Top Shot

*Top Shot*
Top Shot
Genre	Reality TV
Directed by	Adam Vetri
Presented by	Colby Donaldson
Starring	see contestants below
Composer	David Vanacore Music
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	36
Production
Executive producers	Craig Pilgrim; Ralph Wikke; Mitch Rosa (co-exec prod.)
Producers	Ben Beatie; Clark Bernstein; Megan Gibson; Michael Matsumoto; Eric Mazer; John McLaughlin (host prod.)
Production location	Santa Clarita, California
Cinematography	Matthew Novello
Editors	John Wolfenden; Andrew Pierce
Camera setup	multiple-camera setup
Production company	Pilgrim Films & Television
Original release
Network	History Channel
Release	June 6, 2010 –; present

Top Shot is an American reality television show that debuted on the History Channel on June 6, 2010. The show features 16 contestants, split into two teams of eight, competing in various types of shooting challenges. One by one, the contestants are eliminated until only one remains. That contestant receives a $100,000 grand prize and the title of "Top Shot." Survivor contestant Colby Donaldson is the host.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Gameplay

The teams are given separate chances to practice with the weapons to be used in a team challenge, under the guidance of an experienced trainer, after which the challenge itself is played the following day. Everyone on the winning team is safe for the day, while the losing team must nominate two members for elimination after a two-hour break. A group of targets is set up for this purpose, each marked with one player's name. One by one, the team members must shoot the target of the person they want to nominate. No one is allowed to vote for himself/herself. If two or more players tie for one nomination, Donaldson typically draws one team member's name at random from an ammunition box to cast a tiebreaking vote. The tied players, and any who have already clinched a nomination, are not eligible to be chosen. (There have been exceptions to this practice, as noted under the episode entries for each season.)

The morning after this decision, the two players who receive the most votes take a practice session with the weapons to be used in an elimination challenge, which is held later in the day with the rest of the team watching. Whoever wins the challenge remains in the game, while the loser is immediately dismissed.

Whenever the teams are of unequal size, enough players on the larger one must sit out the team challenge to even out the two groups. The smaller team decides who will be benched, with the condition that no player may sit out two challenges in a row. Benched players are eligible to be nominated for elimination.

Season 1 (2010)

Season 1 of Top Shot was filmed over a period of 33 days in the spring of 2010 in Santa Clarita, California.^[6]

In episodes 7 and 8, the larger team (Blue) decided for itself who would participate or be benched. The teams were dissolved in episode 9, with all players competing directly against each other from this point on and one or more players being eliminated after every challenge.

Every time a player was eliminated, the remaining group hung one of that player's shirts, marked with his/her name, from the railing of the staircase in the house where they were living.

Contestants

Contestant	Age	Occupation / background	Hometown	Original Team	Merged Team	Eliminated
Mike Seeklander	38	U.S. Shooting Academy, former Marine, Federal Air Marshal and firearms instructor	Owasso, OK	Red Team		16th Place
Frank Campana	47	Retired police officer, FBI-certified sniper and instructor	Yonkers, NY	Red Team		15th Place
Bill Carns	40	Radio Gun Show Host, qualified 5-Weapons Range Master	Pahrump, NV	Red Team		14th Place
James "Jim" Sinclair	48	Printer, Gunsmith, Truck Driver, Historical firearms collector, competition shooter with various awards	Dover, NH	Blue Team		13th Place
Caleb Giddings	27	Insurance sales, former Coast Guard, competition shooter with various awards, blogger	Fishers, IN	Blue Team		12th Place
Andre Robinson	28	Soldier, U.S. Army, former Marine, earned "Rifle Expert" status in four competitions	Pittsburgh, PA	Red Team		11th Place
Brad Engmann	26	Project Manager, USPSA Grand Master	San Francisco, CA	Red Team		10th Place
Tara Poremba	36	Police officer, state champ in several state in conventional pistol, and a former National Champion, competition shooter with various awards.	Chicago, IL	Blue Team		9th Place
Denny Chapman	41	Cowboy Mounted Shooting competitor, horse trainer, Wild West entertainer, former benchrest rifle and USPSA/IPSC three-gun competitor	Ocala, FL	Red Team		8th Place
Blake Miguez	28	Corporate lawyer, semi-professional shooter, USPSA Grand Master, Louisiana state champion	New Iberia, LA	Blue Team	Green Team	7th Place
Adam Benson	44	Construction project manager, former Marine, USPSA Master	Baltimore, MD	Blue Team		6th Place
Kelly Bachand	22	Student, competition shooter, USA National Rifle Team	Kent, WA	Red Team		5th Place
Peter Palma	29	Plumber, Marine Scout Sniper	Norristown, PA	Red Team		4th Place
Simon "J.J." Racaza	29	Department of Homeland Security Agent, double grandmaster in the USPSA/IPSC	New Milford, NJ	Blue Team		3rd Place
Chris Cerino	40	Law enforcement trainer, 42nd place in the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association	Wadsworth, OH	Blue Team		2nd place
Iain Harrison	42	Construction manager, former British Army platoon commander, gunsmith, competition shooter with various awards	Sherwood, OR	Blue Team		Winner

Contestant progress

#	Contestants	Episodes
#	Contestants	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		10
1	Iain	WIN	WIN	WIN	NOM	SAFE	WIN	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	TOP SHOT
2	Chris	WIN	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	BTM 2	SAFE	OUT
3	J.J.	WIN	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	OUT
4	Peter	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	NOM	WIN	SAFE	OUT
5	Kelly	NOM	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	NOM	NOM	SAFE	BTM 2	OUT
6	Adam	WIN	WIN	WIN	SAFE	NOM	WIN	WIN	WIN	WIN	OUT
7	Blake	WIN	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	WIN	OUT
8	Denny	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	OUT
9	Tara	WIN	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	LEFT
10	Brad	SAFE	NOM	NOM	WIN	WIN	SAFE	OUT
11	Andre	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	OUT
12	Caleb	WIN	WIN	WIN	SAFE	OUT
13	Jim	WIN	WIN	WIN	OUT
14	Bill	SAFE	SAFE	OUT
15	Frank	SAFE	OUT
16	Mike	OUT

The player's team (episodes 1–8) won the challenge.

The player(s) won individually in the challenge.

The player's team lost the challenge, but the player was not nominated for elimination (episodes 1–8); or the player did not finish a challenge at the top or bottom of the group (episodes 9–10).

The player was nominated for elimination, but won an elimination challenge (episodes 1–8); or the player finished a challenge at the bottom of the group, but won a tiebreaker (episodes 9–10).

The player lost an elimination challenge and was eliminated. (In episodes 9 and 10, every challenge ended in one or more automatic eliminations.)

The player voluntarily withdrew from the competition.

The player won the $100,000 grand prize and the title of Top Shot.

Nomination Range

#
	Episode	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8		9			10
	Nominated	Kelly 3/8 Votes	Brad 3/7 Votes	Brad 2/6 Votes	Iain 5/8 Votes	Adam 3/7 Votes	Kelly 3/5 Votes	Kelly 2/4 Votes	None	Peter 1/3 Votes	None	None	None	None	None	None
	Eliminated	Mike 3/8 Votes	Frank 3/8 Votes	Bill 2/6 Votes	Jim 2/8 Votes	Caleb 3/7 Votes	Andre 2/6 Votes	Brad 2/4 Votes	Tara No Votes	Denny 2/3 Votes	Blake	Adam	Kelly	Peter	J.J.	Chris
	Contestants	Votes
1	Iain				None	Caleb			None		None	None	None	None	None	None
2	Chris				Iain	Caleb			None		None	None	None	None	None	None
3	J.J.				Jim	Adam			None		None	None	None	None	None
4	Peter	Mike	Brad	Brad			Andre	Brad		Denny	None	None	None	None
5	Kelly	Brad	Bill	Bill			Denny	Brad		Denny	None	None	None
6	Adam				Iain	None			None		None	None
7	Blake				Iain	Adam			None		None
8	Denny	Brad	Frank	Bill			Kelly	Kelly		Peter
9	Tara				Iain	Caleb			None
10	Brad	Kelly	Frank	Andre			Kelly	Kelly
11	Andre	Mike	Bill	Brad			Kelly
12	Caleb				Jim	Adam
13	Jim				Iain
14	Bill	Kelly	Frank	Kelly
15	Frank	Mike	Brad
16	Mike	Kelly

Season 2 (2011)

In this season (referred to in promotional spots as Top Shot Reloaded), a preliminary head-to-head challenge was played in Episode 1, with the two winners being allowed to choose the teams. In addition, the winner of every elimination challenge received a $2,000 gift card to Bass Pro Shops. Instead of hanging each eliminated player's shirt from the house's staircase railing, the others nailed a target-shaped plaque to the dining room wall, with his/her name and team color.

Similar to Season 1, the teams were dissolved in episode 9, and all challenges were head-to-head. The remaining players were given green shirts to wear for the rest of the competition. Unlike Season 1, the winner of the individual challenge in episodes 9-11 won immunity from elimination for the day; the others participated in an elimination round as before. Only the three challenges in episode 12 resulted in immediate elimination of the loser.

Contestants

Contestant	Age	Occupation / Background	Hometown	Original Team	Merged Team	Eliminated
Travis Marsh	37	Environmental Business Project Manager, eight-time State Champ for Running Game Targets, 14 years on the U.S. Shooting Team with rifle, 10-time National Junior Champ	Ruth, CA	Blue Team		16th Place
Athena Lee	32	Oil company contractor & firearms instructor, competition shooter with various awards since 1999. USPSA Open Division Master (and one of only a handful of female Master class shooters)	Katy, TX	Red Team		15th Place
John Guida	44	Restaurant owner, 12-year USPSA member, competition shooter with various awards.	Buffalo, NY	Red Team		14th Place
Jermaine Finks	38	Federal agent & firearms instructor, US Army veteran, former Pennsylvania State Constable, Department of Homeland Security instructor in tactics, defensive measures and firearms.	Lancaster, PA	Blue Team		13th Place
Maggie Reese	31	Professional shooter, 13 years of experience in shooting sports with various awards.	Chino, CA	Blue Team		12th Place
Eric Anderson	46	Landfill supervisor, Marine Corps veteran and marksmanship instructor, certified hunting safety instructor for Florida fish and wildlife conservation, former police officer.	Webster, FL	Red Team		11th Place
Chris Tilley	25	Professional shooter & firearms retailer and instructor, competition shooter with various awards, USPSA Grand Master	Raleigh, NC	Blue Team		10th Place
Kyle Frasure	23	Server, competition shotgun shooter, expert .22 caliber rifle shooter, various awards.	Anaheim Hills, CA	Blue Team		9th Place
Daryl Parker	44	Sheriff's lieutenant, Marine Corps veteran, certified Law Enforcement Firearms instructor.	Ft. Smith, AR	Blue Team		8th Place
Jay Lim	35	Golf instructor, competition pistol and archer shooter with various awards, Olympic training.	Fullerton, CA	Blue Team	Green Team	7th Place
Ashley Spurlin	34	Air Force Special Ops, graduate of the US Army Military Free-fall and SCUBA schools, Air Force Combat Control member for the last 10 years, Bronze Star recipient.	Richmond, VA	Blue Team		6th Place
Jamie Franks	31	US Navy rescue swimmer, graduate of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Skills and Practical Weapons courses and Anti-Terrorism Force Protection/Deadly Force Training, Navy rifle and pistol marksmanship expert.	Selma, NC	Red Team		5th Place
Joe Serafini	28	Construction worker, Company High Shooter in Marine boot camp, Champion archer, qualified expert with both the M16 and Beretta 9mm pistols.	Bourbonnais, IL	Red Team		4th Place
George Reinas	26	USAF Sniper & Air Force Sniper School instructor, certified military, civilian, and SWAT instructor, Heavy weapons combat instructor.	Cinnaminson, NJ	Red Team		3rd Place
Brian "Gunny" Zins	41	Independent security contractor, former US Marine Corps Military Police Officer, combat marksmanship instructor for Marine Corps with rifle and pistol, Trained in FBI advanced firearms. 10-time NRA Conventional Pistol (Bullseye) Champion.	Poland, OH	Red Team		2nd Place
Chris Reed	37	Realtor, Marine Corps honor graduate and Company High Shooter, competition shooter with various awards.	Greenwood, MS	Red Team		Winner

Contestant progress

#	Contestants	Episodes
#	Contestants	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
1	Chris R.	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	NOM	WIN	SAFE	TOP SHOT
2	Brian	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	OUT
3	George	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	BTM2	OUT
4	Joe	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	WIN	SAFE	NOM	SAFE	OUT
5	Jamie	WIN	NOM	WIN	WIN	NOM	WIN	WIN	WIN	NOM	WIN	OUT
6	Ashley	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	NOM	SAFE	SAFE	OUT
7	Jay	SAFE	WIN	NOM	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	NOM	OUT
8	Daryl	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	NOM	SAFE	OUT
9	Kyle	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	NOM	WIN	SAFE	OUT
10	Chris T.	NOM	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	OUT
11	Eric	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	OUT
12	Maggie	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	OUT
13	Jermaine	SAFE	WIN	OUT
14	John	WIN	SAFE	LEFT
15	Athena	WIN	OUT
16	Travis	OUT

The player's team (episodes 1–8) won the team challenge.

The player(s) (episodes 9–12) won the individual challenge.

The player's team (episodes 1–8) lost the challenge, but the player was not nominated for elimination; or the player (episodes 9–11) did not win the individual challenge but was not nominated for elimination

The player was nominated for elimination, but won an elimination challenge; or the player (episode 12) was in the bottom two challengers but won a tiebreaker

The player lost an elimination challenge and was eliminated from the competition.

The player voluntarily withdrew from the competition.

The player won the $100,000 grand prize.

Nomination Range

#
	Episode	1	2	3		4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
	Nominated	Chris T. 3/8 Votes	Jamie 3/8 Votes	None	Jay 2/8 Votes	Kyle 3/6 Votes	Jamie 3/6 Votes	Daryl 3/5 Votes	Ashley 2/4 Votes	Jay 1/3 Votes	Jamie 3/7 Votes	Joe 2/6 Votes	Chris R. 2/5 Votes	None	None	None
	Eliminated	Travis 3/8 Votes	Athena 3/8 Votes	John No Votes	Jermaine 5/8 Votes	Maggie 3/6 Votes	Eric 2/6 Votes	Chris T. 2/5 Votes	Kyle 2/4 Votes	Daryl 1/3 Votes	Jay 3/7 Votes	Ashley 3/6 Votes	Jamie 3/5 Votes	Joe	George	Brian
	Contestants	Votes
1	Chris R.		Jamie	None			Jamie				Jay	Ashley	Jamie	None	None	None
2	Brian		Athena	None			Eric				Jamie	Joe	Chris R.	None	None	None
3	George		Athena	None			Jamie				Jamie	Brian	Jamie	None	None
4	Joe		Jamie	None			Eric				Jay	Ashley	Jamie	None
5	Jamie		None	None			None				Jay	Ashley	Chris R.
6	Ashley	None			Jermaine	Kyle		Daryl	Kyle	Daryl	Jamie	Joe
7	Jay	Chris T.			Jermaine	Maggie		Chris T.	Kyle	Ashley	Joe
8	Daryl	Chris T.			Jay	Maggie		Chris T.	Ashley	Jay
9	Kyle	Travis			Jermaine	Maggie		Daryl	Ashley
10	Chris T.	Travis			Jermaine	Kyle		Daryl
11	Eric		Athena	None			Jamie
12	Maggie	Travis			Jermaine	Kyle
13	Jermaine	Kyle			Kyle
14	John		Jamie	None
15	Athena		None
16	Travis	Chris T.

Season 3 (2011)

Season 3 of Top Shot premiered on August 9, 2011.^[7] In Episode 1, a preliminary challenge was played between pairs of contestants, with the winner and loser of each pair joining the Blue and Red Teams, respectively. As in Season 2, the winner of each elimination challenge received a $2,000 gift card to Bass Pro Shops, and plaques were nailed to the wall in honor of the eliminated contestants.

Contestants

Contestant	Age	Occupation / background	Hometown	Original Team	Merged Team	Eliminated
Amanda Hardin	33	Firearms Instructor, Nurse, Realty Broker	Birmingham, AL	Red Team		16th Place
Sara Ahrens	38	Police Training Sergeant, former SWAT team member	Beloit, WI	Blue Team		15th Place
Drew Shprintz	27	Firearms Instructor, Bartender, Outdoorsman	Philadelphia, PA	Red Team		14th Place
Mark Schneider	45	USPSA Competitor, Customer Service Professional, Air Force veteran, Outdoorsman	Largo, FL	Red Team		13th Place
Jarrett Grimes	42	Department of Homeland Security Agent, USAF Veteran, Former Police Officer/SWAT Team Member, Competition Shooter	Tyrone, GA	Blue Team		12th Place
Paul Marinaccio	31	Detective, Firearms Instructor,	Fairfield, NJ	Blue Team		11th Place
Billy Rogers	33	Restaurant Operator, Competition Shooter	Virginia Beach, VA	Blue Team		10th Place
Michael Marelli	28	NY State Court Officer, Competition Shotgun Shooter	Long Island, NY	Red Team		9th Place
Cliff Walsh	41	Airport Driver, Competitive revolver shooter, Revolver World Champion, USPSA National Revolver Champion, Former Sheriff's Deputy	Tierra Verde, FL	Red Team		8th Place
Mike Hughes	38	Firearms Training Equipment Company President, Competitive Pistol Shooter	Ferndale, WA	Blue Team	Green Team	Returned
Jake Zweig	39	College Football Coach, Former Navy SEAL	Steilacoom, WA	Blue Team		7th Place
Phil Morden	25	Video Producer, Three Gun Competitor, Gunsmith	Milford, MI	Red Team		6th Place*
Alex Charvat	38	Structural Engineering business owner, former Forester, Outdoorsman	Green Bay, WI	Blue Team		5th Place
Chris Collins	25	United States Shooting Academy Firearms Instructor, Sales and Marketing coordinator, Former Marine Fleet Anti-Terrorist Security Team member and infantryman	Collinsville, OK	Red Team		4th Place
Gary Quesenberry	41	Department of Homeland Security Agent, U.S. Army Veteran, Competition Shooter	Sylvatus, VA	Red Team		3rd Place
Mike Hughes	38	Firearms Training Equipment Company President, Competitive Pistol Shooter	Maple Falls, WA	Blue Team		2nd Place
Dustin Ellermann	28	Christian Camp Director, Accountant, Outdoorsman, Lumberjack, Minister	Zavalla, TX	Blue Team		Winner

*Mike Hughes was originally eliminated in 7th place. After Jake Zweig refused to compete in the elimination challenge when nominated, Mike took his place and defeated Phil Morden in the challenge to re-enter the competition.

Contestant progress

#	Contestants	Episodes
#	Contestants	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
1	Dustin	WIN	NOM	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	WIN	WIN	WIN	BTM2	WIN	TOP SHOT
2	Mike	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	NOM	SAFE	WIN	WIN	OUT	IN	NOM	WIN	WIN	OUT
3	Gary	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	NOM	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	OUT
4	Chris	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	NOM	SAFE	WIN	WIN	OUT
5	Alex	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	WIN	WIN	OUT
6	Phil	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	OUT
7	Jake	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	NOM	WIN	WIN	WIN	QUIT
8	Cliff	SAFE	WIN	NOM	SAFE	WIN	WIN	NOM	OUT
9	Michael	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	NOM	WIN	WIN	OUT
10	Billy	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	LEFT
11	Paul	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	OUT
12	Jarrett	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	OUT
13	Mark	NOM	WIN	SAFE	OUT
14	Drew	SAFE	WIN	OUT
15	Sara	WIN	OUT
16	Amanda	OUT

The player's team won the team challenge (Episodes 1 - 8).

The player(s) won an individual challenge (Episodes 9 - 12), earning immunity from elimination for the current round.

The player's team lost the team challenge, but the player was not nominated for elimination (Episodes 1 - 8); the player(s) lost the individual challenge, but was not nominated for elimination (Episodes 9 - 11).

The player was nominated for elimination, but won an elimination challenge (Episode 9 - 11); or the player finished in the bottom two but won a tiebreaker (Episode 12).

The player lost an elimination challenge and was eliminated.

The player voluntarily withdrew from the competition.

The player won a challenge to re-enter the competition.

The player won the $100,000 grand prize and the title of Top Shot.

Nomination Range

#
	Episode	1	2	3	4	5	6	7		8	9	10		11	12
	Nominated	Mark 3/8 Votes	Dustin 3/8 Votes	Cliff 2/7 Votes	Michael 3/6 Votes*	Mike 2/7 Votes	Jake 3/6 Votes	None	Cliff 1/5 Votes	Chris 2/4 Votes	Gary 3/7 Votes	Jake 3/6 Votes	Mike Re-enter	Mike 2/5 Votes	None	None	None
	Eliminated	Amanda 4/8 Votes	Sara 3/8 Votes	Drew 4/7 Votes	Mark 3/6 Votes*	Jarrett 3/7 Votes	Paul 2/6 Votes	Billy No Votes	Michael 4/5 Votes	Cliff 2/4 Votes	Mike 2/7 Votes	Jake Quit	Phil 2/6 Votes	Alex 2/5 Votes	Chris	Gary	Mike
	Contestants	Votes
1	Dustin		Billy			Jarrett	Jake	None			Chris	Jake	None	Alex	None	None	None
2	Mike		Dustin			Jarrett	Jake	None			Gary			Alex	None	None	None
3	Gary	Amanda		Cliff	Michael				Michael	Cliff	Chris	Jake	None	Mike	None	None
4	Chris	None		Drew	Michael				Michael	Cliff	Gary	Phil	None	Mike	None
5	Alex		Dustin			None	Jake	None			Mike	Phil	None	Gary
6	Phil	Amanda		Drew	Mark				Michael	Chris	Gary	Jake	None
7	Jake		Sara			Mike	Paul	None			Mike	Gary
8	Cliff	Amanda		Drew	Chris				Michael	Chris
9	Michael	Mark		None	Mark				Cliff
10	Billy		Dustin			Jarrett	Paul	None
11	Paul		Sara			Mike	Billy
12	Jarrett		Sara			None
13	Mark	Amanda		Drew	Chris
14	Drew	Mark		Cliff
15	Sara		Jake
16	Amanda	Mark

Episode 4: 3-way tie between Michael, Mark, and Chris; Gary and Cliff were chosen to break it by casting one more vote apiece.
Episode 9: 2-way tie between Mike and Chris; Chris won a shoot-off to avoid the elimination challenge.
Episode 10: After being nominated for the elimination challenge, Jake nailed his own plaque to the wall and quit the show. At practice the next morning, Donaldson announced that according to the rules, the last eliminated shooter would take his place. Mike therefore returned to the show and competed against Phil, winning the elimination challenge and re-entering the competition.

Season 4 (2012)

The new season will premiere on February 14, 2012 at 10pm EST.^[8]

Contestants

Contestant	Age	Occupation/Background	Hometown
Augie Malekovich	34	Financial Advisor, Former Department of Homeland Security Agent, Former Marine, Triple Nickle Award Winner	Belle Vernon, PA
Chee Kwan	23	Range Master, State Certified Firearms Instructor, Former Marine Infantryman, Recreational Shooter, 3x Rifle and Pistol Expert	San Gabriel, CA
Chris Cheng	31	IT Professional, Firearm Enthusiast, Skilled Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun Shooter	San Francisco, CA
Colin Gallagher	35	Police Sergeant, New Recruit Weapons Trainer, Criminal Profiling Training	Wichita, KS
Craig Buckland	47	Chemist, National and International Competitive Shooter, 3x World Champion and 4x National Champion, IDPA 5-Gun Master	Sandisfield, MA
Dylan Fletcher	30	Knife Maker, Businessman/Entrepreneur, Skilled Knife Thrower, Pistol and Rifle Shooter	Alpharetta, GA
Eric "Iggy" Keyes	39	Police Officer, Former Homicide and Narcotics Detective, Former SWAT Team Member, Skilled Pistol and Rifle Shooter, Weightlifter	Chicago, IL
Forrest McCord	21	Kinesiology Student, World Champion Pistol Shooter, Former U.S. Junior Shooting Team Member, IPSC World Shoot Gold Medalist, USPSA Competitive Shooter	Houston, TX
Frank Melloni	28	High School Custodian, Self-Taught Shooter, World War II Firearms Collector	Middle Island, NY
Gabby Franco	30	Firearms Instructor/Business Owner, Former Venezuelan Shooting Team Member and Olympian, Pan American Games Silver Medalist, South American Games Gold Medalist, Tactical and IPSC Competitive Shooter	Doral, FL
Gary Shank	28	Firearms Instructor, Civil War Reenactor, Historical Firearms Appraiser, Former Gun Library Manager, Local ISPA and USPSA Shooter, Cowboy Action 3-Gun Competitor	Reno, NV
Gregory Littlejohn	31	Federal Police Officer, USAF Veteran, Former Air Force Security Forces Member, World Champion Grenadier, ISPC Shooter	Waterloo, IL
Keith Gibson	28	Grass-Fed Cattle Farmer, Former U.S. National Guard Combat Medic, Former U.S. Army Veteran, Junior Olympic Shooting Camp Member, Army Basic Rifle Marksmanship Award Winner, Private Pistol Instructor, IDPA Shooter	Ghent, NY
Kyle Sumpter	50	Police Commander, Former SWAT Team Member, Washington State IDPA and Steel Championship Winner	Kent, WA
Michelle Viscusi	21	Military Police Officer/Border Patrol, Former Army National Guardman, Weapons Accessories Company Model	Gilbert, AZ
Terry Vaughan	40	Professional Speaker for Personal Safety, NRA Pistol Instructor, Former British Royal Marine Commando, CrossFit Student	Charlotte, NC
Tim Tefren	34	Professional Big Game Guide, Business Owner, Bow Hunter, Skilled Archer, 2x World Champion Moose Caller	Thayne, WY
William Bethards	47	FBI Law Enforcement Specialist/Firearms Instructor, Former Marine, Marine Corps Shooting Team Member and Coach, Ex-Virginia State Trooper, National and State 3-gun Competitive Shooter, Gold Lauchheimer Trophy Winner, FBI Shooting Team National Record Holder in 3-gun	Fredericksburg, VA

Contestant Progress

#	Contestants	Episodes
#	Contestants	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
1	Augie
2	Chee
3	Chris
4	Colin
5	Craig
6	Dylan
7	Eric
8	Forrest
9	Frank
10	Gabby
11	Gary
12	Gregory
13	Keith
14	Kyle
15	Michelle
16	Terry
17	Tim
18	William

The player's team won the team challenge.

The player(s) won an individual challenge, earning immunity from elimination for the current round.

The player's team lost the team challenge, but the player was not nominated for elimination.

The player was nominated for elimination, but won an elimination challenge.

The player lost an elimination challenge and was eliminated.

The player voluntarily withdrew from the competition.

The player won a challenge to re-enter the competition.

The player won the $100,000 grand prize and the title of Top Shot.

Nomination Range

#
	Episode	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
	Nominated
	Eliminated
	Contestants	Votes
1	Augie
2	Chee
3	Chris
4	Colin
5	Craig
6	Dylan
7	Eric
8	Forrest
9	Frank
10	Gabby
11	Gary
12	Gregory
13	Keith
14	Kyle
15	Michelle
16	Terry
17	Tim
18	William

Reception

The show drew 2.1 million total viewers in its debut episode. The viewers were categorized as adults 25–54 (1.3 million) and adults 18–49 (1.1 million).^[9] In August 2010, History Channel released an ad inviting people to audition for the second season of the show.^[10] Advertising began in late December for Top Shot Reloaded as the name for the second season.^[11]

Episode 1 of Season 2 premiered on February 8, 2011.^[12] The second season premiere drew 2.8 million total viewers, categorized as adults 18–49 (1.4 million) and adults 25–54 (1.4 million). It was the series' most-watched episode ever and compared to the previous series debut last June, it grew 33% in total viewers.^[13]

References

^ Episode guide at History.com
^ Lloyd, Robert. "Television review: 'Top Shot' on the History Channel" The Los Angeles Times June 5, 2010
^ Good, Gina B. "Local shooter makes the cut on History Channel show" Pahrump Valley Times; June 11, 2010
^ Holmes, Linda. "History's 'Top Shot' Proves You Can't Cast A Game Show Entirely With Stoics" NPR; June 7, 2010
^ Heldenfels, Rich. "History's 'Top Shot' Proves You Can't Cast A Game Show Entirely With Stoics" Ohio.com; June 6, 2010
^ Top Shot host Colby Donaldson: “I certainly don’t want to rip Probst off”
^ "'Top Shot' Season Three of the Competition Series from History(R) Returns on Tuesday, August 9 at 10pm ET."
^ http://www.history.com/shows/top-shot
^ Gorman, Bill. History Kicks Off June With Ratings Success Of American Pickers, Ice Road Truckers, Pawn Stars & Top Shot TV by the Numbers; June 8, 2010
^ Top shot casting call
^ History Channel advertisement
^ Top Shot Reloaded at History Channel
^ Top Shot S2 Premieres to 2.8 million

[1] Episode guide at History.com

[2] Lloyd, Robert. "Television review: 'Top Shot' on the History Channel" The Los Angeles Times June 5, 2010

[3] Good, Gina B. "Local shooter makes the cut on History Channel show" Pahrump Valley Times; June 11, 2010

[4] Holmes, Linda. "History's 'Top Shot' Proves You Can't Cast A Game Show Entirely With Stoics" NPR; June 7, 2010

[5] Heldenfels, Rich. "History's 'Top Shot' Proves You Can't Cast A Game Show Entirely With Stoics" Ohio.com; June 6, 2010

[6] Top Shot host Colby Donaldson: “I certainly don’t want to rip Probst off”

[7] "'Top Shot' Season Three of the Competition Series from History(R) Returns on Tuesday, August 9 at 10pm ET."

[8] ttp://www.history.com/shows/top-shot

[9] Gorman, Bill. History Kicks Off June With Ratings Success Of American Pickers, Ice Road Truckers, Pawn Stars & Top Shot TV by the Numbers; June 8, 2010

[10] Top shot casting call

[11] History Channel advertisement

[12] Top Shot Reloaded at History Channel

[13] Top Shot S2 Premieres to 2.8 million

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Other	The Commanders