Maxim Naumov unpacks 'brutal' 'Special Forces' moments that nearly made him cry with VRT

You volunteered yourself to go up against Alicia, who is a world champion boxer. Oh, absolutely. Why did you do that? Were you scared? What was going through your mind? I was terrified, of course. She's a world champ. She's such a beast. I mean, I got my bell rung by a world champ. So that's kind of cool. Max, I am so excited to have you here to talk all about Special Forces Season 5. It's so good, as I was just telling you. First of all, what made you want to sign on for this show? wow um as soon as i learned about the show i did a little bit of research and kind of checked out some previous seasons and man i was so impressed by some of the things that i saw um all of these challenges that you'll never in a million years get a chance to do and um you know these these ordinary people not soldiers get to experience this and really test their limits and i'm all about challenge. I love challenging myself and doing things that, um, are outside of my comfort zone. And this was such a good opportunity for that. Um, and I just, something was pulling me in. I was like, man, this is, I need to do this. Um, and like I said, after watching a couple of clips, I was, I was hooked. Um, and I, I could tell that some nervous energy was coming up and when I'm competing, I'm like, I know that nervous energy is good. It means something's important. like you should do it yeah so what were you most nervous about going into this I feel like there's a very long list probably there's a lot I'm not a huge fan of like water like stuff to do in the water and I was curious to see what the challenges would be like and um there's there's some times where um definitely I had to suppress a lot of my fear my emotions uh but I was definitely scared um I mean heights was never a big thing for me I know for a lot of people it was yeah and getting to see that and how people like were literally just breaking down and uh you know helping kind of motivate them or whatever and that was a cool experience but yeah the water stuff was was definitely something i was really worried about like because in the previous season the the one where they submerged i was like oh my god yeah that would be mine like i get claustrophobic watching you guys do that kind of stuff yeah absolutely well have you ever gotten to connect with any past olympians who had done the show because every season there there's one or two not not directly no um but obviously like I said watching the previous season and seeing um you know Sean on there it was so cool I was so inspired I was like oh my god like she's so badass like that's so cool I want to be like that and uh yeah not directly but but seeing that another athlete was there and kind of having that mindset I was like oh man this is something I should definitely try and this is something I always like to ask those who come from like a competitive sports background did you feel like having that upbringing helped you at all on this course? Yeah, I think, I think a hundred percent. Yes. In terms of the fact you had to center your attention and make sure that, you know, not to get overwhelmed with all of these challenges and experiences and keeping focused in a high intensity environment is something I've done like my whole life. So that tool was definitely there, but I've only done it in one area. I've never been able to kind of step out of that and, and, and, and try it in different challenges. So in one hand, on one hand it did of course, but on the other hand, the unpredictability of it all was, was shocking, but I did have some tools in my toolkit that I kind of pulled out and it was good, uh, both for myself and for others, like to help them out. Cause there was a lot of team-based stuff and I'm from an individual sport. So I was curious to see how, how I was going to play out there, like being a leader and the show gave me a lot of opportunities to do that. Yeah. And you did talk about that a bit, you know, like I'm used to being in an individual, this is all about team. How did you feel like you handled that by the end of it? Did you kind of, are you like oh now I could I could do more teamwork now well it's cool because I mean I've been coaching for for quite some time so I've taken a leadership position in terms of being a director for a program and it's it's just more opportunities for me to explore that and you know I've never had to be necessarily in charge of anything like in terms of I mean I've provided guidance and stuff like that but I there were so many moments in the show where you had to take initiative. And if nobody was going to step up, you had to be the one to step up. And that was both rewarded by the DS and also just by completing the challenges. And I think that it made me a better leader. It really showed me that, oh man, okay, I can step up. I can, and I can help somebody out and I can kind of guide and, you know, give people the opportunity to give me advice and me give them advice. And, you know, working together as a team was great. And I learned a lot about myself through it too yeah absolutely and you know I think we all look at this show and it's like the physical stuff is up front people don't always realize how deep it is how emotionally taxing the show is and how every person who comes on really has a powerful story to share what was it like for you to open up to the ds about your story in that mirror room scene just so emotional um you know a lot of the times the challenges that we did it just evoked a lot of emotions and it became, you needed to be vulnerable because that was what you would get the most out of the experience if you were that way. And I knew that going into the, um, the mirror rooms, you know, once the people came back, um, each person would come back and be like, man, that was so eyeopening. It was so emotional. It was so raw. So I knew that I had to be open and it was difficult reliving a lot of the moments and experiences that I had in the past year. And, And, and, you know, sitting across from these, these two guys that are just like, just so stoic and I'm, I'm over there just like trying so hard not to cry. And, but it really just sheds back all the layers, you know, the, there's, there's nothing like the show. I love rewatching these episodes. It's experiencing all those same feelings all over again. And, you know, that, that room was brutal for sure. And it shed down all my layers. And I, like I said, I was trying really hard not to cry, but the support and the motivation that those guys can give you, it's like very few things in life that can motivate you that much. I mean, those guys are unbelievable. Oh, totally. And it's, it is one of my favorite parts of the show too, because you guys go from, you know, they're so tough and they're yelling at you guys. And then you go to these mirror room scenes and it's like, it all comes down and they're compassionate and like, they're your friend almost in those moments. Was it nice to see them in that light amid all the chaos that you were seeing any other time? Yes, absolutely. That authority figure, like they drill that into you immediately. So it's like you have to do what we say right now or else you'll mess up. And it's very clear. And you see, you know, I learned very quickly that you just have to listen very keenly. Like you have to be, you know, have your ears open, so to speak, and just hear every word they're saying. And if you execute the way that they say, everything's going to be fine. it's just when your own emotions and feelings get in the way and you get flustered that's when things go wrong and add to that you're responsible for a team or what not that's already another issue but sitting across from those guys and having to be vulnerable and them supporting you for it that was the biggest thing because you have to put on this hard type of mentality and get through all these challenges and almost be emotionless and I had to do that but then the complete flip side of that getting rewarded for the hard part of it and also getting rewarded for the open and vulnerable part of it. That was what really was a turning point for me, I think. And looking back into that and being able to just talk about it. It's so important to talk about these things, especially with people that have been through, I mean, they've been through so many things in their own military experience and career. And there was some sort of relatability in terms of grief, which was also felt. And that helped me a lot. wow you know those scenes they really are beautiful they really tie the show together in a way that you wouldn't expect it to if you're just watching a trailer or something like that so yeah and i'm i'm someone that wasn't really familiar too much with reality tv in general and getting to know these people not from their reality tv and their personality like just really who they are and the show strips back all of those layers which is beautiful i think that yeah you really get to see true character come out and from people sometimes you don't even expect then and vice versa you would expect something and it doesn't right so right that was awesome to see and getting to know people like that their true self who would you say surprised you the most oh man Candace Candace surprised me a lot yeah really truly we we bonded i mean what we did was um at the end of every night uh david my cot was right next to david and um he would just ask a question and we would go around the room just like talking about ourselves and being vulnerable and we we became so close immediately because of the intensity of the show um because were getting through something together so hard and so we just started to share and man hearing all the stories we bonded immediately and um it was camaraderie felt with everybody but like I said so Candice definitely surprised me a lot with uh just how determined she is you know and what she's able to do like it's unbelievable um Colin and I were very close as well we bonded immediately we were the closest in age yeah I was gonna say you guys were like the young on the younger side of everybody and we would say to ourselves all the time like meal to meal like chow to chow you got to get through it they never gave us a schedule of like what's going to happen when but we knew there was a breakfast a lunch and a dinner or some version of that yeah so we had to make it to them and that was a good like mentality to have because we were ready to take on anything because we knew that there would be a little brief pause of you know of calm before we go right back into the storm um so yeah definitely but i think little things surprised me about everybody right everybody stepped up to the plate um at one moment and had to face fears everybody was scared of something and they had to face those fears and you saw people crumble or you know really step up yeah and you know you say chow to chow what was the food like there the food was interesting so interestingly enough there was um it was similar day to day like we for lunch it was chicken and rice all the time okay so healthy we leaned out i like lost a bunch of weight which is great um i was in great shape looking back i'm like dang i was looking pretty good Send me back to the jungle. Yeah, yeah, I know, right? And so, but breakfast, there was some version of eggs. It was like either hard-boiled eggs or it was scrambled eggs. And I'm a huge fan, so that was good. But there was this jam, this bread with this strawberry jam that was like the highlight of the day because that was the only luxury that we had, it felt like. In the morning, you had like this little tub and it would run out quick. So you had to like make sure you get in on that. If you're late to breakfast, you might already be done. And so, yeah, we had this moment of just like, you have this piece of bread and you're just like, He's, you know, getting his jam on there and you're like, oh man, this is so nice. And you start to look forward to that every day. Right. And the little things. It really is the little things. So I love strawberry jam now. I'm a huge fan. Nice. You came out of it loving strawberry jam. Love that. Well, I need to ask you about this milling exercise because you volunteered yourself to go up against Alicia, who is a world champion boxer. Oh, absolutely. Why did you do that? Were you scared? What was going through your mind? I was terrified. Of course. She's a world champ. She's such a beast. I mean, I got my bell rung by a world champ. So that's kind of cool. But honestly, for me, it was nobody was raising their hand. And I knew that I didn't want anyone else to have to go through this. And if I could be the person that could step up and accept this challenge so no one else had to get hurt, then I was ready to do that. Because, again, we did grow so close to each other. And I got to know everybody. And I didn't want anyone else to go through that. And, I mean, I'm an athlete. So I'd like to think that I'm tough. and at least somewhat and um never fought a day in my life so that was quite quite an interesting experience and it was the second fight too because i we fought colin which also they pinned us against each other also so like but it was all respect like we understood that we had to put our feelings to the side a little bit get the job done and then we're good and we hugged it out and whatnot um and colin's we were the same height but he's a bigger dude and so that was a fun experience and then yeah there was just this moment of silence i remember uh when Diaz Billy asked he's like so who's gonna volunteer and no i'm looking like i'm looking around my eyes i'm like okay like you know what i mean so i guess i'll do it yeah yeah but but yeah i i just i wanted to step up and and accept another challenge like i'm all about that and it was all respect i mean elise is a beast like i said and and her showing so much control because she could have just like destroyed me i mean she did in a way but like she could have she's a world champ like she's a professional so it takes a lot of skill to hold back and really just you know take the challenge for what it is and understand where i'm at um and it was so much respect all the way through like at the end we hugged it out and i was like oh my god thank you like this was like we really did that um and and she gave me props too and it was it was it was a bonding moment like how can a fighting moment be a bonding moment and it was and i was like man this is so cool this is what the show is all about yes and the ds got a lot it seemed like that was like the moment that they were like oh we respect this guy absolutely i'll never forget it right after my right after i took off my headgear or um q dsq he looked at me he's like your parents would be proud and i just like i i they they didn't show that part i think but i just was like really trying so hard not to cry because um he looked at me it was like that's the type of stuff i like to see yeah and i was like yes yes i made it i did yeah oh that's so sweet and you know i i do want to ask you because i feel like figure skaters are just like having a moment right now we have you here we have Amber Glenn on Dancing with the Stars have you been watching her have you connected with her through the ice skating community so yeah i mean we've been on the circuit for a while together and like it's it's been so cool because seeing figure skating represented so much in different areas is so cool like it's kind of cool because like from Dancing with the Stars one place and Special Forces another place like we're just attacking it from all angles yeah um but yeah i've been supporting her and she's she's wonderful i mean i've known her for a very long time and um we've competed together and traveled together and um went to the games together so um seeing her succeed in all these things and her getting the attention that she deserves. I think it's wonderful. And, um, and she's killing it. She's doing so good. So everyone just vote, make sure you're voting. You're both killing it at everything. I do have one more quick question for you. What is next on your bucket list? Wow. That's a good question. Oh, well, there's been some time that has passed. I think, um, off of this show, I would love to explore some other opportunities maybe with some other ones um now that i'm kind of involved i i love it i think it's awesome um but i i'm doing a lot of coaching right now i'm working with a lot of my students um and i took this whole year off of competitive skating and i'm really considering maybe coming back for um the future i'm getting ready for the next cycle so that'll be interesting but i'm giving myself the year to really think about it um before i make that commitment again because it's a three-year commitment it's a big deal right um but there's so many things going on i now's the time to make like those decisions and i'm just excited for what the future brings i'm working a lot on my there's a GoFundMe campaign i started with it's called building stronger minds i'm helping younger athletes um you know get the resources that they need to pursue their sports and um you know we get to our olympic level and we have so many resources that are available to us but having those resources at a young age could be so beneficial and getting through problems and dealing with things and being able to talk to somebody, I think is really important. And if they have the opportunity to have those experiences early on, they'll be way more successful in the future. And I'm really pushing and passionate about that. That's so nice. That's so amazing. I'm so proud of everything you're doing and I wish you all the success in the world moving forward. And thank you so much for stopping by. Thank you. It was wonderful. My pleasure.