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Tom Sandoval and Nick Viall Throw Punches in ‘Special Forces’ Showdown on October 17, 2023 at 2:13 am Us Weekly

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Tom Sandoval, Nick Viall. Pete Dadds/ FOX (2)

Tom Sandoval and Nick Viall face off in a reality star showdown on the latest episode of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test

The Vanderpump Rules star, 40, and the former Bachelor, 43, find themselves pitted against each other on the Fox show’s Monday, October 16, episode, which features the recruits’ first combat challenge. 

“In the Special Forces world, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the worst thing we have to come up against is hand-to-hand combat — what we’d call milling,” directing staff member Mark “Billy” Billingham tells the group after they arrive at the remote location. “Kill or be killed.” 

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In the brutal “test of character,” the cast is tasked with fighting each other until the DS calls time and declares a winner. Tyler Cameron is first up, defeating Olympic gold medalist Bode Miller before Sandoval and Viall find themselves in the ring. 

Related: ‘Special Forces’ Cast’s Quotes About the Show’s Extreme Living Conditions

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One lesson the stars of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test have learned is that rough living conditions can be just as tough to handle as the challenges. Celebrities are pushed to their physical and mental limits by undergoing military training on the Fox competition series. The show’s first two seasons placed its casts in two […]

“When I wrestled in high school, there would be guys that were better than me, but I’d wear them out,” Sandoval says before the fight begins, noting that this refusal to “give up” is what would often lead him to victory. Viall, for his part, shares that while he has a “fighter” inside him — it’s “never come out in a physical altercation.” 

Pete Dadds/ FOX

I hope my competitive nature will kick in,” Viall says to the cameras just seconds before Billingham tells him to “kill” Sandoval. 

“We don’t care if you get knocked to the ground. We don’t care if you lose your teeth,” DS Rudy Reyes explains in a confessional. “What we’re looking for is the fight inside of you. Will you keep getting up?” 

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Both men seem evenly matched while throwing punches until Sandoval eventually takes the win — but can’t seem to control himself even after he’s instructed to stop. “Get a grip on yourself,” Billingham tells the Pump Rules star before throwing him back in the ring as a reprimand for his “lack of self-control.” 

Related: Biggest Reality TV Fights Ever: From ‘Real Housewives’ to ‘Jersey Shore’

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On another level! Over the years, reality television has found its stride by putting the most unexpected moments on full display — including some serious feuds. The dynamic between the women on the Real Housewives of Potomac changed drastically after costars Monique Samuels and Candiace Dillard got into a physical fight during season 5. What […]

Sandoval’s next fight is against Jack Osbourne, who reveals he has a bit of training in the area of hand-to-hand combat. “I’m a pretty good fighter,” he shares. “I compete in tournaments in jiu-jitsu. I’m not super aggressive right out of the gate. I play the long game and tire out whoever I’m fighting. Then I attack.” 

The DS team hopes to see Sandoval “prove he can control himself,” but Osbourne, 37, ultimately ends up triumphant, leaving Sandoval with a bloody nose.

 “Emotions are the most powerful thing a person has,” Reyes explains. “We’re not looking for anger. We’re looking for a laser-focused, switched-on operator.” 

As the show plays out his fight against Osbourne, Sandoval shares that he has been carrying around “a lot of anger” in the “past few months” and worries that his emotions will get the best of him. 

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Sandoval made headlines earlier this year when he cheated on ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix with Pump Rules costar Raquel Leviss. Us Weekly confirmed in March that Sandoval and Madix, 38, split after nine years together in the wake of the scandal. 

While Madix has moved on with Daniel Wai and Leviss, 28, checked herself into a mental health facility in April, Sandoval previously revealed that he joined Special Forces as a type of punishment for his infidelity. “The whole world is pissed off at me,” he said in an August trailer for the show. “I had an affair and now I want to take a beating.” 

After Monday’s combat challenge, the DS begin having concerns about Sandoval’s state of mind. Taking him in for tactical questioning, they ask him about the reason behind his recent “bad” performances. 

“I had an affair. She’s also on [Vanderpump Rules]. It just was the perfect storm, my publicist had never seen anything like it,” he explains. “A reality star having an affair on CNN? It’s so stupid. It became this ‘Team Ariana’ thing, they sold $200,000 in merch in, like, two weeks. Seeing people I’ve been friends with for decades just turn on me, it’s just so exhausting.” 

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The DS instructors, however, have little sympathy for his tears, calling him “pathetic” for attempting to “play [the] victim” when he isn’t one. “The first thing you should be doing is owning it,” DS Jason “Foxy” Fox says. 

Related: Everything Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss Have Said About Their Affair

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Talking the talk? After Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss’ affair was exposed, their Vanderpump Rules costars have spoken at length about the drama. Us Weekly confirmed in March 2023 that Sandoval and Ariana Madix called it quits after nine years together due to his infidelity. Immediately after the news broke, Madix’s present fand former castmates […]

Since the fallout from Scandoval, Sandoval and Leviss have paused their relationship, with Leviss even blocking him on Instagram. Sandoval is also not currently on speaking terms with Madix despite the pair still living in the same house. Both are also currently filming season 11 of Vanderpump Rules. (Leviss confirmed in August that she would not return for season 11 of the Bravo series.) 

“This course is your opportunity to be a person of integrity to the people that are around you and us. Make this your new start,” Fox continues, to which Sandoval replies, “Yes. That’s what I want.”

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test season 2 airs on Fox Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.

Tom Sandoval and Nick Viall face off in a reality star showdown on the latest episode of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.  The Vanderpump Rules star, 40, and the former Bachelor, 43, find themselves pitted against each other on the Fox show’s Monday, October 16, episode, which features the recruits’ first combat challenge.  “In the 

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What We Can Learn Inside 50 Cent’s Explosive Diddy Documentary: 5 Reasons You Should Watch

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50 Cent’s new Netflix docuseries about Sean “Diddy” Combs is more than a headline-grabbing exposé; it is a meticulous breakdown of how power, celebrity, and silence can collide in the entertainment industry.

Across its episodes, the series traces Diddy’s rise, the allegations that followed him for years, and the shocking footage and testimonies now forcing a wider cultural reckoning.

For viewers, it offers not just drama, but lessons about media literacy, accountability, and how society treats survivors when a superstar is involved.

Rapper 50 Cent pictured in Tup Tup Palace night club with owners James Jukes and Matt LoveDough, Newcastle, UK, 7th November 2015

1. It Chronicles Diddy’s Rise and Fall – And How Power Warps Reality

The docuseries follows Combs from hitmaker and business icon to a figure facing serious criminal conviction and public disgrace, mapping out decades of influence, branding, and behind-the-scenes behavior. Watching that arc shows how money, fame, and industry relationships can shield someone from scrutiny and delay accountability, even as disturbing accusations accumulate.

Rapper 50 Cent pictured in Tup Tup Palace night club with owners James Jukes and Matt LoveDough, Newcastle, UK, 7th November 2015

2. Never-Before-Seen Footage Shows How Narratives Are Managed

Exclusive footage of Diddy in private settings and in the tense days around his legal troubles reveals how carefully celebrity narratives are shaped, even in crisis.

Viewers can learn to question polished statements and recognize that what looks spontaneous in public is often the result of strategy, damage control, and legal calculation.

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3. Survivors’ Stories Highlight Patterns of Abuse and Silence

Interviews with alleged victims, former staff, and industry insiders describe patterns of control, fear, and emotional or physical harm that were long whispered about but rarely aired in this detail. Their stories underline how difficult it is to speak out against a powerful figure, teaching viewers why many survivors delay disclosure and why consistent patterns across multiple accounts matter.

4. 50 Cent’s Approach Shows Storytelling as a Tool for Accountability

As executive producer, 50 Cent uses his reputation and platform to push a project that leans into uncomfortable truths rather than protecting industry relationships. The series demonstrates how documentary storytelling can challenge established power structures, elevate marginalized voices, and pressure institutions to respond when traditional systems have failed.

5. The Cultural Backlash Reveals How Society Handles Celebrity Accountability

Reactions to the doc—ranging from people calling it necessary and brave to others dismissing it as a vendetta or smear campaign—expose how emotionally invested audiences can be in defending or condemning a famous figure. Watching that debate unfold helps viewers see how fandom, nostalgia, and bias influence who is believed, and why conversations about “cancel culture” often mask deeper questions about justice and who is considered too powerful to fall.

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South Park’s Christmas Episode Delivers the Antichrist

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A new Christmas-themed episode of South Park is scheduled to air with a central plot in which Satan is depicted as preparing for the birth of an Antichrist figure. The premise extends a season-long narrative arc that has involved Satan, Donald Trump, and apocalyptic rhetoric, positioning this holiday episode as a culmination of those storylines rather than a stand‑alone concept.

Episode premise and season context

According to published synopses and entertainment coverage, the episode frames the Antichrist as part of a fictional storyline that blends religious symbolism with commentary on politics, media, and cultural fear. This follows earlier Season 28 episodes that introduced ideas about Trump fathering an Antichrist child and tech billionaire Peter Thiel obsessing over prophecy and end‑times narratives. The Christmas setting is presented as a contrast to the darker themes, reflecting the series’ pattern of pairing holiday imagery with controversial subject matter.

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Public and political reactions

Coverage notes that some figures connected to Donald Trump’s political orbit have criticized the season’s portrayal of Trump and his allies, describing the show as relying on shock tactics rather than substantive critique. Commentators highlight that these objections are directed more at the depiction of real political figures and the show’s tone than at the specific theology of the Antichrist storyline.

At the time of reporting, there have not been widely reported, detailed statements from major religious leaders focused solely on this Christmas episode, though religion-focused criticism of South Park in general has a long history.

Media and cultural commentary

Entertainment outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, Forbes, Slate, and USA Today describe the Antichrist arc as part of South Park’s ongoing use of Trump-era and tech-world politics as material for satire.

These reports emphasize that the show’s treatment of the Antichrist, Satan, and prophecy is designed as exaggerated commentary rather than doctrinal argument, while also acknowledging that many viewers may see the storyline as offensive or excessive.

Viewer guidance and content advisory

South Park is rated TV‑MA and is intended for adult audiences due to strong language, explicit themes, and frequent use of religious and political satire. Viewers who are sensitive to depictions of Satan, the Antichrist, or parodies involving real political figures may find this episode particularly objectionable, while others may view it as consistent with the show’s long‑running approach to controversial topics. As with previous episodes, individual responses are likely to vary widely, and the episode is best understood as part of an ongoing satirical series rather than a factual or theological statement.

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Sydney Sweeney Finally Confronts the Plastic Surgery Rumors

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Sydney Sweeney has decided she is finished watching strangers on the internet treat her face like a forensic project. After years of side‑by‑side screenshots, “then vs now” TikToks, and long comment threads wondering what work she has supposedly had done, the actor is now addressing the plastic surgery rumors directly—and using them to say something larger about how women are looked at in Hollywood and online.

Sweeney at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival red carpet premiere of Christy

Growing Up on Camera vs. “Before and After” Culture

Sweeney points out that people are often mistaking normal changes for procedures: she grew up on camera, her roles now come with big‑budget glam teams, and her body has shifted as she has trained, aged, and worked nonstop. Yet every new red‑carpet photo gets folded into a narrative that assumes surgeons, not time, are responsible. Rather than walking through a checklist of what is “real,” she emphasizes how bizarre it is that internet detectives comb through pores, noses, and jawlines as if they are owed an explanation for every contour of a woman’s face.

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The Real Problem Isn’t Her Face

By speaking up, Sweeney is redirecting the conversation away from her features and toward the culture that obsesses over them.

She argues that the real issue isn’t whether an actress has had work done, but why audiences feel so entitled to dissect her body as public property in the first place.

For her, the constant speculation is less about curiosity and more about control—another way to tell women what they should look like and punish them when they do not fit. In calling out that dynamic, Sweeney isn’t just defending herself; she is forcing fans and followers to ask why tearing apart someone else’s appearance has become such a popular form of entertainment.


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