Who: Claire O’Shea
What She Does: As task producer for the celebrity boot-camp competition, Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test her first to-do item is to scout out a base for the action. After a freshman season in Jordan’s Wadi Rum Desert, “we wanted somewhere wild and rugged, where the temperatures are extreme and the mountains dramatic,” she says. Having landed in New Zealand, O’Shea worked with a local team on the ground as well as the show’s directing staff, aka the DS, of former Special Forces operatives to design challenges for the 14 new recruits. They include Beverly Hills, 90210 alum Brian Austin Green, Olympic skier Bode Miller, NFL star Dez Bryant, actress Tara Reid, and Vanderpump Rules cheater Tom Sandoval.
(Credit: Fox)
In season 2… From a risky crossing atop a snowy mountain peak to a paralyzing icy water helicopter escape, the brutal environment “became the DS’s playground to punish [contestants],” says O’Shea. Not all make it. On top of a showstopping suspended-bridge challenge and a convoy-car mission, “there are relentless endurance tasks” that push recruits to the breaking points.
Behind the Scenes: The stars aren’t the only ones roughing it. If the DS has the recruits carrying a 220-pound boat for five miles in mountainous terrain, “we aren’t following in vehicles,” O’Shea notes. “All the crew are on foot running with the recruits to follow the action.”
Gotta Love It! Due to the scope of the series, “I get to travel to some amazing places,” O’Shea says. And not only that, but “using the knowledge from the locals, I get to explore spots where no tourists have ever been.”
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, Premieres Monday, September 25, 9/8c, Fox
This is an excerpt from TV Guide Magazine’s 2023 Returning Favorites issue. For more first looks at fall’s returning shows, pick up the issue, on newsstands now.
