America's Toughest Jobs, Episode 5: Battle of the Sexes

Previously on America's Toughest Jobs: The jobsters got behind the wheel of some big-time monster trucks. Ben terrorized his competition, while Grave Digger fan Rick was overwhelmed by the task and had to hit the road.

This time? We're drilling for oil – host Josh Temple tells us we're going two miles into the ground to find "liquid gold." You know, Texas Tea. Load up Granny, we're movin' to Bev-er-lee.

The action will take place in Odessa, Texas, a hotbed of the oil drilling industry. It's a dangerous business, we're told: People die, stuff blows up. It's a regular Michael Bay movie. Oh, and there are rattlesnakes too. We were told about the bears in Alaska and never saw any, so I'm not holding my breath.

The nine remaining contestants are told they will be called "worms" as rookie oil drillers. How flattering. Boss Henry McElroy is introduced. He's been in the business a long time. Contestants will be judged on teamwork, attitude, skill, and how hard they work. One mistake can shut the rig down and cost Henry a million bucks. In other words, about the cost of filling up your tank at the pump these days.

Sandy tells us as a Texan or as a person (there's a difference?), she likes this task. She also enjoys working hard to earn her money. That's a good attitude to have, although I think the Paris Hilton method of doing nothing worthwhile and falling backwards into cash is something I could definitely get used to if I had the chance.

The first job will be rolling 30-foot-long pipes and lifting them up to connect to the main drilling pipe. They'll also be hauling big, heavy bags of … some substance that's used to make mud. That's all you really need to know. Anyway, the mud plays an important role in the drilling process, to maintain pressure, yada yada yada. Oh yes, and they'll be cleaning the grease and mud off the rig too.

Ben, Michaela, and Steven roll the big pipes along a track of sorts to get them where they need to go for connection to the drilling pipe. Apparently, Ben's dreadlocks are getting in the way somehow. One oil rig guy tells Ben if he ever wants a real job, he'll have to cut his hair. Ben tells us that he's had plenty of real jobs, so the guy is obviously wrong. Heh.

Sandy's used to this sort of thing; her mom's worked in this industry for around 20 years, we're told. She was one of the first women ever to do this sort of thing, Sandy notes. Sandy wants to make her mom proud in this task.

Chris says something to somebody about Sandy tiring out in about 20 minutes, while Sandy trash talks right back. I would say Chris is more likely to tire out, but we don't really know, since he tends to be kicked out of the challenge before he has a chance to get tired. We see a contrast between Sandy's solid work ethic and Chris' poor one in a sort of mini-montage. Terry, an "assistant boss," points out that the girls are outworking the guys so far. So what else is new?

Chris poops out and Terry tells him to let someone know when he stops sweating – that's one of the first signs of a heat stroke. The sight of gold chains dangling down over Chris' massive amount of chest hair is distracting – and not in a good way.

Bryce, Eric, and Rie are scrubbing the rig clean. Eric, having some difficulty climbing up, says there's nothing more embarrassing than somebody having to literally push your butt along when your body is failing you. Rie does well, Bryce "takes the easy route," using a hose to spray the thing clean.

Steve, Michaela, and Ben get to work the floor of the rig. They'll use big, heavy clamps to disconnect the main pipe from the driver above, then they'll connect a new pipe to one beneath it, and then use the clamps again to screw the pipes together. This allows the drill to turn and go another 30 feet deep. Ben tells us about all the machinery involved. He says it feels "like everything is trying to kill you."

Watching your hands is important; if they're in the way while the pipes are being connected, you've pretty much lost that hand. Steven very nearly has this happen to him, as he puts his hand in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fortunately, he avoids injury – imagine that, at 8 p.m. in prime time – but everyone gets a sharp warning about what could have happened.

Steven tells us that if he's doing something great, the boss never sees it, but when he screws up, he always gets noticed. It's just bad luck. I remember he had the same complaint in the gold mining challenge, when he got caught snacking.

Bryce and Eric have trouble rolling the pipes along. Bryce and Eric? Who saw that coming? Bryce, who is told to "put some muscle in it," complains that he's expected to perform a certain way because of his well-built physique and he’s judged on how he looks rather than on what he's doing. Yes, Bryce, if you're a muscular personal trainer, you will be expected to do well on tasks that require little more than brute strength. If you think that's unfair, you have no business being out here.

He also says that the women come in, do the job, and get kudos just because they're women – all they have to do is measure up to half of what he has to do. So you're lowering yourself to the level of your competition? I don't get it, Bryce. Rie says that Bryce tends to just stand around and not put in a lot of effort. As a woman, she doesn't have his kind of strength (she said it, not me), so he could be doing a lot more than he is.

Up by the main pipe, Rommel is doing a good job lifting the heavy equipment, despite not being the biggest, strongest guy out there. Chris tries to do the same thing, moving the clamps (or "tongs") around, and … well, he ain't as good at it as Rommel. Chris uses the excuse that he's 49 years old, and the boss tells him that's "young." Heh.