The Gauntlet | ||
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Season | ||
Episode |
One | |
Date aired |
August 9, 2011 | |
Top Shot | ||
Expert |
Jim Finch (elimination) | |
Firearms used |
| |
Victory | ||
Eliminated | ||
Episode guide | ||
Previous episode | ||
Next episode |
The Gauntlet is the first episode of Season Three of Top Shot. It will be aired on August 9, 2011.
Official description[]
The Season Three premiere begins with a shoot off between pairs of contestants using what many consider the most powerful hand gun in history. The winners will form one team and the losers the other . The first team challenge is a race where each team must carry a pole weighing over 200 pounds between eight foot tall firing platforms. The elimination challenge is inspired by the stagecoaches of the Old West. Skilled sharp shooters armed with shotguns and rifles were recruited to ride atop the coaches and protect their cargo. Hence the term "Riding Shotgun." The two contestants competing to stay on the show have to master the extremely difficult skill of shooting while bouncing up and down in a stagecoach with the loser being sent home.
Episode[]
Preliminary Challenge[]
- "I have seen people handling big firearms like this, and the either wind up getting hit in the face with them, or it goes flying."
- ―Paul Marinaccio on the 500 Magnum[src]
The episode starts with the sixteen contestants heading towards the Shooting Range to participate in the third season of Top Shot. Once here, Colby Donaldson, the host of the competition, stated that each individual's placement would be determined by their performance in a Preliminary Challenge. Using the Smith & Wesson 500 Magnum, two individuals would shoot head-to-head at three targets. Whoever could hit all three in the quickest amount of time would be victorious, and join the Blue Team, while the unvictorious joined the Red Team. The results are:
Matchup | Relationship | Contestants | Targets hit | Loser | Winner |
1 | Competitive shooters | Mike Hughes Cliff Walsh |
Mike: 3 Cliff: 1 |
Cliff | Mike |
2 | Homeland Security agents, friends/rivals | Jarrett Grimes Gary Quesenberry |
Jarrett: 3 Gary: 2 |
Gary | Jarrett |
3 | Former members of the Armed Forces | Chris Collins Jake Zweig |
Chris: 1 Jake: 3 |
Chris | Jake |
4 | Females | Sara Ahrens Amanda Hardin |
Sara: 3 Amanda: 1 |
Amanda | Sara |
5 | Law Enforcement | Michael Marelli Paul Marinaccio |
Michael: 0 Paul: 3 |
Michael | Paul |
6 | Outdoorsmen | Alex Charvat Mark Schneider |
Alex: 3 Mark: 3 |
Mark | Alex |
7 | Self-taught shooters | Billy Rogers Drew Shprintz |
Billy: 3 Drew: 1 |
Drew | Billy |
8 | Young contestants | Dustin Ellermann Phil Morden |
Dustin: 3 Phil: 2 |
Phil | Dustin |