ABC A DWTS alum opened up about her time on a new reality show.
The season 5 “Dancing With the Stars” runner-up Melanie Brown a.k.a. Mel B joined on to participate in the new show “Special Forces,” which is airing on Wednesday nights on Fox.
Brown was one of 16 celebrities chosen to take part in the program, which features “challenges from the playbook of the Special Forces selection process,” according to the show’s official website.
Warning: “Special Forces” spoilers to follow.
Brown took on several challenges head-on, facing her fears, and trying her best to complete the tasks assigned to her. Throughout the process, Brown struggled with some of her inner demons, often breaking down and feeling like she couldn’t go on. But she stuck with it as long as she could — and for good reason.
“This course is all about me gaining back my own power. I ended up being in a very horrible abusive 10-year relationship. I felt worthless. You feel helpless. I’m facing huge fears. I’m just gonna bring out that inner person that I hope isn’t dead and gone,” she said during the first episode.
By the third episode, however, Brown felt that she had achieved enough and it was time for her to hand in her arm band and go home. She is proud of what she accomplished during her time on the show, however, and recently spoke out about it.
Here’s what you need to know:
Brown Felt She Had a Lot to Prove to Herself
Brown was married to Stephen Belafonte for a decade and has spoken out about their relationship in the past. According to The Guardian, Brown accuses Belafonte of abuse in her 2018 memoir “Brutally Honest.” The Guardian reports that Brown alleges “physical, sexual, verbal and financial abuse.”
Brown was recently on “The View” where she talked about how doing the show was a challenge and part of a healing process from her past relationship.
“I had to do this show, because unfortunately, I had a very abusive 10-year marriage, and I’m about five years out of that,” she said on the January 20, 2023, episode of “The View.”
“So, when you’ve been through something like that, you walk out of it feeling so broken and feeling so worthless. You’re riddled with shame and with guilt,” she explained, adding, “I’m always going to have the PTSD, the flashbacks. So, by me choosing to put myself on a show where you’re yelled at, you’re hooded, you’re strangled … you have to go into battle. It was everything that was a trigger for me.”
Brown Said She Did the Show for Herself & Called it ‘Terrifying’
The cast of “Special Forces” included several reality television stars and athletes, from “Bachelorette” star Hannah Brown to Super Bowl champion Danny Amendola. Each recruit must complete a task each week and follow strict commands from the Directing Staff. If they are unable to complete the task — and refuse to try — they must turn in their arm bands and drop out.
On the premiere, the recruits were told to jump out of a plane into a body of water. Four people left, including former reality star Kate Gosselin and Dr. Drew Pinsky. Brown appeared to be handling the pressure well, but ultimately walked away after a couple of additional challenges.
“Only you can stop the abuse happening to yourself in your head again once you’ve left. It was really important for me to regain my power, take my power back and talk about it on lovely shows like this show,” she said on “The View.”
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