He sometimes enlists the help of one of his students or his brother R.J. Doug Marcaida – An edged weapons specialist.He has been on the show since its inception and mostly judges the historical precision and aesthetic beauty of the weapons. David Baker – A Props maker, competent in weapons history, and an expert on imitating period-accurate weapons.He has been a Judge on Forged in Fire since its very first season in 2015 but took a leave of absence in season 3 to have surgery on his hand. The American Bladesmith Society raised him to the rank of Mastersmith in 2008. James Neilson – A knife maker and master bladesmith with over 20 years of experience.He has also buttressed his desire to continue his entertainment career as a producer and writer by studying screenwriting at the New York Film Academy. Since his departure, Wil has been true to his word by spending a quality amount of time with his family.

Anyone who cared to check the TV personality’s social media profiles could see that he was enjoying being a father and spending time with his family.Īfter leaving the show, Willis later revealed that the often repetitive and demanding process of filming Forged in Fire episodes was often boring for him. That desire was reinforced by the fact that he and his wife Krystle Amina welcomed their son Flash Orion Willin on March 6 of the same year. The main reason behind Wil Willis’ decision to part ways with the cast and crew of Forged in Fire was a strong desire to spend more time with his family, particularly in the wake of the devastating effects of the 2020 pandemic year. It did not take long for the real reason behind his decision to quit the show to be revealed. It stands to reason then that due to his contributions to the growth and relative success of the show, fans were not particularly satisfied with the statement released by the showrunners about wanting to start a new chapter of the show. His advice was also invaluable due to the fact that it came from personal experiences. In addition to hosting the show, he was also tasked with the responsibility of guiding the competitors with directions and specifications that should be met for their weapons. Wil Willis’ knowledge of weaponry and TV experience made him the prime candidate to host The History Channel’s Forged in Fire when they lit the green light for the show. Some of these military-based projects include Special Ops Mission and Triggers: Weapons That Changed the World, as well as some movies like In the Valley of Elah, Waste of Time, Sovereign, and The German King. Some of these pursuits, while in Television, still drew from his military experiences. Compared to the man who took his place in Forged in Fire, Wil spent a longer amount of time in the military, where he attained the rank of Air Force Pararescue Recovery Specialist before leaving in 2008.Īt the end of his time in the military, Wil Willis turned his attention to other pursuits. Wil followed in the footsteps of his father by joining the US military following his graduation from high school in 1993. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1975, Willis’ family background, which included the fact that his father was in the military, meant that he and his four siblings moved from base to base during his formative years.Īfter his dad retired from the military in 1991, the family moved back home to the United States and settled in California. Meet Wil Willis, Former Forged in Fire Hostīefore Grady Powell took over the reins as the host of Forged in Fire, Wil Willis was the host of the hit reality TV competition series. He went on to assure fans that the change would not affect the quality of the show, and a lot of those fans would certainly agree that the value and quality of the show have not diminished with this new chapter of the show with Grady Powell as host. To quell the mini-revolution and less than favorable reaction to that change, a spokesperson took to to explain the fact that given how long it had been on air at the time, it was normal for any legacy series like Forged in Fire to experience a change in personnel from time to time.

The initial resistance to that particular change led to several questions about the motivation behind the showrunners’ decision to change host personnel. As stated earlier, it was a decision that didn’t particularly go down well with devoted fans of the show. If it has not become apparent, the host of Forged in Fire was changed after season 7 ended. When was the Forged in Fire Host Changed? His experience with the ranks of what many consider to be one of the world’s elite departments of armed forces anywhere in the world, coupled with his passion for learning new skills, has been brought to the fore while discharging his duties as the host of The History Channel’s Forged in Fire.

Forged in fire episode list season 6