The Desert Forges

Lore & Background

The Desert Forges was presented by Richard Fairbrass and Gabrielle Richens, with Melanie Winiger starring as the Poetess, ruler of the Palace. Minor characters include Zioto, who starts the time during Palace challenges; Abdullah, the timekeeper in Desert Duels who fires a rifle; the Forgemaster, who runs the Forges Room; Zach and Ramm, who wear video cameras on their heads as the 'eyes and ears' of the Poetess; and Meliha, a guide who guides teams between houses in the Palace. The show is divided into three segments: Desert Duels, The Palace, and the Forges Room.

Reader's Guide

The Desert Duels consist of four challenges in the desert, where teams compete for a dagger and earn flames. Duels include The 7 Pillars, The Well, 4 Charms, Rope Bridge, Water Carriers, Duel Under the Sun, Mechanical Snake, and Head In The Sand. A tiebreaker called the Chakria, a sumo-like match, is played if needed. In The Palace segment, teams are bound together by the wrists and must complete challenges while protecting a candle; successful completion lights a forge containing molten gold. The Forges Room holds forges with increasing amounts of gold, and the winning team casts their own gold ingots. The show aired for one season in 2001 and is notable for its unique desert setting and physical challenges.

Did You Know?

• The Poetess, ruler of the Palace, was played by Melanie Winiger.
• In the Chakria tiebreaker, the team whose fighter puts a foot outside a circular ring loses a flame.
• The Forges Room contains forges with molten gold; larger forges are lit as more challenges are won.