Tough As Nails - General Discussion

[Grizzly]

Dirty Hands won, to my relief. Realized I like all of them and not really anyone on Savage. Poor Melissa losing to Young 3 times. Hands made mistakes in their match-ups. Myles should have gone against Tara, leaving Michelle for Callie or Linda. 

Totally agree the tiebreak should have included whole teams!

And I loved DH singing in the van!

Edited August 27, 2020 by Grizzly

[Taeolas]

On 8/27/2020 at 5:41 AM, mertensia said:

I bet Michelle would have kicked ass in the chainsaw challenge. 

Is it really a common thing to move your chainsaw up as they did in that challenge?

For that cookie challenge, it is mandatory. You have to have a complete cookie (so don't sheer it like Callie did), and you have to go in both directions like they did here. Doing it in real life, I don't know how often you would do it; but it is a standard lumberjack challege event. 

 

*Edit* And count me as another that thinks it should have been a team challenge at the end. Even if they kept the same tasks, it would have been trivial to do a full team relay challenge. Each team assigns 2 people to do each challenge, take the time to complete each one, and whichever team has the fastest total time wins. It keeps everyone involved in the final challenge, and gives some suspense in who took the longest. 

Edited August 28, 2020 by Taeolas

[Browncoat]

Or they could have done it like the mise-en-place relays on Top Chef, so there would be strategy in team order as well as in task order.

Lee’s technique the second time in the buck saw was spot on — he used most of the length of the blade and got pretty good cuts with each push and pull. 

[AncientNewbie]

I'll agree heartily with the idea of the 1v1 tiebreaker not being in line with the previous theme of the show. It really should have been a team effort.

But then again, then we won't get Murph's redemption next week when he beats Danny to take it all.

Not to start being all Edgic, but I felt Linda was getting a darkhorse edit heading into the final. Or maybe I'm just looking for something other than Murph v Danny. Nothing against either of them, really...but either the show has telegraphed the end since day one or it's left out others who are at the end in order to focus on them.

[preeya]

34 minutes ago, AncientNewbie said:

I'll agree heartily with the idea of the 1v1 tiebreaker not being in line with the previous theme of the show. It really should have been a team effort.

But then again, then we won't get Murph's redemption next week when he beats Danny to take it all.

Not to start being all Edgic, but I felt Linda was getting a darkhorse edit heading into the final. Or maybe I'm just looking for something other than Murph v Danny. Nothing against either of them, really...but either the show has telegraphed the end since day one or it's left out others who are at the end in order to focus on them.

Good observations. That said, IMO, Danny has been the standout player since Day 1 and deserves to win.

We'll see if "height challenged" can beat "military ad infinitum" 

[TVMovieBuff]

Kind of bad sportsmanship for Myles to choose Michelle to take on. Sorry, as much of a force as Michelle is, this particular challenge required brute strength. 

If you choose an opponent, you are supposed to choose someone on your level, or above. You don't grab the easy win. Even on Dancing With the Stars, that is the unwritten rule

[bunnyface]

Yeah, that wasn't really a team competition, unless telling your team mate how to perform the challenge counts.  I kind of feel like if they were going to compete head to head it should have been a random draw.  You get who you get.  Letting your strong competitor pick a (supposedly) weak competitor doesn't seem very sporting. 

Although I was inordinately happy to see Murph get beat, so there's that.  I wonder if he ever considered the military as a career?

I know I've seen the competitions where they slice down and then up with the chainsaw, but that always seems incredibly dangerous to me.  Seems like it would be easy for the saw to slice up, get free and bop you in the head.  Lights out.  But I guess that's where the control comes in?  Not me, I'd be dead.

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, bunnyface said:

I know I've seen the competitions where they slice down and then up with the chainsaw, but that always seems incredibly dangerous to me.  Seems like it would be easy for the saw to slice up, get free and bop you in the head.  Lights out.  But I guess that's where the control comes in?  Not me, I'd be dead.

Same, but I'd probably cut my own foot off on the down stroke first before cutting my head off coming back up.

 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

I don't worry about whether it seems sporting.  It's a reality show on which people consider the best strategy to allow their team to win.  When falling behind, part of that is to get the easy win rather than risk another loss.  They want to be close enough for a comeback rather than having no room left for a slip up. We hear people on shows say they want to go against their toughest competitor.  However, when it's a team, that's not always the best choice.  I would have expected them to plan out the matchups. 

[Browncoat]

33 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

I would have expected them to plan out the matchups. 

I don't think they could do a whole lot of planning of the matchups -- didn't the teams take turns picking their competitors?

[aemom]

On 8/27/2020 at 12:10 AM, mlp said:

All along I've wanted to believe that this competition was strictly on the level but now I'm not so sure.  One team coming from way behind to tie the score so they'd go into a tie-breaker seemed too planned plus I got a glimpse of Danny putting on the shin guards before a match he wasn't in.

For weeks now, they've been catching up after being so far behind. It seems so fishy and I don't want to think that about my Phil.

Unbelievably stupid decision to put Murph in for the tie-breaker. The guy has just finished competing.  He's tired. Put someone fresher into it. The whole military shtick is also exhausting. 

Add me to the chorus that says team tie-breaker should be an actual team challenge, not one-on-one.

Danny for the win. He's earned it and he's not annoying. 

[AncientNewbie]

The only quibble I have about Myles choosing Michelle is that, although they needed the point, they should have also considered if there was a stronger player they could take off the table. I think he could beat anyone left in that contest and anyone not familiar with the skills would be at risk against him. Sort of how I would have avoided Young on axes and chainsaws because, although not using them in this fashion, they are standard tools in his business unlike Luis, Tara, or Linette. I don't see Michelle beating anyone on any of these purely size and strength challenges (although she's surprised me, but usually in multi-step contests.)

In our house, we had a split on Lee picking Murph. It's certainly a risky choice, as we saw Murph beat him the first time. But imho it also is pretty much a 50/50 between them where a fresh Murph being left on the table is very likely an automatic point for Murph's team. It looks like a sportsmanlike move, but it's just another version of the same game being played.

Edited August 31, 2020 by AncientNewbie

[TVMovieBuff]

On 8/28/2020 at 4:29 PM, PrincessPurrsALot said:

I don't worry about whether it seems sporting.  It's a reality show on which people consider the best strategy to allow their team to win.  When falling behind, part of that is to get the easy win rather than risk another loss.  They want to be close enough for a comeback rather than having no room left for a slip up. We hear people on shows say they want to go against their toughest competitor.  However, when it's a team, that's not always the best choice.  I would have expected them to plan out the matchups. 

Picking someone to compete with when you are the obvious stronger player, is a win without honor. Sure, you win, you still get the prize and money, hey bring it on. But everyone knows it is tainted.

[sadtvjunkie]

Sorry Murph lost $60000 for his team. But no one called him on it like they called Michelle for being annoying. I would rather hang with her than him anyday.

[mtlchick]

Well the one I didn't want to win, did so BOOOOO  (not that he didn't earn it, he was starting to bug.)

This was a pretty good season and I'm glad it got a second season.   

I did like the follow up on each of the contestants.  Nice to see Linda taking this experience to heart and taking on a new career as a result.

But enough of that.  TAR COMES BACK THIS MONTH! 

Edited September 3, 2020 by mtlchick

[mlp]

Murph was a deserving winner with amazing physical ability for his age but darn, I really wanted Danny to win.  I just plain liked him right from the start.  I thought Myles would do better but he didn't seem to have the stamina of the other two.

I'm glad they're going to do another season but I hope they spend less time on the saccharine stuff.  That long conversation between the two women on the sidewalk added nothing IMO nor did the canned sounding speech at the end by the woman who came in fourth (can't think of her name).  

I liked the recap of what the contestants are doing now at the end.  I'm glad they're all doing well.  I'd love to see Lee again.  

 

[mertensia]

Gah. Just who I didn't want winning. I hope this doesn't mean they fill up next season with nothing but vets. 

[DEL901]

Well, there was no way a woman was going to win that.  Props to Linda for winning the log chopping....but I wish they had all been wearing safety goggles.  

Murph wasn’t my choice to win, but he earned it and nice to see the follow ups on everyone.  

[bunnyface]

I'm okay with the ending.  Murph wasn't my favorite but he definitely deserved the win in that last competition.  I was hoping Callie could make it to the end but there was no way she was beating the guys in that final.  

I did like the follow-up.  Since it is September now, I wondered if Callie was already out at sea again.

Go Shelby!

 

[AncientNewbie]

Two hours was actually a little long for my attention span last night, but that was most likely a me problem as usually I'm craving other competitive reality shows to have extended episodes. 

I can't bring myself to give it an old TWoP style grade, but on my Pass/Fail, it's a Pass. Too many slow motion shots of inconsequential things, like a small jump or a hefting of wood, but decent drama from competition and limited schmaltz. I liked the idea of the contestants "interviewing" each other for the soft-focus moments, but this season had a weird mix of "not that sort of reality show" vs. "touching hard luck" that never fit right. 

My biggest nitpick, which ran the whole season, is that "Marine" is not a blue collar career to me. My Marine cousin, for example, is the toughest IT guy you might meet, but in the end of the day, he sits in a generic office answering helpdesk problems from people that don't know how to turn their monitor back on after the power flickers. Like I said, nitpick, but just something I had a hard time working around. 

I know expecting a silly reality show (or a reality show that is silly in pretending to be serious) to meet my personal Big Picture stuff is never going to happen, but I would like more on the women in the workplace stuff, because I've seen and heard that's an issue for many people in my life. I also want to see something more than the (good for tv, admittedly) blue collar person scraping by and needing the money. Some trades pay quite well and union or government jobs can have solid benefits. 

[RunningMarket]

Phil: What is your story to share with the world?

Myles: I'm learning to be a better person for my family.

Danny: Never judge a book by its cover.

Murph: Did you know I was a marine?

That last competition was a marathon, and unfortunately Danny sprinted out of the gate. I was hoping for at least 1 woman to be involved - Linda was great in the wood chopping!

[preeya]

1 hour ago, RunningMarket said:

That last competition was a marathon, and unfortunately Danny sprinted out of the gate. I was hoping for at least 1 woman to be involved - Linda was great in the wood chopping!

IMO, Linda would have made a better showing in the finale than Myles. Was it really that difficult to unravel chains?

[iMonrey]

It was clear very early on it would eventually come down to Danny vs. Murph, so that was a bit of a problem because none of the women really ever stood a chance. I'm not sure how they could have made this more competitive but they need to rethink some of the comps themselves. No way in hell any of those women were going to beat Murph or Danny in that final challenge, it was just brute strength. 

This show never really worked for me, TBH. It's too bad because I thought the casting was great. Imagine if they were all paired up for The Amazing Race! It's the one reality show that didn't suffer from the dreaded CBS Reality Show casting formula of showbiz-wannabes. But the show itself was just all comp, comp, comp, comp, comp. And I never really found any of the comps that compelling. I'm not all that interested in watching people load moving vans or chop wood. And I never got more than a superficial understanding of the contestants. All the talking heads were generic, scripted lines about never quitting and finding the strength and blah blah blah.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

10 hours ago, mertensia said:

Gah. Just who I didn't want winning. I hope this doesn't mean they fill up next season with nothing but vets. 

But then we have no other stories?  It would become a which branch of the service were you in battlefest.  Uh oh, I'd best not out that thought into TPTB's heads. 

I really liked Myles' now fiancee.  The way she was encouraging him was great.  He really did struggle with the chains.  I also wondered how hot it was out there.  I know they were working really hard, but you could fill buckets with the sweat pouring off of Myles and Murph.  I'm surprised no one slipped in a puddle.

I would have liked to have seen Danny win because he was so consistent throughout the competitions.  I also have a soft spot for Myles.  They both came off as very kind, thoughtful people. If only Linda had driven the forklift a bit faster, Murph would have been knocked out prior to the final competition.  

In the final competition, I think they thought they were equalizing in somewhat with the chains being a mental and dexterity challenge and the nuts and bolts on the steps being a dexterity challenge; however, the vast majority of it was brute strength. 

I agree with @AncientNewbie, Marine is not a trade.  Folks in the armed services hold all kinds of positions. When I was young, there were ad campaigns for the armed services that listed military career paths and said you could turn them into civilian careers.  Some you absolutely could, whether in the trades, IT or management positions.  Many you would build skills that could be transferred into other professions but you would have to know how to position it.  Then there were things that simply do not carry over.  Murph seems to have been a Marine that did a lot of manual work while he was in the corps and continues to do this now, but that is not a guarantee among service members. 

[bunnyface]

1 hour ago, preeya said:

IMO, Linda would have made a better showing in the finale than Myles. Was it really that difficult to unravel chains?

Can you imagine if Linda had driven the forklift even a bit faster than great-grandpa and beaten Murph out of the finals?  Then it would be Danny, Linda and Myles?  I think Danny would have won, but it would have been a contest between him and Linda.

[Grizzly]

When Myles was doing his forklift part, I thought for sure I heard Phil say Linda was faster than Danny. So very surprised when he got second. Very sorry that the final task was something no woman could win. Thought it funny every time they showed someone different holding Myles' son. And Phil with his insipid questions, reminded me of him asking racers if they found love on the blind date edition of TAR. Turned it off after Murph won, didn't want 5 minutes of how great Murph and Savage were. Like they weren't still a crappy team that only had 1 person in the finale vs other team's 4. Sorry to hear I missed a recap on everyone. Will try to go see it on demand so thank you guys for mentioning it.

[Browncoat]

Dammit, Linda!  I wish she had picked up the pace just a tad with the forklift driving.  I would rather have seen her in the finals.  And I mean, yeah, Murph did a good job, but I would rather have had, well, almost anyone win except him.  Oh well.  

I did like the "where are they now" bit at the end.  I'll most likely watch the next season.

But did you know Murph was in the military?

[Lantern7]

Good ending for a good show. I know Murphy rubbed some of you the wrong way, but he's probably way easier to take than anyone on Big Brother or Love Island. I'm hoping none of these folks go "Hollywood" . . . though I would be intrigued if Danny was to be pitted in competition with Challenge veteran Derrick Kosinski. Both are 5-foot-6, and they are bona fide scrappers. I think Derrick's capacity for crazy is way higher,though.

Does anyone here watch Mystery Science Theater 3000? The penultimate game was fun to watch, all I kept hearing was "He tried to kill me with a forklift! Olé!!"

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

But did you know Murph was in the military?

Also: he lived n France with Team Guido for two years!

[kaygeeret]

21 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Also: he lived n France with Team Guido for two years!

Yikes and what a blast from the past.  Hope they are well.

While I do have some quibbles with the show, well documented by others, I truly thought that the last series of challenges was the toughest I have ever seen on television (American Ninja Warrior notwithstanding).

I will defintely(sp) be back next time....

Also, I would simply watch for the joy of seeing Phil work again.  He really is the standard bearer of what a challenge host should be.

[preeya]

On 9/2/2020 at 2:14 PM, sadtvjunkie said:

Sorry Murph lost $60000 for his team. But no one called him on it like they called Michelle for being annoying. I would rather hang with her than him anyday.

Just wondering here. Murph said he felt awful for not getting the $60k for his team.

Perhaps he dug $50k out of his winnings ($200k) and gave each of his Savage mates $10k each. That would be an awesome gesture.

[Kromm]

On 9/4/2020 at 9:46 PM, preeya said:

Just wondering here. Murph said he felt awful for not getting the $60k for his team.

Perhaps he dug $50k out of his winnings ($200k) and gave each of his Savage mates $10k each. That would be an awesome gesture.

That's presuming they're allowed to do that.  They may not be paid in a lump sum anyway, plus he'd be assuming the entire tax burden, even if he gave part of it away.

[SVNBob]

On 9/4/2020 at 8:46 PM, preeya said:

Just wondering here. Murph said he felt awful for not getting the $60k for his team.

Perhaps he dug $50k out of his winnings ($200k) and gave each of his Savage mates $10k each. That would be an awesome gesture.

I was originally surprised there wasn't any of that happening throughout the run.  For example, when Savage Crew won the first team competition and the $12k, they could have given $3k to Dirty Hands, making the the individual shares $1500 for each Savage and $500 per Hand.  Then, when Dirty Hands won the second team challenge, they could have done the same in reverse.  It would have been a good thematic message: you do the work, you get paid.

And for all we know, they actually did do that.  They seemed like the kind of cast that would.  But since there was an overall tie in the team competition, that would also mean a wash for these potential split payouts, so TPTB wouldn't have bothered showing it.

[Pepper Mostly]

On 9/3/2020 at 1:14 PM, preeya said:

IMO, Linda would have made a better showing in the finale than Myles. Was it really that difficult to unravel chains?

I think he was just exhausted. He started great guns but I don't think he paced himself. Too bad. It was signaled loud and clear from episode one that Murph was going to win. Yawn. And when they kept focusing on how he was leaving bloodstains everywhere? I'm from Boston, I remember Curt Schilling's bloody sock. The comparison was spot on. I would have preferred any other person. I found him a tedious bore. 

Phil, and it pains me to say this, as I bow to no woman in my loathing of Jeff Probst, sounded distinctly Probst-y in his running commentary toward the end "This is so difficult! Blood on the logs! The pain must be overwhelming!" Yikes. 

That said, I'll be back. I liked the "where are they now" bit at the end too. 

[preeya]

On 9/5/2020 at 11:36 PM, Kromm said:

That's presuming they're allowed to do that.  They may not be paid in a lump sum anyway, plus he'd be assuming the entire tax burden, even if he gave part of it away.

As the saying goes: "there's more than one way to skin a cat"

But, of course since it hasn't been or likely never will be made public, we'll never know. 

[Taeolas]

It's probably against the rules to discuss splitting prize money in game (I think/suspect Survivor and most other games has a similar rule), but what you do after the fact is up to you. It just won't be said on any of the official channels of the show. It likely makes it easier for tax purposes as well; if a winner says to split the money X,Y and Z; then the tax work gets trickier. If the winner takes the winnings, handles the taxes, and then gives money after taxes, then it's their money to do what they will with and outside the show's hands. 

[TVMovieBuff]

But who would want to split the prize money? If they made it to the end, won the show, why split the money? Even if it is heavily taxed, it is still money you didn't have before.

Lame-ass to make a deal to split any money. These people aren't lame-ass.

[AncientNewbie]

Edit: I was apparently having an episode with this post.

But I still do find it slightly amusing the disconnect in perception between "Murph" and "Kelly" as names given the theme.

Edited September 9, 2020 by AncientNewbie

[preeya]

19 hours ago, TVMovieBuff said:

But who would want to split the prize money? If they made it to the end, won the show, why split the money? Even if it is heavily taxed, it is still money you didn't have before.

Lame-ass to make a deal to split any money. These people aren't lame-ass.

It's not so "lame-ass" to want to help out team mates and perhaps he just might be a "nice guy."

[Lantern7]

For anyone feeling bad for Phil Keoghan, especially with the latest TAR getting increasingly aggreviated, I have good news. Tough as Nails will be back in February . . . in the time slot usually reserved for Survivor.

The only bad feeling I have is that TAN might be Phil's escape route from the dumpster fire that has been TAR32. I imagine him irritated by the season's finale (which airs next week), and then deciding to cast a second line into the waters of reality TV.

[Lantern7]

S2 cast revealed; season premiere in three weeks.

[Maverick]

 Ok, we need to back away from the nicknames.  Sorry, "nicknames".  Knuckles?  Eyebrows?   And we have a diva?  Lol, ok.   Of course the UPS guy is hot. 

 I'll never be Tough as Nails because no way I'm dragging my ass out of bed at 5 am, which is apparently a requirement.   

[sharkerbaby]

A nurse????  WTF?  Take a look at the cast photo... which one of these is not like the others?  Nurse isn't even in the neighborhood of blue collar.   I know, I know they never specifically said it was a competition for blue collar workers but it certainly is geared that way with the rough and tumble look and feel.  I think this is a novelty casting to somehow honor the newest professions to be added to the "hero" bucket.

And PLEASE just stop with this....

"What makes you tough as nails? 
Why aren't I? I'm a woman, a nurse, and a diva that's not afraid to get my hands dirty!"

umm, no, being a woman does not make you tough as nails, being a nurse does not make you tough as nails, won't even address "diva", and sorry sweetheart, even getting your hands dirty does not make you tough as nails.

Unless there is a lot more to her, like I don't know she used to be an oil rigger, or in her spare time, other squeezing in that 2nd work out, she builds houses by hand, I hope her competition goes down in flames.  Sorry I'm salty when people try to make themselves out to be something their not, especially if it's to get "instafamous".

[bunnyface]

On 1/22/2021 at 12:10 PM, sharkerbaby said:

A nurse????  WTF?  Take a look at the cast photo... which one of these is not like the others?  Nurse isn't even in the neighborhood of blue collar.   I know, I know they never specifically said it was a competition for blue collar workers but it certainly is geared that way with the rough and tumble look and feel.  I think this is a novelty casting to somehow honor the newest professions to be added to the "hero" bucket.

 

I don't know about this person specifically, but nurses in general?  Can kick all of our asses twice a day and never look back.  I wouldn't count out someone because they are a nurse and you feel they aren't worthy.  Nursing's not a game.

[mertensia]

Just once I'd like to see something like "my nickname is Hand print because my first day on the job I put my hand on wet paint then touched everything in sight."

[Quickbeam]

I kind of laughed at all the bluster and then people dragging on the first challenge. And as an RN myself, I do find the nurse kind of stunt casting. Sure we work hard but it’s so different. And I’m not much for the individual sob stories. I do like watching the team work and the challenges. The first season I thought they did a good job making them as gender neutral as possible. 

[BusyOctober]

 The nickname shtick has already worn my last nerve.  I would love to call the contestants friends and coworkers and ask if those really are their nicknames on the job site or did the casting directors just hand those out on the first day of shooting.  

Head of casting: “Ok, this year we are only referring to the contestants by their “ nickname” from “home”.  Makes them seem more blue collar-y, right?  So, we have “Knuckles” for Liz since she got a paper cut on her pinky.  “Zeus” for the electrical dude... you know, electricity=lightening bolts= king of the gods.  We still need one for the brick layer guy, Michael. “Bricks” is too obvious.  Any ideas?”

Casting assistant 1  “Which one is Michael?”

Assistant 2: “The Jersey Shore guy...you know, the one who wanted his eyebrows waxed.”

Head of casting: “ BINGO! “Eyebrows” it is!”

[leighdear]

Angel may be an awesome guy, but I see him tapping out early.   Every time they focus on "doing it for my kids", I tune out.  Too much of a cliché.  

Dragonlady is my favorite for now.  Just because being a jet pilot is badass and she definitely had to punish her body to do it.  

So glad to see my beloved Phil looking tough & healthy.  And did I see the name Louise Keoghan in the credits?  His wife, sister or daughter?  Cool to make a show with a loved one.  

Decent start, but I wish they had let them choose new team names.  I'm not crazy about "Dirty Hands" or "Savage Crew".  

[RunningMarket]

Agreed that the nicknames are already past their best before date. I was surprised with the continuation of the team names. Wouldn't it be better to allow teams to come up with something that they feel fits them best, not trying to fit a mold of a season ago?

I wish Angel had been more assertive. When they picked him to be the lead in the construction challenge, I could see it going badly. Was it Tara who stepped up? She was great - spoke up and took charge without being bossy.

I can see the nurse doing well on challenges that require a great deal of mental fortitude, or perhaps when things need to be changed on the fly.

[HurricaneVal]

I thought it was interesting that a lot of the women finished the stone breaking portion of the challenge more quickly than a lot of the big, brawny guys did.  Yeah, those are some strong women--absolutely no doubt about that--but I also think that in order to be a woman in the physical trades they're in, they unconsciously work smarter, not harder, so instinctively find ways to make it easier for them.  Like the woman who mentioned selecting slimmer slabs that would break apart more easily.  I also noticed the experienced women were paying more attention to where their blows were going in order to target weak points and they stacked the slabs to hit them at an angle so they'd break with the blows and not just absorb the blows. 

They lost time at the mixing and pouring portion of the challenge, though that one woman by only the tiniest of margins.  Mixing concrete is hard, heavy work and a wheelbarrow full of it is seriously heavy and unwieldy.  Other than smaller loads, meaning more trips, there's really no way to finesse that job to make it less of a test of brute strength.

I did feel sorry for the nurse.  Yes, nurses are tough as nails, and they have to go-go-go on their feet all day, jumping from situation to situation, and lifting heavy patients, so there is brute strength necessary there as well.  However, that is a different sort of toughness and strength than breaking up slabs of stone and hauling/pouring wet concrete requires.  I'm interested to see what some of the future tasks might bring.

The "nicknames" can go away, though.

[TVMovieBuff]

For some reason, I latched onto this show in season one, and it drew me back in. I have to see a couple more episodes before I know all their names and jobs. 

It is an interesting spin to have a nurse in the cast. Sure, she won't last long, but they don't go home  so that's ok. The emphasis on mental toughness is true and apt.