Gia Giudice knows exactly what it’s like to take on “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.” So when Alexia Umansky signed on for the upcoming fifth season, she knew who to call.
The “Next Gen NYC” star revealed that Kyle Richards’ daughter reached out before filming began, asking for the inside scoop on what to expect. While promoting Season 2 of Bravo’s hit reality series, Gia shared the biggest piece of advice she gave Alexia before she headed to Malaysia to film the grueling competition series.
Alexia Umansky Asked Gia for the ‘Lowdown’
Speaking exclusively to Us Weekly, Gia said Alexia, who previously appeared on Netflix’s “Buying Beverly Hills,” wanted the complete rundown before stepping onto the Special Forces training grounds.
“She was like, ‘Give me the lowdown from start to finish,’ and I did,” Gia shared.
The Season 4 champion admitted the physical demands caught her off guard at first, but she encouraged Alexia to stick with it because the experience eventually becomes more mental than physical.
“I was like, ‘Alexia, we’re young, so yes, it was really hard for me in the beginning, but each day I genuinely felt my body getting stronger and stronger.’ So then, by the end, it’s more of a mental thing than a physical thing.”
Gia said the early days of the competition are the toughest.
“I feel like in the beginning, the physical aspect really kicks your ass because you’re just not expecting it. But then towards the end, it’s the mental. I think that’s my biggest piece of advice: You really just have to balance yourself and try to stay sane and don’t think about how gross everything is and just do it.”
She also warned Alexia to forget about staying clean.
Gia laughed while recalling that she eventually stopped caring about dirt during season 4, even joking about having hair extensions alongside fellow contestant Bri LaPaglia.
“We’re getting dirty, so it doesn’t really matter,” she said.
Alexia Joins Her Dad for Season 5
Alexia is set to compete on Season 5 of “Special Forces” alongside her father, Mauricio Umansky, marking the first time the father-daughter duo has tackled the series together.
Her mother, Kyle Richards, previously admitted she wasn’t thrilled when she learned both of them had signed on.
“My first thought was, ‘I’m going to kill you, Mauricio,'” Kyle told Page Six earlier this month. “I was actually not happy at all. I was so worried about Alexia.”
While fans will have to wait until the season premieres to see how Alexia fares, Gia made it clear she believes the experience is worth it, even if the first few days push contestants to their limits.
Gia knows that firsthand. She and Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson ultimately completed the course to become Season 4 champions under the guidance of the show’s elite team of former special forces operatives.
In the meantime, fans can catch Gia on Season 2 of “Next Gen NYC,” where viewers continue to follow her personal life, career ambitions and friendships as the Bravo series returns for another season.
