Viral Clip Of George Santos Struggling To Climb Aboard Raft On 'Special Forces' Reality Show Is All Kinds Of Cringey

Disgraced former New York Republican Representative George Santos was widely mocked after he was shown struggling to climb out of the water and aboard a raft in a sneak peek of the Fox reality TV show Special Forces.

Santos, whose political career was derailed by allegations of fabricating his background, misusing campaign funds for luxury items and Botox, and leaving a trail of victims behind him as a known fraud and identity thief, has been soapboxing significantly since Trump commuted his prison sentence in October 2025.

The first challenge on the reality competition series typically begins with the celebrity recruits leaping from a hovering military helicopter into open water. But after Santos completes the jump, he struggles to make it onto the nearby dock.

Foxy, a member of the show’s Directing Staff, tells him in an exclusive preview of Thursday’s premiere:

"Come on, it's just a wooden raft."

Another staff member, Q, watches the struggle unfold and asks:

“What the hell is going on over there?”

Santos repeatedly tries to haul himself onto the platform but cannot get a grip and Foxy soon loses patience, commenting:

“Get the f**k out of the water, hurry up. I’m starting to get pissed off.”

Actor Oliver Hudson, one of the other 15 celebrity recruits, is then called over to assist. Hudson manages to pull Santos onto the platform momentarily, but Santos slips back into the water.

You can watch what happened in the video below.

The mockery was swift.

Santos' failure to hoist himself up onto the raft brings to mind the time Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was dragged hard on social media after video footage of his attempt at working out with U.S. Navy soldiers in Singapore went viral online.

And at one point, Hegseth—who wore a "THIS IS WAR" T-shirt throughout the exercises—did a grapevine workout... or tried to, in any event. The workout, a coordination drill where you have to move sideways, crossing one foot alternatively in front of and behind the other, did not bring out Hegseth's best.

Maybe he and Santos can be gym buddies.