Onley, 24, of Caringbah, follows in the footsteps of another Sutherland Shire athlete, Vulcan, a stalwart of the original Gladiators series.

And the skin-tight outfits have made a comeback, too.

The only female from NSW in the cast, Shari skipped the audition process of the national tour and made it straight onto the show.

"I fell into it really, I didn't even try out," Shari said.

"I went along to see the trial and they were really persistent. I kept saying no but I thought it would be silly not to see what it's all about."

Gladiators tests competitors' physical and mental strength through a series of challenges against other contestants.

Following a four-week intensive boot camp, Shari also known as "Amazon", the fierce ruler of warrior women said each Gladiator was given a different character to play on the show.

"They actually relate to our personalities so it hasn't been hard to adapt," she said.

Retired shire rugby league referee Bill Harrigan is the program's referee.

Gladiators premieres on Channel Seven on Sunday, March 30.