Brianna LaPaglia Reflects on 'Special Forces' Journey & Opens Up About Healing After Zach Bryan Split
Brianna LaPaglia is speaking about her time on Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
The podcast host made it to the season 4 finale, but when she was told her next challenge would be getting into a wooden coffin to simulate being buried alive, Brianna gave away critical information and was subsequently disqualified.
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“What it’s taught me about myself is how mentally capable I am of truly anything,” she told People. “I don’t find myself saying ‘I can’t’ anymore, which I did a lot on the show, and I don’t find myself doubting myself as much, [either] which is really cool.”
Brianna, 26, had to tackle a bunch of different physical and mental challenges alongside her competitors on the show.
But one moment in particular sticks out from her journey. Early on in the season, she opened up about her split from country singer Zach Bryan in 2024 during a simulated “interrogation.”
“The amount of people reaching out and the messages I received after that episode and the people coming up to me in the street just talking about episode three specifically, I think it made it all worth it and, it was very therapeutic for me in the same sense,” she said.
Following their breakup last October, Brianna alleged on herBFFs Podcast that Zach emotionally abused her and tried to get her to sign an NDA, offering “$12 million and a New York apartment” to “not talk about the relationship.” He never publicly addressed the claims.
Asked whether Special Forces helped her reclaim her voice, Brianna replied, “I don’t think I ever lost it because I never signed it,” referring to the alleged NDA.
She added that this chapter isn’t about reclaiming anything but about staying authentic: “This is Bri. This is who I was five years ago when I started on social media before I went through all of that.” The influencer said that during the relationship, “I wasn’t me,” and now she’s simply focused on “moving forward.”
Catch up on all of the latest Special Forces news, including who won the fourth season!