Mauricio Umansky told PEOPLE he has no regrets about leaving Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, even though quitting was not how he wanted the experience to end.
The 56-year-old real estate executive’s departure aired October 15, after four days of training in the Malaysian jungle.
His daughter Alexia, 30, joined him after producers suggested recruiting one of his children. He proposed her name, and she agreed immediately.
They were among 15 celebrities taking part in the fifth season, with training overseen by former special-forces operatives. Under FOX’s format, there is no voting. Recruits leave voluntarily, through failure or injury, or at the directing staff’s discretion.
He Left Before the Gas-Chamber Challenge
In an interview with PEOPLE, Umansky said former NBA player Matt Barnes cracked his rib during a boxing challenge. He completed two more tasks afterward, but the approaching gas-chamber exercise made him reconsider continuing.
Having watched that challenge in earlier seasons, he expected severe coughing and feared it would worsen the damage. At the time, he suspected a fracture instead of knowing the extent of his injury.
Umansky said he wanted to announce his withdrawal directly to the directing staff instead of waiting for a doctor to remove him. His recovery eventually took 10 weeks.
In a separate interview, he questioned whether he could have endured more pain. “I don’t know, in hindsight, if it was a great decision,” he told Entertainment Weekly about leaving when he did.
Alexia Gave Him a Reason to Keep Going
Watching Alexia confront unfamiliar conditions and overcome her fears became Umansky’s biggest motivation to stay. He described their time together as “priceless” and said he wanted to witness her growth firsthand. Leaving meant separating from her while she remained in training.
Umansky described running, pushups, punishments and inadequate meals between the main challenges, leaving recruits physically and mentally exhausted before their next assignment.
Umansky recalled having a scorpion on his leg, an incident that never reached viewers. He said some conversations among the recruits were also omitted.
After leaving the show, Umansky called estranged wife Kyle Richards and Alexia’s husband, Jake, to reassure them about how she was doing. He said the update helped ease their concerns.
Richards had been anxious about their participation, but Umansky credited her with encouraging their daughter despite those fears. He said his relatives were following the episodes and were proud of them.
Alexia Told Her Father About the Assault During Filming
During tactical questioning in the episode broadcast October 8, Alexia said a trusted friend had assaulted her on a trip seven years earlier. She said she was intoxicated and had lacked the consciousness to consent. She had not previously told her family.
Alexia said she wanted to prove her own strength and courage through the competition. She explained that she had not been ready to discuss what happened and had wanted to protect her parents from the pain. After speaking with the directing staff, she returned to the barracks and told Mauricio and the other recruits.
Umansky told EW that he wanted to hug and kiss his daughter when she disclosed the assault. “I watched the show by myself and I was bawling,” he said of seeing the episode later. He also expressed pride in her courage.
“The love and support have been overwhelming, but in the sweetest way,” Alexia wrote in an October 9 Instagram Story, reported by Us Weekly. She reassured people who recognized their own experiences in hers that they were not alone and encouraged them to remember that their lives encompassed far more than the traumatic events they had experienced.