The long-awaited new season of SAS Australia is finally here – and this year’s crop of celebrity recruits looks like they’ll be taking on the show’s most brutal course yet in the Middle East.
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As the 14 recruits are subjected to extreme temperatures, intense physical challenges, sleep deprivation, psychological testing, and even interrogation, they’ll be pushed beyond their limits and made to prove that they are worthy of passing the final selection.
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Scroll on to see which celebs didn’t make the cut….
Mahalia Murphy
Just days before the final selection course, international rugby star Mahalia Murphy made the difficult decision to withdraw following a brutal grunt task that pushed her passed her limits.
Made to carry 40 litres of water to the top of a steep dune, Mahalia’s body broke down, and she was unable to continue any further.
“I can push through mentally, but physically, it’s not how it works,” Mahalia shared with the cameras shortly after she made her choice.
“Despite all the pain, the experiences have been unreal. Even the mindset, it’s given me a different perspective and made me think differently, which is going to help me a lot going forward.”
Craig McLachlan
After a brutal day of physical activity, actor Craig started to experience pain in his stomach, asking DS Ant Middleton to see the doctor, to which Ant told him if he did that he’d have to voluntarily withdraw from the course.
Sadly for the 58-year-old, the discomfort in his stomach outweighed his desire to stay, the actor taking off his armband and leaving SAS behind.
“I came into this course with all sorts of personal issues, having gone through a number of years of trauma, really. I really lost sight of who I was. And I’m leaving with a real sense of who I am,” he shared with the cameras before departing.
“I’m leaving with trust in people again. It’s been a life-changing experience, really. I feel very privileged to be invited along.”
Ant then reaffirmed to Craig that he had made the right decision to leave: “You’ve done the right thing. Because tomorrow, you would be on the f***ing ground like a f***ing idiot, by yourself, with no one to come and pick you up. No, you haven’t let us down. You’ve done amazing.”
Zima Anderson
In one of the most confronting scenes ever televised on SAS Australia, actress Zima Anderson suffered a painful injury in the first challenge of episode seven.
The challenge required her to jump from a high platform and into the ocean below, however after taking the leap, Zima landed on the concrete below, the cameras cutting away as medical professionals rushed to her aid.
Sadly for Zima, she was forced to medically withdraw from the selection course, suffering from a fractured wrist and thankfully nothing more serious.
Shortly after the episode aired, Zima took to her Instagram to share a happy snap from her in the hospital with the DS team, presumably prior to being discharged.
“Thank GOD I didn’t break my spine 😂,” she joked, captioning the post.
Peter Bol
Despite his success on the selection course, Olympic runner Peter Bol made the tough decision to withdraw from the gruelling reality show due to fears of injury.
“I’ve got world champs this year. I’ve got the Olympics next year. I was fourth in Tokyo. I don’t want to be forth again,” the professional athlete shared of his decision to leave SAS.
“The Olympics only comes every four years. That fear of not being able to perform when it matters most, that worries me a bit,” he added.
“I don’t want to put myself at risk physically because I still have to go out there and compete for the country. If you’re going against the best in the world, you need every single cent.”
Shortly after his final episode aired, Peter took to his Instagram to share a short but telling statement: “Sometimes the best choice is to play it safe.”
Anthony Mundine
Five days into the SAS selection course, boxer Anthony Mundine voluntarily withdrew after struggling through a suburban warfare drone exercise that pushed both his physical and mental strength to its limits.
“I feel like a failure to myself. I’m too competitive…I’m ready to go now,” he said as he farewelled his fellow competitors.
Despite this, Anthony maintained a positive outlook as he exited, telling the cameras that he felt “great.”
“I made it halfway through and I’m grateful for that.”
“Walking away, I feel that I’ve changed, and something has pushed me out of my comfort zone.”
Stephanie Rice
The Olympic swimmer had her time cut short on the show after head instructor Ant Middleton shared his concerns that her shoulder injury attained during the selection course would worsen if she stayed any longer.
“You are at risk of really, really damaging yourself. We’re talking surgery, long-term injury,” he told the gold medallist.
“I don’t want that for you. Trust me, it’s with an extremely heavy heart that I’m going to have to take you off this course.”
An emotional Stephanie was left devastated: “I just felt like I could’ve kept going. Like, I don’t feel like I’ve learned [enough] about myself. I think the lesson for me is knowing that there will be more opportunities and being okay with this moment right here, right now,” she told the cameras.
Lindy Klim
Similarly to Cassie Sainsbury, Balinese princess Lindy Klim also made the tough decision to withdraw from the SAS selection course, admitting she didn’t have the physical strength to continue.
“I did think I would really struggle being completely out of my comfort zone. I hate being dirty, and I hate sand and I hate camping. I feel quite chuffed that I managed to get through two days, so yeah I feel good,” Lindy said in her exit interview.
Boyd Cordner
Sadly for retired NRL star Boyd Cordner, he was forced to withdraw from the course after suffering from a painful pectoral tear that required surgery and risked permanent damage if he continued in the course.
“Shattered my time got cut short on the course but what an awesome experience,” Boyd shared to his Instagram shortly after his final episode aired.
“Thanks @sasaustralia for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Loved every minute…Thanks to everyone who has reached out with the kind messages ❤️ means a lot ✌🏻.”
Instructor Ant Middleton also had some kind words to share with the sporting great: “I know you wanted to crack on and you wanted to get through. But if you carry on, especially the next couple of days, sheer pride is going to really, really injure you and potentially rip the rest of that [muscle] off,” he said.
“Your character is impeccable. You’re an honourable person,” he continued.
Cassie Sainsbury
Despite reportedly earning the highest paycheck to appear in this season, Cassie voluntarily withdrew from the gruelling reality show just one episode in after she was unable to crawl through a 30-metre network of submerged pipelines.
Despite this, the convicted drug smuggler says she is proud of herself for taking part in the show.
“It is probably one of the first times in a long time that I feel proud of myself in the sense of facing everything I didn’t ever want to see again,” she said in an exit interview.
“When I leave the SAS course “Cocaine Cassie’ dies there. That’s it. She doesn’t follow me around anymore.”
Instructor Ant Middleton also had some kind words for Cassie as she exited the course.
“You do not belong there. All this ‘Cocaine Cassie’ bull****, it’s not you. Take what you can from this experience, use it to your advantage. Well done.”
