How one Detroit business is linked to hit show "Tough as Nails"
(CBS DETROIT) - You may recognize Phil Keoghan as the host of the hit show "Tough as Nails" or "The Amazing Race."
Keoghan is a New Zealand native who's made his mark in television by showcasing adventure, determination and grit.
"I come from working-class people. Coal miners, gold miners, carpenters, builders, farmers and my parents were really the first generation to get a chance and go get a tertiary education," said Keoghan during a sit-down interview with CBS News Detroit Reporter Alysia Burgio.
Keoghan's grandfather was an inspiration to him at a young age.
"I learned a lot from him and an appreciation for people in the trades and also a realization that you don't necessarily need to get an education from a university. You can get it from life experience as well," he stated.
He started to travel the world when he was just two years old and has ventured to more than 140 countries.
But it was when Keoghan was 19 years old that a near-death experience propelled him to look at life through a different lens.
"I was shooting a show, it was my first gig in front of a camera, and I got separated from my dive buddy at about 120 feet down inside a shipwreck, and … it was a real wake-up call for me as far as just realizing that I could die. When you're 19, you kind of don't think about it, but all of a sudden, I got a wake-up call. It shouldn't take a near-death experience to be thinking about what you want to do with your life, but for me, in hindsight, it was a real blessing," said Keoghan.
He jotted down a bucket list and has been bringing it to life since.
"Travel the world, meet people, break a world record, raise money for charity, there's so many things on that list," Keoghan said.
Creating a show highlighting men and women in trades was at the top. "Tough as Nails" is entering its fifth successful season.
"Some of the brightest people I've ever met who are incredibly intelligent when it comes to the practical world. I wanted to honor them, and I wanted to put them in a spotlight for a change. You know, we have so many shows that focus on celebrity and who's dating who, who's wearing what. But I wanted to do something that was much more about real people, about real life who are real tough. People that are more like the rest of us" said Keoghan.
During his recent stop in the Motor City, Keoghan visited Carhartt, a Detroit-based business that's worked with "Tough as Nails" from the beginning.
"They're all about encouraging young men and women to get into the trades and about acknowledging people in the trades. That's everything that tough as nails is all about," Keoghan said.
The 134-year-old company has free resources like The Workshop, located at its Detroit headquarters at 5800 Cass Avenue, 2nd Floor, Detroit, 48202.
"This really cool tool facility where you can go along and learn how to use tools and speak to people in the trades and then take tools and actually go home and do a DIY (do it yourself) project if you like," he said.
While there, Keoghan got an inside look at all the tools Carhartt offers Metro Detroiters and received a tour through the decades.
Hard work put on display, a philosophy Keoghan stands behind on "Tough as Nails."
"It's about saying we see you, we honor you, we respect you, and thank you," Keoghan said.
Like his grandparents were to him, Keoghan hopes his life adventures encourage others to live their best lives.
"I've constantly tried to push myself to do new and different things and to get scared every day, and I hope that maybe through some of the things that I have done in my life, that others will draw inspiration from that," he said.
The new season of "Tough as Nails" is now airing on Friday and Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBS.
