Bre Tiesi, the Los Angeles real estate agent and “Selling Sunset” star, says competing on Fox’s “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” was one of the most grueling experiences of her life, describing barracks overrun with cobras and scorpions during the show’s fifth season, which was filmed in the Malaysian jungle.
“It was horrific living in those barracks,” Tiesi said in an interview with Decider. “We had cobras, scorpion; we had to kick the can, take a friend, and make sure there was nothing in it. Then you’re sleeping in these sleeping bags, and it’s so hot and miserable. You’re drenched in sweat, but you’re too scared of what might get in your sleeping bag to not wrap and close yourself up. You’re showering with scorpions falling out of trees. It was diabolical.”
Tiesi, who also sells luxury homes around Los Angeles and has her own shoe collaboration, joined the season alongside Ruby Rose, Candace Cameron Bure, Collin Gosselin, George Santos and Oliver Hudson, among other celebrities. The show puts contestants through challenges designed by directing staff Mark “Billy” Billingham, Jason “Foxy” Fox, Rodolfo “Rudy” Reyes and Jovon “Q” Quarles.
She said she signed on despite recovering from a medical procedure to address recurring scar tissue buildup in her chest and collarbone, which had sidelined her physical training before filming. “I barely had walked around at that point,” she said. “I just thought, ‘I’m not gonna have another opportunity. I actually have the time in my schedule between filming my other shows.'”
Tiesi said her four-year-old son, Legendary, was initially confused by her decision to join the show but came around once he saw footage of her experience. “It took daddy to basically start being like, ‘Mommy’s going to be a superhero!’ And then it was like, ‘Oh, mommy is a superhero!'” she said. She described her partner, Nick, as “support-ish,” recalling his reaction as, “I don’t know why you want to do this, but go ahead.”
Unlike some other reality-TV castmates who told clients they were simply on vacation while filming, Tiesi said she was upfront with her real estate clients about where she was going. “I tell everyone. It’s like I’m basically going to the jungle,” she said. “I did definitely inform everybody because I’m on top of all my stuff.”
Tiesi, whose ex Johnny Manziel appeared on the previous season of the show, said she called him for advice before filming. “He actually just said I’d be fine,” she said. “He’s like, ‘I’m not gonna tell you too much; I’m not gonna say anything. You will be fine.'”
She said the Malaysian jungle setting was especially brutal. “They literally said the absolute worst place you could possibly be is the jungle,” she said. “I think Morocco would have been better. … Those elements were insane; that humidity, just everything. It was brutal.”
Tiesi said she bonded closely with fellow contestant Alicia and described the group’s shared ordeal as “trauma bonding 1000%.” She also discussed discovering an unexpected fear of heights during a challenge in Episode 2, saying she “blacked out” and was shaking uncontrollably before forcing herself over a railing, with encouragement from co-star Collin Gosselin, who reminded her of her son.
Asked about Ruby Rose, LeSean McCoy and George Santos self-eliminating from the competition, Tiesi said she was saddest to see Rose go, citing an injury and dietary struggles as a vegan contestant in the jungle environment.
Reflecting on the overall experience, Tiesi said it reshaped her outlook. “It completely changed me in so many ways I never thought it would,” she said. “It’s a mirror to a lot of things that I haven’t thought about, or processed, or done anything with since I was a kid. … I think they gave us something that you could never get on a normal day.”
New episodes of “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” air Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Fox, with next-day streaming on Hulu.
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