The WORST episodes of Ax Men

Every episode of Ax Men ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Ax Men!

The History Channel presents the first non-fiction show about the lives of the Pacific Northwest timber cutters and the dangers they face. From the same team responsible for Ice Road Truckers, this new series will take a look at the legacy of the pioneers who laid the foundations for future generations of loggers.

Last Updated: 2/29/2024Network: HistoryStatus: Ended
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Cage Match
star
6.20
98 votes

#1 - Cage Match

Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/6/2013

Tempers have reached a fever pitch in logging country. At Rygaard, three years of tension between Craig and DJ comes to a head. In the swamp, the Swamp Man is on a special mission for wife Donna. At Papac, the end of the North Thorn site may mean the end of their season. And in Florida, the Dreadknots are in the line of fire, while Jimmy Smith takes a final ride down the river.

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Axes and Allies
star
6.41
94 votes

#2 - Axes and Allies

Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/10/2013

An all-new season of Ax Men explodes on to the scene. Swamp Man Shelby Stanga continues his search for the million-dollar log raft but a rough first day and a new opportunity change his mission. In Florida, the Dreadknots have a new deckhand and a new enemy. While in the northwest, last year's King of the Mountain winner Gabe Rygaard returns but this year he's defending his title with a whole new crew and without his dad. While in Alaska, the boys of Papac are back and ready to reclaim the title, but they face a site so treacherous it's considered to be unloggable.

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Cowboy Up
star
6.63
135 votes

#3 - Cowboy Up

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/12/2012

Start-up outfit Big Gun Logging hits a snag as their deadline approaches. In Florida, Buck & Swilley make a run for the lead in the Log-Off while Jimmy deals with a crew crisis. Shelby Stanga enlists the help of a voodoo team to get his cousin's ghost under wraps. In Washington, a string of accidents on Craig's watch threatens to shut down the site. And in the mountains Montana, a new company joins the ranks of the Ax Men, forcing everyone to "cowboy up!"

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All or Nothing
star
6.66
134 votes

#4 - All or Nothing

Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/9/2012

An all-new season of Ax Men starts with a bang. Swamp Man Shelby Stanga is in search of a million-dollar payday, but nemesis Richard is hot on his trail. In Florida, S&S Aqua Logging gets a new captain, but a rocky first day signals trouble on the horizon. In the northwest, reigning King of the Mountain Rygaard Logging returns with a surprising new addition, and in Alaska, the rowdy boys of Papac Alaska begin another season battling the toughest terrain in the country.

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Pain in the Ax
star
6.67
90 votes

#5 - Pain in the Ax

Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/17/2013

The season is just beginning, and already, things are off to a rough start. At Rygaard, worried about his son's rocky start, Craig stops by and gets an unwelcome surprise of his own. In Alaska, Joe Linderborg and Mike Coatsy are taking two new greenhorns to school but it's looking like one of them might drop out. In the swamp, Shelby is loosing his assistant, his dog, his jet boat and his mind. In Florida, both Dreadknots and Chapman river teams are fighting just to stay afloat.

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Battle Ax
star
6.73
63 votes

#6 - Battle Ax

Season 7 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/23/2014

In Washington, frustration boils over as Rygaard and Oakes are forced to share the same landing. Down in the bayou, Shelby gets in hot water with the law over a contested log. Up in Alaska, Joe and Coatsy struggle to get the Papac crew back on track. In Florida, the Dreadknots have a run-in with fish and wildlife while the chapman crew works through the night to catch up in the log count. And on the Pearl River, the Ax Cut team races against a fast moving tropical storm.

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Storm Season Strikes
star
6.77
92 votes

#7 - Storm Season Strikes

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/23/2008

As a storm closes in on the Oregon coast, the Ax Men race to stay one step ahead. Jesse continues to push the J.M. Browning crew to meet its looming deadline, while muddy roads trap trucks on their way to the Stump Branch site. Robby battles for control of the Gustafson crew. Pihl Logging feels the effects of the slumping lumber market.

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Sabotage
star
6.78
77 votes

#8 - Sabotage

Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/23/2012

It s week three and logging country is falling apart. In the swamp, Shelby must rely on niece Stephanie and cousin Belinda to do his dirty work. At Rygaard, the rigging guys formulate a plan to get rid of DJ. In Alaska, wild man Joe Linderborg takes it out on a choker-setter, and in Florida, James must cope with his dad s health issues while also leading his crew.

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Father Knows Best
star
6.78
83 votes

#9 - Father Knows Best

Season 7 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/29/2013

In Washington, Gabe Rygaard is in over his head when a logging legend bails him out of trouble and gets him back in the race for King Of the Mountain. Down in Louisiana, Shelby and old friend Mike Chatellier use brute force to pull two of the biggest logs they have ever seen. With the Kraken injured, the Dreadknots bring in a new diver to brave the muddy waters of the Withlacoochee, but she soon finds out river logging isn't easy. Down on the Saint John's River, the Chapman team is pulling ahead, but a log poacher needs to be caught and Jeter is just the guy to do it.

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Man vs. Mountain
star
6.83
149 votes

#10 - Man vs. Mountain

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/9/2008

Deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, rugged men make their living doing one of the deadliest jobs in the world... logging. Their mission is to retrieve timber perched on mountainsides too steep to access with machines, but it's no easy task. Plagued by mechanical failures, relentless weather, and unpredictable terrain, these brave men risk their lives retrieving the timber with which we built our country. Meet four companies trying to survive each day. Pihl Logging--a rag-tag group of loggers based in Vernonia, Oregon. Gustafson Logging--a close-knit crew working one of the most dangerous jobs in the region. J.M. Browning--the best of the best. Stump Branch Logging--the young guns with a lot to prove. These are the Ax Men.

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Showdown
star
6.85
102 votes

#11 - Showdown

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/21/2010

Tempers flare as the logging season hits the rails. Jay Browning battles allergic shock, while Gabe Rygaard sends one of the greenhorns packing. At S&S, Jimmy and Joe Collins face-off, and at Pihl, Melvin and the crew finally have it out.

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Gators & Hand Grenades
star
6.88
100 votes

#12 - Gators & Hand Grenades

Season 6 - Episode 9 - Aired 2/10/2013

In Florida, the Dreadknots come face-to-face with one of the most fearsome creatures in the river, while over in the swamp, Shelby and Donna are putting his new paddle barge to work. In Washington, DJ returns to work but faces another battle with Craig. And in Wisconsin, the Woodchucks are pushing hard to meet their deadline, but dangerous shortcuts could bring the whole operation down.

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Bombs Away
star
6.88
58 votes

#13 - Bombs Away

Season 7 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/26/2014

In the Bayou, Shelby goes on the hunt for the thief who stole his boat. Up north in Washington, the battle between rivals explodes as Rygaard refuses to allow Oakes to pass through their landing. Down in Florida, Clint's boat nearly goes up in smoke. And Swilley pulls up a prize from the bottom of the lake, the Chapman crew will never forget.

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A Frayed Knot
star
6.88
86 votes

#14 - A Frayed Knot

Season 7 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/5/2014

The Rygaard family is back on the mountain and firing on all cylinders, until new yarder team Oakes Logging crashes onto the site, challenging Gabe face-to-face for the title of King of the Mountain. Down in the swamp, Shelby and Mike use redneck ingenuity to pull a huge and rare heart-pine log. In Alaska, the Papac team is down a yarder engineer, leaving them no choice but to make reckless Joe the new operator in order to stay in the race. In Florida, the Dreadknots newest diver Erin is finally getting the hang of river logging, but Kraken's fear of another diver taking his place causes a rift with Captain Clint. Meanwhile, the Chapman team gets revenge on a suspected log poacher.

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Swamp Gold
star
6.89
103 votes

#15 - Swamp Gold

Season 5 - Episode 17 - Aired 5/6/2012

While on a night mission, Shelby finds something that could lead to a bigger payday than he's ever seen. In Washington, Craig and Wayne plot a prank to teach Dave a lesson. In New Hampshire, personality differences between the ox loggers cause walk-offs on both sides. And on the Suwannee, James returns to S&S but steers he and Brad right into danger.

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Wake Up Call
star
6.89
105 votes

#16 - Wake Up Call

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/26/2012

Shelby Stanga takes his newest assistant loggin' and froggin'. In Montana, young Siderius cutter Travis earns his stripes when he's forced into a deadly situation. The father and son team of S&S hits bottom, then hits gold. In Washington, a close call puts an end to the infighting, and at Papac, Joe lets loose.

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Fists of Fury
star
6.90
130 votes

#17 - Fists of Fury

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/19/2012

It's a fight to the death between Shelby Stanga and a massive standing tree. At Rygaard, the bad blood between Dave and Fernando boils over. In Alaska, Papac's men are on the run when two machines get tangled up while in Florida, Buck and Swilley raise the stakes. And in Montana, the newcomers from Siderius Logging are gambling on life and limb.

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Market Meltdown
star
6.90
109 votes

#18 - Market Meltdown

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/6/2008

The loggers of the Pacific Northwest perform what is said to be North America's most dangerous job. Watch as the men react to news of upcoming layoffs. Gustafson Logging tries to get back on track, Browning Logging races to meet a big deadline and Pihl Logging needs to finish the Pig Farm Job. Despite Melvin's best efforts to keep up with his old equipment, Stump Branch Logging loses one of its most important machines.

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Burying the Hatchet
star
6.91
58 votes

#19 - Burying the Hatchet

Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/24/2013

It's week three and the surprises keep on coming. In Washington, Gabe's king of the mountain title is in the hands of a novice crew, until he gets some help from an unlikely family member. Down in the swamp, Shelby's log buyer stops by for a surprise visit and things aren't looking good for the Swamp Man. On the Withlacoochee, the Kraken and Katelyn find that logging without Capitan Clint might not be as easy as they thought. At Chapman the newest member of the team fights for his life.

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Put Up or Shut Up
star
6.92
101 votes

#20 - Put Up or Shut Up

Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/30/2012

As the season picks up speed, not everyone can keep up with the pace. At Rygaard, odd man out DJ Jeremiah is pushed to his breaking point. In Alaska, Coatsy boots Joe Linderborg from his seat in the yarder, but the consequences could prove deadly. In Florida, The Dreadknots find themselves on the wrong end of a falling log, and in the swamp, Shelby and his assistants fight to claim the biggest Cypress of the season.

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Diving for Dollars
star
6.92
108 votes

#21 - Diving for Dollars

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/24/2010

After an ill-fated road trip, Jimmy and James Smith arrive in Florida to tackle the dangerous black water of the American South, only to realize they're in way over their heads. Rygaard's greenhorns get a wake-up call when a cable snaps. Browning's soaring production has a price, and at Pihl, Melvin's mistakes may cost him his job.

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Logger Down
star
6.94
86 votes

#22 - Logger Down

Season 7 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/19/2014

It's half way through the season and time to go old school. Down in the Bayou, Shelby's wild ride could end his season early. In the Pacific Northwest, Rygaard and Oakes compete in a no-holds barred turf war. Up in Alaska, an accident sidelines one of the Papac crew. And in Florida, Logzilla continues to derail Kraken.

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Unlucky Charm
star
6.94
130 votes

#23 - Unlucky Charm

Season 6 - Episode 14 - Aired 4/21/2013

In the Bayou, Shelby goes on a treasure-hunting mission, and ends up in a race against Belinda. At Big Gun Logging, Jesse's lesson on the whistles almost takes Luke out. On the river, S&S continues to struggle, while the Dreadknots' lucky charm gets destroyed. And at Rygaard, Dave's arrival turns the site upside-down.

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Deeper into the Swamp
star
6.95
99 votes

#24 - Deeper into the Swamp

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/17/2010

As the summer heats up, so do the men of the mountain. Rygaard breaks in its greenhorns, while Jay Browning takes a gamble on a new yarder operator. At Pihl, dissension grows between Melvin and Leland. And in bayou country, Shelby heads deeper into the swamp than ever before, but the mission may cost him everything he owns.

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Who'll Stop The Reign?
star
6.95
85 votes

#25 - Who'll Stop The Reign?

Season 7 - Episode 12 - Aired 2/9/2014

Big noise and big toys turn the season upside down. In Alaska, a misstep by Joe cripples the yarder for Papac. In Washington, Gabe Rygaard pulls out a massive feller buncher–one of the largest machines in the logging industry. Down in Florida, the skies open up on the Dreadknots and Chapman crews as they try to make it through a dangerous lightning storm.

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