‘Special Forces’ contestant chokes up recalling last conversation with parents before deadly plane crash
The recently released Episode 3 of ‘Special Forces’ Season 5 saw the remaining participants take on more challenges. During the episode, figure skater Maxim Naumov also opened up about his parents while undergoing tactical questioning with the Direction Staff (DS). The conversation came after Maxim volunteered to face professional boxer Alycia Baumgardner in a previous challenge. Jason “Foxy” Fox asked him why he had stepped up to fight the boxer. “Nobody raised their hand, and I just decided to step up. I take the hits so they didn’t have to,” Maxim replied. Foxy noted that the participant was “very laser beam focused,” prompting the Olympian to open up about his parents and how they raised him.
The October 8, 2026, episode of ‘Special Forces’ saw Maxim remembering his late parents. “They were two-time Olympians and world champions.” The participant shared, “They raised me to be a champion. I’d give anything to have some more time with them.” Wanting to learn more about the participant's parents and upbringing, Foxy asked him to share more. In his response, Maxim recalled his last conversation with his parents, “It was national championships, my mom and dad were both there. After I finished my competition, I flew back home. My mom calls me and she said, ‘I just want to make sure you know that we’re proud of you. And that we love you.’ And as a Soviet Russian family, we never said ‘I love you’ outright like that. I said, ‘I love you, too,’ and all that. That was it.”
The next day, Maxim was supposed to pick up his parents from the airport. “I kept texting them, I said, ‘Have you guys landed?’ And all of a sudden I get a call. There was an accident with a helicopter.” He added, “I haven’t relived that moment in a while. Everybody on board was gone. And that was it. That was f*****g it right there. My whole life flipped upside down.” One year later, when Maxim participated in the Olympics, it was “bittersweet” for him. “The only thing I wanted was to hug my dad and hug my mom and tell them I made it.”
After learning about the tragedy that Maxim went through, DS told him that he was doing “really well.” He also pointed out how focused the participant had been throughout the challenges. “You’re quite non-emotional. We want to see more of you out there. Have fun at the same time, just add another layer,” he told Maxim. The ‘Special Forces’ participant replied that he would try. In a confessional, he added, “It never gets easier, unfortunately. But it’s what I have trained my life to do as an athlete: put my feelings and emotions to the side.” However, he added that deep down, he was “a very emotional person.” Fans can now stream the Fox show on Hulu.
