Original subtitles

- Throughout history,

the blade and one's ability to wield it

has been the difference between life and death.

Over the past 5 weeks,

40 of America's best blade wielders

have come to put their skill and their weapons

to the ultimate test.

- He is gonna battle!

- Tonight only the top six winners remain

to face off against the biggest and baddest obstacles,

with everything on the line.

Total carnage!

Who will win the $20,000 grand prize

and be crowned the first "Knife or Death" champion?

- I'm feeling absolute excitement for this.

First time through on the first round come up short.

That was hell.

But I got a chance for redemption.

I caught a break coming to the finals here.

I ain't gonna need that catch a break again.

- I've been thinking about the finals

since the last time I was here.

I'm the youngest guy here,

and being the young buck is kind of double-sided.

On one hand, I'm faster.

On the other hand, I don't have the experience.

So this should be interesting.

- Last time I was on "Knife or Death,"

I dominated both courses in honor of my late father.

And I honestly believe that he would be elated

at how well I did.

I want to write my name into history with my sword.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,

and I will not go out there and blow it.

- My first time, I made it to Dead Run

against Big Chris Barrie.

Chris and I had faced off before

in previous cutting competitions.

I've never beaten him until "Knife or Death."

Now I'm here in the finals,

and I'm ready to do the same thing.

- Last time I kicked butt,

and now I'm on the Champion Showdown.

As far as that 20 grand goes, I hope I can win it

so I can move my kids, hopefully get a bigger place.

- Welcome to the "Knife or Death"

Grand Championship Showdown.

You are the five who defeated your opponents

in the Dead Run course, earning the right to compete today

for the $20,000 grand prize.

In order to survive and surpass your competition today,

every angle, every cut had better be perfect.

Or you're going home.

And there's one more surprise.

Dustin...

you were the fastest time of all five runners-up

on Dead Run.

You're performance was even faster

than some of the winners you're standing amongst

right now.

Because of that, you earned the right to compete

against the best of the best.

- You learn a lot more from failure than success,

and I'm ready to show everybody what I learned.

- Only time will tell, man.

You got five other blade-wielding badasses

right in front of you that want the same thing that you do.

I hope you're up to the task.

This is Knife Fight.

You've all taken on the Knife Fight course once,

but not like this.

This time it's twice as tough,

and you'll figure that out as you're moving through.

One thing to keep in mind--

Lifeline is no longer a sudden-death obstacle.

This time, for each swing beyond one,

it's a 25-second penalty.

And the objects are tougher.

- This go-round is ten times bigger

and means a hell of a lot more.

- Speed and power is not enough this time.

You must be smart.

You must be calculated.

Your technique must be on point.

Or you will be done.

- This is for all the marbles-- 20,000 bucks.

Good luck.

- My name is Jason Willard Johnson.

I'm from Omaha, Nebraska.

Last time on "Knife or Death,"

I beat Dustin Remillard at the Dead Run,

and he's here as the wild card.

Got a lot of respect for him. He's a cool guy.

My kukri's doing well.

After the first course, it took a little bit of damage,

but it's clean and functioning.

The new and improved course is twice as beefy

and ready to rock even more,

but my blade is razor sharp, and I have no doubt.

Nothing beats a kukri.

- Jason Johnson.

He happened to be the third fastest

among the entire round of competitors on Dead Run.

He knows how to make an entrance.

He's across the room, and I can feel his intensity

right next to me.

This dude is as vicious

as the weapon he brings to Knife Fight.

- This is no normal kukri.

It's almost like a miniature sword.

- As good as that blade is,

and as well as he did on his first time here,

this is a completely different fight.

First up is Trail Blazer.

They'll have to alternate cutting between ropes

and much thicker pieces of wood.

Here he goes.

Getting a lot of rebound from that blade on the wood.

The course is extremely difficult.

It's very deceptive.

Okay, Jason went through Trail Blazer

much quicker last time.

Jason's off at Stick and Move.

Nothing came out of the bucket. It's double insulated.

- I like how he's coming down at an angle.

- One weight hits.

- He needs to hit that octopus high

to cut off the whole arm completely.

- He's through.

- This guy is moving with efficiency.

You can see there's no wasted movements

in his body mechanics.

- Beautiful. - Wow.

- All three of the weights hit the ground.

He's moving on to Ice Pick.

It's twice the ice, twice the tubes,

twice the effort to get through.

- He's hitting it.

He's coming in shifting his weight.

- He broke the first pipe. - Very impressive.

- Wow.

Beautiful. Destroyed Ice Pick.

Moving on to Lifeline.

You cannot move until you've cut completely through.

Remember, for each swing beyond one,

it's a 25-second penalty.

He has a very impressive run shaping up.

Make the first strike count.

Whoa-ho! Two slices. Two penalties.

He's staring down that pork loin.

On to the double chicken.

He incurred three penalties,

but he got through Lifeline in a very quick time.

Curtain Call--

they need to cut through the wall of meat,

plywood, and then sheet metal.

All these extra obstacles are more opportunities

to ruin their blades.

Right through the wall of pork.

That plywood is not easy to get through.

Vicious. - That's a lot of power.

- Sheet metal. Last one.

He almost got through with one strike.

The run was amazing, but he had some struggles.

Not as fast as his first time at Knife Fight.

- I feel good about my performance.

I just wasn't ready for that fish.

That ain't now goldfish.

- Come on, let's do this.

My name is Jo Smith.

First time through Knife Fight,

I was nervous as hell.

Come up short. Failed.

I got lucky and got a gift to go to Dead Run.

And I damn sure didn't waste it.

This time, I'm good to go.

My competition cutter that I forged,

she's ready to go.

Since day one,

told you all I had the sharpest blade out here.

Today I'll prove it.

- Big Bad Jo--

the second-fastest time ever recorded

on Dead Run.

Jo was the only competitor in today's finale

who did not finish

Knife Fight in his first appearance on the show.

- He definitely has something to prove today, Bill.

- Well, I'll tell you what,

he's staring that Knife Fight course down

because today's Knife Fight course has been altered.

Jo comes in here a man on a mission.

- The key to Trail Blazer, if he wants to run through

this thing with speed and precision,

he needs to hit these ropes at an angle.

It's all about proficiency and movement here.

- Jo's off. Right through the rope.

There he is with the 1 1/2-inch post.

Little bit of trouble with that one, but he's through.

On to the post again.

Having an issue with the blocks.

Jo is clearly having a more difficult time than last time.

Big Bad Jo's through. He's on to Stick and Move.

When Jo originally went through Knife Fight,

he incurred one penalty on Stick and Move.

Let's see how he does now. He's off.

- He's attacking low and at an angle.

Nice. - He just cut it right in half.

- Yes, that's what you need to do right there.

You need to cut it high.

- He's blowing that octopus apart.

Okay, let's see.

Can he take care of it and move on?

There he is. He's on to the crate.

- Jo's all business today. Look at those angles of attack.

- Man, he is making quick work of that crate.

- That is power.

- Beautiful job.

He's through Stick and Move... - Wow!

- On to Ice Pick.

I tell you what, one thing I've seen from Jo--

this run through Knife Fight, he's picked up the pace.

He's on top of his game.

Double trouble at Ice Pick.

The ice block is now double the size.

Is it gonna present a problem for him

and that 12-inch chopper?

- Well, my only concern is he needs to use efficiency

in his movements and not just his upper-body strength.

- Let's see how he attacks it.

Big Jo up at Ice Pick.

Okay, readjust the grip.

Ah, he's having a lot of issue with that grip.

Lots of problems.

One more time, losing the grip on his blade.

I think this might be an issue right here.

- Fatigue's coming into effect.

- You see the grimace on his face.

He's trying hard. Got a little red liquid

I see it. - Yep.

- He took a lot of time at Ice Pick.

He may need to pick up the pace.

Moving on, now he's at Lifeline.

One swing to go through.

Each additional swing,

a 25-second penalty added to your score.

So let's hope, for Jo's sake, he gets through with one slice.

- That's a concern today because he did not cut through

the fish last time during Knife Fight.

He needs to pick how he's gonna attack this fish.

He needs to hit it at a downward angle.

- Let's see what happens.

- The fish took him down before.

Two penalties on the fish.

One penalty on the pork.

Now he's on the Siamese chicken.

Right through it. Moves on.

- Well, he did accumulate a few penalties there.

- But let's remember,

he couldn't get past Lifeline last time.

This time, he's moved on to Curtain Call.

We've got another curtain at Curtain Call--

Pork loin, wood wall, and sheet metal.

Right through the meat.

I'm curious to see how he gets into that wood wall

right here.

- Wow. - Yep.

He is really struggling.

He's not getting through that wood.

Now he's on the sheet metal.

Bit of an issue here.

- Still not dropping that base. He needs to drop his hipline.

- But he's through it.

He's finished Knife Fight. - Wow.

- Successful run.

Big Bad Jo from Jenks, Oklahoma.

- Efficient in movement.

He was a whole lot faster this time towards the end.

My only concern is those penalties.

At this stage in the game, he can't have that.

- No question. That fish has Jo's number.

- Well, here in the Grand Champion Showdown,

the course quite ain't the same.

- It's a whole lot tougher.

- Still a great blade. Still a very nice edge.

We'll see later if your time's fast enough to move on

to Dead Run for the Grand Champion Showdown.

- Looking forward to it. - Thank you.

- Thank you, sir.

The fish and I again went to battle.

And I wasn't able to do it in one stroke.

Those penalties could be very deadly

on my chance to go to Dead Run.

I want to move forward worse than anything

I've done in a long, long time.

We'll just have to see.

- I'm Jacob Gayton.

I'm just a country guy.

I like to hunt, fish.

Last time I was here, I didn't have any penalties.

The Knife Fight course may be bigger, badder,

but I did not come here to lose.

My kukri/bowie hybrid that I made

is ready to go.

A lot of weight to it. It's got a real thick spine.

I've chopped through anything and everything I can think of

with this blade.

This blade has never let me down.

- Stepping up to Knife Fight, Jacob Gayton.

Of all the competitors today,

he had the fifth-fastest time on Dead Run.

Jacob is also the youngest competitor,

and he finished Knife Fight in the fastest time.

Jacob surprised us last time.

A farm boy with no martial-arts experience,

and yet he completed the course without any penalties.

He's putting everything

towards destroying the competition.

Right through. That's the weight of that blade.

Nice slice there.

Nice.

One shot right through.

Just total destruction! Oh, my God!

- This kid has no fear.

- I tell you what, he looks nothing but straight ahead.

Okay, he's stepping up to Stick and Move.

Jacob's off.

- See how he's hitting it at a downward angle.

That's how I would attack it.

- Weight hits the ground. Goes to the octopus.

- He needs to attack this high, Bill.

He needs to hit those tubes up high.

- Okay, has a little bit of a problem.

Now look at his technique.

And let's talk about patience.

And is he gonna move on before the weight hits the ground?

He did, but he's right on to the container.

He's covered in sand.

But he crossed the line incurring one penalty.

Different than the first time he went through Knife Fight,

when he incurred zero.

- That's a workhorse blade.

Let's see if Stick and Move took any of that edge off.

- We're gonna see right now. Jacob steps up--Ice Pick.

Quick strikes, powerful strikes,

centrally located, right in the middle.

- Wow. - And he gets the first one.

- He's coming in at a low angle of attack.

Powerful movements.

- Speed, power, accuracy--

this kid's on his game.

Stepping up to Lifeline.

Look at the angle of that fish.

Is he gonna turn around and hit it through the backbone,

or is he gonna chop it as it lays right there?

- He attacked it at a wrong angle.

He needs to follow through with that shot.

- Two penalties, 'cause it took him three swings

to get through that.

There he is on the rolled pork belly.

Penalty.

Moving object. No resistance.

Seeing an issue here.

Let's see the Siamese chicken.

- He needs to really slow down and concentrate on this cut.

- Nice cut.

Five penalties in Lifeline.

- He approached that like a madman.

- He did not take his time. He wasn't calculated.

Got to make up some time here. Jacob's off--Curtain Call.

First object, pork loin-- no problem whatsoever.

Now the plywood.

And he bounced off the wood.

He's through it.

Oh, beautiful stroke through the sheet metal.

He got through that quicker than any competitor,

and he finishes Curtain Call.

Different Knife Fight course, different result for Jacob.

This time, unfortunately for his time,

six penalties.

- The penalties on Lifeline sucks, but this is the finals.

I mean, the course is tougher. It's supposed to be.

That's why it's the finals.

I gave it everything. I hope I was tough enough.

- 2 1/2 minutes of penalties for this course.

I don't know, man.

I don't think this is gonna hold up.

- Time will tell.

- I'm Dustin Remillard.

I'm the wild card in the Grand Champion Showdown.

Penalties are a killer.

I know that that's what got me in the finals

on the previous round.

And I will not let those happen again.

Being the wild card is gonna give me an opportunity

to showcase what I've learned.

My falcata's doing great.

It took a little bit of field damage out there,

but I think it really shows the craftsmanship

that I put into it.

I'm so ready to do this.

- Dustin Remillard--

another competitor we underestimated.

Dustin earned his spot here in the finale,

having the fastest runner-up time on Dead Run.

Dustin actually had a faster time in Dead Run

than some other winners.

So he could really pull an upset here.

- He's coming in with a falcata blade.

The falcata has been an effective weapon

on the battlefield.

Even though this is a sword,

it still has the weight and the chopping power

of a competition chopper.

- Will this wild card be an ace?

Or will he be a joker?

Having an issue with the blocks.

That is extremely hard wood--

stronger than the dowels before.

He's conserving his energy.

Very systematic run.

Next up, Stick and Move.

Dustin had one penalty going through Knife Fight last time.

And guess where it was.

Let's see if he learned from his mistakes.

He went through that bucket quickly.

One counterweight down.

Here he is-- on the dreaded octopus.

- He's attacking it on the top.

- He destroyed it first time. - He's doing it right.

- Second counterweight down.

Look at the swing. He's putting his body in.

- See how he's targeting the frame, Bill.

He definitely learned from last time.

If you attack it too high,

the contents are not gonna fall out.

Penalty.

- I can't believe he advanced

before that weight hit the ground.

Why would you leave before your job's done?

Here he is on Ice Pick.

Twice the ice, twice the pipes,

and twice the effort to get through.

That big blade-- There you go.

- There's a lot of power behind those swings.

- Penetrated the first one.

On to the second.

- He's utilized his whole body and structure behind it.

- He had to redo his grip.

He's losing a bit of momentum here.

- You can see the fatigue setting in.

- But he completed Ice Pick.

Moving on to Lifeline.

This is the obstacle

that has caused a lot of problems

with competitors before.

Even though it's not sudden death,

he needs to get through these obstacles in one chop,

or he gets a penalty.

- With the length of this, he should be able to cut

with one clean swoop.

- But is it sharp? And does he have the focus?

Oh, my God.

He rushed. Incurred one penalty.

He needs to slow down. He's not taking his time.

Three shots there.

Ooh, lack of sharpness.

Okay, he completed it.

He incurred five penalties, but he's moving on

to Curtain Call.

His cardio may be in question.

He's put a lot of effort towards completing this course.

Up to the pork loin-- right through it.

Let's see how he is on the plywood.

A lot of blade--got to get it back through that plywood.

Get it back so you could swing heavy again.

He's through.

God, you got to wonder what that does

to the sharpness of these blades.

Okay, he is gassed.

- He completed the course.

But, boy, is he sucking up some air right now.

He incurred six penalties.

We'll see what happens. Only time will tell.

- Hey, Travis. - How you doing, Dustin?

- Phew.

Phew.

- May I see your falcata? - Yes, sir.

- You really had some powerful swings.

And it was fun to watch you plan every single one of them.

And at the end of the course, I saw the knife handle

kind of lose a little bit of grip.

- A little fatigue started to catch up to me

right at the end there.

- Your blade definitely took a little bit more wear

than the first time I looked at this.

Little bit of a roll here.

But it's held up very nice.

That was a great run.

But we'll see you later if you made it fast enough.

- If the rest beat me, they earned it.

And if they did, kudos to them, 'cause that is no joke.

I'm not feeling as great about that run as I should have.

I hit a couple of snags out there.

But we'll see what the clock has to say.

I'm just gonna take a pee on the floor.

Is that cool?

- My name is Michael Allenson.

Last time I was on "Knife or Death,"

on Knife Fight, I came in second.

But on Dead Run, I killed it.

Out here I'm competing against the best of the best,

and I will admit I'm a little nervous

but also extremely excited.

I have never been prouder of myself and my blade

than I am now.

My longsword is in extremely good condition currently,

even after both courses.

Last time, I dominated in honor of my late father.

And I think I proved myself to my father

and earned his respect.

This time, I'm going out there and doing it for me.

- Michael Allenson earned his spot here at the final

by having the fastest time overall on Dead Run.

Quite obviously a passion for medieval weaponry.

When we first met Michael, we both had our doubts

about his ability to wield that blade.

He proved both of us wrong.

Look at the intensity in that gentleman's eyes.

- This guy looks like a Medieval warrior

ready to do battle.

- Michael's off-- Trail Blazer.

Different plan of attack.

Upward strike on the ropes.

Downward smash on the 1 1/2-inch post.

I tell you what, it wasn't the quickest we've seen,

but, boy, it was flawless.

His first run through Knife Fight,

this is the only place he incurred a penalty.

Stick and Move versus Michael.

- Good. - Yes.

God, I think he came back with a vengeance.

Here he is on the octopus.

- Yes, he needs to attack it high!

He's attacking the structure of the box.

- See him take his time.

We have yet to see this from a number of competitors.

He's on past Stick and Move.

No penalties.

- This longsword has a lot of blade.

So this ice chopping, it may roll the metal.

- Michael's on to Ice Pick.

A little bounce, a little bit.

- See how he's doubling up on the blade.

He's utilizing-- just like a lumberjack.

- Very smart.

First canister's open. Liquid oozing out.

Man, he just cut that second one in half, record time.

Beautiful performance by Michael at Ice Pick.

I tell you what, that blade is gonna make quick work

of Lifeline.

Nice job, beautiful-- right through the fish,

right through the rolled pork loin.

Oh, my God.

- There's nothing stopping this guy.

- There is nothing stopping this guy.

That is one powerful sword.

So far, a zero-penalty run.

Let's see if he can keep it up.

On to Curtain Call.

Nice!

Oh, my-- Beautiful!

- See how he's pulling that blade.

Use the mechanics of those movements.

- This man is on his game today.

Sheet metal.

Aw, man, he's destroying this course.

- Wow.

- Looks like a zero-penalty run.

This guy, he's no joke today.

He's here for business.

- That course was definitely harder than the first.

I was not worried about the blade.

I was worried about myself.

I think I came pretty close to my limit out there.

- I can't think of a whole lot of words to describe that run

other than flawless.

Zero penalties.

And it's hard to discern between the chicken juice

and fish and remnants of sheet metal.

Your sword held up well.

And you put up a time

that is gonna be very hard to beat.

- My name is Dwayne Unger.

I'm from New Oxford, Pennsylvania.

The stakes on this course are not forgiving.

When I get out there, I'm gonna be a man possessed.

I have one goal in mind--

win in the fastest time possible,

with the cleanest run possible.

I brought the black mamba again.

It competed well for me the first time.

The blade's in great shape. It's ready to rock and roll.

- Dwayne Unger--

fourth-fastest time on Dead Run.

His implement of destruction-- black mamba.

- This thing is no joke.

We know what he can do with it.

- No question, but let's take into consideration,

it's the shortest blade in today's competition.

Let's see what he can do.

Dwayne's off.

Right through the rope. both: Oh, wow.

- Right through the 1 1/2-inch post.

This guy's flying through it.

No question, that was a lightning-fast round.

Edge and power got him right through those poles.

On to Stick and Move.

- It's all about angles on this bucket.

And he's hitting it right. - He destroyed it.

To the octopus. - Attack it high.

No, he's attacking it low.

- I'm gonna tell you, he moved on too quick.

He's on to the container.

The second weight still hasn't hit the ground.

Penalties are gonna destroy you in this competition.

He took the penalty.

Dwayne's on to Ice Pick.

- Look how he shift his hip. - That's beautiful.

That is unbelievable.

He got the first one in record time.

He pierced the second one in also record time.

Now he moves on to Lifeline.

- He has a short blade. It's a thick blade.

He has to hit it at a downward angle.

Otherwise it's gonna push the items

instead of cutting clean through.

- Here he goes.

Penalty-- two cuts through the fish.

Pork loin's presenting a problem here.

Two penalties there. On to the double chicken.

Ooh.

- That's the wrong angle of attack.

He needs to slow down, think about what he's doing.

He needs to hit this thing down at an angle.

- Six penalties. Too many penalties.

Moving on to Curtain Call.

That blade is strong.

He's hitting the wood in the exact same spot,

and it's working.

Having a little bit of an issue on the sheet metal.

But he's through, finishing Curtain Call,

therefore, completing Knife Fight.

Dwayne was having a great run up until Lifeline.

Six penalties on Lifeline.

That may kill his time.

- This course was definitely set up a lot bigger and badder.

The Lifelines kind of caught me off guard.

I didn't cut through the things

I was expecting to cut through right away.

I'm hoping like hell that I move forward.

- Blade wielders...

as expected,

all of you completed

the Grand Champion Knife Fight course.

But it did give some of you problems.

Dustin, Jacob, Dwayne...

Unfortunately, none of your times were good enough

to make it to Dead Run.

You may take your blades and go.

all: Thank you. - Good luck, guys.

I've been better, been worse.

Didn't put together the best run today.

The double chicken--

that one just hurt real bad.

- Not getting through the fish on the first swing

wasn't my blade's fault.

It was my fault.

But I gave it everything.

I gave it all I had.

- One of my big heavy swings

caused my blade to twist in my hand.

My grip was weak.

My swings were weaker than they should've been.

Didn't go the way I wanted.

- Michael...

you proved that with technique and great forging,

a sword can be a dangerous weapon on "Knife or Death."

You earned the fastest time of the day

and entry in the Dead Run

and a chance at $20,000.

- Jo...

you and your chopper put on a show.

But Lifeline, once again, got the best of you.

Jason...

you dominated the course with speed and efficiency.

But three penalties have put your shot at the title

in peril.

- Only one of you will move on to face Michael at Dead Run.

Jo...

you will not be moving on to Dead Run.

You may take your blade and go.

- I don't know what I'm feeling right now.

My blade performed not as well as I'd hoped,

but it performed very well.

Fish are good for making sushi,

not for out here cutting.

All I can say is, "That damn fish."

- Well, gentlemen, it looks like we have

an incredible matchup for Dead Run.

A longsword versus a kukri for the title

of "Knife or Death" Grand Champion

and a $20,000 grand prize.

Okay, boys, let's take this fight outside.

Finals are upon us.

Jason Johnson and his monstrous kukri are up first

on Dead Run.

You better bring it. That's all I got to say.

- He cannot afford mistakes here tonight.

- No, no, he's gonna need every second

on the positive side for his time.

First up on Dead Run, Rotisserie.

From the platform, cut each chicken in half.

A solid slice will keep the swing moving.

The chickens are a lot harder to cut through than the meat.

Extinguisher.

Cut the rope, release the bottle.

Cut the bottle on the downswing

to extinguish the flame.

Weight cut.

The ice blocks are double in size.

And there are two of them.

Cut a minimum of 80 pounds each 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 the rope.

- I always bet on myself.

I mean, sure, I'm worried.

Dead Run has gotten way improved.

It's a lot heavier.

There's a lot more elements to it.

But it takes a little more than that

to make me sweat bullets.

- I want to win pretty bad.

I've only been known for the past three years,

but I've been doing this all my life.

So I'm ready to let 'em know.

- These chickens took down a lot of people on Knife Fight,

and now there are five.

- Wow, I don't think that he could have had

a better time on that.

- That was as quick as I think you can do it.

Now Extinguisher.

Jason struggled on Extinguisher last time.

Let's see how he does.

Let's see if he gets it on the first slice.

And he does. - He found a sweet spot.

- Beautiful. First one out.

Second one, strike. Did he get it out?

- No. - He did not.

His timing is off.

Strike. Didn't get that one out either.

- He needs to find that spot. It's going over it.

- If you hit that bottle,

it doesn't ensure that that flame's going out.

Okay, he's two for four.

Two penalties out of Extinguisher.

Wasted no time heading on to Weight Cut.

We've seen blades shatter on ice block before,

and now we have two.

- That ice is made to destroy the blade.

Look at that power.

Three strikes, and it was down.

- Good God, he is blowing through that ice.

I'm sure he accomplished that 80 pounds.

Now he's up to Free Fall.

He struggled a bit last time.

Remember, timing here is everything.

Nailed it. He got number two.

- This guy knows what he's doing--that's a good angle.

- Yeah, that upswing is serving him well.

Four for four.

Tell you what, he's slicing through.

Great job. He is on it.

There's a hit. Focused.

He is just one with his kukri.

Ten for ten. He's on to Strike Zone.

- Wow. - Okay, here we go, man.

He is slicing through this course.

- He's not even stopping.

- With ferocity, he is attacking.

- This man is on a mission.

- My God, look at that. - One strike.

- I tell you what, just sit back and watch this beauty--

- Jeez! - My God!

That was beautiful.

- Oh, my God. - He's on to Fire Storm.

This guy's flying.

I can't keep up with him.

- He's done!

- Wow. - "Wow" is right.

That was amazing.

I could barely keep up to him.

He incurred three penalties,

but I'm sure his time is outstanding.

both: 2 minutes, 13 seconds.

- Oh, my God.

We've yet to see a time that quick.

- And that's with penalties.

- He missed two targets in Extinguisher,

and he didn't cut a bottle completely on Strike Zone.

Let's hope that those three penalties

are not the difference between victory or defeat.

Michael Allenson steps up to Dead Run.

- He better bring his A game.

- He better bring his A, B, C, D, E, F game.

Michael is not to be underestimated.

He put up by far the fastest time

on the bigger, badder Knife Fight.

But this ain't Knife Fight.

- I'm feeling tired. - I'm fe

But I was made for this moment.

- Michael Allenson is off.

- He needs to move.

He needs to move. - I can tell you right now--

he better haul ass.

He's taking his time. He's being precise.

That's beautiful. But--

- Time is something he does not have here.

- And time is of the essence.

He got through Rotisserie. Did a great job.

Now he's off to Extinguisher.

- This is where I think Michael has the advantage.

The longsword is gonna give him that reach.

- Okay, he got the first one done, no penalty.

Baseball-bat swing.

- Definitely found a sweet spot.

- Beautiful job.

Tell you what, it's shaping up well for him.

Three for three at Extinguisher.

It's just a baseball bat.

Nailed it.

- His accuracy and precision is there,

but he needs to make up that time.

- Okay, I'm curious to see how he attacks this.

80 pounds in each scale.

Let's see how that sword holds up.

- The thing I noticed about Michael is he knows

how to use his weight, he knows how to use the leverage.

- He got through that first one very quickly.

He's doing well. He needs to speed it up.

Okay, he's moving on to Free Fall.

Here is where he has to be flawless.

He can't afford even one penalty.

- And that longsword-- I think he's gonna have

a little bit of hard time controlling it.

That's a perfect angle. Perfect.

- Perfect angle. Nailed it.

- His timing is there, Bill.

- He's four for four.

Tell you what, though, he better feel the urgency,

because he's got one hell of a time to beat.

Nailed it.

Beautiful performance so far.

Free Fall. Ten for ten.

Moving on to Strike Zone.

After the punishment it took on the ice,

is his sword still sharp enough?

He's been working hard out here.

Does he have the energy left to maintain the force he needs?

Right through the fish.

Right through the other fish.

- Love that. No wasted movement.

- No wasted movement, but it looks like

he's losing some sharpness in that blade.

Is he gonna get gassed?

He destroyed it. - Jeez.

- That is carnage.

Third one destroyed.

There he goes, right through the pork.

Now all he has to do-- cut the ropes,

release the platform, ascend the stairs,

then he's done.

- He needs to move! - Got to move.

He's got to cut that rope.

Boom, it's done! - Wow!

- I tell you what, that was a beautiful run.

- I did not see any penalties here.

- Jason...

Even with penalties,

this is one of the fastest runs

we've ever seen on Dead Run.

Michael's time, with no penalties, is...

2:06! - Whoa!

- Oh, my God! - He one-upped that!

- What a finish!

I am obviously not speechless. - I'm speechless.

- But that was the most unbelievable display

of blade wielding I have ever seen.

Jason, I see the look on your face,

but, dude, you ain't got nothing to be ashamed of.

- I put everything I had into the run.

He did a great job.

My competitor earned every bit of what he got.

I don't feel bad at all.

I feel honored to be able to compete against him.

You ain't gonna see no tears from me.

- Congratulations, man.

First ever "Knife or Death" Grand Champion,

and the winner of $20,000.

It's an overwhelming honor to be the first Grand Champion

of "Knife or Death."

Yeah!

- We know the story about your pop.

What do you think he'd say right now?

- He'd give me a big hug and tell me how proud he was.

- Well, I'll give you a big hug.

- 40 people came in.

I beat all of them, and I'm walking out with the prize.

I promised to write my name into history with my sword,

and I've done it.