False. The new Eliminator is unquestionably awesomer than the old ElimiLAMEr. The old version is playtime; I've seen more impressive tests of physical endurance on Jeopardy. The new version boasts a pool engulfed in flames (not only a physical challenge, but a confounding scientific anomaly), and the new Travelator moves at speeds twice as fast as the original Travelator. I also know for a fact that three Gladiators died during test runs of the new Eliminator. Gladiators, who have the strength of 10,000 warriors and who can kill with a sideways glance, were virtually eliminated trying to conquer the new Eliminator. Seriously, I could beat the old Eliminator with my hands bound behind my back, blindfolded, and drunk. I could probably beat the new Eliminator if NBC would return my messages.

What I am about to tell you is classified information. Perhaps you've heard the legend of the gladiator RugBurn. At his last known weigh-in, Rugburn was 362 pounds of concrete muscle, yet he was still as stealth as a wild lemur. He had the ferocity of a cougar, the physical attractiveness of a grazing giraffe, and the cunning of an animal who best demonstrates cunning. I tell you this because RugBurn recently met his demise while tackling the new Eliminator zip line. He fell from the cable prematurely and now, 98.2% of his body is covered in rug burns. He can no longer compete and his skin is permanently pigmented. The worst that could happen to you on the old zipline was some vertigo and nausea. I have vertigo and nausea just THINKING about the new zipline.
As for "Gladiators standing in your way to victory," I've heard that in the 80's, contestants frequently bribed Gladiators to let them pass easily for a cut of the prize money. While I can't provide you a direct source, I remember seeing 1,000 dollars fall out of Zap's spandex during the Joust.

In The Empire Strikes Back (arguably the best installment in the Star Wars trilogy, I dare you to throwdown otherwise) you'll recall the emotional scene in which Han Solo was submersed in carbonite. The process essentially froze his body, keeping him alive, but in an incapacitated state. I tell you this because a similar process was used on the American Gladiators of the original series, in order to preserve their bodies for their triumphant 2008**prime time return. Arguing that the old gladiators are better than the new gladiators is ludicrous, because they are one in the same. It'd be like comparing David Hasselhoff in Baywatch to David Hasselhoff in Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding. In the time it took me to explain this to you, I could have done 300 pushups using only my left arm. Translation: Don't waste my time.

*The gladiators were originally set to return in 2019, as foretold by Gladiator Siren #1 (the only deaf gladiator). However, there is talk that the American Gladiators Consortium orchestrated the writer's strike, which is an issue I plan to address in my tell-all memoir: A Gladiator at Heart, available in bookstores as soon as I make photocopies and leave it there.