How Bre Tiesis Ex Johnny Manziel Pushed Her to Do Special Forces

Exclusive Interview

Bre Tiesi chose to voluntarily withdraw from Season 5 ofSpecial Forces: World’s Toughest Test on the October 29 episode. Last year, her ex-husband, Johnny Manziel, made the same decision while competing on the show himself.

However, Tiesi toldSwooon that it was actually Manziel who encouraged her to take on the challenge ofSpecial Forces. “Johnny, who’s my ex-husband, also was on it the season before me, and he very much was like, ‘You can totally do this.’ He was like, ‘You should do it,’” Tiesi revealed.

She also admitted that Manziel, whom she was married to from 2018 to 2019, predicted how she would likely fare in the tough conditions of the course. “Exactly what he said was going to happen, happened,” she shared. “He was like, ‘Don’t let your ego get in the way and get mad,’ which is what happened.”

Pete Dadds / Fox

Tiesi opted to leave after witnessing David Charvet and Matt Barnes get lost in the jungle. They had to be led home by Directing Staff Rudy Reyes in the dark, and the reality of just how brutal the conditions were really started setting in.

This was exactly the warning she received from Dwight Howard, who was on Season 1 and made it all the way to the final mission before being disqualified. “I know Dwight really well. Dwight was like, ‘You’re insane,’” Tiesi laughed. “He was on Season 1 where he was lit on fire and stuff, too. So he was like, ‘Do you [really] want to do this?’”

Today, Tiesi is in a relationship with Nick Cannon, whom she recently referred to as her “life partner” (Cannon practices consensual non-monogamy in his love life). The two share a child together. Their son, Legendary, was born in 2022.

“[Nick and I] have been watchingSpecial Forces together,” Tiesi confirmed. “But yeah, he was like, ‘I don’t get why you want to do this. Absolutely not.’ It’s a hard no for him.”

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, Season 5, Thursdays, 9/8c, Fox