Former "Bachelorette" Hannah Brown says her time on the "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test" was a total nightmare ... but it wasn't due to the crazy physical challenges she had to go through -- it's 'cause Dwight Howard wouldn't stop ripping ass!!
The former Miss Alabama USA is one of 16 celebrity contestants who bravely went through rigorous training exercises -- led by a group of ex-Special Forces operatives -- for the sake of television entertainment ... and she says the experience was incredibly tasking.
"It was probably tougher than it can ever be captured on camera," Brown told TMZ at LAX this week.