Original subtitles

- Throughout history,

the blade and one's ability to wield it

has been the difference between life and death.

Tonight, America's top bladesmiths, martial artists,

and knife experts bring their weapons

to the toughest challenge...

- Come on, let's do this! - They'll ever face.

- It's a grueling gauntlet

designed to put their blade-wielding skills...

Whoa! To the ultimate test.

Broke the knife in half!

The top two competitors move on to Dead Run,

the final showdown,

for a chance at a $20,000 grand prize.

Total carnage!

Who can do the most damage in the fastest time?

Whose blade and dreams will shatter?

And who will earn the title of "Knife or Death" champion?

- I love making knives, but I never had any idea

I would get to do something like this.

- As far as I'm concerned,

second place is the first loser,

and I play to win.

- Ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to the most punishing knife competition ever created.

Your first course, Knife Fight.

The Knife Fight course is a true test of speed and power.

The first obstacle you'll face: Trail Blazer.

You must sever six 1-inch-thick sections

of high-tension hemp rope,

each releasing a lit torch.

When the torches fall,

it's time to move on to the next obstacle,

Stick and Move.

You must stab, slice,

and cut through three separate containers

to release enough contents so that

the attached counterweights reach the ground

before the containers rise too high to hit.

Next up is Ice Pick.

You must chop into a 3-foot block of ice,

puncture the plastic pipe, and release the red liquid.

Then you move on to Lifeline, a sudden-death obstacle.

You must fully slice through three hanging objects

with one swing each.

Fail to slice through the thickest part,

your run time ends here,

and you're not allowed to go on any further in the course.

Your last obstacle is Curtain Call,

where you must completely cut through the wall of meat

and the sheet of metal.

- Knife Fight is crazy.

There's fire, a maze of ropes and boxes, and just--

You know, it's system overload for me.

- After every competitor finishes

and penalties are added up,

the two that make it the farthest the fastest

will move on to our second,

even more grueling course challenge, Dead Run.

The winner will get the chance to move on

to our grand champion showdown

at the end of the season to compete for $20,000

and the title of "Knife or Death" champion.

I'm honored to introduce to you

Special Forces Green Beret Tu Lam.

- The durability, strength, and sharpness of your blade

will be critical to your success today.

Our blade specialist and "Forged in Fire" winner,

Travis Wuertz,

will give your blade one final look-over.

If he finds any problems with your blade,

he can disqualify you from this competition.

- Time to get down to business.

- My name is Zane Blackwell.

I'm 58 years old, and I'm from Eden, Texas.

I grew up in a 30,000-acre ranch in central Texas.

I'll always have that running through my veins.

I've been carrying a knife in my pocket

since I was 10 years old

and finally started making them about 1995.

I've probably made north of 100 blades.

- Well, what do you got there? - Got a bowie.

- Who made this knife? - I made it.

- Awesome. Definitely a robust edge,

but not too thick,

and becoming a nice fine angle.

Should have good edge geometry.

- I hope. - I got some tatami mat there.

I'm just gonna do a couple little swings...

- Let's see what it'll do.

- Just to kind of make sure it's safe.

Got a nice grip.

Got a nice blade. Definitely sharp.

Congratulations. This knife makes the cut.

- Thank you very much. - Good luck.

- When I walked out the door,

I told my wife to wish me luck.

She said, "I'm not wishing you luck.

Kick ass."

So now I'm obligated.

- Zane is all business.

He brings in the legendary bowie knife

known by Jim Bowie

on the Battle of the Alamo.

In fact, Jim Bowie drove this blade through the heart

of one of his opponents in a duel.

- This is a high-noon moment if I've ever seen it.

Zane Blackwell versus Trail Blazer.

Here he goes.

The sharpness of that blade is evident.

Had a little bit of an issue. Look at that.

Didn't rush through. Took his time.

That's one hell of a score.

- Now, the key to this is, hit it at an angle.

- Ooh. - Now he's hitting on top.

- First time I've ever seen that.

- Yes. - That was brilliant!

Weight's down. He totally destroys it.

Right through the Octopus.

- No issues. - Oh, man, I tell you what.

That was quick. Counterweight down.

- Now he's on to the crate. - There he is at the crate.

Vertical chop, thinking that it's gonna drain the box,

slowing him down a little bit.

- Man, this guy's coming in with some power.

- You know what? He doesn't want to drain it.

This guy wants to demolish that crate.

The first two weights hit the ground.

The weight on the crate did not.

You think Zane's still got enough gas

to take on that ice block?

- You know, we're talking about a Texan here.

- Zane's off, enters straight from the top.

- He should attack it at those corners.

- I'll tell you what, those are some vicious,

speedy strikes.

That thing isn't oozing.

It's gushing.

Let's see how the Texan stacks up against the chicken.

Sudden death. One slice.

You do not go through, you immediately go home.

He took care of the chicken in one slice.

Tube, one slice.

Fish...

- He did not slow down

and look at the proper angles of attack for it.

He's just trying to blow right through it.

- I'm real disappointed about the fish.

- You see time and time again,

right at the point of elimination,

there is despair.

- My wife is gonna kick my ass.

- My name's Chris Berry, and I'm a stay-at-home dad.

I've been making knives for about ten years.

I've been in a lot of knife competitions.

I've won a regional competition.

I love competing.

I love seeing how much power and accuracy

I can put in to the knife.

- What do you got there?

- My BladeSports competition knife.

It holds an edge really well,

and it cuts better than anything I've ever used.

- Did you make this knife? - I did.

- Nice fine edge,

yet it's got some mass in the spine.

- Yes. - I see a nice tapered tang.

- Got to get that balance where I want it.

- Yeah. You look like a guy

that knows about weight distribution.

- Definitely. Yes.

- So I'm gonna go ahead and take a few swings on it

on the tatami mat.

- Let's see what you can do with it.

- Chris, nice knife.

Your knife makes the cut.

- Excellent. Thank you so much.

I'm very confident I can make it to Dead Run.

Let's get the action going and make some chips fly.

- Chris Berry walks in,

and they don't call him "Big Bad Chris" for nothing.

- He looks like some medieval Viking.

- If Chris brings the power he possesses

along with some velocity, he's gonna destroy this course.

Anticipation mounts.

I have never seen

a competitor... - Wow. Wow!

- Go through there so effortlessly.

What did we just watch?

I mean, that was unbelievable.

- He just ran through it, and then the ropes just cut.

- But success at Trail Blazer

does not ensure success at Stick and Move.

It's all about plan of attack

and not incurring any penalties.

Look at that. That is strategy right there.

- That is precision. - Counterweight down!

- Attacking high. No, he's attacking the low.

- Now, will he take his time and make sure

that that weight hits the floor before he moves on?

It has not hit the floor yet.

- Wow. He's destroying that crate!

- He destroyed it.

Counterweight two did not touch the ground.

There's a penalty.

Will that come back to bite him?

- But that speed in how he went through is impressive.

- Big Chris is known to go through a 2x4

in two to three chops.

Let's see how he takes on Ice Pick.

And there he goes.

He took it on from the top.

- This guy is a power horse.

- Total destruction at Ice Pick!

- Wow. Wow.

- Look at the ice in his beard.

We know Chris has the force.

We know he has the blade,

but will he rush through this?

Stares down the chicken. Let's see how he does.

Very precise cut right through it.

Right through the tube. - He needs to take his time!

- Here we go. On to the fish!

Beautiful! Wow!

- This guy has power.

He has precision. He knows how to attack.

- Stepping up to Curtain Call.

Sliced right through the pork.

Let's see how many strokes it takes.

That's domination!

Big Chris completes Curtain Call.

- Wow.

- He just went, "Peck, peck, peck, peck, peck, peck, peck.

See you." That was amazing.

To me, he's the first competitive chopper

who's come to this course and adapted to it.

- He took his time, and he executed with precision.

They're hard competitors to beat.

- I'm Jose Legaspi. I'm 37 years old.

I'm originally from Queens, New York.

I'm a career soldier.

I'm now an instructor in Fort Benning

teaching the next wave of soldiers to go and kick ass.

My martial arts background is in ninjutsu.

Having been hit in the face for real,

I can tell you it works.

- What have you brought me today?

- I brought you a competition chopper with a tanto tip, sir.

I commissioned this blade to be exactly the way I want it.

It's got a 15-inch total length

with a 10 1/2-inch cutting edge.

- Do you know the blade steel? - Yes, sir, it's 5160.

- Ah, cool, so nice tough steel,

and I like the weight balance.

What's your training using this?

- Wherever I'm stationed at,

I try to find a place to train at.

- You're active military? - Yes, sir.

- Thank you, sir. - Thank you, sir.

- I'm just gonna take a few swings, make sure it's safe.

- Yes, sir.

- All right.

The knife definitely cuts, but...

I'm actually surprised.

The tatami mat made a little bit of dulling,

But I feel safe here.

Your knife makes the cut.

- Thank you, sir. - Good luck.

- Thank you.

- Jose is bringing a modified chopper.

- I'm pretty interested in seeing the hybrid

between the chopper and the tanto.

Samurais used the tanto blade for a close hit

in close quarters.

The tanto blade, in history, is a fighting blade.

It's not really made to hack through things.

- Jose has vowed never to back down from an enemy.

Today, Knife Fight is his enemy.

Jose's off. One slice.

There he goes.

Little bit of an issue with the second one.

- Jose trains in Filipino martial arts,

so a lot of angular movement. - Back strike.

- I see a lot of shifting weight.

- Did him service there.

Crosses the line. Pretty decent time.

Let's see how he takes on Stick and Move.

- You can see his martial art background as he swings

in number one angle and number two angle of attack.

- One thing's for sure, one weight down.

He's on to the two.

He has to use full-body control

in this obstacle right here.

- See how he's able to double-up on that blade?

He's using the whole full momentum of his weight

to angle down on it.

- See, it's rising up out of his reach.

Will the weight hit the ground?

It will not.

Okay, moving on to the box. Hitting it from all areas.

- I would take out the structure of that box.

- Very powerful moves,

but it's not doing much to the box.

- It's that geometry of that blade.

That handle doesn't have enough curve for him to chop.

Just shows you it's all about leverage.

- He crossed the line before the weight hit the ground.

Again, not having the patience.

He's got the will. He's got the form.

Does his blade have what it takes

to get through Ice Pick?

He completed Ice Pick in a pretty good time.

Stepping up to Lifeline.

Two-handed slice.

Right through. Beautiful power.

Beautiful follow-through.

- There's no doubt

that that blade still has an edge.

- Jose, right through the tube.

- He needs to slow down, collect his thoughts here.

He's using both hands. - Very smart.

- Unfortunately, he didn't do very much to it.

I would've put my whole body through that strike

to follow-through through the fish.

- No question he didn't follow through.

Look at where the cut stopped.

- The fish kicked my ass. It's all right.

I'm still leaving with a fighting blade.

Sorry, neighbors, expect a lot of cut up fish.

- My name is Dwayne Unger from New Oxford, Pennsylvania.

I've been into blades pretty much since I was a kid.

My knife collection's grown dramatically since then.

Designed a couple knives.

Made the knife for the competition.

Competed now in BladeSports.

There's one guy in this competition that I know,

and that's Big Chris.

He and I have competed against each other.

I have yet to beat him, but today is gonna be that day.

- What did you bring?

- This is my BladeSports competition knife

dubbed the Black Mamba.

I call it the Black Mamba

because it strikes with a vengeance.

The handle drop on it is 26 degrees

as designed for my specific swing style.

- This is a massive blade, 2 pounds, 3 ounces.

That weighs as much as some of the swords.

- Yeah.

- Well, we got some tatami mat set up there,

and I'm just doing a couple chops, make sure it's safe.

All right.

Can't argue with that.

Dwayne, it's a phenomenal blade.

Congratulations.

Black Mamba makes the cut. - Thank you.

- Good luck. - Thank you.

I'm not coming into this thing underestimating anybody.

I'm coming out to give it everything I've got

and hopefully walk away with that prize.

- Dwayne Unger, certified BladeSports expert.

Dwayne has faced off with Big Chris a number of times,

but never beaten him.

But he tells us he's going for today to be the day.

- If he's gonna beat Chris,

he's gonna need to burn through the Trail Blazer.

- Not a problem whatsoever.

That competition chopper is making quick work

of Trail Blazer.

He is just three seconds behind Chris' time.

- This is all about hitting at the lower half

of that container.

He needs to release those contents.

Wow.

- One weight hits the ground. Now he's on the Octopus.

Let's see how he attacks it.

- He's taking a lot of time.

- He better get it before it gets out of reach.

Okay, it rises up.

The weight has not hit the ground yet.

He's on to the container. - Look at that power.

- Destroyed it!

That weight hit the ground,

but he crosses the line with one penalty.

He did not turn around and make sure the weight hit the ground.

That Octopus may come back to haunt him.

We saw Big Chris destroy the ice block.

I think the only way he's gonna beat Chris

is to have a blade in both hands.

Ice Pick. Dwayne.

- Wow! - Right now.

- Look at that power.

- Four strikes, and he destroyed it!

Dwayne has put Big Chris on notice.

Dwayne's a powerful man, but with the wrong technique,

Lifeline will take him out of this competition.

- Nice. - Beautiful.

Okay, the tube's up next.

- All right. - Not a problem.

But here we go. - He needs to slow down.

He needs to look at the angles here.

- Beautiful! - Yes!

That blade is extremely sharp.

- The Curtain Call.

Right through the pork loin! - Wow.

- Let's see him with the sheet of metal.

Four strikes, equal to Big Chris.

Dwayne Unger completes the course.

Today may be the day he takes Big Chris down.

- I came to win, and I would love

to face Big Chris at Dead Run.

- Hello.

My name is Matthew Cruit-Kitts,

and I'm from Santa Cruz, California.

I've been doing martial arts for 25 years.

I am a history buff and study mostly the Renaissance period.

I'm English and Irish by my heritage,

and I'm rocking a kilt today to honor a bit of that.

I seem to be a warrior soul.

I believe that my skills will pull me through.

- Well, what have you brought today?

- I chose a seax, because a seax

is originally from broken swords,

and they turned them into knives,

so it already had a strong base.

I knew it would hold up to any type of punishment

I needed it to do.

I've only had it from the smith for a week.

- So this was custom made for you, correct?

- Yes, it was.

- You know, this is an extremely fine edge

which may hold up,

but that's not my prediction.

I'm gonna take a few swings,

but ultimately, it's not about what I do with it.

It's how well you can wield the blade made for your hand.

- All right.

Congratulations. It makes the cut.

- Thank you.

- Matthew, 56-year-old, brings a lot of martial arts training.

- He's bringing the legendary Viking seax.

This weapon was a large one-handed fighting knife

carried by warriors in northern Europe.

- Now, let's take into consideration

how he is gonna approach this

compared to past competitors.

Big Chris put no full body movement

in completing Trail Blazer.

I think the opposite is gonna come into play with Matthew.

- This guy, with his martial art background,

he should be all about technique.

- Matthew is off. - There you go.

- Used his martial arts approach

at analyzing the object,

body positioning, point of entry.

Taking his time. Very precise.

Little bit of a issue,

but he's able to cut right through it.

Matthew is through.

You see the martial arts background,

but these contestants, once they reach a wall,

they get a little flustered.

And he's off. Let's see.

- You can see his martial art background as he swings

in number one angle.

- Beautiful. - Wow.

- Boom! Weight hits the ground.

He's off to the Octopus.

A little lack of power,

and to me that's very surprising

considering he's had 32 years of martial arts training.

But he's moved on.

- Pretty sure his physical fitness

is starting to wear in on him.

- The course is extremely difficult,

and that shoulder, that arm, they're gonna tire quick.

I can feel the frustration from here.

Two penalties along the way.

The course wears you down.

Go out and swing a blade 50 to 60 times under duress,

you're gonna feel it.

Taking on Ice Pick.

- He's not using the hips.

There's no power in his swings right now.

- Zero. It's all in arm movement.

Each chop is wearing the ice down,

but it's also wearing Matthew down,

but there is no quit whatsoever present.

There he is. Red liquid.

Moving on to Lifeline.

- He's fatigued. His grip is going.

He needs to expand those hips

and follow through with that cut.

- Here we go.

Lifeline takes down another competitor.

- But this guy has heart.

- Matthew dared to step up,

and for that, you must tip your hat.

- I believe I just ran out of steam,

and I couldn't keep my technique as flawless

as I wished it to be.

- My name's Melanie Bunch, and I teach martial arts.

Tae kwon do doesn't actually use any weapons,

but it does generate a lot of power

and energy with your body.

It translates very well to adding a weapon.

I am a zany, unique, funny person.

Things that I like are pirates, Muppets.

- Well, what's in the box?

- A 15th-century bastard sword.

It's said to be the most popular sword of the century.

- People think that swords are these heavy, massive items,

and they're really not, and so with that balance point,

that makes a very wieldable sword,

and a lot of that comes with the weight of the pommel.

The guard, which is a weapon in itself.

We have some tatami mat here,

and I'm gonna go ahead and wield it.

- Looks like you liked it.

- Melanie, that was the most fun I've had all day.

Congratulations. Your blade definitely makes the cut.

Good luck. - Thank you.

I am confident my sword is more than up to the task,

so it's really on me to make sure I do a good showing.

- Melanie Bunch, she's carrying the only sword

in today's competition.

- 30-inch traditional medieval blade.

Now, in history, one strike to cut off limbs

or decapitate heads.

Just a fun fact that Jon Snow out of "Game of Thrones"

has wielded the bastard sword.

- She has no competition cutting experience,

but she's competed in sport fencing competition.

Melanie is off.

That blade's doing the work.

- As she comes straight onto the rope, it's gonna flex.

It's gonna bounce back that blade.

- No question.

- Yeah, see how she's coming down straight onto that rope?

- There needs to be-- - It's giving her bounce.

- Yeah, and there needs to be more force.

She made it through Trail Blazer.

Let's see how that big blade takes on Stick and Move.

- Now she's coming in with both hands.

That's what's needed to wield this blade.

- And it's smart. She adapted.

She changed her technique.

Weight hits the ground.

Now she moves to the Octopus,

slowly taking care of it.

Here, again, we see another competitor move on

before the weight hits the ground.

- She needs to chop off the frame.

- She needs to make sure that it's totally drained

before she crosses that line.

There she goes. Crossed the line.

One more competitor has a problem with the Octopus.

- Ice Pick. She needs to hit it with speed and violence.

Set up--oh!

I would not go to one hand.

She has that extended handle.

She should use two hands.

It would double her power.

- See the bounce back.

It's taking her more time than we imagined.

Goes for the double grip.

Not nearly the bounce back that she had before.

- Now she's throwing her whole force behind her body.

- Completes Ice Pick.

Took her a little bit of time, but with perseverance,

she got through.

Lifeline has taken down competitor after competitor.

Beautiful strike.

Here she goes on the tube.

- What I like about her is, she's taking her time

and looking at the angles of attack.

- Oh, beautiful strike!

- Notice how she hit the spine first.

- Took her time, looked at the point of entry,

and followed through.

Here she is eyeing Curtain Call.

Only two obstacles lie in her way

to complete Knife Fight.

- Not a big fan of that one-handed swing.

- Nor am I, but it worked,

and she proved both of us wrong.

Here she attacks the sheet metal.

Double-handed downward strike.

Quite obviously using the blade

for what it's meant to be used for.

Beautiful job. Melanie makes it through.

Melanie Bunch, the first woman who's completed Knife Fight.

- That was exhausting.

- But also, it was a phenomenal run.

You are the first woman to ever complete this course

on "Knife or Death." - Nice.

- There are other competitors,

so we'll see if your time is fast enough

to put you outside for Dead Run.

- I definitely want more. That was a lot of fun.

I want to see what else I can cut now.

I'm not ready to be done.

- I'm Josh A. Weston,

and I live in Hanahan, South Carolina.

I'm a knife maker, I'm a web designer,

and a stay-at-home dad.

- Dad! Da-da.

- I was on "Forged in Fire." I had mixed results.

First time I was on, I was runner-up.

Second time I was on, I came back

as the fan favorite champion, so boom.

- What have you brought me?

- This is a ring pommel war knife.

The blade is Celtiberian.

It's a really cool Iron Age transitional weapon.

I made this blade specifically for this competition.

- You built in a bottle opener, didn't you?

- I did. I've got to celebrate somehow,

you know? - All right.

Take a few cuts on the tatami mat,

make sure it's safe and handles well.

The edge is rather thick. I imagine with a thick edge,

sometimes it's hard to pass through free-hanging objects,

but congratulations.

Your blade makes the cut. - Excellent.

Thank you. - Good luck.

- Right now I'm in between nervous, anxious,

and really excited, so I've been peeing a lot.

- Josh, "Forged in Fire" champion.

This cat is ready for business.

- Josh has come to us with a ring pommel war knife.

The pommel blade historically was used

by the Celtiberian time

and spread out through the German tribes

in late Bronze and early Iron Age.

- Josh steps up to Trail Blazer.

Josh is off.

Methodical, powerful approach.

Full-body movement using that blade.

I tell you what. - Wow.

- That was an unbelievable time.

- Amazing.

- Let's see how he can tackle

Stick and Move.

Okay, backwards strike. He decapitated that bucket.

Weight down! Off to the Octopus.

- I love how he's circling around the Octopus,

and he's cutting the proper tubes as necessary.

- Counterweight down! Destroying that box,

but the weight has to hit the ground.

- Took his time. Methodical. - Wow!

He did it. - Weight hits the ground.

He crosses the line.

On to Ice Pick.

No penalties for Josh so far.

Well, he's assessing it,

trying to figure out the plan of attack.

Taking his time.

That blade just made quick work of Ice Pick.

He's done. On to Lifeline.

Lifeline, as we know,

can send you home in an instant.

Nice slice there.

Let's see how he goes through the tube.

Here's the kicker right here. - He needs to slow down

and look at the proper angles.

Yes!

- Beautiful slice right through the fish.

Boy, that was impressive.

- He knows how to follow through,

and that blade is devastating.

- Stepping up to Curtain Call.

One slice through the meat.

Here he goes through the sheet metal.

How many is it gonna take him to get through?

- Wow. - He's done!

Completed Knife Fight.

Beautiful performance by Josh Weston.

- He did a great job, Bill.

On Ice Pick, he came in at different angles

to have maximum chopping power.

- So I believe you are the first competitor

to make it through Knife Fight

without incurring a single penalty...

- Boom!

- So that makes me happy,

and that's got to make you incredibly happy.

- Travis, it makes me so happy when I make you happy.

- I like to be happy.

- I'd give you a hug, but I don't want to stab you.

- All four of you completed Knife Fight

in utterly convincing fashion,

but only two of you can move on.

Melanie, you have the distinction

of being the first female to complete Knife Fight.

Unfortunately, your time was not fast enough

to make Dead Run.

Thank you. Take your blade and go.

- I should have done better, but I got through it.

I got through it well, and I'm like, "Yeah."

- Big Chris,

you turned in the fastest time today on Knife Fight.

Congratulations. You're headed to Dead Run.

- Thank you.

- Josh, Dwayne,

there are only six seconds between your times.

The blade-wielder who will take on Big Chris

in Dead Run is...

Dwayne.

Thank you, Josh.

That was one hell of an effort.

- Thanks. - But take your blade and go.

- Right on.

I'm seriously disappointed, but look,

just ripping to shreds with something you made

is the most satisfying thing.

- Big Chris, Dwayne,

looks like we have a BladeSport reunion matchup.

Good luck, gentlemen.

You're sure as hell gonna need it.

- I came to win, and I expect to win.

Big Chris is gonna taste defeat today.

- Dwayne dominated Knife Fight.

He went through that course like a man on a mission,

and he was.

- These two guys have met before

in the chopping competition.

Chris has always ended up on top.

Dwayne wants to win tonight.

He's out for blood.

- While Knife Fight was the ultimate test of blades,

Dead Run is the ultimate test of speed, timing,

accuracy, and precision.

- Up first, Steak Knife:

from the platform, cut each steak in half.

A solid slice will keep the swing moving.

Extinguisher:

cut the rope, release the bottle.

Cut the bottle on the downswing

to extinguish the flame.

Weight Cut:

cut the necessary 40 pounds each

from the meat and the ice block to advance.

Free Fall: you cut each watermelon as it drops.

Only exposed red fruit counts.

Strike Zone:

behind that curtain is a variety of objects

that you must attack.

Cut the rope to bring down the curtain,

and the objects are revealed.

Every object must be cut in half.

Dead Run ends with Fire Storm,

where you must cut two ropes to release the platform,

fight exhaustion to ascend the stairs,

and the clock stops only if you can make one final chop

through a stack of hard sugarcane.

- I would love to beat Big Chris in Dead Run.

- They're both wielding a 10-inch chopper.

Both made their blades. No advantages.

We will see who can wield that blade the best

out here on Dead Run.

- I'm gonna do e

- Dwayne Unger steps up to Dead Run.

- Let's see how bad Dwayne wants this.

He pushed too much force on that.

- He sure did.

That may not be the most advantageous strategy

on Steak Knife.

He chops through all of them.

On to Extinguisher.

- This is about timing and finding that sweet spot.

Oh, wrong angle. Missed it.

- One penalty.

- Got it. - He got number two.

He's on to number three. - Now he knows the spot.

- Nice job. - Yes!

- He's on to number four.

And he nailed it! - Got it.

- On to Weight Cut.

- He does not have time to mess around.

- The length of that blade could be an issue.

I'll tell you what. He heard you.

- How bad do you want this?

- 40 pounds of it. He's moving on to Free Fall.

- Let's see his hand and eye coordination here.

- He missed that one.

Bottom to the top swing.

I like it. He's doing well.

- I like that angle. - Yeah, straight up.

Very smart.

- His timing is dead on.

Wow.

- Swing and a miss.

- Missed it.

- Walking with purpose. Strike Zone, here we go.

- If that's a dull blade,

it's going to push the object versus cut

if he doesn't come down at the right angle.

- He better make up some time here.

- Come on, Dwayne. Let's do it, now.

There you go. Right through the fish.

Remember, these chopping blades are only 10 inches long.

That blade is taking a beating.

- That is a powerful swing.

- He's got to get through that pork belly.

I'll tell you what, that blade dulled a little bit,

but here he goes.

He's on to the final obstacle,

Fire Storm. - Wow!

- Will it be enough to finally take down Big Chris?

He wants it. There's no doubt about it.

Through the sugarcane. Time!

A great run by Dwayne.

Four penalties.

3:45. Now, that is respectable.

- All the other competitions never had anything

run quite this long and this grueling.

Just hope that what I did is good enough.

- Big Chris steps up to Dead Run.

Competition chopper, 10-inch blade.

This is gonna be a battle.

- This course is definitely bigger, crazier,

longer, more involved,

so I'm excited, and I want to make it to the final show.

Ready to rock and roll again.

- Big Chris is off.

Steak Knife. - Here we go.

- Nice.

- It's all about slicing at an angle here.

- And taking your time.

He slid right through there.

No anxiety in Big Chris' movement whatsoever.

- I do have a little concern right now on Extinguisher

with the length of that blade.

Let's see if he gets the angle right.

- First bottle, swing and a miss.

- Aw. - That's a penalty.

- It's all about timing and accuracy.

He's trying to get his timing down right now.

- There is an unknown factor here.

If you don't cut the bottle at the right time,

not enough water will make it to the flame.

Precise hit. Flame is out. - Nice, nice.

- Boom! That's a hit.

Two penalties out of Extinguisher.

He is on to Weight Cut.

- Wow.

- Good God, he went through

about five pork loins at once.

Now he moves on to the ice.

Interesting, though. - I would cut higher.

- He's making a lower cut than most everybody's done.

Slow, methodical approach.

He's checking the scale. He's fine. Moving on.

Free Fall.

Hand-eye coordination comes into play here.

Okay, here he goes.

Whoa, misses it.

The hand-eye coordination may be an issue.

Gonna incur a couple penalties here.

A slow, methodical approach. Forward swing.

But he has found a groove, though.

Very interesting.

I am surprised he's not doing that well.

Nice.

He only cut four of the ten watermelons.

He's moving fast, but will those penalties

come back to haunt him?

On to Strike Zone.

Good God, look at that slice right through the sugarcane.

Onto the water bottles.

Here's where we may have an issue

with the size of that blade.

Good God, he went right through that with one slice.

The rope, no problem whatsoever.

Oh, my God.

- That thing is sharp. Extremely sharp.

- Up these stairs on Fire Storm.

Cuts the cane, stops the clock.

Dwayne's time, 3:45.

Chris' time is...

4:30! Wow!

- Dwayne did it!

- It's finally happened for Dwayne!

He takes down Big Chris! - Big Chris!

I didn't see that one coming, buddy.

- Good job, man, good job. - Good job. Good run.

- Dwayne's a really great guy.

I just--I wish I could've beat him tonight.

Today wasn't my day.

- Look at the smile on that man's face.

Good job!

You finally took him down. - You did it, Dwayne.

- I had one of the better competitors

I can possibly hope to go against in Big Chris.

I knew he was gonna bring his A game.

- Enjoy it. - I will.

- It may not last long.

- I'm going to the grand championship for this thing.

I'm gonna bring my A game,

and they're gonna have to beat me.

I'm not gonna beat myself.