Meet the Austin woman competing on the new season of CBS's 'Tough as Nails'

Six men and six women compete in the new season of the competition series "Tough as Nails", created and hosted by Phil Keoghan. The CBS show celebrates the hard-working men and women who keep our communities running. Season five premiered on July 2 with a two-hour episode.

Austin remodeling contractor Jessica Hayes, 35, is among the contestants competing on challenges dealing with different trades of blue-collar work to test their toughness.

Hayes has lived in Austin for about 17 years. She works with her husband, Jason, who started a remodeling company 12 years ago.

In her day-to-day, Hayes can be found demoing kitchens, installing sheetrock, retiling floors, and replacing light fixtures amongst many other things in the Austin area. It’s a very hands-on and physical job, Hayes said.

Hayes believes Austin harbors an energy that has helped her achieve success in remodeling.

“Austin has, like, a heartbeat,” Hayes said. “When you show up to Austin, everybody's moving. Everybody's thriving. They're trying to achieve great things. And I feel like that's not everywhere, but it is Austin.”

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'I had something to prove'

Before Hayes moved to Austin, she grew up in Cedar Springs, Michigan. She joined the Army at 18 where she was stationed in Fort Cavaros, Texas, and then directly went to war in Iraq, she said.

Working in male-dominated fields, Hayes has always wanted her legacy to be a strong female presence, she said. Hayes always has Jason by her side during work, but she applied to be a contestant because she wanted to prove she could do it by herself.

“I was like, ‘I need the validation for myself that I belong here, and then as a female, I can be a part of the trades, and I can be considered good enough to be running with these guys.’”

Hayes said someone made a comment to her during a challenge that fueled her to trek on. It’s a very epic moment in the season, she said.

“I felt like I had something to prove,” Hayes said. “And it was just a comment that was made to me, and leading up to this specific individual challenge, I really felt like I had to win.”

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'Most underrated' show on television

Hayes believes "Tough as Nails" is “one of the most underrated shows out of all of television.”

“ 'Tough as Nails' is just such an enlightening, remarkable series because it just sheds light on people that are just grinding and working really hard every day of their lives.”

Hayes said she wants more attention brought to these slowly shrinking fields of work. If you work hard and put your head to something, you can have a good life, she said.

“We have to get this blue-collar community built back up again,” Hayes said. “It's shrinking every day,”

Hayes said she’ll be watching the show for the first time at the premiere with a bowl of popcorn. Hayes said weekly watch parties will be like a ritual with Jason and her two children: a nine-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy, she said.

When viewers are watching her, she wants them to know that anything is possible.

“I grew up in a small town with not a lot of money, no dreams, nothing,” Hayes said. “But, like, here I am. On a CBS TV show living my dream.”

New episodes of "Tough as Nails" air every Sunday and Friday at 8 p.m./7 p.m. CT and can be streamed on the following platforms:

• fuboTV subscription

• Paramount+ subscription

• Hulu premium subscription

• CBS TVE premium subscription

• The Roku Channel premium subscription

• Amazon Prime Video premium subscription

• YouTube TV premium subscription

• Youtube primetime subscription

• Google Play Movies & TV from $1.99

• Apple TV for $1.99

• Vudu for $1.99

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin woman competes on new season of CBS's 'Tough as Nails'