Mustang Gladiators:
Alumni Twins Compete on National Show
The battle begins.
Lillian Thomasson (AGSC ’06) and her twin sister, Clinessa Burch (IT ’05), 
step into the enormous arena, the set of the hit television show “American Gladiators,” a world of lights, cameras, celebrity and extremely intimidating opponents.
The Los Osos residents fight hard against gladiators “Jet” and “Crush,” prevailing in such events as “The Wall” and “Snapback” with thousands of cheering fans on the set and at home.
The sisters eventually went head-to-head in “Eliminator,” which Thomasson (left, in red) won. She was later eliminated in another episode during the semifinals.
The 5-foot-9-inch, 140-pound Burch (right, in blue) said the whole thing started as something to do for the weekend. “They had an open call for the show. We thought it would be fun to tell our friends we tried out for ‘American Gladiators.’ Before we knew it, we were on.”
The twins were two of 40 people, chosen out of 22,000 applicants, to be on the show this season.
Adventure has always been a part of the twins’ lives. Both have traveled extensively. Thomasson spent a year in Costa Rica playing for its national basketball team. The twins also own their business, Burch Concrete Solutions.
The construction business specializes in decorative concrete for custom homes. Both credit their experience at Cal Poly for giving them the confidence to try new things.
“Professors like Larry Gay and Leslie Labhard in industrial technology were huge influences,” said Burch. “We like doing our own thing, since our current profession is dominated by men. I guess we like to be a little different.”