Tough as Nails
By Melissa Camacho,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Competition celebrates the working class, with stereotypes.
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Tough as Nails
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What's the Story?
Hosted by Amazing Race's Phil Keoghan, TOUGH AS NAILS is a reality competition series featuring people working in labor-intensive jobs competing for prizes. A cast of 12 people consisting of farmers, iron workers, correctional officers, veterans, fire fighters, and others form two teams and compete against each other in a series of hands-on challenges designed to test their mental and physical toughness. Some of the competitions earn teams cash prizes, while others lead to eliminations. With an emphasis on teamwork, participants can be eliminated from winning the grand prize, but will still compete with their team throughout the rest of the season. The individual winner of the overall competition gets $200,000 and a big Ford truck.
Is It Any Good?
This series, which is inspired by Phil Keoghan's working class family, is designed to celebrate the people who work the labor-intensive jobs that keep the United States running. The challenges, which range from laying down railroad tracks to carefully maneuvering warehouse pallet trucks, are intended to show how strong and mentally tough they have to be to do this kind of work on a daily basis. Meanwhile, the contestants share their backstories and demonstrate their commitment to their jobs, families, and in some cases, the country.
These are all positive messages, but Tough as Nails sometimes offers them while subtly criticizing those who make their living and spend their time differently. Meanwhile, it relies on a lot of stereotypical tropes to represent the "traditional" way of thinking about the American working class, such as pointing out their willingness to "get dirty" and featuring a heavy duty Ford truck as a desired prize. It's entertaining enough when compared to other reality competitions, but no doubt its narrative will ruffle some viewers' feathers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what it means to have a "working" or "middle class" job. What kind of work is it? How does Tough as Nails distinguish this work from other types of employment? Are these distinctions accurate?
Is it possible for a TV show or movie to characterize a community without using stereotypes to do it? Can you name a TV show or movie that doesn't offer broad generalizations to represent a group of people?
Which of these jobs do you find the most compelling? Do any of them speak to you as something you may be interested in pursuing?
TV Details
- Premiere date: July 8, 2020
- Cast: Phil Keoghan
- Network: CBS
- Genre: Game Shows
- Character Strengths: Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating: TV-PG
- Last updated: May 21, 2023
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