2 More Special Forces Stars Forced to Exit Show Amid Injuries

Two of Special Forces‘ toughest recruits are headed home—and not by choice.

During the November 6th episode of the Fox reality show, Christie Pearce Rampone and Mark Estes had to leave the competition due to different health issues.

After a grueling week, Christie woke up in the Moroccan desert on day seven feeling barely able to breathe. She’d been coughing all night and was really struggling to breathe, so the retired Olympic soccer player requested a doctor.

“I need something,” the 49-year-old told Special Forces Dr. Andy Brown, “I can’t breathe.”

Following the checkup, the doctor had bad news for the former sports star.

I was really worried when Andy listened to my chest – he said it sounded super tight and full of crackles. He thinks I’ve picked up a chest infection, and he strongly advised me to stop exercising for a while. It’s frustrating, but I know I need to listen to him and focus on getting better.

This resulted in her having to withdraw from the competition for medical reasons, which understandably made the World Cup champion cry. Despite being upset about leaving the show prematurely, the producers of Special Forces praised Christie for her strength and dedication.

Still, the departure was emotional for Christie.

I’m worried that if I have to quit before I’m ready, it will really bother me,” she confessed. “It’s also upsetting to realize I wasn’t as strong as I believed I was.

That morning, Mark felt sore and exhausted from all the difficult strength tests he’d taken.

“My ear feels so f–ked up,” he told his costars. “It feels so weird.”

Okay, so after Brianna – Chickenfry, seriously, she’s amazing – pointed out this TikTok guy had a blister from all the intense training, Mark just casually dropped that he basically got cauliflower ear from it! Like, can you believe it? He just said it! It’s so cool he’s pushing himself like that, even if it means taking a beating. I’m obsessed, honestly.

During his own visit with a medic, Mark admitted the pain in his ear was worsening.

As the medic noted, “There is some swelling there. It can cause long-term disfigurement.”

She immediately told the Special Forces leaders that patient number three required urgent medical attention and needed to be transported to a hospital to be evaluated by an emergency medical technician surgeon as quickly as possible.

Mark, determined to continue competing, pleaded, “Is there absolutely no way to fix this?” The medic responded, “Unfortunately, it requires a specialist we don’t have here.”

The disappointed 24-year-old responded, “That f–king sucks.”

You know, it’s always tough when someone doesn’t quite make the cut, but in Mark’s case, the team actually gave him a lot of credit. They were really impressed with his performance during the initial training – they said he did a ‘really good job’ – before ultimately deciding it wasn’t the right fit. It’s a testament to his effort that they acknowledged that before he left.

Don’t miss the rest of the contestants battling it out in this intense competition! Watch Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Fox.

And keep reading to see the final six celebs still fighting to make it to the end of this season.