Keoghan credits the success of filming season two largely to Terry Castagnola, the production executive who has been working with him and his wife, Louise, for over two decades. The team was able to institute many safety precautions, including designated zones based on a crew member’s contact with the cast and the outside world. They also helped incentivize staying safe, holding raffles for those who could hold others in check. Unlike shows like Big Brother and Love Island that filmed mid-pandemic, Tough as Nails utilizes multiple locations, adding a heavy amount of stress to the planning process. “There was immense stress weighing on us until we got through it,” Keoghan tells Parade.com. “And then we could take a breath. We had to deal with around 250 people out every day, being responsible for them and not knowing if someone was going to make a bad decision and throw everything into disarray.” Luckily, the crew was able to wade through the stress and produce 10 episodes coming to CBS starting Wednesday, Feb. 10. This season will see 12 new people from various walks of life competing in team and individual challenges to see who can conquer all and become “Tough as Nails” champion. Despite the fresh faces, fans of the show will not find much change from season one to two. That includes challenges that highlight various industries, the drive time that allows us to get to know the contestants, and even the team names of “Dirty Hands” and “Savage Crew.” “It’s like a sports team,” Keoghan says about the choice. “You don’t change a team name when a new group of players comes in. We wanted to continue the legacy and not force the contestants to come up with new names. And it allows the audience to pick sides easily.” Below, Keoghan gives his thoughts on the 12 contestants filling out those teams on Tough as Nails season two and who has what it takes to take home the $200,000 prize.
Tara Alverson — Mariner
I love Tara’s grit and determination. She has a tremendous number of life skills. When you work on a boat, you have to be good at everything, from carpentry work to welding to tying up boats. You’ve got to be good at understanding the weather and understanding tide patterns. There are not a lot of women who are in the trade that she’s in. She’s blazing a trail for younger women coming into this industry.
Sarah Burkett — Pipe Welder
Sarah has a lot of layers to her character. Her strength based on her size reminds me a lot of Linda from last season. She’s petite, but she’s a powerhouse. She was a police officer for 10 years and then made a change. Both her mother and father had been welders, and she decided that she was going to become a welder. Welding is as much an art as it is a trade skill, so she loved the idea that she could use her artistic side and do something very physical. The other thing about her is that she has type one diabetes. She wants to prove that that shouldn’t stop you. It isn’t a disability. It’s something you live with and can still be highly effective.
Angel Castillo — Construction Foreman
Angel’s specialty is in waterproofing, and he lives a considerable distance away from his son. His big thing is that he wants to find a way to be in his son’s life. Growing up without a father, he wants to be there as a dad. So this is a lot about setting a good example for a son and then being in a position where he can be closer to his son because of the show’s financial rewards. He and Sarah are the most off the charts in the cast in terms of aerobic capacity. He’s been a boxer, so he’s got the physicality.
Aracelis “Celi” Garcia — Travel Nurse
Tough as Nails is more than just strength, endurance and agility. It is also about life skills and mental toughness. As a travel nurse, Celi has gone everywhere around the country. Sometimes she’s the last person in a dying COVID patient’s life. It takes a lot of mental fortitude to deal with being the last person someone sees before they pass away. Health workers, in general, define what it means to be “tough as nails.” Certainly, this last year, we’ve grown to have a new appreciation for them. She maybe has not used tools before but has strength. She’s got to lift a 300-pound patient and move them across onto the outside of the bed. She knows what it’s like to work long hours; she understands body mechanics like working with good posture and staying on your feet all day. We wanted to cast the net wide regarding what is “tough as nails” and felt it was very topical.
Michael “Eyebrows” Guerriero — Bricklayer
I love “Mikey Eyebrows.” I met him in New York during auditions for season one, but the timing didn’t work out. He comes in full force with those eyebrows prominently displayed. Apparently, one of his old bosses mentioned to him that his eyebrow—because he only had one at the time—was a little out of control. But now they’re nice and full, and he’s “Mikey Eyebrows.” That’s his thing. He’s a bricklayer in New York. And his personality is absolutely larger than life.
Patrick “Freight Train” Hargan — UPS Delivery Driver
At one point in the show, Freight Train says he was sprinting. I asked, “That was sprinting?” And he said, “Yeah, I was Freight Train sprinting!” [Laughs.] So many more packages were sent during 2020, so his workload increased. This is a guy who makes hundreds of deliveries in a day. Constantly in and out of the truck lifting things off, putting it on the dolly, delivering, and then doing it all over again. He got the nickname “Freight Train” from playing some amateur softball, from the way he ran around the bases. Once that freight train gets going, it’s very hard to stop.
Scott Henry — Construction Superintendant
Scott’s expertise is in reinforcement. He does a lot of geotechnical work to make sure that structures are sound. He saw his dad in construction, working himself to the bone year after year. He wanted to really emulate his dad and live up to his dad’s skills. As far as hands-on experience with tools, he probably has the most experience out of anyone on the cast. He’s 6-foot-7, over 250 pounds, and 40. So he’s not necessarily going to be the fastest or the most agile. But what he is armed with is a lot of life skills.
Iraida Mujica — Transport Truck Repair
Her story is an important immigrant story. Her mother comes from Venezuela. She grew up with very strong women role models. I think we believe in her more than she maybe believes in herself. I don’t know if she realizes just how tough she is. And that’s one of the great journeys for her on Tough as Nails. She comes into it in self-doubt about whether she really belongs amongst this group of very tough people. But very quickly proves that she is a match and deserves to be there. She’s gone through a lot in her life. She almost lost her foot when a train ran over it. And to resolve the situation and make sure she didn’t lose her foot, she had to have the train run it over again! I love her story because she represents so many first-generation people coming to America and making a life for themselves.
Liz “Knuckles” Nichols — Cement Mason
Right out of the gate, you’re going to see Knuckles is a real force to be reckoned with. She worked as a mason right up until a few weeks before she gave birth. There are photos of her with this big pregnant belly, laying down a slab of concrete. I love that we can show someone like Knuckles, who have their own profession, while also being a mother. She got a college education and then decided that she didn’t want to be stuck in an office after graduating. She wanted to be outside. She wanted to work with her hands. She’s very powerful.
Cyril “Zeus” Ontai III — Lineman
Zeus was a college athlete. So he comes in with a lot of natural athletic ability. He works in a very dangerous job. We highlighted linemen in season one just because the physicality of climbing up electrical towers is immense. A lot of times, linemen are on there doing their job during a storm, when most people would think, “No, there’s no way you’d climb up there.” He’s got a Hawaiian attitude, very “zen.” But we can underestimate the fact that Tough as Nails does push people to the breaking point at times, so there’s no guarantee that he’s not gonna get stressed as well.
Swifty Sanders — Steelworker
The thing I love so much about Swifty is that he has no filter. He really could care less about being famous on TV. So he’s not going to mince words just to come across well on screen. At one point, we asked him what tough is. And he just said, “Tough is Swifty!” [Laughs.]
Merryl Tengesdal — Retired Air Force Colonel
At the beginning of the season, I had all the contestants introduce themselves to each other. Obviously, everybody was very impressed with what they heard about each other. But when we got to Merryl, everybody was like, “Wow, this is an outright living legend we have here on the show.” As we divulge more and more about her character, you realize just how much of an overachiever and how much of a maverick she’s been. We love the idea that we are honoring the military again as we did with Murph in season one. This is another story of mental toughness. What does it take for a Black woman to go through all the training she has to go through, not only dealing with whatever sexism there is, but also racism? She truly pushes the boundaries and leads by example. Young children can watch this show and realize it doesn’t matter where they come from, their backgrounds, or their color. She’s just an outright inspiration. I think it’s so very important to have someone like that. Next, check out more about this season’s crop of contestants on Tough as Nails.
