How Bachelor Nation Has Performed on ‘Special Forces’

Nick Viall, Trista Sutter, Tyler Cameron.

Fighting for a rose in the Bachelor Mansion is far different than fighting for your strength on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.

Since 2023, Fox has been recruiting groups of celebrities to face the harsh reality of winter warfare training.

Some men and women from The Bachelor franchise have signed up for the unique reality show and proven they have what it takes to compete against world-class athletes.

“I don’t want to say [I was a] tomboy, but I secretly liked to surprise people with my athleticism, and I surprised myself sometimes,” The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown told Parade in March 2023 after passing the Special Forces test. “But still, I didn’t think I would be able to hang with professional athletes.”

Meet ‘Special Forces’ Season 3 Cast: Trista Sutter, Stephen Baldwin and More

Since Brown’s impressive accomplishment, Bachelor Nation members including Tyler Cameron, Nick Viall, Trista Sutter and Ali Fedotowsky have rolled up their sleeves for the show.

Keep reading to learn more about their unforgettable experiences:

Hannah Brown

During season 1 of Special Forces, Brown and professional soccer player Carli Lloyd were the only two contestants to pass the test in the finale. (Sixteen stars including athletes Danny Amendola, Gus Kenworthy and Dwight Howard began the show in week one.)

“Someone asked me, like, ‘Who inspired you the most?’ [And] honestly, everyone inspired me at some point in time,” Brown told Us Weekly in January 2023. “We’re all, like, facing a fear or being triggered by something and not wanting to do the thing, but then deciding to do the thing anyway. Doing it scared and watching people do that was just so inspiring to me and made me just really respect them so much more. You saw that in everyone.”

Tyler Cameron

After being inspired by his ex Brown, Cameron decided to sign up for Special Forces season 2. While his experience on The Bachelorette wasn’t a walk in the park, the reality star said training with Special Forces was a whole different ball game.

“Both [shows are] psychological warfare,” Cameron told Us Weekly in November 2023. “But I would definitely say Special Forces is tougher. I get to go to nice exotic places on The Bachelor and do all that stuff. I go to exotic miserable places with Special Forces.”

Although the tasks weren’t easy, they were worth it. Cameron, Viall and Olympics speed skater Erin Jackson all passed in the finale.

Nick Viall

After passing the test in Special Forces’ season 2 finale, Viall reflected on how wild the experience was. According to the “Viall Files” podcast host, he endured “some of the most painful and exhausting moments of my life.”

“It’s just honestly, when I think back about my mental state at those times, it’s surreal to think about,” he told People in November 2023. “Life is full of challenges and to be able to know that you can step up to the plate time and time again is a very rewarding feeling. It’s truly something I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Ali Fedotowsky

Long after becoming ABC’s Bachelorette in 2010, Fedotowsky jumped at the chance to appear on season 3 of Special Forces.

“Doing the show not only changed my life but preparing for the show changed my life,” she shared via her Instagram Story in November 2024. “So many of you have asked me about my body transformation. Honestly, 75 percent of the change happened when I was training for the show. It was my job for two months straight and it’s all I did was work out all day every day.”

In May, Fedotowsky teased via Instagram that she was away for a reality show. “I have so many feelings around it. Crazy emotions around it,” she wrote. “I, honestly, mentally don’t quite feel like myself right now because of it. I promise as soon as I can share, I will. I just can’t right now.”

'Special Forces' Cast's Quotes About the Show's Extreme Living Conditions

Trista Sutter

More than 21 years after appearing on ABC’s first season of The Bachelorette, Sutter agreed to compete on Special Forces. “I feel like this will give me such a good perspective on what I want out of life [and] get back to the real me,” she shared on a November 2024 episode of iHeartRadio’s “Almost Famous” podcast. “Not that I’m not the real [me] with my kids, but get back to who I am at my core, who Trista is, not just Trista as the mom, Trista as the wife, Trista as the friend, whatever. Just who Trista is.”

Sutter also made it clear she had the full support of her husband, Ryan, and their two children.

“Was it a divorce/nervous breakdown/mid-life crisis/death/trial separation back in May?! Not unless that’s what you call Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, season 3!” Sutter joked via Instagram when the cast was announced. “Thankfully, none of those things are associated with my experience in filming the show, but as you get a glimpse of in the trailer, the angel on my shoulder did have to face some pretty big battles.”

Season 3 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test premieres on Fox Wednesday, January 8, at 8 p.m. ET.