Knights and Warriors

Did You Know?

• Princess Malice was portrayed by fitness model Cameo Kneuer, real-life sister of Cory Everson.
• In the series finale, a Knights and Warriors Tournament crowned champions as Sir and Lady.

The Setting

Bernard Erhard played the Lord of Rules and Discipline, or L.O.R.D., who also acted as the show's referee. In the original opening for the first season, he tells how a peaceful paradise was shattered when the universe shifted, sealing the evil fate of those born that day. These beings, called Warriors, then united to attack the world. This intro echoes the King Arthur legend. The L.O.R.D. summoned modern-day knights—two teams, each a man and a woman, in purple and gold—to face eight challenges set by the Warriors and restore honor. The L.O.R.D. could penalize either side for cheating, though the knights rarely did. The crowd waved purple and gold triangular flags.

The Warriors

The Warriors were hired actors serving as the show's antagonists. Plague, portrayed by Jim Maniaci, was the leader and strongest. Steel Maiden was played by Nancy Georges. Pyro, a popular firestarter, was portrayed by Douglas Rogel. Lady Battleaxe was played by real-life arm-wrestling champion Dot Jones. Knightmare, the Duke of Doom, was portrayed by Rodney Mitchell. Princess Malice was played by fitness model Cameo Kneuer. Chaos was portrayed by Benny Graham. Venom was played by Jessica Long. Raven replaced Steel Maiden in Season 2. Slash, Vandal, and Empress Vixxen were alternate Warriors.

The Challenges

Each event began with a gong and trumpet fanfare and ended with a gong. In one challenge, knights caught red dodgeballs launched by a catapult while evading yellow dodgeballs fired by Warriors with giant slingshots. Knights threw red balls into a ring of fire to score points based on the mat section they threw from. In Season 1, sections were worth 5, 10, and 15 points; in Season 2, the front section was worth 50 points and the middle 25.

Pyro ignited the ring of fire. Another challenge had a knight and Warrior on elevated treadmills using foam bats to knock each other down, lasting 30 seconds. A win or Warrior disqualification earned 50 points, a draw 25. Grabbing an opponent's weapon or crossing the barrier caused disqualification.

Only one gender competed. In a third challenge, a knight had 45 seconds to run across a spinning track with two hurdles, earning 10 points per completed lap. A lap did not count if both feet touched the wheel's inside. Warriors swung a 75-pound spiked ball on a chain to knock the knight off. The gender not in Battle Swords competed here.