The perfect guilty pleasure reality series for any adrenaline junkie has undeniably been Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test – proving that even the strongest soldiers fall. With a captivating competition among 16 swanky celebrities who have been pushed to their limits away from their elite lifestyles, Special Forces ensures a reality check on these enviable stars by dropping them in the middle of the Jordanian desert.
Within just eight episodes, several of the recruits have opted out of the competition after suffering severe injuries and being pushed to exhaustion – both physically, and mentally. From neck pain to broken hands and dehydration, Special Forces has seen several of its stars medically withdrawn from the reality series. Hoping to survive 10 days of training, all these stars push their physical limits to the maximum, and that is exactly what happened to Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy after he fell ill on the most recent episode. What exactly caused the elite jock to be withdrawn from the competition?
Gus Kenworthy’s sudden exit from Special Forces
The latest episode of Special Forces, titled “Courage,” saw baseball legend Mike Piazza opting to drop out, as the second former athlete to leave the assortment of stars. With the episode proceeding as normal, the audience would then see Kenworthy in a life-threatening situation that forced the athlete to officially take his leave from the show. Upon losing his numbered armband, the contestant told the DS — Directing Staff — he had lost the object, to which the former military personnel responded by inflicting additional physical tasks as a form of punishment for leaving his gear behind.
Aiming to punish Kenworthy, Remi Adeleke instructs the athlete on the task, informing him to get completely wet and covered in sand. Kenworthy would also be told to perform 20 burpees. Considering the athlete’s previous record in sports, the task should prove to be nothing but a nuisance, but that was not the case. Upon completing the challenge, Kenworthy fell severely ill, warning Carli Lloyd — another contestant — that he had a “horrible feeling in his chest,” proceeding to violently vomit.
The contestant was immediately taken to the medical tent, where he was given an adrenaline shot right away, seeing improvement not long after. As Kenworthy recovered from the situation, the athlete expanded on his symptoms, admitting he felt like he was suffering from an allergic reaction – to which he would be correct. The voiceover explained that Kenworthy was suffering from a “life-threatening anaphylactic reaction,” and per the medic’s instruction, he should immediately leave the show and be taken to the hospital as he was at risk of a rebound attack of anaphylaxis. Neither Kenworthy nor the medic could pinpoint the source of the severe allergic reaction.
Currently, the show will only remain with the last four contestants – TV personality and author Hannah Brown, former soccer player Carli Lloyd, NBA champion Dwight Howard, and former football player Danny Amendola.
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs on Fox on Wednesdays at 9pm EST.