Surviving the Cut Episode Rating Graph

Marine Snipers are legendary in the sniper world for being the best. This is where they learn their craft. Units will only send their best men to this course, but on average 1 in the 3 will fail. Becoming a marine sniper takes a level of discipline that few could ever hope to achieve. They will wait hours in the worst possible conditions but only have seconds to make the shot.

Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians or EOD are the only explosives and bomb specialists qualified for special operations. Before a Navy EOD team can go to war with Special Forces, they must go through one final test. Like the job itself, it's all-or-nothing training: A five-day, non-stop series of high stress missions. Make the wrong move, allow fatigue or distraction to take over and the entire team will fail. The team that survives the cut stays together as a certified special ops team.

The US Army's Special Forces Combat Dive Course takes only the Army's best soldiers. Most are already battle-proven Army Rangers and Green Berets. Now these elite special ops soldiers challenge themselves to become the most highly trained combat divers on the planet. For six weeks, they are tested in the most severe underwater conditions. To earn the coveted Special Forces Divers Badge, these men will push the limits of the human body. to prove they have what it takes. One in three won't make it... the rest survive the cut.

This is the military's premier Sniper school. Navy SEALs, Green Berets, and the military's best soldiers all assemble here to learn the craft of shooting from extreme distances. 50% will not survive the cut at the six-week course. Using a wide range of special weapons and equipment, sniper candidates are put to the test to see if they can make the critical kill shot when they are called upon. Make it and they earn the coveted sniper badge. Miss by an inch and they're shipped home.

Army sappers specialize in punching through an enemy's defensive lines. It's their job to take down whatever stands between combat forces and their target... by whatever means necessary. To earn the sapper tab, soldiers must endure 4 weeks of intense physical punishment, science, and special demolitions tactics training. Sapper school moves fast and furious. There is no heavy equipment to help them break through: what they carry on their backs is what they have to work with. Soldiers suffer through weeks of demolitions testing and physical torment, then fight through a week of nonstop missions with less then 10 minutes of sleep a night. Carrying 80 pound packs, they must struggle up, over, and through any obstacles the instructors put in their path. Only on the final day do they learn their fate. Over 50% will not earn the coveted Sapper Tab.

US Army Ranger School is considered the toughest combat course on the planet. The course replicates the nonstop stress of war to forge the Army's elite combat leaders. For sixty-one days and nights, this extreme training replicates the nonstop stress of warfare. Soldiers sleep an average of three hours a night and receive just one meal per day. They train continuously, running missions 20 hours straight in mountains, swamps and dense woodlands. Most lose 20 or more pounds before it's over, and many quit or fail the course along the way. Only one in three make it through.