RHOBH star Kyle Richards’ estranged husband and their daughter are competing on Season 5 of Special Forces. Mauricio Umansky opened up about the good and bad moments viewers at home missed out on. He revealed that he formed a tight bond with the other older male contestants – Oliver Hudson, Matt Barnes and David Charvet – and was disappointed that it didn’t air. Keep reading to find out more about a horrifying moment that viewers didn’t get to see.
Warning: This post contains spoilers for the October 15 episode of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
Special Forces Mauricio Umansky Reveals Horrifying Moment Viewers Didn’t See
Mauricio, his daughter Alexia, and other celebrities were dropped in a Malaysian jungle to face the hardest challenges of their lives. Special Forces put contestants through military-type tests, such as jumping out of a helicopter to test their physical and mental toughness. Some contestants drop out immediately.
But the challenges are more than just physical. The celebrities confront their past in emotional moments, like when Alexia Umansky revealed a past sexual assault. Mauricio Umansky faced a difficult decision on the October 15 episode. He decided to voluntarily withdraw after suffering an injury.
“I did not want to medically withdraw, I wanted to voluntarily withdraw, because I wanted to do it with dignity, and I wanted to do it in front of the DS, not in front of the doctor,” he told PEOPLE magazine. What happened?
“I ended up having to fight Matt Barnes, who is considerably larger than me, on height and weight and reach and absolutely everything. I took a punch to the rib and he ended up cracking my rib,” the RHOBH star continued. Mauricio Umansky revealed that he decided to withdraw because he knew he couldn’t do the next test – a gas chamber – with a broken rib.
Overall, he said he was “proud” of his time on the show. However, he revealed that viewers don’t really get to see just how bad the conditions are for the contestants. “There’s so much … I mean, there was a scorpion on my leg that didn’t make [the episode],” he shared.
Calls His Daughter A ‘Badass’
Mauricio Umansky said the hardest part about forfeiting was leaving his daughter alone. However, he revealed that Alexia was initially planning to do the show by herself. He has no doubt that she’ll go far in the competition.
“She’s an absolute badass. I’m so proud of her. To have that moment between father and daughter and to share a moment like this, it’s so intense and physically challenging, mentally challenging, uncomfortable. But to be there, it’s priceless,” he said on E! News’ Hot Goss.
Mauricio credited his estranged wife for Alexia’s courage. “Kyle’s an amazing mom and woman, and even though, inside, she was hurting and had fear, she was giving Alexia the courage that she needed to give her,” he told PEOPLE.
Mauricio Umansky’s time on Special Forces is over, but Alexia has a great chance of sticking it out until the end. The reality competition airs new episodes Thursdays on Fox.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger