When CBS aired its 2020 “Tough as Nails” reality TV competition, Danny Moody started having nightmares again, reported Ed Condran of The Spokesman-Review. He had been in the running for the top prize of $200,000 and a Ford truck, but he had an issue sawing a wood block and finished in second place.

Prior to the mishap, Moody had won three of the 10 contests. However, the drywaller from Spokane, Washington, still received a consolation prize of $18,000.

“For a month after we did the show, I kept having these dreams,” Moody said. “It started in February when I came back [from Los Angeles] after we were done taping. I would go to bed thinking about everything that happened, have the dreams and wake up thinking about it again. I just couldn’t let it go for a solid month. When the shows aired, the dreams started happening again.”

To Moody, it wasn’t just about the cash and the new vehicle. He has always been competitive, going back to his days as a wrestler, which started in childhood.

“I want to win at everything I do,” Moody said.

Moody already won over his son Elijah, who gave his dad a big thumbs-up after watching the finale.

“Elijah said, ‘It’s all right, Dad. You worked really hard,’” Moody said.

Moody displayed impressive tenacity, giving his all in each competition.

“I had so much fun on the show and developed some friendships along the way,” Moody said. “I wish I won it, but I had a great time. It was a challenge, but I did pretty well. I know TV shows make things seem more real than they are. They made me look like I was wiped out at times. The point I’m making is that I was dog-tired, but I still had something left in the tank when I was out there trying to win.”

Moody has plenty to be proud of, as he fared well each week tackling work on job sites, which tested his strength, endurance and mental toughness. He won the “Mind over Matter” challenge, where contestants had to break a concrete slab into pieces with a sledgehammer and fit them through a small opening.

“It wasn’t easy, but I was up for whatever they threw at me,” Moody said. “At the beginning of the season, they said there would be no doubt who would be the toughest, and I wondered, ‘How would they determine that?’ Me and Murph [competition champion Kelly Murphy] had a conversation about it.

“My goal was to win every single competition,” Moody added. “I went in with this underdog mentality. I’m just this little guy from Spokane. But, after a while, I felt the competition was mine to lose. I never placed third in any competition. I was always first or second.”

However, Moody is looking at the bright side of his surreal adventure.

“I’m thrilled to have been part of it,” Moody said. “A friend from Montana found out about ‘Tough as Nails’ [in 2019] and thought the reality show would be right for me. It was perfect for me.”

Moody had a teleconference interview with Phil Keoghan, the producer and host of “Tough as Nails,” and auditioned in Las Vegas before being selected as a contestant.

“The experience was amazing,” Moody said. “I loved that there was no backstabbing or that you couldn’t be voted off, like with ‘Survivor.’ Looking back, it was a great experience competing and even watching with my family. With the exception of my wife and dad, who were with me [in Los Angeles], nobody else knew what would happen. So, there was a lot of hootin’ and hollerin’ with each episode at home. There [were] some sad voices when the last show aired, but it’s all right. It was a good experience overall.”

If you look up “Danny Moody,” it now shows his vocation as an actor, which excites him.

“That’s so cool since I would love to act,” Moody said. “Acting was one of my childhood dreams. We’ll see what happens. I’ve looked into other TV opportunities.”

Meanwhile, Moody is available for drywall anywhere in the Spokane area.

“The day after I got back from Los Angeles in February, I was back on the job,” Moody said. “This is what I do and I’m proud of it.”

Moody and Sons, led by his father, Allen Moody, will always be there for the third-generation drywall expert. If a television career doesn’t pan out, Moody has plenty to fall back on with his job and family, which includes his wife, Kelly, and children Elijah, Lena, Davie Jo and Remi Marie.

“My family means everything to me,” Moody said. “My joke on the show was that I have a blue-collar dad body. My job gave me my guns and my kids gave me my gut. I play with them instead of working out. At least I cut down from two bowls of ice cream to one bowl.”