American Gladiators was a moment. Ask anyone over the age of 35 if they remember watching American Gladiators back in the day and they will say “yes.” In the early ’90s, the syndicated sports extravaganza was as ubiquitous as the 7UP spots, as innovative as the Sega Genesis, as cool as Bart Simpson, and as inextricably American as a Big Mac. The zeitgeist wore red, white, and blue spandex — and you better believe then President Bill Clinton was a big fan.
The not-so-startling revelation comes in Episode 3 of Netflix’s new docuseries Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators. Appropriately titled “A Global Phenomenon,” the middle chapter of this wild peek behind the scenes at American Gladiators includes a story from series director Bob Levy about a trip he took to Washington, D.C. during the show’s run. Levy actually got to meet President Clinton, and that’s how he found out that Clinton, just like pretty much all of America, was a fan. He even had a favorite gladiator!
Upon returning back to the studio, Levy tracked down the gladiator in question and told her the story. “Bob Levy said, ‘Hey, Diamond, I just got back from Washington, D.C.,'” said Diamond in Muscles & Mayhem, repeating what Levy told her. “‘Bill leaned over to me and said, ‘So tell me: what’s Diamond like?'”
So now you probably want to know what Diamond’s like, too. Diamond, a.k.a. Erika Andersch, rocked the star-spangled leotard for three seasons starting with Season 2. Like all of the gladiators, Diamond was there to fill a role. Zap was the tomboy, Ice was the intimidator, Blaze was the consummate athlete — and Diamond? As she says in Muscles & Mayhem, “I did consider myself the Marilyn Monroe of the American Gladiators.”
Given Clinton’s prominent, er, indiscretions, you might be thinking there was something more nefarious or uncomfortable to this exchange between the former President and Levy. However, the documentary isn’t delving into gossip, it’s going for laughs (it is directed by the guy who did Napoleon Dynamite after all). Plus, there’s a fun moment where the doc clarifies that Bill and Chelsea Clinton used to watch Gladiators together. So scrub your mind of anything dirty and move on.
President Clinton wasn’t the only person to fall for Diamond. For one thing, director Bob Levy claims to have “dated Diamond a little bit” but “didn’t get anywhere” Diamond’s response to that is a big laugh and a congenial but slightly concerned “What?” She added, “Bob Levy said he and I dated? I’m trying to think like, wow, if we sat at a table together during lunchtime, is that a date?”
Diamond even had other admirers doing the 1992 equivalent of sliding into her DMs — which, by the way, involved talking to the person face to face. While the cast was touring arenas doing the live version of the show, Diamond says, “I was asked by at least six of the other gladiators to have a little affair on the tour. Honestly, more women asked me to be their girlfriend on the tour!”
That’s what it’s like being the jacked Marilyn Monroe of the group. You’re gonna get a lot of attention, from the person in the bunk next to you on a tour bus all the way to the guy sitting in the Oval Office.