In this special Judge's Takeover competition, every aspect of the challenge will be decided by the keeling machine himself - the inimitable Doug Marcaida. Four smiths must recreate a weapon straight from the mind of Doug, then survive an intense round of tests also chosen by Forged in Fire's resident Kali Martial Artist. The remaining two smiths will then return to their home forges to make one of Doug's favorite blades - the Supersized Kortada. Once they return to the forge and the weapons are put through another brutal round of testing, Doug will determine which smith's blade will keel and walk away with $10,000 and the title of Forged in Fire champion.
World-class bladesmiths re-create historical edged weapons in a cutthroat competition.
Hosted by Wil Willis, a former Army Ranger and Air Force para-rescue specialist, the competition series pits master weaponsmiths against each other to re-create iconic weapons that will be tested and evaluated by a panel of judges.
Competitors will re-create weapons from historical periods ranging from Japanese katanas to medieval broadswords to ancient throwing blades. Each entry will be judged on its artistry as well as its functionality and accuracy. The panel will consist of Willis, knife and sword expert J. Neilson, combat specialist Doug Marcaida and weapon history buff David Baker.