‘Special Forces’: Shawn Johnson & Andrew East on How They Prepared for the ‘Uncomfortable’ Experience & More

Shawn Johnson and Andrew East may be former professional athletes, but Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test was far from a cake walk for the couple. “We’re very used to, I don’t want to say physical pain, but coming from elite athletics, we know how to deal with that,” Johnson tells TV Insider. “It’s an expectation. The mental side was way different than anything I think Andrew or I had ever dealt with before, so that was new.” They both agree that the mental portion of the show was much harder than the physical portion for them, even though they attempted to train for the grueling physical challenges before filming.