Over the last few years, Kayla Nicole has been in the spotlight largely because of her ex, Travis Kelce. But the actress was ready to step out of that shadow and carve out a name for herself. And she did just that by winning Season 3 of Special Forces — a grueling military-style reality competition designed to push contestants beyond their physical and mental limits.
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For Nicole, the win wasn’t just a trophy, however. It was a personal milestone. She describes herself as someone who couldn’t win a thing in college. Not even beauty pageants, despite being conventionally attractive. What made the taste of victory even sweeter for the media personality was her journey, seeing her outperform NFL stars like Cam Newton and Olympic gold medallists. And she had to earn it the hard way.
From sleep deprivation to extreme physical exhaustion, even simulated torture, Nicole recently reflected on how her time on the reality show included some of the most intense moments of her life.
“It’s absolutely, really, really intense. The most intense experience of my life. Would never do it again,” Nicole admitted in her latest appearance on Straight to Cam.
And honestly? Who could blame her? She had to endure extreme tasks and survive on a diet of oatmeal, boiled eggs, and toast (which conveniently didn’t make it to air). It was a daily test of endurance. By the end of the show, she had unsurprisingly let go of all her inhibitions.
“You don’t even care about any of that. You’re so messed up in the head (by the end). You’re just like, ‘I don’t even care.’ Like, you could see me naked, you can hear me poop, you’ve seen me cry, at this point. We are trauma-bonded for life,” she continued.
And speaking of bodily functions, Nicole’s experience led to a hilarious yet unexpected thought: What on earth must Cam Newton’s farts smell like?
Between the intense training, sleepless nights, and cramped bathroom conditions, personal space was nonexistent. And with that grueling diet? As Kayla Nicole confessed, “Girl, by the end of it, you’re like, I don’t even care anymore. Imagine what Cam Newton’s farts smell like!”
But there was nothing funny about what Special Forces demanded from its contestants. The torture phase was the scariest, where Kayla Nicole & Co. endured 12 relentless hours of psychological and physical warfare, leaving the influencer a “shell” of herself.
Add in a 23-mile run to the top of cliffs with drill sergeants screaming in their faces, and the show felt less like a competition and more like a psychological experiment.
When one looks at the show from this lens, it makes complete sense why Disney star Christy Carlson Romano had to stop by her therapist’s clinic after the show wrapped.
All said and done, Kayla Nicole proved to herself that she could endure, overcome, and ultimately win. Even if it meant eating the same bland breakfast every day, running until her legs gave out, or losing all sense of personal space along the way.
