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Meet The Stars Of Special Forces Season 3: Can They Survive The Toughest Test?
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 3 debuted on January 8, 2025, with a diverse group of 16 recruits. The popular Fox reality show invites celebrities from all genres to take on the challenge of undergoing grueling military training to test their survival skills.
With challenges that mimic actual special forces selection processes, like high-pressure hostage rescue or a boat-dunking drill — the show’s latest season leaves no stone unturned to put the celebrities through the most daunting tasks.
Highlights
- Season 3 of Special Forces debuted on January 8, 2025, with 16 recruits.
- Reality star Brody Jenner is one of two recruits who passed the test.
- Kayla Nicole emerges as the winner alongside Brody Jenner in Season 3.
- Stephen Baldwin is the first to exit due to a knee injury on premiere night.
- Landon Donovan exits after fracturing his ribs in a combat challenge.
The show prides itself on testing individuals who are “so used to being in the spotlight” that they will “quickly learn the meaning of ‘no guts, no glory’ – and no glam.”
From former Olympians to Hollywood royalty, Disney Channel stars, Bachelor Nation contestants, and even a former Housewife, let’s get to know the cast of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 3.
Table of Contents
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Special Forces Season 3: Tougher Challenges, New Recruits, and Extreme Training
The show is a direct adaptation of the British reality series SAS: Who Dares Wins. It is touted as the ultimate test of physical, mental, and emotional resilience. The only way to face elimination on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test is for the recruits to give up on their own accord, fail to complete tasks, or be forced by the Directing Staff (DS).
The DS agents for Season 3 consist of an elite team of ex-special forces operatives, including Rudy Reyes, Mark “Billy” Billingham, Jason “Foxy” Fox, and Jovon “Q” Quarles.
In Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 3, the recruits train in the home of British Special Forces Selection, Wales. According to the press release, the recruits must “endure the harsh reality of ocean warfare” this season.
Brody Jenner
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
Reality TV star Brody Jenner is heading the cast of Special Forces Season 3. He is the son of Keeping Up With the Kardashians star Caitlyn Jenner and is renowned for his appearance on MTV’s The Hills.
Spoiler alert: Brody Jenner was among the two recruits who passed the test on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 3. During the finale, Jenner confesses that he was training with the Special Forces when he was threatened with having his head forced underwater. The DS deems his comeback “spot on.”
Jenner revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he fell incredibly sick for two weeks after the show and revealed that he was in rough shape. The reality TV star believes that the bear crawling activity in the mud and jumping into the “disgusting” trough of water could’ve likely caused him to fall sick.
Kayla Nicole
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
Spoiler alert: Sports journalist and influencer Kayla Nicole shares the victory with Jenner as the only other recruit to emerge as the winner of Season 3 of the Fox reality show.
One of the driving forces behind Nicole’s decision to appear on the show was her desire to be known for her achievements rather than being referred to as Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s ex.
All throughout the season, the influencer embodies grit and resilience, which is infectious to watch. During the final challenge, she reflects on how dealing with online hate from Taylor Swift’s fans made her a tough cookie with thick skin.
In the final challenge, Nicole reveals her identity and saves herself, which the DS deems “a good performance.” The fitness influencer thinks the mental obstacles were far more challenging than the physical ones.
Kayla Nicole celebrated her triumph and told Too Fab that her success on the show can’t be attributed to anyone else. The show helped Nicole tap into an “instinctual,” “animalistic,” and even “ferocious” side of herself that she didn’t know she possessed.
Stephen Baldwin
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
Hollywood actor Stephen Baldwin is the oldest member of the cast of Special Forces Season 3. He is the youngest of the four Baldwin brothers and the father of models Alaia Baldwin and Hailey Bieber.
Spoiler alert: Unfortunately, his time on the show is cut short on premiere night, making him the first contestant to exit the season. He withdraws from the competition, revealing to the on-set medic that he has smashed his meniscus and is unable to turn his head, citing he needs to stay healthy for upcoming projects.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Baldwin revealed that he had hurt his knee during the challenge, in which contestants leaped from a moving boat onto a helicopter hovering above.
The actor also noted that he wouldn’t have survived the rest of the competition, stating, “We did 150 push-ups the first day. I was like, “These guys are going to kill me.”
Despite the actor’s previous appearance on Celebrity Fear Factor in 2002 and his passion for skydiving and motorcycle racing, Baldwin shared that the whole ordeal was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. The actor couldn’t fathom how the other contestants pushed through.
Denise Richards
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
Spoiler alert: Actress and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Denise Richards is another contestant who leaves Special Forces Season 3 during the premiere episode. Richards ruptures her breast implants during a challenge where contestants jump off a bridge.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actress revealed that she has had four hernias in the past and said the harness was putting pressure on that particular area and across the chest.
The RHOBH star really wanted to continue on the show despite the ruptured implants, but owing to fears of aggravating and possibly having to undergo surgery again, she decided to make a swift exit.
Interestingly, in the January 8, 2025 episode of the Almost Famous podcast, Richards shared that she had a deal-breaker condition for starring on the popular Fox reality TV show — she requested a private toilet, refusing to “sit next to someone on television and go potty.”
In an exclusive interview with People, the actress confessed that her daughters were extremely upset with her decision to participate in Special Forces Season 3 because they worried she’d get injured or worse.
Denise Richards has appeared in many films, including Drop Dead Gorgeous, Undercover Brother, Scary Movie 3, Love Actually, and Madea’s Witness Protection.
Cam Newton
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
Joining the Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 3 cast is a former Carolina Panthers quarterback, Cam Newton.
Newton briefly moved to the New England Patriots during the 2020 season before returning to the Panthers in 2021 and retiring thereafter.
He uses his impressive sports background to his advantage on the show right from the opening episode and emerges as one of the most notable stars of the season for his viral moments.
From climbing into a helicopter after leaping off a speeding boat to breaking fellow contestant and Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian’s during a challenge — Newton seems to be made for the test.
Spoiler alert: Despite his athletic accolades, Super Cam crumbles during the finale and makes a swift exit when he fails an interrogation exercise.
Alana Blanchard
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
Alana Blanchard is a professional surfer and model from Hawaii.
Spoiler alert: The surfer perseveres all through the season, making it to the finale. Unfortunately, she voluntarily withdraws from the show during an emotionally strenuous interrogation.
The interrogators strike a nerve by questioning her character as a mother for leaving her two kids behind to be on the show. The mom guilt takes over and Blanchard leaves the show right before Newton, becoming the 12th contestant to leave.
Carey Hart
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
P!nk fans will recognize the popular singer’s husband and motocross racer Carey Hart, who has previously been featured in his wife’s music video, “True Love.” Ahead of the season premiere, Hart told TooFab that his wife thought he was an “idiot” for being on the show but was rooting for him nonetheless.
Spoiler alert: Despite breaking 80 bones throughout his motocross career, Hart was forced to withdraw from the show medically. The motocross racer has a shock exit after suffering two minor injuries from a fall during the mud run.
In an exclusive interview with US Weekly, the professional motocross racer said that the injury resulted from his lack of attention and was a “dumb” mistake that cost him big.
However, Hart told In Touch Weekly that he thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially his interactions with fellow contestants, noting, “I’m a simple dad that builds motorcycles and chases my wife around the world, so to get to meet these massive, different walks of life people and create these friendships through this wild experience, is definitely a highlight I’m going to take away.”
Landon Donovan
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
Landon Donovan is a former professional soccer player who was a forward for Everton F.C., LA Galaxy, and Club León. He retired in 2019 and is currently the interim head coach of San Diego Wave FC.
Donovan holds the world record for the man with the most international assists and is widely considered one of the GOATs of US football.
Spoiler alert: Landon Donovan exits Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 3, citing a medical withdrawal after fracturing his ribs in the January 15, 2025, episode during the hand-to-hand combat challenge.
Nathan Adrian
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
Spoiler alert: Olympic swimmer Nathan Adrian meets a similar fate as Donovan after succumbing to injuries planted by Cam Newton during the hand-to-hand combat challenge.
He had to medically withdraw, cutting his journey short on the reality show.
Adrian’s multiple accolades don’t make his loss on Special Forces look all that disappointing. The Olympic swimmer has won eight medals — five gold, one silver, and two bronze.
He made his Olympic debut in the 2008 Summer Olympics and subsequently participated in the London 2012 Games and Rio 2016.
Marion Jones
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
Spoiler alert: The hand-to-hand combat challenge resulted in yet another Olympian casualty. Former Olympic track and field athlete Marion Jones medically withdrew from Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test after going head-to-head with Kayla Nicole.
Jones said she had difficulty breathing, and medics eventually declared that she had suffered multiple broken ribs.
Being a contestant on the popular reality show meant a lot to Jones, who faced a major blow to her career after a doping scandal that cost her five medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The former athlete told Celeb Secrets that after staying away from the spotlight for over a decade, she felt it was time to take “ownership” of her story. She wanted her stint on the show to inspire others to pick themselves back up after life knocks them down.
Jordyn Wieber
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
The former Olympian contestants on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test aren’t coming on the show for their two seconds of TV glory. They come with a purpose, like retired Olympic gymnast Jordyn Wieber.
The retired athlete who won a gold medal at London 2012 was amongst those who testified against the long-term team doctor of USA Gymnastics, Larry Nassar, on January 19, 2018, for sexually abusing her. Wieber told Too Fab she hopes her appearance on the show inspires other SA survivors.
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Spoiler alert: Wieber withdraws in Episode 3 after backing down from the “Terror” challenge, where contestants are asked to retrieve a package from the bottom of a makeshift boat.
During her appearance on the show, Wieber was asked difficult questions related to the SA and her early retirement from gymnastics, to which she responded, “I look back on myself as a child during that time and go, ‘Wow, she really … She was resilient.’”
Jordyn Wieber is currently the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks gymnastics team.
Ali Fedotowsky-Manno
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
Adding flavor to the diverse cast of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 3 is Bachelor Nation star Ali Fedotowsky-Manno. She rose to fame after competing in The Bachelor Season 14 and subsequently starred as the lead in The Bachelorette Season 6.
Spoiler alert: The reality TV star swiftly exits Episode 2 of Special Forces after medics advise her to get an X-ray due to a hand injury.
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This was unfortunate since the former bachelorette had spent two months prepping for her appearance on the show, undergoing a complete body transformation.
Fedotowsky-Manno updated fans on the hand injury in an Instagram post, confirming it was just a bad sprain.
Trista Sutter
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
The latest season of Special Forces features Trista Sutter, the original Bachelorette. This reality TV star, who tied the knot with the show’s winner, Ryan Sutter, is now a proud mother of two children.
Spoiler alert: Sutter voluntarily withdrew during the January 15, 2025, episode after the beach exercises led to hypothermia. In an exclusive interview with People, Sutter confessed that the beach was a breaking point for her, and she felt like she would faint any second.
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The former bachelorette believes the show was not her cup of tea and even expressed her gratitude to fellow recruits Golden Tate, Nathan Adrian, and Cam Newton for helping her along the way.
During an appearance on a December 2024 episode of the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, Sutter revealed she decided to go on Special Forces to rediscover herself after being a stay-at-home mom for 18 years.
Golden Tate
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
Spoiler alert: Former NFL wide receiver Golden Tate is the last recruit to fail on the Fox reality show.
Despite persevering the whole season by using his athletic background to his advantage, DS declares him “done” when he is forced to walk off a plank into the water — a challenge meant to push the recruits to the extent of physical humiliation.
The former wide receiver played for the Seattle Seahawks, during which he earned a Super Bowl ring in 2013. Tate went on to play for the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, and the New York Giants before retiring in 2021.
Kyla Pratt
Image credits:FOX/Getty Images
American actress Kyla Pratt is widely known for her voice acting role playing Penny Proud on Disney Channel’s The Proud Family.
Spoiler alert: Pratt is the 10th recruit to leave the show, which is impressive considering she has struggled from the start.
Pratt told Decider that she had hit her limit on the eighth day when the recruits had to hike up a mountain with backpacks filled to the brim with heavy rocks.
By that point, the One on One star was suffering from a sinus infection, a hurt hamstring, and possibly a previously undiagnosed case of asthma.
Christy Carlson Romano
Image credits: FOX/Getty Images
Rounding up the Special Forces recruits is former Disney Channel star Christy Carlson Romano. She is best known for her role as Ren Stevens on Even Stevens and for voicing the titular character in the Kim Possible animated series.
In an exclusive interview with US Weekly, the actress and podcast host shared that she had spent significant time training with her husband, a marine veteran before the show.
Spoiler alert: Carlson Romano exits the show after DS Mark “Billy” Billingham orders her to leave, deeming her a liability.
The actress confessed to US Weekly she had no plans of quitting and felt that this season of Special Forces was “a bigger, badder, bolder season than the other seasons.”
FAQ
Is Special Forces coming back?
As of February 2025, Fox has not officially renewed Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test for Season 4.
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