Top Shot (2010) s03e11 Episode Script
Wheel of Fire
Previously on "Top Shot.
" In the first individual elimination challenge, Mike is sent home.
Oh! In the next challenge Cease fire! Jake came in last.
- You're eligible for nomination.
- I really don't care.
And then Jake refuses to compete.
Take it easy boys! He rather quit that have a chance on losing.
We'll bring back somebody who's willing to compete.
Mike Hughes.
Mike gets a second chance.
Why not bring in the last guy eliminated, have him fill that void that Jake left? I think that's pretty fair.
And he rises to the challenge.
That's it! Well, Mike, you have earned your way back in this competition.
Phil, you have fired your last shot.
God almighty.
Tonight on the last episode before the season finale I think all our jaws dropped.
This is gonna be pretty cool.
The biggest challenges yet.
There are shots that changed history Feats of legendary skill and extreme precision.
Now 16 of today's best marksmen have been chosen.
They come from all over the country and from all walks of life.
Amateurs and professionals, military, recreation, and exhibition shooters.
Each shows the timeless skills of a true marksman Not just with one weapon, with any weapon.
They will compete in a gauntlet of challenges until only one remains, to claim the $100,000 prize and the title of "Top Shot.
" We're very close to the end of this thing.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
At the end of the day, there's only gonna be two people in that final challenge, and if I have anything to do with it, I want to definitely be one of them.
Want back up top? Yeah.
You sure? You lost last time you slept up there.
But we won a lot, too, sleeping up here.
So I get back to the house, pick my same little bed, my little bubble, my little domain.
That probably feels better than your own bed at home.
Uh, no.
It does not.
Coming back is huge to me.
I'm refreshed.
My attitude is rejuvenated.
And I'm ready to come back here and win.
Mike's like a zombie, essentially.
You've killed him, and he's come back.
Yeah, you're the zombie.
You're the "Top Shot" zombie, man.
Mike's old nickname was Superman, and now it's the zombie 'cause he just He went down, but he's not dead.
The first thing that I notice when we walk in to the practice range is the medieval torture wheel, and we're obviously gonna be spinning circles on this thing.
Morning, shooters.
Morning.
Morning.
Morning.
Morning.
Well, with Phil's departure, we're now down to five of you guys.
You are all just one elimination away from the final four.
One of you will take home the $100,000 and the title of history's Top Shot.
But first, you have to get through some of the biggest challenges yet.
All right, let's get to what you're here to do Shoot.
This is the practice session for the next individual competition.
The top two shooters in this challenge will be safe.
The bottom three will once again be eligible for the elimination challenge.
For this last series of challenges before the finale, we are upping the ante even more.
So, while the challenges to this point have been tough, the level of marksmanship required moving forward will be unprecedented.
Today you'll be shooting the heckler & koch sp89.
The sp89 is a semiautomatic civilian version of the mp5k, which is essentially a machine gun masquerading as a handgun.
It's designed for close-quarters battle use by covert operations and special forces.
Nice.
We find out at it's the h&k sp89, a pistol version of a 9mm machine gun.
I don't know if I've ever seen a real one before, and, uh, this will be a lot of fun.
If you haven't spent much time with this type of handgun, you guys are facing a pretty steep learning curve.
To help you prepare for the challenge, we brought in weapons expert and manufacturer Matt Burkett.
This practice is gonna be the most physically challenging yet.
You might get dizzy.
We're gonna strap you to that wheel and spin you around, require you to shoot upside down.
You may be wondering why.
Well, we'll clear that up at the challenge.
All right, let's get to it.
I'll see you tomorrow at the individual challenge.
Hi, Chris.
Hey, how are you? You ready to do this? Absolutely.
Okay.
Well, you got your mp5 sp89 here.
So, you're an instructor, so, I'm sure you're familiar with the gun a little bit.
Using the sling, you're gonna go under the arm.
You're gonna press out into the gun.
So, try to lock it up as much as you can.
What makes this different than most of the mp5 family is it doesn't have a stock at all.
You might try bracing this arm under your body just a lit.
Instead of sucking the gun in like most people would do with a stock, you're actually pushing the gun away from you to get that sling tight.
I'm gonna go dead center.
Go dead center.
There you go.
What's gonna be difficult about today's practice is that most people don't shoot a handgun with a sling attached to it.
And they definitely don't shoot it while hanging upside down.
Let's roll you down to 6:00.
Okay.
I want you to aim through the whole time, just get used to weird positions.
As soon as I get strapped in to this thing and get spun around, you know, you feel your guts kind of squishing and twisting around as you go in this thing.
It's not exactly the most comfortable experience.
You know, you feel the blood start to rush to your head.
You absolutely have to keep breathing.
And you try and focus on your sights.
Relax and breathe.
There you go.
Whatever you did there, do that again.
Nice shot! That's what we're looking for.
Smooth.
Be following those sights all the way through.
When you're hanging upside down, it's harder to breathe, it's harder to focus.
And breathing and focus are two very important elements of good marksmanship, so, you know, that is a concern.
I'm keeping everything in groups that I'm fairly comfortable with.
Aim lower.
There you go.
I would say I'm very confident with this weapon system.
As we're rolling around, keep aiming at the target.
I don't have any personal experience with this gun at all, but before coming here, a buddy and I actually practiced shooting upside down.
We just laid in the back of a pickup truck and put our head over the tailgate and shot upside down.
It's not comfortable, that's for sure.
But the belt keeps you in, your feet are kind of locked in.
So, you just kind of just let yourself relax and keep the sling tight on the gun, and you can shoot pretty well.
My turn, I get up there, and I was putting some good groups down.
Nice shot.
I was getting every shot I had in my diamond, so I was feeling pretty good about it.
During the practice, burkett is telling us to work on getting sight alignment and stresses that we've got to keep our breathing.
Keep breathing.
I think at this point, it is anyone's guess who's gonna win this competition.
Oh Whoa! Cool, man.
Wow.
God almighty.
That is really cool.
So, we walk up to the challenge, and we see a huge target array about 30-some feet high.
Okay.
This is gonna be crazy.
Dude, I think all our jaws dropped.
It's like, "okay, wow.
This is gonna be pretty cool.
" This is gonna be something that obviously no one has ever done before.
This is some cool It's like a carnival theme, like a state-fair-type theme, right? There's some sort of a carnival-ride-type contraption.
You just couldn't build this thing in your backyard, and it's pretty obvious what's about to happen.
We're gonna get strapped in this thing and spun around and shoot at these 20 targets.
Come on in, shooters.
It looks like spinning destruction, and I think the ride's gonna be just as fun or more fun than any carnival ride I've ever been on.
Coming to "Top Shot," I knew there was gonna be some crazy stuff.
Wow.
I definitely didn't imagine we'd be strapped to some contraption then spun 30-some feet in the air, you know, shooting at a ring of targets.
I never thought that.
Welcome, everyone, to today's individual challenge.
You guys were walking up here, not a single mouth was closed.
They all dropped open when you saw this.
Well, we told you something extreme was coming your way.
It's time to find out exactly what that is.
If you thought firing while upside down was a little nuts, take a look at what you're gonna shoot from next.
Hope you boys like carnival rides, because this one is about to make your head spin.
On the firing line is a 16-foot-long arm with a harness at the end of it.
That's where you'll be strapped in.
Once you're secured, the arm will begin to rotate without stopping.
You'll be given one complete rotation to get up to speed, then when you hear the horn, you're gonna start shooting.
there's a circular array of 20 targets Using the HK sp89, your objective is to take out as many targets as possible in one complete rotation.
At its height, you will be upside down This is the biggest setup I've ever seen in my life as far as any kind of shooting stage goes.
Very challenging, very outside the box.
And this is really taking it to the next level.
Keep in mind there are 20 targets.
You get one magazine loaded with 28 rounds.
Make your shots count.
The two shooters who hit the most targets make it to the final four.
The remaining three, however, will be eligible for nomination into the elimination challenge, the loser of that eliminated from the competition.
We have a 28-round mag and 20 targets to destroy.
We're gonna be moving the entire time and shooting while we're moving.
This is gonna be crazy.
I'm not sure how this is gonna work out for any of us.
We've determined the shooting order by random draw.
Gary, you are the Guinea pig that is gonna strap into this bad boy first.
Go ahead and make your way over.
We'll get started.
Good luck, Gary.
I mean that this time.
All right.
I'll see you fellas.
I get the first shot at this thing, so it's very intimidating.
And, you know, I don't see how it can be anything but challenging.
It's gonna be quite a ride.
Coming up on "Top Shot" This is absolutely the hardest thing I've ever had to do with a gun in my hand.
The arm is moving relatively fast.
You're really moving.
You are about to compete in your final individual challenge.
Here's how it's gonna work.
Using the sp89, one by one, you'll be strapped to a 16-foot arm and rotated one revolution.
You'll shoot at a 35-foot-tall circular display of targets.
The top two finishers reserve themselves spots in the finale, while the bottom three are automatically eligible to be voted into the elimination challenge.
Sounds like fun to me.
Let's get to it.
All right, gentlemen.
You guys got to step away from the course until it is your turn to shoot.
This is all about Gary right now.
Good luck, Gary.
Thanks, fellas.
Remember, Gary.
Before shooting, you will have one full rotation to sight in the targets.
You ready, Gary? Good to go.
Good.
All right.
- Good as I'm gonna get.
- Yep.
They strap me into this thing, and the first thing I realize is that this was gonna be about finding the best sight picture you could find, holding it steady, and then working the trigger in a pattern and a rhythm that was gonna allow you to hit the targets as you passed.
All right, here we go.
Marksman, ready SetGo! Gary begins his turn, moving in a hurry.
You do not have long to get your equilibrium set.
It starts and then rounds downrange.
Gary first on the course.
First shot is a miss.
Misses with his second shot.
Yes! Hits his first target! Whew! It was very obvious right out of the gate that this is gonna be a challenge that's all about timing and rhythm.
I have what I think is a good sight picture, but I missed my first target, my second target, my third target.
As I get to the 12:00 position, and I'm hanging upside down, I finally get one good sight picture, one good trigger squeeze And I'm happy because I actually hit one of these things, and then as I'm coming around the bottom, it's just one miss after another.
You know, I had one good shot out of that 20.
Gary, you hit one target, buddy.
Come on over here.
Take a spot on the bench.
To be perfectly honest, this is absolutely the hardest thing I've ever had to do with a gun in my hand.
Dustin, come on in.
It's your turn to get strapped up.
And spun around.
Good luck, Dustin.
All right.
Going up? Going up, brother.
Here we go.
Marksman, readySet Go! As I start moving, my strategy is kind of like I'm just gonna ambush the targets.
As I see them come into my sight picture, I'm just gonna shoot and pull the trigger.
This is going to happen in a hurry.
Hits with his first shot Dustin 4 for 4, 5, 6, 7, 8! Dustin's just running the course! Finally misses one.
That was crazy.
Man, that kid, he is something else.
There's one thing about Dustin.
He's got this childish energy almost, you know, where he's just having a great time.
A few of us, we sit around, and we over-think things.
And we put way too much pressure on ourselves to perform.
And I haven't seen that in Dustin one day since we've been here.
He's counting.
He just gets it.
He's just a natural with anything that he picks up, and he's not somebody that should be taken lightly in this competition.
I hear the "go" signal And I start firing.
Awesomely enough, they all start burning.
Bam, bam, bam One after the other.
I was like, "this is looking good.
This is looking good.
" I get completely upside down at 12:00, and my body weight shifted, and I missed one.
I swing back to hit it a couple times, and by the time I could even think about getting back on target, it was over.
Dustin, you hit 12 out of 20 targets.
Nice run.
That puts you in the lead.
Come on over here.
Take a spot on the bench.
That split-second decision to try to scrape in that extra point just cost me the rest, so I'll just have to hope for the best in that I did better than the other guys.
Good shooting, man.
Thanks.
Good shooting, buddy.
How'd you do? Oh, you only beat me by 11.
You serious? I got one, yeah.
Oh, my.
I guess it was a little tougher on Gary.
Chris, you're up next.
Good luck, buddy.
- Thanks.
- Appreciate it.
Have fun, man.
If I'm strapped to an arm as it spins, I can't control the speed of that.
All I can control is how I manipulate the gun as I move past the targets.
Marksman, ready SetGo! So immediately I think to myself, "I have to keep my sights aligned "and manipulate the trigger, wait on the targets to enter my area, and press my shots.
" Chris hits his first target and his second! Hits the third 4, 5! Nice.
I'm gonna start getting nervous now.
I hit my first 5 Just bing, bing, bing, bing, bing They're going off.
It's feeling good.
And then I missed my first one, and that's when I got out of my rhythm, out of sync, and started trying to actually traverse the gun versus letting my sights come into the target area.
So once I realized that was a mistake, I wasn't gonna get hits, I locked my body back up into a stable position and started getting more consecutive hits on the way back down again.
Nice run, Chris.
You hit 12 targets.
I got to tell you.
Dustin hit 12 targets, too.
Now we go to round count It took you 18 rounds.
Look at that.
You are in the lead by one bullet.
Come on over here and take a spot on the bench.
Good job.
Good work, man.
Once I had the first-place bench seat, it felt a lot better, knowing that the next two shooters would have to beat me in order to make me eligible for nomination.
Mike is up next.
This is something in a million years I would never do in any other venue.
It's gonna really be something.
My theory on this is to try to do little transitions and transition on the target, try to really get my sights and trigger and break and then come to the next one.
Marksman, readySet Go! And stay focused on some kind of a rhythm to make some hits.
Two marksmen left.
Mike is in the hot seat.
Coming around.
Gonna make his run on 20 targets.
Mike misses on his first two shots.
Mike's still trying to get a hit.
Wow.
I'm not at the bottom.
I was so disappointed in my performance.
I basically am sighted in to the first target And not getting hits.
And then pretty much tried to jump back and get on some targets, but it just wasn't happening for me at all.
This is going really bad.
It's becoming a disaster really fast.
I am not hitting a rhythm.
I am not keeping a consistent sight picture.
I'm not exercising trigger control.
I'm not doing anything right on this one.
Mike, that run right there proves how difficult this challenge is.
Gary said it was the toughest thing he's ever did with a gun.
He hit one target.
You failed to hit any of them, buddy.
Come on over here.
All in all, I 0-fer.
I have 28 rounds sent.
Feeling the white, but who cares? No hits.
I suck.
It's tough, huh? Oh, that's humiliating.
All right, Alex.
Come on in.
You're the last man to strap in.
Good luck, buddy.
- Thanks, guys.
- Thank you.
In my mind, although I am spinning and moving around, the targets in relationship to me do not move.
They're always basically in front of me.
It's no different than if I was standing on the ground and the targets just rotated down in front of me.
I mean, it's just a matter of perception.
All right, Alex.
You good? Yes, sir.
Marksman, ready SetGo! Boom, boom, boom.
Alex is the last shooter to strap in and make a run.
HereWeGo.
Alex misses on his first shot.
Second shot's a miss.
Third shot's a hit! Fourth shot's a miss.
Trying to get his bearings, trying to catch up with the rhythm now.
Two hits! The arm is moving relatively fast.
You're really moving.
So when I finally had one in the sights, I was at 10:00 already.
Rhythm was off, and it was really tough to get back in alignment.
It happened very, very quick.
And I was tired.
Alex You hit two targets.
Yeah.
All right? Come on back over here.
That puts you in the middle of the pack, but at is gonna put you in the bottom three.
You can stand by Gary and Mike.
Did you guys hit less than me? Yeah.
I got one.
I 0-fered.
He 0-fered.
Oh, my God.
Those two freaks hit 12 each.
Those freaks over there.
Gary and I and Alex, we didn't really perform very well at all, and, man, I hand it to Dustin and Chris.
Chris and Dustin, congratulations.
You guys are safe.
You just earned yourselves a spot in the final four.
Alex, Gary, and Mike, you are each eligible for elimination.
Later all you guys will make the trek to the nomination range for the very last time.
There you will cast the most crucial vote in the competition so far.
You'll need to decide which competitor has displayed marksmanship skills worthy of a spot in the final four and which two will be required to compete to stay in the game.
We'll all find out when we meet up at the nomination range.
You guys can head back to the house.
I realize that it's going to be Gary, Mike, and Alex eligible for nomination.
And that starts to hit home and I start thinking about that one of those three guys is not gonna be with us for very long.
- Well, it was fun.
- Yeah, a lot of fun.
I will never shoot upside down 35 feet in the air ever again.
I'd do that again.
Coming up on "Top Shot" I know I performed poorly, but I did go up against Mike.
And I won that.
For sure, I got to go.
In the end, it's gonna be the four best guys that finish this thing out.
Whew.
We're gonna sit down to our last meeting before the last nomination range.
It's gonna be a tough decision.
The last meeting.
You've got to look at everything from the beginning to this point.
And in the end, it's gonna be the four best guys that finish this thing out.
You got to think who would be the one person that is most deserving to roll into that final spot.
I'm gonna throw my vote out there.
Mike, I'm gonna vote for you.
Yeah, for sure, for sure.
I got to go, for sure.
I 0-fered, so it's just a given.
If Mike's gonna go, it's between me and Alex as to who's gonna go up against him.
You know, that's a tough decision to make.
The thought I had is, uh, Alex has yet to be in elimination.
Yeah.
Alex, you haven't been.
You want to go to nomination? Not particularly.
Come on, man.
Nobody wants to.
I've been there three times.
It's awesome.
All of us, for the most part, are ready to go, so So it will be me and Alex or me and Gary battling out for a final spot in final four.
Between Gary and Alex, we'll just have to see.
Welcome, guys.
This will be your last time at the nomination range.
At stake, a spot in the final four.
All right, let's get to the vote, fellas.
Gary, you are first.
My philosophy has been from the beginning that I get one bullet at the nomination range, and I'm gonna vote for the one person that I think is least deserving of moving on in the competition.
Mike performed the worst out of everybody today during the challenge, so, to me, it's an obvious vote.
Chris, you're next.
I consider Mike a close friend, but I have to vote for him.
I've always been a performance-based voter, and I let people know that.
So Mike has to get my vote based on the fact that he came up short.
Dustin, you're up.
When you look at the numbers, a huge difference at all.
And I kind of think, Gary, you've paid your dues, and that's just what made me lean towards Alex.
Two votes Mike, one vote Alex.
Alex, it is your turn.
I'm voting for Gary at nomination because I did beat him.
That one shot counts in my mind, so Gary's getting a bullet in his target.
All right, Mike.
Come on up.
Mike has a decision to make.
Whoever he shoots, either Alex or me, that's who he's gonna go up against in the elimination challenge.
Alex hasn't had a chance to go to elimination, and going through an elimination's kind of a rite of passage to get to that 100 grand.
So it's out of his comfort zone, clearly, but I think it's a good personal-growth thing for him.
Gary, Dustin, and Chris, congratulations.
You guys are in the final four.
Alex and Mike, there is one spot left, and you two will go toe-to-toe, battle it out to see who gets that last spot.
I'll see you both tomorrow morning at practice.
You guys can head back to the house.
The fact that Gary isn't chosen doesn't bother me one bit.
I mean, yeah, he did a little worse than I, but if I wanted to avoid it, all I had to do was shoot better, and I didn't.
So, here I am.
- Dustin, Chris, and Gary? - They're in.
They performed beautifully and consistently throughout.
But Alex and I, now we get to battle it out and earn a spot.
This will be my fourth elimination.
I wanted to go to it because it's more time being around a competitive atmosphere and such, so I'm feeling good going into this elimination.
Coming up on "Top Shot" It is time for another "Top Shot" twist.
You're gonna be sitting while flying backwards.
It looks incredibly enticing.
Mike and Alex, welcome to the practice range, where you will prepare for the elimination challenge.
For the next challenge, you'll be using another civilian version of a tactical pistol The steyr SPP.
The steyr SPP is famous for its controllability, which means you can peel off a lot of rounds while still maintaining your accuracy.
The 9mm steyr special purpose pistol is a semiautomatic version of the steyr tactical machine pistol.
Matt burkett is back to help prep you for the challenge.
In addition to speed and accuracy, you guys are gonna be shooting from the seated position.
You guys are gonna practice separately.
Alex, you're up first.
Have fun.
Good to see you again.
Hi, Alex.
How you doing today? Good.
Good.
Well, today you've got the steyr SPP, or special purpose pistol.
Work your target transitions.
Don't mess around and spend time being perfect.
Okay.
So the guys today are gonna be practicing from a chair.
So it's gonna be interesting to see how the guys try to figure out how to do the target transitions well from that position.
Really work on getting used to that trigger pull.
Just a touch high.
The Steyr's not a match pistol.
The trigger is, I don't know, If "Top Shot" was easy, everybody would be on it.
Yeah.
So it's an awkward gun to shoot accurately very quickly.
Why don't you try a couple of transitions? Faster.
Alex is transitioning between the targets really fast, but he's spending way too long aiming and trying to work out the perfect trigger pull.
Way faster than that.
So being a recreational shooter, you know, I spend a lot of my time hunting.
My focus throughout my entire life has been accuracy.
I haven't had to shoot fast.
This challenge may not afford me that, you know, option.
It might just be quick target acquisition, shoot and hit, and you got to be good.
You got to hit what you're shooting at quick.
There.
That's a good one.
Nice dead-center shot.
Do exactly what I told you.
Nice job.
And now that Alex is finished up with his practice, all he's got to do is relax and work on the fundamentals, and he should do pretty well.
Let's just see where you hit with it.
Well, looks like you're fine.
Okay.
Okay, let's see what happens when you speed that up.
Good.
My focus on this practice is to drive the gun as violently as possible.
So right when the sights are aligned, I just have to add a little bit more pressure straight back and break the shot.
That was an overswing.
That's bad.
It looked like you were doing a little bit of an over-swing and a correct.
Yeah, I did.
Mike is so physically talented.
I mean, he's an intense person, and it shows in his practice.
But he's moving everything around and using all of his muscles when all he has to do is get the gun to the next target.
Eh, that sucked.
In fact, he's over-swinging on some of the targets because he's having a problem bringing everything to a stop on it.
You're looking good, Mike.
Good prep.
I feel good with this practice.
I feel good driving the gun.
It's gonna be a good contest.
I'm really looking forward to going up against him.
I first heard about "Top Shot" on an online shooting chat room.
I had never seen the show before when I applied.
In fact, we don't even have TV at our house, so I had no way of seeing it.
From what I saw online, it was a challenge.
I was willing to throw my hat in that ring.
I have three girls, three beautiful girls.
My kids' names are Kate oakley, Sarah Cassidy, and Jenna Josephine.
Our first daughter, Kate, her middle name is oakley, and that was after Annie oakley.
Well, Kate is turning 6, and she has a pink rifle in the safe.
And one of the things is when I get back, she's going to learn how to shoot for real.
The great thing about failure is that it puts everything in perspective.
I got my tail handed to me by Gary, and it felt horrible.
But my mind-set is more like there's opportunity to just take advantage of every little moment, whether it's a little training or time with an expert or time to compete with someone Just totally submerge yourself into it and see what comes out the other side.
Going into the elimination challenge, I don't think I'm at any sort of disadvantage.
I want to win.
You know, I think I got a good chance.
I'm gonna give it everything I have.
I mean, it doesn't matter who I'm going against.
I'll do the best I can.
Going against Alex in the elimination, that's just another exciting venue to compete with someone.
I'm not looking at the past or worried about anything.
I just have the next task before me.
My objective is to go to elimination, battle it out with Alex, stay focused, keep my rejuvenated attitude going, and then come back to the final four.
I walk up to the challenge, I see some sort of zip-line, a bunch of balloons.
It looks incredibly enticing.
It looks like it's gonna be fun.
Hey, fellas.
Welcome to the elimination challenge.
The stakes couldn't be any higher.
One of you guys is going to the finale.
The other one's chance of winning "Top Shot" is about to be over.
I'm sure you're wondering why we had you shooting from a chair in practice.
Well, if you take a look right there, you'll see exactly why.
It is time for another "Top Shot" twist.
Instead of simply sitting, you're gonna be sitting while flying backwards.
You'll compete one at a time.
You'll be pulled backwards at a 15-mile-an-hour clip up to 20 feet off the ground.
You'll have a total of 20 targets to engage.
As you continue backwards, these targets will be visible for a very brief time before being obscured by a whole lot of debris.
Using the steyr special purpose pistol, you will take out as many of those targets as you can before the run is over.
The shooter who hits the most targets wins and becomes the last member of the final four.
The person who comes up short will be going home.
It doesn't look like it's gonna be very easy.
Moving backwards, your targets are gonna be concealed behind different pieces of cover at different intervals along the course.
So it's definitely gonna be something that is difficult and challenging.
Alex, you're up first.
Step right up.
It's time to have some fun.
Hey, good luck, Alex.
Colby tells us, "hey, we're gonna run the course backwards.
" That made it very interesting.
So, obviously, the balloons, as we go backwards, are gonna come into sight.
So we won't be able to see them the entire time, and the farther we move, the farther the balloons get away.
I'm, like, thinking, "hey, if I got to go out, at least it's gonna be a cool ride.
" Coming up on "Top Shot" Go! Wow, I got to shoot this thing really quick.
There's only one target left! At stake today is the last spot in the final four.
The winner of the elimination challenge will also receive a $2,000 gift card to use at Bass Pro shops.
Mike, so that you don't have an unfair advantage, we're gonna have you step away until it is your turn to shoot.
All right, Alex.
Let's do this.
We'll get you up there to the starting line.
You know, I don't know how fast this thing's gonna go.
I mean, 15 miles an hour is very fast.
Another way to look at it is that's a high-end sprint.
In my mind, I actually have two sets of plans.
One is, if it's going really fast, I'm just gonna pick targets on my strong side and just hope for the best.
And if it's going slower, I'm gonna try to get them all.
But I don't know that.
Until I start moving, I have no idea which route I'm gonna take.
Here we go.
Marksman, ready Set Go! All right, come on there, Alex.
You start moving forward, it's kind of like winding up for a roller coaster.
So I'm thinking, "wow, I got to shoot this thing really quick.
" Alex, looking to the left, looking to the right.
Misses on his first shot.
Now he gets a hit.
Hits targets.
Gets a third target.
The balloons are all different ranges.
I think I missed a distant one.
And I'm thinking, "don't take a second shot.
"Take the close ones, take the for-sure shot," and that's what I did.
Now he moves over to the right side.
He gets a fourth target.
.
And a fifth and a sixth and a seventh! There you go.
Moving back to the left side.
Nine targets hit! The end of the course is coming up fast.
Cease-fire! Cease-fire! That was good.
I thought that was a really good run.
For moving backwards like that, I thought, you know, he's gonna give Mike a run for his money there.
Nice job, Alex.
Thank you.
At the end of the course, I'm feeling pretty good.
My goal is to at least be able to walk away and say, "hey, I did the best I could," and I left that feeling that way.
But I also know Mike's a good shot.
I didn't clean the course, so there was a lot of room for him to do better.
This looks like it's gonna be challenging.
One basic protocol I set in my mind is, is get two or three targets, and then transition.
I can't get too locked in on just taking out one side because obviously I'm gonna be letting things go.
I really got my work cut out for me today.
Marksman, ready Set Go! Mike's starting on his left.
That's a hit.
Mike hits two targets.
Three targets hit.
Four targets.
Five targets.
Back to the left side.
That's the sixth target.
Seven.
Eight.
You're just seeing balloons pop on both sides.
He's doing real quick transitions.
It was incredible.
Swinging back to the left.
That's 12, 13, 14.
And 17, 18, 19.
There's only one target left.
I get done, and I give a pretty diligent scan because I really want to make sure I didn't miss a target.
Wow.
I felt really good afterwards.
Alex, you took out 13 targets.
Mike, you hit all 20 with only 21 shots.
It felt great to go 20 for 20 with a pistol, where I was thinking, "boy, I might go 10 for 20 on this thing.
" Congratulations.
Come get your gift card.
You're in the final four.
Nice work.
I'm like, "oh, wow.
" He's really good.
This is a little intimidating.
" Alex, unfortunately, you have fired your last shot.
You've been eliminated from "Top Shot.
" Take a moment to say goodbye to your fellow shooters before you head out.
Thanks.
It's an honor.
Congratulations, you guys.
I'm really proud of how I did.
I had no real expectations of what it was gonna be like to be here.
Take care, guys.
Not having any professional training, I made green team.
It's a good feeling to know that I was part of that.
So, I'm proud of how far I made it.
My days on "Top Shot" are done.
Well, gentlemen, congratulations are in order.
You've all reached the final four.
And just three challenges stand between you and ultimate victory.
Right now you each have an even shot at walking out of here with $100,000 and the title of "Top Shot.
" And although you guys are competing as individuals, I think it bears mentioning.
Two representatives from the original Blue Team and two from the Red Team are gonna battle it out.
You guys can head back to the house.
I'll see you at practice.
It's starting to sink in final four.
We're the last four competitors.
There's a 1-in-4 chance of being history's next Top Shot.
So, it's definitely something that you take to heart, and I'm loving every minute of it.
I feel good I got the "W.
" Now being in the final four on "Top Shot," I'm met a milestone.
Four guys now are just gonna compete it out, some real cool final stages, and I'm really looking forward to this.
Everything at this point just feels really good.
On the season finale of "Top Shot" Go! The final four go head-to-head for the grand prize.
Mike Hughes, the pistol champion A fierce competitor who everyone fears.
That's a hit! This is solid competition.
Whoever take this, I think, represents "Top Shot" very well.
Chris Collins, the former marine A soft-spoken shooter who always steps up.
Yeah!! I have to prove that I am the best.
I'm just gonna shoot my game and do the best I can.
Dustin ellermann, the Christian camp director A self-taught marksman with amazing natural skill.
- First round down! - Next! That kid, he is something else.
I'm honored to be among the group of these final four.
I am definitely the oddball in the bunch.
Gary quesenberry, the homeland security agent A born leader who never loses his poise.
Exciting.
You want to see this thing through to the end, and the only way to do that is to beat the other three guys.
They battle it out in the most intense You're all tied up! Difficult You're gonna fire the ak-47 one-handed.
It's just almost an impossible shot.
And epic series of challenges This is crazy.
To see who will become the next "Top Shot.
" You just made history!
" In the first individual elimination challenge, Mike is sent home.
Oh! In the next challenge Cease fire! Jake came in last.
- You're eligible for nomination.
- I really don't care.
And then Jake refuses to compete.
Take it easy boys! He rather quit that have a chance on losing.
We'll bring back somebody who's willing to compete.
Mike Hughes.
Mike gets a second chance.
Why not bring in the last guy eliminated, have him fill that void that Jake left? I think that's pretty fair.
And he rises to the challenge.
That's it! Well, Mike, you have earned your way back in this competition.
Phil, you have fired your last shot.
God almighty.
Tonight on the last episode before the season finale I think all our jaws dropped.
This is gonna be pretty cool.
The biggest challenges yet.
There are shots that changed history Feats of legendary skill and extreme precision.
Now 16 of today's best marksmen have been chosen.
They come from all over the country and from all walks of life.
Amateurs and professionals, military, recreation, and exhibition shooters.
Each shows the timeless skills of a true marksman Not just with one weapon, with any weapon.
They will compete in a gauntlet of challenges until only one remains, to claim the $100,000 prize and the title of "Top Shot.
" We're very close to the end of this thing.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
At the end of the day, there's only gonna be two people in that final challenge, and if I have anything to do with it, I want to definitely be one of them.
Want back up top? Yeah.
You sure? You lost last time you slept up there.
But we won a lot, too, sleeping up here.
So I get back to the house, pick my same little bed, my little bubble, my little domain.
That probably feels better than your own bed at home.
Uh, no.
It does not.
Coming back is huge to me.
I'm refreshed.
My attitude is rejuvenated.
And I'm ready to come back here and win.
Mike's like a zombie, essentially.
You've killed him, and he's come back.
Yeah, you're the zombie.
You're the "Top Shot" zombie, man.
Mike's old nickname was Superman, and now it's the zombie 'cause he just He went down, but he's not dead.
The first thing that I notice when we walk in to the practice range is the medieval torture wheel, and we're obviously gonna be spinning circles on this thing.
Morning, shooters.
Morning.
Morning.
Morning.
Morning.
Well, with Phil's departure, we're now down to five of you guys.
You are all just one elimination away from the final four.
One of you will take home the $100,000 and the title of history's Top Shot.
But first, you have to get through some of the biggest challenges yet.
All right, let's get to what you're here to do Shoot.
This is the practice session for the next individual competition.
The top two shooters in this challenge will be safe.
The bottom three will once again be eligible for the elimination challenge.
For this last series of challenges before the finale, we are upping the ante even more.
So, while the challenges to this point have been tough, the level of marksmanship required moving forward will be unprecedented.
Today you'll be shooting the heckler & koch sp89.
The sp89 is a semiautomatic civilian version of the mp5k, which is essentially a machine gun masquerading as a handgun.
It's designed for close-quarters battle use by covert operations and special forces.
Nice.
We find out at it's the h&k sp89, a pistol version of a 9mm machine gun.
I don't know if I've ever seen a real one before, and, uh, this will be a lot of fun.
If you haven't spent much time with this type of handgun, you guys are facing a pretty steep learning curve.
To help you prepare for the challenge, we brought in weapons expert and manufacturer Matt Burkett.
This practice is gonna be the most physically challenging yet.
You might get dizzy.
We're gonna strap you to that wheel and spin you around, require you to shoot upside down.
You may be wondering why.
Well, we'll clear that up at the challenge.
All right, let's get to it.
I'll see you tomorrow at the individual challenge.
Hi, Chris.
Hey, how are you? You ready to do this? Absolutely.
Okay.
Well, you got your mp5 sp89 here.
So, you're an instructor, so, I'm sure you're familiar with the gun a little bit.
Using the sling, you're gonna go under the arm.
You're gonna press out into the gun.
So, try to lock it up as much as you can.
What makes this different than most of the mp5 family is it doesn't have a stock at all.
You might try bracing this arm under your body just a lit.
Instead of sucking the gun in like most people would do with a stock, you're actually pushing the gun away from you to get that sling tight.
I'm gonna go dead center.
Go dead center.
There you go.
What's gonna be difficult about today's practice is that most people don't shoot a handgun with a sling attached to it.
And they definitely don't shoot it while hanging upside down.
Let's roll you down to 6:00.
Okay.
I want you to aim through the whole time, just get used to weird positions.
As soon as I get strapped in to this thing and get spun around, you know, you feel your guts kind of squishing and twisting around as you go in this thing.
It's not exactly the most comfortable experience.
You know, you feel the blood start to rush to your head.
You absolutely have to keep breathing.
And you try and focus on your sights.
Relax and breathe.
There you go.
Whatever you did there, do that again.
Nice shot! That's what we're looking for.
Smooth.
Be following those sights all the way through.
When you're hanging upside down, it's harder to breathe, it's harder to focus.
And breathing and focus are two very important elements of good marksmanship, so, you know, that is a concern.
I'm keeping everything in groups that I'm fairly comfortable with.
Aim lower.
There you go.
I would say I'm very confident with this weapon system.
As we're rolling around, keep aiming at the target.
I don't have any personal experience with this gun at all, but before coming here, a buddy and I actually practiced shooting upside down.
We just laid in the back of a pickup truck and put our head over the tailgate and shot upside down.
It's not comfortable, that's for sure.
But the belt keeps you in, your feet are kind of locked in.
So, you just kind of just let yourself relax and keep the sling tight on the gun, and you can shoot pretty well.
My turn, I get up there, and I was putting some good groups down.
Nice shot.
I was getting every shot I had in my diamond, so I was feeling pretty good about it.
During the practice, burkett is telling us to work on getting sight alignment and stresses that we've got to keep our breathing.
Keep breathing.
I think at this point, it is anyone's guess who's gonna win this competition.
Oh Whoa! Cool, man.
Wow.
God almighty.
That is really cool.
So, we walk up to the challenge, and we see a huge target array about 30-some feet high.
Okay.
This is gonna be crazy.
Dude, I think all our jaws dropped.
It's like, "okay, wow.
This is gonna be pretty cool.
" This is gonna be something that obviously no one has ever done before.
This is some cool It's like a carnival theme, like a state-fair-type theme, right? There's some sort of a carnival-ride-type contraption.
You just couldn't build this thing in your backyard, and it's pretty obvious what's about to happen.
We're gonna get strapped in this thing and spun around and shoot at these 20 targets.
Come on in, shooters.
It looks like spinning destruction, and I think the ride's gonna be just as fun or more fun than any carnival ride I've ever been on.
Coming to "Top Shot," I knew there was gonna be some crazy stuff.
Wow.
I definitely didn't imagine we'd be strapped to some contraption then spun 30-some feet in the air, you know, shooting at a ring of targets.
I never thought that.
Welcome, everyone, to today's individual challenge.
You guys were walking up here, not a single mouth was closed.
They all dropped open when you saw this.
Well, we told you something extreme was coming your way.
It's time to find out exactly what that is.
If you thought firing while upside down was a little nuts, take a look at what you're gonna shoot from next.
Hope you boys like carnival rides, because this one is about to make your head spin.
On the firing line is a 16-foot-long arm with a harness at the end of it.
That's where you'll be strapped in.
Once you're secured, the arm will begin to rotate without stopping.
You'll be given one complete rotation to get up to speed, then when you hear the horn, you're gonna start shooting.
there's a circular array of 20 targets Using the HK sp89, your objective is to take out as many targets as possible in one complete rotation.
At its height, you will be upside down This is the biggest setup I've ever seen in my life as far as any kind of shooting stage goes.
Very challenging, very outside the box.
And this is really taking it to the next level.
Keep in mind there are 20 targets.
You get one magazine loaded with 28 rounds.
Make your shots count.
The two shooters who hit the most targets make it to the final four.
The remaining three, however, will be eligible for nomination into the elimination challenge, the loser of that eliminated from the competition.
We have a 28-round mag and 20 targets to destroy.
We're gonna be moving the entire time and shooting while we're moving.
This is gonna be crazy.
I'm not sure how this is gonna work out for any of us.
We've determined the shooting order by random draw.
Gary, you are the Guinea pig that is gonna strap into this bad boy first.
Go ahead and make your way over.
We'll get started.
Good luck, Gary.
I mean that this time.
All right.
I'll see you fellas.
I get the first shot at this thing, so it's very intimidating.
And, you know, I don't see how it can be anything but challenging.
It's gonna be quite a ride.
Coming up on "Top Shot" This is absolutely the hardest thing I've ever had to do with a gun in my hand.
The arm is moving relatively fast.
You're really moving.
You are about to compete in your final individual challenge.
Here's how it's gonna work.
Using the sp89, one by one, you'll be strapped to a 16-foot arm and rotated one revolution.
You'll shoot at a 35-foot-tall circular display of targets.
The top two finishers reserve themselves spots in the finale, while the bottom three are automatically eligible to be voted into the elimination challenge.
Sounds like fun to me.
Let's get to it.
All right, gentlemen.
You guys got to step away from the course until it is your turn to shoot.
This is all about Gary right now.
Good luck, Gary.
Thanks, fellas.
Remember, Gary.
Before shooting, you will have one full rotation to sight in the targets.
You ready, Gary? Good to go.
Good.
All right.
- Good as I'm gonna get.
- Yep.
They strap me into this thing, and the first thing I realize is that this was gonna be about finding the best sight picture you could find, holding it steady, and then working the trigger in a pattern and a rhythm that was gonna allow you to hit the targets as you passed.
All right, here we go.
Marksman, ready SetGo! Gary begins his turn, moving in a hurry.
You do not have long to get your equilibrium set.
It starts and then rounds downrange.
Gary first on the course.
First shot is a miss.
Misses with his second shot.
Yes! Hits his first target! Whew! It was very obvious right out of the gate that this is gonna be a challenge that's all about timing and rhythm.
I have what I think is a good sight picture, but I missed my first target, my second target, my third target.
As I get to the 12:00 position, and I'm hanging upside down, I finally get one good sight picture, one good trigger squeeze And I'm happy because I actually hit one of these things, and then as I'm coming around the bottom, it's just one miss after another.
You know, I had one good shot out of that 20.
Gary, you hit one target, buddy.
Come on over here.
Take a spot on the bench.
To be perfectly honest, this is absolutely the hardest thing I've ever had to do with a gun in my hand.
Dustin, come on in.
It's your turn to get strapped up.
And spun around.
Good luck, Dustin.
All right.
Going up? Going up, brother.
Here we go.
Marksman, readySet Go! As I start moving, my strategy is kind of like I'm just gonna ambush the targets.
As I see them come into my sight picture, I'm just gonna shoot and pull the trigger.
This is going to happen in a hurry.
Hits with his first shot Dustin 4 for 4, 5, 6, 7, 8! Dustin's just running the course! Finally misses one.
That was crazy.
Man, that kid, he is something else.
There's one thing about Dustin.
He's got this childish energy almost, you know, where he's just having a great time.
A few of us, we sit around, and we over-think things.
And we put way too much pressure on ourselves to perform.
And I haven't seen that in Dustin one day since we've been here.
He's counting.
He just gets it.
He's just a natural with anything that he picks up, and he's not somebody that should be taken lightly in this competition.
I hear the "go" signal And I start firing.
Awesomely enough, they all start burning.
Bam, bam, bam One after the other.
I was like, "this is looking good.
This is looking good.
" I get completely upside down at 12:00, and my body weight shifted, and I missed one.
I swing back to hit it a couple times, and by the time I could even think about getting back on target, it was over.
Dustin, you hit 12 out of 20 targets.
Nice run.
That puts you in the lead.
Come on over here.
Take a spot on the bench.
That split-second decision to try to scrape in that extra point just cost me the rest, so I'll just have to hope for the best in that I did better than the other guys.
Good shooting, man.
Thanks.
Good shooting, buddy.
How'd you do? Oh, you only beat me by 11.
You serious? I got one, yeah.
Oh, my.
I guess it was a little tougher on Gary.
Chris, you're up next.
Good luck, buddy.
- Thanks.
- Appreciate it.
Have fun, man.
If I'm strapped to an arm as it spins, I can't control the speed of that.
All I can control is how I manipulate the gun as I move past the targets.
Marksman, ready SetGo! So immediately I think to myself, "I have to keep my sights aligned "and manipulate the trigger, wait on the targets to enter my area, and press my shots.
" Chris hits his first target and his second! Hits the third 4, 5! Nice.
I'm gonna start getting nervous now.
I hit my first 5 Just bing, bing, bing, bing, bing They're going off.
It's feeling good.
And then I missed my first one, and that's when I got out of my rhythm, out of sync, and started trying to actually traverse the gun versus letting my sights come into the target area.
So once I realized that was a mistake, I wasn't gonna get hits, I locked my body back up into a stable position and started getting more consecutive hits on the way back down again.
Nice run, Chris.
You hit 12 targets.
I got to tell you.
Dustin hit 12 targets, too.
Now we go to round count It took you 18 rounds.
Look at that.
You are in the lead by one bullet.
Come on over here and take a spot on the bench.
Good job.
Good work, man.
Once I had the first-place bench seat, it felt a lot better, knowing that the next two shooters would have to beat me in order to make me eligible for nomination.
Mike is up next.
This is something in a million years I would never do in any other venue.
It's gonna really be something.
My theory on this is to try to do little transitions and transition on the target, try to really get my sights and trigger and break and then come to the next one.
Marksman, readySet Go! And stay focused on some kind of a rhythm to make some hits.
Two marksmen left.
Mike is in the hot seat.
Coming around.
Gonna make his run on 20 targets.
Mike misses on his first two shots.
Mike's still trying to get a hit.
Wow.
I'm not at the bottom.
I was so disappointed in my performance.
I basically am sighted in to the first target And not getting hits.
And then pretty much tried to jump back and get on some targets, but it just wasn't happening for me at all.
This is going really bad.
It's becoming a disaster really fast.
I am not hitting a rhythm.
I am not keeping a consistent sight picture.
I'm not exercising trigger control.
I'm not doing anything right on this one.
Mike, that run right there proves how difficult this challenge is.
Gary said it was the toughest thing he's ever did with a gun.
He hit one target.
You failed to hit any of them, buddy.
Come on over here.
All in all, I 0-fer.
I have 28 rounds sent.
Feeling the white, but who cares? No hits.
I suck.
It's tough, huh? Oh, that's humiliating.
All right, Alex.
Come on in.
You're the last man to strap in.
Good luck, buddy.
- Thanks, guys.
- Thank you.
In my mind, although I am spinning and moving around, the targets in relationship to me do not move.
They're always basically in front of me.
It's no different than if I was standing on the ground and the targets just rotated down in front of me.
I mean, it's just a matter of perception.
All right, Alex.
You good? Yes, sir.
Marksman, ready SetGo! Boom, boom, boom.
Alex is the last shooter to strap in and make a run.
HereWeGo.
Alex misses on his first shot.
Second shot's a miss.
Third shot's a hit! Fourth shot's a miss.
Trying to get his bearings, trying to catch up with the rhythm now.
Two hits! The arm is moving relatively fast.
You're really moving.
So when I finally had one in the sights, I was at 10:00 already.
Rhythm was off, and it was really tough to get back in alignment.
It happened very, very quick.
And I was tired.
Alex You hit two targets.
Yeah.
All right? Come on back over here.
That puts you in the middle of the pack, but at is gonna put you in the bottom three.
You can stand by Gary and Mike.
Did you guys hit less than me? Yeah.
I got one.
I 0-fered.
He 0-fered.
Oh, my God.
Those two freaks hit 12 each.
Those freaks over there.
Gary and I and Alex, we didn't really perform very well at all, and, man, I hand it to Dustin and Chris.
Chris and Dustin, congratulations.
You guys are safe.
You just earned yourselves a spot in the final four.
Alex, Gary, and Mike, you are each eligible for elimination.
Later all you guys will make the trek to the nomination range for the very last time.
There you will cast the most crucial vote in the competition so far.
You'll need to decide which competitor has displayed marksmanship skills worthy of a spot in the final four and which two will be required to compete to stay in the game.
We'll all find out when we meet up at the nomination range.
You guys can head back to the house.
I realize that it's going to be Gary, Mike, and Alex eligible for nomination.
And that starts to hit home and I start thinking about that one of those three guys is not gonna be with us for very long.
- Well, it was fun.
- Yeah, a lot of fun.
I will never shoot upside down 35 feet in the air ever again.
I'd do that again.
Coming up on "Top Shot" I know I performed poorly, but I did go up against Mike.
And I won that.
For sure, I got to go.
In the end, it's gonna be the four best guys that finish this thing out.
Whew.
We're gonna sit down to our last meeting before the last nomination range.
It's gonna be a tough decision.
The last meeting.
You've got to look at everything from the beginning to this point.
And in the end, it's gonna be the four best guys that finish this thing out.
You got to think who would be the one person that is most deserving to roll into that final spot.
I'm gonna throw my vote out there.
Mike, I'm gonna vote for you.
Yeah, for sure, for sure.
I got to go, for sure.
I 0-fered, so it's just a given.
If Mike's gonna go, it's between me and Alex as to who's gonna go up against him.
You know, that's a tough decision to make.
The thought I had is, uh, Alex has yet to be in elimination.
Yeah.
Alex, you haven't been.
You want to go to nomination? Not particularly.
Come on, man.
Nobody wants to.
I've been there three times.
It's awesome.
All of us, for the most part, are ready to go, so So it will be me and Alex or me and Gary battling out for a final spot in final four.
Between Gary and Alex, we'll just have to see.
Welcome, guys.
This will be your last time at the nomination range.
At stake, a spot in the final four.
All right, let's get to the vote, fellas.
Gary, you are first.
My philosophy has been from the beginning that I get one bullet at the nomination range, and I'm gonna vote for the one person that I think is least deserving of moving on in the competition.
Mike performed the worst out of everybody today during the challenge, so, to me, it's an obvious vote.
Chris, you're next.
I consider Mike a close friend, but I have to vote for him.
I've always been a performance-based voter, and I let people know that.
So Mike has to get my vote based on the fact that he came up short.
Dustin, you're up.
When you look at the numbers, a huge difference at all.
And I kind of think, Gary, you've paid your dues, and that's just what made me lean towards Alex.
Two votes Mike, one vote Alex.
Alex, it is your turn.
I'm voting for Gary at nomination because I did beat him.
That one shot counts in my mind, so Gary's getting a bullet in his target.
All right, Mike.
Come on up.
Mike has a decision to make.
Whoever he shoots, either Alex or me, that's who he's gonna go up against in the elimination challenge.
Alex hasn't had a chance to go to elimination, and going through an elimination's kind of a rite of passage to get to that 100 grand.
So it's out of his comfort zone, clearly, but I think it's a good personal-growth thing for him.
Gary, Dustin, and Chris, congratulations.
You guys are in the final four.
Alex and Mike, there is one spot left, and you two will go toe-to-toe, battle it out to see who gets that last spot.
I'll see you both tomorrow morning at practice.
You guys can head back to the house.
The fact that Gary isn't chosen doesn't bother me one bit.
I mean, yeah, he did a little worse than I, but if I wanted to avoid it, all I had to do was shoot better, and I didn't.
So, here I am.
- Dustin, Chris, and Gary? - They're in.
They performed beautifully and consistently throughout.
But Alex and I, now we get to battle it out and earn a spot.
This will be my fourth elimination.
I wanted to go to it because it's more time being around a competitive atmosphere and such, so I'm feeling good going into this elimination.
Coming up on "Top Shot" It is time for another "Top Shot" twist.
You're gonna be sitting while flying backwards.
It looks incredibly enticing.
Mike and Alex, welcome to the practice range, where you will prepare for the elimination challenge.
For the next challenge, you'll be using another civilian version of a tactical pistol The steyr SPP.
The steyr SPP is famous for its controllability, which means you can peel off a lot of rounds while still maintaining your accuracy.
The 9mm steyr special purpose pistol is a semiautomatic version of the steyr tactical machine pistol.
Matt burkett is back to help prep you for the challenge.
In addition to speed and accuracy, you guys are gonna be shooting from the seated position.
You guys are gonna practice separately.
Alex, you're up first.
Have fun.
Good to see you again.
Hi, Alex.
How you doing today? Good.
Good.
Well, today you've got the steyr SPP, or special purpose pistol.
Work your target transitions.
Don't mess around and spend time being perfect.
Okay.
So the guys today are gonna be practicing from a chair.
So it's gonna be interesting to see how the guys try to figure out how to do the target transitions well from that position.
Really work on getting used to that trigger pull.
Just a touch high.
The Steyr's not a match pistol.
The trigger is, I don't know, If "Top Shot" was easy, everybody would be on it.
Yeah.
So it's an awkward gun to shoot accurately very quickly.
Why don't you try a couple of transitions? Faster.
Alex is transitioning between the targets really fast, but he's spending way too long aiming and trying to work out the perfect trigger pull.
Way faster than that.
So being a recreational shooter, you know, I spend a lot of my time hunting.
My focus throughout my entire life has been accuracy.
I haven't had to shoot fast.
This challenge may not afford me that, you know, option.
It might just be quick target acquisition, shoot and hit, and you got to be good.
You got to hit what you're shooting at quick.
There.
That's a good one.
Nice dead-center shot.
Do exactly what I told you.
Nice job.
And now that Alex is finished up with his practice, all he's got to do is relax and work on the fundamentals, and he should do pretty well.
Let's just see where you hit with it.
Well, looks like you're fine.
Okay.
Okay, let's see what happens when you speed that up.
Good.
My focus on this practice is to drive the gun as violently as possible.
So right when the sights are aligned, I just have to add a little bit more pressure straight back and break the shot.
That was an overswing.
That's bad.
It looked like you were doing a little bit of an over-swing and a correct.
Yeah, I did.
Mike is so physically talented.
I mean, he's an intense person, and it shows in his practice.
But he's moving everything around and using all of his muscles when all he has to do is get the gun to the next target.
Eh, that sucked.
In fact, he's over-swinging on some of the targets because he's having a problem bringing everything to a stop on it.
You're looking good, Mike.
Good prep.
I feel good with this practice.
I feel good driving the gun.
It's gonna be a good contest.
I'm really looking forward to going up against him.
I first heard about "Top Shot" on an online shooting chat room.
I had never seen the show before when I applied.
In fact, we don't even have TV at our house, so I had no way of seeing it.
From what I saw online, it was a challenge.
I was willing to throw my hat in that ring.
I have three girls, three beautiful girls.
My kids' names are Kate oakley, Sarah Cassidy, and Jenna Josephine.
Our first daughter, Kate, her middle name is oakley, and that was after Annie oakley.
Well, Kate is turning 6, and she has a pink rifle in the safe.
And one of the things is when I get back, she's going to learn how to shoot for real.
The great thing about failure is that it puts everything in perspective.
I got my tail handed to me by Gary, and it felt horrible.
But my mind-set is more like there's opportunity to just take advantage of every little moment, whether it's a little training or time with an expert or time to compete with someone Just totally submerge yourself into it and see what comes out the other side.
Going into the elimination challenge, I don't think I'm at any sort of disadvantage.
I want to win.
You know, I think I got a good chance.
I'm gonna give it everything I have.
I mean, it doesn't matter who I'm going against.
I'll do the best I can.
Going against Alex in the elimination, that's just another exciting venue to compete with someone.
I'm not looking at the past or worried about anything.
I just have the next task before me.
My objective is to go to elimination, battle it out with Alex, stay focused, keep my rejuvenated attitude going, and then come back to the final four.
I walk up to the challenge, I see some sort of zip-line, a bunch of balloons.
It looks incredibly enticing.
It looks like it's gonna be fun.
Hey, fellas.
Welcome to the elimination challenge.
The stakes couldn't be any higher.
One of you guys is going to the finale.
The other one's chance of winning "Top Shot" is about to be over.
I'm sure you're wondering why we had you shooting from a chair in practice.
Well, if you take a look right there, you'll see exactly why.
It is time for another "Top Shot" twist.
Instead of simply sitting, you're gonna be sitting while flying backwards.
You'll compete one at a time.
You'll be pulled backwards at a 15-mile-an-hour clip up to 20 feet off the ground.
You'll have a total of 20 targets to engage.
As you continue backwards, these targets will be visible for a very brief time before being obscured by a whole lot of debris.
Using the steyr special purpose pistol, you will take out as many of those targets as you can before the run is over.
The shooter who hits the most targets wins and becomes the last member of the final four.
The person who comes up short will be going home.
It doesn't look like it's gonna be very easy.
Moving backwards, your targets are gonna be concealed behind different pieces of cover at different intervals along the course.
So it's definitely gonna be something that is difficult and challenging.
Alex, you're up first.
Step right up.
It's time to have some fun.
Hey, good luck, Alex.
Colby tells us, "hey, we're gonna run the course backwards.
" That made it very interesting.
So, obviously, the balloons, as we go backwards, are gonna come into sight.
So we won't be able to see them the entire time, and the farther we move, the farther the balloons get away.
I'm, like, thinking, "hey, if I got to go out, at least it's gonna be a cool ride.
" Coming up on "Top Shot" Go! Wow, I got to shoot this thing really quick.
There's only one target left! At stake today is the last spot in the final four.
The winner of the elimination challenge will also receive a $2,000 gift card to use at Bass Pro shops.
Mike, so that you don't have an unfair advantage, we're gonna have you step away until it is your turn to shoot.
All right, Alex.
Let's do this.
We'll get you up there to the starting line.
You know, I don't know how fast this thing's gonna go.
I mean, 15 miles an hour is very fast.
Another way to look at it is that's a high-end sprint.
In my mind, I actually have two sets of plans.
One is, if it's going really fast, I'm just gonna pick targets on my strong side and just hope for the best.
And if it's going slower, I'm gonna try to get them all.
But I don't know that.
Until I start moving, I have no idea which route I'm gonna take.
Here we go.
Marksman, ready Set Go! All right, come on there, Alex.
You start moving forward, it's kind of like winding up for a roller coaster.
So I'm thinking, "wow, I got to shoot this thing really quick.
" Alex, looking to the left, looking to the right.
Misses on his first shot.
Now he gets a hit.
Hits targets.
Gets a third target.
The balloons are all different ranges.
I think I missed a distant one.
And I'm thinking, "don't take a second shot.
"Take the close ones, take the for-sure shot," and that's what I did.
Now he moves over to the right side.
He gets a fourth target.
.
And a fifth and a sixth and a seventh! There you go.
Moving back to the left side.
Nine targets hit! The end of the course is coming up fast.
Cease-fire! Cease-fire! That was good.
I thought that was a really good run.
For moving backwards like that, I thought, you know, he's gonna give Mike a run for his money there.
Nice job, Alex.
Thank you.
At the end of the course, I'm feeling pretty good.
My goal is to at least be able to walk away and say, "hey, I did the best I could," and I left that feeling that way.
But I also know Mike's a good shot.
I didn't clean the course, so there was a lot of room for him to do better.
This looks like it's gonna be challenging.
One basic protocol I set in my mind is, is get two or three targets, and then transition.
I can't get too locked in on just taking out one side because obviously I'm gonna be letting things go.
I really got my work cut out for me today.
Marksman, ready Set Go! Mike's starting on his left.
That's a hit.
Mike hits two targets.
Three targets hit.
Four targets.
Five targets.
Back to the left side.
That's the sixth target.
Seven.
Eight.
You're just seeing balloons pop on both sides.
He's doing real quick transitions.
It was incredible.
Swinging back to the left.
That's 12, 13, 14.
And 17, 18, 19.
There's only one target left.
I get done, and I give a pretty diligent scan because I really want to make sure I didn't miss a target.
Wow.
I felt really good afterwards.
Alex, you took out 13 targets.
Mike, you hit all 20 with only 21 shots.
It felt great to go 20 for 20 with a pistol, where I was thinking, "boy, I might go 10 for 20 on this thing.
" Congratulations.
Come get your gift card.
You're in the final four.
Nice work.
I'm like, "oh, wow.
" He's really good.
This is a little intimidating.
" Alex, unfortunately, you have fired your last shot.
You've been eliminated from "Top Shot.
" Take a moment to say goodbye to your fellow shooters before you head out.
Thanks.
It's an honor.
Congratulations, you guys.
I'm really proud of how I did.
I had no real expectations of what it was gonna be like to be here.
Take care, guys.
Not having any professional training, I made green team.
It's a good feeling to know that I was part of that.
So, I'm proud of how far I made it.
My days on "Top Shot" are done.
Well, gentlemen, congratulations are in order.
You've all reached the final four.
And just three challenges stand between you and ultimate victory.
Right now you each have an even shot at walking out of here with $100,000 and the title of "Top Shot.
" And although you guys are competing as individuals, I think it bears mentioning.
Two representatives from the original Blue Team and two from the Red Team are gonna battle it out.
You guys can head back to the house.
I'll see you at practice.
It's starting to sink in final four.
We're the last four competitors.
There's a 1-in-4 chance of being history's next Top Shot.
So, it's definitely something that you take to heart, and I'm loving every minute of it.
I feel good I got the "W.
" Now being in the final four on "Top Shot," I'm met a milestone.
Four guys now are just gonna compete it out, some real cool final stages, and I'm really looking forward to this.
Everything at this point just feels really good.
On the season finale of "Top Shot" Go! The final four go head-to-head for the grand prize.
Mike Hughes, the pistol champion A fierce competitor who everyone fears.
That's a hit! This is solid competition.
Whoever take this, I think, represents "Top Shot" very well.
Chris Collins, the former marine A soft-spoken shooter who always steps up.
Yeah!! I have to prove that I am the best.
I'm just gonna shoot my game and do the best I can.
Dustin ellermann, the Christian camp director A self-taught marksman with amazing natural skill.
- First round down! - Next! That kid, he is something else.
I'm honored to be among the group of these final four.
I am definitely the oddball in the bunch.
Gary quesenberry, the homeland security agent A born leader who never loses his poise.
Exciting.
You want to see this thing through to the end, and the only way to do that is to beat the other three guys.
They battle it out in the most intense You're all tied up! Difficult You're gonna fire the ak-47 one-handed.
It's just almost an impossible shot.
And epic series of challenges This is crazy.
To see who will become the next "Top Shot.
" You just made history!