Neilson missed most of season three due to hand surgery.
The main judges include Historic Weapons Re-creation Specialist David Baker, Edged Weapon Specialist Doug Marcaida, American Bladesmith Society (ABS) Master Bladesmith James Neilson, and two-time Forged in Fire champion Ben Abbott. Grady Powell replaced Willis for season eight onward. As the host for seasons one through seven, Wil Willis introduced the parameters for each episode. Each weapon is tested and evaluated by a panel of three (sometimes four) judges. The program places four competitors in three elimination rounds to forge bladed weapons.
Forged in Fire is an American reality television competition series that has aired on the History channel since its season one premiere episode on Jand is produced by Outpost Entertainment.
