Gladiators is officially coming to Germany, with the country set to produce its first-ever domestic version of the format. Known locally as Gladiators – Die Show der Giganten (Gladiators – The Show of Giants), the series will enter production in spring 2026, ending a 30-year wait since German athletes first appeared in the arena through international competition.
Episodes will be recorded at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre and released first on Prime Video, before airing on RTL’s free-to-air channel around a month later. RTL’s streaming platform RTL+ will make episodes available slightly ahead of their linear television broadcast.
Who is presenting Gladiators Germany?
The series will be hosted by Frank Buschmann, Jan Köppen and Laura Wontorra. All three are established faces on RTL and currently present Ninja Warrior Germany.
Who are the German Gladiators?
The first two German Gladiators to be confirmed are Beast and Fire, marking the first reveal from the new domestic cast.
Beast
Waldemar Dinges (35), from Seelze near Hanover, enters the arena as Beast.
Standing 1.85 metres tall and weighing 96 kilograms, Beast comes from a multi-disciplinary sporting background. He is a hybrid athlete and coach, and has previously competed in track and field, football and boxing. He also served as an elite soldier.
Positioned as the antagonist of the show, Beast describes himself as aggressive, uncompromising, and driven purely by victory. He admits to being a poor loser and shows little respect for Contenders. Crowd reaction only sharpens his focus.
Fire
Linda de las Heras (28), from Frankfurt am Main, competes as Fire.
At 1.77 metres tall and 72 kilograms, Fire is a competitive powerlifter with a background in ballet, handball and track and field. She is now a full-time high-performance athlete.
Extroverted and outspoken, Fire describes herself as energetic and intensely competitive. Her stated aim is to eliminate opponents one by one, approaching every event as a direct contest rather than a performance.
Has Germany had a Gladiators series before?
Gladiators – Die Show der Giganten (Gladiators – The Show of Giants) marks Germany’s first homegrown Gladiators series, although the country does have previous ties to the franchise.
In 1995, German Gladiators Power (Ursula Teply), Giant (Martin Seiz), Angel (Verina Stuwe) and Flash (Frank Scholz) competed in the seven-part International Gladiators series, alongside German Contenders Myriam Losch, Andreas Sasse, Claudia Lederer and Dennis Galli. Filmed in Birmingham, England, and broadcast in Germany on Sat.1, coverage for German audiences was presented by former athlete and television personality Norbert Dobeleit, alongside Petra Hausberg.
Before International Gladiators, German audiences were introduced to the franchise through American Gladiators, which aired on RTL between 1992 and 1994.
Rather than using a human presenter, RTL fronted the programme with a puppet character named Joe. Joe acted as the German-language host, introducing the show, explaining the format, and linking segments over the original American footage.
According to RTL, Joe was voiced by Bruno Knust, a cabaret performer from Dortmund. He did not provide sports commentary, instead serving as a humorous framing device — a distinctive and now-infamous feature of the German broadcast.
RTL also aired the American Gladiators World Challenge of Champions, which featured German Contenders Uwe Knebel and Verena Huehn representing Germany against the mighty American Gladiators.
A new era is coming!
Germany’s first domestic Gladiators series marks a significant change in how the format is produced and presented in the country.
After decades of imported American episodes, international competitions, and experimental presentation choices, Germany is now committing to a full homegrown version. Backed by both Prime Video and RTL, Gladiators – Die Show der Giganten becomes one of the franchise’s most notable European launches in recent years.
Together with Prime Video, we are opening a new chapter for this iconic format. Through the collaboration of RTL, RTL+, and Prime Video, we are combining our strengths and bringing the spectacle back to screens in a fresh, contemporary production – more intense, more energetic, and with everything that defines Gladiators.
Inga Leschek, Chief Content Officer of RTL Germany
Thirty years after German Gladiators first competed internationally, the country is finally stepping into the arena on its own terms.
How can I attend the recording of Gladiators in Germany?
For more information about how to obtain tickets for the filming of Gladiators – The Show of Giants at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre during February and March 2026, please visit gladiators.myshow.de.
