season three, the pods were redesigned to prevent contenders from getting stuck. In addition, an actuator was placed in the middle of each pod and all a contender had to do to score was roll directly over it, which would cause the actuator to depress, which then triggered a ring of chase lights (and, for seasons four and five, a sound effect) and a plume of smoke. 1, 2, or 3 points were awarded for each score, depending on the season and round of play. After season five of the original series, Atlasphere would not be played again until season two of the 2008 series. For the final two seasons of the original series, Snapback took its place in the event rotation. Breakthrough & Conquer Years active: 1989–96 Breakthrough & Conquer was a combination of American football and freestyle wrestling. The event was divided into two parts, each scored separately. This was also an event that the show did not initially allow female contenders to compete in; for portions of the preliminary rounds in 1989 a different game was played off screen (see Swingshot). In Breakthrough, the contender began at the 15-yard line of an artificial turf field and had to carry a football into the end zone for a touchdown. A Gladiator was positioned inside the five-yard line and had to remain there until the contender reached them. The contender scored by getting any part of the ball over the goal line without being tackled, going out of bounds, or losing hold of the ball. The contender then moved over to a circle to grapple with a second Gladiator for 10 seconds (15 in season four). The contender won by forcing any part of the Gladiator's body to touch the floor outside the circle. If the contender was forced out, they could re-enter the circle and keep grappling until time expired. In the first half of season one, 30 (later 40) points were given for each successful part, and a contender earned bonus points if they were successful at both parts for a total of 100 points. From that point forward, 5 points were given for each successful portion of the event (although 3 were given during a point in season three). During the second semifinal round of the first half of season one, Breakthrough and Conquer was the penultimate event before the running of The Eliminator and the