Dr. Ayonna Procter's journey from college hoops to 'American Gladiators'

Dr. Ayonna “Yonnie” Procter stepped onto the set of American Gladiators at Aren’Ice in Cergy, France in June of 2025. She was filled with a sense of surrealism and nostalgia as she looked over at “The Wall” and “Joust,” two events that she grew up watching on TV during the show’s original run.

Now, she was set to compete in its latest revival. “This whole thing is insane,” Procter thought to herself. Procter, a Los Angeles-based physical therapist who has worked with several professional athletes, musicians and entertainers, is one of 24 contestants that will be featured in the first season of American Gladiators, a reboot of the athletic competition game show that first aired from 1989-96 and pitted average people referred to as “contenders” against bodybuilders and athletes, or “Gladiators” with cartoonish personalities and names such as Thunder, Turbo, Blaze and Nitro.

The show turned into such a pop culture phenomenon in its day that it — according to the Los Angeles Times — outdrew the NFL in some markets at one point. “This feels like someone just plucked me out of a dream, put me on this grand stage,” Procter told USA TODAY Sports. “It's remarkable that this show is back, right?

But it's also it just feels very special to be a part of it. ” Procter has a group chat with three of her former college basketball teammates, where they discuss everything from hoops to life, often just sharing memes with each other. There was one meme in particular that Procter recalled being sent in that chat while she was still under consideration that referred to several popular 90s TV shows.