‘Tough as Nails’: Synethia Says Show Helped Her Reconnect With Family Members
New Jersey-based carpenter Synethia Bland appeared on CBS reality TV competition series Tough as Nails as she wanted to compete and share her story of progress after spending time in prison. Even though she was the first eliminated from the competition, Synethia still considered the show a “life changer.”
Synethia Bland credits the show with helping her reconnect with family members
Following the two-hour premiere episode of Tough as Nails Season 4, New Jersey-based carpenter Synethia Bland ended up clocking out first.
After her debut, she posted a screenshot to her Instagram story of a Facebook user’s update congratulating her cousin for her appearance on the CBS-based reality show.
Synethia added more context to the post by including text explaining that her mother died when she was six. Therefore, she didn’t know she had family in the UK and states across the country, including California, Texas, and Arizona.
She credited the show for reconnecting her with her extended family, noting, “Tough as Nails is definitely a life changer for me.”
Sergio Robles and Mister Frost picked their Dirty Hands and Savage teams
The season kicked off with 12 new competitors facing off in an opening challenge to determine who would pick teams.
California-based foreman Sergio Robles and Oklahoma-based welder Mister Frost were the first two to blow up a small dinghy boat and replace a boot monitoring system, respectively.
Therefore, Sergio went first and decided to continue the legacy of Dirty Hands, defaulting Mister to the leader of the Savage crew.
The foreman selected Georgia-based laborer Aly Bala, Virginia-based shipboard electrician Beth Salva-Clifford, California-based concrete form setter Jorge Zavala, Ellery, and Synethia to round out his team, while Mister went with dry mason Renèe Kolar, Virginia-based general contractor Laura Bernotas, Texas-based diesel technician Larron Ables, Hawaii-based construction worker Ilima Shim, and Pennsylvania-based pipeline laborer Jake Cope.
Synethia was the first eliminated from ‘Tough as Nails’ Season 4
For their first team challenge, the groups had to use pickup trucks to transport supplies in order to build an outdoor shade structure on Catalina Island.
Ellery misplaced the number the teams had to nail on the frame when finished, giving Savage the opportunity to pull ahead and take the win, earning the group $12,000. However, Dirty Hands redeemed themselves at the following challenge by correctly building a concrete slab first.
After the challenges, the contestant faced off individually to avoid overtime and earn an extra $2,000. Jake finished first, pocketing the cash, while Ellery and Synethia were the last two to complete building a section of a retaining wall.
Therefore, they went into overtime, where the competitors had to forge a helmet hook to hang their hard hats. Synethia struggled at the beginning as she had difficulty hammering the steel, allowing Ellery to obtain a comfortable lead that he never gave up, ultimately pulling out the win. While Synethia is no longer in the running for the $200,000 cash prize and Ford Super Duty truck, she can still earn money when Dirty Hands wins challenges. Tough as Nails airs Wednesdays on CBS.
