Candace Cameron Bure Wins Special Forces Leaning on Faith and Scripture

Actress Candace Cameron Bure nearly walked away from Fox's "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test." Instead, the 50-year-old "Full House" star finished its fifth season as one of only three winners, completing the gruelling finale on 12 November 2026 alongside television personalities Collin Gosselin and Alexia Umansky. She says memorised scripture and nightly prayers carried her through.

"I was honestly shocked when I passed," Bure told Us Weekly in an interview published on 12 November. When the directing staff declared the three of them winners, she said she was happy and confused all at once, and then relief washed over her.

The show sent 15 celebrity recruits into Malaysia's jungle for training inspired by the actual Special Forces selection process. Seven celebrities were still in the running after eight days of intense challenges. Only three managed to complete the final test and pass the course.

The final challenge was a 12-hour simulated capture and interrogation, in which contestants had to withstand intense physical and psychological pressure while maintaining their cover stories. Bure leaned on her years of acting experience during the interrogation phase, and pushed through a stomach flu along the way.

Her other challenges included climbing down a 30-foot rope ladder hanging from a suspension bridge and jumping out of a helicopter. She had prepared Bible verses she could call to mind when the course became frightening or exhausting, and that preparation turned out to be the difference between quitting and finishing.

"I memorized a lot of scripture before I left," she told Us Weekly in a seperate interview published on 13 November. "Just memorizing scripture about fear and perseverance and endurance. There was a constant reel in my mind that I was just citing scripture, just giving myself the encouragement to walk through it."

That is what faith looks like when the cameras are off and the body is giving up: not a speech, but a verse repeated quietly in your head while your hands are shaking. Bure did not carry a Bible into the jungle. She carried it in her memory, and it was there exactly when she needed it.

Faith also became something she shared with others in the barracks. "We were saying prayers at night," she said. "There were other Christian believers in the room, so it was a source of comfort for me, but I think for a lot of us in the room.

It had a huge impact on me, to keep me going."

Bure went into the show hoping to inspire other women her age. In a September interview, she explained that turning 50 and stepping up her fitness helped her reconsider when the opportunity returned, and she admitted she came close to quitting. During the finale, she dedicated her victory to women everywhere.

"This one's for all the women out there," she said. "No matter what challenges you have, physically you can do it."

Her husband, former professional hockey player Valeri Bure, joined her for the Us Weekly interview, and he was not surprised by her win. The couple have spoken openly about their faith for years, and Bure's public witness has already changed lives. Actress Danica McKellar has said that Bure invited her to church in 2022, where she came to faith, as reported in Danica McKellar Says Candace Cameron Bure Led Her to Jesus.

Bure's faith has also shaped her work off screen. Retired NBA forward Matt Barnes told her on her podcast that he found faith at 45 after digging up a months-old church invitation, as reported in Matt Barnes Found Faith at 45 After Old Church Invitation on Candace Cameron Bure Podcast.

She is not the only familiar face speaking plainly about faith this week. Actor Kelsey Grammer vowed he will never deny Jesus Christ, and actor Donnie Wahlberg shared a public testimony thanking God for His love, peace and presence, as reported in Donnie Wahlberg Testimony: Boston Blue Star Shares God's Presence in His Life. And at Belmont University, 329 students gave their lives to Christ at a campus revival, as reported in 329 Students Give Their Lives to Christ at Belmont University Revival.

The day after the finale, on 13 November, Bure made her first appearance on "The View" in two years, and told the hosts she would not discuss politics during the segment. She used the visit to talk about faith, family and her Special Forces victory instead.

All five seasons of "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" now stream on Hulu. Bure's season will be remembered for its jungle, its interrogation room, and its rope ladder. But the part that will last longest is the simplest one: a woman of 50, scared and exhausted, repeating scripture in her head until her feet carried her through.

Prayer does not always remove the obstacle. Sometimes it just gives you the strength to climb it.