List of Forged in Fire episodes

These four contestants, all champions from previous seasons, were invited to compete again. The winner received an additional $10,000 and the title "Champion of Champions".

These four contestants from previous seasons were invited to compete again based on fans' reaction to their initial performance.

These four contestants, all champions from previous seasons, were invited to compete again. The winner received an additional $10,000 and the title "Champion of Champions".

This episode featured contestants eliminated from previous episodes returning for a chance at redemption.

These four contestants from previous seasons, each chosen by one of the four judges, were invited to compete again.

These four contestants from previous seasons were invited to compete again based on fans' reaction to their initial performance.

This episode featured contestants eliminated from previous episodes returning for a chance at redemption.

Four master/apprentice pairs competed in this episode. When Jesse withdrew at the end of the first round because of a family emergency, Zack was allowed to continue on his own.

Five champions from previous episodes were invited to compete again. Raymond Smith was eliminated based on the results of a preliminary test performed on blades that they forged ahead of time.

This episode followed the same structure as the "Ultimate Champions Edition" in Season 4, with five smiths who were inspired to take up the craft after watching the show.

Seven non-winners from seasons 4 and 5 competed over two episodes for $20,000. In "Long Road to Redemption Part 2", four remaining blacksmiths compete and at last, the two finalists choose which swords they will make at their home forges.

Seven non-winners from seasons 4 and 5 competed over two episodes for $20,000. In "Long Road to Redemption Part 2", four remaining blacksmiths compete and at last, the two finalists choose which swords they will make at their home forges.

The winner received $50,000.

Ricardo Vilar was a judge on the Latin American version of Forged in Fire.

Each style of bowie had a different set of parameters:

Old style: Simple block of steel, power tools could not be used, framed handle with straight guard.

New style: Damascus steel, power tools could be used, acid-etched handle with two guards.

Results:  1. Forrest Ketner (Baby Boomers)   2. Caleb Ledford (Gen Z)   3. Zach Batanyan (Gen Z)   4. Jimmy Pool (Baby Boomers) 

In a reversal of sorts, the smiths created the titanium handles in the first round before forging the dagger blades in the second. To accommodate for this, the forges and power tools were made available in both rounds, a first for the show.

Four champions from previous episodes were invited to participate in this episode. After competing against each other in the studio forge, the winner challenged one of the judges, a veteran weapon recreation bladesmith, David Baker, by creating the signature blades in David's forge. In the final round, Collin Sage competed and won against judge David Baker.

In the "pay-to-play" competition, the competitors used money to buy metal and materials.

Event 1: Signature blades (using W1 steel & railroad spikes)
Event 2: Damascus-layered Throwing knives

Event 3: Greek Xiphos
Event 4: Choice of Kachin Dao (5 points), Katzbalger (10 points), Kora sword (15 points), Ngombe Ngulu (20 points)

The "Case American Heroes Knife Series" consists of the "Lamb Hunter" – SGM Kyle Lamb, Army; "The Hambone" – SGT Clint Romesha, Army; "The Skinner" – Kevin Holland, Navy & Army; "Recurve Utility #6" – Harry Bologna, Navy.

In the Brute de forge challenge, the blade is forged to shape, not ground.

In the "Perfect Timing" challenge, smiths must choose between different forging techniques, each with its own time limit.

The "Flip the Script" challenge involved the contestants deciding amongst themselves the type of blade they would make and all other parameters, including handle material.

The contestants are asked to make a San Mai blade. To keep with the mystery theme, the contestants not only have to figure out for themselves what kind of steel they have, but also have to contend with an "invisible clock" for the first round, only relying on time callouts from Grady. In the final round, weapons are tested in the "forge of mystery" which contains various mysterious materials for testing.

For the first time on Forged In Fire history, eight former competitors head back to the forge for a second chance at $10,000. Two smiths who suffered catastrophic failures face-off while two smiths who failed to turn in blades in time get another shot to beat the clock. Each winner of their "duels" will receive $2,000 and a place in the final round of the tournament.

Duel 1: "Tough Breaks" bracket results:  1. James Mays (S6 E30)   2. Steve Wells (S7 E30) 

The Second Chance Tournament continues with the remaining duels. Two runner-up smiths battle it out in the forge to prove they have what it takes to be number one. Then two more smiths whose blades failed to make it to testing compete to get their weapons into the hands of the judges.

Duel 3: "Runner-up" bracket results:  1. Michael Seronde (S6 E6)   2. Rick Rabjohn (S5 E33)  

After winning their duels, the four remaining smiths go all out in the final round—creating a san mai chopper from a ball bearing and steel from a backhoe bucket. Two smiths survive to recreate a weapon from a past Forged in Fire episode (S5, E5), the Flyssa.

In round 1, four smiths cut through steel cages (representing a WWE Hell in a Cell steel cage match) to retrieve 1095 and 15N20 steel plates used for their signature blades. In round 2, three smiths made handles from wooden weapons seen in WWE wrestling matches. The winner of round 3 received $10,000 and a WWE championship title belt. WWE Hall of Famer "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair makes a special guest appearance.

Using tools forged from pieces of mild steel, the smiths must retrieve high carbon steel ball bearings from ice blocks to make their ulus that were used by the Inuit people in arctic climates for centuries. The smiths have to recreate their blades in an "arctic forge" in 27 degrees fahrenheit.

For rounds 1 and 2, smiths get to gamble in the Forge Casino's game of cards in order to determine what type of challenge they get. In round 3, the two remaining smiths press their luck by spinning the "Wheel of Forging" to see what type of weapon to create. If they don't like where they land on the first spin, they can spin again, but in doing so, they will lose two hours of their total time at their home forges.

In round 1, smiths are tasked with making a signature Damascus san mai blade with a 80CrV2 steel core inside a 1095 and 15N20 steel Damascus "sandwich". Round 2 showcased handle construction using two different materials on both sides of the blade. The remaining two smiths craft a pair of Ginunting swords at their home forges in round 3.

The episode honors Korean bladesmithing heritage. In round 1, four smiths are assigned to forge a Korean hwando sword. For the first time in the show's history, the blades are not oil quenched, but water quenched, complementing the episode's yin and yang fire and water theme. The display piece was crafted by Forged in Fire season 7 episode 14 ("A Very Forged Christmas") champion and Korean-American Boyd Ritter, who also narrates the animated historical description of the weapon. For round 2, three contestants must add handles to their weapons, with a habaki being furnished. Round 3 sends the two finalists to their home forges to craft a Korean woldo polearm.

Before round 1 begins, the four bladesmiths choose from four tiers of challenges, using various steel types and forging difficulties presented to them on a table. Their choice also carries into the handle round. The smith's choices (in the order as called to pick) include:

• Caleb – Round 1: Fish hook canister; Round 2: Cast guard and pommel; Medium difficulty
• Colin – Round 1: Turkish twist damascus; Round 2: G10 handle; Hardest difficulty
• Tony – Round 1: Cube and stack canister; Round 2: 2-tone handle and mosaic pins; Hard difficulty
• Cody – Round 1: 100+ layer pattern damascus; Round 2: Keyhole guard and handle; Easy difficulty

Results:  1. Tony Bravo   2. Colin Roy   3. Caleb Peck   4. Cody Kruseman 

The episode pays tribute to some of the most iconic terrifying horror scenes in cinematic history. In round 1, four bladesmiths are tasked in constructing weapons from metal items hanging on a "Wall of Torture" tools. In round 2, the remaining three smiths make handles from wooden tools found inside vampire hunting kits. A notable test for round three's fireman's axe was the "Horror Door Chop" strength test. The axes are used to chop through a door with "FORGED" written backwards in red along the central door frame rail. Both the axe chop and the backwards red lettering are references to the 1980 film The Shining.

The smiths go through the "Pick of the Barrel" Challenge: a barrel with five different sources of mild steel (chains, pry bars, hammers, railroad spikes and horseshoes) attached to iron poles sticking out of the barrel. But what they can't see is what's actually inside the barrel. Attached to the poles are five different high-carbon steel which they have to make a blade out of. The easier the mild steel pick, the harder the high-carbon steel will be to use, and vice-versa.

Eight military veterans who competed in The Forge are brought back for this season's Armed Forces Redeployment Tournament. This time, some of the best bladesmiths and toughest American warriors battle it out in four head-to-head duels. Eight former competitors and U.S. service members will be redeployed to The Forge, building a blade from start to finish in one five-hour round. During the duels, the bladesmiths pick 1 out of 5 different knife handles that are sticking out of an ammo crate. Attached to those handles are five unique blades from U.S. military history that the competitors must copy. The winner of each duel will take home a check for $2,000 and earn themselves a seat in the final battle of the tournament where they will face tough competition for a chance of winning $10,000 and the ever-coveted title of "Forged in Fire Champion".

Duel 1: "E-4" bracket results:  1. Garrett Elting (Corporal; Marines) (S6 E12)   2. Robert Guest (Specialist; Army) (S6 E4) 

Duel 3: "Champions" bracket results:  1. Ethan Lee (Navy) (S6 E6)   2. Mike Rizzo (Army) (S8 E1) 

In round 1, four bladesmiths, each winners of their respective duels, are tasked with creating their favorite combat blades. The blades are to be made from ball bearings, bandsaw blades, and fish hooks into a canister Damascus billet. Unfortunately, canisters are out of stock for the competition. Therefore, replica 1914 bazooka tubes are chopped up into needed canisters. Stacked leather handle parameters are added for round 2. For the final round, the two remaining bladesmiths recreate the "Ames" Cavalry Saber at their home forges.

In this special episode, the Judges; J, Dave, Doug, and Ben have a change not only to critique contestants blades, but create their very own challenge...in the Judges Takeover. For the first time in Forged In Fire history, in the next four weeks, the Judges will takeover The Forge by having the bladesmiths create their favorite weapons in their style and their favorite techniques. The Judges even get to test them out in the most brutal of tests.

First up was Doug Marcaida who trained U.S. and Philippines RECON Marines with a Filipino Ginunting knife which the "Kortada" is designed from.

In this special episode, Forged In Fire brought back four of the series youngest bladesmiths to ever win the competition. These Champions age range from 18 as the youngest and 20 as the oldest to victory. Once again, these "Young Guns" will test their bladesmithing skills in The Forge and possibly be the first two-time Forged In Fire Champion. And for the first time in the show's history, all four smiths advanced to Round 2 and added handles to their signature blades. Handles were made from skateboard wood. After the handles were added and blades were tested, Round 2 saw a double elimination.

Week 2 of the "Judges Takeover" is presented and led by Ben Abbott. Ben tasks the bladesmiths with forging a billhook, using pure nickel. As its first-time appearance on the show, nickel is to be used in a go mai (or "five layer") forging technique. In Round 2, the handle round, Ben wants the smiths to use a wood of their choice and incorporate a ferrule. For Round 3, Ben assigns the contestants to replicate the Sutton Hoo sword, which Ben also showcased and fabricated in season 8's "Judges' Home Forge Battle" special episode.

• Note: The episode is dedicated to Ben Abbott's late father, Peter Abbott (1923–2016).

Results:  1. Josh Adams   2. Jarred Irby   3. Paul Elkins   4. Clayton Martin 

This episode takes a look at the darker side of history. Bladesmiths have to forge weapons from a deadly device from the French Revolution. Those who make it to the final round must create a sword of death.

This week's "Judges Takeover" features J. Neilson, who challenges the smiths to recreate his serpentine push dagger designed and fabricated specifically for the episode. With the canister Damascus technique being used, Neilson also adds the stipulation that the canister must be removed. For a Round 2 parameter, Judge Neilson wants the contestants to use burl wood for the handle.

This episode gives tribute to NASCAR in what is dubbed a "layer race". Four smiths are assigned to make a signature blade, forging the metal with as many damascus layers as possible in 3 hours. The smith that can forge a blade with the most layers gets an additional 30 minutes to their time in the handle round.

The final week of "Judges Takeover", week 4, is presented and led by Dave Baker. In Round 1, Judge Baker requests the smiths to make a fantasy seax inspired by the iconic weapons in fantasy films of the 1980s. For the handle round, Dave's parameters include adding a button guard and an antler crown.

Rounds 1 and 2 are merged into one 5-hour fabricating round, the "Impress Us Challenge", which includes both metal forging and handle crafting. The contestants are able to use any metal composition (e.g. 15N20, 5160, 1095) from any source (e.g. bars, cables, coil springs) they choose to make their signature blade with any technique they desire. Anything found in the handle "pantry" is open to the smith's taking as well. The bladesmith that impresses the judges most at the end of the "Impress Us Challenge" is automatically eligible for the final round while the other three blades undergo testing. After testing, one smith will move on to the final round, with the other two contestants going home in a double elimination. Brandon's chopper-type blade impressed the judges most. Grant wins the testing sequence as both Chris and Evan are eliminated.

In honor and celebration of the show's fans and its 200th competition milestone, four bladesmiths fabricate weapons from fans' votes on various aspects of Forged in Fire—blade type and design, materials, forging techniques, challenges, and tests.

• Round 1: The contestants must craft a kukri, which was decided by the fans' high 41% vote. Non-winning weapon options included a karambit and tomahawk. The kukri unveiled and showcased for the round was handcrafted by the season 1, episode 1 champion, Matthew Parkinson. Fans also voted 69% for a 200-layer Damascus. ("Salvaging steel from a dump truck" and "salvaging steel from heavy machinery & equipment" were the other material options.) Since Jimmy and Chris each forge exactly 200-layer Damascus blades per the fans' vote-winning parameter, both smiths get 30 minutes added to their times for Round 2.
• Round 2: Utilizing the 200th episode theme, fans voted 50% for a 3-pin mosaic with the numbers 2-0-0 within the 3 pins, respectively, and designed into their handles. The non-winning challenges were "Etch '200' into blade" and "Salvage material from strength tests". In the testing portion of the round, fans voted 38% for the "Ice Block Chop" strength test. A "Rope Slice" with flaming rope was requested for the sharpness test.
• Round 3: Bladesmiths are tasked with crafting a Darb Sri Gun Chai (45% fan vote) in 4 days. Other choices included the spadroon and hunga munga. In honor of the "KEAL" test, two of the judges' favorite ballistic gel dummies—Medusa and Dummy of the North—are slashed and beheaded. Next, a strength test incorporated the fan favorite "Skull Chop" with 6 animal skulls. Last, but not least, the blades were evaluated against a "Multiple Target Slice" sharpness test consisting of ballistics tubes, sand-filled tubes, watermelons, and plastic water-filled jugs.

Results:  1. Chris Moss   2. Jimmy Coronado   3. Michael Bizark   4.〈Tim Jane ("TJ")〉 

Three bladesmiths create their signature blades in a single 5-hour round labeled the "Rust Bucket". During the 5 hours, rusted scrap steel (dumped from a rusted bucket) must be gathered and prepared, forged, tempered, quenched, and finished with a functional edge and handle. After testing, two smiths are sent home in a double elimination. The winner of the testing segment gets to pick the weapon style and forging technique. Brandon chooses the Messer sword and layered Damascus, then fabricates head-to-head against undefeated Judge Ben Abbott in a 8-hour round.