Special Forces: World's Toughest Test

In looking for something to watch on Wednesday evening, I stumbled on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test on FOX. 

I had no idea what this was, so I checked my TV guide (but not TV Guide for those of you over 35), which gave the following description of the show:

Household names really jumped out to me. When I hear the phrase household names, I think of the most famous people in the country. We're talking presidents and first ladies, Hall of Fame athletes, and A-list actors. Obama, Trump, Clinton, Bush, Biden, Brady, Smith (as in Will), Winfrey, Knowles (or Knowles-Carter), Swift, and Hanks are names that first come to mind. So who are the celebrities on this show? Let's take a look.

Danny Amendola - As a sports fan, I certainly know him, but if you asked me to name 50 current or former wide receivers who I thought could be on this show, Amendola wouldn't be one of them.

Mel B. - The Spice Girls were huge and arguably the biggest musical group in the world 25 years ago.. I'll give this one a pass.

Hannah Brown - No idea who this is.

Tyler Florence - I think he might be a chef. If you want a chef with a household name, you go with Gordon Ramsey or Rachael Ray.

Kate Gosselin - Jon and Kate Plus 8 was definitely a show I heard of before. Household name is debatable.

Dwight Howard - He's probably going to be in the NBA Hall of Fame. Not as well known as LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Steph Curry, and others, but definitely known by sports fans. Now would my mom know him? I don't think so.

Montrell Jordan - Everyone loves "This Is How We Do It." Household name is definitely a stretch though.

Gus Kenworthy - No idea. Sounds familiar, but I don't know why. 

Nastia Liukin - Oh, she was an Olympian gymnast who is not Mary Lou Retton or Simone Biles who I would consider household names. She won a lot of medals though.

Carli Lloyd - US soccer superstar. Household name in my book. And yes, I have a book with a list of people I consider to be household names!

Beverly Mitchell - An actress that I don't know. I do know Beverly D'Angelo and Beverly Hills.

Kenya Moore - A real housewife name but not a real household name. 

Mike Piazza - I mean, he's in the baseball Hall of Fame and more importantly made an appearance on Baywatch.

Dr. Drew Pinsky - He's had a long career on TV and radio and also famously downplayed COVID originally. I think he counts.

Anthony Scaramucci - He's really parlaying those several days working in the Trump administration into 15 minutes of fame. 

Jamie Lynn Spears - Now her sister Britney is a household name. Saying Britney's sister might be enough.

I'll give FOX a little credit in that their website simply describes the show as "Sixteen celebrities face challenges from the playbook of the Special Forces selection process." No mention of household names. While I'm not going to watch the show, if FOX really had a Special Forces edition with household names, I would definitely be in. If FOX is reading this, here are my casting choices in no particular order:

Beyonce

Taylor Swift

Hunter Biden

Donald Trump Jr.

Sasha or Malia Obama

Larry Fitzgerald

Ryan Reynolds

Regina King

Tom Brady

Jeff Bezos

Jennifer Lopez

Justin Bieber

Drake 

Selena Gomez

Keanu Reeves

Lady Gaga

Who would you like to see?

Photo by Pete Dadds/FOX

My Life

I haven't written as much as I'd like lately, so I thought I would share an update about my life.

- On Monday, I left a banana on the counter. On Tuesday, I locked myself out of the house. I'm worried what I might forget at home over the next few days.

- Of course, I need to remember not to keep the keys separated from my cell phone and wallet.



- In December, the dictator of my homeowner association was removed from power. While I supported the coup, the new regime hired a new management company. This management company has been quite aggressive in sending "friendly reminders" about violations to the point of ridiculousness. Sure, power washing needed to be done, but a notice because the tree limbs could interfere with traffic or pedestrians? Unless Dwight Howard is sitting on Shaquille O'Neal's shoulders or an 18-wheeler comes down my street, no one is running into the tree branches. We're not to the point where there is a disturbance in District 12, but there are some disgruntled people.

- Despite this, I really like my neighborhood. We've lived in four different places in Northern Virginia, and this is the first time where we know our neighbors.

- I know this sounds silly, but the fact that we regularly see public buses and airplanes fly overhead are huge pluses. My son loves airplanes and especially buses so this adds to our outside fun.

- Celebrate Fairfax was successful again this year, and my son enjoyed his first time as a walking attendee. His favorite part of the festival: "driving" a Fairfax Connector bus and a fire engine.

- On the topic of Celebrate Fairfax, a volunteer was arrested for taking money from one of the admissions gates. In a nice touch, she's wearing a volunteer T-shirt in the mug shot.

- I'm currently reading "The Johnstown Flood" by David McCullough, so I'm now a little freaked out by heavy rainstorms even though I don't live near any bodies of water or below a poorly built and maintained dam.

- Finally, congratulations to "This Is The End" for being the first movie that I've seen in the theater in 2013.