The 2nd part of tonight's episode reinforces my opinion that the longer blades/swords provide a distinct advantage on the courses as they currently stand.
On Dead Run, the reach definitely helps on the first obstacle, where you have to stay in the circle while the targets rotate outside. With ballbuster, it's easier to remain in the same position whereas shorter blades require the wielder to stretch for balls on the far side.
In Flight Line, you have zero margin for error with a shorter blade on that U-shaped tube. The longer blades with a significantly longer cutting edge definitely have a big advantage.
Props to the guy wielding the messer, as he definitely has good eye-hand coordination and skill, but those swords have definitely helped many of the wielders overcome contestants who potentially had the physical advantage.