Who got eliminated in Special Forces: World's Toughest Test season 4 episode 4?

In Episode 4 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 4, Johnny Manziel voluntarily withdrew from the competition during a tunnel infiltration task. His departure marked the next exit in a season already marked by multiple eliminations and medical withdrawals.

Manziel’s exit occurred after teams were tasked with navigating narrow underground tunnels to locate and destroy a target using grenades. With Manziel’s departure, the active roster of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 4 shrank further, and the episode ended without a forced elimination.

Special Forces: World's Toughest Test Season 4 Episode 4: Johnny Manziel's Elimination Explained

Episode 4, titled Mind Set, opened with a rappel from a high drop. Recruits were dropped 330 feet and, once on the ground, had to recite a set of coordinates they had memorized. Failure in either component would incur penalties.

Those who managed both the physical descent and mental recall proceeded, and teams were then organized to execute a tunnel infiltration mission. The recruits were divided and sent into underground tunnels and trenches to locate and destroy a target with grenades.

Nick Young, Ravi Patel, Brianna LaPaglia, Johnny Manziel, Shawn Johnson East, and others participated. Some recruits faltered on the rappel or coordinate recall: Nick Young, for example, failed to remember his code and thus was considered unsuccessful in that leg.

During the tunneling tasks, Manziel’s team struggled. He encountered a dead end and, unable to guide his group onward, chose to step away. In the confessional, he acknowledged mental fatigue: “losing that battle mentally” was part of his rationale.

Rather than being forced out by staff or failing a challenge outright, Manziel withdrew on his own. According to the recap, he self-disqualified in the tunnel challenge when his team was unable to progress. He cited internal mental struggle as the main reason for his decision.

Manziel said,

“My biggest struggles within myself are just giving up at times. You know, losing that battle mentally … You have to live with the decisions and the actions that you've made, and there's no going back and changing things now.”

He reflected that the pressure and environment amplified his internal battle.

Because Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test does not rely solely on formal eliminations, departures can occur by self-withdrawal, medical disqualification, or failure to complete key tasks. In Manziel’s case, his exit fit squarely into the voluntary departure path.

Who Is Johnny Manziel?

Johnny Manziel, or just "Johnny Football," was initially famous as a winner of the 2012 Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M. Nevertheless, his career in the NFL, mostly with the Cleveland Browns, was, in the short term, marred by off-field scandals, drug abuse, and a disturbing temper.

Following the league, Manziel bounced between the Canadian Football League and the Alliance of American Football, as well as making appearances on various reality television shows, including Netflix’s Untold: Johnny Football, where he candidly discussed his mental health and struggles with celebrity issues.

His involvement in Special Forces: World's Toughest Test Season 4 has been perceived by numerous fans as an act of redemption, serving as a means of demonstrating personal growth in an extreme situation.

How Johnny Manziel performed in the show

Up to this point in the season, Manziel had been steady but subdued. He completed most of the physical drills and largely stayed under the radar, avoiding conflict or standout moments. The tunnel exercise, however, exposed his breaking point.

Inside the tunnels, every movement required precision and patience. The recruits couldn’t see much beyond their flashlights and had to trust their instincts alone. For Manziel, that proved too much. 

By the time he called for his own withdrawal, Manziel admitted defeat not due to injury, but due to internal fatigue — a rare occurrence in a series that often sees contestants pushed out by the Directing Staff rather than themselves.

In sum, Manziel’s departure was not on the basis of not passing a physical examination, but rather the psychological stress of uncertainty and claustrophobia in the tunnel challenge.

As the competition progresses, the remaining recruits will have to prepare for increased physical and psychological strain, as Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test continues to push the boundaries of endurance, fear, and self-control.

Stay tuned for more updates.