After that ad break, Robot SMASH!! Is back to kick some more robot butt! Let€™s take another look at the draw.
WORCK-ER (9) v Back to Rock III
SOR X v Q.E.2

Heat Semi-Final 1

Ladies and Gentlemen, please applaud the return of the number #9 seed WORCK-ER and Back to Rock III.

Roboteers, standby!

Booth 1: Paul Cuomo
Booth 2: Martijn M Benschop

5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
SMASH!!

The seeds have been suffering badly in recent heats, as although in Heats A and B Wedge Devolution (1) and Supreme Glory Omega (3) won through to the semi-finals, in Heat C Storm II (5) were knocked out by Turbo Shredder in round 2 and in Heat D Whirligig 4.5 was pitted by Orka MK.4. Paul hopes to get WORCK-ER into the semis this year, but he€™ll have to go through Back to Rock to get there, and for now Martijn is standing in his way and simply not moving! The two robots meet head on, but their ground clearances cancel each other out and neither can push the other backwards! But here now it seems the scoop of Back to Rock slides in underneath WORCK-ER and the disc hits the underbelly! We don€™t see any damage (*fires another cameraman*), but there could have been and now Martijn levers WORCK-ER up and over, then pushes Paul up against the arena wall! The seed self-rights and pushes under the corner of Martijn€™s skirts, getting Back to Rock III stuck on the barbs! The unseeded robot is in trouble now, and WORCK-ER pushes Martijn across the arena before firing the flipper! He rolls over and over, but lands just inside the wall and self-rights to come on another attack of his own, once again getting in underneath WORCK-ER and pushing it across the arena and into the pit release button! Martijn presses the cutter against the base of WORCK-ER, and the sparks fly out, but now Martijn lifts up the scoop and shoves WORCK-ER onto the rails! Paul fires the flipper and lands on top of Back to Rock, but Martijn flips him over backwards and reverses into the side of WORCK-ER, pushing it around and onto the corner of the pit! Back to Rock turns around to finish the job, but WORCK-ER escapes and then comes back in on the attack itself, getting underneath the rear corner of the skirts on Back to Rock and sending Martijn tumbling into the arena wall again! But once more Back to Rock is quick to self-right and once again both robots meet head on, and with its six wheel drive this time Back to Rock pushes WORCK-ER backwards and down into the pit of oblivion!

CEASE!

Yet another shocking result as the ninth seed is eliminated and Back to Rock III heads through to the heat final!

We go now to the pits where WORCK-ER is leaving.
Me: Another unlucky loss there Paul.
Paul: Yeah, but it was pretty close and I got in a couple of good flips.
Me: Yeah. Back to Rock III is a good machine though, wouldn€™t you agree?
Paul: Without a doubt. It could go far.
Me: Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, now let€™s go back to the coliseum for the second heat semi-final.

Heat Semi-Final 2

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back to the coliseum SOR X and Q.E.2!

Roboteers, standby!

Booth 1: Andrew Jackson
Booth 2: Joey McConnell

5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
SMASH!!

SOR X immediately starts spinning up that powerful rim, but the Quaestor is already gone up the arena and has pressed the pit release button! And now Joey hides behind the chasm playfully, perhaps trying to trick Andy into making a mistake? Well, if so SOR X doesn€™t seem to care, striding up the arena and following Q.E.2, coming around the pit to meet Joey head on! And as both wedges meet, Joey brings his axe down, but misses as SOR X has swung itself around to smash the rim into the 5mm titanium armour of Q.E.2! CRASH! And now there€™s a large gash in the side, and SOR X brings its wedge into play, getting in underneath the side of Q.E.2 and flipping Joey onto his back! He self-rights, but lands with the back half of his robot over the pit he€™s just opened- and SOR X just swings that rim around one last time and knocks Q.E.2 back into the chasm and out of Robot SMASH!! Series 2 at the same stage its predecessor bowed out of the first series!

CEASE!

We return to the pits now where a disheartened Joey McConnell is packing up Q.E.2!
Me: Wasn€™t that a bit cowardly?
Joey: Desperate times call for desperate tactics!
Me: That was pretty desperate!
Joey: You bet. Just wait to see what I do next time!
Me: Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, don€™t go anywhere folks because we€™ll be back right after the break with the Heat E final!

Heat E final
Back to Rock III v SOR X

Tactics, predictions, and a whack on the head for me, because I put these two in the same heat, and they are already fighting against each other in the phoenix cup.