Jessie James Decker says her “warrior” bloodline helps her dominate on “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.”
Jessie is joined by her husband, former NFL star Eric Decker, for this season of the FOX show. Both of their fathers served in the military, which Jessie believes was an advantage when competing on the military-style training show.
“My brother’s words stuck in my mind more than anybody. Before we had to turn our phones in, he sent me this long message about, you know, how our dads were in the military. My dad and stepdad were both Army/Air Force. And he was like, listen, he used some language, they were warriors. They were warriors, and you have that in your blood. And so was our grandfather. So was our great-grandfather,” she said.
Jessie explained that the grit that is demanded from U.S. troops is in her blood.
‘SPECIAL FORCES’ STARS JESSIE JAMES DECKER, HUSBAND ERIC SHARE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL 12-YEAR MARRIAGE
“This has been in our bloodline forever. I want you to channel that warrior inside of you and just do it. And so I thought about my brother’s words every single day and wanted to make my family proud, truly, because I’m a very proud military brat,” Jessie said.
Being in a military environment stirred up a lot of frustration for Jessie because she feels U.S. citizens don’t appreciate “how good” life is back home.
“Lots of emotions and, I think probably a little frustration too, if I’m being completely honest. I think that as we were there, and I saw how people are living in Morocco [where ‘Special Forces’ films] and seeing how hard it is just day in day out what our military goes through, it almost stirred up an anger of like I can’t believe anyone would ever complain back home.”
WATCH: Jessie James Decker is a ‘very proud military brat’
“We have it so damn good, you know. It definitely lit a fire in me. I will never complain again. Just because we have it so good and look at, look at how these men and women are fighting for us and the living conditions and what they’re going through just to keep our country safe. It just, yeah, it fired me up,” Jessie said.
Competing on “Special Forces” proved to Jessie and Eric that they could still get “down and dirty,” according to the singer.
“We got that tenacity,” Eric said.
“Yeah, I think we’re still gritty,” Jessie added. “We like, you know, we both left home gritty kids and tough and scrappy. And obviously we’re living this life now, and we’re very blessed and fortunate, but it was good to see that we still have that in there.”
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In September, Jessie and Eric told Fox News Digital how competing together on the show made their marriage stronger.
“I think that experience, when it was all said and done, we had one of the best dates and nights of our entire marriage,” Jessie explained. “We had a layover in London, and we went to dinner, and we, like, got to lay in a bed and I just feel like we laid there looking at each other, and it was just such a beautiful night.”
She continued, “We went through something really hard together, and it really does bring you closer together. We were just so grateful to be laying in that bed together.”
The couple has been together for about 15 years, married for just over 12, and share four children: Vivianne, 11; Eric “Bubby,” 10; Forrest, 7; and Denver, 1.
When it comes to the key to their successful marriage, both Eric and Jessie joked that living in Nashville is their secret, before Eric credited their shared “value system” as the real secret.
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“I think, obviously, we’re rooted in our value system, where we have four kids,” he said. “We do love the community we raise our kids in. We take time to just be home and, in a sense, be with our family, that grounds us.”
Jessie agreed, adding, “I think we just view the world the same way.”
“Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.
