The new series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins launches tonight, pitting British celebrities against their Australian counterparts in a gruelling battle of wills. The show, which returns to Channel 4 at 9pm on January 4, features 14 recruits undergoing extreme SAS-style training in the searing North African heat.
The Stars Facing the Ultimate Test
This year's line-up includes notable names from both sides of the globe. Representing the UK are former Love Island contestants Gabby Allen and Dani Dyer. They are joined by Australian stars such as ex-Olympic swimmer Mack Horton and Married At First Sight Australia participant Jessika Power.
The famous faces will be put through their paces by the formidable Directing Staff (DS), led by Billy Billingham MBE and including Foxy (Jason Fox), Rudy Reyes, and Chris Oliver. Rudy Reyes has already warned that this eighth series showcases the programme "at its most dangerous", with a relentless pace set against a blistering desert backdrop.
The Unseen Psychological Warfare
While the physical challenges broadcast are notoriously tough, contestant Gabby Allen has revealed that the televised version only scratches the surface. In an exclusive discussion, she disclosed that viewers do not see around 80 per cent of the psychological torment endured by the recruits.
Allen described a specific incident designed to break down the participants' resolve. "Being girls we all get a shower on day two, and we'd been sweating all day long in the same clothes," she explained. "We'd literally just got out of the shower feeling fresh and then they were like 'Outside now with your water bottles.' Your water bottle is a millimetre away from the top and they walk past and go 'No! Pour it on your head.'"
She admitted that in the moment, such actions seemed senselessly cruel, but later recognised their purpose. "When you look back, it's not about the water bottle. It's about discipline and working as a team," Allen reflected, highlighting the constant state of alertness required. "In the camp, every minute you're sleeping with one eye open in case they bring you out."
Co-Stars Confirm the Mental Gauntlet
Allen's experience was echoed by fellow recruit Mack Horton, who shared another example of the DS's manipulative tactics. The Australian sportsman recalled a deliberate trap set to test their integrity and obedience.
"They left a box of chocolates out. It was named 'Rudy's chocolates', so they were just playing games with us, testing to see if we eat it or hand it back," Horton said. "It's just things like that all week until you're looking at where they're trying to get you, how to play this game to stay on their side."
This series promises an intensified clash of cultures, as Rudy Reyes framed it: "Australia and UK - a rivalry in sport but now going head-to-head in the art and brutality of warfare. North Africa is a blast furnace and the DS fan the fire until only the strongest remain."
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins begins its new series on Sunday, January 4 at 9pm on Channel 4, offering a glimpse into the extreme physical and hidden psychological battles faced by its celebrity recruits.
