Reality TV

Everything you need to know about SAS Australia 2023

These recruits are in for a tough time...
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After an almost two-year absence, Australia’s most demanding reality series is set to return, and this year looks to be more challenging than ever!

SAS Australia will see a brand new cohort of celebrities pushed to their breaking points as they undergo the most grueling course yet as they are subjected to extreme physical endurance, sleep deprivation, interrogation, and psychological testing. 

The question is: Who will have the mental strength to tough it out to the end? 

WATCH NOW: Sas Australia’s Ant Middleton speaks with TV Week at the 2022 Logies. Article continues after video. 

Where is SAS Australia 2023 being filmed?

The new season of SAS Australia is set to be the most extreme yet for its celebrity recruits who will in a series first, be taken through an incredibly grueling selection course in the Middle East.

Whilst it is not clear yet where in the Middle East the new season has been filmed, New Idea is sure that the show will be unlike any show on television yet.

Previously the series was filmed at an eerie abandoned coal mine just outside Dapto, just a few hours south of Sydney before being moved to the Capertee Valley near the Blue Mountains, due to near-freezing conditions the previous year.

In comparison, with anything from sandstorms to blazing hot 40-degree heat, the new recruits will be having a very different weather experience from that of their season one, two, and three counterparts.

Who is hosting Sas Australia 2023?

Controversial Chief Instructor Ant Middleton will be returning much to the dismay of recruits and entertainment of viewers watching from the comforts of home. 
Instructor Ollie Ollerton is also returning to the series, Ant celebrating the return of his best mate with a post to his social media: “Back to doing what we do best with @sasaustralia”. 
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Wherever the season was filmed, it looks like it’s near a body of water thanks to this on location shot Ant posted to his Instagram. (Credit: Instagram)

When will the new season of SAS Australia premiere in 2023? 

Channel Seven has confirmed that the new season will air sometime in October, 2023. 

Given seasons one through three premiered in October 2020, September 2021, and February 2022, this lines up with previous premiere date predictions. 

Who are the recruits for SAS Australia 2023?

The fourteen recruits taking part in SAS Australia 2023 are Abbey Holmes, Anthony Mundine, Boyd Cordner, Cassie Sainsbury, Dr. Craig Challen, Craig McLachlan, Jason Akermanis, Lindy Klim, Mahalia Murphy, Matthew Mitcham, Peter Bol, Stephanie Rice, Tim Robarbs, Zima Anderson. 

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After one season Ollie was fired from the show, before being rehired for the 2023 season. (Credit: Instagram)

How much do Australian SAS recruits get paid?

Thanks to our insider sources, we know that convicted drug smuggler Cassie Sainsbury is one of the “highest paid of the cast this year”. 

The remaining recruits are allegedly raking in up to $30,000 to appear on the reality show. 

In 2022, sporting great Wayne Carey revealed he was paid $250,000 to appear on the show, whilst NRL star Sam Burgess was the highest paid in 2021 with a salary that was reported to be between $150,000 to $200,000. 

For the inaugural season, convicted drug trafficker Schapelle Corby reportedly earned $150,000 for her appearance. 

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Ant says the the SAS course is as “raw” and “authentic” as it gets. (Credit: Instagram)

Is the TV show SAS Australia real? 

According to an anonymous ex-SAS officer, the recruitment course the celebrities are put through looks a lot like the real thing.

“It’s a fairly decent adaptation of the selection process, but the key point of difference is that while the TV show is filmed over two weeks, the real SAS selection takes six months,” ‘Officer X’ told Mamamia in 2021.

But he said, “all that emotional s—t” we see from the contestants is just for the cameras, and the bare-bones base camp the celebrities call home is “pretty luxurious” compared to real SAS recruitment.

The ‘interrogations’ are also “well off” base, Officer X revealing that the real thing is much more brutal and will “basically break you.”

An anonymous recruit from a previous season told the Daily Mail that there were plenty of “fake” moments in the show, including scripted interactions and clever editing to make certain scenes more dramatic.

They also claimed that the winner is chosen in advance, telling the outlet: “We knew from day one when we lined up for the promotional photos, who’d be there at the end.

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But in a post to his Instagram during filming for the new season, Ant wrote: 

“The time, effort, passion, sacrifice, and pure knowledge of my format for this show can never be taken from me because the moment it does, it’s simply not the same show!”

“The admiration and love that I have for @channel7 for allowing me ‘to this very day’ to run my course the best way I know how is truly appreciated and for this I will be forever grateful, THANK YOU! I will continue to deliver the rawest most authentic course that I possibly can, not for me, not for the DS but for the recruits who step foot onto the parade square.”

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