The first season of the History Channel television series Top Shot commenced airing on June 6, 2010, and concluded on August 15, 2010. The season contained ten episodes, and was filmed over a period of 33 days in the spring in Santa Clarita, California. The winner of the season was British ex-Army captain Iain Harrison.

Iain Harrison later appeared as a coach in Seasons 2, 3, and 4; J.J. Racaza appeared as a coach in Season 2; Kelly Bachand appeared as a coach in Season 4; and Blake Miguez appeared as a coach in Season 2.

Chris Cerino, Peter Palma, Kelly Bachand, Adam Benson, and Blake Miguez returned for Top Shot: All-Stars. Miguez finished in 15th, Bachand finished in 9th, Benson finished in 7th, and Palma finished in 6th, while Cerino was the season's runner-up. According to Colby Donaldson's Twitter, J.J Racaza became a father during filming and was unable to come out for the show.

Contestants Contestant Occupation / background Original Team Merged Team Eliminated 38, Owasso, OK U.S. Shooting Academy, former Marine, Federal Air Marshal and firearms instructor Red Team 16th Place Frank Campana47, Yonkers, NY Retired police officer, FBI-certified sniper and instructor Red Team 15th Place Bill Carns40, Pahrump, NV Radio Gun Show Host, qualified 5-Weapons Range Master Red Team 14th Place 48, Dover, NH Printer, Gunsmith, Truck Driver, Historical firearms collector, competition shooter with various awards Blue Team 13th Place Caleb Giddings27, Fishers, IN Insurance sales, former Coast Guard, competition shooter with various awards, blogger Blue Team 12th Place Andre Robinson28, Pittsburgh, PA Soldier, U.S. Army, former Marine, earned "Rifle Expert" status in four competitions Red Team 11th Place Brad Engmann26, San Francisco, CA Project Manager, USPSA Grand Master Red Team 10th Place Tara Poremba36, Chicago, IL Police officer, state champ in several states in conventional pistol, and a former National Champion, competition shooter with various awards. Blue Team 9th Place Denny Chapman41, Ocala, FL Cowboy Mounted Shooting competitor, horse trainer, Wild West entertainer, former benchrest rifle and USPSA/IPSC three-gun competitor Red Team 8th Place Blake Miguez28, New Iberia, LA Corporate lawyer, semi-professional shooter, USPSA Grand Master, Louisiana state champion Blue Team Green Team 7th Place Adam Benson44, Baltimore, MD Construction project manager, former Marine, USPSA Master Blue Team 6th Place Kelly Bachand22, Kent, WA Student, competition shooter, USA National Rifle Team Red Team 5th Place Peter Palma29, Norristown, PA Plumber, Marine Scout Sniper Red Team 4th Place Simon "J.J." Racaza29, New Milford, NJ Department of Homeland Security Agent, double grandmaster in the USPSA/IPSC Blue Team 3rd Place Chris Cerino40, Wadsworth, OH Law enforcement trainer, 42nd place in the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association Blue Team2nd place Iain Harrison42, Sherwood, OR Construction manager, former British Army platoon commander, gunsmith, competition shooter with various awards Blue TeamWinner

Contestant progress #ContestantsEpisodes123456789101 Iain WIN WIN WIN NOM SAFE WIN WIN WIN SAFE SAFE WIN WIN TOP SHOT2 Chris WIN WIN WIN SAFE SAFE WIN WIN WIN SAFE SAFE BTM2 SAFE SECOND PLACE3 J.J. WIN WIN WIN SAFE SAFE WIN WIN WIN SAFE WIN WIN OUT4 Peter SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAFE SAFE NOM WIN SAFE OUT5 Kelly NOM SAFE SAFE WIN WIN NOM NOM SAFE BTM2 OUT6 Adam WIN WIN WIN SAFE NOM WIN WIN WIN WIN OUT7 Blake WIN WIN WIN SAFE SAFE WIN WIN WINOUT8 Denny SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAFE SAFE OUT9 Tara WIN WIN WIN SAFE SAFE WIN WINQUIT10 Brad SAFE NOM NOM WIN WIN SAFE OUT11 Andre SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN WINOUT12 Caleb WIN WIN WIN SAFE OUT13 Jim WIN WIN WINOUT14 Bill SAFE SAFE OUT15 Frank SAFE OUT16 MikeOUT

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. The player came in second.

Episodes

Episode 1: "The Long Shot" Premiere date Team challenge weapon(s) Team challenge Benched player(s) Winning team June 6, 2010 19th/20th Century RiflesM1903 SpringfieldSVT-40Mosin–Nagant 91/30M14 Obstacle course/relay race with four shooting stations, one rifle per station and targets at 50/100 yards using iron sights. Each team splits into four pairs, with each player shooting one target and spotting the other. None Blue Team Elimination challenge weapon(s) Elimination challenge Nominated for elimination Eliminated player Scoped Remington 700 sniper rifle Shooting targets at 200/400/600 yards Mike, Kelly Mike

The trainer for both challenges was Craig Sawyer, Navy SEALs instructor and former sniper.

Episode 2: "Zipline of Fire" Premiere date Team challenge weapon(s) Team challenge Benched player(s) Winning team June 13, 2010 Beretta 92F 9×19mm pistol Shooting through seven tubes of decreasing diameter (4 inches to 1.5 inches), one player per tube, one shot per turn. Distance not stated, but described (for the smallest tube) as the equivalent of hitting a US quarter from 25 feet. Blake Blue Team Elimination challenge weapon(s) Elimination challenge Nominated for elimination Eliminated player Beretta 92F 9×19mm pistol Shooting targets while riding down a zip-line; maximum 15 shots per player Frank, Brad Frank

The trainer for the team challenge was Ben Stoeger, practical shooting expert. The trainer for the elimination challenge was Matt Burkett, practical shooting expert.

There was a second-place tie between Brad and Bill. It was broken by Peter's vote. Frank and Brad finished in a tie after the first run, but Frank lost on a tiebreaker run.

Episode 3: "Archer Enemies" Premiere date Team challenge weapon(s) Team challenge Benched player(s) Winning team June 20, 2010 Fiberglass version of an English longbow rated at 40 lbs. Shooting at a 30-foot target from 100 yards, 30 seconds per player. Closest arrow to the center of the bullseye wins the challenge. Adam, Chris Blue Team Elimination challenge weapon(s) Elimination challenge Nominated for elimination Eliminated player Modern hunting crossbow with scope Shoot apples on stands at 10/20/30/40 yards. A recreation of the William Tell legend. Brad, Bill Bill

The trainer for the team challenge was Chris Palmer, longbow and traditional archery expert. The trainer for the elimination challenge was Bill Troubridge, crossbow expert.

Episode 4: "Friend or Foe?" Premiere date Team challenge weapon(s) Team challenge Benched player(s) Winning team June 27, 2010AR-15 rifle Shooting at a grid of red and blue targets, one player at a time. Each player sees the grid for 30 seconds before it is covered up, then has 20 seconds to fire up to 7 shots and hit only the other team's targets. Blake, J.J., Iain Red Team Elimination challenge weapon(s) Elimination challenge Nominated for elimination Eliminated player South African TZ99 pistol Fire up to 4 shots at swinging targets in 15 seconds, trying to hit the red "foes" and avoid the blue "friends." Iain, Jim Jim

The trainer for both challenges was Craig Sawyer, Navy SEALs instructor and former sniper.

Episode 5: "The Good, the Rat and the Ugly" Premiere date Team challenge weapon(s) Team challenge Benched player(s) Winning team July 11, 2010 Kentucky rifle Shooting targets at 25/50/75/100/125 yards, one target per player, head-to-head at each distance. Closer shot to the center of the bullseye wins that distance for the team. Adam, Chris Red Team Elimination challenge weapon(s) Elimination challenge Nominated for elimination Eliminated player Winchester Model 1873 rifle Sever a rope with weights suspended from it, loading 3 rounds at a time. Based on Old West accounts of a superior marksman's ability to cut a hangman's noose by shooting through it. Caleb, Adam Caleb

The trainer for both challenges was Garry James, historical rifle expert.

Episode 6: "Wild, Wild West" Premiere date Team challenge weapon(s) Team challenge Benched player(s) Winning team July 18, 2010 Colt Peacemaker revolver Fire at 50 targets set up in a shooting gallery styled after an Old West storefront, 10 rounds per player per turn. Shorter time to hit all targets wins the challenge. Blake Blue Team Elimination challenge weapon(s) Elimination challenge Nominated for elimination Eliminated player Colt Peacemaker revolver From 25 feet, players take alternating shots at a deck of 52 playing cards arranged on a wheel, trying to make the highest possible poker hand. Maximum 7 shots per player; neither one may use any cards shot by the other. Kelly, Andre Andre

The trainer for both challenges was Spencer Hoglund, historical weapons expert and four-time national champion speed shooter.

There was a second-place tie between Denny and Andre. It was broken by Brad's vote. Both players tied in the first round by making a royal flush. For the tiebreaker, each was allowed only 5 shots and could not use any cards shot in the first round. After 4 shots, Kelly hit three fives, making it impossible for Andre to win as he only had a pair of fours at that point.

Episode 7: "Trick Shot Showdown" Premiere date Team challenge weapon(s) Team challenge Benched player(s) Winning team July 25, 2010 Winchester Model 1873 rifleSmith & Wesson M&P RevolverSchofield Revolver Recreations of famous trick shots:1. Fire the Winchester over the shoulder to hit a soda bottle, sighting the target with a hand mirror.2. Using the M&P, hit the head of a nail driven partway into a board from 25 feet.3. Throw a soda can into the air and hit it with a shot from the Schofield.4. Same as 3, but using a smaller soda can.One player per trick shot, three attempts each. Adam, J.J. Blue Team Elimination challenge weapon(s) Elimination challenge Nominated for elimination Eliminated player Beretta Xtrema 2 shotgun Throw clay pigeon targets into the air and shoot them, starting with one at a time and working up to five. In each round, the shotgun is loaded with one shell for every target being thrown. Kelly, Brad Brad

The trainer for the team challenge was Jon "Trick Shot" Wilson. The trainer for the elimination challenge was Scott Robertson, eight-time sporting clay shooting champion.

Episode 8: "The Razor's Edge" Premiere date Team challenge weapon(s) Team challenge Benched player(s) Winning team August 1, 2010 Throwing knife based on design of the Bowie knife Throw at 6 targets from 11 feet, while balancing over a mud pit on a beam whose width decreases from one target to the next. Maximum of two throws per player per turn; each target must be hit before the next can be attempted. Shorter time to hit all targets wins the challenge. Blake, Chris, Tara Blue Team Elimination challenge weapon(s) Elimination challenge Nominated for elimination Eliminated player Modern slingshot From 20 feet, fire up to 20 shots at a grid of 8/10/12-inch square targets in 60 seconds, trying to hit only the targets of the assigned color. Denny, Peter Denny

The trainer for the team challenge was Todd Abrams, member of the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame. The trainer for the elimination challenge was John "Chief AJ" Huffer, slingshot world record holder.

Tara received news of her father's rapidly declining health (due to lung cancer) and withdrew from the competition after the team challenge. A note at the end of Episode 10 stated that he has since died.