Credit: Koury Angelo/Bravo
Brittany Cartwright wasn’t exactly supported by her estranged husband, Jax Taylor, after joining the cast of Special Forces: The World’s Toughest Test.
After quitting the FOX challenge show’s fourth season during its premiere episode last week, the 36-year-old Vanderpump Rules alum and current star of The Valley revealed that her ex “laughed” at her as she admitted that the abuse she was previously dealt by him was one of the things that “triggered” her to leave the series.
“He just kind of laughed,” Brittany said of Jax’s reaction to her exit on the September 29 episode of Access Hollywood’s Housewives Nightcap. “I didn’t even want to give him that satisfaction that I left, which sucks, but at the same time, it’s like, he says he wants to do it so hard. I would love to see him try.”
According to Brittany, it was Jax’s comments that made her question her ability to do the show.
“Special Forces is very much about your mindset, and I think in the time of my life and dealing with all that other stuff that I was going through, and him writing me those messages and everything else, it did not help me at all,” she explained.
Because she didn’t want to be the first to leave, making the decision to walk away from the show was not easy for Brittany.
“I was like, really committed. I really wanted to try my hardest,” she insisted. “I went into this in a very tough time in my life. I wasn’t completely physically prepared. I had never been away from my son that long. And also, after coming out of a toxic relationship, I thought I would be able to handle the comments.”
While Brittany thought that Jax’s harsh treatment of her would make her stronger, it ultimately led to her downfall.
“I thought, 100 percent, I would come into this, and I’m prepared. I probably have it better than everybody else because I’m used to toxic things and different stuff like that, but instead of motivating me, it really triggered me. So whenever they were screaming, ‘You’re weak,’ or, ‘You’re that.’ I was more like, ‘I know I am. I know I am.’ And it kind of did a reverse effect on me than I expected it to,” she shared.
Looking back on Day 1 of her time on the show, Brittany said the “whole day was hard.”
“It’s not like a show I’ve ever been on before. It’s very raw. You’re not getting breaks in between. It’s back to back to back to back to back, and it was terrifying from the beginning,” she revealed. “If I have a bag over my head and being in the heat … I was already shaking like a leaf and then going into the heights and doing that and then doing the challenge where we had to carry all the stuff, I just felt like I didn’t have anything else to give and I felt like I was letting my team down .. I felt like I was holding them back instead of helping them, and it was really getting to me that I wasn’t adding to it, and I just was like, this isn’t for me.”
In addition to the physical toll the challenges took on her body, Brittany was also facing emotional turmoil as she missed her son, four-year-old Cruz. But looking back, despite her early exit, Brittany said she was “so proud” of what she accomplished, including conquering one of her biggest fears, heights, by jumping out of a helicopter.
As for her biggest takeaway, Brittany said it was putting herself out there and getting out of her comfort zone.
“I tried something a lot of people doubted me for, and even if I didn’t make it til the end, I still freaking tried. I am proud of myself for that,” she declared.
Although Jax wasn’t helpful, to say the least, Brittany was offered support from her new boyfriend, Brandon Hanson.
“He’s extremely supportive and we just are like, you know, I didn’t do great but I tried and I’ll move on from here and learn from it,” she shared.
Moving on to The Valley, Brittany admitted the Bravo reality series’ reunion was harder than going through day one of Special Forces.
“The Valley reunion was much harder. Physically, nothing will ever compare to Special Forces. Let’s be real. But The Valley is my everyday real life,” she explained. “I think that will always be more difficult.”
Although Brittany couldn’t talk about what fans would see on season three, she said she’s in a “better place in [her] life.”
“I’ve grown so much, so much, and I just feel so much happier now,” she teased.
The Valley season three is currently in production and expected to premiere on Bravo sometime in early 2026.