time penalties for falling off the hand bike. (The Gladiators were removed altogether for season seven (penalties would be enforced by game judges) as well as both seasons of the 2008 revival.) The major changes for season five involved the start and finish of the event. The contenders began at the base of a tower, which they would scale by using a modified Versaclimber machine. Once at the top of the tower, they would use a slide to reach the handbike. The series also borrowed a cue from its British counterpart and moved the treadmill ramp to the end of the course to serve as the penultimate obstacle, with the belts slowed and two attempts to scale the treadmill allowed before a contender could walk up the side. Once at the top of the ramp, the contenders would then swing on a rope and break through a paper barrier to finish the Eliminator. The Eliminator course introduced in season five remained in place for the remainder of the series, except for one change made for the final season. The spinning cylinders after the handbike were done away with, replaced by two pits filled with plastic balls which the contenders had to wade through. After the second ball pit, there was a short wall to climb to reach the cargo net. International tournaments For both International Gladiators tournaments, which were held in the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England where the British series taped, the Eliminator course from that series was used and consisted of these obstacles. Contenders started by negotiating a set of four hurdles, with two high and two low. They had to climb over the high hurdles and roll under the low ones. In order to get to the platform in front of the pit, a climbing rope was used. Both sets of contenders crossed the pit in a different manner. The men used the hand bike, while the women used a monkey bar-style apparatus called a hand ladder. Once across the pit the next three obstacles were the same as the American series: a run across the spinning cylinders, a climb up the cargo net, and a zipline ride to the floor. Once off the zipline each contender had to negotiate a balance beam. The treadmill followed, but keeping with British custom it was referred to as the Travelator. Once atop the Travelator a rope swing through