So, if Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test is supposed to be a series where people from many walks of celebrity life test themselves, why does it feel like they’re giving up too easily?
It’s not to say that his process isn’t grueling. You wouldn’t catch me stepping foot anywhere near that type of boot camp, and it’s not something I would likely be able to physically handle for several reasons.
However, one thing that the previous seasons had going for them was that people had an inkling of what to expect, and their reasons for being there felt grounded in something.
Now, with so many contenders, it’s challenging to get a personal read on this.
The series has given a lot of attention to more controversial or recognizable people, such as Jussie Smollett and Teresa Giudice. Still, the others fade into the background with little to no real presence.
And sure, maybe part of the goal is to trim the fat, so to speak, and watch people drop like flies before we focus on the contestants genuinely working through this and get to the bottom of why they’re really there.
It’s just that, thus far, they’ve devoted so much time to checking in with Teresa or Jussie, volleying between the idea that they’re divas or set up for failure in some capacity or another, and many of the other contestants are just — there.
Sadly, the second installment was no different. But my issue here is that I don’t know why any of the other contestants are there, what motivates them, or anything about them.
There are ways to edit these episodes that still provide insight into some of the others, and it would make their particular journeys worthwhile if we actually got to see how they struggle or face the challenges they’re facing in the beginning, assuming they’re sticking around to the end.
We spent more time on the horribly filtered versions of Teresa and Jussie, which resembled something ripped out of the movie Pleasantville, discussing their highly publicized issues, than getting a feel for any of the other contestants in the present.
And outside of Eva Marcille’s terrifying ordeal with the water challenge, and Jussie’s genuine upset that he was letting people down twice, we didn’t get to feel how deeply that affected other contestants.
Just like the intensity of the contestants fighting each other didn’t land (pardon the pun) as much as it could have.
Ravi Patel was like The Winter Soldier activated, far too intense in that challenge for it to go undiscussed or explored more, either in the room with Staff or with more conversations with the camera or his peers.
His Fight response was triggered immediately, enough to pique viewers’ interest, yet we got nothing on it. Meanwhile, Shawn Johnson East took that hit to the nose and was visibly fighting some demons amid all of that, but we got little.
Andrew East, knowing his wife, but still being a touch clingy when it comes to her, suggests there’s more there, but it’s little touched on just yet.
These are little bits that they could focus on in some capacity, so that it naturally flows by the time they’re in the hot seat.
We got a lot of Eva and Jussie’s friendship, which was nice. Their connection is endearing enough, but that only means that in her absence, Jussie won’t have a support system, and it already seems like that Jussie vs Kody thing is brewing.
The series is interestingly talking around his public scandal a lot.
They barely scratch the surface of it, and I’m surprised to see the lack of commentary from Staff or others, even though some of their facial expressions at times give them away.
But Netflix’s The Truth About Jussie Smollett documentary was a fascinating watch, more illuminating on the issue than we’ve seen at large.
There’s a tragedy in the fact that there are so many questionable things about the scandal beyond his involvement in it, and yet, it’ll likely never be explored in a way it needs to —
Most viewers watching this will only see this, an edit that at times depicts him as a diva or someone who can’t hack it, and a level of dancing around a topic rather than charging through it — and I’m not sure what to make of what either the show or Smollett is trying to get out of this.
Similarly, things with Teresa Giudice seemed so surface-level that it was incredibly underwhelming and a letdown when she quit to avoid seeing her daughter in the situation they both signed up for.
There’s a frustrating inauthenticity that has wormed its way into this season, unlike before, which makes it less compelling.
It feels like Teresa stepped out of the way to let her daughter take the spotlight — as if she were the gatekeeper, pushing Gia forward. The show essentially reaffirms this, as both Staff and Gia agree that her mother was holding her back.
Gia’s position as the eldest of four, trying to keep things together in her parents’ absence, actually had some moments of feeling vulnerable and real, similarly with the idea that she may parent her mother, too, but the mechanisms that got us there feel fake or maybe underbaked.
It’s as disappointing as seeing so many people flame out. You don’t want to dismiss the mental struggles that are happening (as with Eva).
Still, it feels like a lot of histrionics, hysteria, and curated reality TV drama overshadowing the grit and rawness that this particular series usually has.
Has Special Forces: Most Toughest Test been infected?
It feels that way. Like a very specific subgenre of reality TV formatting has overtaken this one — and the agendas feel less raw and self-serving in a compelling way, and more manufactured and transparent.
It’s like yelling into the void sometimes — so if you’re out there, holler back.
Comments, shares, and good vibes all keep this little ship afloat. Thanks for reading.
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