Original subtitles

- 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?

- Even when I'm not holding a sword

in my hand I can guarantee you

I'm thinking a lot about swords.

- I always ask people, "Where do you take a woman

who uses knives out to eat?" My answer always is,

"Anywhere she wants to go."

- Bladewielders, welcome to the most extreme

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.

A military vet,

a public school teacher,

and a lady sensei.

To say this group is diverse might be

the understatement of the century.

But all of you have one thing in common...

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 flame.

Box Cutter. Cut each moving target

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 the station is a penalty.

On to Thrice.

Cut completely through all three ice blocks in order.

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 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.

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

U.S. Army Veteran

and Special Forces Green Beret

Tu Lam.

- They say in the Special Forces

that you must adapt and overcome.

Our two-time "Forged in Fire" champion

and blade expert, Travis Wuertz,

will give your blade one final look

so you have the green light to execute Knife Fight.

He finds anything wrong with your blade,

you could be eliminated.

- Good luck.

Go get your blades ready.

- I'm Lady Sensei New York.

I'm 55 years old, and I'm from Brooklyn.

I was once a victim of domestic violence,

and I began learning self-defense

as a means to take care of myself.

12 years later, that's brought me

from a black eye to a black belt.

Some women love jewelry, clothes,

but if you give me a knife,

I'm a happy camper.

- So what do you got there?

- A kukri-tana.

It is a kukri with a katana handle on it,

and I call it the New Girl On The Block.

- May I see the New Girl On The Block?

- Please. - Thank you.

I can fit two hands on here,

and this something

that can totally be wielded single-handed.

And that's-- - If you have the brawn.

I'm not bringing brawn.

That's why I really wanted enough room

for me for both hands,

so that I can put my body into the shot.

- The whole rotation. - Yes, sir.

- She has a nice, flat grind.

She comes into a pretty dang fine edge.

I mean, substantial enough to take

pretty much whatever you'll through at it.

- Yes.

- This should be a fun knife to swing.

This knife swings and handles very well.

- Thank you.

- It could be a little sharper,

but I'm very pleased with the performance of this knife.

So, ultimately, congratulations.

Your blade makes the cut. - Thank you, sir.

both: Thank you.

- Weapons are only an extension

of our mind and body.

Utilizing technique and visualization

I think I'm gonna get through the course just fine.

- Gerry Tism, the Lady Sensei.

5 foot 3, first responder,

self-defense instructor, and professional badass.

- This blade's a kukri blade, heavy mass at the end.

This thing's made for chopping.

That means when she swings

this blade's gonna want to perform like an axe.

- Lady Sensei versus Trifecta.

Cut through each of the targets

at each of the stations.

- Sah!

- Nice angle, beautiful shot. - Whoa!

- What to make a statement! - Nice!

- Sah!

- Look at how she generates power

from the ground up.

- Yep, talk about a lady on a mission.

She broke the apparatus holding the 2x4.

- That's a penalty!

- The goal is to cut through the objects,

not to bash them apart.

Boom, right through it!

- She got one penalty on Trifecta.

- Next up, Box Cutter.

She needs to actually cut the wooden boxes in half.

- What I like about her

is she knows how to generate power.

I see the same-- geometry's there.

It will perform like an axe

long as she stays lead the target.

She's almost through though.

She's through the first obstacle.

Second box is up next.

- She's not striking consistently

in the same area.

- No, nor is she striking with near the power

she had in the beginning.

- There it goes.

- Although there she gets a little bit of hope.

- Nice.

- She got one penalty on Box Cutter.

Now she steps up to Decapitator.

She's got to cut all the way through

all of the objects with one strike.

Great shot!

- Oh, right through number two!

Good job! - That accuracy!

- The horizontal strike is key.

Got a little penalty on number three

that was a very valiant effort.

She got through very quickly. Only got one penalty.

Moving onto Thrice.

Must cut through three blocks of ice;

each block must have two separate pieces.

- Long as she knows how to generate power,

keep that clarity, she should be good.

- Like how she compromised the corner

and then she went for the harder stroke.

- Her experience comes from martial arts,

so I see that she's gonna have the speed

and levels of attack.

Nice. - Great job.

Now through number two.

- Great work.

- Her breathing and how she's controlling it

is amazing, Bill.

- I'm loving it.

Nice!

Next up, Lifeline.

Sudden death obstacle.

One shot all the way through the object.

- Now we're talking about a dull blade here.

She needs to hit this thing at an angle of velocity,

and then she needs to pray

that she's gonna go through,

because this blade is probably destroyed right now.

- Bam, right through! - Nice.

She's here on a mission. She has something to prove.

- Stepping up to the tube.

Can she generate the power and force?

She cannot.

Lady Sensei taken down.

- And that blade is bouncing off.

This tells me this blade is dull.

- Gerry. - Hey.

- You did a phenomenal job... - Thank you.

And you put this blade through so much hell.

Right here in your sweet spot...

- Yes.

- There's not as much left.

Unfortunately, your time on Knife Fight...

- No!

- Ends here. We have to see if this is far enough

and if you made it here fast enough

to put you outside in Dead Run.

Good luck. - I thank you.

I'm extremely happy with my performance.

It was an excellent course.

It was a lot harder than I thought,

but I came in with my head held high

and I'm going home the same way.

- I'm Larry Clementz from San Antonio, Texas.

I'm 48 years old,

and I've been forging blades

since I was 14 years old.

I've been into martial arts

since I was nine years old.

Weapons and my training have been a part of my life

from the beginning.

For 48, I feel very young and capable.

- What do you got there? - I got a kukri.

My favorite blade. - All right.

- The kukri is by far the best opportunity

for a combative success

because the blade is designed

specifically to be in alignment

with the wrist, in alignment with the body

when you're moving.

- Now who made this blade? - I made this blade.

- Awesome. So, when you're designing

this blade, was this specific built

for this competition?

- Absolutely.

- I'm feeling the handle, and there's a lot of contouring

that...

let's just say it doesn't fit my hand.

It's extremely short.

This curve is a large radius

which it means it binds my finger

and it's being crammed up against bare steel,

so there's nothing to protect my pinky.

Had this bird's head feature

been wood or had wood come all the way

around here to protect the finger,

we wouldn't have as much conversation.

And it's kind of hindered because we have this hole

that my pinky would go through, but I would never put

it in there because I would hate to see somebody

put a finger in there and have it just broken off

and have to retrieve a broken finger.

I'm gonna strap into it

and I'm gonna take a few swings.

- Sounds like a plan.

- Okay.

If I were going frantic on a course with this knife,

I'd mess myself up.

This is something

that is incredibly dangerous as it sits.

While it's a beautiful knife

there's too many elements on the handle

that make it dangerous to the wielder.

This blade does not make the cut.

- It is absolutely a disappointment

that I didn't get a chance to show my combative skills

and my--my strength with a blade.

If given the opportunity, I will come back

with a blade that Travis will appreciate.

- I'm Thomas Mombert. I'm 28 years old,

and I'm from New York.

I've been forging for about four years.

I actually ended getting into blades

because of "Forged in Fire"

I have a very large collection of over 100 blades

including everything from balisongs

to bowie knives to swords.

- So what do you got there?

- I have a custom-made knife.

It's a large chopper.

I brought a 17-inch bladed chopper.

It's made of 1095 carbon steel

and it's 23 inches overall.

- This is about three inches wide right?

- Yeah.

- Kind of a deceptively light knife for the size.

And it has a, basically, tennis grip handle.

And I like the shape of this.

This paddle allows the back side of my palm

to control the knife.

I'm happy to strap in this sucker

and give it a few tests swings

on that tatami.

- All right.

- This knife develops great power.

It has a nice, fine, sharp edge.

This is a very good cutting knife.

So congratulations. - Thanks, Travis.

- Your knife makes the cut. - Thank you.

- Good luck. - Thank you.

I'm worried that I have to keep myself under control,

and I need to slow down,

concentrate on each obstacle individually

and not worry about rushing through the competition.

- Big Bad Tom Mombert.

If he ain't at work, he's at the gym.

Chemical operator, bladesmith,

and bushcrafter.

- He comes today with a hybrid chopper.

This blade is very light for his size.

I see him swinging this blade very fast.

- Tom Mombert steps up and takes on Trifecta.

He's gotta cut through each of the targets

at each of the stations.

First up, a 2x4.

- He's doubled up on his grip.

Getting more power to the swing.

- Lot of power. Lot of effort.

- There's a lot of power there.

- Right through the 2x4-- one swing

right through the PVC.

One swing right through the rope.

Boy, that was a quick time.

Tom Mombert, on to Box Cutter.

Here he goes.

He needs to actually cut the wooden boxes in half.

Double-handed strike. There he goes.

Lot of the contents are out.

Oop, whiff there. Strike one.

Okay, back on it.

- He's relentless.

- He's relentless, but he's got to finish it off

before he goes on box number two.

There he goes. Box number two,

does it have a shot against Tom Mombert?

He's almost through that box.

Getting tired there.

Yep, I see him slowing down. - He is getting tired.

- We're all about destruction here

as Tom Mombert destroys that second box,

and he's through.

Next up, Decapitator.

- He's got to cut all the way through all of the objects

with one strike.

Boom! Great Job. - Nice.

Nice. - Terrific job there.

Ah, two for three. - Little bit off.

- Took his time on the first two.

Rushed on the third and got a penalty.

Next up, Thrice.

Let's see how quickly he can cut through all three.

Whoa, two strikes right through!

One strike right through!

Another one! Boom, boom! Two strikes right through.

Makes it through Thrice. - That's a lot of power.

- Lot of power. Lot of precision, man.

As he steps up to Lifeline,

one strike through the object.

One strike right through the chicken.

- He has the power, long as he picks the angle.

- Boom! Right through the tube!

Right through the fish! - Nice.

- Great job on Lifeline.

Moving on to Killshot.

Three slices to get through six ratchet straps.

- It's all about the slash.

It's not about the chop, so it's a different type

of approach here.

- This is a near perfect run so far.

Here he goes! One shot.

Here he goes! One shot.

Two shots!

Three more. Can he do it?

Oh! Beautiful job! - Yes!

- What a great recovery!

Tom Mombert, on through Knife Fight.

- That's a fast time.

- This guy only had one penalty going through Knife Fight.

- Tom. - Yeah.

- You were some cauliflower away from about a perfect run.

Congratulations on finishing Knife Fight.

- Thank you. Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Oh, my God. The adrenaline. It's insane.

I've been on roller coasters and not felt even

half of this. This is--

I can't--

I want to do it again,

but I'm like, "No, I don't want

to put myself through that."

- I'm John Landry. I'm from Lake Worth, Florida,

and I'm 53 years old.

I have been practicing martial arts

for about 44 years.

This uniform I'm wearing today

really expresses the ninja warrior

and the spirit that I feel when I practice ninjutsu.

- So what do you got there?

- This is shinobi katana.

The sword is different

than the regular samurai katana

in the fact that it's shorter, it has a straighter

shape to it, it does not have a curved blade,

and the hand guard is square, not round.

- Traditional curve of a katana there

creates a slicing cut as we go through.

And with the straighter blade

this is something intended

for pushing through or slicing.

So I'm just gonna wind this up.

So this sword swings beautifully.

The edge geometry is as beautiful as the blade,

and thanks for letting me swing it.

Congratulations. - Thank you.

- This definitely makes the cut.

- Appreciate it.

I'm not too worried about the rope and the wood.

That ice could be an issue.

- There he is, John Landry.

Full-time public school teacher,

martial arts instructor, former law enforcement officer.

- John comes today with a shinobi sword.

This is a straightedge blade

which makes it more of an impact type of blade,

versus the katana which is more of a slashing blade.

I don't know how it's gonna do against this competition.

- First up, Trifecta.

Right through the PVC.

On to number two.

Takes out the rope.

On to the 2x4.

- He needs to come in a little bit more of an angle

and create that gap.

- There you go.

He must have been listening to you.

Took care of Trifecta.

John Landry steps up to Box Cutter.

He needs to actually cut the wooden boxes in half.

- Wow.

- Okay, here he goes. He's generating some force.

Not much damage to the box yet.

He's staying stationary.

He's the only competitor we've seen

to stay in one spot and wait for the box to move around.

- Nice. Nice, big hit.

Looks like he's moving on. - He's moving on.

- Yep, and all the work he did on that box,

he still gets a penalty.

He is slowing down considerably.

- The longer he stays here the faster

that blade's gonna get dull.

- Looks like he is wasting a lot of time.

John Landry moves on past Box Cutters.

- I really think he's realizing this is not

the blade for this type of competition.

This is a straightedge blade

versus the katana that has a bend

on the spine of the blade.

- Next up, Decapitator.

You got to cut all the way through all of the objects.

- He studies the art of ninjutsu.

They're all about angles. If he's able

to get that horizontal cut, he should be good.

- Did not complete it. Penalty number one.

- Wow! - Took his time on that one.

Great shot.

Two penalties. His aim was off.

John Landry moves on to Thrice.

We talk about compromising your blade.

Well, these three ice blocks,

they're gonna compromise it quite a bit.

- Absolutely, though, I mean, this blade

is not a heavy mass blade,

so he has to generate the power.

- Decapitated one.

- Wow! Look at that swing.

That's a lot of power.

- On to the third.

Boom! Right through. - Yes!

- Nice--made it through. - He made it through.

- John Landry moves on to Lifeline.

Remember, he must cut through all three objects.

One cut, or you're done.

- Nice. - That was an easy slice

right through the chicken.

Boom! Right through the tubing.

Next up, the fish.

- Yes! - Yes, he did.

Clean cut.

- Look at those angles, Bill.

That is a practitioner of ninjutsu.

They're all about levels and dropping angles.

- John's stepping up to Killshot.

Three chances to cut through six different ratchet straps.

- He needs a slashing hit more than an impact hit.

This is a straightedge blade which makes it more

of an impact type of blade.

- Okay, one down.

Now he's got one strike to get through four straps.

- He needs to open up the swing.

- Oh, that's an impact hit.

- Yeah, that was an impact hit and it was not

what was needed to complete Killshot,

and it stops him in his tracks.

- I'm happy with my performance.

The design of my blade, it's not as good for slashing

as a curved blade is,

but it did the job.

Except for those straps.

My nemesis.

- I'm Henry Hill, 46 years old,

from Fresno, California.

I'm an Army veteran and a martial arts instructor.

To prepare for this event, I've been doing a lot

of live action role-playing.

I'm wearing an African dashiki

because it actually represents

a lot of the African martial arts work that I do.

- So what do you got there?

- It's a fantasy cutter.

The blade that I'm bringing, I thought it would be

a good design to bring to this kind of event

because it is very conducive to my style and how I fight.

- We have an 18-inch blade, and I would say

that that handle is just as long.

- Yes.

- I can put my hands in multiple places

and there's just plenty of safe options

and a lot of handle to wield this many ways.

Let's try it out. - All right.

- This is a blade

with simple performance characteristics

and very versatile.

Congratulations. Your knife makes the cut.

- Thank you. I'm ready.

I've been anticipating this for a while now.

So let's--get started. Let's go do it.

- Henry Hill IV, 46 years old,

full-time student, got into martial arts,

and joining the army as a way to get off drugs

He's very confident.

- Let's talk about the blade.

What I like about this blade

is the geometry of the handle.

If he milks towards the heel of the handle,

it's gonna allow him that chopping power

that we usually find from a kukri.

If he milks up the handle

on the top towards the guard,

it's gonna give him that slash and impact weapon.

- First up, Trifecta.

Remember, the competitor must cut three objects in half

releasing the falling torches.

Okay, Henry Hill stepping up with

one of the coolest blades we've seen on "Knife or Death."

Here we go with the 2x4.

There we go. - Wow!

- Beautiful strike.

Two very powerful strikes there.

- Let's talk about design.

- Very simple design, but very, very effective.

- If he milks up the handle on the top towards the guard,

it's gonna give him that slash impact.

- And he's through Trifecta onto Box Cutter.

May see a problem here with the design of that blade,

even though there is a lot of blade real estate.

- He's hitting it too high, Bill.

- It's not able to generate enough power,

I don't believe.

- Wow! - Beautiful strike.

He's almost through that box.

- Oh, he got it! - Yes, he did.

- Wow, he's really winded.

That's why cardio is so important

when it comes to this competition.

I mean, he's taking a break

in between swinging this box.

He's just accumulating more time.

- There he goes. He crosses the line Box Cutter.

He got one penalty right there.

Catching some breath.

- Definitely his cardio came into play here.

It didn't give him the clarity he needed.

- He steps up to Decapitator.

- With the long handle

if he locks in that blade to his hip line

drop its level and swing with his whole body

at the horizontal plane, he should be all right.

- Missed that one.

- He has one shot. His accuracy's not there.

- The peppers kicked his butt.

- Oh, he got it!

He barely made it through.

- And it looks like the pineapple did it.

- Two for three at Decapitator.

Henry Hill searching for air,

and he's gonna need it as he steps up to Thrice.

Remember the competitor must cut completely

through all three blocks of ice in order.

- With the long handle giving him that leverage he needs

to cut through.

- First one down!

He moved on to the wrong target.

That is a penalty.

Third one down!

You have to pay attention to the rules.

Stepping up next, Lifeline.

One strike through the object

or he's instantly going home.

Here he goes, Henry Hill IV

steps up to the chicken.

Can he do it?

Yes, he can!

Okay, stepping up the tubing.

Boom! Right through the tubing.

Very impressive. - Oh, Bill, he's tired.

- He is very tired, and he needs to gather

all of his senses for this one.

Whap! Right through it. Boom! - Wow.

- He is slowly sauntering over to Killshot.

Three chances to cut through six straps.

I don't know if he can cut through one right now.

- This blade is doing a majority of the work for him.

- Okay, two down.

One strike.

Oh, beautiful recovery! - Wow!

- Only one strap between Henry Hill

and the completion of Knife Fight.

Oh, my God!

Oh, my--

He was so close.

- He went towards the impact swing

versus a slashing swing on the last one.

- My blade exceeded my expectations.

I couldn't ask for anything more.

If I had one more shot, I'd kill it.

- I am Myles Cup. I am 28 years old.

I study historical European martial arts.

I've always loved the Renaissance,

so being able to swing swords

that were used in the Renaissance

is a way to get in touch

with that time period of history.

Since I compete so frequently

my fitness level is pretty good.

I hope that my training will avail me well out there.

- So what do you got there? - I have a medieval longsword.

It's a double-edged blade

with a simple cruciform style hilt.

- This is a very nice piece.

Now as I feel the edge of this sword,

it could be a little sharper

and it's deceptively light.

So this is a blade that in proper hands

can just be devastating.

I'm gonna go ahead and strap in and...

- I'd love to see you have some fun with it.

- Yeah, well, I look forward to it.

You sword cuts very nice. - Thank you.

- But at the same time, if the edge were

a little bit sharper

I think it would have gone even on the backhand swing.

Congratulations. It definitely makes the cut.

- Thank you, sir.

Look forward to using it.

I'm definitely concerned

about the single elimination obstacles.

Those are the ones that have got me sweating

just a little bit.

- 28-year-old Myles Cup

steps up to Knife Fight.

- Myles Cup comes to us with a German longsword.

36 inches. It's a double-edged blade,

but it's not all that sharp.

- You can see some pretty impressive

blade wielding skills,

but is he emptying his tank before the race starts?

That's my question.

- You know, Bill, as he walks up to Trifecta,

if he employs the proper technique

he shouldn't have too much problems.

- Here he goes! Right through.

- Hai! Hai!

- 'Kay, having a bit of an issue with the rope.

Single strike right down, not an angled cut.

Here he is with the 2x4.

He did get through it. No penalties.

- Yeah! - I like his energy.

This blade is a fast blade.

- Next up, Box Cutter.

Let's see what happens here.

Can see the bend on it already.

Getting good strikes. Again, another competitor

following the box.

I don't like his footwork here.

- Looks like he's controlling the spin

of this box with every strike.

- Spending a lot of time on the box. Not making much progress--

Oh, there's-- progressive swing.

That changed the landscape right there.

- Bill, he is getting winded.

- Boom! He cut it in half.

There he goes, now he's on to box number two.

Does he have better strategy on this second box

to get him through quicker?

- He definitely slowed down, Bill.

- Oh, yeah, he has slowed down. Not as powerful a strike.

'Kay, he's about to take down box number two.

Very close!

Well, there he goes. - Nice!

- Myles Cup all the way through.

Next up, Decapitator.

- He's breathing hard, Bill.

He has the length on this blade.

The sharpness of his blade. Long as he lands

the angles and the levels he should be good.

- First one, did not complete it.

Penalty number one.

- Nice!

- Looks like he got through number two.

Number three, penalty there.

So one for three at Decapitator.

Moving onto Thrice. Here he goes.

Whoa! Two strikes through.

He hit the wrong piece of ice.

You have to pay attention to the rules too.

Otherwise, it's a penalty.

Right through. Now Lifeline.

Sudden death obstacle that takes

a competitor down.

We got a bend in the blade already.

Let's see if it holds up.

Bam! Right through.

Perfect technique here from the hamon guide.

Stepping up to the tube.

- This blade is holding up well.

The edge is still there.

- Beautiful job on both the chicken and the tubing.

Boom, right through the fish. - Nice!

- Moving on, Killshot.

- 36 inches of cutting edge right here.

Long as he understands the blade real estate

and utilizes slashing attack versus an impact.

- First one, back strike. Got two straps.

- This about angles of attack and strategy here,

not power.

- Okay, he's being strategic here.

Beautiful job. Beautiful job.

Oh! He is moving on! Myles Cup!

- Great technique.

- And his German longsword... - Yeah!

- To beat Knife Fight.

- His choice in blade definitely helped

him out here today, and he had great form

in how he was able to generate power

in those short, explosive movements.

- As intense as I was hoping it would be.

I did what I set out to do. I finished Knife Fight.

- Gentlemen, each of you tackled Knife Fight

in your own, unique way.

Only two of you made it all the way through.

Congratulations.

So get your strategies together

and get your blades together,

and get your ass ready for Dead Run.

While Knife Fight was the ultimate test of blades,

Death Run is the ultimate test

of speed, timing, accuracy, and precision.

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 down swing,

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 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.

Now let's talk about these two blades

and how they stack up against each other.

- The longblade is definitely a superior blade

when it comes to the angles. It can generate more power.

But I tell you, Tom's hybrid chopper is sharp,

and he's really powerful in his strikes.

- Tom Mombert steps up to Dead Run

and if he does anything like he did inside,

we are in for a treat.

- He comes today with a hybrid chopper.

This blade is very light for his size.

I see him swinging this blade very fast.

- My blade is looking awesome.

Still razor sharp. I think I have it.

I have everything I need.

- Okay, here he goes. - OkaTom Mombertgoes.

facing Dead Run. First up, Chopper.

He's got to chop through those tatami mats, 1x3s.

He's superseded technique by using power.

- Power. Just raw power.

- We will see if he has the endurance, though.

Each strike makes that blade more and more dull.

- He's definitely spent some time

on this Chopper.

- Boom, right through the tatami mat.

Through the second one.

Onto the wood.

Boom! Right through that one.

- There he goes. Nice. - There he goes.

He is through. No penalties on Chopper.

Stepping up to Ball Buster.

He needs to slice nine balls in half

before they hit the floor.

There's a penalty.

Keep that blade close to the edge.

Another one. Completely off balance.

Sliced a bit off of it,

but not doing real well.

Yeah, he got that one.

Got that one.

Another penalty.

He's got to clear the plate.

Miss.

He got it.

Boom, got that one.

Red one's the last one. Moving on.

- He only got five of those, Bill.

- Next up, Flying Target.

Competitor must cut three ropes

that each release a swinging piece of meat.

Remember, the meat must be cut so that one half

lands on the grill.

Oh, on and off the grill.

- Just a little bit too late.

- And boom. He's on again. - Nice!

He is on it, Bill.

- Missed that one. - Spoke too soon.

- Getting tired there.

Yep, I see him slowing down.

Nope, he does not.

Up next, Free Fall.

- Perfect blade for Free Fall.

- Nice vertical cut underneath.

He got a little piece of it.

Not much movement on that blade.

Got the third.

Got the fourth. Yeah, he's doing good.

And another!

Very good strategy.

Okay, looks like he got it.

There's another one.

'Kay, good job there.

Doing well.

There you go. - Nice.

- No penalties on Free Fall.

Stepping up to Fire and Ice,

but does the blade have the sharpness

after what he just put it through?

- Wow! Look at that power.

- Beautiful! Two strikes right through.

Fire and Ice destroyed.

Up next, Crash Landing.

Remember, competitors must cut each object in half.

- This is all about timing and position.

- Right through.

Oh, he didn't cut all the way through.

He got one penalty right there.

Here comes number three.

- He got it!

both: Nice.

- He needs to destroy this box.

- Yeah. He's seen this box before.

Remember, there is a red ball inside that box;

you've got to dislodge it.

Then you can move on.

- And Tom has a lot of power.

- There goes the ball.

Next up, Fire Storm.

Ascends the stairs. One final chop

and his time will be stopped.

Tom Mombert with an impressive run out here on Dead Run.

- Whoo!

- Tom had...

seven penalties.

- That's a good run though. - It is a good run.

Couple more than I thought he had.

We gotta see how good his time is.

Next up, Myles Cup.

Took on Knife Fight inside.

Destroyed it.

Moving outside to Dead Run.

- Myles Cup comes to us with a German longsword.

36 inches of cutting edge.

It's a double edged blade.

Tom had a good run. Very few penalties.

Myles will have to bring his game.

- Energy is high. I'm ready to go.

- Myles Cup facing Dead Run. - MFirst up, Chopper. go.

- Here is moving objects. It's not a stationary object

where you can employ that impact.

Here, it's all about speed.

- Almost went halfway through that mat.

- He's getting through faster

than Tom with this longsword.

Wow. Nice. - First tatami mat.

- One down.

- He's breathing hard already.

Let's see if he can get through there quickly.

- He's through!

- Boom. Right through the mat. - He's through.

- One more piece of wood and he is moving on.

He is almost through. Couple more strikes.

Boom. One more. - Wow!

- He's done. On to Ball Buster.

- He needs to make up some time here.

- I tell you what, Ball Buster's tough.

I mean, that's real tough. One for one.

Two for two.

Two for three.

That long blade causing him some problems.

- Nice!

- Missed.

Another penalty.

Running into the ramp.

He missed it again.

Oh, he got it. Five penalties.

Not real good technique there.

- I mean, the proper technique there was just to chop.

- Flying Target is up next.

- And this is the perfect weapon for it.

- This is the perfect weapon for it.

Let's see if he had the hand eye.

Beautiful job. - Beautiful.

- One for one. - He found that space.

- Slice! Beautiful.

Okay, can he go three for three on Flying Target?

Yes, he can! - Oh, he got it.

- Great job. Up next, Free Fall.

- Wow, he made up so much time there, Bill.

- Missed that one. That came out a little quick.

Missed that one too. Missed two.

Okay, good shot.

- Nice.

- Great shot.

Nope. Penalty.

Boom, got it.

Penalty there.

Good job.

One more penalty.

Five penalties on Free Fall.

Moving on, Fire and Ice.

Now we've seen longblades go against

this big block of ice before

and a couple have shattered.

Just need one or two more strikes.

- It's all upper body.

- Boom, he's done.

On to Crash Landing.

He is taking his time.

- This is a very tight race right now, Bill.

- Yes, it is. Who's gonna win out in the end?

- It's gonna be a close one.

Nice! - Kay, first cut right through.

Second cut.

Oh, he didn't cut all the way through.

- Cut the rope. That's a penalty.

- Nice.

He needs to go through this thing with violence, Bill.

- He needs to get through it quick.

Compromise that box and release the red ball.

- If he can get through this quick,

this is--could be dead even with Tom.

- I'll tell you what. I don't see it happening

because he's sucking for air.

- He is. - Oh!

He's looking for the ball. There it is.

Can't see the ball. - That's gonna cost him.

- He cannot see the ball.

- He needs to move on!

- Can he cut through the ropes, ascend the stairs?

- Little bend in the blade.

- There we go.

One final cut.

Boom! He's through.

- Myles Cup completes Dead Run.

How's he gonna stack up? What do you think?

- I don't know. That red ball in that box

could have cost him this competition.

- Myles had...

12 penalties.

- Wow, hopefully he was fast enough

to get over those penalties.

- Longsword versus short blade.

Let's see the times.

Myles' time with penalties was...

8 minutes and 9 seconds.

- Wow, those penalties hurt him, Bill.

- Boy, that is an understatement,

but Tom was not moving that fast.

Tom's time with penalties was...

5 minutes and 25 seconds.

Congratulations, Tom. You've won $2,000

and the chance to compete

in our grand champion showdown

at the end of the season.

- I've done my mission here and I'm really happy.

- Okay, Mr. Bodybuilder.

Looks like the strength training worked out for you.

- Yeah, I guess it did. - Great job.

Congratulations. - Thank you.

Start your ass training for the--

- I'll be right back. - Cardio.

- You got it, brother. - Thanks, guys.

I'm extremely pleased with the way

my blade performed today.

I'm leaving a winner. I'm coming back later on.

You guys better be ready.