On the new GAC series ‘Day Jobs,’ country stars go back to their roots and take a look at the work they toiled at before they became famous. Serepta, Louisiana's country star Trace Adkins was the first guinea pig on the show, so to speak. He was the featured star on the debut episode, returning to his former job as a laborer on an off-shore oil rig. Adkins is known for his masculine body, so it’s no surprise that he once worked on the oil rigs. However, Trace says that being a rough neck on an oil rig defines him much more so than his job as a musician.

“I would still be here if I hadn’t made it in the music business,” Adkins said in the episode. “That’s the only thing I know how to do — poke holes in the ground. I loved it.” Adkins wasn’t just working on oil rigs because he needed to; he wanted to.

If you are keenly interested in the inner workings and mechanics of an oil rig, the episode is actually educational. You see the workers dealing with mud pumps and stifling heat, while Adkins is onsite, getting his hands dirty while wearing a hard hat and overalls. His co-workers praised him for his understanding of the technical aspect of the oil rig.

Adkins was also very brave and often volunteered to offer help in dangerous situations. He is thankful for his current job as an entertainer, but went on to say, “I am not defined by what I do now. ‘Rough neck’ defines me good. What I do now is a hobby that got way out of control and turned into my career, but what served me better than anything was taking the work ethic I learned out here and applied it to that.”

Watch a Preview of the Trace Adkins ‘Day Jobs’ Episode

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