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Bloggers out Gladiator as former porn star

A former Marine-turned-television tough guy known as “Militia” on NBC’s souped-up, prime-time version of the classic ’90s show “American Gladiators” found himself bogged down in controversy a week before the show kicked off Jan. 6 after media reports revealed he appeared on gay porn Web sites.

Bloggers outed Alex Castro — who show officials said is a former Marine, although Corps officials couldn’t verify his military background by press time — as a one-time gay porn star who posed and performed alone — and aliased — on various Web sites.

Show producers told The New York Post they had no idea Castro had appeared naked on the sites, according to a Dec. 29 story, but indicated no plans to take his scenes out of the show. He had not been deleted from NBC’s “American Gladiators” Web site as of Jan. 4.

Marine Corps Times contacted NBC to interview Castro, but he was not available by press time. NBC spokeswoman Melissa Armstrong said the network is not taking a position on the situation.

Castro taped the first nine episodes of the pilot season with the other 11 Gladiators — including former Air Force Academy cheerleader and KC-135 maintenance officer Tanji Johnson, known as “Stealth” on the show.

The show was set to broadcast its first two episodes Jan. 6, but the rest of the season will run Monday nights at 8 p.m. Much like the original show that aired from 1989 to 1996, it will pit muscle-bound American Gladiators against amateur athletes from across the country in concocted athletic events like Assault, Power Ball, The Wall, and the unforgettable final event, The Eliminator.

The 2008 version, featuring pro wrestler Hulk Hogan and female boxer Laila Ali as hosts, will have some new twists. For example, instead of falling into a foam pit, contestants and Gladiators will plummet into a water tank.

DISCUSS: Does porn-star past matter?