The fifth season of the History Channel television series Top Shot premiered on May 29, 2013.[1] It is an all-star season with all competitors returning from prior seasons.
Unlike past seasons, the players are not assigned to teams, but compete on an individual basis throughout the season. Also, the process of nominating players for elimination is not used. Instead, the lowest-performing players from an individual challenge take part in a "Proving Ground" challenge; the two lowest performers from this step then compete head-to-head in an elimination challenge.
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
Construction project manager, former Marine rifleman, USPSA Master Class shooter, competitive pistol and three-gun shooter, muzzleloader and archery hobbyist, competitive catapult engineer
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.
Firearms instructor, business owner, competitive IPSC shooter, history maker as the first female to qualify for the Venezuelan Olympic Shooting Team, 2000 Sydney Olympics competitor, 1999 Pan American Games silver medalist shooter, 2000 South American Games gold medalist shooter, 2002 South American Games three-time gold medalist shooter
Fire at 4 targets from 50/60/70/75 yards. First to hit all targets wins.
Gregory
No practice session was held for the individual challenge. The trainer for the elimination challenge was Craig "Sawman" Sawyer, Navy SEALs instructor and former sniper.
Using a hand mirror to sight, fire over the shoulder and hit a beer bottle at 25 feet. (Winchester; 3 shots, 1 point each)
Shoot the corncob pipe out of a mannequin's mouth. (Model 10; 3 shots, 1 point each)
Shoot a bowling pin so that it travels backward between two others without knocking them down. (M1911; 3 shots, 1 point each)
Shoot the bottom paint can in a stack of two, knocking the top can into the air, then shoot the top one before it hits the ground. (M1911; 3 shots, 1 point each)
Fire a bullet at an axe blade so that it splits to break a balloon on each side. (Colt; 4 shots, 3 points for each pair of balloons broken)
The players are split into three 5-person squads, with each squad member trying a different shot. Each member of the highest-scoring squad wins an Ascend backpacking tent; the lowest-scoring squad goes to the Proving Ground.
Alex, Chris, Gary, Jamie, Phil (winners) Adam, Brian, Chee, Joe, Peter (2nd place)
Shoot 4 rows of 6 targets each from 35 feet. Target size decreases from 9 inches (top row) to 5.5 inches (bottom row). All targets on a row must be shot without a miss to close it out. First player to close out all rows wins.
Chee
The players practiced without a trainer for the individual and elimination challenges.
Fire arrows at a 30-foot target from 100 yards. Hits on the main bullseye score 20-50 points based on point of impact; two small targets at the far corners award 100 points per hit. Each player has 45 seconds to fire as many arrows as possible.
Highest score wins a Red Head compound bow; top nine scores are safe from elimination.
Adam, Brian, Chris, Gabby, Gary (winner), Joe, Kelly, Peter, Phil
Fire at 3 telephone poles from 15/20/25 yards, trying to cut through them. First to bring down every pole wins.
Kyle
The trainer for the individual challenge was Chris Palmer, longbow and traditional archery expert. The trainer for the elimination challenge was Garry James, former Army ordnance officer.
Players are split into two 6-member squads. Squad leaders are chosen at random, then pick their teammates after the practice session.
Pairs of players (one per squad) go head-to-head at 6 stations, shooting at separate sets of targets arranged to resemble the 6 faces of a die. At each station, the revolver is pre-loaded with one round for every target; any additional rounds must be loaded by hand. A station ends when one player hits all of his/her targets.
The squad with the higher total number of hits is safe from elimination; every member of that squad wins an Ascend backpack.
Adam, Chris, Jamie, Peter, Phil, William
Proving Ground challenge weapon(s)
Proving Ground challenge
Sent to Proving Ground
Sent to elimination challenge
Volquartsen .22 rifle
From 25 feet, fire through the center hole of a compact disc without touching the plastic. Three attempts per player; 1 point per successful shot. Lowest two scores go to the elimination challenge.
From 50 feet, players fire simultaneously at separate sets of 100 targets. Higher number of targets hit in 2 minutes wins.
Gabby
^2 Alex, Gabby, and Joe tied for last place with 0 points. For the tiebreaker, each fired one shot at a target from 75 feet, and the two players who hit farthest from the center went to the elimination challenge.
The players practiced without a trainer for the squad and elimination challenges.
Throw at three 4-foot targets from 30/45/60 feet. Points are scored based on range and distance to center of the target. Lowest score after 3 rounds is eliminated.
^3 The .338 Lapua Magnum was developed for ultra long-range sniper operations in the Afghanistan and Iraqi Wars. The .338 Lapua bullet can take between 3 and 4 seconds to travel the mile distance to the target.
^4 The Henry Rifle was changed into the famous Winchester 1866 lever-action rifle. This brass-framed .44 caliber lever-action rifle can fire 28 rounds per minute.
^5 Alatls require skill rather than muscle power. This allowed women and children to participate in hunting. The darts resemble large arrows or thin spears and can be from 4 to 9 feet in length and 3/8" to 5/8" in diameter. Scientists speculate that the atlatl is responsible for the extinction of the woolly mammoth.
^6 Peter scored 12 points to win the challenge and receive the $2,000 Bass Pro Shops gift card. Alex and Brian tied with 8 points each, so they played a 2-round tiebreaker between themselves. They tied again 3-3 and played one more round, which Brian won 4-2.
The trainers for the individual challenge were George Reinas, season 2 contestant, and Craig "Sawman" Sawyer, Navy SEALs instructor and former sniper. The trainer for the elimination challenge was Jack Dagger, primitive weapons expert.
Episode 7: "Thread the Needle"
Premiere date
Individual challenge weapon(s)
Individual challenge
Winning player(s)
July 17, 2013
Ruger Security-Six revolver
While strapped to a vertical wheel in one of 8 positions, fire one shot at a 12-inch target from 35 feet. Each player spins a second, smaller wheel to determine his position, then is strapped in and spun through 3 full revolutions before firing. Closest shot to the center wins a Johnny Morris fishing rod and reel; the 6 closest are safe from elimination.
Chris (winner), Joe, Kelly, Peter, Phil, William
Proving Ground challenge weapon(s)
Proving Ground challenge
Sent to Proving Ground
Sent to elimination challenge
Colt Peacemaker revolver (chosen in a random draw)
Fire one shot at a target from 40 feet. The two shots farthest from the center go to the elimination challenge.
From 25 feet, players fire through separate sets of 7 tubes, ranging in diameter from 4 inches to 1.5 inches. First to hit all tubes wins.
Jamie
The players practiced without a trainer for the individual and elimination challenges.
Episode 8: "Familiar Foes"
Premiere date
Squad challenge weapon(s)
Squad challenge
Winning player(s)
July 24, 2013
Volquartsen TSS-5 .22 rifle Schofield Revolver
Three trick shots from past seasons:
From 75 feet, shoot the opener on a soda bottle to pop the cap off. (Volquartsen; 3 shots, 1 point each)
Shoot a cotton swab at 25 feet. (Volquartsen; 3 shots, 1 point each)
Throw a soda can into the air so that it passes under a rope, then shoot it before it hits the ground. (Schofield; 3 shots, 2 points each)
Players are split into three 3-person squads, with each member trying a different shot. All members of the highest-scoring squad win a Red Head hunting knife; lowest total goes to the Proving Ground.
Peter, Phil, William (winners) Brian, Gary, Joe (2nd place)
Proving Ground challenge weapon(s)
Proving Ground challenge
Sent to Proving Ground
Sent to elimination challenge
SIG Sauer P229 pistol (chosen in a random draw)
Fire one shot at a target from 50 feet. The two farthest from the center go to the elimination challenge.
Fire at separate sets of 3 targets from 180/200/220 yards. First to hit all targets wins.
Kelly
The trainer for the squad challenge was Taran Butler, national/world shotgun champion. The trainer for the elimination challenge was Rick Pohlers, cannon expert.
Players are split into four pairs. From 50 feet, one player fires the M4 to hit an 8-inch moving target, launching two clay pigeons for the other player to hit with the Vinci. The two players switch weapons after each launch. To determine the pairings, four players are selected at random, then choose their teammates after the practice session.
Both members of the pair with the most clays hit win an API tree stand; the two highest totals are safe from elimination.
Fire at separate rotating wheels of six 8-inch targets from 90 feet. First to hit all targets wins.
Joe
The players practiced without a trainer for the squad challenge. The trainer for the elimination challenge was Chris Brackett, archery expert.
Episode 10: "Zip or Ship"
Premiere date
Individual challenge weapon(s)
Individual challenge
Winning player
Eliminated player
August 14, 2013
Heckler & Koch SP89 pistol (based on the MP5 design)
One at a time, fire at a circle of twenty 12-inch targets from 35 feet while strapped to the end of a 16-foot rotating vertical arm. Players are given one full revolution to get up to speed, then have a second revolution to fire at the targets using one 30-round magazine. Highest number of hits is safe and wins a Bob Timberlake wheeled bag; lowest number is eliminated immediately; the other five go to the Proving Ground.
While riding in the back of an M2A1 halftrack, fire at 15 targets along the course. Targets range from 12 to 25 inches in size and are placed at distances up to 100 feet. Maximum 100 rounds per player. Highest number of hits is safe and wins a Gore-Tex rain suit; all others go to the Proving Ground.
Phil
Proving Ground challenge weapon(s)
Proving Ground challenge
Sent to Proving Ground
Sent to elimination challenge
Colt M1877 double-action revolver, fired in single action
Fire one shot at a target from 50 feet. Only the shot closest to the center is safe.
Brian, William, Chris, Gary
William, Chris, Brian
Elimination challenge weapon(s)
Elimination challenge
Eliminated player
Longbow Handguns: Colt Peacemaker revolver, Browning Hi-Power pistol Long Guns: LaRue Tactical Optimized Battle Rifle, Henry Rifle, Benelli M4 shotgun
Players take turns choosing a weapon, target, stance, and distance; all three players try every shot. No weapon or target may be chosen more than once. After all weapons have been used, the lowest number of shots is eliminated.
^7 After the fifth round, Chris had made 3 shots to 1 each for Brian and William, guaranteeing the win. Both of them missed their final shot, forcing a two-round tiebreaker with each player choosing one weapon. Brian won 2–0.
The trainer for the individual challenge was Craig "Sawman" Sawyer, Navy SEALs instructor and former sniper. Instead of returning to the house for a celebratory dinner as in past seasons, the four finalists hiked into a nearby valley for a meal of MRE rations and spent the night camping in a tent.
Episode 12: "Last Man Standing"
No practice sessions were held in this episode. The winners from all four previous seasons returned to watch the final challenge.
Run a course with 4 obstacles, shooting a target at 75 yards after each one: a 20-foot tunnel, then 25-foot crawls through a trench filled with water and logs, under camouflage netting, and through a sand pit under barbed wire. Shooters carry the rifle through the course, loading it with a dummy magazine before each obstacle and exchanging for a live one at each shooting station.
Fastest time to hit all targets wins an Oculus spotting scope; the slowest time is eliminated.
Run uphill to a series of 4 elevated platforms, using a different weapon to shoot a target at each: 50 feet (Glock), 100 yards (HK93), 125 yards (Mosin–Nagant), 150 yards (SVT-40). Slowest time to hit all targets is eliminated.
