Tough day at the office? Look on the bright side: at least you haven’t been trampled by a bull today.

In the new NBC show America’s Toughest Jobs, misguided reality show contestants (including a receptionist and a sculptor) will compete to prove themselves in difficult jobs including logging, extreme fishing, gold mining, and oil drilling. The winner will take home $250,000, the combined annual salary of all of the tough jobs featured on the show.

And yes, somebody gets trampled by a bull at some point during the competition. She actually seemed to be in remarkably good spirits about it in the preview clip.

Why would somebody volunteer for this show?  According to the official website, “America’s Toughest Jobs is for everyone who’s ever wished for a chance to leave behind the safe, comfortable monotony of their job for something more.”

I am looking forward to the premiere on August 25th (at 9/8 Central on NBC) to see how many corporate escapees are in the mix and how they fare in the competition. America’s Toughest Jobs is produced by Thom Beers, the guy who brought us Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers.

This show takes the concepts behind those shows and the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs to the next level. Instead of just watching other people work in terrifying or horrifying jobs, viewers now get to try them out for themselves.

I honestly think people are fascinated by these shows because they make them feel better about their own work problems. What do you think? Wouldn’t you rather be in a painful, endless corporate meeting than freezing your face off on a fishing boat on the Bering Sea?

P.S. If your answer to the above question is no, you REALLY need to find a new career path.