Frosty Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 I don't know why I haven't seen it advertised anywhere but Forged In Fire season 11 started in May on "The History Channel." I haven't searched the History Channel for listings but I stumbled on a "rerun" of one of this season's episodes. Anybody else out there watching? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad J. Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 I watch it occasionally to yell at the TV and then I end up giving in to the temptation to make an oversized knife or sword. To be fair. It was the first source of information I had for smithing, it caused me to ask questions and find this place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 I did not know it was even still on. I quit watching a few seasons back just seemed to have gotten repetitive. I can only watch them make canister damscus so many times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 Once in awhile, saw a few people I knew in earlier seasons, and it's fun even if it's contrived. Not too often though. Wife's TBI gives her a short attention span for shows and when she doesn't want to watch something, nobody gets to watch that something near her. Makes watching series a pain in the fundament. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jeff Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 I prefer the early seasons when they would have to take parts off of a car, pinball machine, tools etc and forge a blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 6 Author Share Posted September 6 I agree, I think after season 2 the ringers in the contestants became to obvious not to spot and it went downhill from there. A person could suspend a little disbelief and enjoy, maybe even pick up a thing or two. I think I stopped caring maybe the middle of season 3, heck Deb and I would pick the winner during the introduction. Still, it was folks beating hot steel on TV so I'd take a glimpse now and then but I don't think I watched a whole episode in a long time. Heck, I didn't watch the one I stumbled on yesterday, I was reading the, "Schlock Mercenary," web comic. The author published a strip a day and 3 on Sunday and I'm only up to November 2001. Dock's Whiteboard should have a new strip out today. I'm just too busy to watch FIF. Unless they up the game considerably. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seldom (dick renker) Posted September 7 Share Posted September 7 Too much drama. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 7 Author Share Posted September 7 I'll say, contrived drama is worthless but the producers aren't targeting an audience of experienced smiths. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 On 9/6/2024 at 12:28 PM, Frosty said: I was reading the, "Schlock Mercenary," web comic. The author published a strip a day and 3 on Sunday and I'm only up to November 2001. Dock's Whiteboard should have a new strip out today. I'll have to give that one a whirl. I've enjoyed the heck out of the Whiteboard, and I think you were the one that pointed me at it. Wish Doc'd post three on Sundays, but I get it, paintballing is a harsh mistress. I like his project pages too - the cars, the sculpture, the anvil he repaired with garage door springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 11 Author Share Posted September 11 There were 3 cartoonists, a colorist or two, several writers and one watching continuity working on Schlock Mercenary. That's a huge amount of work to publish a strip every day and crazy for a single person. I'm impressed Doc Nickle can publish one or two a week with the work load in his shop. He has so much going on he have the metabolism of a ferret on pixie sticks. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojo Pedro Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 We watch once in a while for laughs. My favorite part is seeing the contestants home forge. The wife calls it Forged in Drama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitewill1412 Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 Yeah. Reality shows stink, but I do catch an episode of fif once in a while. Since I started smithing it is kinda interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 As a hobby bladesmith I am a fan of the show, though of course I would prefer if they concentrated more on the forging and finishing and less on the histrionics surrounding testing. I know they make a concerted effort to make the relative testing as objective as possible, but there will always be a significant amount of subjectivity in the reviews that can rankle. i certainly don't always agree with the judges, and wish they used more scientific methods of testing, though I expect that would be less interesting to the casual viewer. Still, I know quite a few of the past contestants and they have all said that the producers are trying to be as "real" and balanced as feasible. As a dedicated viewer I have always been impressed by the typical attitude of cooperation the contestants have as opposed to other reality shows (though admittedly the only other reality show I can stomach since they took Junkyard Wars off the air is the Great British Bakeoff). As I see it FIF had a small fraction of the drama that others shows seem to promote, which may be why it is no longer on the air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 Ah, Junkyard Wars (or, to give it its original British title, Scrapheap Challenge): the true pinnacle of reality TV. More than enough genuine drama; no need for the manufactured kind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 12 Author Share Posted September 12 Too true Latticino but it's a common complaint of mine. I used to watch cooking shows like "Iron Chef" but the producers focused on drama instead of cooking, same for America's Got Talent, Deb and I used to mark out the time slot to watch but it's drama'd itself out of our interest. They used to be good shows but have turned into hosts talking instead of the advertised subject. We have or had a few IFI members who've been contestants on FIF and there are even 2 in our local club. They all say the contest is honest and more so in their home shops. Testing is pretty straight forward and okay. If the show's host would just cut back the narrative and let the bladesmithing be the show. I think programs go that way because the producers of the shows don't know anything about the subject so they have to make it interesting. Unfortunately that's interesting to the producers rather than the audience, let alone bladesmiths. <sigh> I loved, "Junkyard Wars" and wish someone would bring it back. <sigh> I'd like to see a combination of Junkyard and Robot wars. Keep the rules as simple and generous as possible. A real junk yard not slated with "good" stuff. Maybe have a selection of running engines, hydraulic and pneumatic fittings, etc. No flame throwers, torches no problem, just no squirting burning napalm around or firing cannons. Basic common sense stuff so spectators and operators can't get hit. All remote control of course with a 2 operator limit. Sorry for the sidetrack but it's too easy to imagine the show in my head. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted September 13 Share Posted September 13 I have not watched "TV" in a long time now. The only reason i wanted to keep cable was to watch baseball and with all the rule changes i do not even like that anymore. NL should not have designated hitters! My wife likes to watch the "evil lives here" and "i married a monster" shows, murder porn is what i call it, while i am either in my shop or sitting outside talking to myself. When i do turn it on i have been watching a lot of 1970's kung fu movies or Eastern European movies. A lot of good movies have come out of Eastern Europe that tell the story of their national heroes and the like instead of comic book movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted September 13 Share Posted September 13 20 hours ago, Frosty said: I'd like to see a combination of Junkyard and Robot wars I'd watch that in a hot minute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad J. Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 It seems to me that most of the guys on there just run to the grinder as quick as possible and do little to actually forge their knives. I've done well at picking the winner, especially in the scrap metal challenges. The ones I find hilarious are when they take away the power hammers or have to run the coal forges. I'm actually a bit torn. (Don't laugh) I'd like to do it, it seems fun but I don't do fancy, I do functional. It really did give me a push down the blacksmithing road but I veered away from only blades fairly quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 As I recall, I watched about 15-30 minutes (if that long) of the first show, changed channels and never watched it again. Reality shows.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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