[music playing]
ADAM RICHMAN: This is Medieval Times.
As the '80s dawned, the dinner theater format
needed a drastic reinvention.
[music playing]
Medieval Times was unlike anything '80s Americans
had ever experienced.
Once you stepped through the doors,
you stepped back in time and into the story.
And sure, you'd get to watch knights battle it out,
but you also felt like you were part of the story
as you tore into big chunks of meat with your bare hands.
Now for one night only, I am getting
an exclusive look at how things were when
it all began over 30 years ago.
Leigh.
Welcome to the castle.
Thank you so much.
It's kind of amazing because I saw Medieval Times
three times in the '80s, and this was
the very first one I ever saw.
And not only was it my first, it was the first Medieval
Times castle, opening in 1983.
I remember screaming myself hoarse.
It was one of the greatest memories.
These are generations of the helmets
that we used in the show.
This one dates almost to the opening.
It's just leather with no padding
and no safety equipment part of it.
It didn't offer a lot of protection.
One of the original swords I happened
to stick it aside years ago.
You can see how heavy and how unbalanced that is.
You could feel, like, the heft of it, it's really substantial.
Wow.
That is unbelievable.
LEIGH CORDNER: Now, these are the current ones.
The balance is much better and these swords
go many shows without breakage.
And you can tell, not only is it a better grip,
but it's a more ergonomic--
LEIGH CORDNER: Yep.
ADAM RICHMAN: But a huge part of this experience
was the medieval feast, an experience '80s kids really
couldn't find anywhere else.
Feeding a crowd of 1,500, a world
class medieval style meal was and still
is a battle unto itself.
[music playing]
LEIGH CORDNER: This is Henry Santos,
he's our kitchen manager here in Florida.
ADAM RICHMAN: What was the menu back in '83?
LEIGH CORDNER: The main course back then was a Cornish hen.
ADAM RICHMAN: OK.
LEIGH CORDNER: A spare rib, and a half a potato.
ADAM RICHMAN: Unlike the chicken served today,
Cornish hens were small enough to serve whole to each guest,
making them a unique personal feast
fit for every king and queen.
But before the hens hit the plate,
they were a key part of the original show.
So there is something that I was reading
about involving the food known as "the blessing" that
is no longer done.
What is the blessing?
Servers would do a live fire flambe of the food
while the Holy Father's blessed the arena and the meal.
Oh, they would actually set the food alight?
Yeah. Yeah.
And so you guys don't do that anymore?
HENRY SANTOS: No.
Well, number one, a lot of fire marshals
weren't big fans of that.
As we expanded and moved into different markets,
there's people saying you can't do that.
And so we just phased it out everywhere.
I'll do that for you if you want.
Oh really?
Yeah, like for you, we'll do it.
OK?
So excited.
[music playing]
Oh, that's so cool.
That's awesome.
It's crazy to think that in 1983 when Medieval Times began,
this was part of the ceremony, and it has not been seen since.
After the blessing, the feast of Cornish hen began.
This smells amazing.
Oh. - Dig in.
Thank you.
[music playing]
Mmm.
His spice rub is on point.
The unsung knights of the battlefield
are unquestionably inside your kitchen, so bravo to that.
I really just want to take another bite.
[laughter]