Posted at 8:45 p.m. Monday, May 19

Melvin Davis faces Titan on the Joust. Davis didn't do too well.

Melvin Davis proved he was Chicago’s top cop, at least on Monday night’s “American Gladiators.”

The 42-year-old police officer pulled a surprising upset, coming from way behind in the final event to beat his partner, 31-year-old David Moore.

"Age just doesn't matter when it comes to the Eliminator," host Hulk Hogan said after the event. "It's Melvin Mania."

Moore was at least 3 obstacles ahead of Davis in the Eliminator, but got hung up on the last hurdle, the Travelator. Davis caught up and pushed ahead to win the event.

Even if his Eliminator time of 10 minutes, 33 seconds doesn’t strike fear into opponents’ hearts, Davis moves on to the semifinals, where he could face fellow Chicagoan Randee Haynes.

Posted at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 19

Chicago cops and partners Melvin Davis (center) and David Moore (right) face Toa (left) in Power Ball.

Chicago folks have been reality TV darlings lately, and Monday night will be no different.

Three Windy City men will try to woo “The Bachelorette,” DeAnna Pappas, at 8 p.m. on ABC, just after two Chicago cops are pitted against each other at 7 p.m. on NBC’s “American Gladiators.”

All this comes just a week after Chicago’s own Randee Haynes (left) won the first semifinal spot in Season 2 of “Gladiators.” He didn’t face gladiator Rocket, a.k.a. former champ and Fox River Grove native Evan Dollard, but he easily won the Eliminator just as Dollard did last year.

“I’m ecstatic with my performance,” Haynes told host Hulk Hogan last week after finishing the new, tougher Eliminator in 2 minutes, 6 seconds.

On Monday, Chicago police partners David Moore and Melvin Davis face off against each other—and the gladiators—for another semifinal berth.

When the fourth installment of “The Bachelorette” debuts Monday, DeAnna Pappas will meet three guys who live in Chicago: Patrick C., 26, a financial analyst (from left); Fred, 30, a lawyer; and Patrick D., 27, an internet marketer.

They are among the 25 men who include a trio of professional athletes, a pair of teachers and a guy named Twilley.

Pappas, 26, was picked and then dumped last fall by “The Bachelor” Brad Womack, who opted not to even continue their relationship.

Huge viewer response led ABC to resurrect “The Bachelorette” for the first time since 2005—when, coincidentally, Chicagoan Jen Schefft opted to stay single rather than pick one of her two final guys.

Posted at 3:45 p.m. Friday, May 9

Chicago’s Evan Dollard—last season’s champ of NBC’s “American Gladiators”—is much happier being a gladiator than a competitor.

“I can go out there and just have fun,” Dollard told me last week during a phone chat. “I can compete as a gladiator and know that the only thing at stake is my pride.

“And I will say this too: It’s a lot more enjoyable to chase somebody on The Wall than to be chased. It’s so much more rad to be the pursuer.”

Dollard’s talking about his best event from last season, the climbing wall, which he says will be more difficult when Season 2 opens at 7 p.m. Monday with a two-hour premiere.

“The Wall itself is 10 feet higher [making it 50 feet tall] and much wider,” said Dollard, who is returning to the show as one of three new gladiators. His gladiator name is “Rocket.” “It just looks sick. It’s absolutely insane.”

Producers have made the entire show much bigger this season, according to NBC. Action will take place in an all-new, “state-of-the-art” Gladiator Arena built within the L.A. Sports Arena. They’ve added seven events as well, including Rocketball and Vertigo, which are revealed in the premiere.

Dollard—Rocket, I mean—takes part in Vertigo, which has competitors climbing a 30-foot, swaying pole, then racing from that pole to seven more poles until they reach the finish.

“It’s a fun event and it looks great on camera,” Rocket said.

Rocket got a little Chicago face time this season. Three of the male contenders hale from the Windy City—Randee Haynes, David Moore and Melvin Davis.

“It was fun having them in the arena, to have that Chicago love,” Rocket said. “For Chicago to represent one more time was an absolute thrill.”

Dollard also told me how he and producers picked his name, what it was like getting to know his gladiator “nemesis” Wolf and what he’s up to in his acting career. Go to the jump for the entire interview.

Read all about Dollard and his road to becoming a Gladiator.

Posted at 3:30 p.m. Friday, May 9

Three Chicagoans compete in the new season of "American Gladiators": Randee Haynes (left photo) and Chicago cops David Moore (left, above) and Melvin Davis, who compete against each other on May 19.

“American Gladiators” announced the 40 contenders who will go up against the gladiators when Season 2 begins at 7 p.m. Monday.

Three of those contenders are from Chicago—and they may have to face one of the new gladiators—Chicago’s own Even “Rocket” Dollard.” They’re competing to win $100,000 and a spot as a gladiator in the following season of “America Gladiators.”

Here are NBC’s bios of the Chicago contenders:

Randee Haynes is a 25-year-old carpenter. He hails from a family of 13 kids whose names all begin with "R." He admires and appreciates his parents, and as a father of two, strives to be half the father his dad was. Haynes’ silly and lovable demeanor proves that you don’t have to train hard to be a good athlete.

David Moore is a 31-year-old police officer. He is a true family man who does everything for his son and wife. Moore is a health nut who believes in staying fit and eating right. He loves to joke around with his buddy Melvin Davis, a fellow police officer and contender on this cycle of "American Gladiators."

Melvin Davis is a 42-year-old cop that has been in the Chicago Police Department for fifteen years. He became a cop to help the community and give back, and he loves his work. He has also been a bodyguard for actress Jennifer Hudson.

Posted at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, May 1

Call it the return of the king. Chicago's Evan Dollard is back in Gladiator arena—as a champion and new “American Gladiators.”

Dollard, who scored the nickname the Evanator last season—now goes by Rocket in the Gladiator arena. He is one of three new warriors who’ll battle contestants when the NBC competition returns on May 12, along with Season 1 women’s champ Monica “Jet” Carlson, and Jennifer “Phoenix” Widerstrom.

According to TV Guide, Dollard and the other newbies have been working hard at Gladiator Boot Camp with up to five hours of physical training a day.

I’m guessing Dollard will specialize in The Wall this season. The rock climbing enthusiast blew away Wolf every time in Season 1, scampering up The Wall in record times.

Watch for more Chicago connections this season too. In the May 19 episode, Chicago cops and partners David Moore and Melvin Davis go up against each other.

I’m trying to set up a chat with Dollard, so check back later. Until then, view his Season 1 photo gallery by clicking on the photo here. Read all about Dollard and his road to becoming a Gladiator.

Posted at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27

"American Gladiators" wrapped its first season, but Joust champ Titan (right) isn’t resting on his overdeveloped laurels.

Titan, a.k.a. Mike O'Hearn, will guest star March 14 on the NBC soap “Days of our Lives.” Instead of knocking people into a pool of water, O’Hearn will play a “strapping bartender,” according to an NBC press release.

I’ll just reprint the information here, because it’s pretty funny:

“On the exciting episode of ‘Days of our Lives,’ Chelsea Brady (Rachel Melvin) is found drowning her sorrows over the recent tragedies of the Brady family at Salem's local bar ... The strapping bartender, played by ‘American Gladiators’ O'Hearn, offers Chelsea some coffee to sober her up but she refuses and storms out of the bar. Later, Chelsea's brother, Shawn Brady (Brandon Beemer), and sister-in-law, Belle Brady (Martha Madison), show up at the bar searching for Chelsea and the helpful bartender advises them to get in touch with Kate."

What do you think, 2 minutes of air time for Titan? Three minutes tops.

I found some other interesting bits from O’Hearn’s bio. He’s a four-time Mr. Universe champion and seven-time Fitness Male Model of the Year,among other titles. He has a role in the movie “National Lampoon TV--The Move” and the upcoming "Tumblers" and "Captain Ultimate."

And here’s the best bit from the press release: “Women around the world might also recognize him as the cover model for ‘Topaz’ romance novels.” (His favorite, according to an old interview at romantictimes.com, is shown here.)

Posted at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19

Evan Dollard stars in a short film made in Chicago.

Evan Dollard's photo gallery has been updated here.

We haven’t heard the last of Evan Dollard. It seems the newly crowned “American Gladiators” champ was busy earlier last year acting in a couple of movies.

He told me last week about his work as an extra on the film “The Express,” which stars Dennis Quaid and is about Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. Now reader John Dunne has alerted me to a short film Evan took part in last year as well.

The short was part of a program called Samsung Fresh Films, and was shot in Chicago with a Chicago cast. It’s called “The End of the World, At Least the Beginning of the End, as Intended, with Very Few Side Effects.”

Here’s the film’s description at the Fresh Films Web site, because honestly, I’m not quite sure what it’s about: “Lucifer's son has a few chores to finish. Who better to help him fill out his Armageddon resume than a beatboxing Christmas caroler, a paranoid superhero, and a disaffected twenty-something game grrl?”

Watch the film and some behind-the-scenes clips here.

Here's a new clip of Evan and opponent Alex Rai's final run up the wall on Sunday's "American Gladiators" finale.

Posted at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18

View Evan Dollard's photo gallery.

They might have to rename Gladiator Arena the Evanator Arena after Sunday's finale.

Chicago's Evan Dollard became the first grand champion in the revived reality competition series on NBC. He did it by breaking his record in the Eliminator for the third time this season, finishing the obstacle course in 1 minute, 19 seconds.

"You've got gladiator blood running through those pythons, dude," host Hulk Hogan said as he grabbed Dollard's arm.

"I never felt so alive," Dollard said. "This is so awesome."

He and women's champ Monica Carlson each won $100,000, a Toyota Sequoia and the chance to be gladiators on the show's next season.

Dollard told me last week that he wasn't sure if he would be asked to be a gladiator, considering that at 5 feet 10 inches and 160 pounds, he's so much smaller than the gladiator giants.

Sounds like Hogan can help Dollard bulk up.

"You're going to come with me to the gym," the former wrestler told the champ, "and do some hanging and banging."

You can read my interview with Dollard here.

Posted at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14

NBC will air the finale of “American Gladiators” at 6 p.m. Sunday, and Chicago’s own Evan Dollard (right) has a chance to win the $100,000 prize and a Toyota Sequoia.

I interviewed “The Evanator” earlier this week and found him to be a pretty humble, cool guy. You can read the published interview and view a photo gallery here. I wasn’t able to include all the good stuff that he and I talked about in the RedEye, so I thought I share more with you here.

We chatted about his favorite Chicago things, the gladiators he competed against—and why he posted shirtless photos of himself on his Facebook page.