by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Rap artist-cum-actor Ice-T was both the producer and host of the weekly, 60-minute cable "reality" series Beyond Tough. In keeping with the "everyday hero" motif popularized during the dark days surrounding 9-11, the series focused on people who worked in dangerous and death-defying "everyday" jobs. Professions thus profiled included sulfur-pit workers, steeplejacks, and demolition experts. Even the streetwise Ice-T was in awe of these hardy souls, though he suggested that some of the on-the-edge professionals were "just crazy." Beyond Tough first aired on September 18, 2002.
