“I can’t feel my legs anymore”: again a recruit has to give up in ‘Special Forces’ | TV

Even after the grueling swimming task, the recruits did not get a second of rest. During a tough drill session, the ten remaining participants were completely exhausted. A precursor to the ‘milling’, where each recruit had to box against an instructor for two minutes. That assignment evoked intense memories for ‘Thuis’ actress Lynn Van den Broeck. “I walk away from situations that I feel like I have no control over. One of my mates used to get threatened because he was gay. I then started walking because I saw no way out. I left him there alone and that could have ended badly. I still regret that,” she said emotionally.

The boxing match left a deep impression on Van den Broeck, who afterwards arrived at base camp exhausted. The assignment also brought back unpleasant memories for lawyer Davina Simons (28). “I fought once before, when I was in high school. During the lunch break I ate my sandwiches on a wall. A group of girls came to me because I was different from everyone else. At one point they threatened to shoot me mouth to hit. “Okay, try it,” I responded. And they did.” Simons said that she has always been an outsider. “Also at university. I fought to study law, it was my big dream, but I definitely didn’t feel at home in that direction. Then it takes a lot of courage to remain yourself and not fold.”

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Ex-footballer Olivier Deschacht (43) found the boxing match, despite his low pain threshold, “worth repeating”. “I enjoyed being spanked,” he admitted. Gers Pardoelen preferred to hand out blows himself. “I’ve had trouble with authority all my life,” he said. He proved this when he decided for himself that the two minutes were up, without waiting for the instructor’s signal. “This behavior does not fit in our world,” the chef warned. A sermon that impressed the singer. He returned to base camp weeping. “I have created a life where I always get my way. Actually, I would prefer to live without rules. My heart is very pure and I have a conscience, which keeps me on the right path. Then you can be rebellious, I think,” he explained his behavior.

After 16 hours of continuous heavy physical exertion, a short rest followed. The recruits received their first meal of the day. Ex-cyclist Jan Bakelants (38) subsequently became ‘recruit of the day’ for 24 hours. In that capacity he had to ensure that everyone always arrives on time. However, the Kempen resident himself made a mistake when he forgot his drinking bottle during one of the tests. “Someone who does not take good care of his equipment is not disciplined enough. You will soon notice the consequences of this,” the operators warned.

After the physical exertion, the instructors expected supreme concentration during a long series of lessons, which lasted all night. After just one hour of sleep, the BVs had to immediately put their knowledge into practice during the next assignment: climbing a rope ladder in a 20-meter waterfall. During the walk to the location, under a hot afternoon sun, Lynn again had a hard time. “I feel very weak,” she exclaimed emotionally as she sank to her knees on the ground. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to give up, but I can’t feel my legs anymore.” After some pep talk from the chef, the actress managed to regain her composure and continued her difficult journey to the waterfall.

However, climbing the rope ladder turned out to be a bridge too far. “I can’t do this,” she grumbled while crying. Because Van den Broeck has difficulty with failure and did not want to give up on it herself, the instructor made the decision for her. “It stops here and that’s no shame,” was the verdict. A heavy blow for Lynn. She wanted to make her father, who works as a soldier, proud. “Do you think he won’t be proud now? Did you give 100%?” the instructor asked her. “Yes, but I still find it difficult to be proud of myself. Maybe that realization will come later.”

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Jan also had to go deep. The altitude test brought back a traumatic experience from his cycling career. “In 2017, I fell about six meters into a ravine during the Lombardy Tour. They evacuated me and afterwards it turned out that my back was broken. It made me almost an inch smaller,” he said emotionally.

After the assignment, the ‘Special Forces’ operators withdrew briefly for an evaluation. Gers in particular came into focus. “During the milling his behavior was very bad. He has problems with authority and therefore no control over his emotions,” he said. When the chefs discovered not much later that Gers had secretly smuggled deodorant, the fence was completely closed. With a hood over his head, he was taken to an interrogation room. “Do you have children? What values ​​do you want to pass on to them?” the operators grumbled. When Pardoelen mentioned honesty, they raised their eyebrows. “Do you think you’re doing well then? Either you pick yourself up or you quit,” it sounded clear.

We will only see what Gers ultimately decides in next week’s episode. But it seems unlikely that he will be able to turn the switch. “I actually don’t want to be here at all,” he realized.

Special Forces, every Monday at 8:40 PM on VTM. The third episode can already be seen on Streamz.

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