{"id":264701,"date":"2026-09-23T17:36:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T17:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/23\/george-santos-explains-why-special-forces-was-harder-than-prison-this-challenges-you\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T17:36:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T17:36:27","slug":"george-santos-explains-why-special-forces-was-harder-than-prison-this-challenges-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/23\/george-santos-explains-why-special-forces-was-harder-than-prison-this-challenges-you\/","title":{"rendered":"George Santos Explains Why \u2018Special Forces\u2019 Was \u2018Harder\u2019 Than Prison: \u2018This Challenges You\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"


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For former politician George Santos, <\/b>the Special Forces: World\u2019s Toughest Test <\/i><\/a>course was an even bigger challenge than going to prison.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, prison was hard. This was harder,\u201d Santos, 38, exclusively told Us <\/i>ahead of the Special Forces <\/i>season 5 premiere. \u201c<\/span>This challenges you. I mean, prison tortures you \u2026 [but] this really demands you to actually show up all the time, whereas in our broken incarceratory system in this country, you\u2019re just meat.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Santos, his past prison experience gave him \u201cawareness and wherewithal to be self-aware\u201d of his surroundings and an idea about living in barracks with his fellow recruits.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember going in, because the setup was so similar<\/a>, I\u2019m like, \u2018No, not this again,\u2019\u201d he quipped. \u201cI think Hannah Stocking<\/b> was sleeping next to me. I think I made a comment like, \u2018Oh no, not this setup again.\u2019 And they were like, \u2018What do you mean?\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018I was in prison, this is how we slept.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Ali Fedotowsky Says \u2018Special Forces\u2019 Bathroom Smell Was \u2018Horrendous\u2019<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tOne lesson the stars of Special Forces: World\u2019s Toughest Test have learned is that rough living conditions can be just as tough to handle as the challenges. Celebrities are pushed to their physical and mental limits by undergoing military training on the Fox competition series. The show\u2019s first two seasons placed its casts in two [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The former New York congressman was convicted of fraud and identity theft in April 2025, where he was sentenced to seven years behind bars. After Santos served 84 days in jail, President Donald Trump <\/b>signed a commutation that facilitated his immediate release.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly one year later, Santos underwent Special Forces <\/i>selection<\/span><\/a>, a military-style training course led by retired army veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>I walked in knowing it was going to be an uphill battle for me because these are celebrities, people with very public lives, and they\u2019re trying to do the job, get the next job, and brand safety is a big thing,\u201d he told Us<\/i>. \u201cI\u2019m like a nuclear football, so I figured nobody\u2019s gonna want to talk to me. There were some cold initial introductions that evolved later on into the show, and I was humbled by that.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to Stocking, 34, Santos appeared on Special Forces<\/i><\/span><\/a> <\/i>alongside Candace Cameron Bure, Oliver Hudson, Ruby Rose, Collin Gosselin <\/b>and father-daughter duo Mauricio <\/b>and Alexia Umansky.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cThe conversations post-show were very positive. My fellow cast members have been amazing and phenomenal to interact with and build relationships with,\u201d Santos said. \u201cBut my favorite person in the cast \u2014 I know we shouldn\u2019t do these things, but I\u2019ll just say it, I don\u2019t care \u2014 it was Candace. She\u2019s such an awesome person, I genuinely love her. I mean, DJ Tanner [from Full House<\/i>], how could you not?\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>George Santos Claps Back at ‘All the Haters’ Over ‘Special Forces’ Casting<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tFormer politician George Santos has defended his participation on the upcoming season of Special Forces: World\u2019s Toughest Test. \u201cTo all the haters talking about me being fat or @BrandiGlanville\u2019s skin and wishing ill on\u00a0@candacecbure amongst the other mean horrible things in the comment section, you could not walk a day in any of our shoes,\u201d [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

He continued, \u201cI am so glad I went through this experience with the group of people I went through it with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Santos further noted that he went on the show to prove \u201cwho I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>This was a \u2018please look past the headlines and tabloids\u2019 kind of thing. That\u2019s all it really came down to,\u201d he stated. \u201cI feel like I gave everything I could have given. \u2026 And, I would do this all over again, because now I\u2019d know to prepare \u2014 physically prepare, literally get into better shape.\u201d<\/p>\n

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