When Was Special Forces Season 2 Filmed? Behind the Scenes

The Gist:

• Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test is back for Season 2.
• After Season 1, FOX decided the renew the show on May 15, 2023, and Season 2 premiered on Sept. 25.
• The network had to deal with a tight filming schedule and secure another star-studded cast.

Based on the British reality show SAS: Who Dares Win, FOX’s adaptation Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test brings together adrenaline junkies and pop culture buffs for an enthralling series. By putting some of the world’s biggest stars from every category into special situations and challenges that truly test their ability to survive, the military-like show gives the world a new glimpse of their favorite celebrities.

Season 2 has finally arrived and fans are loving it. However, with such busy schedules, when was FOX able to get all of these icons together to film? Here’s a deep dive reveals the behind-the-scenes details about the show.

FOX hasn’t released the exact dates for filming, but some backstory and context can give us a better idea of when Season 2 went down. After the success of Season 1, FOX decided to renew the show and order more episodes on May 15, 2023.

The new season premiered on Sept. 25, 2023. So, it looks like it was a pretty quick turnaround on filming.

Tara Reid revealed to PEOPLE that she decided to join the show pretty last minute. Her decision was made because she wanted to try something new and get out of the house. “You’re home so much in your own house, you get depressed,” she explained. “So doing something like this was a great challenge for me and it was an experience I’ll never forget and I would never take it back. Even though you watch it, you’ll think I’m insane.”

What Tara is referring to isn’t just the years during the COVID-19 lockdown, but also the onset of the SAG-AFTRA strikes which limited her ability to take on work. Reality television wasn’t affected by the strike in the same way and she was able to participate in the show with no problem.

The strikes started on July 14, 2023, and this information about Tara could indicate that filming started around then or after.

The new season of the show takes place in the chilly mountain tops of New Zealand, the Southern Alps. This opened producers and challenge-creators up to a huge range of options to challenge the cast.

The reality show is not like others. Competitors (or recruits in this case) don’t get voted out or leave when they lose a challenge. Instead, they get to “tap out” when they’re ready and feel like they can’t handle it anymore. Only two stars were able to actually make it through all of the challenges: Hannah Brown from The Bachelorette and former professional soccer player Carli Lloyd.

14 stars came together for the new season. The cast ranges from athletes to actors to reality stars. The cast includes:

1. Jack Osbourne
2. Tara Reid
3. JoJo Siwa
4. Tom Sandoval
5. Tyler Cameron
6. Erin Jackson
7. Savannah Chrisley
8. Robert Horry
9. Bode Miller
10. Brian Austin Green
11. Blac Chyna
12. Nick Viall
13. Dez Bryant
14. Kelly Rizzo

Special Forces: World’s Toughest test airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. EST on FOX.