'Tough as Nails' Season 2 Is Airing Now on CBS, but When Did the Show Film?

COVID-19 has shaken up a number of TV schedules, and the lineup on CBS is no exception. Usually, the network would be airing a new season of Survivor right now, but instead, they're airing the second season of Tough as Nails. The new season is hosted by Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan, and its first season debuted in the summer of 2020 after Amazing Race was moved to the fall. Now, many want to know when the show's second season was filmed.

The second season of Tough as Nails was filmed in the fall of 2020. Like other shows, it resumed production after the initial filming stoppages that came during the first wave of the pandemic. The new season even features a nurse who works on a COVID-19 unit. Like many shows that have resumed filming since the pandemic began, the second season of Tough as Nails had to make some adjustments for this new reality. 

Although the show still features 12 blue-collar workers who compete in a series of challenges, the show will likely have to keep those contestants more isolated from the general population than it would have otherwise. Shows like The Bachelor and American Idol have also moved toward this model in order to make production as safe as possible. 

Like The Amazing Race, Tough as Nails is a competition show in which ordinary workers from across the country are cast and challenged to compete against each other both as individuals and on teams. People are eliminated as individuals each week, but they still compete in the team challenges and have a chance to win money through those challenges. 

This unique combination of team and individual competitions is somewhat unprecedented in the world of reality TV, in part because the eliminated cast members remain on the show as members of the team. The show's first season was enough of a ratings success that it was renewed for another, and it may become another regular reality series for CBS. 

In the press release announcing the show's renewal, CBS said that Tough as Nails “has been the clear winner for its time period in key demos while averaging a solid 4.23 million viewers throughout its summer run.” 

Now that the show is airing during the regular TV season, those ratings may improve further. The show's summer run was likely designed to test its appeal, and that's a test the show appears to have passed. 

The camaraderie that Tough as Nails castmembers have for one another contrasts with CBS's other reality shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race, which pit people against one another in ways that can be cutthroat. Tough as Nails spotlights a diverse group of working people from across the country and is designed to prove that toughness comes in a wide variety of packages. 

The new season is airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.