All language subtitles for Forged.in.Fire.Knife.or.Death.S02E02.Blade.Runners.1080p.HULU.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-SiGMA_track3_eng

- Last season,
America's top bladesmiths,

martial artists, and
knife experts stepped up

to the grueling
new competition

that put their blade-wielding
skills to the ultimate test.

Whoa!
Total carnage!

Now, a new batch
of competitors,

with bigger and badder blades,
are ready to take their shot.

But this time,
we've turned up the heat.

Looks like medical
is stepping in.

New challenges.

The blade broke in half!

Who will be skilled enough,

and which blades
are sharp enough

to earn the $20,000
grand prize

and the title
of "Knife or Death" champion?

- I'm extremely confident

that I'm going to
destroy this course and win.

- I am here to win.

I'm here to prove
that somebody my height

and my frame can do it.

- Blade wielders,
welcome to the most extreme,

most challenging knife
competition ever created.

Complete two punishing courses,

and the winner earns
a cash prize

and a spot in
the Grand Champion Showdown,

vying for $20,000

and the title
of "Knife or Death" champion.

How many of you prepared
by watching last season?

Well, I hope you didn't
study too hard.

We've changed it up on you.

There's one thing
that hasn't changed.

You cannot move on
until you face Knife Fight.

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

Today, first up, Trifecta.

Cut through each target
at the three stations

to release the towers
and extinguish the flames.

Box Cutter.
Cut each moving crate

in half before advancing.

You must separate the bottom
of the crate from the top.

Next up, Decapitator.

You must slice
completely through

each row of targets at
each station with one swing.

Failure to complete a station
is a penalty.

On to Thrice.

Cut completely through
all three ice blocks.

Once completed,
it's on to Life Line.

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.

Next up, another sudden death
challenge, Kill Shot.

You must fully slice through

all six ratchet straps
within three swings.

Failure to do so,
and you're not allowed

to go any further
in the course.

Your time ends when you

plunge your blade
through the tree stump.

- My biggest fear?

Maybe I didn't
bring enough blade.

- The two that make it
the farthest the fastest

will move on to our second,

even more grueling
course challenge, Dead Run.

I am honored
to introduce to you

US Army veteran and Special
Forces Green Beret, Tu Lam.

- Our very own blade expert

and two-time "Forged in Fire"
champion Travis Wuertz

will give your blade
one final look.

He finds anything wrong
with your blade,

you could be eliminated.

- Go get your blades ready.

- I'm Dan Linton.
I'm 43 years old,

and I'm from Orlando, Florida.

If I could spend every day
making blades, I'd love it.

Training for this, I built
a whole training facility.

I've been training outside
for 45 minutes every day.

100 degrees, 100% humidity,
fully training, hitting tires.

I came to win.

- So what you got in there?
- This is my monster.

I named it Pale Horse.

It's a variation
of an English billhook.

It was a multi-use weapon.

It was used for chopping,
slicing, harvesting crops.

It was later adopted
for warfare.

- What do you use
for heat treating?

- Well, I have my forge,
and then, my oven, actually.

- Oh, okay, yeah, I've tempered
lots of blades in my home oven.

This is heavier
than a lot of longswords.

It's not going to have
the fine cutting capacity.

It may struggle.
- Hopefully it's a monster.

- Let's give it a swing
and make sure it's safe

and only does damage
on the course.

- Awesome.

- All right, get back in here.

I think you made
a very good workout blade,

but as far as competition,

I'd like to see it
a little bit sharper.

Your knife makes the cut.
- Thank you.

- This guy is walking in
with a purpose,

with a blade that's reminiscent
of his attitude.

He actually said that he feels
sorry for his competition,

because he is
going to destroy them.

- His blade is called
an English billhook blade.

It's a modified chopper.

It's extremely heavy,
weighing at 3 pounds.

- Now, let's see if
it has what it takes

to take on Trifecta.

Remember, the competitor must
cut three objects in half,

releasing the falling torches.

- He has to hit in angles.

There he goes.
That's what I'm looking for.

You create the notch,
whittle it down far enough,

and then hit it with power.

- Okay, if you hit it straight
down and too hard,

you're gonna break
the apparatus.

There he goes.

Okay, let's see.

- Going straight on.
- Wrong technique.

And he broke it.
That's a 30-second penalty.

There he goes against the rope.

- This is more of a slash
versus an impact.

- Good job.

Okay, he made it
through Trifecta.

I'll tell you,
it took a lot of effort.

Breathing hard,
but walking up to Box Cutter.

- He has to generate force.

He has to hit this thing
with speed

and meet that force dead on.

- There he goes.
Dan Linton versus Box Cutter.

Remember, you got to cut
the wooden boxes in half.

There is no time limit
on Box Cutter,

but you want to do it
as fast as possible.

The guy who was feeling sorry
for his competition.

If they could see
his performance right now,

they'd be
feeling sorry for him.

There he goes, he's all the way
through the first one.

He needs to move on.
- Yeah.

- Box number two.
- He's breathing kind of hard.

- Oh, he's breathing
really hard.

- Him constantly swinging
this three pound hammer

is wearing him out, man.

He needs to
hit this thing with force.

Make every strike worthwhile.

- Got you, there he goes,
destroying the box.

He needs to move on
right now and stop that clock.

- All right, he moves on.
- Next up, Decapitator.

- This is a heavy blade.
It's a thick spine, it's dull.

He may have some
serious issues, Bill.

- He's got to do
a perfectly horizontal cut

all the way through
all of the objects.

Uh-oh, 30 second penalty.
- He cut short.

- There he goes,
on the second one.

Oh, another penalty.
- He needs to drop his body.

Just stay level.
- Here he goes.

Incomplete.
That's disappointing.

Three penalties right there
at Decapitator.

Okay, his objective
in front of him is Thrice.

- This is a heavy blade.

He should not have
any problems.

Let's see if he can
generate the power

to punch through
these ice blocks.

Nice.
- Beautiful technique.

Three strikes, done.

On to number two.
No issue whatsoever.

- We thought
he was gassed, but no.

- There you go. Beautiful.

- That's what I like to see.
Get aggressive.

- Great job.
Moving on to Life Line.

Another sudden death challenge.

This time, one of
Life Line's objects

is a two-inch rope.

He got through the chicken.
On to the second object.

- He's studying that fish.
Wow, perfect angle.

- Moving on, the rope.

- It's all about
technique here.

It's all about coming in
at a steep angle

to get the tension on the rope
to let gravity take over,

and then speed and power.

- Oh!
- He misjudged it.

- Dan Linton steps
up to the rope,

and gets strangled
by two inches.

- This blade is dull,
it's heavy.

He wasn't able to
generate the power

and slash through that rope.

- I didn't make it
all the way through,

but I made
a good show of myself.

But I'd love to go
to the next round.

- I'm Jhoanna Trias.
I'm 43 years old,

and I was born
in the Philippines.

I got picked on a lot,
so at 12,

I decided I was going to learn
martial arts to defend myself.

I studied Filipino
martial arts

because it's better
for my frame.

- What you got there?

- I've got the
Filipino ginunting sword.

- Awesome.

Well, you know,
this is a light, fast blade.

- Because I'm so petite,
and 95 pounds,

it's hard to find one
that's small enough

and light enough
for me to swing around.

- With proper technique,
it doesn't take someone

huge in stature to generate
a lot of velocity.

- Correct.

- It's going to be
fun to swing.

This is a beautiful blade.
It's light and fast.

Congratulations, because your
blade definitely makes the cut.

- Yay.

I am so ready
to shock the world.

- Jhoanna Trias, stepping up.

- Whoa, look at that side kick!

That's what I expect
from a martial artist.

- You can see the focus
in her eyes

as she steps up to the course.

- She's bringing
the ginunting,

a Filipino war sword.

This is concerning to me,
because this is

more a martial art blade.

It doesn't have a heavy mass.

It doesn't give her that
chopping power that she needs.

- Will she be able
to generate the power

through that little 90 pounds
of body with that blade?

Stepping up to Trifecta
right now.

First up, the 2x4.

- You cannot hit this thing
dead on.

It's going to
bounce back at her.

You have to hit at an angle
to create that gap.

- Backside of the blade.
It's sharp, but she can't

instantly add
50 pounds to herself.

- No, no, she's giving
everything she has.

- She's about to go through
the 2x4, there she goes.

- That is a lot of work.
She spent a lot of time.

- Exactly.

- That's what she needs to do.
- She needs to hit it

at an angle, not dead on.

It's going to
bounce back at her.

There you go.
This is not a chopping blade.

She has no quit.
- There you go.

- Nice.

I mean, it's great to have
a "no quit" mindset.

- Every single ounce of that
90 pounds into that swing,

but it is not enough.

- There she goes.

Finally completes it.
She made it through Trifecta.

- Oh, look at her,
she's winded.

She needs to dig deep.

She's going to feel it
on Box Cutter.

- Hats off to her.

There is no give up
in her whatsoever.

Jhoanna Trias steps up
to Box Cutter.

Here we go.
Whack!

- She's basically gassed.

- She might push herself
all the way past exhaustion.

- She's getting sloppy.

- This might be
getting dangerous.

- Ooh, ooh.

She almost took her
leg out there.

She is not giving up.

- She is gasping for any air
that she can find.

- I just don't want her
to hurt herself.

- Uh-oh, looks like
medical's gone in.

It doesn't look as if
her legs are very stable.

Can she continue?

- Swings were coming
a little close to your leg.

You had a few that were about
to strike you in the knee.

So we got to pull you.

- Jhoanna Trias,
a valiant effort,

but unfortunately, right now,

ladies and gentleman,
she is done.

- Come with us to
the cooling tent.

We're going to get you
out of this gear.

- This course was--

A lot harder than I thought
it would be.

I want to come back
with a different sword.

- Hello, my name
is James Clark.

I am 28 years old, and I am
from Warrenton, Virginia.

I got into sword fighting
when I was a kid.

Haven't stopped since.

I have practiced
kunst de fechtens,

the German art of fighting,
for 16 years.

The blade I brought today
is an Iberian montante.

They're very beefy,
very powerful swords.

- May I see it?
- Absolutely.

- That's a lot of steel.

- My sword is 64 inches long,
and it weighs 5.7 pounds.

- I'm sure that
you're aware of this.

At about the last
maybe 10 inch or foot,

you have a slight veer
in this direction.

It is something
that concerns me,

but the excitement of swinging
a 64-inch montante

is getting the best of me.

This is a lot
of weapon to wield.

This is something that takes
a large area,

and a lot of caution,
but your blade makes the cut.

- Awesome.
Thank you very much.

- Look at that
big, bad greatsword he's got.

- Throughout history,
they have used longswords

like this to decapitate

horse's heads,
legs on the battlefield.

It's heavy, it's long,
and that's my main concern.

Because of the length
of this blade,

it's going to have
a lot of flex.

I just don't want the blade
to bend on him.

- First up, Trifecta.
He's got to cut through

each of the targets
at each of the stations.

This is not
the proper technique.

He's hitting too hard
and too straight.

He broke the apparatus
holding the 2x4.

- That's a penalty.
- On to number two.

Whack!

He's not doing much damage
to the wood itself.

- No, because he's going
straight on.

- He broke another one.

Yeah, the goal is to
cut through the objects,

not to bash them apart.
On to the rope.

Uh-oh, he didn't go through
any of the three objects.

- That's three
penalties, Bill.

I mean, the thing is, he had
to cut the object in half,

and he did not do that.
He broke the chain.

- He steps up to Box Cutter.

He needs to actually cut
the wooden boxes in half.

Beautiful job!
He destroyed it.

On to box number two.
- Wow!

- Very different technique
we're seeing here.

We can see his skill.

Beautiful!
Okay, there he goes.

He completed destroying
the second box.

Next up, Decapitator.

You have to cut
all the way through

all of the objects
with one strike.

- With a long blade,
it's hard to control.

- Missed the first.

- That was a beautiful job.
Second one.

Third one, beautiful job.
- Wow!

- One penalty.
- That's a powerful swing.

He's way too high.
- Moving on to Thrice.

He must cut through
three blocks of ice.

Each block must have
two separate pieces.

- My concern is
the blade's going to flex.

- Here he goes.
Up first.

- Wow, I've never
seen that before.

- Very interesting way
of going--

- Down!
- Now there you go!

- That's what
I'm talking about.

- So what he's doing
is he's compromising

the integrity
of the ice first.

Boom!

- See, the blade is starting
to bend on him.

- That is an amazing technique.

It takes a little bit of time,
but it sure does work.

- Wow.
- That was beautiful.

Look at that bend.
- It may break on him.

- Moving on to Life Line,
sudden death challenge.

Remember, he must cut through
all three objects.

One cut, or you're done.

He's up to the chicken.
There he goes, right through.

Second one, fish.

- Nice.
- Oh, right through the fish.

Here we go.
Here's the big one right here.

Boom, did not work on the rope.

- Did you see his angle?
His angle was off.

He came in at the 3:00,
and down to 9:00,

it pushed that rope,
and it almost

wrapped around that blade.

- James, may I see
your sword again?

And this is just
a beast of a blade.

- Thank you very much.

- Although your time
on Knife Fight

ends here at Life Line--
- Mm-hmm.

- We don't know if you made it
far enough fast enough

to put you in Dead Run.

It's the 2-inch rope
that ends this run for you.

Thank you.
- Thank you very much.

I did really well.

I know what I need
to improve on.

I would to love to be able
to go on to Dead Run

and see what kind of things
they throw at us.

- I'm Justin Preston.
I'm 36 years old,

and I live
in Kearney, Missouri.

I got a wife
and two kids back home,

hopefully rooting for me.

I'm here to win.
I'm competitive.

But I want to show my kids

that if you want to go
do something, just do it.

There ain't nobody
holding you back but yourself.

- So what you got there?
- It is a custom chopper

that I made.
- Nice.

- It's a little longer
than a competition chopper.

It is thinner.
I wanted a little more speed.

- This almost looks
like a burlap sack

that's been stabilized.
- Yeah.

It's a--a coffee bag burlap.
- Coffee bag.

- Yeah.
- Okay, that awesome.

And you really can see
the three dimension

of the fibers in the weave.

- Yeah, I like it.
- And it has a nice grip.

- Nice feel to it.

- This should be
a fun knife to swing.

12-inch blade, 3/16 stock.

Do you have any concerns
about bringing

kind of a smaller stock?

- Yeah, well,
a little bit, you know?

But it's not how big it is.

It's how you use it.
- That's right.

This is a very nice knife
that swings well.

A very sharp edge.
Thank you for that.

- You bet.
- Congratulations.

- Appreciate it.
- Your knife makes the cut.

- Thanks, bud.

I'm ready.

I'm telling myself
just to go for it.

Go hard, or go home.

I mean, just don't give up,
and keep swinging.

- Justin Preston, making his
entrance with some purpose.

- Oh, yes, he's armed with
a modified chopper.

This thing is extremely sharp.

The only problem with this
is the lack of blade.

It's only 12 inches
of cutting edge.

- Now, he's stepping up.
- Nice.

- Right through the rope.
- That's a smart move.

Keep it sharp.
- The first 2x4.

- He has to hit in angles.

There he goes.
That's what I'm looking for.

The angles.
He's creating that gap.

- Boom, he's passed
the first 2x4.

He's on to the second.
Last obstacle here at Trifecta.

Boom, got it, he's through.

Now, he's on to Box Cutter.

As he steps up,
it looks like he's searching

for a little bit of air.

- He doesn't have enough
blade real estate.

That's why he's working
so hard right now.

The strategy to this
is to meet that force head-on.

Force on force.

- He's doing nothing
but chasing it.

Whack!
Good job.

And that was one beautiful
backswing there.

Made some damage.
And there it is again.

He's almost through
the first box.

- And he's figuring it out now.

- Okay, he is on
to the second box.

I tell you what,
he is gassed there.

There he goes.

Time is ticking away.
- He's almost through.

Wow.
- He's giving up.

He's moving on, no matter what.

- That box had to be
completely cut in half.

He took that penalty,
but look how gassed he is.

- Next up, Decapitator.

Oh, beautiful job there.
- He used his body.

- Uh-oh, incomplete.

He's got to cut
all the way through.

One penalty.
On to the third.

Beautiful job!
- Wow, beautiful.

- He stayed with it.
He dropped his level.

But that blade
dropped a little bit.

Justin Preston,
stepping up to Thrice.

Remember, the competitor
has got to cut through

all three blocks.
- I like how he doubled up.

- Not nearly the power
on that backswing,

but enough to get through
the first block.

He's moving on to number two.

Oh, he's powered through
number two.

On to number three.

Boom, done!
Justin Preston destroys Thrice.

- All right,
he's extremely tired.

He doesn't have enough
blade sharpness for Life Line.

- Remember, sudden death.

If he does not
cut through each one

with one fell swoop
of that blade,

he will be done.

Boom, right through
the chicken.

Great job.

Second one, fish.
Boom, beautiful job!

On to the rope.

He's got to take his time.

Oh, great job!
- Oh!

Way to go!

We worried about
blade real estate,

but it didn't really
come into play here.

We worried about his cardio,

but we saw him go through
that rope like it was nothing.

Moving on to Kill Shot,
a sudden death obstacle.

Three slices to get through
six ratchet straps.

First one.
Boom, he got it.

Second one, no problem.

Three straps left, one swing.
This is tough.

Oh, beautiful job!
- Nice!

- Justin Preston
defeats Knife Fight.

- That's awesome.

That was an amazing last shot.

He opened up his body
to allow that blade

to swing all through
all three straps.

- Justin, that was
a phenomenal run,

but we still got to see if
you made it here fast enough

to put you outside in Dead Run.

- I don't have
the biggest knife,

so it was--
it was a lot of work.

The challenges were just
way harder than last season.

- I'm Sifu Mike DiMaggio.

I'm 51 years old, and I'm from
Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

I'm teaching martial arts
at night

at a studio I built
in my home.

I got into kung fu because

I was crushed
by a front end loader.

- Oh, man.

- I was told I was never
going to walk again.

I went to a kung fu class,
and the instructor told me

that if I did what he said,
I would be fine.

I did it every day,
and I'm still here.

My past injuries aren't going
to hinder me at all.

And see, now,
it's time to show everybody.

- So what do you got there?
- I have a little knife

I brought here to win
this competition with.

Today, I brought
a machete-style blade.

- It's a light and fast blade.

It's an interesting
knife because

we're at a very thin stock.

It's about
inch and three quarters wide.

- Yes.
- Well, this is definitely

going to be one of the lighter
blades in today's competition.

- But I'll be one
of the heavier guys.

- This is a very sharp blade,
and it swings very nice.

I'd like to see
a little bit bigger handle.

Congratulations.
- Thank you, sir.

- Your knife makes the cut.
- Thank you.

- Good luck.
- Thank you.

- Mike DiMaggio steps up
to Knife Fight.

- What I don't like about
this blade is not enough mass.

This is more
of a fighting blade

versus a chopping blade.

It's about speed and sharpness

versus having that mass that's
going to hack through stuff

that's needed
in this competition.

- Okay, here he goes,
stepping up to Trifecta.

As a martial artist,
will he calculate?

Will he take his time?
- I like his angles.

He's coming in
left side, right side.

So he's creating
that gap that he needs

to cut through the 2x4.

- There he goes,
right through the first one.

Here he's stepping up
to the second 2x4.

- I like his technique,

how he's alternating
to different angles.

He's creating that gap.
He's hitting with power.

- Oh, there he goes
through the second one.

On to the rope.
Two out of three done.

- Have to hit it at an angle.

- Good job.
He completes Trifecta.

Stepping up to Box Cutter.

- He needs to
hit the obstacle head on.

Meet that force.

- He is taking your advice.
He has stayed in front of it.

But the swings he is taking,
they are not doing any damage.

He's chipping away.
- As he moves on.

- Yep, he's going to incur
a penalty there.

He's sucking some wind now.

- It's a light blade.

It doesn't have the mass
to chop it in half.

- He's got to get through
that second box.

And he has given up,
taking the penalty.

He can move on to Decapitator.
Here he goes, Sifu Mike.

Boom, right through them.
- Nice!

- Slice!
Great job.

Oh, he's got to cut
all the way through.

One penalty.
- He needs to drop the level.

- The most difficult one.
Ah, another penalty.

Two penalties, his aim was off.

Sifu Mike moves on to Thrice.

The problem is,
can he generate power

with his thin blade?

Okay, this thing is going
to be rolling in his hand.

Boom, got it.

Moving on to the second.

Third and final ice block.
- I like his power.

I like the drive,
the follow-through.

- It is consistently
rolling in his hand.

- But he is done.
Moving on to Life Line.

- I like how accurate he was
with every shot.

- Remember, he has to
get through each object

with one swing.

It looks like he's composed.
He's ready to go.

Stepping around
and getting the proper angle.

Good job, he got through it.

- I like how he's
studying the objective.

- Terrific follow-through.
On to the rope.

Two out of three done.

Uh-oh, he rushed.

Another competitor--
- We always see that.

- Going right through
the chicken,

right through the fish,
thinking that the rope

is going to be
no problem whatsoever.

But right when they
get up to it,

they rush through, and boom.
He's done.

- It's a 2-inch rope.

It has no weight
at the end of the rope.

Anything that hits this rope

is going to
start that movement.

- I took my best swing,

and I looked back,
and it was still there.

It's just like kung fu.
When you think

something's going to be easy,
it ends up being hard.

Maybe I was a little gassed,
I don't know.

But the fish was cut nice.

- My name is Hezekiah Menacho.
Everybody calls me Zeke.

I'm 43 years old, and I'm from
Long Beach, California.

We grew up on the east side
of San Jose, California,

which was a
tough neighborhood,

and instead
of having something

to sleep with to comfort me,
my dad ended up

giving me a Bowie knife
and a sheath,

and it made me
feel comfortable and safe.

That's my hooligan cleaver,
the knife that I designed.

- And you gave it that name?
- Yeah.

The blade has 14 inches on it.

It's two-handed to help
get you through

those extra swings and stuff.

That's the hooligan
right there, man.

I feel on a scale
of one to ten,

I'm definitely
at a 10 level for this.

- So what do you got there?
- I got a hooligan cleaver.

- Let me check that sucker out.
- Here you go, sir.

- We have a tough course,
and this three-V steel

I think it's about
as tough a steel

as any I've really seen.
- Yeah.

- And it looks like you might
have hit something hard,

and then re-sharpened.
- Yes, I practiced with it.

- So you've put this knife
through the paces?

- It's went through its paces.
- So what did that?

- Uh, that was
going through a 2x6,

but that was my fault, because
it wasn't anchored correctly.

- It does balance very easy.

It's really not as blade-heavy
as one would think.

- Right.

- Congratulations.
- Thank you.

- Your knife makes the cut.
- Thank you.

- Next up, Zeke Menacho,
42 years old,

Calls the cleavers he designs
urban destruction tools.

- He comes today with
14 inches of cutting edge

on a modified chopper.
It's heavy-ended.

That's going to
allow it to chop.

It's going to work
more like an axe.

- He is a gnarly competitor.

Let's see him go up
to Trifecta.

How about his technique?
- I like it.

- That's what you've
been calling for.

- That's right, you need
to come down at an angle

and create that gap.
- Beautiful.

Didn't look like there was
much of an issue at all.

Up to the second one.

Right now, Zeke Menacho
is moving right along.

Boom, right through
the second one.

- He's able to
get the proper angles.

- Boom, right through the rope!
- Wow.

- He is moving on.
- His blade is extremely sharp.

- It's extremely sharp.
He knows how to wield it.

- That was definitely
perfect technique.

- As he steps up to Box Cutter,
let's see what he's got.

- That's a lot of power.

- A lot of power,
a lot of force.

He's got a lot of the contents
out of that first box,

but he needs to
completely demolish it

before he moves on
to the second.

- Wow.

- Oh, there goes
the bottom half.

- Nice.
- Good job.

Box number two.
- He's a little bit winded.

- Yep, you see him
sucking for air right here.

- He's slowing down now.

- He is definitely
slowing down.

- Once you get tired,
you lose clarity.

- Yep.
Needs all the force he can get.

- Nice, look at that power.

One more swing,
he should be done.

- There he goes!
Moving on to Decapitator.

- This thing's extremely sharp.

As long as he gets
the angles of attack,

he should be okay.

- Hey, he's sucking right now.
Sucking air, that is.

Zeke Menacho,
stepping up to Decapitator.

First one.

Missed that one.
- That's a penalty.

He needs to drive the blade

straight through
all the fruits.

- Uh-oh, did not drop
at his level at all.

Second one penalty.
Third one.

Oh, missed that one.
Three for three, penalty-wise.

- He is so gassed right now.

He should have studied
that first cut,

and then adapted
to the situation as needed.

- Moving on to Thrice.

But does he have the cardio

to get through
these ice blocks?

- Well, he definitely
has some power.

He has the blade.

- Three, right through!
- Look how he's throwing

his weight into it.

- Beautiful, one strike right
through the second block.

- Nice!
- Oh, one strike

right through the third.
Moving on.

Thrice is demolished
by Zeke Menacho.

We thought he was gassed,
but no.

Stepping up now to Life Line.

One strike through each object,
or you're done.

Boom, right through
the chicken.

- I like how he's
examining the target.

- Beautiful cut.
- Wow.

- And here's the rope.

- Wow!
- Beautiful strike!

- And that's the perfect
angle and speed

that you have to
cut through these ropes.

This guy is ready to get it on.
He's here to do business.

- Moving on to Kill Shot.

Three slices to get through
six ratchet straps.

- This is more of a slash
versus an impact.

- You know, and it calls
for a lot of creativity,

and a sharp blade.

Oh, left one!

Now he's got to
get through four straps.

- Open up the swing.

- Good job, he got through it.

But now he needs to take
his time.

Three straps, here we go.
Here's the big one, right here.

- Oh!
- Nice!

- Beautiful recovery!

Zeke made it through
Knife Fight.

- Wow.
- That is one lethal blade.

We saw both Zeke
and his hooligan cleaver

do a number on Knife Fight.

- I didn't think I was going
to have such a hard time

getting through that course.
It was a tough deal.

But I got to the end.
I touched the great oak.

I'm good.

- Zeke and Justin.

Knife Fight took its toll
on all the competitors.

The two of you
made it all the way through.

Congratulations,
you're moving on to Dead Run.

Are you ready?

- Hell yeah.
- I'm ready.

- You're about
to go to war, gentleman.

I suggest you
put your game face on,

get your damn blades ready,
and let's do this.

- Yeah.
- Let's go.

- It's going to be tough.
It's going to be a dog fight.

- This is everything
that I've trained for.

I'm going to be
a "Knife or Death" champion.

- While Knife Fight was
the ultimate test of blades,

Dead Run is the ultimate test
of speed, timing,

accuracy, and precision.

The course is bigger, longer,

and twice the difficulty
of last season.

First up, Chopper.

From inside
the circular platform,

you must cut each of
the rotating targets in half.

You must complete each target
before moving on to the next.

Ball Buster.

Slice nine
rolling balls in half

before they hit the floor.

Flying Target.

Cut the rope,
release the meat,

cut the meat on the downswing,

and land it on
the metal grate.

Miss the grate
or it bounces off,

it's a penalty.

Free Fall.

You cut each
piece of fruit as it drops.

Fire and Ice.

Cut completely through

the 400-pound block of ice
to trigger the flame.

Next, Crash Landing.

Cut completely through
the flying targets

as they zip past you.

Then, a giant crate descends
to block your path.

Destroy it, release
the contents, and move on.

And finally, Fire Storm.

Cut two ropes
to release the platform,

ascend the stairs, and stop
the clock with one final chop.

Remember, in Dead Run,
the clock never stops.

For every challenge
not completed,

a 20-second penalty
will be added.

Now, let's talk about
these two blades

and how they stack up
against each other.

- They're pretty
similar, Bill.

I mean, you talk about
a 12-inch blade

versus a 14-inch blade.

Both of them
are competition choppers.

These guys are almost
equally skilled.

It's going to be a tight one.

- First up,
the Missouri patriot.

36-year-old Justin Preston.
Kicked Knife Fight's butt.

- I feel great.
I'm just happy that

my blade was good enough
to hold up.

I'm going to be telling myself

just to focus,
and keep swinging.

- Looking at that blade,
that thing is tiny.

Can Justin post a time
good enough to win

and move to the
Grand Champion Showdown?

Whack!
- I like his angles.

He's trying to create that gap.

He needs to move
as this thing moves.

The 2x4 is moving way too much.

You have to hit it dead on
so it doesn't swing.

- Boom, right through
the first one.

On to number two.

I was waiting for that
double hand strike there.

Boom, right through
the second one.

- He needs to blow through it
with speed and violence.

- Boom, right through
the third 2x4.

- Nice!
- He's on to the mat.

- Look at his swing.
His swing changed.

Now he's dropping his angle.
He's dropping that level

to try to get more power.
- Okay.

One more strike
and he'll be through.

Boom, he's done.
- Nice!

- Moving on,
Ball Buster up next.

Competitor must
slice through nine balls

as they roll down the slide.

Strike one.

Strike two.

And strike three.

Okay, got one.
- This is hard.

Those balls are coming fast.
- Missed that one.

He is one for five.

Got that one.

Okay, got one right there.
- He got that one.

Changed up his method.
- Oh, missed that one, strike.

Last ball.
He got it.

He's accrued five penalties.

Moving on to Flying Target.

Remember, the competitor
must cut three ropes

that each release
a swinging piece of meat.

The meat must be cut so that
one half lands on the grill.

This is tough.
- He is extremely tired.

- Okay, missed
on the first one.

- So he cut too less of meat,
that's a penalty.

- Missed on
the second one, penalty.

Okay, number three.
Lands over it.

0 for 3 at Flying Target.

Next up, Free Fall.

What do you think about
his technique here?

- He needs to move, and set up.
- He missed that one.

- That's the problem
that we have.

- Got that one.
- They're not moving

fast enough to set.
- Okay, bad strike there.

Missed it.

Got that one.
- He needs to move, set up.

- Got that one.
- He needs to find

a good position.
- Oh, he got it.

Another one down.

He got that one.

- Nice!
- Beautiful job.

Only two penalties.

Now he's moving on
to Fire and Ice.

- He is extremely tired.

He needs to create power
by using body mechanics.

- Not much body mechanics
right now.

- No, he needs
to drop his level.

He's all upper body right now.

- He's making a wedge
in it though.

Good strategy.
- I like it, I like it.

He's taking
way too much time on this.

- A couple more strikes,
and that ice will be--

There you go!
- Nice!

- He's moving on
through Fire and Ice.

Next up, Crash Landing.

Remember, competitors must
cut each object in half.

Justin Preston steps up.
Boom.

- This is all about
hand and eye coordination.

- Missed that one.
- That's a penalty.

- He did not
cut all the way through.

Oh, he gets it, nice shot.
- Nice!

- Good job.
- Bill, he is gassed.

- For sure, he is accurate,
but is he powerful

and does he have the cardio
to get through this box,

and release
the red ball to move on?

Okay, he is struggling here.

- Right,
it's all about destroying

the structure of that box.

You can start seeing
the fatigue setting in.

- Boom, got it.
- Nice.

- Okay, the contents are out.
There's the ball.

Next up, Fire Storm.

One final cut,
and the clock stops.

And that is one
exhausted competitor.

- Nice.

- Whoo!
- Overall, not a bad run.

I mean, this was a short blade.
He made it work for him.

He did spend
a lot of time on Chopper.

He did miss a lot of the balls
on Ball Buster.

- Justin had...

11 penalties.

That is unbelievable.
- Wow, that's going to hurt.

- That's going to hurt him,

and I don't know
if he can overcome that.

Zeke Menacho
stepping up to Dead Run.

- With his hooligan cleaver.
This thing is amazing.

It's 14 inches
of cutting power,

but that heavy mass
is going to give him

that hacking power he needs.

- I have some concerns
about everything

that's going to be moving
at the same time

and trying to
swing through that.

I'm going to have to
figure that out on the fly.

- Designed this blade himself.

Let's see what he
and his creation can do.

Boom.
- Look at that power.

- He winds up.
- Wow.

He almost cut through that
with one chop.

Wow, look at that power!
- Destroyed it!

- Second one.

- Nice!
- Boom, right through.

He's got to
get through that mattress.

Boom, he's through.
Beautiful technique.

Oh, speed and violence.

That's exactly
what you called for,

and that's exactly
what Zeke gave you.

Moving on to Ball Buster.

- This thing
is maneuverable, one hand.

Hopefully, his targeting is on.

- Oh, missed the first.

- This is a very hard obstacle.

- Got it.

Misses.
- His timing is completely off.

- He misses.

Got that one.

Ooh, missed another one.

Oh, another penalty.

Oh, nice, he got that one.

Last one's going down.

Oh-ho, he misses.

Six penalties here.
Moving on to Flying Target.

Remember, the meat must be cut

so that one half lands on the
grill behind the competitor.

Here we go.

Got the cut.

He's got to get
the right trajectory here.

- That meat's just gonna
fly over that grate.

- He's going to incur
a penalty there.

- He needs to find
that sweet spot.

- Oh, no sweet spot there.

He whiffed on that one.
- Cut too early.

Number three, here we go.

Got the cut.

Fell too short.
- Too early.

- Okay, he's getting
a lot of penalties here.

Next up, Free Fall.
- They're going to drop, Bill.

- Oh, he got it.
- He needs to set up.

- Missed the second.
- He needs to set up.

- The third.
Quick, quick, quick.

- Move!
- There you go.

Get on it.
Uh-oh.

Oh, another penalty.

He got a little piece of it.
- Got it.

- Misses.
- He needs to move, set up.

- Got that one.

He misses.
That's disappointing.

Six penalties.
- He's not finding his rhythm.

- Moving on to
Fire and Ice here.

Zeke needs to
make up some time.

He needs to go penalty-free

through the rest
of the course.

- He's breathing hard, Bill.

- Well, that's gonna hurt him.

Here he goes!

The 400-pound block of ice.

Beautiful!
Three strikes right through.

- Wow, three strikes!
- He's got a second wind now.

He's still in the game.

- This is all about timing
and accuracy.

He needs to get
the timing of the object

coming towards him, and then
slice completely through it.

- Beautiful!

Got the first object.
- The first one.

- He's out here,
got the second one.

- 2 for 2.
- He needs to move up.

Here comes number three.

Boom, right there.
- That's 3 for 3.

- 4 for 4!
- Perfect on Crash Landing.

Release that ball, and then,
move on to Fire Storm.

- Wow, look at that power.
- Good job.

That edge is still sharp.

Hey, you need
some urgency here.

He needs to get up there
and make that one final cut.

- He is gassed, Bill.

He needs to get up there.
He is so gassed right now.

- Nice!

- That was an impressive run,

but let's see
how many penalties Zeke got.

15 penalties!

- That goes to show you, Bill.

That this competition is bigger
and badder than last season.

- Both of these competitors

took their time
going through the course.

- And they accumulated
a lot of penalties.

- I didn't think
I was going to have

such a hard time
getting through that course,

and it was a tough deal.

- Let's see the times.

Justin's time,
with penalties, was...

9 minute and 26 seconds.

- Wow, that is one of
the worst times we've seen.

- The anticipation.

- Zeke's time
with penalties was...

8 minutes and 9 seconds.

Zeke takes home the prize.

He's won $2,000
and a chance to compete

in our Grand Champion Showdown.

- Whoo!

- Hey, great job, man.
- Good run, Zeke.

- Way to represent today.

- Your attitude,
your blade, man.

Great combination.
But here's the deal.

You're going to be
going against the champions.

20 grand up for grabs.
- Mm.

- You'd better go home
and talk to that blade.

- Believe me, I'm going to be
whispering to that thing.

That knife I have no doubt will
make it all the way through.

That knife is a beast.