Ali Fedotowsky Says Appearing on 'Special Forces' 'Changed' Her Life: 'It's So Much Harder Than You Think!'

Ali Fedotowsky wasn't sure she would ever return to reality TV again after going on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, however, when she got offered to appear on Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, she couldn't resist.

"My agent called me, and she's like, 'I got this offer for you to be on Special Forces, but my assumption is it's a no.' When we moved out of L.A. four years ago, and I was working for Hallmark then, and I said to my agent, 'I'm done with TV, I just want to move to Nashville and have a quiet life with my family. I don't want to do it anymore,' but when she called, I was like, 'Actually, you caught me in a midlife crisis, so I'm in!' I immediately started training," the star, 40, who teamed up with Orgain, the No. 1 plant protein powder brand in the U.S., to bring healthier, protein-packed, better for you twists to your favorite festive recipes, exclusively tells OK!.

To kick it into gear, the blonde beauty, who shares two kids, Molly and Riley, with husband Kevin Manno, went into beast mode. "I already started making food swaps and getting even more fit, but in that two months, I went from being normal to gaining a lot of muscle. I had these huge biceps, and I was so proud of myself. I could do 100 push-ups in two minutes. I couldn't even do 10 push-ups before! I trained as hard as I could and went as hard as I could. I wanted to see what I was made of!" she shares, adding that she hired a trainer to box with her.

"I fell in love with EMS workouts, which is where they put a suit on you and it delivers electrical impulses to your muscles — but it's a better version of that!" she quips. "It's a huge suit you put on and to lift your arms, it takes all your muscle. I fell in love with it. I also went into an oxygen chamber for two hours, I did IVs with vitamins, I did hot yoga, I did cold plunges every single morning in 33 degree water. I trained really hard — and I've kept up with those things. The show changed my life because it made me fall in love with health and wellness, which is a gift. Normally people think of those things as a chore, but to me, it's a gift."

After talking to prior contestants — Hannah Brown, Beverly Mitchell and Nick Viall — the mom-of-two believes she was "one of the more prepared people" who appeared on Season 3.

"They were like, 'I found out two weeks before, and I went to the gym maybe twice.' I felt physically fit and I could hang with the best of them. I was really proud of that," the TV host, who competes alongside Denise Richards, Trista Sutter, Brody Jenner, Stephen Baldwin and more, says. "It's so much harder than you think it is!"

Though she's not sure if she would go on the Fox show again, she's happy with the outcome. "When I did the first challenge, I felt like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. I was like, 'I'm the coolest person!' I'm really proud of myself for doing it," she gushes. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. I wanted to push my my body in ways that I never have before because it was an addiction — having something to work toward and train for. Now I want to do a Tough Mudder. I'm like, 'I need to scratch that itch!'"

The Nashville transplant not only got in incredible shape, but she also bonded with her cast members. "Denise is the best! She's exactly what you think she would be. She's such a firecracker," she says. "She tells it like it is and is so friendly. She really surprised me and how cool she is. Stephen Baldwin is hilarious. He was very kind to me. Golden Tate is a football player, and he lives in Henderson, Tenn., which is close to Nashville, so we've been texting about getting together with our families. It's a lot of great people, and it was such a cool experience."

It was also nice for Fedotowsky to be with Sutter, as they both were the Bachelorette at one point. "In Bachelor Nation, we say she's our fairy godmother," she says. "She's such a good person, and having someone familiar there was so comforting. We definitely looked out for each other."

In the meantime, since Fedotowsky is so focused on health and wellness, she's thrilled to be partnering with Orgain just in time for the holiday season.

The content creator loves using Orgain’s Nut Butter Protein Powders in her routine.

"My husband and I have been using Orgain's products for years. It was a no-brainer!" she says. "My family is all vegetarian, so we're always looking for ways to put protein into our diets."

But this year, Orgain and Fedotowsky are offering solutions – creating delicious recipes like Nut Butter Protein Bites, made with Orgain’s new Vanilla Almond Butter Protein Powder. "You can add it to things like sugar cookies, pancakes, muffins, brownies, etc.," she notes. "It's nice because a lot of people think, 'Oh, I have to put protein powder in a blender,' but you really don't! You can add it into so many different things. I wasn't always super health and wellness focused, but when I started training for Special Forces, I became a nut about it. It now helps to keep me on track and making sure I am getting fuel into my body."

To spread some holiday cheer, Orgain is hosting a festive giveaway on their Instagram page from December 12 through December 31, 2024. Consumers are encouraged to share their favorite treat that they would like to see Orgain give the ingredient swap treatment to for a chance to win a year's supply of Orgain Nut Butter Protein Powder and a $250 digital gift card for premium cookware. To enter, participants will need to follow @drinkorgain, like the giveaway post, tag two friends and comment with their recipe idea, and share the post to their stories with the tag @drinkorgain. Five winners will be selected at random.