I have a new favorite show. America’s Toughest Jobs is the kind of reality TV that I love. The only drawback is that it’s hard to make fun of the losers on this show — even those who get eliminated are tougher than I am (and more interesting than 99% of the rest of the reality TV contestants on the air).

Here’s the premise of the show: Thirteen men and women from “safe and comfortable careers” are sent to compete in the most dangerous and demanding jobs on earth. Each week, the weakest link is sent home.  The last contestant standing at the end wins $250,000, the  value of the combined annual salaries for all of the dangerous jobs featured on the show.

In the first episode, the contestants go crab fishing on the Bering Sea.  Crab fishing is considered the deadliest job on the planet — the injury rate is almost 100%. Crab fishermen and fisherwomen endure subzero temperatures, 30-foot swells, 40-knot winds, and the back-breaking work of chopping bait and heaving 800-pound pods off of and back onto the fishing boat. This episode will definitely give you a new appreciation for your next order of crab legs.

So how did the contestants do? 

Well, nobody got maimed or killed, though there seemed to be a few close calls. There were definitely some standouts:

1. Michaela, the recruiter from Boston — This woman is badass. She was practically giddy about work that would reduce most of us to tears. She was voted the best performer on her boat, besting all of her male competitors. In fact, the top performer on the second boat was also a badass woman. Sandy, a teacher from Texas, battled serious seasickness but went on to outwork all of the other crew members.  Of course, Chris the investment broker from Queens thinks that Michaela and Sandy were rated #1 by the captains only because they are female  “eye candy.”  But of course.  Both women were really working those shapeless coveralls that reeked of fish guts. And if looks were the primary criteria, how did the show’s requisite model Rie not make the cut?

2. Eric, the sculptor from CA — You’ve got to love a guy who is so pumped up about his job that he bites the heads off of three herring (not unprompted…it’s apparently a ritual to bite the head off of ONE herring before setting off on a crab fishing expedition, but Eric went above and beyond). Yeah, he was kind of spastic, but in an endearing way. Plus, I’m a little bit biased since Eric’s wife stopped by to comment on my previous post about the show.

3. Amy, the Wall Street executive from Boston — Last I knew, Wall Street was in New York, so I’m not sure what Amy’s story is. She’s also kind of whiny and annoying. But I have a feeling that she’s going to provide a lot of entertaining moments.  Plus, I can’t dislike her after reading this quote: “I can’t live life sitting behind a desk. Living life is taking a risk, learning new things, and that’s what I want.”

4. Senta, the administrative assistant from LA — Senta was the first contestant eliminated, but she has absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. She hung in there through 50+ hours of ridiculously hard work. She was just a little bit lacking in upper body strength and confidence. Senta said she went on the show because she believed there was “something else out there that I’m supposed to be doing besides working in an office.” Well, according to the show’s post-script, Senta went home to quit her job and promptly returned to Alaska to work in Denali National Park.

It’s still early, so I’m sure we’ll see some other interesting contestants getting more screen time soon.

Next week: Long-haul trucking in the Arctic Circle.