Tremble and despair! Kate Gosselin is returning to television for some reason.
Many view Kate’s parenting style as a toxic authoritarian. Now, the tables are turning on her.
A new project will feature her and other celebrity (and “celebrity”) guests undergoing a battery of tests.
Other guests will include Anthony Scaramucci and Jamie Lynn Spears, so … actually that’s pretty perfect company.
Fox is coming out with a new reality competition series, Special Forces: The Ultimate Test.
The title has huge 2004 energy, and so does the premise.
Not only is it an American adaptation of a UK series, but the challenges are designed to mirror special forces training.
The UK series is called SAS: Who Dares Wins, which is pretty goofy in and of itself.
And the idea of making celebrities (again, using the term pretty loosely in some cases) mimic military training is quite something.
Then again, considering some of the people who will be competing, people might tune in just to hate-watch.
Kate Gosselin is of course one of the most recognizable names in the mix. She is also among the most polarizing.
Then, of course, there is Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney’s less famous, less talented, less liked sister.
And we did a double-take at the name Anthony Scaramucci. There is no telling how long he will last as a contestant.
Mel B, Tyler Florence, Montell Jordan, Beverley Mitchell, Hannah Brown, and Kenya Moore also make the list.
Other contestants are Dr. Drew Pinsky, Danny Amendola, Dwight Howard, Gus Kenworthy, Nastia Liukin, Carli Lloyd, and Mike Pizza.
Those names ranged from beloved public figures to people a little less well-liked.
If you had to google a couple of those names, there’s no shame in it.
These names come from all walks of life.
(My favorite from the bunch is Gus Kenworthy, but it’s likely that many viewers will have their own faves)
“Special Forces: The Ultimate Test puts celebrities you know and love,” the official Fox statement begins.
It continues “through the most pure and authentic test of endurance that I have ever seen.”
“In many ways, it is more about mental strength than physical strength,” Rob Wade, president of alternative entertainment and specials at Fox, says.
“It’s an eye-opening glimpse into the most intense training in the world,” he claims.
“And,’ the statement adds, “gives a taste of the grit and bravery our armed forces show on a daily basis.”
The statement goes on: “Which was a life-changing experience for these celebrities.”
Like we said, the whole premise seems to hearken back to how reality TV worked decades ago.
In the early aughts, so much of American reality TV mirrored British shows. Many did not translate well.
A few succeeded, until the television culture changed to things like Real Housewives, the Kardashians, and TLC’s more culturally sinister programming.
This could mean a resurgence of old-timey gimmick competition shows, complete with a Bush era military twist.
Or it could be a flop.
Either way, this marks Kate’s return to reality TV for the first time since 2019’s ridiculous Kate Plus Date.