Forged in Fire (TV series)

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 title of forged in fire champion.

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: Beat 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.

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]

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]

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.

• Official website
• Forged in Fire on IMDb