George Santos’ next gig? Reality TV show contestant
Jul 15, 2026, 2:50 PM
FILE - Former U.S. Rep. George Santos arrives at federal court for sentencing, April 25, 2025, in Central Islip, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
Credit: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — George Santos has worn many hats: Swindler, congressman, prison inmate, podcast host. The obvious next gig? Reality TV show contestant.
In September, the Santos will appear on the fifth season of Fox’s “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,” a grueling contest where participants will be subjected to chemical gassing and other military themed challenges in a Malaysian jungle, the network announced Wednesday.
“I took my fat behind off the coach and tried something new!,” Santos wrote in a post on X along with a promotional image of himself standing next to a tree with a stern expression on his face. “And it changed EVERYTHING! I can’t wait to share this experience with y’all!”
He will go up against more than a dozen other contestants — including former NBA player Matt Barnes and actor Ruby Rose — in a show Fox has billed as the “ultimate test of physical, mental and emotional resilience.”
Santos was elected to the House from New York in 2022 as a Republican, but he wound up serving less than a year in the office after it was revealed he had fabricated much of his life story. He was expelled from Congress while facing criminal charges over stealing from donors and his campaign, fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits and lying to Congress about his wealth.
He pleaded guilty but had his sentence commuted by President Donald Trump after serving around 84 days in prison. He later tried to reboot his political career with another run for the House but quickly abandoned the run after raising no money.
Last month, Kalshi, the online prediction marketplace, reported him to federal authorities after he boasted he would be going to Trump’s State of the Union address, then allegedly bet against his own attendance. That caused Polymarket, another online prediction platform where he was working in an influencer capacity, to end its paid relationship with him. Santos has said the allegation is “preposterous.”
He did not immediately return a message seeking comment Wednesday.
Among the challenges on Fox’s “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,” according to the network, were a claustrophobic search of an underground bunker and a supply load retrieval while suspended high above the jungle floor.
