Last Blade Standing

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Last Blade Standing

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THE STORY OF THE END OF LAST BLADE STANDING

So what happened to Last Blade Standing?


Last Blade Standing was attacked by a small group of individuals who had a larger following, and swayed public opinion against the competition and founder. They spread rumors and false information in an attempt to bring down the competition, and, unfortunately, it worked. 


Last Blade Standing was a small operation with only a couple of people involved, and rather than fight the wave of negativity and false truths, we chose to end the competition entirely. We did not want to get involved in the he-said-she-said tactics of social media, and so the competition ended after three seasons.


TL;DR;

  • We donated $10,027.37 to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation
  • The winner of Season 3 has received all but 2 of the prizes guaranteed, one of which has been guaranteed (Steel Stamps Inc) and one of which is pending approval (Online Metals).


Read on for details…


Let’s Address the Rumors


  1. Last Blade Standing did not donate money to charity (false)
  2. The winner of Last Blade Standing 3 did not receive their prize package (mostly false)
  3. The operator of Last Blade Standing stole the money from the competition (false)
  4. The operator of Last Blade Standing sexually harassed some women (false, but certainly open to wild speculation)


1. Last Blade Standing did not donate to The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation


FACT: Last Blade Standing donated $10,027.37 in 8 payments to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation in August, 2023.


  • $100.00 (confirmation 89819176), posted Tuesday, August 22, 2023
  • $1,000.00 (confirmation 89523069), posted Thursday, August 17, 2023
  • $2,500.00 (confirmation 89452686), posted Wednesday, August 16, 2023
  • $2,500.00 (confirmation 89350792), posted Tuesday, August 15, 2023
  • $1,500 (confirmation PENDING)*, posted Tuesday, August 15, 2023
  • $2,047.34 (confirmation 89250057), posted Monday, August 14, 2023
  • $104.03 (confirmation 89247509), posted Monday, August 14, 2023
  • $100.00 (confirmation 89247212), posted Monday, August 14, 2023
  • $176.00 (source: Bonfire), posted at various times as shirts were ordered


* There was a $1,500 donation by FSR Homes that was made directly to the charity, because Last Blade Standing was unable to deposit their check with the bank. This was for the purchase of a blade from a smith in Georgia (name withheld). While we have confirmation from the donor, we do not have a confirmation number.


Why did it take so long to donate?


It’s a well known fact that it takes time for the money from the auction to “settle”. Payments filter in, and sometimes people don’t pay right away (or at all). Then, after the auction was completed, we had to ship out over 50 blades. The money for shipping, packing, and handling comes out of the auction proceeds. We deposited our last donation check on August 22nd. The charities know this takes time, and we were fine delivering the funds before the end of Q3 (end of September). Delivery of charitable funds often takes 3-6 months after the fundraiser, and the charity knows this (ask them), or call them at (813) 269-0955 ext 483. I can’t guarantee they will give you any information, or accurate information (after all, they haven’t yet), but maybe you can find answers there.


Additionally, we had hoped to present the funds in person in Tampa, so there was a delay. Our contact with the charity (L) departed the organization, so instead the funds were donated online, in chunks, because our bank doesn’t allow over $2,500 to be transferred per day, which we discovered the hard way in July when we tried to deposit two blocks of $5K and it was declined. Doc reported these donations prior to an examination of the account. Once he determined they were declined due to transaction amounts, he began the process of submitting the values in smaller denominations.


Many people believe the “charity event” was the competition, but in reality, it was the auction, which started in April of 2023. The funds for that didn’t start coming in until the end of May and early July.


All T-shirt proceeds from the Bonfire “Our Swords Fight Cancer” shirts went directly to the charity (via Bonfire). We did not have any oversight or control as to how that worked, though it netted $176.00.


How much did you promise the charity?


Nothing. We never promised the charity (any charity) anything. We were not under any kind of contract with the charity and we never set any specific time limit for delivery. We agreed that they would be our sole recipient of donatable funds generated by Last Blade Standing. End of story.


That said, the entire point of this was to give to this charity, which we did. Fiscally, we took a personal loss on this entire event, and gave way more to charity than we made on this competition, as has happened every season. That has been the nature of this beast.


Why did people think you didn’t donate?


Not entirely sure. We think some people took it upon themselves to call the charity and ask, but here are the facts: As a private donor, the charity is not allowed to give out any information about who donated, and what amount, without explicit consent from the donor. Federal law requires non-profit organizations to obtain explicit written consent from individuals before disclosing their personal information to third parties. It’s highly likely they answered with “no comment”. If they answered otherwise, well, we are looking into that.


Any existence of any “proof” (such as a document, message, or email from the charity) would be fraudulent, as we never consented to have our donations or identity revealed.


Some jurisdictions require charities to disclose certain financial and organizational information, including donor information, as part of their transparency and accountability obligations. However, this is limited to aggregated or anonymous data and not personal details of individual donors.


To summarize, there’s no way anyone could know who or what was donated without us giving explicit consent (which we didn’t). We are presently in talks with the charity about the clearest way to release this information with our consent.


Where’s the proof that you did donate the funds?


We have emailed receipts and confirmations from the charity that are an accurate paper trail of our donations. 


2. The Winner of Last Blade Standing Didn’t Receive Their Prizes


The winner’s prizes for season three of Last Blade Standing were the following:


  • Brodbeck sharpening system ($1200, Delivered)
  • Prize package from Red Label Abrasives ($500, Delivered)
  • Prize package from Leather Belt Man ($250, Delivered)
  • Two steel and one leather stamp from Steel Stamps Inc. ($250, Delivered)
  • 2 Cornhole Boards from D&P Woodworks ($500, Delivered)
  • $500 Gift certificate from Maker Material Supply ($500, Delivered)
  • $500 Gift certificate from Online Metals ($500, Pending)
  • Handle material from Why Not? Customs ($250, Arrives Wednesday, 8/23)
  • Handle material from Carver Gage ($400, Arrives Wednesday, 8/23)
  • Hammers from 308JC ($750, Arrives Wednesday, 8/23)
  • Folding knife from Deerlick Ridge Forge ($550, Pending)
  • Trophy from Micah Dunn (previous season’s winner) (Free, Delivered)


In total, we have delivered over $5000 in prizes to the winner…who didn’t donate their winning blade. Though to be fair, he did donate a brisket knife which we auctioned off for $400.


Where are the two that aren’t delivered? 


We’re working with the sponsors to get the rest of the prizes shipped out. This is absolutely normal, and none of the sponsors should be called out for this. It takes time for each business to provide and produce their contribution. We have two left. This is absolutely normal.


Why does it take so long?


To be clear, the winners of Forged in Fire ® often don’t get their tax adjusted checks for well over a year after they participated on the show. We feel like we’ve done pretty good for 6 months, considering that we are effectively a tiny operation.


Most of our sponsors are small, independently owned companies, so it takes some time for them to assemble and ship their goods. This should in no way be a reflection of their commitment to the competition.


3. The operator of Last Blade Standing stole the money from the competition


This would probably be the stupidest grift of all time if that were true. Let’s do a quick breakdown of the expenses incurred by producing Last Blade Standing Season 3:


  • Venue
    • We paid $2,000 for use of the Grievous Gallery
    • We paid $1,000 for use of Norseforged’s space
  • Attire
    • We paid $30 per shirt for each judge (8 total judges)
    • We paid $200 for custom VIP passes and lanyards to be made and printed
  • Food
    • We paid $400 for the BBQ the Friday of the event
    • We purchased all non-alcoholic beverages and mixers for the event ($100)
    • We purchased several cases of beer for the event ($200)
    • We paid an additional $200 for pizza when the BBQ didn’t turn out
  • Drinks
    • We paid $450 for liquor for the “VIP ONLY” lounge, which many of the bladesmiths enjoyed
    • We paid $150 for custom stadium cups for the event
  • Lodging
    • We paid for 6 rooms, (2 beds, 2 nights each), for the judges, and others, at the Comfort Inn Salisbury, totalling ($120/night x 12 nights, $1440)
  • Travel
    • We paid for two people to fly from Texas to Charlotte and back ($700)
    • We paid for a person to travel to and from Pennsylvania to Salisbury via bus and train (including lodging) in a first-class sleeper car ($850)
    • We paid for a person to travel to and from Baltimore, MD to Salisbury via train in that same first-class sleeper car ($650)
    • We paid for a person to travel by bus and back from Georgia to Salisbury ($250)...twice.
    • We drove (four people) up and back from Jacksonville, Florida ($200)
  • Security
    • We paid the Rowan County sheriff’s office $750 for security (2 officers) because of the city requirements
  • Equipment
    • We purchased all of the equipment (cameras, wired and wireless microphones, laptop) to produce the event ($1500)
  • Entertainment
    • We paid Open Wire $500 for their musical services
  • Legal
    • We obtained our 501c(3) as well as a tax-exempt certificate so that we were able to serve alcohol during the event (North Carolina ABC requirement) ($400)
  • Judges
    • Each judge for every part of the show donated their time to this event. Don’t even know that cost.
  • Merchandise
    • We designed and printed 100 signature cards so participants could get autographs from David Baker ($125). We gave those out to everyone there for FREE.
    • We brought over 30 T-Shirts to the event to give out to the participants ($500)


Total? Around $12,755. All of that was out of pocket to put on the event for you, our friends, everyone, and zero of this includes the actual time spent producing the event.


We pulled in about $2,000 off the ticket sales for the event. That was enough to cover not even JUST THE GALLERY SPACE. The rest was paid out of pocket by Doc. Doc makes a considerable amount of money as a senior IT person, and again, doesn’t NEED to siphon any money away from charitable contributions. This would be the worst grift (or investment, even) ever.


Let’s also remember, we didn’t charge ANY of the bladesmiths in the competition, anything, to be there, and, in fact, provided transportation and/or lodging (as well as food and beverages) for many of them. 


Were there other costs?


Absolutely. We didn’t even account for all of these above, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there.

  • Custom videos made for each bladesmith competing
  • Design costs for logos and shirts
  • Hosting costs for websites and streaming services to publish the show (GoDaddy, ReStream, YouTube premium)
  • Website development and maintenance
  • Software for designing logos and videos (CapCut, Photoshop, Storyblocks)


None of this even includes the TIME SPENT on creating this promotional material.


4. The operator of Last Blade Standing sexually harassed some women


Patently false. There is no proof or evidence that anything untoward occurred between Doc and any women involved in Last Blade Standing.


What’s the story of the female welder who made part of the trophy for season I?


Over two years ago, a welder from social media was asked by Doc if she would like to produce a trophy from steel and discarded blades provided by him and other participants to comprise the Season 1 trophy. She agreed, and another person volunteered to make the wooden base of the trophy. There was an offer of a tactical knife, but nothing was set in stone.


The final trophy was assembled by Doc at home, and presented to the winner of Season 1. Following that, the winning smiths from each season produced the trophies.


Doc ordered two T-shirts to be sent to the makers as a thank you for their participation. No money was ever promised, as everything for Last Blade Standing was entirely done by volunteers. He (stupidly) addressed one of the packages to “Sexy Bexy” as a joke. The joke was not well received, and that is understandable. The recipient chose to post on social media, and any sort of communication was terminated thereafter.


No other material, of any nature, except for words, was exchanged between Doc and the welder, as has been shown in prior screenshots of text messages. There is no reasonable evidence of any other adult material being sent between the parties.


What about at the Shattered Shield Tavern Event in Salisbury a few months prior to LBS Season 3?


Doc and another female person volunteered to bartend that event. Doc provided all of the beverages, taps, and CO2 out of pocket from New Sarum brewing company. 


At one point, Doc asked a female participant if she needed a place to stay for the night (meaning a room at the Comfort Inn), since she would be driving home for 2+ hours. She declined, and drove home anyway. This same participant has since posted videos on social media thanking Doc for doing a great job as a volunteer bartender, and has only chosen to recently change her story in light of the recent events.


5. In Summary


After these last 3 seasons, Doc chose to not respond to the false and unproven allegations, and instead shut the competition down entirely. Any other comments/questions/concerns can be addressed by Wes, but any other responses will not be answered. Most of you have been blocked.


This is the last statement on behalf of Last Blade Standing and Doc that will be made.


Of everyone in the competition, only two people bothered to call Doc to get answers and have a grown-up conversation. Not a single person who posted any of the incendiary videos that falsely accuse Doc of the above mentioned items had the gall to pick up the phone and give him a call to find out his side of all of this. You all chose to post on social media, where Doc was tried, convicted, and executed, before even telling his side of the story.


Doc can do better, yes. You can do better, too. And you should have.


6. Epilogue (from Doc)


  • To Colton - You are one of the finest smiths I’ve had the pleasure to see work, and work with. I hope you have a long, and illustrious career in this. You have a rare talent, and you’re a good person.
  • To Carver - Franz, you broke my heart. We forged together, and you threw me under the bus. Do better. I’m still looking for your pommel.
  • To Dave - I tried, but I’m not cut out for this. Thank you for your short term friendship. I wish we could go back to a time before the trolls and rumors.
  • To Pepe - I did everything I could for you, my dude. Yes, I got mad about shredded paper. You know that was a thing. But I brought you into the fold, we broke bread and had drinks together, and all I can feel is Matilda in my back.
  • To Nikita - You know what occurred. Don’t keep making the same mistakes. I was nothing but kind to you, and I considered you like a daughter to me.
  • To Priest - I don’t own you a damn thing. You’re a troll, and you always will be. Go drink more.
  • To Jacob - You should have called me. We’re practically neighbors.
  • To Brock - When you went out first round, I was there to talk to you and try to console you. I encouraged the shit out of you to keep going. Offered beers, pizza, and coffee. You disappoint me.
  • To Bex - I should not have addressed your Amazon package to Sexy Bexy. I am sorry for my insensitivity. You are a decent welder and I wish you success in your future endeavors.
  • To Juggernaut - Yet another guy I bent over backwards for who just wanted to be a troll. Shame. You could have been more.
  • To Scuba - When you had your blades stolen, I was up all night looking for the perp. You told me you had people who needed the lift from your blades, so I sent them all back to you without a thought. You disappoint me.
  • To Mark - Glitter bombing was never a strong idea. You probably should have thought about that.
  • To Everyone Who Pulled Their Blades Back - Why’d you even participate in this? You only proved that in the end it was more about you than it ever was for anyone else.


To everyone else who jumped on the bandwagon to trash me and Last Blade Standing? You never deserved my time, and I never deserved your hate.

Copyright © 2023 Last Blade Standing - All Rights Reserved.


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