Shawn Johnson East’s Secret Is Out — And It Involves Blood, Sweat, and Her Husband originally appeared on Parade.
Her secret’s out! The cast list for Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 4 dropped on Wednesday, August 6, and one of our favorite celebrity couples is on it! Former Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson East and her husband, former NFL player Andrew East, suited up to join the high-intensity celebrity endurance show, and fans are already freaking out.
Shawn posted on Instagram after the cast list was revealed, saying, “Well………… we’ve been keeping a secret 👀💀☠️ Guess it’s out now.” She also posted some photos from Entertainment Weekly, including one of her with a bloody nose!
The show follows the castmates as they attempt some of the most grueling, high-intensity training scenarios inspired by actual special ops programs around the world. There are no judges, no eliminations, and no alliances — the only way out is to quit, get medically pulled, or make it to the bitter end.
In her Instagram stories, Shawn revealed that of all the reality shows she’s ever been on, this is the most real, unscripted one she’s ever experienced. When a fan asked how real it was in a Q&A and asked if the participants got any help on the side, the mom of three replied, “WAY more real [than] they even show on the show. Like for real for real. No extra help. No like, ok we’re done for the night, or like here’s what’s next, You are TRULY in a course 100000% of the time from when day 1 starts. You even get assigned a psychiatrist when you leave haha because like … it’s real.”
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She also explained that this is why she and Andrew have been turning heads on social media recently posting about their “psycho workout regimen” and the reason they got in shape so fast this past spring.
In May, Shawn had an Instagram post go viral in which Andrew called her “jacked” and she shared video of her intense workout in the gym. Even more recently, she had fans talking about her incredible body strength with her participation in the Nicki Minaj challenge. Now we know why they both have gotten into such incredible shape recently!
Fans are beyond excited to watch the Easts on Fox this fall. One person wrote, “Yes!!!!!! I can’t wait to watch this!!!!” while another added, “Oh let’s gooooooo!!” Yet another chimed in that one of the pics “is giving Cadet Kelly… & I’m here for it,” referencing the 2002 Disney movie starring Hilary Duff.
Even Derek Hough, Shawn’s partner for the All-Star season of Dancing With the Stars jumped into the conversation with, “Das my girl! Badass!”
We can’t wait to watch!
Special Forces will premiere on Thursday, September 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
Shawn Johnson East’s Secret Is Out — And It Involves Blood, Sweat, and Her Husband first appeared on Parade on Aug 6, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
