Shirley Eson-Korito AKA Sky: Where is the American Gladiator Now?

Netflix’s ‘Muscles & Mayhem’ chronicles the hard work and planning that went into creating ‘American Gladiators,’ a competitive reality show that premiered in 1989 and won over millions of fans worldwide. However, despite the show’s popularity, it soon became plagued by rumors that accused the production team of mismanaging talents and claimed several Gladiators were open to using performance-enhancing drugs.

Hence, the Netflix docuseries tries to make sense of the facts through one-on-one interviews with members of the production team and former Gladiators, including Shirley Eson-Korito, who became famous through her stage name, Sky.

Who is Shirley Eson-Korito?

Growing up in San Francisco, California, Shirley was amazed by the glamor of the entertainment industry and discovered her passion for modeling at quite a young age. Hence, unlike several of her ‘American Gladiators’ co-stars, being an athlete was not a part of her original bucket list. Reports mention that the former Gladiator got into modeling at 12, and it did not take long for her to build a reputation in the field. However, even though Shirley did end up modeling with several top brands during her relatively short career, she soon found the work quite dull.

As a result of which, Shirley began weight training at 13 to explore a career in athletics and professional bodybuilding. Readers would be interested to know that she is a trained centurion cyclist, and the endurance she built through the sport helped her immensely during her career as a professional bodybuilder. Moreover, Shirley’s family has always supported her decisions, and the former Gladiator tasted her first bit of success in 1990 when she was crowned the winner in the overall category at the World Gym Classic competition.

Incidentally, Shirley was already married and a proud mother of two when she first appeared in ‘American Gladiators’ season 4. Reports mentioned that her daughters encouraged her to try out for the show, and she was amazed at how easily she could dominate her co-stars. Hence, while ‘American Gladiators’ propelled Shirley into the spotlight and made her famous as the Gladiator Sky, she remained associated with the show until 1998 and even represented the United States in two seasons of ‘International Gladiators.’

Shirley Eson-Korito is a Social Media Influencer Now

During her time on ‘American Gladiators,’ Shirley was well respected by most of her co-stars and was even considered to be the “mother” of the group. However, after exiting the franchise in 1998, she embraced privacy and lived under the radar for quite some time. Still, with the world of professional bodybuilding beckoning the former Gladiator, Shirley returned to competitive bodybuilding in 2016 when she participated in the IFBB Orlando Pro & NPC Southern USA.

Shirley and her husband, Darren, reside in Orlando, Florida, where they own and operate their award-winning pet-care facility, Fur and Feathers Pet Resort. Besides, while the couple shares an excellent bond with their daughters, the former Gladiator earns a living as a content creator and social media influencer. It is genuinely heartwarming to witness Shirley’s happy family life, and we wish her the best for the future.

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