Special Forces: World's Toughest Test
2023 American reality television series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Special Forces: World's Toughest Test is an American reality series that is quasi-military training television series that premiered on Fox on January 4, 2023. It is an adaptation of the British reality series SAS: Who Dares Wins and reuses Directing Staff (DS) instructors from that series.
- Rudy Reyes
- Jason Fox
- Mark 'Billy' Billingham
- Remi Adeleke
- Jovon Quarles
| Special Forces: World's Toughest Test | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins USA[1] |
| Genre | Reality television |
| Based on | SAS: Who Dares Wins |
| Presented by |
|
| Narrated by | Shaun Dooley |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 37 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Production locations |
|
| Production companies | Banijay Minnow Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox |
| Release | January 4, 2023 – present |
Format
Like the original British series, Special Forces: World's Toughest Test pits contestants, dubbed "recruits", against harsh environments all around the world in a shortened training course that is designed to replicate a number of elements of the actual United States Special Forces selection course, which is notoriously difficult and has claimed the lives of people who have participated in it. The show's Directing Staff (DS) take the recruits through hostile and unforgiving warfare environments, while testing their mental and physical ability through a series of tests. Unlike many reality competition series, there are no formal elimination points; instead, contestants may voluntarily withdraw or be medically withdrawn at any point prior to completion. They may also be disqualified for failing to complete specific steps of the course.
Through the order and variety of training exercises varies from season to season, the final two episodes of each season follow the remaining recruits as they train on escape and evasion during enemy attacks, followed by resistance to interrogation when captured by enemy forces. The latter portion of this stage reuses the same interrogation staff from the original British series, overseen by an anonymous former senior chief intelligence officer referred to as "the Umpire".
Production
On September 7, 2022, it was announced that Fox had ordered the series, originally titled Special Forces: The Ultimate Test, with Sophie Leonard, Alicia Kerr and Becky Clarke as the executive producers.[2][3] Youssef Louchi served as production supervisor on the series.[4] The series premiered on January 4, 2023.[5][6][7] Special Forces: World's Toughest Test season 1 was filmed in Jordan (Wadi Rum Desert).[8] On May 15, 2023, Fox renewed the series for a second season which was filmed in New Zealand's South Island and premiered on September 25, 2023.[9][10] On May 13, 2024, Fox renewed the series for a third season which was filmed in Wales, the home of British Special Forces Selection, and premiered on January 8, 2025 with 2-hour episodes over five weeks.[11][12] On May 12, 2025, Fox renewed the series for a fourth season which was filmed in Morocco and premiered on September 25, 2025.[13][14] On May 11, 2026, Fox renewed the series for a fifth season which was filmed in Malaysia and will premiere on September 24, 2026.[15][16]
Cast
The Directing Staff (DS) instructors are: Rudy Reyes, a former United States Recon Marine; Jason Fox, a former SBS operator; Mark 'Billy' Billingham, an ex-SAS Sergeant Major and Remi Adeleke, a veteran Navy SEAL Senior Chief.[2][3] Adeleke did not return for Season 2, and was replaced by Jovon 'Q' Quarles, another veteran Navy SEAL.[17] The series is narrated by Shaun Dooley, the same narrator for the original British series.[18]
Recruits
Season 1
| Recruit | Celebrity | Known for | Status (Episode number) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Hannah Brown | The Bachelorette star | Passed (10) |
| 8 | Carli Lloyd | Former professional soccer player | Passed (10) |
| 13 | Dwight Howard | NBA player | Disqualified (10) |
| 16 | Danny Amendola | Former NFL wide receiver | Voluntarily Withdrawn (10) |
| 10 | Gus Kenworthy | Former Olympic freestyle skier | Medically Withdrawn (8) |
| 5 | Mike Piazza | Former MLB catcher | Voluntarily Withdrawn (8) |
| 14 | Kenya Moore | The Real Housewives of Atlanta star | Voluntarily Withdrawn (6) |
| 6 | Anthony Scaramucci | Former White House Communications Director | Voluntarily Withdrawn (6) |
| 1 | Beverley Mitchell | Actress & singer | Voluntarily Withdrawn (4) |
| 9 | Mel B | Spice Girls singer | Voluntarily Withdrawn (3) |
| 15 | Nastia Liukin | Former Olympic artistic gymnast | Voluntarily Withdrawn (3) |
| 2 | Jamie Lynn Spears | Actress & singer | Voluntarily Withdrawn (3) |
| 7 | Montell Jordan | Singer | Medically Withdrawn (2) |
| 12 | Tyler Florence | Chef & television host | Voluntarily Withdrawn (2) |
| 3 | Dr. Drew Pinsky | Media personality & physician | Medically Withdrawn (1) |
| 11 | Kate Gosselin | Reality television personality | Medically Withdrawn (1) |
Season 2
| Recruit | Celebrity | Known for | Status (Episode number) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Tyler Cameron | The Bachelorette star | Passed (8) |
| 6 | Erin Jackson | Olympic speed skater | Passed (8) |
| 12 | Nick Viall | The Bachelor & The Bachelorette star | Passed (8) |
| 3 | JoJo Siwa | Dancer, singer & actress | Voluntarily Withdrawn (8) |
| 4 | Tom Sandoval | Vanderpump Rules star | Disqualified (8) |
| 9 | Bode Miller | Olympic alpine ski racer | Voluntarily Withdrawn (7) |
| 1 | Jack Osbourne | The Osbournes star | Medically Withdrawn (6) |
| 14 | Kelly Rizzo | Influencer & widow of Bob Saget | Voluntarily Withdrawn (4) |
| 7 | Savannah Chrisley | Chrisley Knows Best star | Voluntarily Withdrawn (3) |
| 8 | Robert Horry | Former NBA player | Voluntarily Withdrawn (3) |
| 10 | Brian Austin Green | Actor | Voluntarily Withdrawn (3) |
| 13 | Dez Bryant | Former NFL wide receiver | Voluntarily Withdrawn (2) |
| 11 | Blac Chyna | Model & actress | Voluntarily Withdrawn (2) |
| 2 | Tara Reid | Actress | Voluntarily Withdrawn (2) |
Season 3
| Recruit | Celebrity | Known for | Status (Episode number)[a] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Kayla Nicole | Influencer & model | Passed (10) |
| 12 | Brody Jenner | The Hills star | Passed (10) |
| 9 | Golden Tate | Former NFL wide receiver | Disqualified (10) |
| 16 | Cam Newton | Former NFL quarterback | Disqualified (10) |
| 11 | Alana Blanchard | Surfer | Voluntarily Withdrawn (10) |
| 2 | Christy Carlson Romano | Actress & podcaster | Disqualified (8) |
| 15 | Kyla Pratt | Actress | Voluntarily Withdrawn (8) |
| 10 | Carey Hart | Former freestyle motocross racer | Medically Withdrawn (7) |
| 14 | Landon Donovan | Former professional soccer player | Medically Withdrawn (4) |
| 1 | Nathan Adrian | Olympic swimmer | Medically Withdrawn (3) |
| 6 | Marion Jones | Former Olympic track-and-field athlete | Medically Withdrawn (3) |
| 7 | Jordyn Wieber | Former Olympic gymnast | Voluntarily Withdrawn (3) |
| 13 | Trista Sutter | The Bachelorette star | Voluntarily Withdrawn (3) |
| 4 | Ali Manno | The Bachelorette star | Medically Withdrawn (2) |
| 3 | Denise Richards | Actress | Voluntarily Withdrawn (2) |
| 5 | Stephen Baldwin | Actor | Disqualified (2) |
Season 4
| Recruit | Celebrity[19] | Known for | Status (Episode number) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Shawn Johnson East | Former Olympic gymnast (Wife of Andrew East) |
Passed (9) |
| 18 | Gia Giudice | Podcaster & Next Gen NYC star (Daughter of Teresa Giudice) |
Passed (9) |
| 2 | Brianna "Chickenfry" LaPaglia | Podcaster & social media influencer | Disqualified (9) |
| 4 | Kody Brown | Sister Wives star | Disqualified (9) |
| 11 | Andrew East | Former NFL long snapper (Husband of Shawn Johnson East) |
Disqualified (9) |
| 14 | Randall Cobb | Former NFL wide receiver | Voluntarily Withdrawn (8) |
| 3 | Mark Estes | TikTok influencer | Medically Withdrawn (7) |
| 9 | Christie Pearce Rampone | Former professional soccer player | Medically Withdrawn (7) |
| 5 | Jessie James Decker | Singer (Wife of Eric Decker) |
Voluntarily Withdrawn (6) |
| 6 | Eric Decker | Former NFL wide receiver (Husband of Jessie James Decker) |
Medically Withdrawn (6) |
| 8 | Chanel Iman | Supermodel | Disqualified (6) |
| 7 | Ravi V. Patel | Actor | Voluntarily Withdrawn (5) |
| 13 | Nick Young | Former NBA player | Voluntarily Withdrawn (5) |
| 12 | Johnny Manziel | Former NFL quarterback | Voluntarily Withdrawn (4) |
| 16 | Jussie Smollett | Actor & singer | Medically Withdrawn (3) |
| 15 | Eva Marcille | Actress & America's Next Top Model Season 3 winner | Disqualified (2) |
| 17 | Teresa Giudice | The Real Housewives of New Jersey star (Mother of Gia Giudice) |
Voluntarily Withdrawn (2) |
| 1 | Brittany Cartwright | The Valley star | Voluntarily Withdrawn (1) |
Season 5
| Recruit | Celebrity[20] | Known for | Status (Episode number) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruby Rose | Actress | Participating |
| 2 | Hannah Stocking | Comedian | Participating |
| 3 | Oliver Hudson | Actor | Participating |
| 4 | George Santos | Former Politician | Participating |
| 5 | Brandi Glanville | The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star | Participating |
| 6 | LeSean McCoy | Former NFL running back | Participating |
| 7 | Collin Gosselin | Jon & Kate Plus 8 star | Participating |
| 8 | Candace Cameron Bure | Actress | Participating |
| 9 | David Charvet | Entrepreneur and Actor | Participating |
| 10 | Maxim Naumov | Olympic Figure Skater | Participating |
| 11 | Matt Barnes | Former NBA Player and Podcaster | Participating |
| 12 | Alycia Baumgardner | World Champion Boxer | Participating |
| 13 | Breana Tiesi | Selling Sunset star | Participating |
| 14 | Mauricio Umansky | Buying Beverly Hills star (Father of Alexia Umansky) |
Participating |
| 15 | Alexia Umansky | Buying Beverly Hills star (Daughter of Mauricio Umansky) |
Participating |
Episodes
Series overview
Season 1 (2023)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [21][22] | Original release date [21][22] | Prod. code [21] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Test of Character" | January 4, 2023 | SFT-101 | 2.06[23] |
| 2 | 2 | "Weakness" | January 4, 2023 | SFT-102 | 2.06[23] |
| 3 | 3 | "Mindset" | January 11, 2023 | SFT-103 | 1.81[24] |
| 4 | 4 | "Trust" | January 18, 2023 | SFT-104 | 1.70[25] |
| 5 | 5 | "Pressure" | January 25, 2023 | SFT-105 | 1.73[26] |
| 6 | 6 | "Fear" | February 1, 2023 | SFT-106 | 1.77[27] |
| 7 | 7 | "Resilience" | February 8, 2023 | SFT-107 | 1.74[28] |
| 8 | 8 | "Courage" | February 15, 2023 | SFT-108 | 1.89[29] |
| 9 | 9 | "Survival" | February 22, 2023 | SFT-109 | 1.82[30] |
| 10 | 10 | "Interrogation" | March 1, 2023 | SFT-110 | 1.62[31] |
Season 2 (2023)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [21][32] | Original release date [21][32] | Prod. code [21] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Far from Home" | September 25, 2023 | SFT-201 | 1.52[33] |
| 12 | 2 | "Exposure" | October 2, 2023 | SFT-202 | 1.36[34] |
| 13 | 3 | "Panic" | October 9, 2023 | SFT-203 | 1.29[35] |
| 14 | 4 | "Character" | October 16, 2023 | SFT-204 | 1.29[36] |
| 15 | 5 | "Pressure" | November 6, 2023 | SFT-205 | 1.17[37] |
| 16 | 6 | "Survival" | November 13, 2023 | SFT-206 | 1.23[38] |
| 17 | 7 | "Grit" | November 20, 2023 | SFT-207 | 1.16[39] |
| 18 | 8 | "Capture" | November 27, 2023 | SFT-208 | 1.17[40] |
Season 3 (2025)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [21][41] | Original release date [21][41] | Prod. code [21] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 1 | "Ocean Warfare" | January 8, 2025 | SFT-301 | 1.86[42] |
| 20 | 2 | "Survival" | January 8, 2025 | SFT-302 | 1.86[42] |
| 21 | 3 | "Terror" | January 15, 2025 | SFT-303 | 1.64[43] |
| 22 | 4 | "Brotherhood" | January 15, 2025 | SFT-304 | 1.64[43] |
| 23 | 5 | "Panic" | January 22, 2025 | SFT-305 | 1.39[44] |
| 24 | 6 | "Trust" | January 22, 2025 | SFT-306 | 1.39[44] |
| 25 | 7 | "Duty" | January 29, 2025 | SFT-307 | 1.44[45] |
| 26 | 8 | "Resilience" | January 29, 2025 | SFT-308 | 1.44[45] |
| 27 | 9 | "On the Run" | February 5, 2025 | SFT-309 | 1.40[46] |
| 28 | 10 | "Capture" | February 5, 2025 | SFT-310 | 1.40[46] |
Season 4 (2025)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [21][47] | Original release date [21][47] | Prod. code [21] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 1 | "Behind Enemy Lines" | September 25, 2025 | SFT-401 | 1.17[48] |
| 30 | 2 | "Survival" | October 2, 2025 | SFT-402 | 1.30[49] |
| 31 | 3 | "Warzone" | October 9, 2025 | SFT-403 | 1.17[50] |
| 32 | 4 | "Mind Set" | October 16, 2025 | SFT-404 | 1.22[51] |
| 33 | 5 | "Trust" | October 23, 2025 | SFT-405 | 1.10[52] |
| 34 | 6 | "Grit" | October 30, 2025 | SFT-406 | 1.38[53] |
| 35 | 7 | "Composure" | November 6, 2025 | SFT-407 | 1.07[54] |
| 36 | 8 | "Evasion" | November 13, 2025 | SFT-408 | 1.18[55] |
| 37 | 9 | "Interrogation" | November 20, 2025 | SFT-409 | 1.11[56] |
Season 5
Ratings
| No. | Title | Air date | Timeslot (ET) | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Test of Character" | January 4, 2023 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.4 | 2.06 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | [23] |
| 2 | "Weakness" | January 4, 2023 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 0.4 | 2.06 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | [23] |
| 3 | "Mindset" | January 11, 2023 | 0.4 | 1.81 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | [24] | |
| 4 | "Trust" | January 18, 2023 | 0.3 | 1.70 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | [25] | |
| 5 | "Pressure" | January 25, 2023 | 0.3 | 1.73 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | [26] | |
| 6 | "Fear" | February 1, 2023 | 0.3 | 1.77 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | [27] | |
| 7 | "Resilience" | February 8, 2023 | 0.3 | 1.74 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | [28] | |
| 8 | "Courage" | February 15, 2023 | 0.4 | 1.89 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | [29] | |
| 9 | "Survival" | February 22, 2023 | 0.4 | 1.82 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | [30] | |
| 10 | "Interrogation" | March 1, 2023 | 0.3 | 1.62 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | [31] |
Syndication
Notes
- Episode numbers are based on the single one-hour episodes rather than the televised combined two-hour episodes.