Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test episode “Trust.” Read at your own risk!
I’ve said for weeks that Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test is no joke, and that statement was definitely the truest it has ever been in the latest episode. While “Trust” had the fewest participant exits to date, I’d argue that what happened was sadder than what happened to anyone who left in the premiere and the group that left in the following episode. Actress Beverley Mitchell finally withdrew from the experience, and it was hard to watch.
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test has shown voluntary withdrawals before, but there was something different about how Beverley Mitchell had to hand in her armband. Viewers are well aware that the former 7th Heaven cast member often struggled to find self-confidence and occasionally keep up with the physical demands of the program. Day 4 finally handed Mitchell her breaking point and a scary moment as her body seemingly quit on her in the middle of a challenge.
The participants were split into groups and tasked with pushing a vehicle in neutral to a location and carrying its contents up a steep incline. Beverley Mitchell had already taken a nasty spill on the jog up to the challenge and was definitely struggling before the competition even officially got underway. Things reached a climax when she hit the ground while trying to help push the vehicle with her team and struggled to find her way back to her feet afterward.
Beverley Mitchell attempted to stand a few times, but even when she was helped back to her feet, she immediately collapsed back to the ground. Mitchell informed the staff that she was incredibly dizzy and continued to have difficulty maintaining balance or returning to the challenge with her team.
The staff asked what she was going to do, and Beverley Mitchell said she couldn’t continue with the challenge because she feared injury but also didn’t wish to quit. The staff informed her that sitting out the challenge wasn’t an option, so she either had to jump back in or hand in her armband. Mitchell was in tears but finally handed in her armband and was helped over to sit on a rock.
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test has shown a lot of celebrities struggling, but none of those injuries or exits were as hard to watch as this. I truly believe that Beverley Mitchell wanted to remain in the competition, but it seemed her body had just reached its breaking point and wouldn’t allow her to continue any further.
Beverley Mitchell doesn’t have anything to be ashamed of, though, as she made it further than a good number of other participants to date. She even outlasted Olympian Nastia Liukin, and not many people can say they beat an Olympian at a physical challenge. She should be proud of the time she spent on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, even if she didn’t make it to the very end.
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs on Fox on Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. Catch up on the series with a Hulu subscription, and see why this might just be the most entertaining reality show on television right now.
