George Santos lasted only two days on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, but one of his earliest struggles on the Fox competition has followed him well beyond the Malaysian jungle.
The former New York congressman says the viral clip of him struggling to pull himself onto a pontoon quickly became material for a private group chat that includes friends from entertainment, his everyday life and, according to Santos, sitting members of Congress. He did not identify any of the lawmakers in the chat.
One of the jokes centered on Oliver Hudson, who had been ordered to help Santos out of the water after the opening helicopter challenge. Santos told Entertainment Weekly that friends teased him for falling back into the water because he wanted Hudson to help him again, a reaction Santos admitted he found funny.
During the October 1 episode, Santos voluntarily withdrew before a challenge suspended hundreds of feet above the jungle after saying pain and numbness in his right leg left him worried that he could lose his footing.
Santos Says Sitting Members of Congress Were in the Group Chat
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The pontoon mishap came during the season premiere after the recruits dropped backward from a hovering helicopter into open water. Santos completed the jump but then repeatedly struggled to lift himself onto the platform as members of the Directing Staff urged him to move faster.
Hudson was eventually told to assist him. Entertainment Weekly’s pre-premiere footage showed Hudson getting Santos onto the pontoon before Santos slipped backward into the water again.
When EW asked about the reaction afterward, Santos said he was already “very aware” of the memes but that his own group chat had gone further. He said the chat contains people from Congress, entertainment and outside both worlds, with friends joking that his second fall had more to do with Hudson than exhaustion.
He Withdrew Before the 300-Foot Ladder Challenge
By the second day of training, the problem had shifted from embarrassment to pain. Before the next mission, Santos told the Directing Staff that he could no longer put normal weight on his right leg and that his foot was going numb.
PEOPLE’s episode recap reported that Santos said he had reached his physical limit and needed to stop before injuring himself further. He voluntarily withdrew before attempting the challenge.
The course required recruits to climb down a ladder suspended 300 feet above the jungle canopy, retrieve a supply bag and return to the top. Santos later told EW that heights themselves were not the reason he stopped, he said he was afraid numbness in his leg could cause him to slip while suspended above the jungle.
He also said his tears after withdrawing came from frustration because he wanted to continue. Santos told EW that a later medical examination identified a lower-back problem that he said was affecting his sciatic nerve and making it difficult for him to walk.
LeSean McCoy and Ruby Rose Also Left During the Episode
Santos was one of three recruits whose time on the course ended during the October 1 installment. Former NFL player LeSean McCoy left earlier after refusing to continue under the show’s outdoor bathroom conditions, according to PEOPLE.
Ruby Rose later withdrew after concerns about a previous neck injury resurfaced. During the jungle portion of the episode, Rose hit her head while getting into a vehicle and said she felt a “crunch” in her neck. She ultimately decided against continuing through the day’s remaining physical demands.
The official Fox listing identifies the episode as “Duty” and confirms that day two centered first on retrieving supplies from the ladder 300 feet above the jungle canopy and then navigating a demanding obstacle course through the jungle.
Those departures left 11 recruits still on the course, including Oliver Hudson, Candace Cameron Bure, Hannah Stocking, David Charvet, Collin Gosselin, Bre Tiesi and father-daughter duo Mauricio and Alexia Umansky.
Santos Says He Already Wants Another Shot at the Show
Despite withdrawing so early, Santos told EW that his biggest regret was not being able to stay long enough to attempt the ladder challenge. He said he had wanted to push through the pain but became concerned that continuing could worsen the problem.
Santos also told the outlet that he has already pitched the idea of returning to Special Forces to “everyone under the sun,” although no future appearance has been announced.