5 Recruits Break Down in Tears as Another Drops Out

The recruits were pushed to their limits on this week’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.

On the Oct. 2 episode of the Fox competition series, Gia Giudice gave her mom Teresa Giudice a helping hand when she struggled to catch her breath while climbing the face of a dam.

“I’m always in protect mode. I was 13 when my mom went to prison,” Gia, 24, says, referring to her mother serving an 11-month prison sentence, starting in 2014, for fraud charges relating to her dad Joe Giudice‘s bankruptcy fraud case. “I grew up, I didn’t really have a choice.” 

The Directing Staff (DS) demanded the Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 53, pick up her pack and continue the challenge or quit the competition. 

While she shouldered on, the next challenge — during which recruits held their breath while being submerged underwater in a vessel before escaping — proved to be no easier for Teresa.

When the mother-daughter duo took their turn, Teresa was extremely frightened, admitting, “I’m not the best swimmer at all and I panic. I feel like I’m going to drown.”

Once again, Gia was there to reassure her as Teresa called her daughter her “right hand.” However, the pair ultimately failed the challenge when Teresa panicked underwater and Gia helped save her.

“You need to start taking control of yourself, you can’t always rely on her,” the DS told Teresa, referring to her daughter stepping in to help her.

Jussie Smollett and Eva Marcille also struggled during the challenge.

The Empire star, 43, used the wrong door to escape, causing the pair to fail the challenge. As they emerged from the water, Eva appeared to be in shock and required assistance from the DS to help her calm down.

“Oh my God, I could have died,” she said.

After learning they failed, Jussie defended Eva, 40, saying, “She did everything right. I messed up. I went out the back.” He then broke down in tears over the mistake.

Jussie volunteered to give the challenge another go, but failed again by making the same mistake. He was overcome with emotion and said he was “so f—— sorry.”

“I just had to walk away because I don’t want them to see me crying,” he told Eva as he broke down in tears. “It’s easier for me to accept defeat when it’s just me, but when it’s like other people involved [it’s harder].”

The milling challenge — during which recruits were pitted against each other in a fight — caused Brianna LaPaglia to cry after she punched out Shawn Johnson East, causing the Olympic gymnast to get a bloody nose.

Eva’s struggles continued and she requested to speak to a psychologist out of fear that she is psyching herself out. As she broke down in tears, the doctor decided she needed to sit out the activity after she was left “shaken” by the earlier challenge.

Teresa made her own admission, saying, “Everybody thinks I’m so tough and this mean person, but I’m really not, but I do fly off the handle if you really piss me off.”

When Gia was about to fight, Teresa took off her arm band and withdrew from the competition. She told her daughter, “I can’t see you fight.”

She added, “I’m not a quitter, but it’s gonna be really hard for me to not be able to step in if she is in a vulnerable position. I just want to protect her.”

With her mom out of the competition, Gia teared up and said, “Part of me wants to go, but then part of me is like don’t do that.” 

“When people leave, I panic… my family trauma growing up was my parents went away for a little bit. So I think that is my one trigger,” she later added.

However, she ultimately decided to stay in the competition. Meanwhile, Eva was stripped off her arm band and eliminated from the competition, becoming the third recruit to depart. 

The DS told her, “I’ve watched you close — the course is going to go like that, physically and mentally for your safety, I don’t believe it’s for you. At that note, I’m going to take your armband.”

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Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.