Brittany Cartwright Says Jax Taylor Told Her She’s ‘Not Gonna Make It Far’ on ‘Special Forces’

Warning: This story contains spoilers from the Sept. 25 episode of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.

Brittany Cartwright is revealing the choice words her ex-husband, Jax Taylor, told her when he found she was joining Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.

On the season 4 premiere of the Fox competition series, the Valley star, 36, admitted, “I wanted to do Special Forces selection because I have been through so much this year, I finally found the strength to leave a very toxic relationship.”

Her decision to join the grueling show came after she filed for divorce from Taylor  in Aug. 2024 after five years of marriage.

The reality star claimed her ex was anything but supportive of the choice, saying, “I had my ex writing me being like, ‘You’re not gonna make it far’ right before I even came here so people like that I want to prove wrong.”

However, Cartwright struggled on day 1 of the show, which sees celebrity recruits head to Morocco to take part in various challenges that mimic military training.

Cartwright revealed the group’s first challenge — repelling from a helicopter — was her “biggest fear.” As she held back tears in the helicopter, she added, “I am terrified of height. I mean, I’ll walk on a balcony in a hotel with my back up against the wall, so that I don’t have to get close to the edge.” 

She insisted, “But no matter what, I’m really dedicated to trying every single thing that comes my way.”

The next challenge proved to be no easier for Cartwright. As the teams raced to haul 800 pounds of supplies uphill, she shared she was “dying” when the DS (Directing Staff) told her that she was getting further behind. 

“I can’t … I don’t think I can make it,” Cartwright said, but she still persisted.

“I’m not the fittest I’ve ever been in my life right now, that’s for sure,” she added in a confessional. “But chasing around my four year old has been very helpful.”

After Cartwright’s team lost the challenge, they were forced to run and she fell behind again, telling the DS, “I feel like I’m going to pass out, I’m sorry.”

When forced to make the decision if she could remain in the competition, Cartwright ripped off her arm band and declared, “I can’t. I’m gonna throw up. I’m really sorry. I feel like s—.” 

She then told cameras, “I knew I was gonna be first. F—— knew it. So embarrassing.”

The Vanderpump Rules alum told PEOPLE at that the Special Forces red carpet that she signed up for the show to “push myself to do something out of my comfort zone to see what I could do.”

“After the whole year I’ve had, I feel like it was important to try new things,” she added.

When asked why this was the right moment to do the show, she explained that she wanted to prove the naysayers wrong.

“I can try whatever I want to try,” she said. “There were a lot of comments like, ‘Oh, girl can’t take care of a house,’ or, ‘Girl can’t do this,’ and blah, blah, blah. I can do whatever I want to do. I can at least try.”

For Cartwright, the silver lining of her early elimination was returning to her 4-year-old Cruz, who she shares with Taylor. She said, “I was so ready to get back to my son. I had never been away from him that long. That was the longest I’ve ever been separated from him. So that was a big deal to get back to him.”

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