George Santos joins cast of FOX's ‘Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test’
Brody Jenner, Kayla Nicole on 'Special Forces'
Recruits, including Brody Jenner and Kayla Nicole, will tackle physical and mental challenges, including resisting interrogation on the season finale of "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test."
LOS ANGELES - FOX is sending another group of celebrities into one of television's most demanding reality competitions with Season 5 of "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test."
The latest installment of the military-inspired competition is relocating to Malaysia, where 15 celebrity recruits will face the unforgiving conditions of the jungle while attempting to complete challenges modeled after the real-life Special Forces selection process.
Unlike traditional reality competitions, "Special Forces" features no public voting and no weekly eliminations. Instead, participants leave only if they voluntarily withdraw, are medically unable to continue, fail the required tasks, or are dismissed by the show's directing staff.
Celebrities joining ‘Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test’
Big picture view:
This season's recruits will be pushed through a series of physically and mentally demanding exercises, including searching an underground bunker for military weapons in a claustrophobic environment, retrieving supplies while suspended 300 feet above the jungle floor, and navigating chemical gas exposure while collecting coordinates tied to an enemy vessel.
The recruits will once again be trained and evaluated by an elite team of former Special Forces operatives: Rudy Reyes, Billy Billingham, Jason "Foxy" Fox and Jovon "Q" Quarles.
Contestant George Santos on Season Five of "Special Forces." (Credit: PETE DADDS / FOX. ©2026 FOX Media LLC)
Season 5's celebrity lineup spans sports, entertainment, reality television and politics:
- Matt Barnes (NBA champion and podcaster)
- Alycia Baumgardner (world champion boxer)
- Candace Cameron Bure (actress)
- David Charvet (actor)
- Brandi Glanville (reality TV personality)
- Collin Gosselin (former TV personality)
- Oliver Hudson (actor)
- LeSean McCoy (Super Bowl champion)
- Maxim Naumov (Olympic figure skater)
- Ruby Rose (actor)
- George Santos (former U.S. congressman)
- Hannah Stocking (comedian and social media personality)
- Bre Tiesi ("Selling Sunset")
- Alexia Umansky ("Buying Beverly Hills")
- Mauricio Umansky ("Buying Beverly Hills")
George Santos joins FOX’s ‘Special Forces’
Dig deeper:
Some viewers on social media were most surprised to learn that former politician George Santos had joined the FOX series.
"I took my fat behind off the coach and tried something new!," Santos wrote in a post on X along with a promotional image of himself. "And it changed EVERYTHING! I can’t wait to share this experience with y’all!"
RELATED: Brody Jenner opens up about ‘Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test’: ‘A wild experience’
Santos was elected to the House from New York in 2022 as a Republican, but he wound up serving less than a year in the office after it was revealed he had fabricated much of his life story. He was expelled from Congress while facing criminal charges over stealing from donors and his campaign, fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits and lying to Congress about his wealth.
He pleaded guilty but had his sentence commuted by President Donald Trump after serving around 84 days in prison. He later tried to reboot his political career with another run for the House but quickly abandoned the run after raising no money.
When will Season 5 of ‘Special Forces’ premiere?
What's next:
Season 5 of "Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test" will premiere Thursday, September 24 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. Episodes will stream the next day on Hulu.
The Source: This station is owned by FOX Corporation. This story was reported from Los Angeles. FOX Entertainment, The Associated Press contributed.