Combat Missions

Combat Missions
Genre	Reality Television
Presented by	Rudy Boesch
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	15
Production
Location(s)	Mojave Desert, California, USA
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	Mark Burnett Productions
Broadcast
Original channel	USA
Original run	16 January 2002 – 17 April 2002

Combat Missions is a one hour long reality TV show produced by Mark Burnett and hosted by former Survivor castaway, Rudy Boesch, that aired from January to April in 2002 on the USA Network. It pits four teams of highly-experienced military and police operatives against each other in physical challenges and "mission" scenarios. Each team has a call sign and corresponding color. The four teams are Alpha (Red), Bravo (Blue), Charlie (Yellow) and Delta (Green). The team members were past and present members of SWAT, the United States Army Special Forces, the Navy SEALs, Marine Recon, the CIA Special Operations Group, the Delta Force, and the U.S. Army Rangers. The mission scenarios has each team face off against the opposing "Shadow force" (not another team) using MILES gear in real-life combat situations. The show was not picked up for a second season.

Scott Helvenston, one of the contestants from the Delta team went on to work for Blackwater USA in Iraq after the show and was killed in action on March 31, 2004.

Contents 1 Competition 2 Contestants 3 Results 3.1 Tank takeout 3.2 Prisoner rescue 3.3 Hostage rescue 3.4 Pilot down 3.5 Missile hangar 3.6 Meth lab 3.7 Fuel dump demolition 4 External links

Competition

Each of the four teams starts the competition with six players. The 15 week contest is split into three sections. Each week is referred to as an "Evolution." During each evolution two teams are chosen to go head to head, first in a training exercise and then in a combat mission. Training exercises are usually physical challenges, including climbing, swimming, running and shooting. The team who completes the exercise quickest receives extra points towards that week's mission. The combat mission pits those two teams against each other in a combat-like scenario, some military in nature, some SWAT-related. Both teams start out with 1000 points, plus whatever was earned by the winner of the training mission. Points are then deducted for team members killed and time taken in the mission itself. Failure to complete all objectives, or the death of all team members results in a 'total mission failure.' Whichever team has the most points after both teams have run the mission wins. For the first six evolutions, the team with the lower score was forced to vote off a player, and then headed into the dossier room to select a replacement. From evolution 7-12, lost players were no longer replaced, severely weakening the losing teams. During the last phase, the entire losing team was kicked off in order to determine the overall winning team. After that team (Bravo) was selected, it was split into two teams of 3 who faced off. From those 3 remaining players one was eliminated in a Training Exercise, and the final two faced off in a mission in order to select the Combat Missions individual champion.

Contestants

Name	Team	Background	Notes
Mark Jackson	Alpha	SWAT	Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 12)
Scott Oates	Alpha	Navy SEALs	Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 12)
Mell Spicer	Alpha	Navy SEALs	Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 12)
Daniel Patrick O'Shea	Alpha	Navy SEALs	Voted Off (Evolution 7) No Replacement
Frank Monestere	Alpha	Special Forces	Voted Off (Evolution 6) Replaced by Eric Johnson
Chris Pate	Alpha	SWAT	Voted Off (Evolution 2) Replaced by Harald Zundel
Harald Zundel	Alpha	Navy SEALs	Replaced Pate (Evolution 2); Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 12)
Eric Johnson	Alpha	Navy SEALs	Replaced Monestere (Evolution 6); Voted Off (Evolution 9) No Replacement
Dexter Fletcher	Bravo	SWAT	Combat Missions Champion
Jeff Byers	Bravo	Navy SEALs	Third Place, lost the marksmanship challenge
Steve Claggett	Bravo	SWAT	Lost the three-on-three team challenge
Mark Corwin	Bravo	Marine Force Recon	Lost the three-on-three team challenge
Bob Kain	Bravo	SWAT	Second Place, lost against Fletcher
Sean Sirker	Bravo	Special Forces	Replaced Taylor (Evolution 8); Lost the three-on-three team challenge
Jody Taylor	Bravo	SWAT	Medical Discharge (Evolution 8) Replaced by Sean Sirker
Cade Courtley	Charlie	Navy SEALs	Replaced Potter (Evolution 4); Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 11)
Ken Greaves	Charlie	Navy SEALs	Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 11)
Justin Young	Charlie	Marine Recon	Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 11)
Jeff Everage	Charlie	Navy SEALs	Drew Red-Tipped Sword (Evolution 1) Replaced by Wilson Wong
John Potter	Charlie	Navy SEALs	Voted Off (Evolution 4) Replaced by Cade Courtley
Edward Bugarin	Charlie	Special Forces, Delta Force	Voted Off (Evolution 5) Replaced by Jonathan Weber
Wilson Wong	Charlie	SWAT	Replaced Everage (Evolution 1); Discharged Self (Evolution 8) No Replacement
Ossie Crenshaw	Charlie	SWAT	Voted Off (Evolution 10) No Replacement
Jonathan Weber	Charlie	Marine Force Recon	Replaced Bugarin (Evolution 5); Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 11)
Baz	Delta	CIA/US Marines	Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 13)
George Ciganik	Delta	Marine Recon, SWAT	Replaced Teeple (Evolution 3); Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 13)
Scott Helvenston	Delta	Navy SEALs	Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 13)
Rodney Nutter	Delta	Marine Force Recon	Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 13)
John Winn	Delta	Marine Force Recon	Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 13)
William Nissen	Delta	Army Rangers	Replaced Estadt (Evolution 12); Whole-Team Discharge (Evolution 13)
Rod Teeple	Delta	Navy SEALs	Discharged Self (Evolution 3) Replaced by George Ciganik
Garth Estadt	Delta	Special Forces	Medical Discharge (Evolution 12) Replaced by WIlliam Nissen

Results

Tank takeout

Teams	Into Mission	Dead (50 point penalty)	Time (5 point penalty)	Score
Charlie	1000	-250 (5 dead)	-180 (36 minutes)	570
Bravo	1025	-200 (4 dead)	-175 (35 minutes)	650

Teams	Into Mission	Dead (50 point penalty)	Time (5 point penalty)	Score
Delta	1000	-150 (3 dead)	-155 (31 minutes)	695
Alpha	1050	-250 (5 dead)	-110 (22 minutes)	690

Prisoner rescue

Teams	Into Mission	Dead (50 point penalty)	Time (5 point penalty)	Score
Bravo	1000	0 (0 dead)	-95 (19 minutes)	905
Delta	1075	Total Mission Failure		0

Teams	Into Mission	Dead (50 point penalty)	Time (5 point penalty)	Score
Alpha	1075	-50 (1 dead)	-100 (20 minutes)	925
Charlie	1000	-200 (4 dead)	-190 (38 minutes)	610

Hostage rescue

Teams	Into Mission	Dead (50 point penalty)	Time (5 point penalty)	Score
Charlie	1000	-200 (4 dead)	-50 (10 minutes)	750
Delta	1050	0 (0 dead)	-85 (17 minutes)	965

Teams	Into Mission	Dead (50 point penalty)	Time (5 point penalty)	Score
Bravo	1000	-50 (1 dead)	-30 (6 minutes)	920
Alpha	1050	-50 (1 dead)	-45 (9 minutes)	705*

Alpha lost 250 points for cheating. They used a poncho to cover the hostage and defeat the MILES laser gear which was against the rules. Then they lied when asked why they did it, offering the excuse that they were "treating for shock".

Pilot down

Teams	Into Mission	Dead (50 point penalty)	Time (5 point penalty)	Score
Delta	1075	-50 (1 dead)	-160 (32 minutes)	865
Alpha	1000	-200 (4 dead)	-140 (28 minutes)	660

Teams	Into Mission	Dead (50 point penalty)	Time (5 point penalty)	Score
Charlie	1075	-50 (1 dead)	-110 (22 minutes)	915
Bravo	1000	0 (0 dead)	-75 (15 minutes)	925

Missile hangar

Teams	Into Mission	Dead (50 point penalty)	Mission Objective (100 point penalty)	Time (5 point penalty)	Score
Bravo	1000	-100 (2 dead)	-100 (Killed ATF Agent)	-40 (8 minutes)	760
Alpha	1075	-200 (4 dead)	-100 (Failed to secure ATF Agent)	-55 (11 minutes)	720

Teams	Into Mission	Dead (50 point penalty)	Mission Objective (100 point penalty)	Time (5 point penalty)	Score
Delta	1050	-150 (3 dead)	0 (Successfully Secured ATF Agent)	-65 (13 minutes)	835
Charlie	1025	Total Mission Failure			0

Meth lab

Teams	Into Mission	Dead (50 point penalty)	Santos Arrest (250 point penalty)	Time (5 point penalty)	Score
Bravo	1075	-50 (1 dead)	0 (Successfully Arrested Santos Hernandez)	-135 (27 minutes)	890
Charlie	1000	-100 (2 dead)	-250 (Santos Escaped)	-125 (25 minutes)	525

Teams	Into Mission	Dead (50 point penalty)	Santos Arrest (250 point penalty)	Time (5 point penalty)	Score
Delta	1000	-150 (3 dead)	0 (Successfully Arrested Santos Hernandez)	-120 (24 minutes)	730
Alpha	1050	-100 (2 dead)	-250 (Santos Escaped)	-140 (28 minutes)	560

Fuel dump demolition

Teams	Into Mission	Dead (50 point penalty)	Mission Objective (100 point penalty)	Time (5 point penalty)	Score
Delta	1000	-50 (1 dead)	0 (Successfully Rescued the POW's)	-125 (25 minutes)	825
Bravo	1050	0 (0 dead)	0 (Successfully Rescued the POW's)	-95 (19 minutes)	955

External links

• Combat Missions at the Internet Movie Database
• USA Network original show site (archived from archive.org)

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Mark Burnett Director Survivor (2000–present) 2007 MTV Movie Awards (2007) 2008 MTV Movie Awards (2008) Screenwriter The Restaurant (2003) The Casino (2004) The Contender (2005) Amne$ia (2008) The Apprentice (2004–present) Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (primetime, syndicated) (2007–2011) Bully Beatdown (2009–present) Expedition Impossible (2011) Executive producer Eco-Challenge (1995–2002) Survivor (2000–present) Combat Missions (2002) Are We There Yet? (2003) The Casino (2004) Rock Star (2005–2006) The Contender (2005) Gold Rush (2006) Amne$ia (2007) Pirate Master (2007) 2007 MTV Movie Awards (2007) My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad (2008) 2008 MTV Movie Awards (2008) 2009 MTV Movie Awards (2009) Toughest Cowboy (2009) Expedition Africa (2009) Bully Beatdown (2009–present) Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (primetime, syndicated) (2007–2011) 36th People's Choice Awards (2010) Sarah Palin's Alaska (2010) The Voice (2011–present) 37th People's Choice Awards (2011) Your OWN Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star (2011) Audrina (2011) Shark Tank (2011) 2011 MTV Movie Awards (2011) Expedition Impossible (2011) Rock N' Roll Fantasy Camp (2011–present) 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards (2011) Creator Eco-Challenge (1995–2002) The Casino (2004) The Contender (2005) Amne$ia (2007) Pirate Master (2007) The Apprentice (2004–present) Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (primetime, syndicated) (2007–2011) My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad (2008) Bully Beatdown (2009–present) Expedition Impossible (2011) The Bible (2013)