Jovon “Q” Quarles, a member of the directing staff on Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, says former New York Rep. George Santos brought to mind reality TV personality Tom Sandoval.
The former NAVY SEAL discussed Santos’ time on the show’s fifth season during an exclusive interview with Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea. Santos previously served prison time after pleading guilty to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
“He reminds me of Tom Sandoval, where, ‘Nothing I’ve done was wrong. Nothing I did was wrong,’ and then [they] point the finger at the other person and say that what [that person] did was wrong,” Quarles said.
“They don’t hold themselves accountable.”
Sandoval appeared on the show’s second season after his months-long affair with Rachel “Raquel” Leviss came to light in 2023. The scandal ended his nine-year relationship with Ariana Madix.
Quarles, who spent 15 years as a NAVY SEAL, has worked on Special Forces since its second season. Alongside three other former military operatives, he oversees the punishing challenges faced by a rotating cast of celebrities and athletes.
Quarles said he knew about Santos’ criminal record, including his embezzlement of campaign donations to fund personal expenses such as Botox treatments and spa visits. Santos also faced scrutiny for making false claims about his education, work history and heritage.
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Santos received a sentence of more than seven years in prison, but spent only three months behind bars before President Donald Trump commuted his sentence and secured his release.
“There was no bit of me that was going to be light with him at all,” Quarles said. “I wanted to make sure he understood what we deal with, as men and women in the Special Forces, and what it’s like.”
Having been deployed overseas multiple times, Quarles said Santos’ record of “fraud” and “scandals” struck a personal nerve. He argued that elected officials are expected to tell the “truth” and stand behind the military personnel serving under them.
“We’re supposed to trust you?” asked Quarles, who said he would like to see more politicians take part in future seasons. “And then you send us out here to go to war to die for stuff that you are lying about for the most part.”
“I took it personally, so I really wanted to challenge him and really give him a taste of what it’s like to understand that, ‘Hey, you now don’t have any control.’”
Although Quarles made no effort to go easy on Santos, he admitted that the former congressman’s repeated attempts to climb from the lake onto the dock provided plenty of entertainment during the Season 5 premiere.
“Seeing Santos flop back in was like seeing a dead sea lion just kind of roll over and fall back [into] the water,” Quarles said with a laugh. “It was the funniest thing.”
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. New episodes are available to stream the following day on Hulu.
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