Original Gladiator Jet reveals Wolf DIDN'T want to be the baddie 😮
But he was so good as the baddie!
The new series of Gladiators is set to arrive later this year, with 16 new Gladiators revealed, however, unfortunately two been forced to pull out due to injury. Despite that, with excitement brewing over the new series, some of the show's former stars have been talking about their experience on the original Gladiators.
Gladiators was a popular TV show between 1992 and 2000, including challenges such as The Wall, Danger Zone, Swingshot, Hang Tough and Duel, and now Diane Youdale, better known as Jet, has revealed that the infamous gladiator Wolf actually wanted to be loved! Wolf was known for being the bad guy when it came to going up against the contenders, but as Jet explained, he didn't like the idea of being the baddie.
Speaking to ICE36, Jet said: "I can remember walking into the arena for one of the first or second shows and Michael Van Wijk (Wolf) was sat on the sides of one of the huge Atlasphere event bases. He was tucking into a massive bowl of rice and chicken and he started to complain about being cast as the baddie on the show and that he didn’t want to be called Wolf.
"I can remember saying to him that the role of Wolf was going to be so much fun, and he looked perfect for it. It still makes me laugh to think about it, he said: 'I don’t want to be the baddie, I want to be the loved one!' Of course, in the end he loved the role, and he wasn’t a real baddie, he was like a pantomime baddie. He was one of the stars of the show."
When the reporter responded: "Wolf wanted to be loved!"
Jet continued: "He did. He embraced the character and, he was getting a lot of instructions from the producers as well to be a bit provocative and to challenge the other gladiators and contenders. It was like panto really.
"Michael Van Wijk (Wolf) was lovely. He was the oldest gladiator and off the camera he was a lot of fun. I can remember once when we were sitting around between events and he decided to come down the Pyramid on his bum, well when he got to the bottom he sat there and went, 'Oh! My back!'
"He had compressed a disk from fooling around. After that, apart from when we were training up on the events, we were virtually barred from using them, particularly the Eliminator. The producers were really worried we were going to get injured!"
Gladiators is set to return later this year with 16 new faces, and Bradley and Barney Walsh taking over the role of hosts for the new show.
Who are the new Gladiators?
Giant (Jamie Christian Johal)
Giant is former firefighter turned bodybuilder. At 6ft 5inches tall, he made history by becoming one of the all-time tallest bodybuilders.
Bionic (Matty Campbell)
At 6ft 6in tall, Bionic gets his name from his huge frame! Bionic found a love for bodybuilding after a car crash ended his dreams of being a professional footballer.
Fury (Jodie Ounsley)
Fury is a professional rugby player! She will be the first ever deaf Gladiator.
Comet (Ella-Mae Rayner)
Comet is a former elite gymnast and diver, who also has a degree in Sports Science. She currently works as a fitness model and coach and trains six times per week.
Unfortunately, Comet was forced to pull out of the show due to injury.
Electro (Jade Packer)
As a former sprinter, Electro was ranked among the Top 10 Fastest Runners in the UK for 150m at the age of just 12. She's now part of the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation.
Phantom (Toby Olubi)
As well as being a sprinter, Phantom appeared at the 2018 Winter Olympics with the Team GB Bobsleigh team where they broke the world record for the fastest ever bobsleigh at 97 mph.
Dynamite (Emily Steel)
As the youngest Gladiator in the line-up, Dynamite has history in swimming, and now she's a full-time elite CrossFit athlete.
Viper (Quang Luong)
Viper has appeared in a number of movies, including James Bond! He also works as a fitness model and a bodybuilder.
Apollo (Alex Gray)
Apollo started his career playing rugby under 16s and moved onto the Premiership and then England 7s team. He captained English Rugby teams for 16's, 18's and 20's.
He was scouted to go to NFL for his skillset, making him the first British rugby player to transfer over to the NFL. Signed for Atlanta Falcons and then became the first international player to Captain an NFL team.
Athena (Karenjeet Kaur Bains)
As well as being an Chartered Accountant, Athena has represented Great Britain at the World and European Championships, and holds the Guinness World Record for the most bodyweight squats in a minute.
Diamond (Livi Sheldon)
Diamond is a 6ft bodybuilder. After graduating with a degree in Sports Science, she took up bodybuilding, becoming a British Finalist 'England Toned Figure'.
Fire (Montell Douglas)
Fire is a former Team GB sprinter and Olympic bobsledder. She has previously held the British women's record for the 100m sprit at 11.05 seconds and made sporting history by becoming the first female UK athlete to compete at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Montell won Commonwealth Gold in the 4 x 100m relay in 2010 and won a European under-23 silver medal in the 100m.
Legend (Matt Morsia)
Legend is a former international long and triple jumper and silver medal winning powerlifter. After retiring from competition, Matt became a fitness influencer and YouTuber, having amassed over 355 million views. In 2020, he released his first book called 'The 24/7 Body.'
Sabre (Sheli McCoy)
Sabre is a fierce, powerful and agile athlete who trains for 16-19 hours per week! She has competed in five British Weightlifting Championships events and numerous CrossFit championships all over the world and has simultaneously been Scottish champion in both sports. Sabre runs her own gym in Dundee, hoping to inspire future generations to reach their full fitness potential.
Unfortunately, Sabre was forced to pull out due to injury.
Nitro (Harry Aikines Aryeetey)
Nitro is a Team GB sprinter who has competed at the highest level. His long list of achievements include: 2 x Olympian, 3 x European Champion, 2x Commonwealth Champion, 1x Commonwealth Silver Medallist, 1x European Bronze Medallist, 1x World Bronze Medallist, 1x British Champion, 2x World Youth Champion, 1x World Junior Champion.
Steel (Zack George)
Steel is a CrossFit champion who also won the title of the UK's Fittest Man in 2020.
Now read:
Everything you need to know about the new series of Gladiators
How to apply for the BBC's reboot of Gladiators
Gladiators star Wolf unrecognisable as he appears on Good Morning Britain