WIL WILLIS: Gladen,
You guys have made it into the third and final round
of this competition.
Now it's time to send you back to your home forges
to recreate this iconic weapon from history.
The Boateng saber.
Here to tell you more about it, historic weapons recreation
specialist David Baker.
The Boateng saber holds the world
record as the most expensive sword
ever sold at $7.7 million.
Commissioned by the Chinese emperor Qianlong
in the 18th century, this elaborate weapon is inlaid
with gold, copper, and jewels.
In addition to its beauty, the slightly curved blade
featured a sharp, lethal edge, ideal for slashing
into an opponent.
Combining artisanal craftsmanship
and deadly practicality, this weapon
is worthy of an all-powerful ruler.
$7.7 million?
Damn, no pressure.
Good luck, bladesmiths.
We'll see you in four days.
Good luck.
It's the morning of day two.
I'm feeling pretty good.
A little sleepy.
My main goal today is to get it all ground down,
get the fullers in, and clinch.
I want a really big fuller in it,
just so it knocks a lot of the weight out.
Now I'm going to go to the heat treat.
I really hope this fits in there.
I don't know if it got hard or not.
It's not really getting hard.
There's a couple dead spots in it.
I think I'm just going to have to redo the quench because I
don't want to risk having, you know,
a super bent blade on any of the tests they do.
Here we go.
[rock music]
Looks pretty good.
MATT: [groans] Starting day two.
What I want to get done is finish
the profile of the saber.
Because I'm forging, the exhaustion
just starts to set in.
I'd pay $700 for a Big Blue right now.
[chuckles] It's starting to look like a Boateng saber now.
It's the morning of day three.
But I still have got a lot to do.
The handle tier is moving really, really slow.
And I've already clogged up about four belts.
And I've got to save some for the blade finishing.
I'm going to start getting a little bit nicer of a profile
and just start cleaning it up.
So I pretty much finished up the blade.
It's been a pretty tough challenge.
I'm extremely tired.
My back is killing me from all the grinding.
But tomorrow's the last day, and I'm going
to turn in an amazing weapon.
[blows raspberry]
It's day four.
I've got a torch and a sword.
Get out of my way.
Yesterday, we got the quench done.
And it went awesome.
It's still hard.
So that's good.
I've got a piece of brass stock.
This will make a nice guard.
[chuckles] Almost there.
I find a piece of walnut.
It's dark.
So I think it'll look cool with the brass.
I just gotta cut it in half.
Ow!
[bleep] [groans]
It went through there quicker than I thought it would.
[laughs] I ain't got time to bleed.
Let's go.
We'd better clean it up, wrap some tape around it,
and keep going.
I'm really worried at this point.
Am I going to lose time?
Am I going to be able to finish this sword?
All bandaged up and ready to go.
Let's get back to work.
I'll make it.
It ain't going to stop me.
But I really have to take my time,
be careful, and not be in a hurry.
Let that be a lesson to everybody.
The final stretch.
My Boateng saber is made of sweat,
rain, and blood, literally.
[chuckles] I got an emperor to deliver this to.
Gotta go.
Bladesmiths, welcome to the KEAL test.
To find out how lethal weapon your weapons are,
we'll take your weapons to deliver some lethal blows
on this boar carcass.
It's time to find out if your blades will stand up
to the most expensive blade ever sold in auction
or if they're going on a "Forged in Fire" reduced sale.
[laughter]
Gladen, you're up first.
You ready for this?
Yes, I am.
[rock music]
[impact sounds]
All right, Gladen, let's talk about your weapon here.
You're extra sharp.
That's a thick hide right there.
And it chops deep into it.
Overall, sir, your Boateng will KEAL.
OK.
All right, Matt, your turn, sir.
Are you ready?
Let's bring home the bacon.
[impact sounds]
Good job, dude.
DOUG MARCAIDA: All right, Matt.
I like the bounce that you have with your weapon here.
Your handle is a little bit blocky.
So when you have a blocky handle right there, when you're
swinging for the rafters right there with full power,
it tends to move around.
I can't get full grip on this.
Your edge is sharp though.
Some of the chops there, it goes deep.
It will KEAL.
Thank you.
Bladesmiths, welcome to one of my favorite tests,
the ice block chop, supersized.
Now, I'm going to take your swords
and beat them repeatedly and mercilessly
into this large block of ice.
A good, strong sword should be able to hold up to the stress.
One that's not so good might chip,
bend, or even break apart.
Gladen, how you feeling, buddy?
A little nauseous.
[grunts]
All right, Gladen, nice job.
A little bit forward-heavy.
But good, strong blade.
Your edge is perfect.
No damage at all.
Good job.
How are you feeling, Matt?
After watching that, I don't know.
[laughs]
Well, we're going to find out.
[grunts]
Nice.
J. NEILSON: All right, Matt, you survived.
Everything's still tight.
Nothing came loose.
But your edge is not what it was.
It hasn't exactly rolled over or chipped.
It just doesn't have that razor edge
it did have when I started.
But hey, man, you survived.
Good job.
Thank you.
All right, bladesmiths, welcome to the sharpest
test, the tatami mat slice.
Now, we'll take your weapon and try to cut
through these tatami mats.
A sharp blade should cut all the way through.
Gladen, you're up first.
You ready?
Yes, sir.
Let's do it.
[impact sounds]
Cha-ching!
All right, Gladen.
Let's talk about your edge here.
It's sharp.
It cut through the first three tatamis
easily, even on the one that's doubled up.
Overall, sir, your weapon, it will cut.
Thank you, sir.
All right, Matt, your turn, sir.
You ready?
Let's do it.
DOUG MARCAIDA: Let's do this.
[impact sounds]
All right, Matt.
As you can see, it did cut a little bit.
But during the strength test, it did get some dulling.
It's still sharp, but it's not as sharp.
But this is the reason why we have the sharpness test,
so we know how well your edge is able to hold
on to its sharpness.
But you can see, in the first cuts, it will cut.
Thank you.
All right, gentlemen, the judges
have made their final decision.
Our new "Forged in Fire" champion is--
Gladen.
Congratulations, you're the "Forged in Fire" champion.
Matt, unfortunately, your blade didn't make the cut.
Matt, you did fantastic work, but at this time,
I'm going to have to ask you to exit the forge.
Good job.
Thanks very much.
Good job.
MATT: Oh, just a little bummed.
Overall, I feel like I made a good sword.
It survived chopping a big block of ice, so that's pretty good.
I'm proud of that.
Congratulations, man.
"Forged in Fire" is a really tough challenge.
It really pushes you to really expand on your skills.
Gladen, you are the "Forged in Fire" champion.
That's a title that does not come
with a check for $7.7 million, but it
does come with one for $10,000.
Good job, brother.
[applause]
Thank you.
WIL WILLIS: Come over here and shake our hand.
Thank you.
Good job, brother.
You did a great job.
MAN: The whole "Forged in Fire" experience
has been fantastic for me, all the learning
that I've been able to do.
Nice job.
Just a little lighter next time.
I know.
Being the "Forged in Fire" champion gives me
the confirmation that, you know, I can
make good swords and blades.
It tells me I'm going in the right direction.
So it should be 7.7 million.
But you know, I'll take 10,000.
Woo!
[music playing]