America's Toughest Jobs
America's Toughest Jobs is a reality television show that lasted one season and aired on the American television network NBC. It pitted contestants against each other as they attempted a series of difficult and dangerous jobs. The prize was the sum of the salaries that would be earned by people doing these jobs in their first year. The show's creator and executive producer was Thom Beers, notable for creating shows such as Deadliest Catch and Monster Garage. Some of the jobs he chose to be featured on America's Toughest Jobs were featured on shows he previously created. The host was Josh Temple, a character actor who had minor roles in shows such as Will & Grace and Curb Your Enthusiasm. In each episode, contestants took part in tasks associated with a job, and were supervised and evaluated by workers or employers in that business. After spending time on the job, the supervisors selected one or more top employees for praise, and selected the employees who had the worst performances. Those employees were required to compete head-to-head in an additional challenge to determine who would be eliminated. For example, in the gold digging episode, the bottom four contestants were required to spend additional time digging for gold with the contestant who found the least amount eliminated. Once there were four contestants remaining, timed challenges were held for three of the season's toughest jobs with the contestant who had the slowest time at each eliminated until a winner was determined. At the end of each episode, an information screen was shown that detailed what the eliminated contestant decided to do after the show.
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Seasons & Episodes
1. Crab Fishing
In this episode, the men and women work on a fisherman's boat in the middle of 20 foot sea swells.
2. Trucking in Alaska
The 12 remaining contestants remain in Alaska to learn how to navigate one of the most dangerous highways in North America as truck drivers.
3. Gold Digging
Still up in Alaska, the 11 remaining contestants take on the job of searching for gold in a glacier fed river.
4. Monster Trucks
Now in the lower 48 the contestants take on the task of monster trucks.
5. Oil Rig
This episode finds the contestants challenged to work on an oil rig, which includes lugging pipes, changing the bits and drilling in the mud.
6. Bullfighting
The contestants find themselves being shoved around inside a wooden barrel by a bull to get the feel of his power as they will attempt to try bullfighting. They will receive grades on how well they protected the riders.
7. Bridge Crew
The remaining contestants are tested in their ability to work in heights when they join a bridge crew.
8. Logging
For their next job, the six remaining workers travel from the Port of Los Angeles, to Port Angeles, Washington, the heart of lumber country. Josh tells them that their job is logging. He introduces their boss, Gabe Rygaard, owner of Rygaard Logging. Josh explains that the mortality rate for logging is 20 times higher than the average American job. And, that losing limbs is common. Josh says they will be judged on skill, attitude and how hard they work.
9. Mountain Rescue
The five remaining workers go to the heart of the Alaska range, Denali National Park. For over 100 years, adventurers have traveled there to climb Mt. McKinley, North America's highest peak. Since 1976, over 700 climbers have required rescue and 100 have died. Temperatures drop to minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit and winds regularly reach 100 miles per hour. The difference between life and death on Mt. McKinley is a guide; the next job the contestants will take on. To get there, they land directly on a glacier in a small plane.
10. Final Four Finale
The final episode finds the four remaining workers going back to 3 of the hardest jobs, logging, oil rigging and crab fishing where a winner will be determined. The prize money will be all the salaries combined from each job performed.
