All language subtitles for Fire beat the judges - 1x03_track3_eng

[dramatic music]

‐ We've seen the best
bladesmiths battle it out

to earn the title
"Forged in Fire" champion.

♪ ♪

This time you're entering
a different arena, our arena.

‐ You have to beat the judge.

‐ In level one,

we're gonna test
your signature blades.

[exciting music]

Two of you will be selected
to move forward into level two

for a complex
home forge challenge.

After we've brutally tested
those blades

for the first time,

one of you will be selected
to go head to head

with one of our expert judges.

♪ ♪

And if victorious,
win $10,000.

‐ Champions, we're gonna
find out if you have the drive,

the skill, the determination
to beat the judges.

♪ ♪

[rock music]

♪ ♪

‐ My name's Burt Foster.
I'm a master bladesmith.

This is my third time here.

I was here in season two,

and I made the shotel,
where I was a champion,

and then I was back
in season three,

where I lost and gave Ben
a chance to be a judge.

Feel warm in here?
‐ No, it's just you.

‐ It's just me?
‐ Yeah.

‐ Hot flashes.
‐ [laughs]

‐ I'm a first‐place winner
and a first‐place loser,

so I kind of understand
both ends of the bracket.

I'm okay no matter who I face,

but Ben and I have
a score to settle.

Is there a way
to trade my $10,000

for some sort of
alternative prize,

like a physical spanking
of the judge?

♪ ♪

‐ My name is Jeff Wagenaar

and I'm the schiavona winner
of season five.

I'm back here
to beat the judges.

Competing for "Forged in Fire"
the first time,

the experience was awesome,
except the coal forge.

I hated every minute of it.
It just sucks.

I still hate coal, but I won
because I didn't quit.

I know I can beat the judge

because I just don't quit.

‐ My name is John McNerney.

I was season seven champion...
Oh, yeah!

I won with the General
George Patton saber.

I've got three wonderful boys
that are home.

They've prayed for me
to come here,

so it's been a really
neat experience

that I got
to come here for them.

Last time I came, I wore
a burgundy shirt and I won,

so maybe I should
just stick with that color.

♪ ♪

‐ Bladesmiths, welcome back
to The Forge.

As previous
"Forged in Fire" champions,

you've earned the distinction
of being

among the best competitive
bladesmiths in the country,

and now we're gonna
give you guys the chance

to earn the opportunity

to compete against either ABS
Master Smith J. Neilson,

two‐time "Forged in Fire"
champion Ben Abbott,

or historic weapons
re‐creation specialist

Dave Baker.

There's gonna be three levels.

This is level one:
qualify to compete.

♪ ♪

Now, each of you has brought
a signature blade

in your signature style
from home,

and that blade had to be

between 12 and 14 inches
in length.

Now it's time to see
if they hold up in our test.

So I give you Doug Marcaida.

♪ ♪

‐ Champions, this competition
is all about

beating the judges
in their arena,

but first, your blades
have to survive my arena.

I will put your blades
through a three‐part test,

where I'm gonna test
every aspect

of your blade's construction.

I will start out
by taking your blade

and trying to cut cleanly
on two pork loins.

Then I'm gonna smash and bash
on two fire bricks.

Then finally, I'm gonna
cut through two water tubes

with whatever edge
is left on your blades.

Burt, you're up first.
You ready?

‐ Let's do it.

I brought a recurved
camp knife

with 120 layers of Damascus,
and I'm confident,

but the interesting thing

about the way they've laid
these tests out

is that anybody can show up
with a sharp knife,

but when you've got a brick in
between two sharpness tests,

it's really gonna determine
whether your knife

not only got here sharp
but stays sharp.

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

‐ All right, Burt.

Cutting through
the loins, very easy.

No resistance whatsoever.

Now, on the fire brick,
there are no glints

and no rolls
on the edge of your blade.

With the water tube slice,

it cut through cleanly
on the first tube.

You did a great job.

‐ Thank you.
‐ All right, Jeff.

May I have the pleasure
of wielding your blade?

‐ Absolutely, sir.

I made a version
of a Musso Bowie.

Rubber G10 handle.

I'm very confident that
this thing can take a beating,

but Burt took no damage
whatsoever in the test,

so I am sweating right now.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[exhales sharply]

‐ All right, Jeff, let's talk
about your blade here.

It's a heavier blade.

That edge cuts easily
on the pork loins.

When I was cutting
into the fire bricks,

no damage whatsoever
to your edge.

On the water tube slice,
it cut into the first tube

and into the second tube,
but not cleanly all the way,

but overall,
job well done.

‐ Thank you, sir.

‐ All right, John,
it's your turn, sir.

May I have the pleasure
of wielding your blade?

‐ Yes, sir.

I made a recurve Bowie
made out of 5160,

desert ironwood handle.

I know I worked really hard
to make it

really functional
and tough,

but I watched
the other two guys go,

and they didn't really have
any damage to their edge,

so I'm getting nervous.
Oh, man, I hope it holds up.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

‐ All right, John.
It is very sharp.

As a matter of fact,
on the first couple of cuts,

very clean cuts
because it's very light.

No resistance whatsoever.

On the fire brick chop,
there are no rolls

and no chips on your blade.

On the water tube slice,

it cut through
the first water tube.

Overall, sir, good job.

‐ Thank you, sir.

[tense music]

‐ All right, gentlemen.

You've all made beautiful
and capable qualifying blades,

however only two of you can
move forward this competition.

♪ ♪

John, congratulations.

You're moving forward
into level two,

but that's means
that you've got to compete

against one of these guys,

and you know that these guys
are tough competitors.

The bladesmith moving forwardio

of this competition is...

♪ ♪

Burt Foster.
Congratulations.

Jeff, unfortunately,
this time around,

your blade just didn't
make the cut,

and Doug Marcaida
is gonna tell you why.

‐ Jeff, all the blades
performed equally,

but yours was the heaviest
of the lot,

and that's the only reason why.

♪ ♪

‐ All right, Jeff,
so by just a few ounces,

it looks like you're
not moving forward.

Come on,
my friends.

‐ It was just because
of the weight.

I respect Doug's opinion.
He had to pick somebody.

And if I was gonna lose,

I would have picked
those two guys.

‐ Hey, next time.
‐ Bring me back.

I want my shot at a judge.

[dramatic music]

‐ Burt, John, congratulations.

You guys are in the second
level of this competition,

which means that we're now
sending you back

to your home forges
to re‐create one of the weapons

from our
"Forged in Fire" vault.

[suspenseful music]

Butterfly swords.

♪ ♪

‐ Featured in season three
of "Forged in Fire,"

butterfly swords

are a traditional
southern Chinese weapon.

In our previous competition,

the smiths were challenged

by not only having
to forge a matched set

but also making the two swords
fit in one scabbard

to appear as a single weapon
while sheathed.

This defining
historical feature

ultimately led
to the defeat of one smith

when both of his weapons
could not fit into one hand.

‐ In previous competition,
our competitors had five days

to complete these weapons.

We're only gonna give you four,

and they must fall within
the following parameters:

the length of the blade must
be between 13 and 15 inches,

you must include a D‐Guard,

and your butterfly swords
must be a mirrored set,

but don't worry.

We're gonna provide you

with the primary ingredient
for success

in this competition,

and that's these.

Two 52100 steel ball bearings,

and it is the only
high‐carbon steel

that you can use in the
creation of these two blades.

‐ I only have these two ball
bearings to work with,

so we can't make mistakes.

I have to be very methodical

and I have to be very precise.

‐ Remember, success
in level two means

that you've earned
the opportunity to compete

against one of our judges
and possibly win $10,000.

Good luck.
We'll see you in four days.

♪ ♪

‐ Start of day one.

I'm back here
at my home forge.

I gotta build
a pair of butterfly knives.

We've got two ball bearings,

and that's the only steel

that we get to use
for the blades.

It's 52100.

They're extremely difficult
to work with.

The trick with this stuff
is not to let it get cold.

When it gets too cold,
it just doesn't want to move,

and if it gets too hot,

it just completely
falls apart.

So if something goes wrong
on forging,

I'm up a creek
without a paddle.

We're making pairs, right?

So you've got to work
two things at once.

Making a pair is one

of the most difficult things
to do as a smith.

So I'm doing both blades
at the same time,

so I have both blades in mind
as I'm going along.

There we go.

I'm pretty happy
with where I'm at right now.

[exciting music]

‐ So it's day one.

Gonna make
a couple of butterfly swords.

First thing I need to do is

heat that giant ball bearing
up, see what happens.

Dante's fourth level of Hell
would be breaking down

three‐inch ball bearings
by hand.

The plan today is to
completely finish the knives

from beginning to end.

Might as well shoot big, right?

The downside is, if I mess up
with these ball bearings,

there's no other high‐carbon
steel I can use in this blade.

I'm cutting this bar in half

and then get what I need to
out of both ends.

My plan is to get both blades
out of the first bearing,

and that leaves an entire
second ball bearing as back‐up,

just in case.

I'm in a hurry
at the end of day one,

'cause I really want to get
these blades quenched,

and if these quenches don't go
the way I need them to go,

I'm starting day two
right back at the place

I started this morning.

♪ ♪

It's the end of day one
and I have

two heat‐treated blades.

‐ Start of day two.

I gotta start working
on the Damascus for the guard.

This is a big deal.

I'm going up against
the master smith,

so I want to do
a ladder pattern

Damascus D‐Guard to really
set this thing apart.

I just need to forge it out
to the billet

and then turn it
into a ladder pattern.

I've got my Damascus billet
done for my guards.

It's time to get
the blades quenches.

It's do or die time.

I really need this quench
to go well.

I don't have any more
ball bearings,

and if something goes wrong
with this,

I have no idea
what I'm gonna do.

♪ ♪

That looks good.

Number two.

♪ ♪

Really good.
Really good.

‐ Day three.

I'm gonna get
these D‐Guards done

and matched and out of the way.

These D‐Guards have
a lot of curves in them,

and I'm having trouble
getting them to match.

It's getting so tedious.

I have to basically take it in
at every single step,

because it has to be the same.

I am making a hot mess
of this D‐Guard.

I'm having to constantly
go back and forth

between guard A,
guard B,

guard A,
guard B.

One of the key parameters
of these two sword blades

is that they are perfect
mirrors of one another,

and if they're not a perfect
mirror, I am screwed.

‐ Congratulations.ese b,

I'm never gonna
get them to match.

I think I've got a plan.

If I tack weld them together

so that I can just bend them
as a unit

and have them be
right on top of one another,

figure it might work,

and it certainly
couldn't be worse

than what I've already tried.

It worked a lot better.

I get the D‐Guards
to fit on the handle,

and it feel great having
all that hard stuff behind me.

‐ Start of day four.

I'm ready to get
these butterflies together.

I need to assemble
all the handle parts

and then secure it with glue.

I've got some
African blackwood.

I also am gonna put
a couple of spacers.

One's gonna be brass
and the other one's

gonna be silver.

Along with the Damascus,

I think they'll
look real pretty.

Think I'm good.

So at this point,
they're glued up, scary sharp,

but I think I got
one more test.

You ready?
Go ahead.

[Western cowboy music]

Give me one more, guys.
Oh, wait.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
One more.

Hey! Hey!
Okay, okay, okay.

[laughing]

[tense music]

♪ ♪

‐ Burt, John, welcome back.

We sent you guys back
to your home forges

to make a set
of matched butterfly swords.

Burt, tell us
about your blades.

‐ So I've got two mirrored
butterfly swords

both made
from one ball bearing.

The handles are curly maple,
and the guards are mild steel.

‐ John, tell us
about your build.

‐ So I used both
ball bearings.

I did use Damascus
for the guards,

and I really tried
to accomplish everything being

a real good pair.

‐ Your blades look beautiful,
but now it's time

to see who moves on

to the next level
of this competition.

The way that
we're gonna determine that,

we're gonna put your blades
through a series of tests.

Up first is the strength test,

and to perform that strength
test is one of our judges,

the judge that you will
not be competing against

in the final level,
if you make it there,

and that judge is...

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

David Baker.

‐ I thought it would
be anybody

but Dave
coming out to test my blade.

‐ [chuckling]

‐ Well, I was wrong.
[laughing]

‐ All right, gentlemen.
Good to see you both again.

Now, to test the strength
and durability of your blades,

I'll be taking your weapons
and chopping into this bamboo.

Burt, you're up first.
You ready for this?

‐ Let's do it.
‐ Okay.

‐ My heart's beating
a mile a minute.

What I'm most worried about
is the balance and the handle

and how does it fit
in his hand?

I can't tell.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

‐ Burt, there's not a mark
on the blades.

The edge is still perfect.
Beautiful blades.

Really well executed.
Super strong and well done.

‐ Thank you.

‐ All right, John,
you ready for this?

‐ Ready to go.
‐ All right.

‐ I feel pretty good.
Still apprehensive.

'Cause I'm looking
at dried bamboo

that they're gonna beat
my blade up against.

Burt's blades did really good.
Mine better do the same thing.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

‐ Right off, John,
the blades are still sharp.

There's no marks on them.

They're still
straight and true.

Only issue I really have with
this blade is that, right here,

on the edge, your handle
is just a little

on the sharp side.

I kind of feel it right there.

But they're well‐balanced.
Good job.

‐ Thank you.

♪ ♪

‐ Champions, now it's time
to test for its sharpness.

To do that,
I will take your weapons

and try to slash across
these heavy‐duty fire hoses.

Burt, you're up first.
You ready?

‐ Let's go.
‐ Let's do this.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

All right, Burt, let's talk
about your butterfly swords.

It took three cuts
to cut all the way through.

I was expecting more.
Those are heavy duty hoses.

What I like about
your swords is that

they're equal in balance,
and when you're wielding

two swords,
you want to feel that.

You don't want one
to be heavier than the other,

and as you can see,
your edges are very sharp.

Overall, sir, good job.

‐ Thank you.

‐ John, it's your turn.
You ready?

‐ Yep.
‐ Let's do this.

♪ ♪

‐ Good job.
‐ Thanks.

♪ ♪

‐ All right, John, let's talk
about your butterfly swords.

I like to choke up
on the guard,

'cause then I can get
full control of that.

If I do so,
then I can feel it on one side

there's a little bit
of a hot spot there,

but the sword is sharp.

It's got great balance.
Wonderful job.

‐ Thank you, sir.

♪ ♪

‐ I'm trying to piece it
all together.

Do I have an edge?
Does John have an edge?

It's anybody's game
at this point.

‐ I could still pull one out.

I did do better
in the sharpness test,

and we were the same
in the strength test.

[both speaking quietly]

♪ ♪

‐ All right, gentlemen,
the reason that we used

champions like you guys
is so that

the craftsmanship
becomes the determining factor

in the judges' decisions.

So the bladesmith
moving forward

in our Beat the Judges
competition is...

♪ ♪

Burt.
Congratulations.

‐ John, you brought us
a set of blades

that performed beautifully,

but that handle just had
a hot spot on it

that we just can't look past.
It was that close.

Nice job.

‐ Thank you.

‐ John, I have to ask you

to please leave The Forge.
Come on forward, guys.

‐ Obviously,
I'm pretty disappointed

that I don't get
to go to the next level,

but I got to go up against
a master bladesmith,

and it was this little issue
that got me bumped out,

but I'd never go up
against somebody

that I think I can't beat.

So if I get the chance
to come back,

one of your judges
is going down.

♪ ♪

‐ Bladesmith, congratulations.

You've made it to the final
level of this competition,

which means you get to face off

against one
of our expert judges

for the opportunity
to win $10,000.

‐ I'm thinking
it's gonna be Ben.

Last time I was here,
Ben won and I lost,

but this time, I'm gonna crush.

‐ You'll be competing
against...

♪ ♪

J. Neilson.

‐ [laughs]

Oh, crap.

J.'s got a lot
of knife‐making experience,

but I've known him
for 15 years.

When he tested for
his master smith rating,

I was one of his judges.

‐ How you doing, my friend?

When I see Burt, I'm tickled.

Burt made one
of the most beautiful,

[indistinct] weapons
I've ever seen

on "Forged in Fire."

I've got my work
cut out for me now.

‐ Gentlemen, in the final level
of this competition,

you'll be using these.

♪ ♪

5160 coil springs.

You must use
a San Mai technique

utilizing
your 5160 coil springs

to make a matched set
of fighting knives.

‐ 5160 in the coil form
can be difficult,

but then, when I have
to make two blades,

and I have to
make them duplicate,

and then I have to do this
against Burt Foster,

then it becomes a challenge.

‐ Gentlemen, your fighting
knives must be between

15 and 17 inches in length,

they must have functional
guards and handles,

and your blades need
to be forged, tempered,

and completed
all within eight hours.

Good luck.
Your eight hours starts now.

[rock music]

♪ ♪

‐ Oh, that's awesome.
Oh!

‐ All right.

‐ We've got Burt Foster
competing against J. Neilson.

They have to make two fighting
knives in eight straight hours.

‐ These are two big knives.
That's a very tall order.

‐ You know, what I like
about this is that J.,

sitting from here, has seen how
to do things and everything,

but Burt has
the actual experience

of working on the forge,

knowing the timing
of everything.

‐ I wonder what it feels like
for J. Neilson,

the Beast from the East,

competing against the guy

who sat on his ABS master smith
testing,

and then for Burt

to be competing next to a guy
who kicked him

out of The Forge the last time
he was here so‐‐

‐ It's a grudge match.

‐ So here goes J.

right to the hardy hole
with his coil

and those pair of tongs.

He's struggling
a little bit here.

‐ That's not gonna work.

‐ These tongs aren't taking it.
More heat can't hurt.

5160 is very forgiving.

‐ These are
1‐inch diameter springs.

Even orange hot like that,

they're not as plastic
as they look.

♪ ♪

‐ J. just stopped his steel
on the floor in the back.

Already, exhaustion setting in

ten minutes
into the competition.

[laughter]

♪ ♪

‐ All right.
Try it this way.

♪ ♪

‐ All right, so J. got
a little bit

of movement there
on that coil.

‐ I'm looking to get the same
experience our contestants do.

So getting that experience
and being able to get back

at the judges table,

I might be a little more
sympathetic, maybe.

Don't hold your breath
about it though.

‐ Burt's moved over
to the chop saw.

He's also reducing the size
of his coil spring.

‐ I like what Burt's doing,
because he's using two coils.

He's gonna work either blade,
put one in,

take the other one out.

It's the right way
to utilize your time.

‐ Once I get my two pieces
heating up,

I know they're gonna
take a while.

‐ What is he doing?

‐ Oh, that's what he made.

He made a straightening
[indistinct].

‐ What?
‐ Straightening [indistinct],

it's not even a‐‐

Yeah.
‐ That is so cool.

‐ Burt just made
quick work

of that coil.
‐ Oh, yeah.

‐ That's a brilliant maneuver
right there.

‐ This is my third time here,
and if I beat a judge,

what it would say is that last
time I lost, it was a fluke.

[laughing]

‐ I have no idea what Burt's‐‐

I don't even know
what style knife he's making.

I don't know if it's full‐tang,
hidden‐tang.

I have no clue.

‐ I made four.
I'm picking the best two.

‐ This is why
I don't pay attention to him.

What I've got to do now
is clean up the 5160,

cut it in half,

figure out how much platting

I want to put on the sides,
and then start my forge weld.

I am competing for the
National Melanoma Foundation.

Close family member recently
had an issue,

and my wife,
being a nurse,

we figured
throw them some support.

‐ I don't think J.'s gonna
use flux for this.

‐ We've seen,
time and time again,

you can just make a nightmare
for yourself using flux.

More flux you put on there,

the more of a mess
you're gonna make.

It's just more of a mess
you got to deal with later.

Let us bow our heads.

Lord, please don't let people

try to use flux
as glue this time.

‐ [laughing]

‐ Instead of using flux,
I spray lubricant all over it,

and you don't have to worry
about occlusions.

It's just gonna burn out,

make that coating,
seal that steel up.

‐ That works very, very well.
‐ Right.

‐ Especially when
everything's tight.

‐ I give it one nice,
gentle squeeze.

Everything seems
to be holding together.

‐ So I take a piece of 5160
that's clean,

I stack my 15N20 on it,

and I start welding
all the seams together.

The last time I was here,

I had to make a San Mai

that was in more
of a taco shape.

This is just three
clean layers,

and it's a lot easier
to weld and seal

the whole thing up
to protect it from oxygen.

♪ ♪

‐ Bladesmiths, two hours
has elapsed!

‐ Are you done yet?

‐ No, I'm not.
‐ [laughing]

I started making knives
as a hobby,

and it just snowballed
out of control.

I had no intention of making
a living making knives,

and I sure as heck
never intended on being a judge

on a knife‐making TV show.

I'm making my version
of the Beast from the East.

I'm doing a full‐tang
instruction,

so I need to have
two bolt holes.

[grinding]

‐ Oh, oh, oh.
‐ Oh, that's not gonna work.

‐ Come on, you [bleep].

I'm feeling very frustrated,

because in my shop,
I'd blow through them

like nothing
on a cheapo drill press.

Now, I come here with this
nice big drill press,

it doesn't work.
There's something wrong here.

‐ You get out there
on the floor,

you're trying to do it
the way you normally do it,

but it's not the way
you normally do it.

‐ Right.

‐ I need to get
these holes in.

If I can't figure
something out,

my plan is totally shot,

'cause I can't
just epoxy scales

and just leave them that way.

‐ Oh, man.

‐ Come on, you [bleep].

‐ I'm feeling very frustrated,

because I've seen
hundreds of smiths

out on the floor
fighting with drill bits.

‐ Ooh.
‐ If that snaps in that hole,

that's gonna be a nightmare.

all: Oh!

And there, it happened.

Now I'm on the floor
doing the same thing.

I would definitely be yelling
at myself right now.

♪ ♪

I need to get these holes in.

Otherwise, my plan
is totally shot.

So what I do is
step down a couple sizes.

I take an 1/8‐inch bit,

drill a hole all
the way through,

take the next step up,
drill all the way through.

Doing it this way,

it's less material
for the bits to fight against.

[stammers]

I finally get
through these pins.

Now I can move on.

‐ For me, a fighting knife
means ease of offensive use.

Period.
It's one purpose: combat.

‐ They have to be matched,

so I can't make them
independent of one another.

I need to make them
next to each other.

In some cases,
I need to actually make them

on top of each other,

to make sure
that they're the same.

‐ That's a great idea.

Four hours has elapsed.

That is half the time
in this competition.

‐ If I were out there,
I would quench right now.

‐ I just did four‐plus hours
making these blades,

so if something goes wrong
with the warp,

I'm gonna be very upset.

‐ Burt should be going
for a quench

just about now.

‐ I may look calm,

but I'm really
frenzied inside.

If this blade goes
horribly wrong,

it's not my fault.
It's the clock.

♪ ♪

‐ And there's a quench
for Burt.

There's J. with his quench.

‐ First one's done.
Now on to the second.

‐ Burt quenches second blade.
‐ I don't need a file test.

I know I've got them hard.

I'd go home a happy man
at this point.

[tense music]

‐ J.'s second blade
is quenched.

‐ Sounds hard to me.
But if anyone in this room

knows if that's hard
or not, it's J. Neilson.

‐ Coming out with two hardened
straight blades,

I'm pretty happy.

‐ Burt heading over
to the tempering oven,

but J's pulling the torch out.

‐ Okay, so he's gonna
torch temper.

‐ Now that the blades
are hardened,

at the same time,
they're very brittle.

So next thing you need
to do is temper them,

and that pulls the brittleness
out of the steel

while still leaving
the toughness in there.

‐ The advantage to the torch
is that the process

is gonna happen
a little quicker.

The advantage to the oven

is it's gonna take
a little longer,

but I can be doing something
else while they're in there.

The tempering process
would normally be four hours,

but even though I'd love
to do everything

the way I do it at home,
I can't,

'cause that red clock
is on the wall ticking away.

I'm gonna just leave them
in there for about 30 minutes,

and hopefully that's enough.

This is a much quicker,

shorter temper
than I would normally do.

So it's a risk.

Now I want
to start slotting my guards.

‐ The nice thing about using
the tempering ovens

is that the temperature
is so finely controlled.

I would do that
over J.'s eyeball temperature.

‐ So what I'm doing is bluing
everything on the back spine.

The easiest way to check
your torch temper

is to just look
at the colors on the blade.

You want to get that down to,
ideally, a straw yellow color,

right on the edge
of the blade.

Good work.
Everything looks okay to me.

I think I was able to pull it
off in about 15, 20 minutes.

‐ Bladesmiths, you have only
two and a half hours.

‐ The guards are in place.

Now it's time to get
the handles together.

‐ Now, he's got the added
challenge of trying

to get his handle material

butted up against the guard
with those welds in place.

‐ Ooh, that's terrible.

I see this gap between the
scales and the guard itself.

If I had these gaps at home,
I'd take the handle scales off,

toss them, and start
with a whole brand new set,

but I have no time
for that in this competition.

I'm putting little G10 shims
in there,

supergluing them in place,
and just contouring

with the rest of the handle
to match up.

‐ We've heard a lot
of critiquing of the smiths

and their techniques.

Now, we get to see J.
kind of put it to the test.

‐ Me being on the floor,
I can understand

the compromise
you've got to make.

You know, you've got
to make sacrifices

and short cuts to get through.

I just don't want
anything to break,

'cause I will never hear
the end of that.

♪ ♪

‐ Oh, no.

‐ We obviously have an issue.

[laughing]

‐ I've been talking smack
all morning,

so, uh, I better come out
with something.

I glue my handles on,
put the pins in,

and I have two giant chunks
of micarta

that don't look anything
like a handle.

I've got to completely
shape them

and I've got
to sharpen this knife.

‐ It is remarkable to see
two master smiths

running neck and neck.

I mean, these guys
have been right there

on each other's heels
this entire time.

‐ So I've got the finger well
into my handle to protect you

from sliding your hand up
if you're stabbing.

So I've got to blend
this whole thing together.

I always tell everybody
don't [bleep] up.

Guess what?
J. Neilson just [bleep] up.

I was rushing
a little too much,

and I just ground
this finger well way too deep.

‐ Look at the depth
of that finger well.

With a deep finger well,
it can be

a little less comfortable
and a little less control.

‐ I don't have the time
to add material,

so this is what I've got,

and I've just got
to try and make it

as comfortable as possible.

Hopefully, this finger well
doesn't cost me

the competition.

‐ Now, Burt's handles
are really coming

along over here.

‐ The handles
are looking good.

I don't want to rush
when I'm sharpening.

I want to take my time
and do it right.

I need to come all the way
to a final edge,

and then I need to go over
and finish it by hand

to make sure it's just right.

‐ 30 seconds.
‐ Need WD40 too, Burt?

‐ Thanks, buddy.

‐ Master smiths use
every second

that's left on that clock.

♪ ♪

Five, four, three, two, one.

Bladesmith, shut down
your machines.

Stop what you're doing.

Congratulations, you guys

have completed our eight‐hour

Beat the Judges Forge.
Good job, gents.

‐ Whoo!
‐ Whoo‐hoo‐hoo!

‐ Thank you.
That was fun.

‐ Thank you.
That was great, man.

‐ I know J.

His blades
are gonna perform great,

and I think mine
are gonna perform great.

I think it's gonna come down
to small differences.

I'm representing all
of the guys who have sat

under his critical eye
and have thought to themself,

"Yeah, put yourself in my shoes
and try it from down here."

♪ ♪

‐ Master smiths,
welcome to the KEAL test.

To find out what kind
of lethal damage

your dual fighting knives
will do,

I will take them

and do some lethal blows
on this ballistics dummy.

Burt, you're up first.
You ready?

‐ I'm nervous,
but that guy looks terrified.

‐ Let's do this.

[both chuckling]

‐ I think my blades are gonna
have the long, pointy,

quick geometry
that's gonna make them

really effective against
these ballistic dummies.

I don't expect all
the king's horses

and all the king's men
to be able

to put this dummy back together
when Doug's done with it.

[tense music]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Sheesh.

♪ ♪

‐ All right, Burt,
first up,

the feel of the blade

really feels
like a combat blade.

It wants to thrust,
it wants to slash.

It just feels like one unit

working in conjunction
with the other.

Overall, sir, it will KEAL.

‐ Thank you.

‐ All right, J.,

it's your turn.
You ready for this?

‐ Do what you do, Doug.

Going into testing,

the only thing
that really concerns me

is those finger wells
that I brought in too deep.

Burt's blades
are straight on, lighter.

Mine got a little bit more
of a curve

and a little bit
heavier.

I think my blades are gonna
tear this dummy apart.

♪ ♪

‐ Awesome.

♪ ♪

‐ [laughing]

♪ ♪

‐ All right, J.

These are choppers,
slashers.

As fighting knives,
these are quite effective.

In the fourth hit,
no head.

Your handle construction
is interesting.

That's a deep finger well
that you have in there.

But actually,

because you have
the flare there,

I'm able to control it,

but more importantly, sir,
your weapons will KEAL.

‐ Thanks, sir.

♪ ♪

‐ Bladesmiths,
to test the strength

and overall durability
of your edge

and tips as well as the overall
construction of your blades,

I'll be stabbing
and chopping into these logs.

Burt, you're up first.
You ready for this?

‐ Let's do it.

My one concern might be that
the knife didn't sit in temper

nearly as long
as I would like it to.

So the knife could be a little
bit more brittle than I wish.

My heart's racing.
The whole blade could crack.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

‐ Good job, bro.

‐ Could have been worse.
[scoffs]

‐ Well, Burt, your edges
look wonderful.

During that extreme tip flex,
your blades held up.

Obviously, they're all still
in one piece,

and the handles
are very comfortable.

Great stabbers
and great choppers.

Well done.
‐ Thank you.

‐ All right, J., you're up.
How you feeling?

‐ Ready to go.

‐ Last chance for
anything to break.

[snickering]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

‐ Well, J., your blades
held up perfectly.

But there's one thing
about both these blades

that I just really don't like,
and it's that finger well.

It put my finger so far
out of the game

that I was swinging
with these three fingers,

and this finger
was rattling around in there

and actually getting battered.

But, uh, there's no denying
your edge and tips held up

really well in this test,
so congratulations.

‐ Thanks.

♪ ♪

‐ All right, gentlemen,

it's time
for the sharpness test.

I'll be taking your weapons
and slicing into these bags.

This test is all about what
your weapons do to that target.

Burt, you're up first.
You ready?

‐ Yep, let's do it.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

‐ All right, right off, Burt,

I just love
the look of these things.

The aggressive point,
the grind,

the shape of the grind.

As far as being sharp goes,

these just passed through
the bags.

There wasn't any
resistance to them at all.

And I think you did
a great job.

‐ Thank you.
‐ Hey, J.

Now I get to play
with your stuff.

‐ Go for it.
‐ [laughing]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

‐ All right, J.

A lot of weight
in these blades,

but I like the shape
for that chopping.

I'm really familiar with this
handle shape from you,

but this is a lot deeper
than you usually put it.

My finger falls into that hole,

and everything else
kind of wants to follow it.

The first two bags,
the cuts weren't good,

and that was really
my hand position

more than anything else.

Everything just kind
of bunches up.

Definitely sharp blades.

Held up beautifully.
Good job, man.

‐ Thanks.

♪ ♪

‐ All right, judges.

J. Neilson faced off
against Burt Foster.

Now I need you guys to tell me
who's taking home

the 10 grand and the win.
What do you think?

‐ In the strength test,
when I was using J.'s,

this finger ended up
banging against the guard

because of that really
deep finger well.

It just didn't have
any grip to it.

‐ Burt's knives,

the handle for me feels very,
very comfortable.

It's a light, fast blade,
and it cut beautifully.

‐ Burt's blades here
are lighter.

It's faster with the cuts,
so we can move around with it.

J.'s is a demolisher.
This cuts so much deeper.

‐ Okay, have you guys
made your final decision?

‐ Yes.
‐ All right.

Gentlemen, the judges
have deliberated.

They're made
their final decision.

This has been an incredible
competition between you two.

It's been a long road
for you, Burt.

You've done a lot of work
to get yourself back

into a position
to earn some money.

J., you stepped
into this forge

and you really put
on a good show for us.

But there can only be
one winner,

and that winner is...

♪ ♪

Burt Foster.

Congratulations.
You've won,

and that comes with a check
for $10,000.

Good job, brother.

‐ Thank you.
‐ It was a good challenge.

Good competition.
Burt made beautiful blades,

and if I'm gonna lose
to anybody,

I'm more than happy
to lose to Burt Foster.

‐ Good job, man.
‐ Thank you.

Appreciate it.

I'm a master bladesmith,

I'm a "Forged in Fire"
champion,

and I just beat a judge.

Thank you.
Appreciate it.

I commend J.

This was just
millimeters apart.

Man, we were neck and neck.

Doesn't get any better
than that.

Group hug?
‐ Group hug!

[laughter]

♪ ♪