A new reality series filmed in and around the Houston area will be premiering Friday at 9 p.m. on CMT. It's not Houston Texans Cheerleaders — in fact, it's a stark departure from the glitz and glamor of your regular reality series.

Trick My What? is hosted by John Schneider (The Dukes of Hazard, Smallville) and follows him as he learns the ins and outs of working alongside some of the most dedicated blue-collar heroes in the country. In exchange, Schneider and his expert crew — the guys of Lone Star Speed Shop in Richmond, Texas — revamp the star vehicle that helps these heroes put food on the table for their families in order to make their workdays a little easier.

The series puts a well-deserved spotlight on the dedicated blue-collar families that work the jobs that many people rely on every day. In the first episode, we meet logger Paul Palmer, a hardworking single father to three boys whose tree skidder is so torn up that it won’t work without three people assisting. The bad economy is bringing his logging business down, and he can’t afford to fix the skidder.

That’s where Schneider and his crew come in — Palmer gives Schneider a lesson on logging, and in turn, Schneider and his guys “trick” out Palmer’s broken tree skidder.

Trick My What? comes from the same producers of another CMT series, Trick My Truck, which tricks out the 18-wheelers of deserving truck drivers and premiered in 2006. CultureMap spoke with VP of Development at CMT, Melanie Moreau, about how the idea for Trick My What? came about:

CultureMap: What was the inspiration behind this show, and why premiere it now?

Melanie Moreau: Trick My Truck was a huge hit for CMT, and we believe this show takes it to the next level. It allows us to highlight America’s other blue collar heroes. The addition of John Schneider enabled us to not just make over these vehicles, but really take a look at how they keep America going and put food on the table for their families.

These people need a helping hand more than ever given the current state of our economy, and we hope these makeovers restore some pride back into what they do every day.

CM: What was it about Texas that drew the show here?

MM: Texas had everything we needed to make this show a success. Lone Star Speed Shop is a state-of-the-art fabricator team based in Richmond. We also found so many well-deserving heroes, so shooting there was an easy decision.

CM: Who is the intended audience for the show?

MM: Our intended audience is American families. We expect Trick My What? to appeal to both our core viewers who are already familiar with this format, and hope to bring in some new viewers as well.

Trick My What? will feature an array of workers from the Houston and Dallas areas that include a produce farmer, a bricklayer, a shrimper, and a sanitation serviceman, among others. The series has a bit of everything — it features an in-depth look at jobs you normally wouldn’t be exposed, to à la Deadliest Catch or American Loggers, and then mixes it up with warm fuzzy feelings, à la Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

So if you’re a fan of John Schneider, like seeing things being remodeled, or have always wondered what it was like to work in these kinds of industries, check out Trick My What? If anything, it’ll make you appreciate your job — and the people that do these jobs — even more.

Watch the season preview below: