‘Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test’ Recruits Speak Out After Dramatic Finale

[Warning: The below contains spoilers for Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 3 finale.]

The five remaining recruits of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test geared up for their final tasks in hopes of surviving Selection. As seen throughout the season, the Directing Staff (DS) were not going to make it easy. Golden Tate, Alana Blanchard, Brody Jenner, Cam Newton and Kayla Nicole were shown videos of their loved ones. This put them in an emotional headspace as they fought the “Redman” and channeled their inner aggression. 

From there, they broke off into Team Alpha and Bravo as they were sent out in the field where they had to go o the run after being hunted by the “enemy” and dogs. Their mission was to make it to the extraction point on time before midnight. The five famous faces were all eventually captured and faced interrogation, working to stick to their cover story. 

These special interrogators led by “The Umpire,” who couldn’t be identified for security reasons, worked to break the recruits. When the final group were exposed to continuous uncomfortable sounds like crying babies, it triggered Blanchard enough to bow out. The final stage was perhaps the most traumatizing, the solo interrogation. Newton and Tate failed the final test with Jenner and Nicole passing Selection. 

We caught up with the two about their journey and what making it to the end meant to them. 

Brody Jenner

How did it feel when you found out you survived and passed Selection? 

Brody Jenner: I was delusional. We hadn’t slept for what felt like 24 hours. It was a grueling experience. It took a while for it to sink in to be honest. It didn’t sink in until the flight home. The whole experience was really wild. 

Did it mean more to share this with Kayla? 

Absolutely. I wish there were more people I could have shared it with. I wanted everyone to make it to the end. We were all cheering for each other. I was surprised. I thought Cam and Golden were going to make it. So seeing just her and me, I was surprised. I was excited to see her. Her mental toughness was incredible. I wasn’t surprised to see her, but I was surprised not seeing the others. 

During the family video, I think I heard your mom mention this wasn’t something she wanted you to initially do. What was her reaction that you made it to the end? 

My family was thrilled. I was going out there to make my family proud and get out there and complete the course. I wanted that more than anything. When they told me to go out there and give it 110 percent, I did it every single day I was there. My family was really proud of me. They would have been proud of me still if I left halfway through or the beginning. The fact I could make it to the end for my family was great. 

Coming from a famous family and you in the headlines as the reality TV star, how freeing was it for you to be out there away from the noise? 

Definitely. I’ve never put myself through a task like that. To see where my mental toughness is at and physical conditioning abilities are against these pro athletes. I’ve never done that in my life. It was very freeing. You get out there, and it’s extremely difficult, but I think you grow. You grow as a person and learn about yourself as a person from that experience. If you ask anyone, they will say the thing. You’re doing it for yourself. 

Has this helped strengthen family bonds because they saw what you were going through, whether it was opening up about your dad and your relationship. This put it out there where maybe they have never seen the pain and struggle you were going through. 

I’ve lived a very blessed life. I’m not one to sit and complain ever. When they put you in these situations, you are sort of forced to talk about a lot of this stuff. It also brings a lot out. You become vulnerable when you haven’t slept in days and put thorough a physical test. I’ve lived a great life. Yes, I’ve had some issues over the course of my life with my dad, but a lot of people have. In the grand scheme of life, everything is great now. I have a beautiful family. That’s what I’m most focused on. Life is pretty good. Going on a show like that and being vulnerable, I think everyone should be vulnerable from time-to-time. It’s okay to feel sad and go through those things. It’s all good. 

What do you think got you through? 

I wanted it. I wanted it more. At the end of the day, I can’t explain to you how badly I wanted to make it to the end. I manifested that. I put in 110 percent every single day. I took the entire course very seriously. I wanted it more than anything in life that moment. The only way I was going to not make it in the competition was die or they were going to physically remove me or I got injured. That was the only way I was getting out of there. I keep myself in pretty good physical condition. I’m not crazy, but I do train and surf and  lead a very active lifestyle. So when it came to train for this, I did a little bit. But nothing prepares for what you go through. At the end of the day, you just have to want it. 

Do you find this may have changed perceptions about you from the public eye? 

I hope so. I’m in my own little bubble, so I don’t pay attention to all the noise out there. I hope so though that anyone who watched and learned or gained something from watching me go through all that. It was one of the reasons why I did it. Just to see a different side of me than the normal reality shows I’ve been on in the past. This was a completely different side of who I am. 

What did you take from this experience? 

It’s grateful to be alive. Time is so valuable. The most precious thing we have is time. I learned that as I get older. This experience brought me closer to my family and made me appreciate them that much more. I just love them so much and want to spend all my time with them. That experience helped me realize that. You can really do anything you truly set your mind to. If you want something so bad, I learned I can accomplish it and anyone can. 

As far as reality TV, would you do it again whether it is a docuseries or a competition series? 

It’s interesting. I was thinking about this the other day. I would be interested in filming a reality type of show for YouTube or something that shows my actual life and what I do. My day-to-day and not some scripted reality television show. Maybe I would do something like that, but to be honest, we’ll see. I’ve been doing reality TV for a long time. Music is my passion. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past 20 years. We’ll see. We could film a show about that too. I’ve been putting bits of music out over the years. I’m such a perfectionist about my music. I just have to release it more, but that’s something I’m going to continue to do and traveling and DJ. I love it. 

You have a very unique friend group. Do you recommend anyone do this next? Maybe a Spencer [Pratt]? 

I would love for Spencer to do this. When I told him I had this opportunity, he said, “You better do it.” I think what he said was, “I’d love to do it. It would be a vacation for me.” I would love to see how this “vacation” would be for Spencer. It’s no vacation. I’ll tell you that. I actually think he would do very well. Spencer would kill it. I’d love to watch. 

Kayla Nicole

What was going through your mind when you found you’d passed the interrogation? 

Kayla Nicole: From my memory, I was so disoriented that when the DS announced I had passed I was emotionless, zero expression on my face because I was so physically exhausted, and frankly, traumatized from the 24 hours we had. The interrogation process is by far the hardest part of this entire experience. I was really proud I made it to the end. I wish I’d shown it more, but I was just in shock. That’s how exhausting this experience was for sure. 

There is that experience you had with the “Red Man” where you kind of had some blacked out rage. Who or what were you picturing in that moment? 

The DS does a really good job of prepping you for these simulations where you can go to a place to tap into the side of yourself you’ve never seen before. The prompt was to imagine this person was a threat to you or your family. For me, I was envisioning they were a threat to my sisters. If you want to bring out the animal in me, that will bring it out to me every single time, apparently. 

Take me through those hours of interrogation. What was especially triggering for you? 

First of all it’s freezing cold and hot. You have these insane noises in your ears, the pigs are oinking, babies are crying and people are screaming. They are put in strenuous positions, so you can’t fall asleep. I remember one of my other recruits gave us a note that during interrogation try and sing a song to self-sooth you. I planned to sing “Staring at the blank page before you…” That was my go-to song. I don’t know how long into my interrogation that was. I couldn’t think of the words or harmony because I was so out of it. I just started to name my family members. I just needed something to take me out of the room I was in and discomfort I was feeling. I tried to ground myself in that moment. I wanted to quit the whole time. They took me outside for a portion of the interrogation where I saw the daylight that made me realize we were almost at the finish line. That I just had to hold on just a little bit longer. 

What were those hours and days after as you transitioned back to society? 

Speaking of decompressing, they put you in contact with someone like a therapist that checks on you every so often because there is a little bit of PTSD. When I first got back to my hotel room, I kind of sat on my bed for a good 15 minutes rocking and self-soothing until I snapped out of it. I took a really long hot shower. I ordered a burger and beer and slept for like 20 hours. Then once I got back to the States, I took out those raggedy braids that turned into dreadlocks and got my hair done. That was the first thing on my agenda. 

When you do a Google search of you, you often will get Travis Kelce’s ex. Things like that. Do you find this show has helped move forward from that and show who you are as a individual? 

My birth certificate says Kayla Nicole Brown. That’s my name. I don’t respond to any other titles beyond that these days. I think I’m really thankful for this opportunity because a lot of times there is the thought that your success is tied to someone you are in close proximity too. This experience. You can’t do that. I earned this. I fought through this, and this is my title to keep. 

What did you take from this process? 

I learned from this that I am so much stronger mentally than I ever imagined. I would consider myself a physically fit person. I know that physically I have strength for sure, but my mental fortitude was tested. I proved I could be stronger than my emotions and that they are fleeting. That I don’t have to allow my emotions to overtake me. That I’m able to conquer life one day at a time because of who I am. 

I saw a turning point for you where it just became routine to get through these experiences. You were even trying to keep Alana in the game so she wouldn’t quit. How was it taking that leadership position in that moment? 

I think a lot of times too it was my own intrusive thoughts and conversations I was having with myself. I’m telling Alana she has to stay and can’t leave. That she was stronger than what you’re feeling in these moments. Really, those were conversations I was having with myself. I’m really typically an outspoken extrovert. I feel like in this experience and on this show, I was so quiet. It’s really because I’m trying to talk myself off the quitting cliff. I’m trying keep myself calm, ground myself. Me encouraging other people was also me encouraging myself. 

Are you still in touch with others? 

We definitely have a Special Forces group chat. We talk almost every episode. We jokingly say we are going to take a trip to Cabo to let our hair down a little bit and not have our last experience be torture, but we are definitely in touch. 

What’s next? Another reality show you want to tackle? 

I consider myself a multi-hyphenate, so I have my hands in a lot of bags. I’m currently hosting I’m Athlete Daily with Brandon Marshall on Revolt TV. I’m launching a podcast of my own with Dear Media. I have my own fitness and wellness brand called Tribe Therepe that I’m really proud of. In terms fo reality TV,I don’t think I’m meant for that. I don’t think anything that will have camera on me 24/7 just me and my mouth. I need a little bit less camera time than that. If I had to pick one, I’d pick Dancing with the Stars. I love the glitz, glam, and sparkle. 

How was it sharing this achievement with Brody? 

I’m so thankful to have had Brody as a partner in that last challenge. Honestly, I don’t know if I would have made it to the end without him. He was a great accountability partner, a great leader. He is a great guy who has been through a lot in the public eye. I was proud of him, proud to be his partner, proud to have been left standing with him. This was the most insane experience of my life, but also deeply gratifying because I’m leaving this feeling like a more confident self-assured version of myself. I’m deeply thankful for that.