Deadliest Warrior
| Deadliest Warrior | |
|---|---|
Deadliest Warrior title screen
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| Genre | Documentary |
| Created by | Gary Tarpinian Tim Prokop |
| Directed by | Tim Prokop (pilot/season 1) F. Paul Benz (season 1) |
| Starring | Geoff Desmoulin Armand Dorian Max Geiger (2009-2010) Richard Machowicz (2011) Robert Daly (2011) |
| Narrated by | Drew Skye (Pseudonym; voiced by David Wenham) |
| Composer(s) | Michael Plowman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 32 + 1 special (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Rasha Drachkovitch Tim Warren Sharon Levy Tim Duffy |
| Producer(s) | Tim Prokop (pilot and season 1 showrunner) Joshua E. Kessler David Hale (series prod.) David Story (story prod.) Gary Benthin (story producer) Melody Shafir (Senior producer) Alexander J. Moon (Line Producer) |
| Cinematography | Jim Orr Bry Sanders |
| Editor(s) | Dan Holcchek Duncan Sinclair Chris Wright Jimmy Miller (lead editor) |
| Camera setup | Multiple-camera setup |
| Running time | 44 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Morningstar Entertainment (2009-2010) 44 Blue (2011) Spike Original |
| Release | |
| Original network | Spike |
| Original release | April 7, 2009 – September 14, 2011 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Deadliest Warrior is a television program in which information on historical or modern warriors and their weapons are used to determine which of them is the "deadliest" based upon tests performed during each episode. The show was characterized by its use of data compiled in creating a dramatization of the warriors' battle to the death. The show ran for three seasons.
The show was originally developed by Morningstar Entertainment, and has since moved to production company 44 Blue. The showrunner (supervising producer) in the first season was Tim Prokop. Tim Warren became the showrunner during the second season and continued with the show during its move to 44 Blue and the third season. The historical adviser in the first and second season and associate producer in the second season was Barry C. Jacobsen; who represented the Spartan Team in Season 1. He also worked with associate producer Ryo Okada on content preparation and warrior selection for the first two seasons.
Episodes begin with the introduction of either two types of historical or contemporary warriors or two historical individuals. The history, culture, and general fighting philosophies of each are explained. The explanations are accompanied by segments showing actors performing dramatized scenes that are meant to depict the daily lives of the actual fighters. Two teams of experts (of either the history or martial abilities of the warriors) are brought onto the show to test weapons spotlighted as being used by each of the warriors. Typically, the different weapons are organized into four categories (and as of season 3, three categories): short range, mid range, long range, and special weapons (usually absent in season 3). However, some episodes (for instance, "Green Berets vs. Spetsnaz") have had as many as six categories. Matt Anderson and Sonny Puzikas, the experts for the "Green Beret vs. Spetsnaz" episode, have suggested that the teams are assigned weapons by the producers and that they have little influence in the production of the acted simulations.
The teams test the assigned weapons on various targets including human silhouette targets, mannequins, pig and cattle carcasses, and ballistics gel torsos, heads, limbs, etc. Additionally, pressure mats, accelerometers, chronometers, and other measuring tools are used to test such figures as the striking force and speed of each weapon. Sometimes, the targets are covered with armor that is representative of what would be worn by the warrior's opponent. While the damage inflicted on the armor by the weapon is factored into the weapon's effectiveness, the defensive ability of armor isn't included as a separate category on the show in the first two seasons (with the exception of Pirate vs. Knight). All of the weapon tests are recorded with high speed photography, and the results are fed into a computer that measures the damage each weapon is capable of inflicting. The producers and hosts then compare the results for each of the weapon categories and determine which weapon they feel will give its warrior an edge in that category during the simulation. However, the hosts of the show have admitted that their choice of which weapon gets the edge has no effect on the final results.
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Wikipedia