Forged in fire5/10/2023 ![]() Contestants walk away disappointed, but not outraged. But on Forged In Fire, there’s a pleasantly surprising level of chill. And watching Forged In Fire, I couldn’t help but remember the barking man-babies of Ink Master, who not only seek to sabotage each other-even when live flesh is on the line-but also wail, curse, and insult each other as if that is the true measure of their manhood.Įven cooking competitions like Cutthroat Kitchen or Hell’s Kitchen urge contestants to trash talk about their competitors or bash the judges who send them packing. These bladesmiths are brought together by their shared love for their craft. When a sword slices clean through a deer’s torso with one mighty swing, there’s congratulations, high-fives, and sometimes hugs. When a blade suffers a “catastrophic failure” of snapping in two as it is smashed against a paint can, they offer commiserating back pats. As they await judgment, they share stories, not insults. They offer words of encouragement or a helping hand. When one man’s billet balks or the quench warps a blade, there’s no rejoicing in your competitor’s misfortune, because they’ve all been there. But whatever motley crew assembled, they shared an easy camaraderie that overtakes the competition. They came scrawny, brawny, and fully beer-bellied. Some wore bold facial hair, ranging from groomed hipster beards, to biker-style handle-bar mustaches, to the bushy face ‘do of a wily prospector. Over the course of several episodes, I saw a variety of men come to the forge. That is the point.) The weapon that cuts and holds up the best wins, and that contestant gets $10,000 and the honor of being a Forged in Fire champion. ![]() (It’s usually on a pig or deer carcass, which was a section I watched through my fingers because this human substitution is still pretty grisly, and a wee bit disturbing as the judge cheerfully proclaims of weapons that pass muster, “It will kill!” But I mean, they’re making weapons. And then they come back to the studio to have their weapons tested. The two best from this round will then have 5 days to go back to their “home forge” (that’s a thing people have!) to make one weapon from history, like (checks notes) a Russian pioneer sword, Bagh Nakh, and the Wind and Fire Wheels. After one contender is cut, the remaining three will complete their weapons by attempting to address the panel’s notes on their forged metal, and adding a handle. In the first, four contestants must make a blade. I’m here for the men who managed to be passionate and manly without being competition-crazy, agro-dickheads. But look, I’m not here for the sockets and canisters and-uh-billets. And that will become very obvious as I struggle to describe the show. I knew exactly nothing about bladesmithing when I stumbled across this History Channel show on my hotel’s TV. ![]() It’s like they all come from the Nick Offerman school of manhood! And yet for all this machismo, Forged In Fire provides a wide array of positive male role models, men who relish being masculine, yet are happy to share their softer side. This is a deeply macho show, where the contestants drip with sweat from the heat of the forge fires, where their weapons are tested by an all-male panel of judges, and where slow-motion is intensely slathered on close-ups or forges, tools, and swipes of newly made blades. Here, men bend metal to their will with fire, muscle, and lots of pounding. Is there a more macho hobby than bladesmithing? Watching the reality TV competition Forged In Fire, I’m hard-pressed to imagine one.
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