All language subtitles for Forged.in.Fire.Knife.or.Death.S02E03.Enter.the.Yatagan.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.

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 here today because

I'm not a maker who's afraid to

put his money where his mouth
is.

I want the hardest test for
my blades that I can find.

- I'm a two-time marathon
runner.

I average about 25 to 30 miles
per week,

and I hope I can run circles
around the other competitors.

- Welcome to the most extreme,

most challenging
knife competition

ever created.

Complete two punishing courses

and the winner earns a cash
prize and moves on

to the grand champion showdown

to vie for $20,000

and the title of
"Knife or Death" champion.

First up, Knife Fight.

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

Today, first up, Slice Twice.

Slice the sugarcane twice,

the second cut in midair
before it hits the ground.

If you miss any cut,

a 30-second penalty
will be added.

After four attempts, it's time
to move to Slasher.

Once the sliding target
is released,

you must cut completely
through it before it returns

to its original position.

Failure to do so,
and you incur a penalty.

Next up, Timber.

Use the proper technique
to chop down the 2x4

and land it directly
in the target area,

just like felling a tree.

After that, Ice Pick.

You must completely through
a 3-foot block of ice,

slicing through the plastic
pipe

and releasing the red liquid
in the center.

Once completed,
it's on to Lifeline,

a sudden-death obstacle.

Slice through three hanging
objects with one swing each.

Fail to slice through,
your runtime ends.

Next up, another sudden-death
challenge: Kill Shot.

You must fully slice through
sections of ratchet straps

with one swing each.

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.

The two that make it
the farthest the fastest

will move on to our second even
more grueling course challenge,

Dead Run.

I'm honored to introduce to you

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

- Our very own blade specialist

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

will give your blade
one final look

prior to giving you guys
the green light

to tackle Knife Fight.

Find anything wrong with your
blade,

you could be eliminated
from this course.

- Good luck, blade wielders.

Go get your blades ready.

- I'm Keyla Nieto.

I'm 40 years old, and I'm
from San Antonio, Texas.

My husband is a
"Forged in Fire" champion.

His name's Tobin Nieto,

and he made the blade that
I'm gonna use here today,

and it was made specifically
for me for the purpose

of winning this competition,
hopefully.

I helped Tobin test some
of his blades.

- All right, keep on going.

- Over the last two years,

I have been on
a weight loss journey,

and I've lost just over
100 pounds.

I feel like now I can compete
a lot more

and this is just gonna be
another way

that I can prove that.

- So what have you got there?

- I have a hybrid
yatagan and saber.

- I like the lines of
the yatagan,

and the saber has
that sweeping curve.

What's your training
with blades?

- I'm--actually I'm really big
into fitness.

I do OCRs--
obstacle course races--

and some krav maga,

Israeli self-defense.
- Okay.

I'm gonna take a few swings on
this ballistics gel.

All right.

Now this blade is not
very heavy.

If I had to say, I would say
this is under two pounds.

Lends it to be very fast,

but not something with a whole
lot of power.

But it's maneuverable
and it's fun to swing.

Congratulations.
It makes the cut.

- Thank you.

My tactic is to go in as
berserker Muppet

and just try to kill
everything in sight.

- Keyla Nieto, 40 years old,

from San Antonio, Texas,

with her yatagan hybrid.

- The yatagan was an Ottoman
Turkish knife,

and it was used during
the 16th to 19th centuries.

This is a mix between the
Ottoman and a cavalry saber.

- It looks like
a very lethal weapon.

And hey, I'm rooting for her.

You lose 100 pounds,
I am on your side.

- Let's see strategically how
she attacks this.

Gotta slice low, let the
sugarcane fall into the path

of your second slide, so you
have to be able to slice

the second slice prior
to hitting the ground.

- Here we go!

Hey, taking her time,
body's--

- Too slow. She needs to
decelerate that blade

and swing towards
the second one.

She's kind of stopping.

Way too hard.

- Oh, oh!
She missed.

Four penalties right out of
the gate.

This shows you how difficult
this obstacle is.

- You're knocking that
sugarcane off that path.

You need to come in at
an angle.

- Here we go.
She steps up to Slasher.

Can she generate the power
needed on the first obstacle?

She--power!

She's on to number two.

- Nice!
- Three slices

completed that one.
Two for three, here.

Let's see how
she can do on the box.

- Power. Just stay--
lean into that target.

And she's doing it.
- Power.

This is a blade that's doing
what it needs to do also.

That was beautiful.

She's going on to Timber next.

- And the strategy here, Bill,

is a notch on the underbelly

and then chisel away and let
gravity take over

for a death hit.

- Okay, here she goes.
Up to Timber.

- Oh, no.
Way too powerful.

- Way too powerful
and way too high.

Why would you compromise your
ability to drop it in

that zone?

Undercut, here she goes.

- Jesus. Slow it down.

- Here we go.
Here we go.

Take your time.
Oh, oh!

She missed!

- One hit too many here.

I mean, that thing was ready
to fall.

She took it off track.

- Stepping up to Ice Pick.

- She does not look too winded.

- Only time will tell.

She is going for it.
- Nice.

- She's gotta drop down,
though;

use the full body.
- Right.

I do like her technique and how
she's alternating

from side to side.

- Okay.
Bounce back.

- Nice!
- Boom, there she goes.

Moving on.
- That is power.

- Next up, Lifeline.

- She needs a sharp edge here

to go through Lifeline.

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

She is staring
that chicken down!

- Nice.
- There we go.

Beautiful strike.

She steps up to the fish.

- I like how she's going
towards the spine.

- Whack, right through.
Boom!

- Nice!
- Okay, here we go.

You get through the fish,

but you've got to take your
time and reassess the rope.

Boom!
She's out.

- Oopsie.

- She needed to slow down.

She was speeding up
way too fast.

There's no weight at the end
of the rope,

so you have to generate that
through angles.

So if the rope is suspended,

you need to hit it at an angle
to pull that tension down.

- Oh, my goodness.

This is course is not easy.

But it was also a whole lot
of fun.

I would totally do that again
right this very second,

so I hope my time was enough
to get me through.

- I'm Dave Martin.
I'm 49 years old.

I'm from Dandridge, Tennessee.

I'm a bladesmith.

I've made somewhere more than
30,000 knives in my career.

My blade is a two-handed
bowie,

and it's made out of 416
layers of 5160 spring steel.

I've cut through ribcages,
ice,

2x4s--
whatever I need to.

It's a beast.

- All right.

Now, this is a Damascus bowie
I see already.

- Oh, yes.

- So when we say Damascus,

we're referring to a metal
that started off

as two or more different types
of metal

forge-welded together,

and folded over that gives this
beautiful pattern.

- Yes, sir.
Two steels and nickel.

- I'ma take a few swings,

assess the safety
and overall handling.

- All right.

- It cut great, and it has a
lot of power.

There's a lot of inertia in all
this blade.

My only fear is, it's a very
thick cutting edge.

- Yes, sir.
- When it gets dull,

becomes a club.
- Yes, sir.

- But as it is, this is gonna
smash through.

And it is a powerful blade.

Congratulations.
Your knife makes the cut.

- Thank you.
- Good luck.

- Dave Martin,
49 years old,

steps up to Knife Fight.

- Dave's coming in with
a 15-inch bowie knife.

Look at the thing.

- That thing is monstrous.

- This blade is probably
heavier than

a long Oakeshott sword.

It's gonna be able to punch
through stuff.

- Here he goes.

Not quick enough
to make that second cut.

- He needs to be faster.

- But he didn't make the first
initial slice.

I tell you what, he's not doing
very well on Slice Twice.

- Notice how he's not using his
body mechanics.

He's all upper body.

- And he incurred four
penalties.

Okay, as Dave steps up to
Slasher,

I'm gonna assume that that
blade has all the real estate

he needs.

It's--does he have the power

and the technique
to get it done?

- You need to be aggressive.

- Oh, my God.
He just killed it.

- He has a lot of power,

and that blade is a beast.

- He got through the first
obstacle.

He's on to the second.
- He did.

- Okay, a number of slices.
He did well there too.

- Yep.
- As he moves up to the box.

You better go!
You better go!

He didn't complete it before it
made it all the way

back on the track.

He's got five penalties
up to now.

- Whoa, look how winded he is.

- He's sucking air right now.

He's moving on from Slasher
to Timber.

This is where he can catch his
breath,

use the proper technique to
slide that 2x4

inside the barrier.

- This is not the technique
I would go with, Bill.

He needs to create that cavity
on the underbelly.

- He's breathing hard already.

Let's see if he can get through
there quickly

without expending
too much energy.

That guy right now is searching
for air.

Looks like medical
is stepping in.

This "Knife or Death" course
will take it out of you.

- Short of breath?

- He is gasping for air.

Medical's stepping in
right now.

We're gonna see what happens.

- He is gasping for air.

Remember, safety is the number
one concern here.

The reality is, if you
understand

that your level is not
up to par--

you got the guts to say it,
it's very, very smart

to do that.
- Yeah, absolutely.

We do not want to get injured
in here,

and my hat's off to David.

He gave it everything has.

But in the end, he gassed out.

- You got to hand it to him;

he came to this competition,

he wanted to give 100%.

He did give 100%,

and unfortunately this
"Knife or Death" course

will take it out of you.

- My name's Eric Hardeman.

I am 36 years old, and I am
from Garden Grove, California.

I do historical European
martial arts,

HEMA for short.

We are working from manuals
that were written

hundreds of years ago on how
to sword fight.

- What's in the box?

- This...

is a medieval longsword.

This is a blade made by
Angus Trim.

This is one of three
longswords

he's made for me
in the last year.

This would have been popular in
the Holy Roman Empire region,

probably in the mid-1400s
to early 1500s.

- So I'm gonna go ahead and
strap in to this blade,

and I'm just gonna do a little
bit of ranging with it.

Be sure of your target
and beyond.

All right.

The edge, it could be a little
sharper.

I'm hoping the edge is thin
enough to where,

even as that initial
sharpness wears,

the geometry still lends itself
to cutting.

And I look forward to seeing
how you and it

will do on the course.

- Thank you, sir.
- Congratulations.

It makes the cut.

- I have a sword in my hand

about eight to ten hours
a week,

so I'm ready for this today.

- Eric Hardeman,
36 years old,

from Garden Grove, California.

Attorney at law.

And he's a 6'6" monster,
wielding a two-handed blade.

- I mean, this guy has range.
He has reach.

He's really tall, making him
ideal for this size of a sword.

38 inches, a double edge
cutting power.

- Look at the smirk on
Eric's face.

Does he know something
that we don't?

- Well, let's talk about
Slice Twice.

Let's just see how he's able to
decelerate

and hit that second target
before it hits the ground.

- Off goes Eric Hardeman

and his longsword.

Oh!
First swipe, missed.

- He's trying to use
the double edge.

- Two penalties.
- A little bit slow

in the downward swing.

This is a lot of blade.

- I'll tell you what,
great technique, though.

Well done on the third.

Beautiful. Great job.

That's the best technique
we've seen

by any competitor going
through,

even though he got a penalty
or two.

- He's demonstrating he
understands the edges

of his weapon.

You know how to use
the different blades.

- Okay, he's gonna have to deal

with something completely
different here.

Remember, the competitor must
cut each object in half

before it makes one full trip
on the track.

All the way down,
all the way back.

Well, there--
there it goes.

That's a powerful strike.
- Nice!

- There's another one.

See that blade bend.
- Yep.

- Okay, three strikes and he's
through the PVC,

on to the tubes.

There he goes. Two strikes.
Done with that.

Easy work.
On to the box.

Beautiful job,
best one today at Slasher.

On to Timber.

- That was a lot power,

but now he needs to slow down
at Timber.

- Strategy, technique,
and, most of all, patience.

And look at him bending back
his blade.

Okay, we got a bend in the
blade already.

Let's see if it holds up.

Way too much power.
- Way too much power.

- There is a definite bend
going on in that big bad boy.

Oh, beautiful job, though!
- Nice!

He got lucky here.

- He's got a much different
technique

than what we've seen before.

- Well, you know what I liked
about this guy in Timber is,

he knew when to stop,
and that's the key.

He let gravity take over.

- But there he goes again,

bending his blade back.

Will it be able to continue
going through this course?

Because look what he steps up
to next: Ice Pick.

- Concerned about the blade
right now.

It's gonna start bending on
him.

We have seen longswords break
on Ice Block.

- But with five strikes he got
right through.

Beautiful job, moving on
from Ice Pick.

Next up, Lifeline.

Once slice all the way through
or you're going home.

- And this blade is bending;
it may break on him.

- But right now he needs
blade sharpness.

- Nice.
- Beautiful angle of attack.

Great shot.

- I like the power.

- Oh, beautiful strike!

There he goes.
- He needs to slow down.

Yes!
- There we go!

- That's the perfect angle
and speed

that you have cut through
these ropes.

- Now he steps up to Kill Shot.

Another sudden death obstacle.

You must fully slice through
the three sections

of ratchet straps
with one shot.

- It's all about the slash;
it's not about the chop.

So it's a different type
of approach here.

- Okay, here we go.

First slice all the way down.

- His blade is strong enough
to punch through.

- Beautiful s--
oh, my God!

- Did you see what just
happened?

When he swung on the first
ratchet strap--

both: Nice!
- We have a--he's gone through.

- Eric, that was one hell
of a run,

but there's some bad news.

And let me explain.

- Eric, that was one hell
of a run.

But there's some bad news.

We have to go back
to Kill Shot,

and let me explain.

You get one swing here,

one swing here,
one swing here.

When your follow-through
from this strap

touched this one...
- Hit that one.

- Essentially, you compromised
the second station,

and so unfortunately,

your time on "Knife Fight"
ends right here.

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

to put you outside
in Dead Run.

- Very good.
- Good luck.

- Looks like I got killed
by Kill Shot at the end.

I cut way past the target.

Kind of like getting
a touchdown in football

called back after
further review.

I got a little carried away.

- My name's Mike Cleveland.

I am a custom knife maker

from Mustang, Oklahoma,
and I'm 51 years old.

The moustache is my alter ego.

My wife tries to tell me
she doesn't like it,

but I know she's lying.

I make knives
that are hard use,

that are tactical,

and for chopping.

- Well, what'd you bring today?

- I brought a tanto-style
chopping knife that I made.

12 1/4-inch blade.
- 12 1/4.

You have a lot
of material here,

and you have a lot of material
in the handle,

which makes this blade
a very fast blade.

But at the same time,
one can go overboard with that

and have a knife
that just swings

and doesn't want to stop.
- Yes.

- But we're gonna tell a lot
more once I strap in to it

and take a few swings.

- All right.

Your knife cuts great.

It's got a very sharp edge.

Congratulations.

Your knife makes the cut.
- Thank you.

- Stepping up to Knife Fight,
Mike Cleveland.

Only issue is,
you'd like that moustache

might poke him in the eye
during this run.

- He might actually, like,
cut off that moustache.

Let's talk about this blade.

It's a combination between
a chopper and a tanto.

Tanto traditionally was used
by samurai warriors

for close-quarters combat.

- Steps up to Slice Twice.
Here we go.

Mike Cleveland.

Boom!

Beautiful technique there.
Nice, quick movements.

Ah, didn't get
that one elevated.

Missed the third.

Now he's at three penalties.

Okay, he needs to get
through that PVC pipe

before it makes the track,

all the way down
and all the way back.

- My only concern
is this blade's made

for more of a thrust
than a chop.

- More of a thrust than chop,
but he's a big ole man,

and he is going for it loud!

- That is power.
- Okay, he got through.

Right in the nick of time.
Now he moves on to the tube.

- He needs to hit
this thing with power.

- Okay, he's through.
Now he moves on

to the dreaded box.
- Stay lead at the box.

- He needs to get going, here.
Get going.

- He needs to stay lead.
Now he's chasing it.

- Not gonna do it.

Incur a penalty.
Moves on past Slasher.

Now he takes on Timber.

- This guy packs
a lot of power,

but he needs to slow down,
chisel away at the front,

let gravity do the work.

- Let's see what happens.

- And he's going for
the wedge in the backside.

- Wrong technique.
- Let's see if he moves

in the front, which he does.

Now he needs to slow it down.
One too many strikes.

both: Oh!
- Almost!

- One too many strikes.
Didn't have the patience

to let it fell right
between the eyes.

Stepping up to Ice Pick.

- He's gonna need
to generate a lot of power

with this small blade, Bill.

- The blade's rolling
in his hands.

- I like how he's going around.

He's using his leverage.
He's using those angles.

- Went right for the base.

He took it down, but
he spent a lot of time there.

- And swings he didn't need,

because that thing
is destroying the blade

every time he swings.

- A blade's sharpness is what's
gonna come into play

at Lifeline, 'cause remember:

one slice all the way through
or you're going home.

- Yeah, that concerns me.

Going through Ice Pick
could've dulled that blade.

- Here he goes.
Angle of attack: back strike.

- Oh, wrong angle!

- And that was his demise.

Another person gets their ass
kicked by the chicken.

- He's coming in
at the wrong angles.

- Not generating enough power
or control right there.

- I don't know if my run
was strong enough

to get me into Dead Run.

I'm ready for anything.

- My name is Jeannie Nguyen.
I'm 41 years old,

and I'm from
Southside, Alabama.

My mom, when I was
a young child,

she wanted me to do
beauty pageants

and do all the girly things,

but all I wanted to do
was play with knives.

I got into outdoors
and bushcrafting

about seven years ago,

so I do a lot of chopping.

My fitness level
and my endurance level

from my marathon training

is what's gonna get me
through this course today.

- So what do you got there?

- I have a performance knife,
medium chopper.

- This is gonna be
one of the smaller blades

that have competed.

- It is ten inches.

- Okay, this would be
a light knife

even for blade sports.

But we'll see how it does.

All right.
It made clean cuts.

I could tell I didn't
generate as much velocity

as some of the longer blades,

but it doesn't mean
it won't perform.

So...

congratulations.
Your knife makes the cut.

- Thank you.
- Good luck.

- All right, here she comes.
Jeannie Nguyen.

She can run circles around
all the other competitors--

literally.

My only concern is,
look at that chopper.

- Exactly.
- It's only ten inches

of cutting edge.

- Her physical fitness,
though, could make up

for the lack of the size
of that blade.

- Absolutely.

Let's see, strategically,
how she attacks this.

- Wonder Woman.
Here she goes.

- Not enough power.
- She needs to get aggressive.

- She needs to go
faster than this.

- There's two penalties.

Okay, she got one, there.

Well done on the fourth.

- She definitely adjusted
towards the end.

That blade was a fast blade.
She was able to recover

from that blade.

- Okay, stepping up to Slasher.

- Stay forward
of that moving object.

Hit it with both hands
with speed and violence.

- Okay.

- Not a big fan
of her footwork.

She's never really
pushing from the ground.

- Okay, she wasn't able
to cut the PVC in half

before it made it
on its backtrack.

Here we go with the tube.

Uh-oh.
You gotta cut all of the tubes

or it's a penalty.

Clock's ticking.

She's got to find
a different technique.

Seconds do count.

She's incurring three penalties
on Slasher.

- And I'm telling you, man,
it's the geometry

of this short blade.

- Oh, and there she is.

She's actually gassed
a little bit.

With her high physical
fitness level,

she's able to recover quicker.

- Because she runs 25
to 30 miles a week.

- Okay, she's stepping up
to Timber, right here.

Supposed to fell that 2x4
right in between that target.

- Let gravity take over

and let that thing fall
in the path from the cut.

- Good technique,
but we got a small blade.

I don't think the knife
can really do much more

except for chip away
at that timber.

- Right.
- There it goes.

both: Oh, that was close.

- That was very close.

- She hit one too many
times there.

- Taking on Ice Pick.

Unlike a longsword,
she can't take the long strokes

and let the blade do the work.

She's gonna have
to chip away at it.

- Her footing is good.

She's following through
with the swings.

- Looks like it's about to go.
Two-handed swing.

Good technique, here.
Now she did it.

There she goes.

- What I love about her

is she started swinging
with velocity.

She started following through
with both hands.

She's able to regroup
and adjust the mind.

- Okay, adjust her mind
she must right now,

because Lifeline is a
elimination obstacle.

One slice through each object
or she's going home.

Here we go.

- The all-American girl

got nixed by
the all-American chicken.

- How you doing, Jeannie?

- Oh, guns are tight right now.
- You look like you got

some burn, there.
- They're burning a little bit.

- And I think a lot of it
kind of came down

to that minimal blade length.
- Yeah.

- Ultimately,
it'll remain to be seen

if you made it far enough
to continue out in Dead Run.

- Guess we'll see.

It was hard.

That was a tough course,
but it was a lot of fun.

- I'm Steaphen Fick,

I'm 49 years old,

and I'm from Santa Clara,
California.

I've been sword fighting
for about 30 years.

20 years ago,
I started teaching.

My school is the largest
in the U. S.

for Western martial arts.

I've had over 3,000
sword fights...in armor.

That's not counting all
the fights I've been in

out of armor.

- So what you got there?

- This is a falchion.

Late 14th century,
this is the kind of sword

that Robin Hood might
have carried.

It's short enough
to hang on your side,

which means,
when you're drawing your bow,

it doesn't get in the way.

- I like tapers because
things in nature taper--

or at least things that
withstand time and obstacles

usually have tapers,

just like this blade.

We're starting around
1/4 inch here,

and we have a linear taper
this whole way.

Now, that's very thin.
I mean...it's not quite--

I've seen swords
that wiggle like this,

and then after they wiggle,
they bend.

- That's too much.
- I hope that's not the case.

This I can already tell is
gonna be a fun blade to swing.

I'm gonna put
my safety glasses on

and see if it feels
as good as it looks.

- Then let's have some fun.

- This is a great-feeling
blade.

It's very fast.
It has a nice, sharp edge.

Congratulations.
Your knife makes the cut.

- Thank you, sir.
- Good luck.

- Thanks.

My tactic, going
into this course,

is to use my body
as a cutting tool.

So all the targets
fall in front of me.

- Steaphen Fick.
- He comes today

with the legendary
falchion sword.

28 inches of cutting power.
This is a long blade.

Now, let's talk
about Slice Twice.

My only concern is he may
not have the abilities

to decelerate
that blade fast enough

for hitting that second target
prior to hitting the ground,

because it's such a long sword.

- He's got over 2,000 fights
in full armor.

We'll see if that comes
into play today.

Here he goes.
Okay, missed the first one.

One penalty.
- A little bit faster.

A little bit faster
on this one.

- Okay, we see him
moving around.

- I do like that.
- Beautiful job.

He got it.
That is one sharp blade.

- See how he adjusted--
- He's two for three!

Okay, the best performance

we've seen on Slice Twice
so far.

- He knows how
to use that blade.

It's extremely light.
He knows the difference

in the leverage, and he used
more of a circular movement.

- Well, that and his experience
really did well for him

in Slice Twice.

Stepping up to Slasher.

- He needs to
stay forward of that target.

- Let's see.
Very powerful strike,

but he's bound in.
Another powerful strike.

Back strike,
but he's chasing the object.

- Ooh.
- Oh, there he goes.

Takes a spill,
readjusts himself.

- He didn't get it in time.
Another penalty.

He's gotta make up some ground,
here.

Clock's ticking.
Great technique.

- His footing isn't there.

That's why he's slipping
all over the place.

He's not really planting
that footwork.

He's not expanding those hips.

He needs to generate power.
- Okay, he's through.

Moving on to Timber.

- All right, let's see
the edge on this blade.

This is about angles of attack.

And it's strategy here,
not power.

You don't wanna apply
too much power

because you don't want
that 2x4 to come off track.

- A lot of flex on the blade,
a lot of power being shown.

- You can rely on brute
strength with no strategy

and hope that it lands,

but now he needs to slow down

and he needs to let
gravity do the work, now.

- Take your time.
Take your time.

- He needs to--
- There you go!

Beautiful.
- Nice.

- Patience got him through.
Way to go.

Moves on to Ice Pick.

- My only concern here is,
we've seen some blades bend

in the past.

- We've seen not
only blades bend,

but we've seen...
both: Blades break.

- Especially a falchion.

- Well, this is all about
footing and power.

- Ooh, see--
- See how that blade

is bouncing.
- Bounce back.

- Well, I'm telling you, he's
taking a lot of shots here,

which is dulling
and destroying his blade.

- Readjusting that grip,
but he's through.

Beautiful job through Ice Pick.

Now, blade integrity,
blade sharpness--

what does he have left
in this challenge

where one swipe through
moves you on,

but more than that,
you're eliminated?

Okay, here he goes.

Oh, another competitor
taken down by the chicken!

- See? He did not follow
through with that swing.

- Taken down by
a two-pound chicken.

- One of the warnings
in historic manuscripts

is, "You'll get beat
by drunks and beginners."

The chicken beat me.

Oh, well.

- Today, Knife Fight
has been vicious.

Not one competitor
made it through,

and Dave tapped out.

Okay, I just want
everybody to know

that Dave is at the hospital.

He's absolutely fine.

It was just done as
a precautionary measure.

Now it's time
to get down to business.

The two competitors
who made it the farthest are...

Eric...

and...

Keyla.

The rest of you, unfortunately,
are going home.

Please take your blades and go.

- I'm so stoked.
I can't wait.

I know Dead Run's gonna
be really tough,

very challenging,
but I think that I can do it

if I really wanna win
this thing.

- I am excited to be going
through Dead Run.

Keyla has been very impressive,

and it's a testament
to the fact

that if you have proper
cutting mechanics,

your size or power really
doesn't matter.

- Okay.
Short celebration.

It's time for Dead Run.

Go prepare your blades,

and I'll meet you outside soon.

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: Gauntlet.

From inside
the circular platform,

you must cut each of
the rotating targets in half.

Ball Buster:

slice nine rolling balls
in half

before they hit the floor.

Extinguisher: cut the rope,

release the bottle,

cut the bottle
on the downswing

to extinguish the flame.

Free Fall: you cut
each piece of fruit

as it drops.
Any nick counts.

Fire & 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.

Then, a giant crate descends
to block your path.

Release the contents
and the red ball to move on.

And finally, Fire Storm:

cut the 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.

Keyla Nieto, the first female
competitor to take on Dead Run.

- And she's armed
with a hybrid saber.

That length is gonna give her

the advantage she needs here.

Long as she keeps
her head level

and adaptive mindset,

I'm really rooting
for this one, Bill.

- Time for her
to take on Dead Run.

First up, Gauntlet.

You must cut each of
the rotating targets in half.

Here she goes.

- She has amazing hand and eye
coordination.

- Boom, boom.
Two strikes, two targets down.

- And that's
what I'm talking about:

reach the advantage
she needs.

This blade is definitely
made for her

and the Gauntlet.

- Great job.

- Nice.
- Kay, there you go.

Nice backswing there.
No penalties.

Okay, Kayla steps up
to Ball Buster.

How's she gonna do?

- All hand and eye
coordination.

She missed.
- Oh, there's a penalty.

Another one.
Two miss.

Three miss.

- Ball Buster's tough.
- Miss.

- Well, these targets
are moving fast.

- Okay, she got one.

Got it again.
There she goes.

She's back on track.
- Nice, nice.

- There she goes.
Two in a row.

Sliced a bit off of it.

Last one.

- Ooh.
- Missed.

She got five penalties.
Now she's gotta move on.

The Extinguisher is up next.

- The strategy behind
the Extinguisher

is identifying
the perfect sweet spot,

and hit it so that water can
splash directly onto the flame.

- Uh, there's a penalty.

Cut the bottle way too low,

didn't project enough
water out.

The flame did not extinguish.

- This is about hitting
on the downward slope,

finding that sweet spot.

It's all about timing.

- The flame was not
extinguished.

It's a penalty.

Here she goes
on number three.

Oh, another penalty.

- Bill, so much of Dead Run
requires timing.

She needed to slow down
and find that sweet spot.

- It did not extinguish
the fire.

Keyla steps up to Free Fall.

She got her first one.

Completely misses the second.

Missed that one.

Missed that one.
That came out a little quick.

- Nice.
That's what I'm talking about.

She needs to snap that blade.
- Good job, good job.

- Nice recovery.
There she goes.

- And let that thing fall in
the path of the cut.

- Okay, gets another one.

Ah, misses that one.

The small ones are
causing her some problems.

- Nice.
- Okay, she's on.

Got the last one.
Moving on.

Fire & Ice.

How's the blade integrity
right now?

We're gonna see.
- Oh, yeah, look at it.

She needs to put
a little bit more power,

utilizing the legs
in her downward swing.

Know what she's doing?
She's hitting at angles

to create that cavity.
- She's creating the cavity.

There we go. Boom!
- Nice.

- And steps up
to Crash Landing.

She must cut completely
through the flying targets.

After that, destroy the crate
to release the content.

- She needs to get
that blade high

in the path of that object
coming down.

- Nice.
- Nice, cut it right in half.

- Got a penalty there.

Another penalty.

- Ooh, she cleaned up.
- Sliced that one, now.

Got two penalties
on Crash Landing.

- She needs to come in harder
with this box.

Hit it at the frame.
Bust out the frame.

- She has got
to destroy that box.

Every bit of reserve
energy she has

has to put it right on the line

and go for
the total destruction.

- This--she does not have time
to mess around here.

Get aggressive!
- Smash it!

To release a red ball.

There she goes.
Cuts the lines.

On to Fire Storm.
She's gotta ascend the stairs.

One final cut and she's done.

Keyla. There she goes.
- Nice!

- Beautiful job by Keyla.

She may have been assessed
at number of penalties,

but man, it was impressive.

- She kept calm.
She wasn't frantic.

- She stared Dead Run
right in the face

and didn't flinch.

Keyla had...

15 penalties!
Oh, my God.

- Oh...
My God.

- Okay, Eric steps
in the ring of fire

as he is about to
take on Dead Run.

Completely different
competitor, here.

Different blade,
different size.

- So he has a better
reach than Keyla.

The only disadvantage he has:

because he's tall,
because he's longer,

he may not get that leverage.

He may not get that recovery
time that he needs.

This Gauntlet is really hard.

- Eric versus the Gauntlet.

And that big, bag longsword.
Here he goes.

both: Nice.
- With his reach,

he shouldn't have any problems
with this, Bill.

- Two swings, two strikes.
Three for three.

- He needs to pick
a target and hit it.

- Kay, four for four.

Five for five.

- Nice.
- Okay, six for six.

Doing a great job.
- In his rhythm now.

- 100% right now.

And he completed it,
so on to Ball Buster.

Slice nine balls in half
before they hit the floor.

Timing and accuracy
is gonna be a difficult task

with the longsword.

He got it.
He sliced a bit off.

- No, he missed it.

- One for two.
50%.

He got that one.

There's a miss.

- Not a big fan of chopping it.

He needs to try a new
technique.

- Another penalty
for missing the target.

Got that one.

He sliced a bit off of it.

He got that one.

Okay, last ball down.

Miss.
He moves on to Extinguisher.

- And the strategy
behind Extinguisher

is identifying
the perfect sweet spot,

and hit it so
the water can splash

directly onto the flame.

- Okay, he cut
the bottle way too low.

Didn't extinguish the flame.

- Okay, number two...
- Nice, he got it.

- He got through and moves on.

Number three.
Nice cut.

Boom, he gets it.
- He found his sweet spot.

- See if he can do it here.

- Yes.
- Perfect angle--nice.

Moves on.
Three for four on Extinguisher.

One penalty.
Moving to Free Fall.

- This is about setting up
that blade.

Oh, I like it.
Look at that.

- Beautiful.
- See how

he's setting up the blade?
- Yep.

He misses.

Second one, boom, down.
- Nice.

- Okay, got that one.
Three for four.

- I really like
this technique, Bill.

- Five for six.

Boy, this is impressive.

- Wow.
- Six for seven.

Yeah, oh, beautiful.
Seven for eight.

Eight for nine.

- Nice.
- Aw, beautiful.

He only missed one
on Free Fall.

On to Fire & Ice.

- Seems like he's breathing
a little heavy.

And every obstacle here is
set up to destroy that blade.

We have seen long swords
break on Ice Block.

Wow!
- Okay, here we go.

- Look at that.
- Three strikes and he's gone.

Moving on.
He is destroying this course.

Crash Landing is up next.

- This is all about timing
and position.

- Speed, precision.
Can it be done

with an Oakeshott longsword?

- Nice.
- Okay, great job.

One for one, here.

Two for two.
Gets it out of the way.

He needs to move on.

Three for three.

What a performance.
This guy is killing it.

He has to destroy that box
and release the red ball.

- Oh, look at that power.

The blade is sharp.
It's sticking.

- And all the contents are out.
Moving on to Fire Storm.

- See how dull this blade is.

- Here we go.
Second one's cut.

Gotta ascend the stairs,
make one final cut.

Can Eric be the victor?

Right through.
Finished.

What a run.
I'll tell you what,

that was very impressive,
right there.

But he had some issues
with Ball Buster.

- He had the range.
He had the power.

He was able to quickly adapt
his mind to the situation.

This guy is the full package.

- Eric had...

six penalties!

- Hmm.
- Wow!

Very impressive for us.

- Well, this is definitely
gonna be

about the speed of the run.
We'll see.

- Keyla's time with penalties
is...

seven minutes and 45 seconds.

And Eric's time
with penalties is...

four minutes and ten seconds!

- Wow.
- Eric takes the victory.

- Congratulations, Eric.

- Thank you.
- That was really well done.

- You did pretty well.

- I'm a little bit
disappointed, of course.

I wanted to win,
but that's okay.

I did as well as I could,
and I'm proud of what I did.

- Hey, big guy.

Way to go, man.

You got a chance to move on

in the grand champion showdown
to vie for 20 grand.

Okay, so go home, soak it up,

get ready,
get that blade ready.

- We'll see you in the finals.

- All right.
Thank you, sirs.

- Take care, buddy.
- That was so much fun.

I just felt like I was able
to kind of move through,

target to target.
That was great.

But I thought that Ball Buster

kind of busted my balls
a little bit.

I missed most of those
targets, but

I'm ready to head to the finale

and go see about winning
that title as grand champion.