Marcaida points out that while some view knives as weapons, most people see them as tools±something they can use to slice, chop, or pierce. “It’s a more positive take on a very violent act.” “I knew that children were watching, and I did not want to use a term that glorifies violence,” he says. He means the blade will “kill,” but he substitutes a word he made up, an acronym for “keep everyone alive.” It’s a play off of a phrase used in martial arts to express the idea that it’s not about how many people you kill, but how many you protect. “Overall, the sword is light, fast, and sharp,” Marcaida might offer in summary before pausing, flashing his grin, and giving his final judgment: “It will KEAL.” “I started to see knives as an extension of who I was -an extension of my skills.”Īs Marcaida delivers his verdict to contestants on the show, he, quite memorably, has an unusual pronunciation of the word “kill.” That’s by design. “In order to conquer it, I had to face my fear,” he says. His specialty disciplines of kali, eskrima, and arnis include the use of weapons in their training. He steered clear of knives for a few years but warmed back up to them through his practice of the martial arts. He was involved with a street gang, he says, and one day he unexpectedly found a foe’s blade being held menacingly against his neck during what he expected to be a fistfight.
This goes back to his days as a teenager. It might be hard to believe, but there was a time when he was afraid of knives. The often-smiling Marcaida seems completely at ease on camera as he slashes and stabs a hog carcass or a lifelike gelatin test dummy. He is literally the ultimate judge on the show, the taskmaster who puts the newly crafted knives and swords through punishing physical tests to determine if they pass or fail. His unique skill set found a comfortable home on Forged in Fire.
He was able to forge a successful career as a trainer and consultant for military, law enforcement, and security concerns, both domestic and abroad.
FORGED IN FIRE CUTTING DEEPER FULL
Air Force veteran who was a respiratory therapist for 20 years before he decided to follow his own passion full time. The difference is we have sparks and fire and everything, but underneath all of that it’s about building things with your hands-it’s about imagining something and then using your creativity and skills to make it a reality.”īefore Forged in Fire came along in 2015, Marcaida was already widely known as a martial arts expert, edged weapons specialist, and knife designer. “But then I realized that it’s kind of similar to the shows I like to watch, which are reality competition shows like Chopped and Biker Build-Out. “At first I thought, ‘Who’s going to watch this?’” he remembers. When producers of the show reached out to Marcaida about joining their panel of experts, he was immediately intrigued but a bit puzzled by the premise. Under this kind of pressure, their mission is to grind, hammer, and polish a blade that looks good, is well balanced, and easily does the job it’s designed to do. To make it more fun and challenging, they have to make them from unlikely materials like fish hooks, ball bearings, or parts from old lawn mowers. On the show, skilled contestants in the fairly arcane field of bladesmithing compete to custom build a knife or sword from scratch under a tight time constraint. “It truly is a magical transformation,” he says, “just like alchemy was in the old days.” He has also developed a greater appreciation for the passion and artistry that go into the complicated process of making knives. Like those viewers at home, he has expanded his knowledge on the intricacies of metalworking, an ancient art that retains an air of mystery even in our modern age. Marcaida was already an expert on practically all kinds of blades, or he wouldn’t have been invited to be one of the judges on what has become a wildly successful History Channel program.
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