Reality TV News and Casting Information for Fans of Unscripted Television.

Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 9 PM ET/PT

FAIRBANKS, ALASKA: In National Geographic Channel’s World Toughest Fixes, host Sean Riley fixes the leaky oil valve #72 that hasn’t met the strict pipeline standards. Riley is surveying the removal of any dust or dirt particles from the replacement pipe.

The pressure is on as Riley joins a team on the 800-mile Trans-Alaska oil pipeline — the conduit for almost 15 percent of America’s domestic oil production. They have 36 hours to swap out one of the line’s 32-ton valves — a plug that helps block the pipe and lessen the damage in the event of an oil spill. In order to swap out the valve, the crew must first plug the line to isolate it and drain the oil from the section they need to replace. Then they cut into the pipe and weld on a new valve. Welding around crude oil is among the most dangerous jobs in industry. Every year, pipeline and oilfield accidents claim hundreds of lives. For this team, failure is not an option.