitting 3lb robot Chainsaw Kitty! After numerous events at NHRL, Chainsaw Kitty made an undefeated run through the bracket culminating in a decisive victory over fellow powerhouse Glenn Boxell and Caldera. We're excited to talk about this extremely well-earned victory! 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!
#229
Apr 16, 2025 · 2 hr 22 min
Passing the Torch: Our Final Crash Out
This week on the podcast, Chris, Lindsay, Luke and Kyle say goodbye with one final AMA. We’re handing off the show into the very capable hands of Golden Dumpster winners Brandon Bennett Young and Jake Hoffmann, who will take the show into a new era. We talk about why, and take all of your questions (and very kind comments) in our final AMA as a group. This episode was recorded live and has only been edited lightly to maintain the livestream feel. 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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