Forged in Fire (TV series)
Forged in Fire is an American competition series that airs on the History channel, and is produced by Outpost Entertainment, a Leftfield Entertainment company.
| Forged in Fire | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality Competition |
| Directed by | Alfonso Trinidad Michael Pearlman |
| Presented by | Wil Willis |
| Judges | J. Neilson David Baker Doug Marcaida Jason Knight (seasons 3–4) Ben Abbott (seasons 4–present) |
| Composer(s) | Justin Crosby Kevin Bluhum |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 161 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Jodi Flynn Sean Moran Paul Hogan Daniel McKenna Brittany Winsick |
| Producer(s) | Mark Montgomery Sam Rubin Eric Mathis |
| Production location(s) | Brooklyn, New York Connecticut |
| Cinematography | Jacob Goodwin |
| Editor(s) | John Como Michael Brown |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Outpost Entertainment |
| Distributor | A&E Television Networks |
| Release | |
| Original network | History |
| Original release | June 22, 2015 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Forged in Fire: Knife or Death (spin-off series) |
| External links | |
| Website | |
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 4th, 5th, 6th and remaining in the 7th season), 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. The seventh season premiered on October 9, 2019 and expanded into May 6, 2020.
Format
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 a typical episode, the four smiths are presented with a starting material that they must use in the first round to forge a blade in a style of their choosing. 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. The smiths are given 10 minutes to sketch out their designs, followed by three hours to forge the 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 three hours to turn their blades into fully operational weapons. They must attach a handle, choosing from a range of provided materials, and incorporate any additional special features stated by Willis. They must also grind, sharpen, and polish the blades. and may 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 one weapon suffers catastrophic failure, defined as damage that renders it unsafe or ineffective for further testing, its maker is immediately disqualified. In the case of catastrophic failure by multiple weapons, the worst performer is eliminated. The judges may, at their discretion, choose not to subject a weapon to a particular test if it is sufficiently cracked or flawed.
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 and the day's championship title.
Rule changes
Some episodes have incorporated modifications to the rules, as follows:
- Extension or omission of the 10-minute design period in the first round.
- Omission of a required special feature in the first round.
- Extension or shortening of the three-hour forging time in the first and/or second rounds, depending on the difficulty level of the blade design and any special features.
- Requiring the smiths to forge a blade of a specific style in the first round.
- Omission of the requirement to attach a handle in the second round.
- Shortening of the working time from five days to four in the third round.
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. Dave Parthemore of Connecticut won.
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.
On May 13, 2020, a special episode titled Forged in Fire: Meet the Judges aired at 8/9c on History. The judges J. Neilson, Dave Baker, and Doug Marcaida were in the "hot seat" as fans asked them questions about the show, their personal lives, and bladesmithing techniques.
Cast, judges, and producers
Wil Willis, the original and current host, is a former Army Ranger (Third Ranger Battalion) 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 and returned in later episodes of Season 4.
David Baker, a Hollywood prop maker who has appeared on the Spike TV 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. He also designs "the most dangerous knives in the world", owns, and sells his own line of knives.[7] Marcaida evaluates the smiths' weapons to determine their effectiveness in combat with his famous "KEAL" tests. Keeping it kid-friendly, he replaced the word "kill" with "KEAL". This acronym, which Marcaida came up with himself, stands for "Keep Everyone Alive" and says the line every bladesmith wants to hear, "it will KEAL".[3] When he cannot test the smiths' weapons himself due to injury, he has his younger brother, R.J. Marcaida, or one of his Kali students perform this task in his place.
Jason Knight, another ABS Master Smith, filled Neilson's seat on the judges' panel during his medical absence in Season 3. Neilson appeared alongside Knight for the Season 4 premiere, then Neilson resumed his seat in the eighth episode.
Ben Abbott, the two-time Forged in Fire champion debuted as a judge starting with the 21st episode of the fourth season. Abbott would replace Neilsen in some episodes during the fifth and sixth seasons.
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]
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]
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Rank | Rating (Avg) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | Network | ||||||
| 1 | 8 | June 22, 2015 | August 10, 2015 | History | TBA | 7.6[9] | ||
| 2 | 10 | February 16, 2016 | April 19, 2016 | TBA | 7.6[9] | |||
| 3 | 16 | August 23, 2016 | February 14, 2017 | TBA | 8.0[9] | |||
| 4 | 23 | April 11, 2017 | October 31, 2017 | TBA | 8.1[9] | |||
| 5 | 40 | March 7, 2018 | December 19, 2018 | TBA | 7.9[9] | |||
| 6 | 30 | February 6, 2019 | September 25, 2019 | TBA | 8.7[9] | |||
| 7 | 35 | October 9, 2019 | May 6, 2020 | TBA | TBA | |||
Episodes
Season 1 (2015)
| Ep | Airdate | Title | Final weapon | Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | 4th place | ||||
| 1 | Jun 22, 2015 | "Japanese Katana" | Katana | Matthew Parkinson | Rich Greenwood | Billy Helton | Joe Waites |
| 2 | Jun 29, 2015 | "Chakram" | Chakram | Chris Farrell | Trenton Tye | Grant Marcoux | Chad Harding |
| 3 | Jul 3, 2015 | "Viking Battle Axe" | Viking battle axe | Ryu Lim | Jonathan Porter | Phil Evans | James Huse |
| 4 | Jul 13, 2015 | "Katar" | Katar | David Goldberg | Jaime L. Vining | Jimmy Seymour | Arnon Andrey Kartmazov |
| 5 | Jul 20, 2015 | "Crusader Sword" | Crusader sword | Peter Swarz-Burt | David Roeder | Matt Venier | Gabriel Bell |
| 6 | Jul 27, 2015 | "The Elizabethan Rapier" | Elizabethan rapier | Guy Harris | Peter Martin | Peter 'Cowboy' Szymanski | JD Smith |
| 7 | Aug 3, 2015 | "The Roman Gladius" | Roman gladius | Jamie Lundell | Mareko Maumasi | Maxon McCarter | Adam Ison |
| 8 | Aug 10, 2015 | "The Moro Kris" | Moro kris | Mace Vitale | Murray Carter | Ray Kirk | Jason Morrissey |
Season 2 (2016)
| Ep | Airdate | Title | Final weapon | Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | 4th place | ||||
| 1 | Feb 16, 2016 | "The War Hammer" | War hammer | Craig Camerer | Jeff Bridgers | Kim Stahl | Harry Harkins |
| 2 | Feb 20, 2016 | "Khopesh" | Khopesh | Salem Straub | Craig Trnka | Chris Marks | Zack Jonas |
| 3 | Mar 1, 2016 | "The Scottish Claymore" | Scottish claymore | Scott Thomas | Jonathan Wick | Erin Simmons | Earl Blackmore |
| 4 | Mar 8, 2016 | "Spiked Shield" | Spiked shield | Ilya Alekseyev | Michael Coffey | Tim Hintsala | John Gruber |
| 5 | Mar 15, 2016 | "Viking Sword" | Viking sword | Travis Wuertz | Morgan Medlen | Tom Ward | Mardi Meshejian |
| 6 | Mar 22, 2016 | "Nepalese Kukri" | Nepalese kukri | Jason Redick | Josh Weston | Kelly Potter | Jason Ritchie |
| 7 | Mar 29, 2016 | "The Shotel" | Shotel | Burt Foster | Chad Osborne | Kevin Klein | Erin Aylor |
| 8 | Apr 5, 2016 | "The Cutlass" | Cutlass | Tobin Nieto | Ron Mezile | Bob Brandel | Kyle Gahagan |
| 9 | Apr 12, 2016 | "The Khanda" | Khanda | Ben Abbott | Tom McGinnis | Brent Stubblefield | Nathan Zimmerman |
| 10 | Apr 19, 2016 | "The Tabar" | Tabar | Ted Thompson | Rob "Deker" Dekelbaum | Robert Burns | Edward Kim |
Season 3 (2016–17)
| Ep | Airdate | Title | Final weapon | Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | 4th place | ||||
| 1 | Aug 23, 2016 | "Champions Edition"[lower-alpha 1] | Scottish claymore | Ben Abbott | Matthew Parkinson | Salem Straub | Burt Foster |
| 2 | Aug 20, 2016 | "Fan Favorites"[lower-alpha 2] | Hook sword | David Roeder | Rich Greenwood | Kelly Potter | Ryu Lim |
| 3 | Sep 6, 2016 | "Butterfly Swords" | Butterfly sword | Shayne Carter | Andy Alm | Harry Burdett | Michael Allenson (né Hoopes) |
| 4 | Sep 13, 2016 | "The Falcata" | Falcata | Kelly Vermeer-Vella | Justin Jones | Will Bagley | Frank Christensen |
| 5 | Sep 20, 2016 | "Kora Sword" | Kora sword | Liam Hoffman | Josh Smith | Paul Happy | Robby Bowman |
| 6 | Sep 27, 2016 | "Hunga Munga" | Hunga munga | Jared Williams | Eric Anthony Leong | Ryan Lewis | Harlan Whitman |
| 7 | Oct 4, 2016 | "The Boar Spear" | Boar spear | Allen Newberry | Clayton Cowart | Mike Shindel | Chase Wilder |
| 8 | Oct 11, 2016 | "Xiphos Sword" | Xiphos sword | Keith Hill | Jon Maynard | Sam Rutherford | Riley Butz |
| 9 | Oct 18, 2016 | "The Pandat" | Pandat | Pete Winkler | Jo Smith | Brandon Brink | April Franklin |
| 10 | Oct 25, 2016 | "Zulu Iklwa" | Zulu iklwa | Matthew Moline | Lyle Wynn | Scott Mcreynolds | Clarence Jackson |
| 11 | Jan 10, 2017 | "Champions Edition"[lower-alpha 1] | Pata | Travis Wuertz | Shayne Carter | Peter Swarz-Burt | Scott Thomas |
| 12 | Jan 17, 2017 | "The Zweihänder" | Zweihänder | Jay Replogle | Stephan Fowler | Harry Black | Emiliano Carrillo |
| 13 | Jan 24, 2017 | "Cavalry Saber" | Cavalry saber | David Mooneyham | Todd Bitler | Jason Glenn Howell | Nic Hanlon |
| 14 | Jan 31, 2017 | "The Naginata" | Naginata | Theo Nazz | Joe Collett | Walter Sorrells | Erich Ouellette |
| 15 | Feb 7, 2017 | "The Haladie" | Haladie | Raymond Smith | Stephen Williamson | Jason Kraus | Adlai Stein |
| 16 | Feb 14, 2017 | "Redemption"[lower-alpha 3] | Viking sword | Gabriel Bell | Clarence Jackson | JD Smith | Brandon Brink |
Season 4 (2017)
| Ep | Airdate | Title | Final weapon | Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | 4th place | ||||
| 1 | Apr 11, 2017 | "Judges' Pick"[lower-alpha 4] | Ida | Mareko Maumasi | Josh Smith | David Goldberg | Erin Simmons |
| 2 | Apr 11, 2017 | "Deer Horn Knives" | Deer horn knives | Nicholas Marcelja | Steve Godfrey | Dustin Rhodes | Thor Laizans |
| 3 | Apr 18, 2017 | "The Katzbalger" | Katzbalger | James Helm | Paul Walsh | Rashelle Hams | Jesse Hauer[lower-alpha 5] |
| 4 | Apr 25, 2017 | "Makraka" | Azande Makraka | Craig Barr | Paul Brown | Brian Dimmock | Mark Nevling |
| 5 | May 2, 2017 | "Fan's Choice"[lower-alpha 2] | Panabas | Josh Weston | Ray Kirk | Robby Bowman | Chad Osborne |
| 6 | May 9, 2017 | "Akrafena" | Akrafena | Page Steinhardt | Brock Martin | Larry Clements | Terry Mitchell |
| 7 | May 16, 2017 | "Talwar" | Talwar | Jordan LaMothe | David McConnell | Rick Fenlon | Carl Oliver |
| 8 | May 23, 2017 | "The Cinquedea" | Cinquedea | Neil Kamimura | Dan Hurtado | Storm Richardson | Demetrios Papatriantafyllou |
| 9 | Jun 6, 2017 | "The Charay" | Afridi Charay | Steve Grosvenor | Ryan Rowe | Mark Green | Tyler Mandgie |
| 10 | Jun 13, 2017 | "Redemption"[lower-alpha 3] | Swordbreaker | James Huse | Erich Ouellette | Earl Blackmore | Morgan Medlen |
| 11 | Jul 11, 2017 | "Master & Apprentice"[lower-alpha 6] | Nzappa zap | Frank Allen Wren II and Nehemiah Brousseau |
Jesse Rhodes and Zack Lewis |
Robert Timberlake and Wesley Alberson |
Joseph Szilaski and John Lewis |
| 12 | Jul 18, 2017 | "Ngombe Ngulu" | Ngombe Ngulu | Steven Bryan | Paul Brach | Robert Putantsu | Ryan Weeks |
| 13 | Jul 25, 2017 | "The Shamshir" | Shamshir | Andrew Takach | Tim Shoal | Tom Kinder | Chad Hollar |
| 14 | Aug 1, 2017 | "The Kachin Dao" | Kachin dao | Shawn Ellis | Rachel Oliver | Buster Grubbs | Chad Bozeman[lower-alpha 5] |
| 15 | Aug 8, 2017 | "The Gladiator Scissor" | Gladiator scissor | Don Halter | Jason Henderson | Alf Rudd | Francesco Muci |
| 16 | Aug 22, 2017 | "The Kampilan" | Kampilan | Michael Cross | Todd Martin | Jack Barber | Leland Edward Stone |
| 17 | Aug 29, 2017 | "The Kpinga" | Kpinga | Nate Summers | Richard Epting | Jim Poor | John Rainey |
| 18 | Sep 12, 2017 | "The Yatagan" | Yatagan | Gabe Mabry | Dave Catoe | Josh Fikentscher | Randall W Turner |
| 19 | Oct 3, 2017 | "International Championship" | Spadroon | JW Randall  |
Julien Maniglier  |
Guillermo Mendoza  |
Michal Sielicki  |
| 20 | Oct 10, 2017 | "The Tabar-Shishpar" | Tabar-shishpar | Mark Steele Knapp | Chris Price | Holden Bystry | Dan Rotblatt |
| 21 | Oct 17, 2017 | "Ultimate Champions Edition"[lower-alpha 7] | T'ai chi sword | Theo Nazz | Neil Kamimura | Kelly Vermeer-Vella | Nicholas Marcelja (Round 1) Raymond Smith (preliminary) |
| 22 | Oct 24, 2017 | "Knights Templar" | Crusader sword | David Mirabile | Brian Rognholt | Josh Fenlon | Richard Moore |
| 23 | Oct 31, 2017 | "Viking Edition" | Viking war axes | Jeremiah Backhaus | Chris Rowley | Jeff Renner | Joel Davis |
Season 5 (2018)
| Ep | Airdate | Title | Final weapon | Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | 4th place | ||||
| 0[lower-alpha 8] | Mar 7, 2018 | "The Rhomphaia" | Rhomphaia | Billy Bob Sowell | Dwight Phillips | Mark Collard | Steve Culver |
| 1[10] | Mar 13, 2018 | "Rookies Edition"[lower-alpha 9] | War golok | Brian Schmidt | Matt Wagner | Tyler Grant |
|
| 2 | Mar 20, 2018 | "The Schiavona" | Schiavona | Jeff Wagenaar | Brad McDougall | Brendan McHugh | Wes Whipple |
| 3 | Mar 27, 2018 | "The Sica" | Sica | Tony Fetters | Frank Sausto | Corey Soper | Gage Mason |
| 4 | Apr 3, 2018 | "The Jumonji Yari" | Jumonji yari | Jacob Gayton | Fuad Accawi | Greg Sandstrom | Kyle Kilroy |
| 5 | Apr 10, 2018 | "The Kabyle Flyssa" | Kabyle flyssa | Collin Sage | Daniel Casey | Bob Hastings | Jesse Adcock |
| 6 | Apr 17, 2018 | "Ultimate Team Challenge" | Chinese dao | Mark J. Hopper Jessica D. Collins |
Joe Calton Casey Perdue |
Raleigh Desiato Kelly Gregory |
Tyler Adkins Leon Vanguard |
| 7 | Apr 24, 2018 | "The Karabela" | Karabela | Ethan Kempf | Liam Fuller | Ron Gramza | Evan Griffith |
| 8 | May 1, 2018 | "The Zande Spear" | Zande spear | Drew Goodson | Jason Nass | Daniel James Reichow | Larry Metcalf |
| 9 | May 8, 2018 | "The Navaja" | Navaja | Matthew Christiano | Wade Seiders | Christoph Deringer | Brandon Austin |
| 10 | May 15, 2018 | "The German Halberd" | German halberd | Phillip Baldwin | Johnathan Sibley | Doran Doran | Ben Swapp |
| 11 | May 22, 2018 | "The Two-Handed Sword" | Two-handed sword | Jonathan Allen | Ed Wilson | Andy Walker | Jordan Kataris |
| 12 | May 28, 2018 | "Military History Tribute" | M1917 Naval Cutlass | Jon Nagel (Army Reserve: Battalion S3 Operations Officer) | Mike Miller (Marines) | Jim McGuinn (Army: Armored Scout) | Perry Johnson (Army: Combat Medic)[lower-alpha 5] |
| 13 | May 29, 2018 | "Horseman's Axe" | Horseman's axe | J. Alex Ruiz | Mike Bailey | Andrew Woznak | Bill van Heteran |
| 14 | Jun 5, 2018 | "Lion Spear" | Maasai lion spear | John Grady Hippard | Matthew Berry | Aaron Morrison | J.C. Krusen |
| 15 | Jun 12, 2018 | "Kelewang" | Kelewang | Tim Louk | Hunter Johnson | Alan Kirby | Edward Lacie |
| 16 | Jun 19, 2018 | "Bagh Nakh" | Bagh nakh | Chad Hatfield | Josh Prince | Aaron Trosky | John Gulso |
| 17 | Jun 26, 2018 | "Glaive Guisarme" | Glaive guisarme | Nick Santella | Alex Eisenberg | Brian Neville | Dwight Neely[lower-alpha 5] |
| 18 | Jul 3, 2018 | "Pioneer Sword" | Russian pioneer sword | Mark Sperry | Nicholas Downing | Garrin Bucco | John Dickinson |
| 19 | Jul 17, 2018 | "Wind and Fire Wheels" | Wind and fire wheels | Rebel Rodriguez | Chuck Cook | Tony Miller | Steve Lewis |
| 20 | Jul 24, 2018 | "Smallsword" | Smallsword | Derek Melton | Bob Andrews | John Clark | Atsatsa Antonio |
| 21 | Jul 31, 2018 | "Celtic Anthropomorphic Sword" | Celtic anthropomorphic sword | Bill Behnke | Chuck Fowler | Cole Coffer | Brett Onnink |
| 22 | Aug 7, 2018 | "The Kilij" | Kilij | Connor J. Myers-Norton | Brian Weaver | Curtis Haaland | Marc Setzer |
| 23 | Aug 14, 2018 | "The Sawback Hunting Sword" | Sawback hunting sword | Trevor Rideout | Devin Cornell | Mike Camp | Gordon 'Gordy' Knapp |
| 24 | Aug 21, 2018 | "The Arming Sword" | Arming sword | John Stokes | Drew Hash | Duane Bennet | Quentin Horton |
| 25 | Aug 28, 2018 | "The Sengese" | Sengese throwing knife | Ashe Cravenock | Levi Kring | Geoff Keyes | Jon Turner |
| 26 | Sep 4, 2018 | "The Qinglong Ji" | Qinglong ji | Michael Kerley | Jason Fry | Rob Singleton | Ryan Breuer |
| 27 | Sep 12, 2018 | "Hollywood Edition" | Hattori Hanzō katana | Mike Deibert | Trystan Nguyen | Brian Bivens | Douglas Loven |
| 28 | Sep 19, 2018 | "The Steel Crossbow" | Steel crossbow | JD Hungerford | John-Francis Ellis | Jeffrey Hedgecock | Michael Trinkman |
| 29 | Sep 26, 2018 | "The Landsknecht Sword" | Landsknecht sword | Todd Andrews | DJ Morgan | Derick Roemer | Sam Troxell |
| 30 | Oct 3, 2018 | "Tournament Round 1 (Farriers)" | Mortuary sword | Kirk Adkins | Riley Kirkpatrick | Chris Shook | Rae Lynn Vander Weide |
| 31 | Oct 10, 2018 | "Tournament Round 2 (Armorers)" | Hooded katar | Nicholas Cochiolo | Ryan Weaver | Howard Noble | Jacob Danker |
| 32 | Oct 17, 2018 | "Tournament Round 3 (Blacksmiths)" | Knightly pole axe | Derick Kemper | Karl Dunn | Tony Roed | Charlie Carpenter |
| 33 | Oct 24, 2018 | "Tournament Round 4 (Modern Metalworkers)" | Flamberge rapier | Dave Parthemore | Rick Rabjohn | Rodger "Grizz" LaBrash | Henry Massey |
| 34 | Oct 31, 2018 | "Tournament Championship" | Nodachi | Dave Parthemore | Nicholas Cochiolo | Kirk Adkins | Derick Kemper |
| 35 | Nov 7, 2018 | "Slasher Edition" | Grim reaper's scythe | Brandon Williams | Chase Register | Tim Miller | David Sowards-Emmerd |
| 36 | Nov 14, 2018 | "Steel Takedown Bow" | Steel takedown bow | Tommy Matthews | Michael Gould | Dana Dupuis | Herbert "Sindri" Robertson |
| 37 | Nov 21, 2018 | "Bardiche" | Bardiche | John Wigger | Michael Peterson | Tim Troyer | Ken Hall |
| 38 | Dec 12, 2018 | "The Pipe Tomahawks" | Pipe tomahawks | Mike Rowley | Cody Craig | Rob Sine | Buddy Thomas |
| 39 | Dec 19, 2018 | "The Ring Hilted Sword" | Ring hilted sword | Shawn Shropshire | Jason Brown | Jody Lyddane | Aaron Mclean |
Season 6 (2019)
| Ep | Airdate | Title | Final weapon | Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | 4th place | ||||
| 1 | Feb 6, 2019 | "Long Road to Redemption Part 1"[lower-alpha 10] | Rae Lynn Vander Weide (S 5, Ep 31) 5th place |
Marc Setzer (S 5, Ep 23) 6th place |
Zack Lewis (S 4, Ep 11) 7th place |
 | |
| 2 | Feb 13, 2019 | "Long Road to Redemption Part 2"[lower-alpha 10] | Jambiya | Matt Berry (S 5, Ep 14) |
Aaron Morrison (S 5, Ep 14) |
Chris Price (S 4, Ep 20) |
David Sowards-Emmerd (S 5, Ep 36) |
| 3 | Feb 20, 2019 | "Washington's Colichemarde" | Washington's Colichemarde | Josh Nicolaides | Dan Bourlotos | John Sims | Andrew Smith |
| 4 | Feb 27, 2019 | "The O-Katana" | Ōkatana | Mickey Thompson | Cullen Erbacher | Robert Guest | Sam Hallett |
| 5 | Mar 6, 2019 | "The Hussar Saber" | Hussar Saber | Deke Parker | Brian Evelich | Bubba Cantrell | Eric Radliff |
| 6 | Mar 13, 2019 | "The Barbarian Sword" | Barbarian sword | Ethan Lee | Michael Seronde | Steve Humphrey | Amy Weiks |
| 7 | Apr 17, 2019 | "The Javanese Kris" | Javanese Kris | Steve Koster | John Medelin | Joe Nipper | Brad Richardson |
| 8 | Apr 24, 2019 | "General Yamashita's Guntō" | General Yamashita's Guntō | Elijah Williams | Richey Crew | Austin Hensley | Dan Linton |
| 9 | Apr 30, 2019 | "The Greek Kopis" | Kopis | John Summerhill | Mike Vannoy | Daniel Luevano | Curtis Shaw |
| 10 | May 8, 2019 | "Branch Battle: Army" | U.S. Army Officer's Sword | Tyler Hackbarth (Sergeant E-5) | Fermin Lopez (Sergeant, Black Hawk Combat Medic) | Jack Stottlemire (Sniper) | Dave Frotton (Sergeant Major) |
| 11 | May 8, 2019 | "Branch Battle: Air Force" | Air Force NCO Sword | Mike Andriacco (Master Sergeant) | Matt Prentice (Technical Sergeant) | Joe Stickel (Chief Master Sergeant) | Daren Tolley (Technical Sergeant, 173rd Fighter Wing) |
| 12 | May 15, 2019 | "Branch Battle: Marines" | Marine Corps Officer's Sword | Gene "Giddyup" Hodges (Master Sergeant) | Tripp Gwin (Sergeant) | Garrett Elting (Corporal) | Rick Johnson (Lance Corporal) |
| 13 | May 15, 2019 | "Branch Battle: Navy" | U.S. Naval Officer's Sword | Lee Crawford (Operations Specialist, 2nd Class) | Jerad Clymer (Boatswain, 1st Class) | Elijah Waddle (Lieutenant) | Tyler Northcutt (Fire Controlman Chief Petty Officer, 1st Class) |
| 14 | May 22, 2019 | "Branch Battle: Finals"[lower-alpha 11] | George Washington's Lion-headed Cuttoe | Tyler Hackbarth (Army) | Gene Hodges (Marines) | Mike Andriacco (Air Force) | Lee Crawford (Navy) |
| 15 | May 29, 2019 | "The Nagamaki" | Nagamaki | Braxton Cox | Jake Sewell | Kyle Reese | Steve Wayne |
| 16 | Jun 5, 2019 | "Atilla's Sword of Mars" | Sword of Attila | Randy Caston | Dan Strang | Chris VanGoethem | Grover Clifton |
| 17 | Jun 12, 2019 | "The Partizan" | Partizan | Philip Schrei | John Norwood | Matt Waters | Ian Rutkosky |
| 18 | Jun 19, 2019 | The "Messer Sword" | Messer Sword | Jeff Peters | John Thunert | Tanner Hetke | Jason Palmer |
| 19 | Jun 26, 2019 | "The Ram-dao" | Ram-dao | Josh Navarrete | Ben Spangler | Kasey Kinkade | Adam Jankowski |
| 20 | Jul 3, 2019 | "The Foot Artillery Sword" | Foot Artillery Sword | John Phillips | Tommy Rodriguez | Chuck Stone | Levi Arbogast |
| 21 | Jul 17, 2019 | "The Astronaut Knife" | Spiked Mace | Jason Anderson | Sam Farnworth | Mark Campana | Tom Garden |
| 22 | Jul 24, 2019 | "The Lochaber Axe" | Lochaber Axe | Joshua Frost | Jesse Delveaux | Jared Hobson | Daniel Williams |
| 23 | Jul 31, 2019 | "The Cane sword" | Cane Sword | Doug Butts | Ashley Shaw | Cody Myers | Chad Bowlin |
| 24 | Aug 7, 2019 | "The Boar Sword" | Boar Sword | Jonathan Caruso | Isaac Grunstra | Justin Kirck | Angel Medina Jimenez |
| 25 | Aug 14, 2019 | "Falchion" | Falchion | Wayne Meligan | Mark Hemley | Aaron Meliza | Jesse Hemphill |
| 26 | Aug 21, 2019 | "Napoleon's Saber" | Napoleon's Saber | Seth Borries | Steven Hunter | Shaun Carr | Jonathon Morphis[lower-alpha 5] |
| 27 | Aug 28, 2019 | "The Bhuj" | Bhuj | Joe Vachon | Benton Frisse | Josh Howard | Adam Vordermark |
| 28 | Sep 4, 2019 | "Blackbeard's Cutlass" | Blackbeard's Cutlass | Jason Crum | Seth Marshall | Stephen Montgomery | Joseph Nimmons |
| 29 | Sep 18, 2019 | "Kung Fu Edition" | 9-Ring Broadsword | Mike Whetten | Burton Harruff | Collin Miller | Monty Styron |
| 30 | Sep 25, 2019 | "Genghis Khan's Sword" | Genghis Khan's Sword | Everett Stone | Peter Hill | James Mays | Kodee Artis |
Season 7 (2019–2020)
| Ep | Airdate | Title | Final weapon | Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | 4th place | ||||
| 1 | Oct 9, 2019 | "Sword Of Perseus" | Sword of Perseus | Jarred Ball | Rob Wayman | Dave McKay | Luke Anderson |
| 2 | Oct 16, 2019 | "General Patton's Sabre" | General Patton's sabre | John McNerney | Chris Erbach | Ted Thornton | Josh Adams |
| 3 | Oct 23, 2019 | "The Jian Sword" | Jian sword | Casey Cleveland | Vince Molina | Shawn Moulenbelt | Ryan Brodbeck |
| 4 | Oct 23, 2019 | "The Rock-Throwing Crossbow" | Rock-throwing crossbow | Colton Arias | Craig Miller | Bryce Perez | Grant Saxman |
| 5 | Oct 30, 2019 | "Halloween Edition" | War scythe | Trevor Jenkinson | Alex Hillmeyer | Jeff Glasco | Willis Forninash |
| 6 | Oct 30, 2019 | "The Boa-Zande Sword" | Boa-zande sword | Justin Chenault | Ben Jennen | Sawyer Hibbard | Mike Pierce |
| 7 | Nov 6, 2019 | "Musketeer Rapier" | Musketeer rapier | Jesse Ewing | Teddy Royer | Wilson Filaw | Dale Thorson |
| 8 | Nov 6, 2019 | "The Tizona of El Cid" | Tizona of El Cid | Brent Smith | Thomas Hacker | Jerry Cripe[lower-alpha 5] | Rick Hall |
| 9 | Nov 13, 2019 | "Military Tribute" | Mad Jack Churchill's Scottish backsword | Billy Salyers | Robert Soria | Shawn Chakravarty | Mike Johnston |
| 10 | Nov 13, 2019 | "Revolutionary War Spontoon" | Revolutionary War sergeant's spontoon | Chris Hedberg | Zane Burch | Rocky Lemon | Tyler Hall |
| 11 | Nov 20, 2019 | "The Barbarian Spatha" | Barbarian spatha | Alex Horn | Kevin Burkman | Mike Benton | Pat Biggin |
| 12 | Nov 27, 2019 | "Family Edition" | Inigo Montoya's rapier | Ron Hardman | Jesse Harrison | Jessica Hardman | Robert Harrison |
| 13 | Dec 11, 2019 | "Frankish Throwing Axes" | Franciscas | Nic Overton | Justin Kowspiachi | Cameron Alarcio | Matt Presti |
| 14 | Dec 18, 2019 | "A Very Forged Christmas" | British light cavalry sword | Boyd Ritter | Jamie Chandler | Bill Young | Ben Arlotta |
| 15 | Jan 1, 2020 | "The Chinese War Sword" | Chinese war sword | Bobby Walker | Will Pearman | Justin Burton | Dallas Bradshaw |
| 16 | Jan 8, 2020 | "The Sword in the Stone" | Medieval Broadsword | Scott Sweeter | Colton Kiso | Jarrett Cieslak | Sam Smith |
| 17 | Jan 15, 2020 | "Charlemagne's Sword" | King Charlemagne's "Joyeuse" | Peyton Ramm | Mitch Cargile | Jason Tiensvold | Parker Mayers |
| 18 | Jan 22, 2020 | "Spanish Conquistador Sword" | Spanish Conquistador sword | Cody Hofsommer | Brendan Steele | Ed Clarke | Zach Vince |
| 19 | Jan 29, 2020 | "The Pira" | Pira | Kevin Burgess | Weslie Null | Kenny Smith | Mike Poor |
| 20 | Jan 29, 2020 | "The French Pioneer Sword" | Rooster-head French pioneer sword | Cade David Jenkins | Steven Brady | Ben Snure | Nick Johnson |
| 21 | Feb 5, 2020 | "Darb Sri Gun Chai battle sword" | Darb Sri Gun Chai | Paul Pinto | James Davis | Eric Davis | Robert Martin |
| 22 | Feb 5, 2020 | "Zulu War Axe" | Zulu war axe | Weston Paas | Dustin Parrella | Josh Powell | Jieh Meinhold |
| 23 | Mar 11, 2020 | "The Chinese Zhanmadao" | Zhanmadao | Josh | Nic | Scotty | Daniel |
| 24 | Mar 18, 2020 | "The German Dussage" | German Dussage sword | Scott Bauers | Marc Dean | Matt Duncan | Steven Katz |
| 25 | Mar 25, 2020 | "First Responders Edition" | Halligan Bar | Britt Barnes (Retired U.S Border Patrol agent) | Forest Hansen (Retired firefighter captain) | Chris Campbell (EMS chief firefighter) | Mark Casina (Army Military Police officer) |
| 26 | Apr 1, 2020 | "Game of Forge" | Épée de Combat (Game of Thrones tribute to Arya Stark's "Needle") | Trevor Krobe | Victor Gonzalez | Mitchell Ray Greene | Garrett Secchi |
| 27 | Apr 8, 2020 | "The Ikakalaka" | Ikakalaka | Ricardo Vilar | Nick Hix | Travis Henderson | Leon Husock |
| 28 | Apr 15, 2020 | "Samurai Showdown" | Sodegarami | Rita Thurman | Justin Harrington | Chuy Talavera | Cory Miller |
| 29 | April 22, 2020 | "Baby Boomers vs. Gen Z" | Sword of Goujian | Forrest Ketner (Baby Boomers) | Caleb Ledford (Gen Z) | Zach Batanyan (Gen Z) | Jimmy Poole (Baby Boomers) |
| 30 | April 29, 2020 | "The Nimcha" | Nimcha | Ryan Dumont | Steve Wells | Wesley Barron | Bud Smith |
| 31 | May 6, 2020 | "Titanium Smackdown" | Horsemen's Tabar and Hidden Dagger | Jarrod Fiskus | Jimmy Martin | Dorian Mosak | Collin Steenbergen |
| 32 | Jul 15, 2020 | "Tomahawk and Bowie" | Tomahawk and Bowie knife | Brian | Doc | Jennifer | Stephen |
| 33 | Jul 22, 2020 | "Japanese Ono" | Ono (axe) | Keaton | Logan | Dale | Nic |
| 34 | Jul 29, 2020 | "Super Champion Edition" | |||||
| 35 | Aug 5, 2020 | Boateng Saber | Glayden | Matt | Colette | Jimbo | |
| 36 | |||||||
| 37 | |||||||
Spin-offs
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.
On June 3, 2020, another spin-off series titled Forged in Fire: Beat the Judges premiered on History, hosted by Willis. On each episode, three previous Forged in Fire champions return to compete for an opportunity to face one judge (Neilson, Baker, or Abbott) and win another $10,000. For the first round, the three smiths each bring one weapon to the Forge, in a style of their choosing and created at their home forges, and submit them for testing. The second round follows the same format as the third round in a typical Forged in Fire episode, but the two remaining smiths are given only three days to forge an example of the featured weapon. In the third round, the last remaining smith and the competing judge are given eight hours to create a fully functional example of a particular weapon type in the Forge, including handle fitting and grinding/sharpening/polishing. The other judges then test the weapons and choose the $10,000 winner. The competing judge is announced at the start of the third round; if he wins, the prize is donated to the charity of his choice.
Notes
- These 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"
- These four contestants from previous seasons were invited to compete again based on fans' reaction to their initial performance.
- This episode featured contestants eliminated from previous episodes returning for a chance at redemption
- These four contestants from previous seasons, each chosen by one of the four judges, were invited to compete again.
- Medically disqualified
- Four master/apprentice pairs competed in this episode. When Jesse withdrew at the end of the first round because of a family emergency, Zack was allowed to continue on his own.
- 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.
- Season 5 numbered from 0, see https://www.history.com/shows/forged-in-fire/season-5
- 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.
- Seven 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.
- The winner received $50,000.
References
- Zumberge, Marianne (April 27, 2015). "History's Weapon Competition Series 'Forged in Fire' to Debut This Summer". Variety. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- Pfeiffer, Jeff (April 27, 2015). "Former "Special Ops Mission" star Wil Willis returns in new History competition series". Channel Guide Magazine. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- Kryah, Kevin (June 22, 2015). "Talking Swords on the Brooklyn Set of History's New Reality-Competition Series". Esquire. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
- "Forged in Fire Full Episodes, Video & More". History.
- "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.
- Petski, Denise (April 27, 2015). "Bladesmiths Cut To The Chase In New Competition Series On History". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- "15 Dark Secrets From Forged In Fire You Had No Idea About". ScreenRant. December 25, 2017.
- Fortin, Jacey (December 2, 2017). "Man Inspired by TV Show 'Forged in Fire' Sets Off Huge Blaze, Officials Say". The New York Times.
- "Forged in Fire – TV show Ratings". ratingraph.com. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
- "Watch Rookies Edition Full Episode – Forged in Fire". History.