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'Bachelorette' star has new appreciation for US military after winning FOX's 'Special Forces'
By Amanda Cappelli
Published March 03, 2023
"Bachelorette" star Hannah Brown and World Cup champion Carli Lloyd were the last women standing when FOX’s "Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test" put athletes and celebrities through the military's grueling selection process.
Brown joined "Fox and Friends" Thursday to recap her experience, telling co-host Ainsley Earhardt that the toughest part of the reality show was the "24/7 discomfort."
"[I'm] really proud of myself," Brown said after Wednesday night's finale.
"The good and the bad that's happened in my life really actually helped prepare me… I just stayed really steady the whole time and tried to find the positive outlook of everything."
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This image released by ABC shows Hannah Brown from the season finale of "The Bachelorette." (Mark Bourdillon/ABC via AP)
Sixteen celebrities faced the unconventional military selection process on the reality competition show.
Brown and Lloyd outlasted the likes of Super Bowl champion Danny Amendola, former NBA champion Dwight Howard, MLB Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, actress Jamie Lynn Spears and other formidable contestants in mental and physical challenges.
The 28-year-old former beauty pageant titleholder from Alabama gained fame on season 23 of ABC’s "The Bachelor" and took the lead in season 15 of "The Bachelorette." Her "Special Forces" win isn't her first reality competition victory – she also won the 2019 season of "Dancing with the Stars."
Brown said the U.S. is "blessed" to have such dedicated service members and she gained a greater respect for their sacrifices from show.
"It really is an act of service for our country," she said, adding that she heard many harrowing true stories from ex-Special Forces operatives that were not seen on the show.
"Recruits" in the competition were eliminated by medical issues, leaving on their own accord or by force from the drill sergeant. Ex-Special Forces operatives led the exercises over 10 days.
Finding a mental state without "too high of highs or too low of lows" helped Brown "keep steady" throughout the process, which she said helped bring her to the end.
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Brown told co-host Brian Kilmeade she smiles when nervous, which the Special Ops leaders "didn’t like." But she said, "I was not smiling after that interrogation."
"It was an experience that changed me and made me better," she concluded.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/bachelorette-star-new-appreciation-us-military-winning-foxs-special-forces