The WORST episodes of Top Shot

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

Sixteen skilled marksmen compete for the title and a $100,000 prize package in this first-ever competition series from History. Each week one contestant is eliminated as they face both individual and team challenges that involve not only modern-day firearms but muzzle-loading muskets, throwing knives and slingshots. Special high-speed, high-definition cameras capture the action for a slow-motion replay.

Last Updated: 1/28/2024Network: HistoryStatus: Ended
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Down to the Wire
star
5.32
105 votes

#1 - Down to the Wire

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/19/2011

Marksmen shoot while hanging from a 125-foot crane, then shoot from the back of moving jeep. In the last episode before the finale, the final five marksmen face the two biggest challenges of the competition.

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The Shakedown
star
6.61
74 votes

#2 - The Shakedown

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/12/2011

The competition shakes up literally, as the final six marksmen are forced to shoot from unstable platforms. Season One winner, Iain Harrison, returns to lend a steady hand. Meanwhile, tensions among the final competitors come to a head.

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Quickfire Face-Off
star
6.63
49 votes

#3 - Quickfire Face-Off

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/8/2011

It's all about speed as marksmen face off in a head-to-head speed-shooting showdown. Using a Colt .45 and a rarely-seen Razorcat Racing Gun, contestants also get surprise visitors to help them with their training.

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Shotgun Showdown
star
6.82
77 votes

#4 - Shotgun Showdown

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/28/2012

Top Shot season 2 champion Chris Reed returns to instruct the shooters on several modern shotguns. One team crumbles in the team challenge, leading to a tense nomination discussion. The final challenge is a head-to-head shotgun battle that sends one contestant packing.

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In the Trenches
star
6.90
79 votes

#5 - In the Trenches

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/21/2012

Teams grapple with an explosive obstacle course and endure trench warfare conditions while firing the legendary Browning Automatic Rifle. And in a Top Shot first, two competitors duke it out in a fierce battle with a multi-shot grenade launcher.

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The 1000 Yard Shot
star
7.08
78 votes

#6 - The 1000 Yard Shot

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/5/2011

Marksmen face a supreme long-range test, the iconic 1000 yard shot. They will use the biggest gun ever used in Top Shot competition -- a Barrett 82A1 .50. Teams dissolve and it is every marksmen for himself.

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Bury the Hatchet
star
7.14
43 votes

#7 - Bury the Hatchet

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/15/2011

Marksmen compete with legendary primitive weapons: the tomahawk and blowgun. One of the most intense challenges of the season allows us to see who has natural skills and adaptability -- and who doesn't.

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Turn the Corner
star
7.15
71 votes

#8 - Turn the Corner

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 9/13/2011

Contestants are shocked to see two Top Shot champions return as honorary captains for the team challenge. Marksmen compete with a just-released, ultra modern assault rifle and tensions flare when a fight erupts between two competitors.

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Uphill Battle
star
7.16
49 votes

#9 - Uphill Battle

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/22/2011

In this military-themed episode, teams try to blow up an ammo dump. Using the legendary M1A rifle, they face a literal uphill battle. One contestant's shocking mistakes put his team in jeopardy. In the elimination challenge, marksmen face an obscured targets challenge using the Glock 17 pistol.

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Trick Shot Showdown II
star
7.18
72 votes

#10 - Trick Shot Showdown II

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 3/22/2011

It's a Trick Shot Showdown! Contestants split a bullet on an axe, shoot with both hands and upside down as they attempt iconic shots from exhibition shooting history. Some marksmen step up to the extreme challenge while others fall short.

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Catch .22
star
7.20
74 votes

#11 - Catch .22

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/29/2011

Competitors face an extreme shooting gallery. With only eight remaining, it's back to marksmanship basics. The marksmen face off with a firearm they're all familiar with, a .22, and the level playing field allows them to see who really excels.

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Compound Fracture
star
7.21
48 votes

#12 - Compound Fracture

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/1/2011

Using a modern compound bow, contestants' archery skills are put to the test. Contestants must rank themselves before competing in a tubular team challenge. Meanwhile, tensions with team leadership threaten to unravel the group.

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The Razor's Edge
star
7.21
48 votes

#13 - The Razor's Edge

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/1/2010

Contestants compete with throwing knives and slingshots; in addition to the elimination challenge, another contestant suddenly goes home.

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Slug It Out
star
7.22
51 votes

#14 - Slug It Out

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 8/23/2011

Shotgun skills are tested with a head-to-head speed shooting challenge. Leaders emerge and tension escalates on both teams. And it's an elimination challenge unlike any before, featuring an elaborate machine, a Glock 34, and a line of non-stop cannonballs.

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The Good, The Rat and The Ugly
star
7.22
49 votes

#15 - The Good, The Rat and The Ugly

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/11/2010

Using muzzle-loading weapons, contestants compete in an old-fashioned frontier face-off; a heated conflict on one team plays out in the elimination challenge.

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Swing Into Action
star
7.24
78 votes

#16 - Swing Into Action

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/13/2012

Teams employ pirate tactics in a challenge; a high energy battle that requires coordination and focus; two marksmen use one of the most durable pistols on the planet.

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Sharpshooter Surprise
star
7.25
53 votes

#17 - Sharpshooter Surprise

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/8/2011

14 men and 2 women arrive from around the country to compete for the $100,000 prize and the title of Top Shot--only to face a surprise right from Civil War history: exactly 150 years ago, soldiers had to pass a test to get into the first sharpshooting regiment. Using the same weapon, marksmen will face the same challenge and find another surprise. The two marksmen who had the best shots, two amateurs with dramatically different personalities, now have the opportunity to choose their own teams, a situation that sets the entire competition in motion. After choosing teams, they face a team challenge of extreme billiards and an elimination challenge which ultimately sees the first marksmen sent home. Colby Donaldson returns as host.

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Tricked Out
star
7.27
45 votes

#18 - Tricked Out

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 9/20/2011

A world famous pistol champion teaches teams some extremely difficult trick shots including shooting while blindfolded. The Blue Team is in disarray after a team member vows to go it alone. The elimination challenge features the classic cowboy skill of shooting from the hip.

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Down and Dirty
star
7.29
52 votes

#19 - Down and Dirty

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/16/2011

Teams get down and dirty with one of the most influential firearms, the legendary AK-47. They face an extreme obstacle course with mud pits, barbed wire and exploding mortars. The Blue Team employs unusual, divisive training methods and the Red Team remains unimpressed. In the elimination challenge, two shooters face a friend or foe challenge with a military and police pistol.

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The Mad Minute
star
7.29
79 votes

#20 - The Mad Minute

Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/3/2012

Top Shot season one winner Iain Harrison returns to school the competitors in British weaponry. The team challenge introduces a surprising twist, and one team bands together to conquer the task. For the losing team, it's off to the elimination round where two shooters compete in a high-stress precision challenge.

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Zipline of Fire
star
7.31
89 votes

#21 - Zipline of Fire

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/13/2010

The slide-action Beretta puts the contestants' pistol skills to the test; team accuracy is ranked; two compete in a zip-line elimination challenge.

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The Ultimate Prize
star
7.33
78 votes

#22 - The Ultimate Prize

Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/1/2012

From the Kentucky Flintlock Pistol to Crossbows and Grenade launchers--an epic assortment of weapons are featured. Four marksmen gear up to blast their way through the home stretch with hopes of becoming History's next Top Shot. After a series of elimination challenges, only two competitors enter the final showdown which comes down to the very last second.

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The Bulldog Gatling
star
7.33
51 votes

#23 - The Bulldog Gatling

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 8/30/2011

The legendary Gatling gun is introduced. But first the competition travels back to the Old West for a team challenge with a historic pistol. To stay in the competition two marksmen shoot it out with a firearm considered by many to be the world's first practical machine gun.

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The Gauntlet
star
7.36
55 votes

#24 - The Gauntlet

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/9/2011

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. Colby Donaldson hosts.

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Wheel of Fire
star
7.37
46 votes

#25 - Wheel of Fire

Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 10/18/2011

The five remaining marksmen face one of the most difficult challenges in Top Shot history. Shooters will use the powerful and compact SP89 semi automatic pistol while moving through the air upside down. With the last spot in the final four up for grabs, one competitor amazes the group with a stunning performance at the elimination challenge.

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