Candace Cameron Bure‘s time on Special Forces nearly came to an abrupt end as she seriously considered leaving the show.
“I was ready to quit the show. Like, I was ready to quit. I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to keep going,’” Cameron Bure, 50, exclusively told Us ahead of the season 5 premiere on Thursday, September 24. “It was physically the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life — and yet it was exciting, but brutal.”
Cameron Bure was proud that she was able to push through, adding, “In retrospect — now that I’m not there in the jungle — I’m so glad I participated, said yes and showed up. I’m really proud of myself for that. But it was really hard — physically and mentally — and you learn a whole lot about yourself, particularly your weaknesses.”
Special Forces, which premiered in 2023, puts contestants through harsh training based on actual military selection processes. They cast faces intense physical and mental challenges designed to push them to their limits.
“I don’t know if there’s any preparation. I’ll just tell you, I’m a big crybaby. Also being in perimenopause, your hormones are all over the place. I think that it truly was another reason why I wanted to do it because I was going in hoping I would inspire other women my age going through that,” Cameron Bure noted. “Because sometimes you just don’t even feel like yourself. You don’t feel like you’re in your right mind and it’s just a matter of hormone balance.”
The Full House alum said she “cried way more than” she wanted to admit.
“Especially in public, on television. I don’t even know what we’re gonna watch back. I might be cowering and so embarrassed to see what’s gonna happen. I don’t really know,” she continued. “But those interrogations, they were actually scary. I didn’t know the Directing Staff well, and they have such a presence and they are really all beautiful people. But in the moment, you’re in this fight or flight stage, and it’s just scary. So I cried a whole lot.”
Special Forces also taught Cameron Bure more about herself.
“My biggest takeaway was that I was not as good of a teammate as I hoped I would be. You are fighting for your life out there and when you get put in those situations, it’s fight or flight. You either stand up to it or you want to run. That’s the emotional reaction that most people have,” she explained. “I realize, like, I’m a flyer. Yet you have other people to care for, and that’s where I got really disappointed with myself that I let my fear get the best of me, but that also meant not just for me, but for the other people that I was with.”
She added: “So I came home from the experience having learned that I could be a better teammate and just apply that to life. I could apply that at home with my husband, as a mom to my kids and as a friend to my friends’ relationships. So, I’m glad that I did the show.”
Fox’s hit competition show is one of many projects Cameron Bure was excited to explore.
“I just turned 50, and this was the year of saying yes. I really do say yes to the things that scare me in life, the things that I’m fearful about. That was like saying yes to Dancing With the Stars and even yes to The Masked Singer — those are the only two reality shows I’ve ever done before,” she told Us. “And I’ve watched Special Forces seasons in the past, and I’ve always liked the show. But I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I would ever do that if I got the offer, because it’s really terrifying the things that they do.’ So the offer came, and I’ve just been on really a fitness and health journey for the last year and a half.”
The opportunity came at the perfect time for Cameron Bure, who said, “I really wanted to prepare [for] this next decade of my life and turning 50 and being in perimenopause. I think all of those things added up. And I was like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna say yes to this and actually see if I’ve got what it takes, and really push myself to the limits of whatever that is.’ I don’t know what my limits are, so that’s why I did the show. I just kind of wanted to see what I was capable of.”
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test season 5 premieres on Fox Thursday, September 24, at 9 p.m. ET.
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