‘Special Forces’ Star Brody Jenner Doesn’t Regret ‘The Hills’ But Does Wish He’d Shown More of His “Real Life”

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Brody Jenner, a contestant on ‘Special Forces: The World’s Toughest Test’, expressed to The Hollywood Reporter that if he sets his mind to something, he’s completely capable of achieving it. He admitted that prior to the show, he didn’t possess such self-assuredness.

Jenner, a familiar face in reality TV shows, was among the sixteen contestants who joined the Fox series that debuted this month. As we approach the final episodes on Wednesday night, he is one of the eight remaining competitors.

The DJ and surfer expresses that there are numerous aspects of the show he would relish repeating, but fears that a series like Special Forces might be a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity for him. He clarifies, “There are other segments that I’m telling you straight up, I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I don’t believe any person should experience something as challenging as that.” He goes on to describe the intense supervision he received during this experience, with people constantly monitoring him, including psychiatrists and those ensuring he didn’t lose his sanity. He explains that such an experience requires debriefing afterwards to prevent Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He emphasizes it as a grueling ordeal.

He later continues, “I don’t think people even understand really how tough this show is.”

In this chat with THR, Jenner shares his views on The Hills, contemporary reality TV, and why he believes Special Forces was a fitting progression for him. [This conversation took place prior to the series of destructive wildfires that swept through the Los Angeles region. Fortunately, Jenner, who lives in Malibu and Hawaii, was away from harm’s reach at the time.]

Could you please share with me your general viewpoint about your television career, given that you’ve been in it for quite some time and have explored various aspects of it? Has your experience in television mirrored your personal life journey in any way, as you’ve attempted numerous different things along the way?

It all started with my venture into television, way back with the series The Princes of Malibu and Spencer Pratt. We embarked on this journey quite some time ago, even before The Hills made its debut, and we were essentially clueless about what we were getting ourselves into. Being brought up in a family with some connections to Hollywood, I was already accustomed to the scene. truth be told, it was more or less Spencer’s idea, and he had a clear vision for it. He was so enamored with that lifestyle, as you might have noticed over the years. We were close friends, and he would often say, “Man, we need to make a show about your family.” Having him as my friend back then is what ultimately led us to where we are now. We picked up cameras together and began filming it. It was quite an adventure for us, two inexperienced 21-year-olds with no background in reality television, selling a show to Fox network. It was quite impressive. After hiring our executive producer, who later worked on The Hills, we gained a wealth of experience in reality television because we had been at it for so long with [The] Princes of Malibu. We spent two years working on the series and learned a lot about reality television. Around the same time, [The] Simple Life was also popular. We admired that show’s format, as our own production, The Princess of Malibu, followed a similar concept: two young adults who dropped out of college and moved back home to live with their [stepdad].

That experience was quite intense. The challenging aspect was having to make an appearance, despite Spencer and I being the ones who filmed everything, brainstormed all the pranks, and orchestrated our antics towards my stepfather. What was hard for me to accept was that we had to conduct interviews and pretend to be truly despicable characters, even though we had already produced the content. At that point, I just didn’t care. Interestingly, the executive producer we hired for The Princes of Malibu later became the executive producer for The Hills. One night he contacted us and said, “We really need you on this show.” He asked, “How can we get you on this show organically?

Sean Travis would share with us the location where ‘The Hills’ was being filmed. He would casually say something like, “We’re heading to this club tonight, and the girls will be there. You should definitely join us.” Being well-connected in the club scene, I’d reach out to my contacts and ask, “Hey, we’ll be dropping by. Can you arrange for us to be seated near ‘The Hills’ cast members?” They would oblige, placing us close to them, which is how Spencer developed a friendship with Heidi. The rest, as they say, is history. It all unfolded quite naturally. It just happened that way. We were incredibly fortunate. ‘The Hills’ was an amazing show. It was almost unbelievable because you suddenly realize the magnitude of it when it skyrocketed like ‘The Hills’. It went from being just a regular outing to — in what felt like a matter of days — stepping outside and hearing people say, “Oh, that’s Brody.” The experience was somewhat surreal. I continued for a while, but eventually grew tired of it. After six or seven years in reality TV, I needed something fresh or a break. I took some time off, dabbled with the Kardashians for a short while. That was certainly an interesting turn of events.

Prior to the commencement of The Hills, I was already part of a band where I played the drums. In fact, drumming has been a significant part of my upbringing. Unfortunately, for The Hills, I had to abandon that. The show required us to be out every night, and since it revolves around Hollywood, I essentially left my life in Malibu and moved to Hollywood full-time. I parted ways with the band and immersed myself in the Hollywood lifestyle portrayed on The Hills. Although I was compensated for the show, making it my occupation, I had to set aside my music aspirations temporarily to concentrate on the television aspect. However, looking back, I wish I had been more determined to integrate my genuine life with the music during that time.

After everything calmed down, I found myself falling in love with it all over again, especially surfing. However, I took a significant hiatus from both the sea and surfing. The truth is, those television shows never truly reflected my genuine life or my authentic self – they merely portrayed evenings out and providing meals along with gossip. To be completely candid, that’s not really who I am. At the time, it was enjoyable and thrilling, but it didn’t accurately represent who I truly am.

Are you feeling any remorse about pausing specific tasks, and do you ever ponder over what could have been if you’d approached them differently?

It seems evident as you grow older, you inevitably gain wisdom. There are instances where you find yourself thinking, if only I had known this earlier. Naturally, I would have approached things differently. However, it was challenging when people questioned my choices, especially since they didn’t know about my passion for music. This was surprising to them because they only recognized me in one capacity – a musician. It was difficult for them to accept that the same person could also excel at surfing, as I had been doing so all my life, but they were primarily exposed to me through that single lens.

In the reality show, people assume they know you well. While some aspects on “The Hills” may have felt misrepresentative, I don’t dwell on regrets or look back. Instead, I learn from my experiences. If I were your age then, I’d probably handle things differently, but that’s just growing up. Making mistakes is part of learning, and I’ve made some in the past, yet I don’t regret any of them. Overall, it was a beneficial experience, and yes, I would have approached certain situations differently for sure.

What made you say yes to Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test?

I’ve primarily focused on reality TV shows, avoiding competition or game shows like ‘Dancing with the Stars’, which doesn’t resonate with me. I’ve been more into shows like ‘The Kardashians’, ‘The Hills’, and even had a stint on MTV’s ‘Bromance’. I’ve been frequently approached for ‘Dancing with the Stars’, but it’s not my cup of tea, as I’m not particularly skilled in dancing.

What drew me to ‘Special Forces’ was its connection to my family history. Both my grandparents served in the military during World War II. One was an Army Ranger, and the other built bridges and infrastructure. Growing up, I heard countless stories about their service, which instilled a strong sense of patriotism within me. I hold the military and its personnel in high regard, as they embody values that I deeply respect.

They venture out and risk their lives for our liberty, enabling us to enjoy this wonderful existence. Taking on a project such as this was initially captivating, yet it filled me with fear. I glanced through some of the previous seasons. It seemed intense. This isn’t just entertainment, as often on shows like The Hills, there’s a lot of staging. You could sense that this was real, they were immersing you in the experience. I had great respect for the military, and so I considered it. I sought advice from friends and family, “What do you think?” I was extremely apprehensive about participating. I wasn’t necessarily eager to participate because the simple path would have been to simply carry on with my life, touring, and DJ-ing.

In the end, I decided that this was beneficial for me personally. Reflecting on it, I realized that although this experience seemed absolutely daunting, it was likely to be one of the hardest things I’d ever encounter in my life – and that’s what makes you grow as a person. Ultimately, I felt compelled to take on this challenge because it was a unique opportunity. When will another chance to train with the Special Forces arise again? And here I was turning it down! So, I thought, why not? You can always leave if things get tough. You can remove your badge at any point, even though that’s not something I plan on doing. It is an option.

In what seems like a unique resurgence, I’d say, are we witnessing a sort of revival, if you will. Having been part of it during its peak and currently being immersed in it, what are your reflections on this period?

Back in the day, reality TV felt uniquely distinct. If I were to echo your sentiments, I’d say it was a completely different ballgame then compared to now. There were no Instagrams, no social media platforms around. This single factor has significantly transformed television as we know it today because almost everyone seems to have their own reality show now. It’s almost like the allure of a reality show has diminished due to the fact that anyone with a smartphone can essentially create and share their very own reality series on platforms like YouTube. My wife, for instance, is an ardent fan of Tate McCrae, and she showed me videos last night about how she was discovered. It’s fascinating to see how she put her talent out there on YouTube, singing her songs, and eventually got noticed.

In the past, making it onto a reality show was significantly more challenging. The competition was fierce, as many people were vying for the same spot. It was much tougher to be chosen. Nowadays, if you’re gifted and talented, you don’t necessarily need to be on a reality show to succeed. You can simply post your videos online, and someone will likely discover you or recognize your talent. The process is quite different compared to the past.

Reality TV, to be honest, it’s a bit tricky for me. The era of “The Hills” was when I felt compelled to join the fray. Filming is something I genuinely enjoy, yes, I do. I own cameras, and I take pleasure in capturing moments on film. Even now, I appreciate the family-oriented reality genre. Tia [Brody’s wife] and I occasionally record our lives together, creating videos with a family focus. As for the Kardashian-style or “The Hills”, what I see a lot these days is an abundance of drama. In the past, “The Hills” was a time in Hollywood where Lauren was working for “Teen Vogue” and many young girls were inspired, thinking, “That’s so exciting and that’s so cool. I want to move to Hollywood. I want to work with ‘Teen Vogue’. That looks so fun.” Now, it seems like people are more interested in tearing each other apart rather than laughing together in reality TV. Yes, there was drama on “The Hills”, but it was different. I believe that many people have changed, and they’re not laughing with you anymore; they’re laughing at you in today’s reality TV landscape. It has certainly evolved a great deal.

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2025-01-23 07:55