Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test is once again living up to its brutal name. The November 6 episode turned emotional when two tough-as-nails contestants, soccer icon Christie Pearce Rampone and TikTok star Mark Estes, had to bow out after running into health issues.
The show is set against the unforgiving backdrop of the Moroccan desert and keeps proving that surviving out there takes both muscle and mental toughness.
Mark Estes and Christie Pearce Rampone leave Special Forces due to health problems
The newest episode of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, Season 4, hit fans right in the feels. Both Olympic soccer legend Christie Pearce Rampone and social media star Mark Estes were forced to tap out after being medically pulled from the competition.
By day seven of the brutal training, Rampone was in rough shape. She was coughing nonstop through the night and struggling to catch her breath in the harsh desert air. Concerned, she called in the show’s medic, Dr. Andy Brown, who confirmed that she was battling a serious chest infection.
“Your chest sounds really tight, and you’ve got lots of crackles in your lungs as well.” “I think you’ve probably got a chest infection. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to do any more exercise.” Andy told Rampone.
The news crushed Rampone, and you could feel her competitive fire even as she tried to hold back tears.“If I have to leave earlier than I feel I was capable of, it will definitely get at me. Not being as strong as I thought I was” (via Eonline)
Even so, the show’s directing staff gave her major props, calling her one of the toughest recruits they’ve had this season. On the other hand, Mark Estes was fighting his own battle. After getting wrecked in a string of intense combat drills, the 24-year-old started feeling a sharp pain in his ear.
“My ear feels so f—– up,” he told Brianna ‘Chickenfry’ LaPaglia, who spotted a nasty-looking blister. The medic later confirmed swelling and possible long-term damage, the kind fighters know all too well as cauliflower ear.
Even though Estes begged to stay, asking if there was any way he could stay, the medics had the final say and pulled him out for safety reasons.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on ComingSoon.
