'Special Forces' 2026 cast includes a disgraced ex-congressman

'Special Forces' 2026 cast includes a disgraced ex-congressman

A new group of celebrities is trading in their luxurious lifestyles for boot camp and camouflage this fall. And one of them is a disgraced former congressman with ties to Florida, whose prison sentence was commuted by President Trump in 2025. The American iteration of FOX's reality competition "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" is set to return for Season 5 in September. "In this experiment, there are no votes and no eliminations – just survival," the official press release says. "These celebrities, who are so used to being in the spotlight, will quickly learn the meaning of "no guts, no glory" – and no glam." This season's recruits include 15 celebrities, including television personalities, influencers, former professional athletes and a former congressman convicted of fraud — George Santos is in this season's cast. Here's who George Santos is, his ties to Florida , the "Special Forces" Season 5 cast list, when the competition show is set to premiere and how to stream it. Watch 'Special Forces' with the Disney Bundle Who is former congressman George Santos? Is George Santos in prison? Now former Congressman George Santos held a press conference on the House Triangle outside of the United States Capitol on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. He has since been expelled from Congress since Friday. Dec. 1, 2023. George Santos is an ex-congressman who represented New York's third congressional district for 11 months. He was expelled from Congress in 2023, following a federal indictment for wire fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds. In April 2025, he was sentenced to just over seven years in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and ordered to pay more than $370,000 in restitution to his victims. But in October 2025, President Donald Trump commuted his sentence after just three months of time served. "George Santos was somewhat of a 'rogue,' but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren't forced to serve seven years in prison," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "At least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN! George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!" Most recently, in June 2026, an NPR report that cited unnamed sources alleged that Santos was being investigated after Kalshi reported him to federal agencies over bets that predicted whether he'd attend Trump's State of the Union. Santos vigorously denied the allegation, and a source with federal law enforcement told the USA TODAY Network that there was no DOJ investigation. Now, Santos is one of the 15 contestants joining "Special Forces" Season 5 in September. June 2026: Feds reportedly looking at George Santos for Kalshi insider trading What are George Santos' ties to Florida? The Devolder Organization LLC, which Santos had previously described as a firm that managed his family assets, was originally based in unincorporated Brevard County before Santos moved the LLC headquarters to Melbourne, Florida , in 2023. "In September 2022, in connection with his second campaign for election to the House, Santos filed a House Disclosure, in which he vastly overstated his income and assets," the Department of Justice archives say . "In this House Disclosure, he falsely certified that during the reporting period he had earned $750,000 in salary from the Devolder Organization LLC, a Florida‐based entity of which Santos was the sole beneficial owner...had received between $1,000,001 and $5,000,000 in dividends from the Devolder Organization LLC..." Who is George Santos? How is he connected to Brevard County? Who else is on the 'Special Forces' cast? Any Floridians? The only other cast member with ties to Florida in the upcoming season of "Special Forces" is LeSean McCoy, a former NFL player and Super Bowl champion. McCoy played for several teams during his NFL career, most famously for the Philadelphia Eagles, and spent his final season in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Bucs. McCoy still maintains a home in South Florida. Cast members: Oliver Hudson - Actor, brother of Kate Hudson and son of Goldie Hawn Candace Cameron Bure - Actress Collin Gosselin - Former TV personality on "Jon and Kate Plus 8" Brandi Glanville - "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" alum Mauricio Umansky - "Buying Beverly Hills" personality and father of fellow contestant Alexia Umansky Alexia Umansky - Bravo personality, daughter of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Kyle Richards and fellow contestant Mauricio Umansky George Santos - Former U.S. Congressman Breana Tiesi - "Selling Sunset" personality Hannah Stocking - Comedian and internet star Ruby Rose - Actor LeSean McCoy - Former NFL player and Super Bowl champion; Played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, still has a South Florida home Matt Barnes - NBA Champion Alycia Baumgardner - World Champion boxer David Charvet - Actor Maxim Naumov - Olympic figure skater See schedule: Fox announces premiere dates for fall TV shows. What does the winner of 'Special Forces' get? There is no monetary or tangible prize for the "Special Forces" winner. The winner walks away with a sense of accomplishment and bragging rights. But they are paid for appearing on the show. "Stars who decide to become recruits and take on the course are paid an appearance fee. The exact amount they take home from the process is not known, but their pay is reportedly based on their level of celebrity," TV Insider says . "The reported range for pay is $100,000 to $500,000, although that has not been confirmed." When does 'Special Forces' 2026 premiere? Date, time, schedule "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" Season 5 premieres with an hour-long episode on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. New episodes of "Special Forces" Season 5 will air on Thursdays at 9 p.m. How to stream 'Special Forces' Season 5 New episodes of "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" will be available to stream the next day on Hulu . Watch 'Special Forces' with the Disney Bundle Contributing: Amethyst Martinez , Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy , Ben Adler , USA TODAY NETWORK Lianna Norman and Samantha Neely are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida's best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters . This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: 'Special Forces' 2026 cast includes a disgraced ex-congressman