Shawn Johnson and Andrew Would Stay in Special Forces Even If One Was Eliminated
Shawn Johnson East and her husband Andrew East reached the finale of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test season 4 together—but had one been eliminated earlier, the other would have continued without hesitation.
“Andrew and I had numerous discussions about hypotheticals going into it,” Shawn, 33, told Us Weekly exclusively after winning the season alongside Gia Giudice on the episode that aired Thursday, November 20.
The Olympic gold medalist shared, “We were both very firm that one of us had to finish it completely. If he left, I had to stay, and if I left, he had to stay.”
Shawn emphasized their team spirit, stating, “We had to represent the team. We’re a team.”
In the finale, Shawn and Andrew, 34, joined Gia, 24, Kody Brown, and Brianna LaPaglia. After enduring a rigorous interrogation challenge and a simulated capture exercise, both Kody, 56, and Andrew were eliminated.
The three women moved forward to the final challenge, a simulated burial. Brianna, 26, exited the challenge minutes before Shawn and Gia were declared the winners.
Reflecting on the experience, Shawn told Us it was the “hardest day” due to the unexpected mental challenges of the interrogation segment.
“I was quite accustomed to pushing through physical pain—nothing dramatic, but I was used to challenging myself,” she explained. “The initial nine or eight days of physical challenges were incredibly tough, yet familiar.”
She hadn’t anticipated the difficulty of enduring 12 hours of torture and interrogation alongside her husband.
“That was particularly difficult. I was genuinely concerned about my husband, and Andrew was very anxious about me,” Shawn confessed. “It was a unique challenge, unlike anything we’ve dealt with before, and certainly not something I want to repeat.”
Shawn, who has been married to the former NFL player since April 2016, admitted she felt apprehensive about participating in Special Forces alongside Andrew but is grateful for his support.
“We were a bit anxious about doing the show together. We weren’t sure how it would affect us,” she told Us, emphasizing that their marriage is their top priority.
Despite the challenges, Shawn found competing alongside her spouse to be “a wonderful experience.”
The Olympian shared that her three children also inspired her to join the cast and compete fiercely.
“I competed in the Olympics at 16. I invested my blood, sweat, and tears. I was capable of sacrificing anything and enduring any hardship back then,” Shawn reminisced. “After the Olympics, I used that accomplishment as an excuse not to pursue anything else. It was always, ‘Well, I did it, so I don’t need to do it again.’”
As a mother to daughter Drew, 6, and sons Jett, 4, and Bear, 23 months, Shawn realized she wanted to challenge herself and demonstrate to her children that she still possesses the grit they might underestimate.
Upon winning Special Forces, Shawn admitted it was bittersweet since Andrew fell short of the title despite wanting it just as much.
“Andrew and I are each other’s biggest supporters, cheerleaders, and teammates. As I crossed the finish line, he was overjoyed for me and thrilled,” she recounted to Us. “Yet I could also sense his disappointment and sadness.”
Shawn reflected, “As his staunchest advocate, it was an intriguing shared moment—I just wanted to comfort him and help him process his feelings while he was eager to celebrate my victory.”
Although winning without him felt “a bit strange,” Shawn stated that being part of the same season was “the greatest blessing.” She added, “No one can ever fully grasp the experience we shared.”
