CBS stars from series like “Survivor” and “Big Brother” officially made their return to reality TV on Friday, April 17 as they joined the cast of Amazon Prime Video’s “American Gladiators.”
The new series – a reboot of the beloved 1990s Syndication game show – hit the streaming platform to rave reviews this week as it introduced the 16 contestants who’ll be battling it out in hopes of securing a $100,000 cash prize.
Amongst their ranks are familiar faces like Sierra Dawn Anglim (“Survivor”), Jessie Godderz and Fessy Shafaat (“Big Brother”).
They’ll go head-to-head with the rest of the cast as they take on the eponymous “Gladiators” – an elite team of 16 professional athletes – as they enter the Arena to compete in a series of challenges testing their strength, speed, agility and grit.
Each week, contenders who’re able to successfully outplay the Gladiators will earn points that’ll give them an advantage as they head into the dreaded “Eliminator” round.
Sierra Dawn Anglim Returns to Reality TV 10 Years After ‘Survivor’ Exit
CBSSierra Dawn Anglim, who originally appeared on the cast of “Survivor: Worlds Apart” as Sierra Dawn Thomas, has been absent from TV screens since celebrating her follow-up performance on the cast of “Survivor: Game Changers” in 2017.
In the time since, Sierra tied the knot with fellow former castaway Joe Anglim in 2019 before the couple welcomed their first child, Della Dawn Anglim, in 2021. Their son, Vander Joseph, arrived the following year.
Her appearance on the premiere of “American Gladiators” marked her return to the reality TV sphere nearly a decade after falling short of the “Sole Survivor” title for the second time.
Sierra Scores 10 Points During ‘American Gladiators’ Premiere
The “Barn built, Battle ready” contender began the competition’s preliminary round by facing off against Crossfit athlete Janelle Shaffer.
“I deal with 1,200 pound animals every day,” Anglim said during the premiere episode. “What’s a Gladiator, like, 220? I can handle that.”
Over the course of the episode, Anglim took on three separate challenges:
- Collision: A brand new “American Gladiators” game that sees contenders trying to cross a giant suspension bridge to place colored balls into giant tubes at either end while attempting to avoid being knocked off by four Gladiators swinging from trapezes.
- The Ring: Another new challenge that forces contenders to reach a central button on the arena floor without being stopped by an opposing pair of Gladiators.
- Hang Tough: An “American Gladiators” classic that challenges contenders to swing from one side of the arena to the other using gymnastics rings while the opposing Gladiators do everything in their power to knock them off.
Sierra scored a total of 10 points over the three preliminary challenges.
Sierra Thanks Her Husband, Joe, for Helping Her Train
“Crazy how your ‘why’ changes so quickly,” the contender wrote on Instagram following the premiere, adding, “‘Survivor’ was for me, a single girl chasing a dream, now it’s for them, my babies, my family! Beyond grateful for the adventure I’ve been able to go on.”
She added in a separate Instagram post that her husband, Joe, was “the real MVP” when it came to her training before joining the reboot series.
Getty“He helped me train for MONTHS, built things to help me compete, didn’t complain when I was training 6 days a week and most importantly never made me feel guilty,” Anglim explained. “He actually did the complete opposite. Aaaand above ALL, he held the fort down when I was gone for two weeks!! Couldn’t have done this adventure without him or even life to be honest.”
Three more episodes of “American Gladiators” are set to hit Prime Video on Friday, April 24. Be sure to tune in to see just how long “Survivor” star Sierra Dawn Anglim can survive against her fellow contenders and the elite Gladiators standing between her and the $100,000 cash prize.
