Portland Cement Mason To Compete On Season 2 Of 'Tough as Nails'

A member of the Portland-based Cement Masons Local 555 will be competing on a reality CBS show returning this week, according to nwLaborPress.org.

Liz Nichols will be one of 12 contestants on Tough as Nails, where participants tackle challenges at real-world job sites, such as farms, construction sites and high-rise buildings. Emmy Award winner Phil Keoghan, best known for Amazing Race, will be co-hosting.

Nichols herself is a seven-year member of the Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons union, and her fellow union members will be watching when the show returns for its second season on Wednesday, February 10.

“She’s well respected out in the field,” Geoff Kossak said, who is the business manager of Local 555. “Everybody wants her on their crew. She’s a really good hand.” Reporters added that Nichols serves on the local's executive board.

The cast members included a bricklayer, a steelworker, a travel nurse, a pipe welder, an electric lineman, and a tug boat operator. The winner will get a championship belt and $200,000.

Tough as Nails will air on CBS Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

“We’re proud of her,” Kossak said. “And hopefully she wins.”

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