Erikoisjoukot
| Erikoisjoukot | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality television |
| Based on | SAS: Who Dares Wins by Minnow Films |
| Starring |
|
| Narrated by | Mikko Leskelä |
| Country of origin | Finland |
| Original language | Finnish |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Alex Laszlo[1] |
| Producer | Maija Maukonen |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production company | Banijay Finland |
| Original release | |
| Network | Ruutu Nelonen |
| Release | 2 January 2023 - present |
| Related | |
| International versions | |
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 May 2022, and later premiered on Nelonen network early 2023. The second season began to air in March 2024.[2]
Format[edit]
Following the premise of the 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 Finland's Defence Forces' Special Forces. At the end of the course, 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 rudimental as they reflect a real combat base. They are accommodated at the Abandoned Limestone Factory in Lohja, the surrounding environment of which is not only versatile, but one of the toughest in the country. The recruits 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 However, the recruits can be culled by the Staff, or withdrawn, in case of any injuries or medical reasons to be quitted from the course.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 one of the Directing Staff instructors.
Cast[edit]
The Directing Staff consists of four ex-Special Forces soldiers of the Finnish Defence Forces, with the combined experience of over four decades of war fighting and operations. The Chief Instructor ('Pääkouluttaja') is Janne Lehtonen, an ex-Finnish Navy Special Operation Forces operator, Marine Scout Sniper and Combat Medic in Counter-Terrorism contracts, with 13 years of experience on the fronts.[3] The other Directing Staff instructors are: Jan Knutti, a former Navy Combat Diver and Finnish Border Guard's Officer for the Counter-Terrorism unit; Matias Petäistö, a former Pioneer and team leader for the Finnish Army's Utti Jaeger Regiment and Robin Hendry, a former Navy's Combat Diver and Combat Medic.
| Name | Position | Series | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (2023) | 2 (2024) | |||
| Janne Lehtonen | Chief Instructor | Main | ||
| Jan Knutti | Directing Staff | Main | ||
| Matias Petäistö | Directing Staff | Main | ||
| Robin Hendry | Directing Staff | Main | ||
Seasons[edit]
Series overview[edit]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 10 | 2 January 2023[a] | 27 February 2023 | |
| 2 | 13 | 12 March 2024 | 4 June 2024 | |
Winners[edit]
| Season | Winners |
|---|---|
| 1 | Elias Kaskinen, Amanda Harkimo, Viivi Altonen[4] |
| 2 | TBA |
Season 1 (2023)[edit]
The filming began on early August 2021 at Abandoned Limestone Factory, in the city of Lohja, Finland. Fourteen well-known finnish Celebrities took part in this Season.[5]
Recruits[edit]
| Recruit | Celebrity | Known for | Episode left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ville Lång | Badminton player | 10 | Culled |
| 2 | Henna Virkkunen | Member of the European Parliament | 4 | Culled |
| 3 | Sauli Koskinen | Media personality | 7 | Voluntarily Withdrew |
| 4 | Amanda Harkimo | Reality TV star, DJ | 10 | Passed |
| 5 | James Nikander | Rapper, "The Black Barbarian" | 3 | Culled |
| 6 | Sara Chafak | Miss Finland 2012 | 1 | Voluntarily Withdrew |
| 7 | Heikki Sorsa | Snowboarder | 7 | Voluntarily Withdrew |
| 8 | Sami Jauhojärvi | Former cross-country skier | 6 | Voluntarily Withdrew |
| 9 | Amin Asikainen | Former professional boxer | 6 | Culled |
| 10 | Sunneva Sjögrén | Beauty entrepreneur | 1 | Voluntarily Withdrew |
| 11 | Kimmo Ohtonen | Journalist | 10 | Culled |
| 12 | Tom Packalén | Member of Parliament | 7 | Medically Withdrew |
| 13 | Viivi Altonen | Miss Finland 2020 | 10 | Passed |
| 14 | Elias Kaskinen | Singer-Songwriter | 10 | Passed |
Episodes[edit]
| No. | Title (in English) [6][7] | Timeslot (EET) | Original air date | Aver. Finnish viewers [8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | "Decisionmaking" | Monday 9:00 pm | 30 January 2023 | N/A |
| 6 | "Sisu" | 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 Tolerance" | Monday 11:00 pm | 27 February 2023 | N/A |
Season 2 (2024)[edit]
The 15 celebrity recruits of the second season were revealed in January 2024. Like the first season, this season was filmed at the abandoned Limestone Factory in Lohja, in autumn of 2023.[2][9]
Recruits[edit]
| Recruit | Celebrity | Known for | Episode left | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mika Parikka | Reporter, radio presenter | 2 | Voluntarily Withdrew |
| 2 | Susanna Koski | Politician | 7 | Culled |
| 3 | Tuomas Kauhanen | Rap-artist | 1 | Voluntarily Withdrew |
| 4 | Mandimai Sundberg | Social media influencer | 2 | Voluntarily Withdrew |
| 5 | Aleksi Hakanen | Social media personality | Participating | |
| 6 | Vertti Harjuniemi | Fitness influencer, Gladiators-star "Titan" | Participating | |
| 7 | Mari Valosaari | Radio presenter, former fitness athlete | 6 | Culled |
| 8 | Pierlin Mpaka Makumbu | Rap-artist, "PapiPike" | 1 | Voluntarily Withdrew |
| 9 | Petra Gargano | Former singer of Tiktak | 4 | Voluntarily Withdrew |
| 10 | Helmeri Pirinen | Professional scooterist | 8 | Medically Withdrew |
| 11 | Oona Tolppanen | Fitness entrepreneur, Gladiators-star "Sapphire" | Participating | |
| 12 | Anni Vuohijoki | Ex-weightlifter | 4 | Voluntarily Withdrew |
| 13 | Sami Garam | Cook | 5 | Voluntarily Withdrew |
| 14 | Noora Räty | Ice hockey goaltender and coach | Participating | |
| 15 | Elina Gustafsson | Ex-boxer | Participating |
Episodes[edit]
| No. | Title (in English) | Timeslot (EET) | Original air date | Aver. Finnish viewers [8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Character" | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 12 March 2024 | 227,000 |
| 2 | "Fortitude" | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 19 March 2024 | 245,000 |
| 3 | "Leadership" | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 26 March 2024 | 233,000 |
| 4 | "Tolerance" | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 2 April 2024 | 272,000 |
| 5 | "Performance" | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 9 April 2024 | 263,000 |
| 6 | "Sisu" | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 16 April 2024 | 259,000 |
| 7 | "Control" | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 23 April 2024 | 245,000 |
| 8 | "Instinct" | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 30 April 2024 | TBD |
| 9 | "Confidence" | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 7 May 2024 | TBD |
| 10 | "Endurance" | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 14 May 2024 | TBD |
| 11 | "Fear" | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 21 May 2024 | TBD |
| 12 | "The Final Test" | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 28 May 2024 | TBD |
| 13 | TBA | Tuesday 9:00 pm | 4 June 2024 | TBD |
Reception[edit]
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Year | Awards | Category | Nominated | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Golden Venla | Tracking Reality | Erikoisjoukot | Nominated | [10] |
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ The show was first introduced on Ruutu streaming service in summer 2022, and the first episode actually aired on television that year. However, the full official run on TV, with all episodes, started in January 2023.
References[edit]
- ^ "Nyt puhuu Erikoisjoukkojen vastaava tuottaja: "Sarjassa ei leikitä sotaa"". iltalehti.fi (in Finnish).
- ^ a b "Tältä näyttää Nelonen Median kevään 2024 TV-tarjonta!". Nelonen (in Finnish).
- ^ "Entinen eliittisotilas Janne Lehtonen paljastaa, millaista Suomen erikoisjoukoissa oikeasti on – vain harva tietää totuuden salatusta ammatista". Ilta-sanomat.fi (in Finnish). 31 May 2022.
- ^ "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).
- ^ a b "Finnpanel – TV Audiance Measurement". Finnpanel.
- ^ Nousiainen, Janna. "Rankan tosi-tv-ohjelman osallistujat julki – mukana 15 uutta julkkista". Ilta-sanomat (in Finnish).
- ^ "Tässä ovat Kultainen Venla 2022 -ehdokkaat". seiska.fi (in Finnish). 8 December 2022.
