Just had to pot this clip from the first episode aboard the crabbing boats on the Bering Sea. This clip shows when the deck boss came around and told everyone they would each need to bite the head off a herring as it is done traditionally aboard the boats for good luck. Amy was quick to come forward and confess she has a “convenient” food allergy and will have to pass. Even funnier is Sandy’s comments and Eric going back for thirds…

This weeks episode sees the remaining twelve contestants navigate the deadly roads across the Alaskan wilderness behind the wheels of tractor trailers hauling 80,000 pounds.  Their route will take them 500 miles and last over 21 hours as they are forced to take the nail biting journey across the frozen tundra to the town of Deadhorse Alaska.  With an elevation of almost 5000 feet and roads covered with ice, the weight of the

trucks as well as the driving conditions render the brakes useless and the driver must rely on downshifting the engine onto a lower gear to keep the rig’s speed under control.  One false move and the truck can quickly accelerate down a downgrade causing the driver to lose control and end up flipping over both the freight and tractor.  To help maintain a sense of safety, each team will be made up of two contestants with a safety instructor on board, who will in the end determine the fate of the contestants.

Right from the beginning it is obvious that Chris is struggling keeping the rig under his control and Tim, the supervisor on board, isn’t pleased with it.  At best the strain on the transmission from his struggles will end up being a costly repair but there is also a saftey factor involved as well.  Soon afterwards, Tim decided enough is enough and replaces Chris at the wheel with Phil, who right from the start looks like a natural.  Phil isn’t the only one struggling though as Bryce is having difficulties as well mastering the transmission as is Rommel.  Their troubles seem small compared to Amy who forgetfully leaves the transmission in neutral while going down a steep grade causing the rig to quickly gain dangerous speed. With the instructor on her, she struggles with each advancing gear until she is finally to get the truck into seventh gear.  The instructor makes it very clear that little more in terms of mistakes will be tolerated from her.

While Phil has done an excellent job behind the wheel, the instructor decided to give Chris one more chance to redeem himself and once again they switch places.  While his driving has improved somewhat his attitude takes a turn for the worse and he wrongly begins to make excuses and chastise the instructor for his own performance.  In a matter of mintes the instructor has had enough of his mouth and orders him to pull over where he leaves him on the side of the road for the rest of the convoy to pick up.  Elsewhere the woman of America’s Toughest Jobs, with the exception of the

blunder by Amy, seem to have easily mastered this task as well. In the end, however, Phil is revealed to have done the best overall job.  At the same time, it is no surprise that the four weakest named are Chris, Bryce, Rommel, and Amy.  In order to decide who goes home they are given a challenge to correctly back up their trailer to a loading dock, release the trailer and drive away in the leat amount of time possible.  Bryce struggles a bit at this nut eventually gets the job done while Rommel has an easy time with it.  Chris on the other hand, has a extremely tough time and looks confused the entire time.  After several attempts he gets it done in just under 30 minutes. Next up Amy is able to quickly and efficiently line up the trailer and gets it done with plenty of time to go. Unfortunately she ends up not having the strength to pull the pin out releasing the trailer and struggles with it for a heart breaking full 20 minutes until her time is up, never giving up the entire time. In the end it is revealed that the experience must have been something Amy needed for herself as she ends up not returning to her job on Wall Street but instead heads back home to Boston to explore new opportunities.

The series premiere takes the 13 contestants to Dutch Harbor Alaska to work the Bering Seas aboard a crab

boat, which happens to be the world most dangerous job (ala Deadliest Catch). Many of the contestants are leaving behind jobs sitting behind desks for the grim reality of just how tough this other world can be. Bering Sea crabbers face an almost 100% injury rate as well as grim statistics about the number of lives lost at sea. Freezing cold conditions and long work loads can take their toll on even some of the world’s toughest. After a brief introduction the contestants will be expected to perform all of the various work duties done at sea by a greenhorn or junior deckhand. These include grinding bait, baiting the pots, launching and then after soaking for some time they will need to be hauled back aboard, the crab sorted and then the 800 pound pots will have to be stacked. The four worst performers will return for addition 2 days aboard the boat until the weakest contestant is eliminated.

As the trip gets underway the deck boss explains to each contestant the ritual of each crew member biting the head off a herring for good luck. While many are reluctant, it’s Amy who objects stating that she is allergic and would go into anaphylactic shock. This doesn’t sit well with the other contestants but Eric steps forward and has another to appease the gods. Actually I think he had a third as well, but that’s another story.

Amy doesn’t impress anyone at the bait grinder either as she struggles to lift the 40 pound bags of frozen bait into the grinder. Amy isn’t the only one struggling either, as Rick is soon battling seas sickness and before long both Sandy and Senta are spending a lot of time at the rail of the boat emptying their stomachs as well.

A short two hour nap is all the contestants get before going back to work. However the rest as made a world of difference for Sandy who is steadily improving after a night of sickness. The rest however, didn’t do much to help Amy who continues to struggle and almost sends Eric overboard when she is unable to throw the buoy over the rail of the boat. Eric also seems to be struggling, mostly from a lack of focus. The deck boss ends up comparing him to the Tasmanian Devil as he is running around quickly but when the “smoke” clears little is being accomplished. Senta also has not been able to show any strength and is quickly over shadowed by Michaela who manages to outdo her while throwing the grappling hook at the rail. We also get a good glimpse at Steven who appears to be avoiding the work as much as possible, which won’t bode well when the captains need to make their decision. When it’s all said and one the captains declare two of the ladies, Michaela and Sandy have outperformed everyone else. Michaela had been rock solid from the beginning while Sandy had to overcome her early bouts of sea sickness to regain her composure and her mental and physical strength. The four names chosen as the weakest are Steven, Senta, Amy and Eric. These four will return to the boats for one more shot at avoiding being sent home early.

This time around Steven is quick to step things up and push himself, quickly getting back into the good graces of the captains and deck bosses. Amy begins pushing a little more also, but it’s apparent after just a few minutes seeing her that she is not cut out for this type of work. Eric still lacks focus but has the heart at least, although his lack of attention can make a dangerous job even more deadly. In the end it’s Senta who just can’t get the job done, from lack of physical strength but also lack of real determination. There are many times when the only words coming from her muth are “I can’t” or “Can someone help me?”. Not exactly the type of attitude needs to stay in the game. After the return back to Dutch Harbor she is officially sent home, without the prize money but with the reward of a life experience that changed her life. It is later revealed that shortly after filming this episode she left her job and returned back to Alaska where she is currently working in Denali National Park.

The series premier of the show, America’s Toughest Jobs will be on Monday August 25, at 9, 8C on NBC. Afterwards check out our message boards and start talking about the show to other fans. The message boards were just added so we need some help from fans of the show to kick things off!

Age: 22
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Current Occupation: Recent college grad
Past Jobs: Lifeguard, receptionist, personal assistant

Dream Job: Something outside. I don’t have to be the boss but I like to do things at my own pace. I would love to be a travel guide or explorer. I often say I was born in the wrong time period.

Why do you want to be on ATJ? I think people see me as like this immature kid, this pretty boy kid fresh out of college. But I’m here to show them I can do this better than anyone else.

Why do you think you can win ATJ? I’m like Iceman from “Top Gun.” I don’t make mistakes and always get the job done right and on time.

What are your strengths? My background as a lifeguard; it’s a job where you have to be very physical and endurance is pretty high.

Weaknesses? I’m not super-aggressive. I’m competitive but I don’t cut other people off.

What are your best qualities? I’m easy to get along with.

Worst? I’m too forgiving.

What are your biggest fears? Closed spaces, failure, drowning.

Other interesting characteristics: Is “scared to death” of commitment; apart from football and basketball, he is an avid surfer.