• Forged In Fire Viking Sword Winner List

Forged in Fire is an American competition series that airs on the History channel, and is produced by Outpost Entertainment, a Leftfield Entertainment company. In each episode, four bladesmiths compete in a three-round elimination contest to forge bladed weapons, with the overall winner receiving $10,000 and the day's championship title. The series is hosted by Wil Willis, with a three-judge panel consisting of J. Neilson (Jason Knight during portions of season 3 and 4; Ben Abbott during portions of season 4), David Baker, and Doug Marcaida, experts in weapon history and use. History ordered an initial eight episodes of the series ^[1] with the first program premiering on Monday, June 22, 2015, at 10pm ET.^[2][3] Season two premiered on February 16, 2016 and increased to 10 episodes.^[4] The third season premiered with a 'champion of champions' match on August 23, 2016, and was announced as having 16 episodes.^[5] The fourth season premiered on April 11, 2017, with a 'Judges' Pick' episode in which the four judges (Neilson, Knight, Baker, Marcaida) each selected one smith from past seasons to compete again. The fifth season premiered on March 7, 2018. The sixth season premiered on February 6, 2019.

Forged in Fire contestants introduction thread. Was on the 3rd episode taped and second one aired. I shared the show with three great, compassionate smiths of which I quickly became friends with. The show front, was an extremely different environment for me with the bright lights and what not.

On April 17, 2018, a spin-off series titled Forged in Fire: Knife or Death premiered on History. This series is hosted by Bill Goldberg and co-hosted by Tu Lam, a martial arts expert and retired member of the Green Berets.

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• 3Episodes

Format

The series is filmed in Brooklyn, New York.^[1][2][3][6] The set, referred to as 'The Forge,' is stocked with a wide range of metalworking equipment, including propane forges, coal forges, grinders, power hammers and hydraulic presses. Medical personnel are present to treat any injuries or other health problems and may, at their discretion, disqualify smiths who are unable to continue safely. At the end of each round, the smith whose weapon is judged to be the least satisfactory must surrender it and leave the competition.

In the first round, the four smiths are presented with a starting material that they must use to forge a blade. In some episodes, they all begin with the same material; in others, they may choose from an assortment of metal objects or must salvage their material from a source such as a junked car or lawnmower. Willis states one set of criteria concerning blade or blade/tang length, and often a second set for a feature that must be incorporated, such as serrations or a fuller groove; not all competitions require a special feature. The smiths are typically given 10 minutes to sketch out their designs, but this time is occasionally extended or omitted altogether. Following the design period, they are given a set length of time to forge their blades; they are not required to adhere to their original designs. Once time expires, the judges evaluate the blades based on Willis' criteria and inspect their workmanship, quality, and design, then deliberate privately before announcing their decision. Any smiths who fail to meet the criteria, or who fail to turn in a blade at all, are subject to immediate elimination.

For the second round, the three remaining smiths are given an additional length of time to turn their blades into fully operational weapons. They must attach a handle, choosing from a range of provided materials and incorporating any special feature stated by Willis, and grind, sharpen, and polish the blades. They may also address any flaws or issues pointed out by the judges in the first round, if they choose to do so. After the time expires, the judges put each weapon through a series of tests to gauge properties such as sharpness, durability, and ease of use. For these tests, the weapons are used to chop/slash/stab objects that include ropes, ice blocks, animal carcasses, and steel car doors. If a weapon suffers catastrophic failure, defined as damage that renders it unsafe or ineffective for further testing, its maker is immediately disqualified. The judges may, at their discretion, choose not to subject a weapon to a particular test if it is sufficiently cracked or flawed.

The working time in each of the first two rounds is typically three hours, but may be extended to four hours if an added feature poses a sufficient challenge, such as being required to forge a billet with modern damascus steel methods and use it for the blade.

Forged In Fire Viking Sword Winner List

In the third round, the two remaining smiths are shown a historically significant (and technically difficult) weapon and are given five days to create a version of it. They return to their home forges to do the work and must comply with any specifications set by Willis. Afterwards, they return to the Forge and submit their weapons for testing against objects and environments similar to the historical scenarios in which they were typically used. Based on the test results, the judges select one smith to receive the $10,000 prize.

Special episodes

The 'Master & Apprentice' episode in Season 4 featured four master/apprentice pairs of smiths. Only one member of each pair was allowed to work at any time, trading off every 30 minutes in the first two rounds, and every day in the third. The non-working member was allowed to offer advice. For this episode, the forging time in the first round was extended to three and a half hours.

The 'Ultimate Champions Edition' (season 4) and 'Rookies Edition' (season 5) each featured five smiths instead of four. The smiths were required to forge a particular type of blade at their homes and bring those weapons to the studio for a preliminary test. One smith was eliminated based on the results of this test, after which the competition proceeded through the normal three rounds.

On October 3, 2018, a five-week Invitational Tournament premiered, consisting of four preliminary heats and a finale. Four smiths with a particular specialty (farrier, armorer, blacksmith, metalworker) competed in each preliminary heat, with the winners advancing to the finale for a $50,000 prize. A similar 'Battle of the Branches' tournament began on May 8, 2019, with four smiths from a different branch of the United States armed services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines) competing in each preliminary heat.

Cast, judges, and producers

Wil Willis is a former Army Ranger and decorated Air Force para-rescue specialist.^[1][3][6] Willis' previous television experience includes Special Ops Mission and Triggers, two series that aired on the former Military Channel.^[2]

J. Neilson, a knife and sword expert,^[1] holds the rank of Master Smith within the American Bladesmith Society. He has over 20 years' experience in making knives and edged weapons.^[2][6] He examines the weapons' technical qualities and tests their durability.^[3] In Season 3, Neilson took a leave of absence in order to have surgery on his hand; Jason Knight, another ABS Master Smith, filled his seat on the judges' panel during that time. Neilson appeared alongside Knight for the Season 4 premiere, then resumed his seat in the eighth episode. Starting with the 21st episode of the fourth season, two-time Forged in Fire champion Ben Abbott would replace him in some episodes.

David Baker, a Hollywood prop maker who has appeared on the Spike series Deadliest Warrior,^[3] is an authority on weapons history^[1] and an expert on replicating period-accurate weapons for both museums and films.^[2][6] He judges the weapons' historical accuracy and aesthetic beauty.^[3]

Doug Marcaida, an edged-weapons specialist, is a U.S. military contractor, martial arts instructor and knife designer for FOX Knives Italy. Specializing in the Southeast Asian fighting style of Kali, he has taught classes in weapon awareness and use for military, law enforcement, and security organizations. Marcaida evaluates the smiths' weapons to determine their effectiveness in combat.^[3] When he cannot test the smiths' weapons himself due to injury, he has a co-worker or family member perform this task in his place.

Tim Healy and Steve Ascher are executive producers for History.^[1][6] Jodi Flynn, Brent Montgomery, David George, Shawn Witt and Simon Thomas are executive producers for Outpost Entertainment.^[1][6] Healy observed the demonstration, and later the filming, from the sidelines. Healy says that the inspiration for Forged in Fire came from his and other developers' love of food competition shows such as Chopped and Iron Chef.^[3] However, in order to appeal to the History channel's audience, they decided to have the competition focus on historical weaponry.^[3]

Episodes

Season 1 (2015)

Season 2 (2016)

Season 3 (2016–17)

Season 4 (2017)

Season 5 (2018)

Season 6 (2019)

Influence

In the city of Cohoes, New York near Albany, a man, inspired by the series, tried to forge a piece of metal over a fire in a barrel near his home. He caused a fire that destroyed three residential buildings and damaged 28 others.^[8]

Notes

1. ^ ^abThese four contestants, all champions from previous seasons, were invited to compete again. The winner received an additional $10,000 and the title 'Champion of Champions'
2. ^ ^abThese four contestants from previous seasons were invited to compete again based on fans' reaction to their initial performance.
3. ^ ^abThis episode featured contestants eliminated from previous episodes returning for a chance at redemption
4. ^These four contestants from previous seasons, each chosen by one of the four judges, were invited to compete again.
5. ^Four master/apprentice pairs competed in this episode. When Jesse withdrew at the end of the first round, Zack was allowed to continue on his own.
6. ^Five champions from previous episodes were invited to compete again. Raymond Smith was eliminated based on the results of a preliminary test performed on blades that they forged ahead of time.
7. ^This episode followed the same structure as the Ultimate Champions Edition in Season 4, with five smiths who were inspired to take up the craft after watching the show.
8. ^ ^abSeven non-winners from seasons 4 and 5 competed over two episodes for $20,000. In Long Road to Redemption Part 2, four remaining blacksmiths compete and at last, the two finalists choose which swords they will make at their home forges.
9. ^The winner will receive $50,000.

References

1. ^ ^abcdefgZumberge, Marianne (April 27, 2015). 'History's Weapon Competition Series 'Forged in Fire' to Debut This Summer'. Variety. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
2. ^ ^abcdePfeiffer, Jeff (April 27, 2015). 'Former 'Special Ops Mission' star Wil Willis returns in new History competition series'. Channel Guide Magazine. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
3. ^ ^abcdefghiKryah, Kevin (June 22, 2015). 'Talking Swords on the Brooklyn Set of History's New Reality-Competition Series'. Esquire. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
4. ^'Forged in Fire Full Episodes, Video & More'. History.
5. ^'History Channel scheduled Forged in Fire Season 3 premiere date: The release date for Forged in Fire Season 3 — August 23, 2016'. premieredate.tv. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
6. ^ ^abcdefPetski, Denise (April 27, 2015). 'Bladesmiths Cut To The Chase In New Competition Series On History'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
7. ^'Watch Rookies Edition Full Episode – Forged in Fire'. History.
8. ^Fortin, Jacey (December 2, 2017). 'Man Inspired by TV Show 'Forged in Fire' Sets Off Huge Blaze, Officials Say'. The New York Times.

See also

External links

• Forged in Fire on IMDb