‘Special Forces’ Winner Alexia Umansky on ‘Bittersweet’ Finish, Her Dad’s Exit, and More (Exclusive)

Seven recruits made it to the final portion of selection on Season 5 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, but only three officially passed the course. Alexia Umansky, Collin Gosselin, and Candace Cameron Bure were the last three standing, which Umansky actually said was “bittersweet” at first.

“I was expecting to have that sack ripped off my head and see all of us standing up there, so the initial sensation was shock and sadness at first,” the Buying Beverly Hills star told TV Insider. “It’s relief, but shock and sadness that it wasn’t everybody. And still at that point, we weren’t sure if we really did it. So it was a lot of confusion. I didn’t necessarily know if it really was real. Like, ‘Is this the moment we’re finding out we won, or is this the moment that we’re about to be torture the three of us?’ I just didn’t know.”

Once it sunk in that she had passed, Umansky recalled feeling “such intense pride and emotions,” adding, “We all just leaped into each other’s arms and cried. And I was so proud, and I was so tired, and I was so emotional and … just so many feelings. It was a little confusing and disorienting, honestly, but I can’t tell you how proud I was, truly, more than anything.”

Below, Umansky breaks down her time on the show, including what it was like when her dad, Mauricio Umansky, voluntarily withdrew due to a back injury. Plus, the sweet way she told her family she won and more.

You really thrived at the end in remaining calm and handling the pressure so well. You were partnered with Hannah [Stocking] and Matt [Barnes], and they were sent home because they couldn’t play up the cover story as well as you could. How involved were you with coming up with that cover story, and why were you able to play it off so well?

Alexia Umansky: I was definitely very involved in coming up with the cover story. It’s a little fuzzy, but I’m almost positive I’m the one that came up with the cover story. I wanted something to be very believable. So I thought … Hannah Stocking, content creation, let’s just say I’m her assistant, we’re here, we’re in our outfits because we’re doing content, we’re pretending to be military people in the jungle. I just felt like it was the easiest story to wing while we’re there.

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I just feel like we didn’t anticipate them asking such personal questions. I think we were very focused on the surface-level stuff, and Matt had spoken to us about how his mother had passed. And I think in that moment, when Hannah’s being questioned about Matt’s personal life, we’re all so tired, and we’re all so focused on the story we came up with, so she forgot the reality of his own reality. And the whole point of our cover story was to be as close to our own reality as possible, and it just became confusing and really hard.

Who was the first person you were able to call or talk to from back home when you found out?

I finally got ahold of one of the producer’s phones, and I FaceTimed my family group chat, and all my family was together, actually, doing my sister’s gender reveal. So I got to tune in right at the moment we found out she was having a boy, and I told them I won. We were all crying. It was really sweet. So I got to get ahold of all of them at once, which was really nice.

I remember when I spoke to Gia [Giudice] last season, she had a similar situation where she did the course with her mom, and she said there was almost a moment of relief when her mom left because then she only had to worry about herself. Did you feel the same way with your dad?

I can definitely relate to Gia in that way, but I knew my dad was hurt, and so the feelings I had about him being there were a little confusing because he was definitely an anchor for me and definitely someone that made me feel comfortable. And he was taking care of me the entire way, lifting my backpack onto my back and helping me. I started to really worry when I knew he was really, truly injured, and I could tell he was hiding it from me.

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There were moments where he would wince with pain so intensely, and I would say, “What was that?” And he’d be like, “I was just laughing.” I’m like, “No, you’re not laughing. I know you’re hurt.” But I also didn’t want to push him away. And so I felt like he was trying to be stronger for me, and I also know he really wanted to win. I just felt like this intense guilt for some reason that I wasn’t hurt, especially when I feel like he hurt himself extra trying to help me and lift me and push me.

It was tough, I have to say. I wouldn’t say I was necessarily relieved. I was relieved he wouldn’t be hurt anymore, but I really wanted him to be there. And I also really wanted him to get that win because I really think he could have if he was there.

Who kind of stepped in from the cast as your support after he was gone?

Truly everybody, but David Charvet pulled me aside, and he said to me, “I’m with you to the end. Don’t give up. I know your dad’s not here, but I’ll do everything I can to be there for you.” So everyone really was, but he did make it a point to say, “I know your dad’s gone, but I’m still here.”

It seemed like there was almost a moment where you were almost ready to tap out physically when you guys were crawling in the mud and everything. What kept you from quitting in that moment?

Alexia Umansky: That’s a good question because I look back and I’m like, “How did I do that? Why did I do that?” I talked about my vision board when I did my interviews for the show, and I was looking at my vision board today. It’s next to my bed; I look at it all the time, and I had multiple intentions to win something this year. I am not a natural winner in life. I am not a big sporty/competition person. All my teams and all my life, I’ve always been comfortable losing. It’s not a loser mentality; I’m just fine with losing. I always have been. But this year I really wanted to walk away with a win, and I really wanted to commit myself to something and push myself and just have something tangible to be proud of.

There was one point in the experience where I even wrote in my journal; I was looking back at it the other day, I said, “I think I could make it to the end.” And I think once I accepted that that was something I wanted to do, I just was committed no matter what happened. I was crying so much in that mud because I really thought I wasn’t going to be able to make it the rest of the day if that’s how the 48 hours was going to start. And so I was just so sad because I thought that was the end for me, but I really didn’t want it to be. I was like, “If I go face first into this mud, so be it. I’m making it to the end if I have any say in it.”