Pop Culture Pick: Forged In Fire

Will it cut the competition?

Image Credit: History Channel

Welcome to Pop Culture Pick, a catch-all for subjects I want to highlight outside of the usual weekly Weekend Watch columns. In this edition, a forging competition show fires up the imagination. 

Forged In Fire is absolutely not the kind of show I expected to love. I’ve never been particularly crafty and had never considered even getting close to a forge – I’d probably lose fingers, or end up setting something on fire. And yet, ever since I was randomly introduced to it during a visit home to the UK a few years ago, I’ve seen every single episode of the show. I indulge in the highs of victory and lows of defeat and cringe every time a contestant delivers a blade that falls short of the judges’ expectations.  

Here’s the basic set up: four contestants are brought to the show’s studio – the “forge” – where they have anvils and various pieces of equipment set up. The task that follows is (usually) split into different rounds: the contestants must forge a blade, which is judged. One fails to “make the cut”, and its creator is sent home. Next, they must make a handle to complement the blade, and the completed weapons face a barrage of strength and sharpness tests, with one more contestant sent packing. The final two are tasked with making a weapon from history and have several days at their home forge to work on it. The eventual winner walks away with $10,000. 

Host Will Willis brings an ex-military flair to his presenting style, turning on his heel when he’s done announcing a competition segment, while the judges are an eclectic mix of experts that have changed over time, including the addition of Brit Ben Abbott, a two-time winner of the show. The highlight on the judges’ table is inevitably “edged weapons specialist” and martial artist Doug Marcaida, who is as cheerful and enthusiastic as he is clearly deadly. He takes real pleasure in hacking into test dummies, ropes or animal carcases and coined a phrase, “it will kill” for the final round, later claiming that it’s actually KEAL, for “keep everyone alive”. Sure, Doug. If you believe that, I’ve got a lightsaber I’d like to sell you. 

Part of the appeal of the series is the sheer skill involved in making the various weapons and tools that slowly come to life as super-heated metal is hammered into shape. There’s the nervous tension as you wonder whether someone will finish in time, or, on the rare occasions, be medically removed from the forge (it’s usually heat exhaustion, but there have been some cuts and burns here and there). The relentlessly ticking clock looms large, and there are so many pitfalls in forging, from not finding the correct temperature for your metal, to quenching too quickly (and trying to quench with water, which never goes well). The competitors arrive confident that they can crush the tasks ahead, only for some to head home with the knowledge that their skills weren’t up to it, especially in the relatively short time for each task. And the judges’ personalities keep things light and entertaining, even as they pile on the pressure for those who take up the challenge. A more recent strand saw previous winners invited back to take on one of the judges. It’s that flexibility that has kept Forged In Fire consistently entertaining: these days, you’re never quite sure what loop the contestants will be thrown for, including having to use coal forges in chilly weather, making items other than blades and different materials from which they must work (lawnmower parts, anyone?) 

Sure, the contestants primarily tend to be white dudes with facial hair, but don’t let that narrow pool of competitors put you off. A little like The Great British Bake–Off (but with more sparks than soggy bottoms), it’s weirdly comforting to see talented, skilled people at work. Oh, and no… I’m still not tempted to pick up a hammer or dabble in blacksmithing. 

One season of Forged In Fire is on Netflix now. You can find more episodes at the History Channel’s site.