Medical personnel are present to treat any injuries or other health problems and may, at their discretion, disqualify smiths who are unable to continue safely.
Once the time expires, the judges evaluate the blades based on the host's criteria and inspect their craft, quality, and design, then deliberate privately before announcing their decision.
If one weapon suffers a catastrophic failure, defined as damage that renders it unsafe or ineffective for further testing, its maker is immediately disqualified.
In the third round, the two remaining smiths are shown a historically significant (and technically difficult) weapon, mostly prepared by David Baker,[6] and are given four (originally five) days to create a version of it.
[1][7] Jodi Flynn, Brent Montgomery, David George, Shawn Witt and Simon Thomas are executive producers for Outpost Entertainment.
Healy says that the inspiration for Forged in Fire came from his and other developers' love of food competition shows such as Chopped and Iron Chef.
Typically, candidates for Forged in Fire episodes go through a casting call and screening process before appearing and competing on the show.
For example, Doug Marcaida shared a casting call to his Facebook page on October 18, 2021, seeking "...metal workers to forge iconic edged weapons from History!".
[16] After applying to be on the show, the potential competitors are interviewed by video and phone; asked questions about their metallurgy knowledge, experience, and skills; and undergo background checks.
Sometimes, the entrants are asked to build a weapon with particular specifications, with progress pictures being sent to and analyzed by the show's producers before being considered to compete on an episode.
The rest of the set floor is spotted with other work stations for tools and equipment such as Venturi forges (made and supplied by Majestic Forge[19]), a variety of hammers, steel files, wire brushes, anvils, foot-operated power hammers, hydraulic presses, electric buffer wheels, grinding wheels, vises, welding machines, and other hand and electric tools.
Four smiths with a particular specialty (farrier, armorer, blacksmith, metalworker) competed in each preliminary heat, with the winners advancing to the finale for a $50,000 prize.
The judges J. Neilson, Dave Baker, and Doug Marcaida, were in the "hot seat" as fans asked them questions about the show, their personal lives, and bladesmithing techniques.
Aside from viewing Forged in Fire episodes on History's cable channel and its internet website, there are other subscription options to watch the show.
This series is hosted by Bill Goldberg and co-hosted by Tu Lam, a martial arts expert and retired member of the Green Berets.
On June 3, 2020, another spin-off series titled Forged in Fire: Beat the Judges premiered on History, hosted by Willis.
On each episode, three previous Forged in Fire champions return to compete for an opportunity to face one judge (Neilson, Baker, or Abbott) and win another $10,000.
In the third round (level 3), the last remaining smith and the competing judge are given eight hours to create a fully functional example of a particular weapon type in the Forge, including handle fitting and grinding/sharpening/polishing.
J. Neilson (Melanoma Foundation), Dave Baker (Breast Cancer Research), and Ben Abbott (Black Horse Forge: free blacksmithing classes to First Responders and Veterans).