It’s the show that’s got Australia talking before it’s even premiered.
Yep, we’ve got one absolute corker of a TV show to look forward to – and it’s not for the faint-hearted.
SAS Australia, a revamp of the classic Who Dares Wins, is set to bring a bunch of nitty gritty drama to our screens.
With its colourful cast of athletes, reality stars and, er, controversial personalities, you can bet we’re in for a nail-biting spectacle.
Ahead of the show’s premiere this week, Woman’s Day uncovered some confronting truths about the show’s filming, and let’s just say it’s reality TV in its truest, grittiest form…
Gird yourselves, this show isn’t for the faint hearted.
(Channel Seven)SIMPLE MEALS
The recruits are served three basic meals daily in the mess.
Breakfast includes porridge and a boiled egg, lunch is a plain vegetable soup and bread, and dinner is boiled beef, mixed beans and boiled potatoes.
LIMITED SOCIALISING
As the course is so intense, free time is minimal.
The bulk of that time is spent resting to maintain energy and get their kit dry.
Otherwise they’d spend the next day in damp kit, which was not unusual for some.
PSYCH ON HAND
To stay on top of the recruits’ mental health, a team of psychologists behind the scenes observes the cast around the clock, as well as a team of medics, led by Army Medical Corps Dr Sam Hay.
Stars have been put to the ultimate test in the grittiest, rawest of ways.
(Channel Seven)NO PRODUCERS
Unlike most reality TV, the Directing Staff, or DS, run the entire course without any producer direction.
No one enters the base, apart from the recruits, the DS and the doctor.
TOUGH CONDITIONS
Beds are simple camp cots, with one sleeping bag and an army blanket.
Recruits don’t have access to hot water.
They have to fill a bucket of cold water and carry it to the sink area, where there are two sinks.
Even hot water is a precious commodity in these parts.
(Channel Seven)DUNNY DUTY
There are no flushing toilets.
A short-drop toilet (drum and sawdust) has to be cleaned out and maintained by the recruits, along with all other aspects of base maintenance.
MEDICAL CRISIS
Without giving too much away, injuries included fractured ribs, hypothermia and stitches.
The contestants get through 275 bandaids, 65 metres of strapping tape, 957 alcohol swabs and require four MRIs.
