Erikoisjoukot
| Erikoisjoukot | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality television |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | Finland |
| Original language | Finnish |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Alex Laszlo[1] |
| Running time | approx. 60 minutes |
| Production company | Banijay Finland |
| Original release | |
| Network | Ruutu |
| Release | 2 January 2023 |
| Related | |
| SAS: Who Dares Wins | |
Erikoisjoukot (finnish for 'Special Forces') is a Finnish quasi-military training television programme based on the British SAS: Who Dares Wins format. The show first premiered on streaming service Ruutu in 2022 as an "Original Series", and later premiered on Nelonen network early 2023.
The show was a nominee for the Golden Venla Awards for 2022 of the best tracking reality of the Year.[2]
Format
Similar to its original, British adaption, a group of celebrities are put into a shortened version of the Special Forces’ selection course. Over the course of two weeks, the recruits must face their fears and complete in various tasks designed for those who aspire for the Finnish Special Forces. At the end of the course, the Chief Instructor and his fellow Directing Staff will decide, who has passed the selection process.
The conditions of the recruits during the course are considered rudimentary as they reflect a real combat base. They will not receive any special treatment, but will be completely at the mercy of the Directing Staff. Unlike many other reality competition series, there are no straight eliminations. However, the recruits can be culled by the DS, or withdrawn, in case of any injuries or medical reasons to be quitted from the course. The recruits can also decide themselves, to voluntarily withdraw from the competition, if the pressures are getting too high - and hand their armband to the DS.
Cast
The Chief Instructor ('Pääkouluttaja') is Janne Lehtonen, a former Finnish Navy Special Forces operator, Marine Scout Sniper and Combat Medic with serving almost 13 years on the fronts.[3] The other Directing Staff instructors are: Jan Knutti, a former Navy Combat Diver and Finnish Border Guard's Security, Robin Hendry, a former Combat Diver and Combat Medic, and Matias Petäistö, a former Pioneer and operator for the Finland's Defence Forces' Jaeger Regiment.
In 2023, the Staff members Janne Lehtonen and Robin Hendry competed on the first season of the Finnish version of The Amazing Race as one of the 12 teams.[4]
| Name | Position | Series | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (2022/2023) | ||||
| Janne Lehtonen | Chief Instructor | Main | ||
| Jan Knutti | Directing Staff | Main | ||
| Robin Hendry | Directing Staff | Main | ||
| Matias Petäistö | Directing Staff | Main | ||
Series overview
Winners
| Season | Winners |
|---|---|
| 1 | Elias Kaskinen, Amanda Harkimo, Viivi Altonen[5] |
Season 1 (2023)
The filming began on early August 2021 on the Tytyri Calcite Mine, on the city of Lohja, Finland. Fourteen well-known finnish Celebrities took part in this Season.[6]
Recruits
 |
| Recruit | Celebrity | Known for | Status (Episode number) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Sami Jauhojärvi | Former cross-country skier | Voluntarily Withdrew (?) |
| 13 | Viivi Altonen | Miss Finland 2020 | Passed (10) |
| 14 | Elias Kaskinen | Singer-Songwriter | Passed (10) |
| 6 | Sara Chafak | Miss Finland 2012 | Voluntarily Withdrew (1) |
| 11 | Kimmo Ohtonen | Journalist | Culled (10) |
| 10 | Sunneva Sjögrén | Beauty entrepreneur | Medically Withdrew (1) |
| 3 | Sauli Koskinen | Media Personality | Voluntarily Withdrew (?) |
| 9 | Amin Asikainen | Professional Boxer | |
| 4 | Amanda Harkimo | Reality TV star, DJ | Passed (10) |
| 5 | James Nikander | Rapper | |
| 2 | Henna Virkkunen | Politician | |
| 1 | Ville Lång | Badminton player | Voluntarily Withdrew (10) |
| 7 | Heikki Sorsa | Snowboarder | Voluntarily Withdrew (?) |
| 12 | Tom Packalén | Politician |
Episodes
| No. | Title (in English) [7][8] | Timeslot (EET) | Original air date | Avg. Finnish viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Character" | Monday 9:00 pm | 2 January 2023 | N/A |
| 2 | "Fear" | Monday 9:00 pm | 9 January 2023 | N/A |
| 3 | "Aggression" | Monday 9:00 pm | 16 January 2023 | N/A |
| 4 | "Control" | Monday 9:00 pm | 23 January 2023 | N/A |
| 5 | "Decision" | Monday 9:00 pm | 30 January 2023 | N/A |
| 6 | "Courage" | Monday 9:00 pm | 6 February 2023 | N/A |
| 7 | "Trust" | Monday 9:00 pm | 13 February 2023 | N/A |
| 8 | "Power of Mind" | Monday 9:00 pm | 20 February 2023 | 125,000 |
| 9 | "Survival" | Monday 10:00 pm | 27 February 2023 | 64,000 |
| 10 | "Pressure" | Monday 11:00 pm | 27 February 2023 | N/A |
See also
Notes
- ^ The show was first introduced on Ruutu streaming service on 2022, and the first few episodes actually aired on television that year. However, the full official run on TV, with all episodes, started on January 2023.
References
- ^ "Nyt puhuu Erikoisjoukkojen vastaava tuottaja: "Sarjassa ei leikitä sotaa"". iltalehti.fi (in Finnish).
- ^ "Tässä ovat Kultainen Venla 2022 -ehdokkaat". seiska.fi (in Finnish). 8 December 2022.
- ^ "Entinen eliittisotilas Janne Lehtonen paljastaa, millaista Suomen erikoisjoukoissa oikeasti on – vain harva tietää totuuden salatusta ammatista". Ilta-sanomat.fi (in Finnish). 31 May 2022.
- ^ https://www.is.fi/tv-ja-elokuvat/art-2000009733529.html
- ^ "He läpäisivät karmaisevan Erikoisjoukot-ohjelman – yksi kokelaista purskahtaa vuolaaseen itkuun". Ilta-sanomat.fi (in Finnish). 25 July 2022.
- ^ "Erikoisjoukot on Suomen tv-historian rankin kilpailu – nämä julkkikset osallistuvat". iltalehti.fi (in Finnish).
- ^ "ERIKOISJOUKOT - program info". telsu.fi (in Finnish).
- ^ "Erikoisjoukot - Ruutu". ruutu.fi (in Finnish).