The Original 'Gladiators' Get Revealing With Access

January 14, 2008

Tags:TV, LGBT

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Access Hollywood
Former "American Gladiator" Laser!

Access Hollywood
Former "American Gladiator" Laser!

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE: January 14, 2008 19:59 PM

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

NBC has announced the newtork is renewing “American Gladiators” for another season, but are the new "Gladiators" as rowdy as the original?

Access Hollywood broke the “Ice” and got the dirty little secrets from some of the original show participants.

“People slept together, people took drugs, people drank, people had fun. We were together a long time,” former "Gladiator" Ice told Access Hollywood.

“I was single and we used to have competitions and who could pull the hottest girl,” her former colleague, Tower, said.

“Craziness! It was crazy,” Laser added.

In the early ‘90s, the TV titans from “American Gladiators” became bonafide spandex superstars.

The 10 oversized men and women, a mix of beauty and braun, were idolized like rock n’ roll gods.

“I would get bags and bags of fan mail,” Sabre told Access. “My wife and I, we sit down to open this fan mail. The first letter, ‘Hey Sabre this is Gladys! If you are ever in Cleveland, call me.’ ‘Hey Red, this is Sabrina if you are ever in Miami call me.’ ‘Hey Red, this is Julie!’ Oh man, it was horrible.”

“Nitro and myself used to have contests on the road,” Ice recounted. “We'll leave it at the contests, I know you guys want the dirt on that one but I won’t [spill the secret].”

But Ice did spill some secrets to Access.

“I’ve been gay since I was 18 years old,” she said.

Lori Fetrick, aka Ice, was one of the most popular female "Gladiators."

Now in a committed 11-year relationship, Ice reveals to us, for the first time publicly, how her sexuality was kept secret until now.

“It was something that when I was on the ‘Gladiators’ I never talked about because I was in the height of my fame,” she explained. “You can't talk about it just like everybody says right now, you can't talk about being gay when you are in the height of your glory."

Eleven years later, the original “Gladiators” crew is still a tight-knit group, some with families and new careers.

Tower is a dad of four and an account executive at a title company, while Laser works for 24 Hour Fitness corporate.

“I was on that show for almost eight years and [have] great memories. Great athletes,” Laser said. “It puts a smile on my heart, it really does.”