Anyone else watched this? Kinda slow at first, but just enough to keep me watching somehow.

Tuesdays are weak I guess.

Pirate vs. Knight tonight. Who ya got?

4/28/2009 2:14:08 PM

Ah I was watching the other night when nothing else was on.
I saw the episode with the Ninja vs the Spartans.

It's definitely interesting. I fell asleep before the end but that was because I was so super tired. It's something I would watch when nothing else is on, but it's not a show I would seek out or dvr.

4/28/2009 2:34:03 PM

does the pirate get to use guns?

4/28/2009 2:49:01 PM

I think the pirate gets some sort of flintlock pistol, but I could be wrong.

Spartan beat Ninja last week in case you'd been dying to know Allie.

4/28/2009 2:51:31 PM

this show is cool but dumb. the one i saw was the apache versus the gladiator and there is way too many factors they dont take into account, mainly because it would be impossible to do this with any real degree of accuracy.

I do enjoy it however due to the "experts" in each field describing weapons and techniques used by the warrior cultures from ages past.

4/28/2009 4:18:52 PM

i saw the apache one too. I just want to know where they found enough sober indians to actually participate in that episode

[Edited on April 28, 2009 at 4:23 PM. Reason : .]

4/28/2009 4:22:47 PM

^^^ I was actually pretty curious! So thanks

4/28/2009 4:30:43 PM

Pirate vs Ninja plz.


next will be the Jihadist vs an irritated Chechnyan

4/28/2009 4:33:32 PM

Pirate vs. Knight, Taliban vs. IRA, Yakuza vs. Mafia, Viking vs. Samurai, Green Beret vs. Spetznaz, Maori vs. Shaolin Monks, William Wallace vs. Shaka Zulu, Ninja vs. Spartan, and Apache vs. Gladiator.

[Edited on April 28, 2009 at 5:42 PM. Reason : ]

4/28/2009 5:41:48 PM

Ditka vs William Wallace

Quote :

"EPIC BATTLE!"

4/28/2009 7:06:27 PM

Seriously, I want to see Knight vs. Samurai. Or maybe a Knight vs. a Mongol Warrior. Warrior classes from comparable time and technological periods which evolved very different systems of weaponry and warfare.

I'm betting Knight btw. The only thing the pirate has going for him is his flintlock. After that, his cutlass wielding ass will be no different than any legion of bandits that knights killed on a regular basis.

[Edited on April 28, 2009 at 9:22 PM. Reason : My vote for tonight's episode]

4/28/2009 9:20:27 PM

Actually, nm. Didn't know they did a Samurai vs. Viking episode.

4/28/2009 9:24:17 PM

SPACE MARINE VS CAVEMAN WITH CLUB

4/28/2009 9:43:10 PM

Basically, if the pirate misses with his pistol (a good chance since there was no rifling) then he stands no chance.

A cutlass has no chance of penetrating his armor. It's a curved slashing blade, nearly worthless against armor. to defeat a later medieval knight you're gonna need an axe, a mace, or a poleax.

This is also why a samurai with katana wouldn't stand a chance vs a knight. Katana was a great weapon against unarmored foes, but would be totally useless against plate.

And if we're talking about late period knights, 16th century for example, there's a good chance the knights armor stops the pistol anyway. Expensive armor was often proofed vs pistols at close range.

4/28/2009 10:23:09 PM

Knight versus cannon? Armor in the water?

4/28/2009 10:31:41 PM

You can swim in plate.

It's pretty difficult, but apparently possible.

4/28/2009 10:35:39 PM

i think my favorite thing about the show is the narrator is the guy from 300.

4/28/2009 10:46:40 PM

^^ yep it's been demonstrated in replica proofed plate that you can swim, and do acrobatics in it.

it requires very very good conditioning but it's very possible b/c the weight is distributed all over.

4/29/2009 1:00:27 PM

oooo Yakuza vs Mafia!?!?! That would be an interesting one to watch!

4/29/2009 1:13:26 PM

Roman soilder vs Mongolian warrior!

4/29/2009 6:39:49 PM

The internet is waiting for ninjas versus pirates

4/29/2009 10:05:13 PM

no way pirate beats knight

4/30/2009 8:17:25 AM

It all came down the gun. Their simulation results showed that nearly all the pirate's kills came from the blunderbuss or grenados. If it came down to a flintlock or a sword fight, the pirate was as good as dead.

4/30/2009 8:42:40 AM

I watched the middle part of the Samurai vs Viking episode (it's on youtube), and the japanese guy was an arrogant ass

The viking guys super stature and strength were a bit optimistic. First two google hits for "viking height" come up with an average height of 5'7." Then again I'd guess the average samurai was 5'3"ish.

I wonder if "samurai" really WERE that good at sword combat or if it's all a romanticized lie. Kendo is sometimes not that realistic so I don't judge from that.

4/30/2009 8:21:36 PM

Watching the pirate vs knight, i dont think they took the knights shield into account enough. If they see blunderbluss or grenado, theyre gonna put it up and rush in range

5/2/2009 8:22:58 PM

Knight would easily win that fight.


As much trouble as we had with CAPLOCK rifles at Philmont, there is a HUGE likelyhood that the pirate probably wouldn't even get a shot off. A flintlock pistol really can't be jostled after it is loaded or the priming power will get dislodged from the plate.

Knight +1

Even in the "reenactment" they showed the pirate getting hit with the morning star. No. Done. One hit and you're out. Bones broken, lungs punctured. Fight over.

5/2/2009 9:39:07 PM

That's what I was thinking. Pirate got hit by a morningstar from a horse. Even in their analysis, one hit from a morning star destroyed the dummy. I did like how they had the Knight being all dazed and wounded from the grenado, since that would be accurate...I guess. Plus, I'd figure the Knight would pick up his shield instead of leaving it on the ground.

5/2/2009 9:54:21 PM

i agree that apache would most likely beat the gladiator, especially with the bow to an unarmored chest

5/3/2009 12:53:58 AM

Quote :

"I wonder if "samurai" really WERE that good at sword combat or if it's all a romanticized lie. Kendo is sometimes not that realistic so I don't judge from that."

Just like any other military tradition, especially a feudal type where training was left to the individual, there would be really awesome samurai and not very good samurai.

Most of the time in actual battles Samurai fought with bows, spears, or other polearms instead of katanas, so take from that what you will.

5/3/2009 5:32:11 AM

I think that when they factor in things like "covered to toe in steel" then they should also make an attribute called "slow as fuck" for that person too. but overall that fight came down to 1 hit kill v whatever it takes to get through the body armor.

like ninja v spartan. be realistic. how many of those weapons can a spartan carry at one time really? new attribute "the ability to keep running away till the guy with the 60 pound shield trips over a branch"

5/3/2009 9:23:01 AM

Quote :

"I think that when they factor in things like "covered to toe in steel" then they should also make an attribute called "slow as fuck" for that person too."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_armour

Quote :

"While it looks heavy, a full plate armour set could be as light as only 20 kg (45 pounds) if well made of tempered steel.[2] This is less than the weight of modern combat gear of an infantry soldier (usually 25 to 35 kg), and the weight is more evenly distributed. The weight was so well spread over the body that a fit man could run, or jump into his saddle. Modern re-enactment activity has proven it is even possible to swim in armour, though it is difficult. It is possible for a fit and trained man in armour to run after and catch an unarmoured archer, as witnessed in re-enactment combat."

5/3/2009 6:19:29 PM

you can tell these guys shit about armor...

5/3/2009 7:05:12 PM

am i the only one who found the apache vs gladiator episode a little weird? those guys were actual apache Indians so whenever the gladiator would say shit like "yea another dead Apache" i was like

5/3/2009 11:41:41 PM

I love how personally everyone takes the various sides

5/4/2009 1:54:18 AM

Haha, yeah, in the pirate episode, the pirates looked like they were about to cry when the flint lock got owned by the armor

5/4/2009 2:03:10 AM

^I mean it is an original show on spike tv...

5/4/2009 2:52:19 AM

Caveman Tribe vs. S.W.A.T Team

5/4/2009 4:54:50 AM

Caveman with club VS Space Marine

5/4/2009 6:11:19 AM

terry schiavo vs. the combined nuclear arsenal of the USA and Russia

5/4/2009 6:49:10 AM

This week is Yakuza vs. Mafia ... should be interesting. But, I'm going to predict Mafia. Just because of my adoration of the Godfather movies.

5/4/2009 11:50:00 AM

^Should be fun. I'm wondering how they are going to film the confrontation. Is it going to be like the other episodes and have the two parties run into each other randomly in the middle of the forest? If so, I might just die laughing at the absurdity of the encounter.

5/4/2009 12:09:11 PM

Quote :

"That's what I was thinking. Pirate got hit by a morningstar from a horse. Even in their analysis, one hit from a morning star destroyed the dummy. I did like how they had the Knight being all dazed and wounded from the grenado, since that would be accurate...I guess. Plus, I'd figure the Knight would pick up his shield instead of leaving it on the ground."

I am pretty sure the fight at the end is not an accurate representation of the simulations. They want to show off all of the weapons and extend the time of the fight, and then at they just end it with whoever won most often with whichever weapon killed most often.

I would guess the actual simulations of most of the fights probably lasted just seconds.

5/4/2009 12:27:04 PM

I like this show a lot--it's in my new top five. How long--if ever--do you think it'll be before they do an episode (or two) with fictional characters (I realize there may be some fiction involved already)?

Batman versus Tarzan or some such? Just a thought.

5/4/2009 3:55:17 PM

^ That would be funny... seeing that they bring in "experts" to test the battle equipement.

They'd probably have some comic book junkies come in with their bat-a-rangs and tool belts. I can see them throwing bat-a-rangs unsuccessfully at a dummy. Or a tarzan guy who's lived in the Africa all his life comes into their studio and tries to swing from a vine while kicking a rubber torso with a bat cape on. A likely comparison would be made between Batman's grappling hook gun and Tarzan's vine. I'd give the advantage to the grappling hook gun.

If fictional characters are done, I'd like to see them do Star Trek vs. Star Wars (like Spock vs. Obi-Wan) ... just seeing the nerds battle it out would be too funny. A likely comparison would be: Spock's vulcan mind meld vs. The Force. Of course, there would be little "test" results to back up these two "weapons".

[Edited on May 4, 2009 at 4:14 PM. Reason : doubtful]

5/4/2009 4:03:55 PM

Who've you guys got tonight? This one is kinda tough since I really don't know how they'll compare them.

I'm going to take the mafia though.

5/5/2009 5:39:22 PM

So who won? The show went into overtime and my DVR stopped recording just as they were about to show the winner.

5/6/2009 9:57:16 AM

mafia won, not surprisingly. i'd take the yakuza in real life though

and i thought it was kinda unfair that they let the italian guy shove an ice pick through the skull, but made the japanese guy use his sais on the torso. i bet those things would fuck up a skull much worse

5/6/2009 10:08:07 AM

American soliders vs. Russian soldiers next week...I wonder who's going to take this one

5/6/2009 12:37:33 PM

^^ Aren't Sais blunt weapons?

^ What era?

5/6/2009 2:38:49 PM

They should start doing animals.

5/6/2009 2:44:33 PM