Spoiler warning: this guide covers every exit up to episode 5 of season 5, which aired on 22 October 2026.
Fifteen celebrities went into the Malaysian jungle for season 5 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, and five were gone inside four episodes. One was medically withdrawn on the first day, three quit in a single episode, and a reality TV dad handed back his armband with a damaged rib. This is who’s still in, who’s out and why, how the show works, and who has passed it before.
After episode 5 (22 October): 10 of the 15 recruits are still in. Nobody left in episode 5, which ended with David Charvet and Matt Barnes sent on a roughly 5-mile night trek through the jungle after failing to find their kit and camp.
Next: episode 6, ‘Breaking Point’, Thursday 29 October at 9pm ET on FOX (noon Friday in Sydney). We’ll update this after every episode.
- Show: Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, FOX (the US version of SAS: Who Dares Wins)
- Premiere: Thursday 24 September 2026
- When it’s on: Thursdays, 9pm ET on FOX. In Sydney that’s noon Friday, or 1pm Friday once US clocks go back on 1 November
- Filmed in: the jungles of Malaysia
- Recruits: 15 celebrities; 10 left after episode 5
- Directing staff: Rudy Reyes, Jason ‘Foxy’ Fox, Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham, Jovon ‘Q’ Quarles
- Prize: none. Recruits who make it to the end pass the course
Who’s still in Special Forces season 5?
Ten recruits were still in the course at the end of episode 5 (USA Today Network; Wikipedia).
| Recruit | Known for |
|---|---|
| Alycia Baumgardner | World champion boxer |
| Matt Barnes | Former NBA player and podcaster |
| Candace Cameron Bure | Actress (Full House) |
| David Charvet | Actor (Baywatch) and entrepreneur |
| Collin Gosselin | Jon & Kate Plus 8 |
| Oliver Hudson | Actor |
| Maxim Naumov | Olympic figure skater |
| Hannah Stocking | Comedian |
| Bre Tiesi | Selling Sunset |
| Alexia Umansky | Buying Beverly Hills |
Who has left Special Forces season 5?
| Recruit | Known for | Exit |
|---|---|---|
| Brandi Glanville | Real Housewives of Beverly Hills | Ep 1: medically withdrawn |
| LeSean McCoy | Former NFL running back | Ep 2: quit |
| George Santos | Former congressman | Ep 2: quit |
| Ruby Rose | Actress | Ep 2: quit |
| Mauricio Umansky | Buying Beverly Hills | Ep 4: quit |
Episode 1: Brandi Glanville
The first test was a dive from a helicopter into a lake. Glanville over-rotated, hit the water hard and told the staff her sternum felt cracked. A medic ruled she couldn’t go on, and she was medically withdrawn on day one (MEAWW).
Episode 2: LeSean McCoy, George Santos and Ruby Rose
Three recruits went in one episode. McCoy, the former NFL running back, quit after refusing to use the outdoor toilet. Santos withdrew at a task that had recruits climb down a 300-foot ladder over the jungle and bring a 17 lb supply bag back up inside five minutes, citing his leg and sciatica; Billy Billingham called him a waste of space. Rose hit her head and felt a crunch in her neck, which she had broken doing stunts in 2019, and tapped out before the paired assault course (E! News).
Episode 3: nobody
Thirteen recruits started episode 2 after McCoy’s exit and 11 started episode 4, so all 11 made it through episode 3.
Episode 4: Mauricio Umansky
On day five the staff announced a chemical warfare simulation. Umansky, 56, was already struggling to walk with a rib injury and feared the coughing would break it further, so he withdrew, leaving his daughter Alexia to carry on alone (E! News).
Episode 5: nobody
All 10 stayed. The episode ended with David Charvet and Matt Barnes facing an extra trek of about five miles through the jungle in the dark after they failed to find their kit and camp (USA Today Network).
Episode guide
Air dates are US dates on FOX. FOX had listed seven episodes when we checked; we’ll add the finale date when it’s confirmed.
| Episode | Aired |
|---|---|
| 1. Jungle Warfare | 24 Sep: Glanville out |
| 2. Duty | 1 Oct: McCoy, Santos, Rose out |
| 3. Trust | 8 Oct: nobody out |
| 4. Leadership | 15 Oct: M. Umansky out |
| 5. Grit | 22 Oct: nobody out |
| 6. Breaking Point | 29 Oct |
| 7. Survival | 5 Nov |
How Special Forces works
The show is FOX’s version of the British series SAS: Who Dares Wins, and borrows its instructors. The directing staff, known as the DS, run the recruits through a shortened course built on parts of real US Special Forces selection (Wikipedia).
There are no votes and no elimination rounds. Recruits leave in one of three ways: they quit (a ‘voluntary withdrawal’, or VW, which means handing back their numbered armband), a medic pulls them out, or the DS disqualify them for failing part of the course. The last two episodes are always the same: escape and evasion while being hunted, then capture and interrogation. Anyone still standing at the end passes.
There’s no prize money. Passing is the prize.
Who has won Special Forces before?
Strictly, nobody wins: recruits pass or fail. Only two or three a season have made it to the end.
| Season | Passed |
|---|---|
| 1 (2023, Jordan) | Hannah Brown, Carli Lloyd |
| 2 (2023, New Zealand) | Tyler Cameron, Erin Jackson, Nick Viall |
| 3 (2025, Wales) | Kayla Nicole, Brody Jenner |
| 4 (2025, Morocco) | Shawn Johnson East, Gia Giudice |
Season 4’s finale came down to five recruits after almost 24 hours without sleep, then a capture and interrogation, and only gymnast Shawn Johnson East and Gia Giudice got through it.
Could you pass it?
The show is built on a shortened selection course, so the tests are short, sharp and miserable rather than long: a dive from a helicopter, a 300-foot ladder against the clock, a chemical warfare simulation, navigation in the dark on no sleep. Our read is that the recruits who last aren’t always the fittest. The ones who go early tend to be carrying an injury or decide on day two that they don’t want to be there.
If you want the physical side covered, the engine and the grip matter most. Start with our military calisthenics workout, the beep test and the dead hang. For what cold, heat and sleep loss do to the body, see our guide to how far the human body can go.
Special Forces season 5: FAQ
Who won Special Forces season 5?
Nobody yet. The season is still airing, and recruits pass rather than win. We’ll name everyone who passes when the finale airs.
Who quit Special Forces season 5?
LeSean McCoy, George Santos and Ruby Rose quit in episode 2, and Mauricio Umansky in episode 4. Brandi Glanville was medically withdrawn in episode 1.
Where was Special Forces season 5 filmed?
Malaysia. Earlier seasons were filmed in Jordan, New Zealand, Wales and Morocco.
Who are the Special Forces instructors?
Rudy Reyes, a former US Recon Marine; Jason ‘Foxy’ Fox, ex-Special Boat Service; Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham, an ex-SAS sergeant major; and Jovon ‘Q’ Quarles, a former Navy SEAL.
Is there a prize on Special Forces?
No. There’s no prize money; recruits who reach the end pass the course.
What time is Special Forces on?
Thursdays at 9pm ET on FOX. In Sydney that’s noon on Friday, or 1pm from 6 November after US clocks go back.
Sources: Wikipedia, Page Six, E! News, USA Today Network. Update log: 24 October 2026, first published after episode 5.
