“Tough As Nails” Season 4 premieres in November 2021 when Los Angeles experiences the most disruptive lightning storm the city has seen in at least a decade. It was the kind of freak weather event that would shut down most production operations on site.
“It was a biblical storm,” says executive producer and host Phil Keoghan. “But I come from New Zealand, where you mostly shoot in the rain — and every time you get a sunny day. In Los Angeles, it’s the opposite. You always shoot in the sun. People were like, ‘Shall we shoot today?’ I’m like.” This show is called ‘Tough As Nails.’ So yeah, we’re shooting today.”
Keoghan is eager to re-air Tough As Nails, which returns Jan. 4, after a long hiatus. (Scroll down to see an exclusive look at the first five minutes of this season.) “To be honest, CBS had so many hit shows that there was no space for us to get in,” he says. “We had a break a long time ago, so we’re keen to build some of that momentum back up.”
A fifth season of “Tough As Nails” has already been filmed, and Keoghan and fellow co-creator Louise Keoghan are busy selling the format to other territories, including Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Turkey.
“A big part of the Tough As Nails journey has been being able to watch it in action and learn from other people who take our concept and our challenges and see their own interesting ways of doing it. To see the format that has worried us for so long, work in any language, and where we have these universal themes of work in construction And in the professions, it’s very satisfying.”
Tough As Nails was created before the pandemic hit, but premiered in July 2020 — just as the show’s focus on core workers and tasks of strength, endurance, and mental toughness gained greater resonance.
“This is where I’m very pleased that we’re able to shine a light on another part of the community,” says Keoghan. “We’re fascinated by the fantasy lifestyle of what celebrities do. I get that. But I think where we can strike a different tone is the idea of Well, what about people who don’t usually get the spotlight? Most people are really fighting in the world to make a living and provide for their families and provide for livelihoods that a lot of people are struggling with right now. This is a show where we get to see them and they are the champions for a while.”
“Tough As Nails” has individual challenges but also team competitions (“Dirty Hands” and “Savage Crew”) and no one is left out. “I just love that part of it,” says Keoghan. “Our goal is that by the end of the season, the audience will fall in love with the characters.”
The fourth season premiere of “Tough As Nails” takes place off the coast of Los Angeles on Catalina Island, where 12 contestants must replace old boat anchors. The first two to complete the challenge must choose their teammates.
“We wanted to get out of LA, and it was challenging with COVID,” says Keoghan, “we’ve been through five seasons now, and we haven’t had a problem with COVID in our productions. But that meant we stayed in LA just to keep our logistics under control. But there is These amazing islands are 23 miles off the coast of California. I love Catalina…and so we thought, let’s get off the mainland and go to an island environment. It gave us a different outlook and a different start. The show begins with them leaving the West Coast heading out to sea. We first meet our crew And they’re traversing that strip of ocean toward Catalina.”
As for this season’s cast, Keoghan says the age range for the show is the largest ever. He promises, “A lot of humor this season. It forced me to elevate my dad jokes. There are quite a few dad jokes this season.” The contestants compete for the final cash prize of $200,000, but the challenges also come with their own prizes.
“We’ve got the competition, the challenges are so hard, you’ll break people and bring them to their knees, and they’ll cry at the effort of doing it,” he adds. “But I think in the end, what people will take away from the show is more humor and heartfelt stories.”
Also, Keoghan’s father returns, calling from New Zealand. Watch the first look at the “Tough As Nails” season 4 premiere below:
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