Brittany Cartwright didn't exactly have the "Rocky" montage moment everyone was hoping for on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. Honestly, it was the opposite. Within hours of landing in the brutal Moroccan heat for Season 4, the Vanderpump Rules and The Valley star was handing over her armband.
She was the very first recruit to quit.
If you scrolled through X (formerly Twitter) or Reddit the night the premiere aired in September 2025, the feedback was... well, it was harsh. People called her a "waste of a spot." They mocked the "Kentucky Muffin" for not training hard enough. But if you look past the five minutes of screen time she actually got, the reality of the Brittany Cartwright Special Forces stint is a lot more complicated than just "she couldn't run fast enough."
The Jax Taylor Shadow
Why would a reality star who’s spent the last decade navigating the drama of West Hollywood suddenly decide to jump out of helicopters in North Africa?
For Brittany, it wasn't about the paycheck. It was about her ex, Jax Taylor.
Before she even stepped onto the plane, Jax reportedly told her she wouldn't make it. He literally texted her, "You’re not gonna make it far." Imagine that being the last thing you hear from the father of your child before heading into the most grueling experience of your life.
She went there to prove him wrong. She wanted to show the world—and herself—that she wasn't just the "sweet girl" who stayed in a toxic relationship for too long. She wanted to find the strength she felt she’d lost. But here’s the thing about the Directing Staff (DS) on Special Forces: they don't care about your divorce. They don't care about your "why." They only care if you can carry the 50-pound ruck.
What Actually Happened in Morocco
Day one was a disaster from the jump. Literally.
The first task involved submerging their faces in muddy water—gross, but manageable—and then rappelling out of a helicopter. Brittany is terrified of heights. Like, "can't look over a balcony" terrified. To her credit, she actually did the jump. Most people forget that part. She didn't refuse the task. She stepped out into the air.
However, she fumbled the detachment. The DS marked it as a "fail."
From there, it was a downward spiral. The recruits had to haul heavy supplies across the desert. Brittany’s team lost, and the punishment was a "beasting"—a high-intensity run back to the barracks. She lasted maybe 500 yards before her body just shut down.
"I feel like I'm gonna pass out," she told DS Jovon "Q" Quarles. She was hyperventilating, crying, and clearly on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. When "Q" gave her the choice to keep moving or quit, she chose the latter.
The "Triggering" Reality of Special Forces
In interviews after the show aired, Brittany was surprisingly raw about why she tapped out so fast. It wasn't just the physical exhaustion. She described the experience as "triggering."
Think about it: she had just spent months (and years, really) in a relationship where she felt belittled and told she wasn't enough. Then she lands in a camp where former Special Forces operators are screaming in her face, calling her "weak" and "useless."
For some people, that’s motivation. For someone coming out of an emotionally volatile separation, it’s a trauma response waiting to happen.
"Whenever the sergeants called me 'weak,' I agreed with them," she later told Access Hollywood.
That’s the heartbreaking part. The show didn't make her feel strong; it reinforced every negative thing her ex had ever said to her. She didn't leave because she was lazy. She left because her mental health was red-lining.
The Backlash and the Defense
The internet is rarely kind. Fans were frustrated because Special Forces is known for its incredible redemption arcs. We wanted to see Brittany go the distance like Hannah Brown or Jojo Siwa did in previous seasons.
The "Kentucky Muffin" brand has always been about resilience through kindness, but Special Forces requires a different kind of armor. Critics pointed out that she didn't seem to have done any physical prep. While contestants like Shawn Johnson East (an Olympian) or Randall Cobb (an NFL pro) were physically ready for the toll, Brittany seemed caught off guard by the sheer intensity of the "selection" process.
But let’s be real: how many of us could jump out of a helicopter 48 hours after a messy public breakup while a man with a British accent screams at us?
The Season 4 Context
Brittany wasn't the only one who struggled. Season 4 was arguably the most "reality-heavy" cast the show has ever seen, featuring:
- Teresa Giudice (who quit in Episode 2 because she couldn't watch her daughter Gia fight)
- Jussie Smollett (medically withdrawn)
- Johnny Manziel (quit due to claustrophobia)
In the grand scheme of the season, Brittany’s exit set a tone of high emotion and rapid attrition. She was the first, but she definitely wasn't the only one to find the Moroccan desert unforgiving.
Was It a Mistake for Her to Go?
Probably.
Timing is everything. If Brittany had waited a year—if she had spent that time in therapy and in the gym—she might have stayed for three or four days. Going into a "break you down to build you up" environment while you are already broken down is a recipe for failure.
However, there is something to be said for the fact that she tried. She could have stayed home, posted sponsored ads on Instagram, and avoided the embarrassment. Instead, she flew halfway across the world and faced her biggest fear (heights) on national television.
💡 You might also like: Why Every Leonardo DiCaprio Photoshoot Still Breaks the Internet
Actionable Insights from Brittany’s Exit
If you're watching Brittany’s journey and feeling like you’re in a similar "I need to prove them wrong" headspace, there are a few things to take away from her experience:
- Heal first, challenge second: You can't use a "tough" experience to fix deep emotional wounds. The wounds usually just get ripped open wider.
- Physical prep is mental prep: On Special Forces, the recruits who stayed longest weren't necessarily the strongest, but they were the ones who didn't have to worry about their fitness, which left them mental energy to deal with the psychological warfare.
- Own your "quit": Brittany didn't make excuses. She admitted she was embarrassed. She admitted she knew she’d be first. Sometimes, the strongest thing you can do is realize you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time and get yourself out.
The Brittany Cartwright Special Forces story isn't a success story in the traditional sense. It’s a cautionary tale about the limits of "proving people wrong" when you haven't yet convinced yourself of your own worth. She’s since moved on to filming more of The Valley, focusing on her son Cruz, and navigating her new life as a single mom.
She might have lost the armband, but she didn't lose herself. And in the world of reality TV, that’s a rare win.