CBS TV Show Host Addresses Cancellation Speculation

Tough as Nails is living up to its name.

Despite two years having passed since the hit competition series wrapped its fifth and most recent season, Tough as Nails has seemingly survived CBS’ recent cancellation bloodbath, with host Phil Keoghan providing hope for Season 6.

“Not officially over,” Keoghan told Jim Halterman in a recent interview, first reported on by Reality Blurred, when asked about ongoing speculation that the series had been quietly canceled.

Tough as Nails’ fate has been hanging in limbo for two years now. The series, which Keoghan created with his wife and producing partner, Louise Keoghan, became an instant hit when it premiered on CBS in 2020. The show follows a group of working-class competitors as they go head-to-head, and team-against-team, in a series of competitions that test their skills, intuition, endurance, and ability to work together. The winner walks home with a grand prize of $200,000, as well as a Ford Super Duty truck.

The series was picked up for a second season, which premiered in February 2021, before its freshmen run even wrapped, and returned for Season 3 in October 2021 and Season 4 in January 2023. Season 5, which was ordered before Season 4 even premiered, moved to Canada and aired a total of 10 episodes over a one-month period in July 2023. However, CBS has kept quiet about the future of the show, leading many to believe it may be canceled. TVLine’s CCO Matt Webb Mitovich even admitted that he “assumed it was 100% dunzo,” but said in a May 2025 report that he’d been told “there are ‘no updates at this time.’”

According to Keoghan, the silence regarding Tough as Nails‘ fate isn’t necessarily concerning. Rather, the show is seemingly on the backburner for the time being as CBS tries other series.

“There were some changes over at the network and there were some new shows that they wanted to try,” he said. “It could eventually come back to CBS. I don’t know. But we had some interest for it in other places.”

CBS hasn’t commented on Keoghan’s remarks at this time, and the host didn’t share which platforms have expressed interest in the show. However, he said, “the format’s too good. It’s too hard to get a format to work, to let it go. Louise—you know, my wife and producing partner—and I, we’re just so passionate about it. I feel like it’s more relevant now than it was even before the pandemic with and with the interest in shows like Landman, Yellowstone, Fire Country, Sheriff Country. So yeah, no, definitely not giving up on it.”