Eight days into Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test and only 4 celebrity recruits remain. Hannah Brown, Carli Lloyd, Danny Amendola, and Dwight Howard are about to enter the last phase of selection where they’ll be pushed beyond anything they’ve experienced so far.
When Day 9 begins, Danny mentions that his right shoulder is “torched.” The Directing Staff notes that Danny is the “clear frontrunner,” while Dwight is hanging on by the skin of his teeth. They point out Hannah’s great attitude as well.
The recruits are taken to a watering hole in the desert for a military test called “drown proofing.” This technique is used to teach recruits how to survive drowning. Once a recruit’s feet hit the bottom of the pool, they’ll push back up to the surface, take a deep breath, and go back down. They’ll continue doing that until there’s a signal from the DS to stop.
Hannah doesn’t like doing things where she feels like she can’t breathe. She is the first one called to attempt the task. Before the drown proofing, she has to swim to the other side in a weighted vest. She struggles on the swim over. When she’s finished, her hands are tied behind her back. During the drown proofing, she panics and breaks free of her ties.
They ask her to try again and she agrees. “I will not let fear win,” Hannah says. She passes on the second attempt. Dwight and Carli both pass drown proofing. Danny is the last to go. He passes but says he’s about to “tap out” because of his shoulder.
Hannah is brown in to speak with the DS, and she opens up about how her cousins and aunt were brutally murdered in their home. This horrific tragedy made her dad perpetually scared. “I think I’ve constantly lived in fear my whole life, and I feel like this course has helped me push through,” she says.
The 4 recruits are about to enter the final stage of selection. They will be going on the run without any guidance from the DS. But they have to face a test of initiative beforehand. The recruits are hooded, shut into a container, and tied to a pole. The DS don’t give the recruits any instructions.
The recruits have the ability to free themselves and have 20 minutes to do so. No one does anything at first. With 6 minutes left, Hannah is the first recruit to free herself. The DS are impressed with their leadership. They admit that they’ve underestimated her.
Now it’s time for the final phase of selection. The recruits will be dropped off in the middle of the desert not knowing where they are. They’ll have a sketch map and some coordinates to follow. They have to avoid getting captured. If they do, they need to have a cover story that they’ve memorized.
The recruits suddenly hear shots and spring into action. They grab their bags and go. The base is under simulated attack. The recruits are split in two: Team Bravo (Danny and Hannah) and Team Alpha (Carli and Dwight). They’re driven into the desert and dropped at separate locations.
They must locate two rendezvous points along a 4-mile valley where they will pick up directions to reach the final extraction point. The challenge is to move swiftly because they’re being pursued by a military hunter force. Carli is “happy” to step up and be the leader. She does “not want to fold under pressure.”
Hannah stresses to Danny that they have to work as a team. She has to tell him that he’s going way too fast. Meanwhile, Carli and Dwight are close to reaching the first rendezvous point. However, the hunter force is coming from behind. Dwight falls down and hurts his toe. Hannah and Danny finally reach rendezvous point one. They decide to do an exposed route through the desert. Hannah thinks Danny is frustrated with her.
Carli and Dwight see the flare of the hunter force and hear shooting. They hide. Their next move is critical. Hannah and Danny hear the shots from the hunter force. Hannah wants to run and hide. In a panic, they bolt right into the line of sight. The hunter force captures Hannah and Danny.
Carli and Dwight are still on the run and pushing forward to the second rendezvous point. They manage to make it, and the extraction point is now in their sights. Just when they thought they were safe, the hunter force close in on the van. Carli and Dwight are also captured. The 4 recruits are about to enter the final 12 hours of selection. It’s time for interrogation.