Brittany Cartwright Defends Her Short Stint On 'Special Forces'

Brittany Cartwright's journey on "Special Forces" ended before it even began, but the reality star insists she gave it her all, considering her situation.

The 36-year-old spoke about her short time on the show, attempting to justify her reasons for leaving so quickly. She rejected the notion that she did not even try to put in her all, arguing that she did, as she had strong intentions to stay and prove her haters wrong.

Brittany Cartwright's rocky relationship with her estranged husband, Jax Taylor, did not fail to surface as part of her build-up to appearing on the challenge reality show.

Cartwright's early exit from Fox's "Special Forces" was not well received by the public, and she is choosing to clear the air. On the Season 4 premiere, which aired on September 25, she featured in three challenges and opted to leave afterward.

She confessed that the show and activities were very complicated and hard. The doting mother opened up about how terrified she felt, despite being assured of their safety. She also revealed that the whole experience was far from what she had initially expected.

She continued, pointing out that she and the rest of the cast were put through the wringer, and during some of the challenges, she had to face her fears literally.

"My biggest fear is heights. I don't like helicopters," she said, describing one of the challenges. She added that it was insane, and she could not help but cry and pray while feeling tired and worn out completely.

Cartwright also told Us Weekly that she had worked really hard to achieve the progress she made on the show, and she had tried her best despite the incredibly complicated nature of the tasks. She added that her current life challenges were also a factor, as well as being away from her son, Cruz.

In the same interview, Cartwright admitted that she felt really proud of herself for what she achieved in the little time she was on the show. Amidst the haters, some fans reacted to her early elimination, saying she did well by facing her biggest fear, heights.

She described the experience as stepping out of her comfort zone. By putting herself out there, getting on the helicopter, and overcoming her fear of heights, she could walk away proud.

The actress hinted at some level of disappointment she felt in herself for being the first one to leave, but covered it by saying, "I'm also proud of myself for knowing when it was time for me to walk away, because it was a lot."

Cartwright described the moves made by the show's directing staff to build them up. She said they would scream, yell, and try to put them down, which she did not fault them for, as it was part of their job, but it hit a little too close to home and was quite triggering.

At the beginning of the premiere episode, Cartwright, who was on team Bravo, explained why she wanted to be on the show. She said that this year has been challenging for her and she had recently found the strength to walk out of the toxic relationship she had with her ex, Jax Taylor.

Taylor even wrote to her before she came on the show, spilling discouragement. "I had my ex writing me being like, 'You're not going to make it far,' right before I even came here. People like that, I want to prove wrong," she said.

Deadline reported that she was anxious from the beginning and told a co-star that she had fears that others would not like her because she giggles all the time.

As the challenges began, Cartwright's desire to prove Taylor wrong did not materialize, as she soon struggled with the tasks. One of the coaches saw this and said, "You're getting further and further behind; you are going home before the course even starts."

She describes the feeling of being the first to go home as very embarrassing.

Cartwright and Taylor tied the knot in June 2019, but the actress filed for divorce after five years of marriage in August 2024. Their relationship had it rough for some time, and she shared a few private details with fans on "The Valley."

According to Cartwright, the messages Taylor sent were not the first, as reports from The Blast show that she previously claimed that while he was away for thirty days in rehab, he texted her constantly till she blocked him, as she had no other choice.

Cartwright revealed that on some days, he would send loving messages, and the next day, they would be filled with disrespect. She cited an instance where he had written that she would look terrible because she was going out on a date while he was stuck at the facility.

Taylor had no defense for his actions, as he admitted on "The Valley After Show" that he was addicted to his cell phone, saying, "I have to have control. And I don't know what that is. It's a huge issue. Ego, control, narcissism, manipulation. It's all the same thing,"

In her attempt to find love again after her split from Taylor, Cartwright finds herself in a different drama niche. Her new boyfriend, Brandon Hanson, is allegedly still married to Jasina Stanko, a woman who outed their relationship status in a TikTok comment section.

Fans were sparked with curiosity to know the whole story as Stanko remained adamant that she and Hanson were still married. However, an insider cleared the air, revealing that Hanson only got together with Cartwright after duly separating from Stanko.

As the revelation of this new love triangle made it to Instagram, fans advised the actress that she should focus more on healing and raising her son than attracting another set of problems to herself.