Talk show host’s robot heads into battle

Angie Wagner

Monday, Nov. 20, 2000 | 2:05 a.m.

After watching several homemade robots in destructive, noisy battles, talk show host Jay Leno had his strategy figured out.

"We just kind of keep ramming the other guy," he said Saturday.

It worked, too.

Leno's "Chin-Killa" robot was one of 143 competing in Comedy Central's "Battlebots" competition in Las Vegas this weekend.

"Battlebots" is a contest that has become somewhat of a phenomenon for robot creators and the show's fans. The robots, classified by weight, fight inside a Plexiglas enclosed ring while their operators control them safely behind the glass. They battle until one is destroyed or the most damaged.

"It's amazing how many people do it and are passionate about it," said Debbie Liebling, senior vice president of original programming and development for Comedy Central.

The battles include a ringside announcer, reporters interviewing the contestants and on Saturday, Jay Leno, in town since Wednesday to tape "The Tonight Show" at the MGM Grand hotel-casino.

Leno's robot, which debuted on his show earlier this month, was created by some of his crew members.

"I like anything that rolls and explodes and blows up," he said, preparing for battle. "It's kind of an extension of the L.A. freeway."

"Chin-Killa," decorated with a charicature of Leno, easily defeated "Ginsu," a combination of saw blades on wheels, 45-0. "Chin-Killa" flipped "Ginsu" several times, but "Ginsu" did manage to put a few scrapes on Leno's likeness.

Earlier, Leno had "Chin-Killa" destroy a mock Florida ballot counting machine.

The weekend competition at the All-American SportPark will be spread out over 13 shows for the show's second season, which begins next month.