“I think we need to start smashing them physically more.” – Rudy Reyes
We’re reminded that “the course has claimed six recruits” as we enter the fourth day (and fourth episode) of the second iteration of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
Which means eight recruits remain at this stage: Jack Osbourne (who did not do well on Day 3), Tom Sandoval, Jojo Siwa, Bode Miller, Erin Jackson, Tyler Cameron, Kelly Rizzo, and Nick Viall.
The DS (Directing Service) meets in the morning to plot out the ruthless tasks, tests, and trainings to come. “It’s all down to who wants it now,” Dusty notes, pointing to the fact that those left aren’t going to be scared off quite as easily as the recruits who have already announced their “voluntary withdrawal.”
Rudy Reyes goes at it directly: “I think we need to start smashing them physically more, this is going to be the first real test.”
I also dig that the “staff,” as they’re known, aren’t complete robots. Example: “He’s an annoying f—,” Mark Billingham says of Jack Osbourne, whose early boastfulness about his readiness for this level of special forces tactical training has given way to mistakes and “fails” during recent tasks.
For Day Four, the recruits “will face the physical extremes of real soldiering.” I’ll pause here and note that it’s impressive that these celebrities (minor celebs though some of them are) are putting themselves out there on television in this kind of environment. And that goes even more so for the non-pro athletes who are remaining.
The next task: two teams of four recruits each must carry 220-pound boats to a lake, with an Olympic champion in the lead on each. This is by design by staff to push each team’s exertion to the limit. Keep in mind that the recruits are already super sore and they are already carrying their 30-pound Bergen’s.
On top of that, they have to lift the boats over fences here and there, and there’s also an uphill section, which nicely replicates real world conditions.
Kelly Rizzo – part of Team Bravo, lead by Olympic speed skater Erin Jackson (our guy Tom Sandoval of Vanderpump Rules/#Scandoval infamy is also on this one) – has a particularly rough go of it, announcing that her back has gone out several times.
Eventually, teams arrive at a shallow river, where they then have to push the boats along to get to the lake. Kelly Rizzo ends up breaking down and crying in the middle of the river, and Jovon – who is tough as nails when recruits fully bail out – is at his most motivational here in an attempt to encourage her to complete the challenge.
Rizzo does make it through this stage, but just barely, and boatmate Tyler Cameron comforts her as she’s an emotional mess at this point. Even so – and even though in theory the teams are now at an easier section of the task where they “simply” have to paddle the boats across the lake – she breaks down again, saying things like, “Please stop telling me I’m okay, I’m not okay.”
Kelly then rips off her armband, says she’s “VW,” and it’s the first time you can tell that staff hope that a recruit reverses their decision at the last moment. However, once it’s done, it’s done, and Rizzo is sent off to the medic.
Which means seven recruits have left the course, and only seven remain.
The final stage of the task: the teams “must now race to an extraction point at the top of the lake’s peninsula.” After rowing across the lake, the teams then carry a bunch of equipment from the boats – and the boats themselves – to the top of a hill.
Team Alpha – lead by Bode Miller and which includes Jojo Siwa, Jack Osbourne, and Nick Viall – wins the race and gets a “good effort” from staff. Meanwhile, Team Bravo – now minus Rizzo – struggles through the final sprint to the extraction point/finish line.
And then Tyler Cameron projectile vomits… multiple times. It’s not pretty.
Back at base, Tom Sandoval laments that “so many mistakes were made,” while meanwhile, the DS separately crack up about how Jack Osbourne yelled about how he had hurt his “trigger finger” during the task. It’s a very funny moment in what’s normally a pretty somber show, vibes-wise.
They also praise Bode’s leadership in comparison to Erin Jackson’s, and assess that’s the key reason why Team Alpha was victorious while Team Beta struggled.
Which leads to an Erin Jackson “tactical questioning” session with DS.
Erin explains that she sees herself as a quieter leadership figure and not the yelling type, which plays into how her sport, speed skating (where she won a gold medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics), is an individual and not a team sport.
“Under pressure, you’ve got to step up,” Foxy tells her.
Meanwhile, Tom Sandoval finally discusses #Scanoval with his fellow recruits.
“It was a pretty juicy f—king scandal,” he says in his uniquely self-aggrandizing yet compelling way.
And then we get our first Ariana name check, followed by Erin Jackson replying, “Who is she?”
Which is hilarious if you’re deep into the Vanderpump Rules-verse, but a completely natural question if you’ve never heard of the show, Lisa Vanderpump, or think that Bravo is just something you say after you win a speed skating race.
“My ex,” Tom says. “It’s a long story.”
Fact check: true.
“I had an affair and it just blew up,” he continues.
Actually, that covers it in nine words pretty well!
“Like I’m a stupid reality star, I mean come on,” Sandoval says with relation to the “vicious” blowback he received in the aftermath of #Scandoval. It’s fascinating how right and how wrong he is in saying that at the same time – especially in making that statement on another reality television show.
Separately, Sandoval reiterates that he’s participating in Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test to “punish” himself in the wake of the scandal. “I deserve it,” he says.
With no rest for the wicked (nor those wishing to be punished), the next task that night finds the recruits being taken out to a secluded quarry, which right there sounds like the beginning of some kind of supernatural or horror-type movie.
This is no ordinary task though: it’s the first “combat task of selection,” we learn.
More specifically, the recruits will engage in hand-to-hand combat with one another, what Billy refers to as “milling.” Milling, as it turns out, is basically boxing with heavy headgear and large gloves.
Rudy explains to the camera that the point of milling is not about technique but about looking for determination from the combatants.
The first match is Bode Miller versus Tyler Cameron. The two go at it pretty hard but without much in the way of skill (which is to be expected). The younger Cameron is eventually declared the winner.
Next up: Erin Jackson versus Jojo Siwa, the latter of whom does in fact train in boxing. Olympic speed skater shows grit, aggression, and timing in getting some shots in, but the smaller Siwa outpaces Jackson and wins.
We learn that Tom Sandoval wrestled in high school, and that Jack Osbourne thinks of himself as a “pretty good fighter” because he competes in Jujitsu tournaments.
Sandoval bests Nick Viall in something of a slug fest and then is reprimanded when it takes him a few seconds to stop fighting when staff calls the match. Because there’s now an uneven number of recruits, Tom Sandoval is once again pressed back into the milling arena against Osbourne.
It’s another bruising battle, one in which both get bloodied up. Osbourne is awarded the victor as it was clear that Sandoval was gassed mid-way through his second bout right in a row.
Back at base, Sandoval is then called in for tactical questioning.
I was a bit surprised at how hard Billy comes at him from the start, telling Tom that he’s only giving 50% effort when he expects 100%. Honestly, from what we could see, it certainly seemed like the guy – a self-professed reality TV star with no formal background in the military or professional athletics – went at it really hard throughout and took everything super seriously.
Things get pretty bizarre when Sandoval opens up about his affair with fellow Vanderpump Rules star Raquel/Rachel Leviss simply because you see Billy staring back at Tom with this look on his face that seems to convey, “What the f— are you even going on about, mate?”
When Sandoval goes on about how emotionally exhausted he is in the wake of #Scandoval, Billy cuts him off with, “Trying to play the victim just makes you look pathetic. You are not a victim. You created this.”
My personal take: Billy is 100% correct here.
Finally, Tom agrees with staff that acting with integrity during the training course is his opportunity for a new start.
What’s fascinating about that moment is that from a military standpoint, that completely makes sense, but from a reality television show about special forces training, starring celebrities, the notion gets fuzzier.
More thoughts onSpecial Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 2, “Character”
- “Lifestyle TV Host” Kelly Rizzo has mentioned losing someone named “Bob” a few times, so I finally was prompted to look it up and note that she was married to comedian and actor Bob Saget, who tragically and somewhat mysteriously died from “blunt head trauma” at the age of 65.
- We learn that Tyler Cameron’s passed away from a brain aneurism in an emotional scene in which Erin Jackson also discusses losing her mother.
- Bode Miller reveals that he’s “the winningest Alpine skier in U.S. history.”
- When staff yells things like “you’re in striking distance” to the recruits during the boat challenge, it’s kind of fun as you can imagine that same exact tone of voice during a real-life mission.
- It dawned on me that each episode of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test comprises approximately one full day of “real time coverage.” Which must make for a grueling day of production for all involved (including the celebrity recruits, of course) but also allows for an entire season of the show to get filmed extremely quickly.
- In a slight bit of dark humor, Osbourne asks if he can “relieve himself” before the milling hand-to-hand combat task begins and is rejected with Billy telling him, “We’ve all s— ourselves during a fight before.”
- Milling has nothing where the refs step in to call “rabbit punching,” for what it’s worth. In fact, it doesn’t involve refs at all.
Some stats and info about Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test
TV SHOW – Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 2, Episode 4
AIRED ON – October 16th, 2023
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – FOX/TubiTV
GENRE – Reality TV, Competition Show
CAST – Mark Billingham, Jason Fox, Rudy Reyes, Shaun Dooley, Jovon Quarles, Savannah Chrisley, Jack Osbourne, Tom Sandoval, Tara Reid, Robert Horry, Brian Austin Greene, Jojo Siwa, Angela White, Dez Bryant, Bode Miller, Erin Jackson, Kelly Rizzo, Tyler Cameron, Nick Viall