As the Special Forces season finale approached its breaking point, viewers were left gripping the edges of their seats. Only five recruits remained in what had become one of the franchise’s most punishing, unpredictable, and emotionally raw seasons ever. Among those last contenders were Olympic champion Shawn Johnson East, powerhouse competitor Gia Giudice, NFL alum Andrew East, internet personality Briana Chickenfry, and of course—Sister Wives star Kody Brown, whose very presence in the competition had stirred controversy from day one.

Yet in the end, only two recruits would truly survive the brutal gauntlet and earn the right to call themselves finishers. And surprisingly—or maybe not surprisingly—Kody made it all the way to the final challenge before the pressure finally cracked him open.

But let’s start with how the finale unfolded.

The Final Challenge: 24 Hours of Psychological Warfare

For the ultimate test, the directing staff delivered a mission designed to break even the toughest military professionals. The recruits were pushed through nearly 24 straight hours without a single moment of sleep. Their bodies were shutting down. Their minds were deteriorating. And right when the exhaustion reached critical levels, the staff hit them with a simulated capture-and-interrogation scenario.

The rules were simple—yet almost impossible to maintain:

• Protect your cover story.
• Deny you are a civilian.
• Never admit you’re not military trained.
• Do. Not. Break.

But sleep deprivation does what physical torment can’t: it dissolves the mind. It strips away logic. It exposes the truth beneath the ego.

Andrew East became the first casualty of the interrogation room. Under intense psychological pressure, he slipped—just for a moment, hinting that “a mistake” may have put him in the wrong place. That tiny crack was all it took for the directing staff to rip his armband off and eliminate him instantly.

Then came Kody Brown’s turn.

Kody Brown Breaks Under Pressure

Amazingly—more amazingly than most fans expected—Kody had made it to the final mission. For a man in his late 50s, competing alongside younger athletes, some of them professionally trained, it was undeniably shocking. Even his critics had to admit: the man lasted far longer than most thought he could.

But the interrogation room is where bravado goes to die.

Pressed to his breaking point, exhausted, confused, stripped down mentally and physically, Kody finally cracked. Like Andrew before him, he accidentally broke cover, admitting details that cost him his armband and his shot at finishing.

And just like that—Kody was out.

Briana’s Stunning Near-Win

What surprised everyone next was Briana Chickenfry’s resilience. Among professional athletes, Olympians, and reality figures, she held her ground the longest during the mental beating that was the final interrogation. But in the last ten minutes—ten minutes before the finish line—she let slip that she was participating in Special Forces. That admission meant she was done.

Her early elimination may have been devastating, but her performance earned widespread respect from fans.

That left just two women standing:

• Shawn Johnson East
• Gia Giudice

The unlikely duo powered through to the end, becoming this season’s official winners.

Shawn later described the entire experience as something designed “to break people entirely down to their core.” Even with her Olympic pedigree, she admitted she had to adapt quickly because the psychological pressure was worse than anything she had endured in elite sports.

Gia’s win, however, stunned audiences—and even Gia herself. She confessed she never expected to make it that far. What carried her through was the support of her family, her determination not to lose self-respect, and a quiet belief that the directing staff saw something special in her.

So How Did Kody Make It This Far?

Many Sister Wives fans were floored that Kody even lasted until the finale. But others weren’t surprised at all, pointing out that the man has always seemed locked in a perpetual competition with himself—a desperate quest to prove he’s tough, masculine, dominant, and in control.

And yet, ironically, he fails spectacularly in front of millions of viewers on Sister Wives every season.

Still, the fact remains: he didn’t quit. He didn’t tap out. He made it to the final challenge at nearly 60 years old while professional athletes fell around him. That alone shocked audiences into admitting—at least reluctantly—that his performance was “actually kind of impressive.”

The Behind-the-Scenes Drama With Briana Chickenfry and Robyn Brown

The finale wasn’t the only thing fans were buzzing about. Recently, several of the remaining cast members met up in New York to film a reunion special. But one notable face wasn’t there:

Robyn Brown.

Kody reportedly told the cast that Robyn had made a serious threat toward Briana—something along the lines of wanting to “unalive” her. The claim was so absurd, so dramatic, and so wildly out-of-character for the normally timid, soft-spoken Robyn that many could only laugh at the thought of her getting into a physical confrontation.

Meanwhile, Briana—known for her bold, blunt personality—fired back on her podcast, calling Kody’s behavior “creepy,” “mental,” and “misogynistic.” And she didn’t stop there. When Kody challenged her on the show, asking what qualified her to participate, and scoffing when she said she was a podcaster, she publicly clapped back:

“What are you known for? A reality show where you disrespected women and kids?”

Fans applauded her response.

Some believe Kody used Robyn as a shield—weaponizing her name because he couldn’t confront Briana directly. It created dramatic friction that viewers now can’t wait to see addressed in the reunion episode.

A Fight Fans Secretly Want to See

Even though the threat was probably exaggerated—or just Kody stirring drama—viewers admitted they’d pay money to see Briana Chickenfry and Robyn Brown square up in a televised showdown. After all, reality TV has never shied away from explosive confrontations.

But let’s be honest:

Robyn doesn’t want that smoke.

So… Did Kody Brown Make It to the End?

Yes. But also no.

Kody reached the final challenge—something few believed he could do.

But he did not finish.

He cracked under interrogation and was eliminated just short of the final victory.

Still, his surprising endurance will certainly be a major talking point among fans—and possibly a new bragging point for Kody himself.

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What did you think of Kody’s performance on Special Forces? Did he surprise you or did he last exactly as long as you thought he would? Let me know your thoughts!

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