[music playing]
My name is Justin Workman.
I'm 39.
And I've been bladesmithing for roughly four years.
The last three months, I've been going through chemo
with the hopes that it would stave off the need
for amputation of my right arm.
I hope this sets an example to anybody that's struggling.
No matter how bad it is, you can still power through it.
My name is Doug Zegel.
I'm from Mount Laurel, New Jersey.
I'm 33 years old.
My uncle was a blacksmith.
So I got to move some metal with him when I was younger.
And I really enjoyed it.
You took something rock hard, like steel, you heat it up,
and it's like Play-Doh.
I mean, what's cooler than that?
GRADY POWELL: Justin, Doug, congratulations.
You guys made it past round one and two.
And now it's just between the two of you
for the title of "Forged in Fire" Champion
and a check for $10,000.
In round three of the competition,
we're going to send you home to make another culinary tool.
But this one is quite a bit bigger
than anything you've seen.
And that tool is the maguro bocho.
NARRATOR: Also known as the tuna sword,
the maguro bocho is a specialized
cutting tool designed to fillet massive bluefin tuna.
This impressive blade is not your average kitchen cutlery.
With a total length up to three feet long,
these culinary swords were often hand
forged by the same swordsmiths that made
the iconic Japanese katana.
They feature a thick spine and razor-sharp
edge that cuts effortlessly through any large fish.
The maguro bocho is still used today by some Japanese chefs
and can be seen on full display at some
of Tokyo's iconic fish markets.
Now, when you guys build your blades,
I want you to follow these parameters.
Your blade length needs to be between 29 and 31 inches.
You need to have a single-edge chisel grind.
And I also want you to incorporate
a ricasso between the handle and the blade.
I'm feeling pretty nervous.
I'm going to have to forge the longest blade I've ever made.
Gentlemen, we'll see you guys in four days.
Good luck. - All right.
Good luck, man.
We're here at my home forge in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
My game plan is, I'm going to san mai.
Give her a little flux.
JUSTIN WORKMAN (VOICEOVER): heat treat is the biggest
thing I'm concerned with.
My goal is to get a hardened blade.
Oh, I got a nice little warp in that bad boy.
Oh, I'm so mad.
JUSTIN WORKMAN (VOICEOVER): whole competition did
not go exactly as I planned.
Got about four hours left of this competition,
and I still have a fair amount of work to do.
I know for a fact that I met parameters.
It's the one thing that I've been checking
over, and over, and over again.
DOUG ZEGEL: I'm back in Mount Laurel, New Jersey,
at my home forge.
And I am ready to get started on my maguro bocho build.
So this tuna sword is probably about twice as long
as anything I've ever made.
I gotta get the forge hot.
And I'm ready to put my 80CRV2 in there and get hammering.
It's pretty malleable steel.
So, so far things are going pretty quickly.
But I want to keep making progress as fast as possible.
Once the quench comes, that's kind
of the make-or-break situation for me today.
So I'm just trying to get the heat right.
Yeah, we're in good shape.
It's time to get everything fit and assembled
and finish this blade.
All right.
Got a nice, clean fit.
That is the first look at what will soon be a finished blade.
Now that I have the final assembly finished--
I didn't come up with an elaborate test.
But I used to work in a sushi restaurant,
and this is a tuna sword.
It cut pretty clean.
I think it does the job.
All right, bladesmiths.
To find out what kind of lethal damage
your magura bochos will do, I'll take your weapon
and make some lethal cuts on these six different fishes.
Justin, you're up first.
You ready for this?
Let's make some sushi.
[heavy metal music]
Way to go, man.
Thanks.
DOUG MARCAIDA: All right, Justin.
Let's talk about your weapon here.
First up, your edge--
one-and-done for all the cuts here.
It's a very sharp edge.
I like the handle construction here.
It's ovoid, so my hand matches nicely and wraps around it.
Overall, sir, it will kill.
Thank you.
All right, Doug, you're up next.
You ready?
Have at it.
Let's do it.
[heavy metal music]
Nicely job, man.
It's all right.
All right, Doug.
First up, the handle construction--
I really like the way you shaped your handle here.
It's typical Japanese style.
Now, it's a lighter blade.
But your edge is so sharp, it cut cleanly through the fishes
easily.
Overall, sir, it will kill.
Thanks.
DAVID BAKER: All right, gentlemen.
I think you know what time it is.
It's time for the strength test.
And we're calling this our bo staff attack.
Now, Justin, your weapon is already locked in our device
here, and I will be attacking it with our wax wood bo staffs.
This test is not about what your blades do to that staff,
but what that staff's gonna do to your blade.
JUSTIN WORKMAN: All right. - Y'all ready?
Let's do it.
OK.
[heavy metal music]
All right, Justin.
You know, this is a brutal test for what is technically
a large kitchen knife.
But you did very, very well.
Right where my finger is, there's the smallest of chips.
And it's-- when I say "smallest of chips,"
I mean, it's really small.
Everything else looks right and tight.
All in all, you did a great job.
You survived.
Thank you.
DAVID BAKER: You bet.
All right, Doug. You're up.
You ready?
As ready as I can be.
OK, because this is fun for me.
DOUG ZEGEL: These blades are narrow, really thin blades.
It is not designed to take any abuse.
I'm already thinking that Justin's got this test won.
[heavy metal music]
So Doug, right off, this is remarkably light.
There is the slightest rough spot.
But besides that, I don't see any deformation in your blade.
Blade's as straight as it was when we started out.
It's a good, solid piece.
Well done.
Thank you.
DAVID BAKER: So all right, gentlemen.
Two tests down and one test to go.
DOUG MARCAIDA: All right, bladesmiths,
we're cutting it close.
We know that both your weapons can kill
and we know they're strong.
Now's the time to find out how sharp they are.
This is the sharpness test.
To find out how sharp your weapons are,
I will cut through these rolled-up tatami mats.
Now, unlike the strength test, this
is all about what the edge of your weapon
will do to these mats.
Justin, you're up first.
You ready for this?
Rock and roll.
All right, do that.
[heavy metal music]
All right Justin, let's talk about the cuts here.
Clearly, on the other cuts, they cut all the way through.
On the last cut, almost, but just a little skin of that mat
is hanging on.
But it is a sharp edge.
Overall, sir, it will cut.
Thank you.
All right, Doug, your turn.
So you ready?
Let's see what this thing can do.
Let's do it.
[heavy metal music]
All right, Doug.
First cut just went so easy without a drag
that it went into the next target.
It is a very sharp weapon.
It's very easy to wield.
And it's light.
Overall, sir, it will cut.
Thank you.
GRADY POWELL: First of all, both of you,
thank you very much for your hard work.
But as we know, only one of you is
going to be leaving here the "Forged in Fire" Champion
with a check for $10,000.
And today's "Forged in Fire" champion is Doug.
Congratulations, you won.
Justin, unfortunately, you're not gonna
be leaving with the win today.
And Doug is going to tell you why.
Justin, on any other given competition,
I can see your blade being a champion's blade.
It is a beautiful blade.
But today, your opponent's was just a little sharper, a little
lighter, and faster to wield.
Justin, again, thank you very much for your hard work.
But unfortunately, I'm gonna have to ask
you to please leave the forge.
Good job.
Thank you.
I'm glad that this time frame worked out as it did.
Chemo takes a toll on your body.
But going through that and then do
this whole competition just goes to show myself how much
I can actually push through.
I've always kind of been stubborn.
But I never realized how stubborn I am, actually.
Well, Doug, you are the "Forged in Fire" Champion.
Congratulations, man.
Thanks a lot.
[applause]
What are you gonna to get with that $10,000?
Oh, I fell in love with a forge press.
[laughs]
I definitely want one of those of my own.
I'm ecstatic.
You know, I put a lot of heart and soul
into making that blade.
And seeing it perform the way that it did
was just a really great confirmation
about my abilities.
And it's just making me want to make more knives.
[heavy metal music]