TV-RADIO

Nick Viall pulled from his time as track team captain at Waukesha North, UW-Milwaukee on Fox's 'Special Forces'

Hannah Kirby
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Warning: Spoilers from Season 2 Episode 7 of "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" ahead.

On Monday's episode of Fox's "Special Forces," Nick Viall pulled from his time as captain of the Waukesha North High School and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee track teams.

On the show, celebrities take on "grueling challenges from the playbook of the actual Special Forces selection process" while battling the harsh elements of winter in New Zealand, according to Fox. The Directing Staff, made up of an elite team of ex-Special Forces operatives, leads the recruits through the course's demanding training exercises.

On Day 7, "Bachelor" franchise star Viall and his comrades raced through "treacherous" terrain while pulling heavy sleds and also entered the final stage of selection: escaping evasion.

"This is when we ambush them with chaos, pressure, intensity," DS agent Jovon “Q” Quarles said at the beginning of the episode. "We ask, which of these people have the makings to be one of us."

Here's a look at how Viall did on Day 7 and whether he advanced to the next episode.

Pulling a sled with a 130-pound kit through miles of 'treacherous' terrain

The recruits were taken to a mountain range, where the DS broke them into three teams of two.

They had to race through two miles of "treacherous" terrain while pulling pulks, aka hand-pulled sleds, with 130-pound kits.

Waukesha native and "Bachelor" franchise star Nick Viall during the "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" episode that aired Nov. 20, 2023. The next episode airs at 8 p.m. CT Nov. 27.

Each duo decided who would pull the sled and for how long, and how they would distribute the weight.

Viall and his teammate Tom Sandoval, an infamous "Vanderpump Rules" cast member, were last to leave the starting line. As Viall pulled the sled, Sandoval struggled to keep up and carry his load.

But, Viall continuously cheered him on.

"Come on, Tommy! You got this."

"Let's go, Tommy. Nice job, buddy. Keep pushing."

"When I was in high school and college, I was the captain of the track team," Viall said during a cutaway. "So, generally, I would run until my body would shut down, until I'd throw up. Hopefully that time will help me in this experience."

Despite placing last, Team Viall and Sandoval reached the end of the race. But, it wasn't over.

All the teams were then instructed to sprint and do a series of "exhausting exercises," including army and bear crawls.

Partway through, Olympic alpine skiing champion Bode Miller, who had been dealing with a groin injury, reached his limit and voluntarily withdrew from the show.

He would be the only recruit to leave during the episode.

As the DS gathered privately to assess the remaining recruits, chief instructor Rudy Reyes, a former recon marine, gave Viall props:

"Every intense event we do, he does good. He smashes through it."

Viall's fiancée sent him a video message from home

The DS went over how to survive behind enemy lines with the recruits. The recruits were given compasses and a detailed cover story in case they'd get captured and need to buy time.

On the horizon: An evasion exercise in which they'd have to roll out at a moment's notice.

But before that, one at a time, the recruits were taken into a room. In it, a laptop with a video message from a family member or friend from home.

This "pre-battle ritual" tests the recruits' character and how they respond to influence from loved ones, DS agent Jason Fox, who was formerly a part of the elite Special Boat Services, explained on the show. As the recruits watched their videos, the DS watched the recruits.

Viall's video was from Natalie Joy, his fiancée who he's expecting his first child with.

The couple shared their engagement on social media in January. Over the summer, the pair announced they were having a baby.

Viall previously revealed that his motivation on the show comes from becoming a first-time dad.

"I just wanted to say how proud I am of you," Joy said in her video to Viall. "We can't wait to see you."

Tilting the camera to show her belly, she continued: "We — we miss you so much. I know how resilient you are and I know how much fight you have in you. Keep pushing and we'll see you soon. We love you."

Escaping evasion, the final stage of selection, begins

In the dark of night, the recruits loaded into vehicles driven to a remote forest. The final stage of selection was upon them.

"Escaping evasion is a tool to prepare you for the worst-case scenario," Fox said on the show. "You're behind enemy lines and the enemy are chasing you out. It's all about survival."

Nick and media personality Tyler Cameron made up Team Bravo, and recording artist JoJo Siwa, Olympic speed-skating champion Erin Jackson and Sandoval were on Team Alpha.

When the vehicles started being fired at, the recruits had to quickly evacuate, and from there, were on the run.

With a map and compass, the recruits had to navigate through unknown territory while being pursued by an ex-military hunter force.

Each team's first mission was to reach a rendezvous campsite, where they would find directions that would lead them to a lakeside extraction point.

Without much difficulty, Team Bravo made it to their rendezvous point and found the extraction coordinates inside a tent.

But, there was just one problem: Viall lost his glove somewhere at the site. With the hunter force on its way, it seemed like they might get caught then and there.

But, Viall found it and continued on.

To get to their extraction points, both teams had to venture into open ground and cross a road being patrolled by the enemy.

Viall and Cameron ran across the path of the hunters and were captured. While Team Alpha made it to their extraction point, they, too, got caught.

Up next: interrogation and captivity, which will air at 8 p.m. CT Monday on Fox.