A new series of the gruelling reality competition Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins launches tonight, featuring a fierce showdown between UK and Australian celebrities. The show returns to Channel 4 at 9pm on Sunday, January 4, 2026, with 14 famous recruits facing extreme SAS-style training in the deserts of North Africa.
The Celebrity Recruits 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 stars Gabby Allen and Dani Dyer. Their Australian counterparts include former Olympic swimmer Mack Horton and Married At First Sight Australia participant Jessika Power. They will all be put through their paces by the formidable Directing Staff (DS), led by Chief Instructor Billy Billingham MBE and including Jason 'Foxy' Fox, Rudy Reyes, and Chris Oliver.
Rudy Reyes has already warned that this eighth series pushes the limits, describing the environment as a "blast furnace" and promising the show is at its "most dangerous." The rivalry between the two nations, familiar from the sporting arena, is now set to be tested in the brutal art of warfare simulation.
The Psychological Warfare Viewers Never See
While the televised challenges are notoriously tough, contestant Gabby Allen has revealed that audiences only witness a fraction of the ordeal. In an exclusive interview, the wellness guru stated that around 80 per cent of their experience never makes the final edit, particularly the psychological mind games employed by the DS.
Allen shared a telling example of these tactics. After a rare shower on day two, the female recruits were ordered outside with their water bottles. Instructors then commanded them to pour the precious water over their own heads. "At the time you're thinking 'These b*****s be crazy,'" Allen admitted. However, she later understood the lesson was about instant obedience, discipline, and team unity over personal comfort.
"In the camp, every minute you're sleeping with one eye open in case they bring you out," she described, highlighting the constant state of alertness. The relentless psychological pressure is designed to break down individuals and forge a cohesive team under extreme duress.
Co-Stars Confirm the Mental Battle
Allen's co-stars echoed her experiences, confirming the DS's cunning methods. Australian athlete Mack Horton recounted a deliberate trap set by the instructors. They left a box labelled 'Rudy's chocolates' in the open, purely to test the recruits' integrity and see if they would eat the treats or hand them back.
"It's just things like that all week," Horton explained, noting how the experience becomes a game of anticipating the DS's next move and trying to stay on their right side. These stories paint a picture of a continuous mental battle that runs alongside the visible physical trials, designed to probe the celebrities' character and resilience.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins begins its new series tonight, Sunday, January 4, at 9pm on Channel 4, promising a raw and unfiltered look at how these famous faces cope with one of television's most demanding challenges.
