WIL WILLIS: Gladen,
Matt, congratulations.
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.
 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]
