October 27, 2021 • 33 mins
It's time to pack your bergens and put on your military boots for one last time: SAS Australia is coming to an end for 2021, and Merrick and Sabrina go out with a bang! They discuss Isabella's controversial decision to not VW, look back on the fork incident and give their thoughts on the final selection. Rewatch or catch up on SAS Australia on 7plus.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hi there.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm Merrick Watts here with Sabrina Frederick and this is
the SAS Australian Debrief and it feels like we've only
just met the ordinary Australians who have gone through this process,
but already we're at the end of the season. Sabrina,
do you reckon Hell Week lived up to its name?
Speaker 1 (00:17):
I think so?
Speaker 3 (00:18):
With the amount of b things and getting your head
that close to that, you pretty much our own hell
at that point. And I think we can both agree
it was pretty physical and hard to watch.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Actually, yeah, full.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Credit to them. That was an absolute punish coming up
in this episode? How did Bisim keep making mistakes? We
talk about one of the most frustrating recruits we've ever
seen on this show, the Paul Bugger. Plus should Isabella
have voluntarily withdrawn to save her team from a punishment?
And do we agree with the DS's final selection for
(00:51):
one last time? Let's get into it. Well, nine recruits
remain at the halfway point of Hell Week, they celebrate
with one of the most terrifying challenges, the trustful Sabrina.
We've talked about how dangerous this task is, but how
(01:11):
would you have been if Basim was at the end
of the rope for you.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Look, it's hard.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
It's hard to tell because his heart's into it, and
you know that you'd feel like you'd trust his personality
in a sense, he'd want to do the best for you,
But he just seems like he just can't concentrate. And
I would be so worried for the one moment he
needed to break. He just catches something else and he
just starts watching it instead of instead of breaking my fall.
(01:36):
I'd be so nervous up there. I'd be giving it
everything to try and trust him, but I would be
so nervous.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah, I think his heart's in the right place, but like,
I just don't know that I would be able to
put my life on the line at one stage. I
don't know if you've copped it. But there's a bit
there where he'd let go of the rope before, you know,
before anybody was actually you know, repelling, but they were
in place, and he'd let go of the rope so
he could stretch and warm up, and Billy said, did
your hands back on the rope, And I was like, oh, dude.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Not the best, not the best now, And he did
it twice.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
That was what do you reckon's going through his mind?
He would have been overthinking that. You know, he's failed
on the first attempt. On the second attempt, it was
almost a fatal complete, wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Yeah, I mean the other thinking it gets the better
of him. I've noticed he tries so hard, like, way
too hard, almost to the point where he needed to
let them fall a little bit longer. And he was
probably worried because he made the mistake the first time.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
And yeah, he just couldn't reel it in.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, the panic unfortunate. But I still really like him,
you know, as we've said the whole way, he's got
a great heart, but his mind just sometimes just drifts off.
Following the trust full we saw Sarah's fork was found
in the mud, which ant picks up and results in
a grueling and muddy beasting in that coal, which made
me think, fucking hell. And that's not with an accent,
(02:58):
that's just the play on words. Do you reckon that
that was already in place, Sabrina?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Yeah, I mean we know the ds, they've always got
something up their sleeve. As much as they try and
push you, those little things are what they're looking for.
It's part of that soldier mentality. If you get caught
out there with any little bit of rubbish, any fork, knife,
whatever it may be, that can be enough to give
themselves away.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
So look, I think they were going to go through
that mud regardless. But what I liked about that was
that Sarah she owned it, she owned the mistake. But
then when the beasting was done, she looked remorseful to
a team, which says a lot. But then she just
parked it and moved on. So you know, it was
like three things. There was an acceptance that she'd failed it,
there was an acceptance that was on her, but then
(03:42):
she just went, well it's done. Now I've got to
park it and move on.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah, the amount of grit that I saw and determination
in her face piling through that mud like she wasn't
getting there was nothing going to stop her.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Did you see some of them had like proper black
mud in their teeth. I was like, in their teeth.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
People pay good money for that.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Isn't that a beauty treatment? So at this point we
lost stay at home mum Sandy with a calf injury.
Do you reckon? If she had not been injured, she
could have gone the whole way I don't.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Know there was There's part of me that said that
she had the mentality what they needed to push through,
but there was probably little bits that we saw early
on in terms of the team dynamic that may have.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Slipped her up.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I definitely think she had the determination. Maybe maybe, I
don't know. I'm not one hundred percent bought on that though.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I like the fact that she stayed in overnight that
you know, she was injured, and she didn't complain about it.
She did actually go out and face the next day,
so I like that. That showed a bit of grit.
But ultimately, you do a calf injury like that on
that course, that's out. You're not going to get through it.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yeah, you can't stay in a limping either.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
You know you're not going to You definitely would have
been not selected at the end, so it's sort of,
you know, jump out while you can.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Good on her for hanging in for as long as
she could. The remaining crews returned to the accommodation to
clean off the Mudwell, they try to clean off that
mud so that is not there's still got it on them.
Gary was brought in to have a bit of a
chat with Aunt and doctor Dan Pronk to discuss his
psychometric evaluation. Now, we should probably explain you and I
and all the recruits had to go through several psycho
(05:19):
evaluations before you go on the show, not just to
see whether or not you're okay to do it, but
also to give them an indication of your personality type
and what that kind of reveals. Do you remember answering
those questions because there's so many of them and thinking
should I bullshit them? And because it's an option.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
I mean, there's part of you that you know everyone
has their skeletons, and you sort of think, oh, maybe
I shouldn't say this, maybe it might be used against me.
But once you realize that this show is not like
that and they genuinely do have your best interest, it's
probably the best thing to give them everything so they
know the parameters of what they can do to push
you and also know if they pushed you too far.
(06:01):
So yeah, for a bit that I was thinking this is,
you know, very very deep, but at the same time
I knew that it was going to be used in
the right way.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Yeah, it's funny with use tests too. Should explain it
like it's not like you know what the correct answer is.
You have to give your answer, and so it's really
tricky to know whether or not you're revealing too much
and that could be used against you, and that's what
kind of plays in your mind. But ultimately I just went,
I think I need to be honest because if I
get caught out bullshitting them on the course, that will
(06:30):
be off for sure, and they'll break me open. So
I may as well be honest and at least I'll
know that I have been rather.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Know that you're a psycho right from the beginning.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
That looked at my profile and just went yep, too crazy.
Certified comedian. I don't know about that, but I will
say this though, if I was Gary and I was
called in to talk about my psychometrics, that would have
really rattled. Out of all of the situations that I've
seen where you know, we were interrogated properly, I actually
think been called in to discuss your psychometrics at that
(07:03):
point and the course, that would have really rattled me.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
I mean, when you walk in there, probably the last
thing you're thinking they're going to talk about. And each
recruit has their own demons that they're battling with That's
probably why they're on the course. But I think it
also can be used and harnessed as a good thing.
I think you can come out of a conversation like
that and go, you know what, this is everything I've
gone through, but I'm still here and I'm still tracking along.
(07:30):
Can I use this and harness this in a good
way to push me through and keep myself in the game.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
And it was really good to say, And I've seen
this with a lot of civiliances. Just there's no bullshit.
You know, Gary just went straight to truth. He just
went straight to truth. And I was just like, good
on you. That was you know, that really kind of
won me there. The next challenge, the recruits are split
into teams for the casually Stretcher, Evacuation and Surf and
Mitch Cops and absolutes Straying from DS Billy, let's have
(07:59):
a listen to the audio you by the week I've
ever made my life for your weal? You are pathetic?
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Do you understand me? What are you? Pathetic?
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Pathetic? You got more balls than us? Sharing with him?
Is that? Is that the most brutal spray we've heard?
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Oh? I think it's up there.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Anytime Billy raises his voice, you know you've done. That's
what I'll saying all four of them. If he's the
one yelling at you, you might as well pack your
bags now.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yep, correct, because with aunt An it's always yelling at you. Foxy.
If if he's yelling at you, he's usually teasing you
at the same time, or he's genuinely a bit pierceed
but moves on. Olie will yell at you, but you've
got a push in pretty hard. If Billy goes off
and you Oh shit, Oh, I was just I felt
so sorry for me. I thought I didn't think he'd
(08:54):
done that badly, to be honest.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Never did I, but you know, having to say that,
he's pathetic out look.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Oh, I felt for him. Definitely felt for him.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Do you reckon? He deliberately kind of put a little
bit of a spray on him to you know, put
him on the flames, as it were, to to see
whether or not he'd crack. Do you reckon? He wasn't
actually maybe doing that badly, but Billy knows that that's
enough to kind of get into his headspace.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Yeah, I mean, the des they're not stupid.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
They know what they're doing, and they know that they
can push certain people.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
And I think up until that point.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
They were still trying to figure out where Mitch was
at in their sort of order, and I think that
that might have been part of that. I don't know,
but I think sometimes they just love a.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Little bit of a spray.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
The same time, sometimes I feel like they just want
to have a sandwich and have a cup of tea
and so. And if we're slowly at the process, it's
just like, you know, you're taking too much time, and
to go, are you're hungry? Do you have a snickers?
Speaker 1 (09:50):
All?
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Right? Gary struggled here as well, and although he made
it through to the end, he laid a VW's because
his body has reached his limits. I looked at Gary
and I just thought that that is a person who
has given every ounce. You could see it, couldn't it
physically and mentally.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Yeah, And you could tell that he mentally was so strong,
and part of his career back then would have been
it would have required a lot of mental strength. And
I definitely think it wasn't that that let him down.
I think physically he just wasn't going to be able
to keep up and to be honest, he lasted longer
than I thought, so credit to him.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Yeah, look, he took a beating, he took a real punishment,
and I have full respect for him. I thought he
did a really good job of it. But do you
reckon Gary walks away from this content?
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I mean I think so. I think so.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
I don't think he left thinking I've got more in me.
I think he left going I genuinely have given everything,
and I feel like when you've given everything, you know
you've given everything. I think you know where you're at inside.
And I hope, I hope he did take something away
from it.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
You know what I really liked. He asked for those
sickond chances. He was given no sicking chances. He took
it for what it was. Really like that about.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Gary, Yeah, I can I completely agree.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
I think he was very real, very honest, and he
was there for the right reasons. I felt like he
you know, he's made some mistakes in the past and he.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Was there to confront those demons. So yeah, I'm pappy
for him.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Closing out of the episode was one of the most
brutal things, not just for people to watch and see,
but like to be in that circumstance, unanimously, Bassim was
voted out by his peers. That group moment where you
have to say to somebody your time has come. It
must be awful to do.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Yeah, I didn't realize that they would be the ones
making the decision. Ultimately, I thought it would be coming
down to the DS. So it's a lot of responsibility
to put on the group. But at the same time,
if the group picked you, you can't sit there and go.
You know, I deserve to be here. Obviously it's the
right thing to do. But with BASSI him, it was
(11:59):
I felt two things. I felt, you know, I was
sad because he entertained me this whole time, and I
genuinely loved watching him, even when he made mistakes.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
But I also completely understood the process. You know, he
just wasn't He wasn't all there, and you can't just
be all hard and you can't all be physical.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
You need to be the complete package. So yeah, he
was the weakest league can the end.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Yeah, I really liked him as a person. I think,
you know, he made mistakes, but outside he was always
caring for the group. He was always around other people
who wanted to do the right thing. He just wasn't
capable of processing what was required on the course. But
you know, good on him. You don't want another time
in another place. He could probably do really, really well there,
but it's at the moment for whatever reason. I think
(12:43):
from the start he made a few mistakes and they
just ate him away. But good on him, and now
just six recruits remain. Up. Next, we discussed the final
episode of SAS Australia Hell Week for twenty twenty one. Well,
(13:04):
we've reached the final stages of what has been a
brutal week of SAS Australia. Let's jump into the first
of the final challenges, the cat Crawl, which is a
very technically difficult task made even more difficult by making
a race Sabrina. It's about a balance between technique and speed,
and we saw people literally, you know, capable falling off
(13:26):
the ropes because they tried to go too hard, too fast.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Yeah, with a task like that, you've got to be
so focused, you've got to be so disciplined, especially when
you're competing against someone else. I love the fact that
they did at another person because it's another bit of
pressure and to see how focused you can be and
I think there was probably two false starters that took
the race quite literally and it threw them off completely.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
As soon as you fall off the.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Rope, we know how hard is to try and get
back up from that rope.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Definitely we should point out that people like you know,
your hands at this stage are really brutalized, hands are sore,
and those ropes are not very comfortable, so everything hurts.
Just pulling yourself along on a rope is uncomfortable, but
if you slip, to regain is actually very difficult because
everything now hurts, so you have to be laser being
focused on that rope. And unfortunately, I think it was
(14:18):
James the health coach. He just glanced to his side
and bang is off the rope and that's all it takes. Momentary.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Yeah, and the ds they always say just look along
the rope, like keep your eyes straight across the rope.
So honestly, I remember how hard. I couldn't even pull
myself up. That's how hard it actually is, and not
many people can. And I think that credit to the
two guys that tried to sort of keep themselves still
going backwards, But at that point I knew they weren't
(14:49):
gonna they weren't gonna make it.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Yeah, it's uncomfortable. Look, and I won't speak on behalf
of you, Sabrina, but for me it did shred my
balls apart.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
So it's a big rope and look, it has to
go somewhere, that rope and unfortunately, I mean I might
have had a couple of stabilizers there.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Maybe that helped me. I really don't know, but it
was not very pleasant. And I remember, like just getting
across the cat crawl. I remember being really badly bruised
and burnt from the rope.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Yeah, I mean, I can't really relate on the ropeband
down there, but I can definitely, I can definitely relate
to the rope burn on the hands and genuinely just
with your hands being completely cooked, it is the last
thing you want to do.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Well.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
When Mitch fell from the cat crawl, I reckon that
again was a distraction issue. Recruit Isabella couldn't keep a composure.
There was a gasp and what sounded and looked like
a laugh. Now this of course pissed and right off,
let's take a listen to his reaction. Oh, get the
(15:56):
noise down. Number eleven I think it's funny.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Number eleven, No staff, Sorry stuff, Sorry, do you know
what you're.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
All gonna hey later? If you think it funny? Sorry,
should be sorry to the others because they're gonna pay
because of you. Number eleven stand by for when we
get back now. Hmmmm.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
Anyone who's got the nerve to laugh after Aunt Middleton
has just said something, they have got some serious gags
because I would never do that, never, I.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Think, do you regulus? Just a case of being young
and maybe just misreading the room a little bit. I
don't think she was malevolence there. I think she just
no just had a strange reaction to the circumstance, you know,
heightened emotions and it's you know, she's done really well
on the cat crawl. But then like when he says
zip it, if they say kip the noise down, they
(16:59):
mean it.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah, they really do.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
And to be honest, I wonder if it was triggered
by the level of confidence that she, you know, she
completed the task. She was in a good space and
feeling quite confident. I think if she didn't do I
wonder if she would have been in that situation where
she would have been laughing, but yeah, it ended up
being a real beast thing.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Yeah, that's a good point to bed. Look, they talk
so much about having control of your emotional state, like
you have to you have to be locked down emotionally
to everything when you're on that course. And that's probably
the first example I reckon i've seen where the emotions
have carried somebody away because through relation. We did actually
see it in season two with Alsia Mollik when she
(17:40):
got up the helicopter and she celebrates like oh, fistbump, Yeah,
and I think it's you know, sometimes when you do well,
it's something you've got to actually just look like it
has not touched you, has not phased you, to show
the emotional control. So that was probably what it was.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Yeah, it's it's a tough one because in the in
the DS's eyes, I see.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
It is you know, you've you've completed the task, but
so you should have yep, exactly.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
For them it's like, yeah, you need to pass the task,
whereas us it's.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Like, oh my goodness, we've just passed. How have we
done that?
Speaker 3 (18:13):
So it's sort of balancing those emotions between you know,
being human and understanding how hard those tasks are, but
also realizing that part of being selected.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
You need to be passing those tasks.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Absolutely, And that's just like you say, it's just their
expectation is like, yeah, of course you should do that.
I reckon that the hardest physical thing I have ever
done in my life where I actually thought I might
die on top of a mountain. I remember getting to
the very top, being the first one there, seeing Foxy
and going he's probably going to reward me with a
chocolate bar here, and I get up and he goes,
(18:45):
all right, keep the noise down, number ten, And all
I was doing was breathing, where's my Chocolate's? Foxy far?
All right? The recruits head back to base camp. We're
immediately they're on the parade square waiting punishment. We know
what that's like when the waiting is half the part
(19:06):
of it. But it's not a beasting, Sabrina. It was
a sickener. Explain, explain to people what the difference is
between a beasting and a sickener.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Oh so, I mean, to be honest, they're both terrible,
But the difference between a beasting and a sickner is
the sickner does not stop until a recruit or more
than one recruit falls away so cannot complete the task anymore.
And that is tough, a tough situation to be and
(19:35):
especially at this point in the course when a lot
of these recruits can actually hack it. So you're going
to be doing it for a little bit of time.
It's not like you're going to do one lap and
it's going to be all over. At this stage, most
people can keep up, so you know you're going to
be doing it for at least an hour or two hours,
and you know, if you don't have that person who's
willing to put their armband in, you can be doing
(19:57):
it all day.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
Yep. I look at what they did on that seat,
and you know, most of those exercises we did in
beastings or on sickness, and I can honestly vouch that
that would have been incredibly difficult because it was all
body stuff. You know, It's like every single part of
your body is going to ache from that. There's no
like kind of relief anywhere. Every single part of your
body is going to get brutalized in that. It seemed
(20:20):
definitely that they were out there to break Isabella, to
get her to VW for her actions on the cat right,
But it was actually Mitchell that went.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
And that is unfortunately part of the sick now. You
just don't know who's going to go. You don't know
who it's going to take victim because everyone is struggling.
There is no one that's going through a sick now
that is comfortable. Every single person has a moment where
they think, if this goes on for a certain period
of time, I don't think I can do this anymore.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, definitely. And it can be something, you know, for
each individual, it might be squats, or it might be
the fireman's carrier, or there's always something you think. If
this goes for another minute or to I'm cooked, and
then all of a sudden, you know, you might might
change up and then or you're doing something different and
you're okay again. But unfortunately it caught Mitch. It's hard
to say whether or not he quick because he was
getting completely flogged, or if he voluntarily withdrew to end
(21:16):
the pain of the others.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Yeah, I think there's a little bit of me that's thinking.
I think he did do the right thing in his brain.
I think he thought he knew that it wasn't going
to finish until someone did. I think he also may
have realized that this was really.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Tough like it. Maybe he even admitted on the.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Phone to his loved ones that this was way tougher
than he thought it was going to be. And I
think maybe there was a small crack in his mind
earlier that may have played on him and he's and
it's probably a little bit of both.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Yeah, well, look, full respect to him. I thought he
did an awesome job for a young man at age
twenty two. He did really well. Good on him. Unfortunately.
The next challenge where they all went on to was
a familiar one of the two k obstacle course. It's
the same course that almost took out the Olympians. Janna
Pittman and John Stephenson Sabrenda. We're talking about having the
(22:07):
awareness to know when you're done. What were you thinking
when Isabella refused to hand in her armband on that course?
Speaker 3 (22:15):
I felt that was probably the most real, weird scene
from her. When you're under that much fatigue and pressure,
I think it shows you the true character. And I
was a bit disappointed, to be honest, because she she
wasn't just a little bit behind, she.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Was way behind.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
Way way behind, and there was no way that she
was catching up. And at that point you need to
be very not just honest, but I think just self aware,
self aware of what you can and can't do. And
you know, it took the DS actually taking it from
her rather than her going you know what, I'm going
to give it up.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Yep. So it's a fifty to fifty knife edge call
for me there because I admire somebody that refuses to quit,
but also too, you know, if you don't quit and
you rejoin that team, that team is not going to
want you as part of that team because you didn't
sacrifice yourself when they needed you to. So, gentlemen, you
(23:15):
can't win either way.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
I think for her that point for me was probably
the beasting the night before. I think that that was
her moment to go, you know what, I cause this.
We're in a lot of pain, but I'm sticking with this,
and she did. But then this one. You can't have
two in a row in my eyes, two in a
row where you're you know, you're really struggling and you're
(23:38):
probably the weakest in the park.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
You've got to call it a day.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
And that's what they do. That's what it's designed to
do is to literally wear you down. But in the end,
you know, it was at Middleton taking your armband and
that was that was it for Isabella. We've now made
it to the final challenge and the last chance for
the recruits to have an opportunity to prove themselves worthy
of SAS selection. Our thoughts on the final four next
(24:10):
fourteen ordinary Australians with something to prove took on SAS
Australia's selection course, and now only four remain Holistic health
coach James, Trady Luke, dating coach Sarah and dancer James.
The final challenge splits the recruits into pairs and they
have to complete a helicopter insertion before following a map,
(24:33):
finding a locked cage and remembering a code to open it,
and then using bold cutters inside to rescue the hostage
from within a tear gased prison. Sabrina, were you jealous
or envious this one of this task?
Speaker 1 (24:49):
I'm definitely jealous.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
There's two seasons now with a tear gas and we
didn't get that, so I know, But to be honest,
I actually thought these guys did alright.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
I thought they handled it quite well.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Yeah, It was interesting, like, you know, the attention to detail.
It's unforgivable to forget the code or not absorb the code.
If they give you a number, you've got to know that.
Dancer James, he was on that he had it both times.
He knew it and that was absolutely pivotal. The gas
obviously is to discombobulate. They would not have known in
(25:22):
a million years that was going to be the case.
They would have been straight into that and they all
had to pile out and go back in for a
second shot. But it did feel very much like a
mission challenge, didn't it, as opposed to just a physical challenge.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Yeah, there were so many things that compounded in this
last challenge, which I think is the whole point of it.
They want to see if you've learned throughout the last
few days and you can use it in the last challenge.
I think even being in pairs is such a part
of the challenge that people don't realize. You can get
so complacent when you're in a pair because one can
(25:57):
lead and one can just be a part of it.
And I felt like they probably was times with Trady Luke,
I felt like he was probably being a little bit
complacent with James being his partner.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
The other thing too, is that none of them really
seemed to form up a plan, like you know, it's
everything's easier in hindsight, But there was no kind of
like stopdown of k you know, where there was a
communication between either of the pairs that they said, Okay,
this is what we'll do. I'll go in first. If
it's clear, I'll call to you. If it's not, I'll
come out, you know, going into the smoke filled room.
(26:31):
There was not a lot of communication in pairs full
stop in that challenge, and I reckon that that's actually something
that the DS are looking for. That team work, that communication,
that pairing in that final challenge. You just say, it's
a combination of everything they've learned.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
The one thing that probably stood out for me though,
with the gas was James and Luke and how they
approached being able to use what they've got to combat
the gas as much as you can in that scenario.
The first they completely went straight back in again and
struggled probably almost the exact same is when they went
(27:06):
in the first time.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Yeah, and look, I mean I've never been gased. I'd
like to it sounds weird, but it's yeah, it's probably
something that would be so horrific that it's hard to
concentrate on what you're doing from thereafter, you know, like
once you've kind of had that battery of the gas,
it's hard to make concise decisions. But in the end,
one team went through and one team failed that. But
(27:29):
before we discuss final selection, let's go over each of
the final recruits. Trady. Look, he was one of my
picks to pass the course, but he seemed to be
lacking something with hesitation. The DS mentioned that he was
hesitant before he did something. As you would say, Sabrina,
(27:50):
you can't hesitate when you're in those situations. If they
say get out of a chopper, you're out like that.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Yeah, the hesitation part is a major red flag for
them because I feel like all these small things are
parts of your personality they can't teach, and that is
the part that they're looking for. The physicality and all
those things you can teach, you know, as time progresses.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
You know what, that is an excellent point and you
make that it's about the things that they can't teach
you that they're looking for, and you're right, like if
you're the sort of person that is naturally hesitant. They
can't really teach you not to be all right. Next,
holistic health coach James are really warm to this guy,
and I started thinking Ham a sick and he's becoming
a real dark horse. Is he the gray man? But
(28:35):
he faulted a bit in the final challenges? What did
you think of him?
Speaker 3 (28:39):
I felt like he didn't show enough and maybe that
let him down. Like you said, a bit of a
gray man, but maybe in a seven day course, it's
probably not enough time to show what he was completely
made of.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
For me, he didn't really make an impact at all.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Yeah, I think he was just kind of cruising along
and you know, enjoying the experience of it as opposed
to trying to thrust himself forward as a leader or
a winner in that case. But look, good guy did well.
Certainly very fit and he will take a lot away
from it. Dating coach Sarah Sabrine one of your picks
for the course.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Yes, she was one of my picks right from the
get go.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I think what was it?
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Right from day one?
Speaker 3 (29:21):
I could just see she was completely focused and she
was taking it seriously. And for me, those are two
major major things on this course. You need to want
to be there, you need to be able to embrace it,
and you need to be able to focus. And for me,
I saw that through her eyes right from day one.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Dancer James, both of us picked him for the course.
He's focused from the start, his determination, his resiliency, physical strength.
It only really occurred to me after watching the last episode.
Oh that's right, he's a dancer, Like you know, that's
notally a profession that you don't associate with brutality and
that kind of perseverance. You think it's a show business.
(30:00):
He was absolutely there from the get go.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
I think it was actually that controlled aggression, like he
knew the timing of when to let it out and
when to push forward, but also he knew the timing
of when to pull back and start thinking and being
very very calm. And I think that that was a
major attribute. And to be honest, it showed in the
last bit there, and he was a standout for me.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
Yeah, he was switched on at the end there. He
knew the code for the lock, he knew what was
going on, he corrected it. He wasn't letting any details
slip by him. But I reckon that one of the
things that got him through was just a work rate.
He was absolutely working the whole time, and no doubt
that comes from his dancing background, which is very hard working,
(30:46):
physically demanding, and he was able to do it and
keep a really good positive attitude the whole time. And
that's what I was like, Okay, I reckon, he will
get through, all right. So James and Sarah past selection
for Hell Week, Sabrina, is that what you would have
called if you had been one of the ds, would
you have picked those two?
Speaker 1 (31:08):
I think it would have been close.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Being completely honest, I think James probably was a little
bit more in front than Sarah, just on the basis
of he was just consistent across the board, and maybe
she would have just missed out with me selecting. But
at the same time, I think they both deserve to
be there. I think they both work their ass off,
and I think they both were fully committed to the course.
(31:32):
So I would have been maybe a little bit different,
But at the same time, I don't disagree with what
they say.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Yeah, that's it. Like I was a little bit surprised
to see Sarah then I thought James was a shoeing.
I wasn't disappointed though. I was like, oh, am, okay,
there's a logic here, and I could when I recalled
all the things that she'd done and the things that
she hadn't done, I was like, yeah, okay, that makes sense.
And then you know, you've got to take into into
account that the DS see different levels, even different levels
to what you and I see as opposed to just
(31:58):
a viewer. They would see have incredible insights and they've
seen something in her and they've gone that pass the selection.
So yep, fair cool and fair play and congratulations to them.
I think congratulations all them. Sabrena. I was really I
really liked watching the civilians. I really liked it.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
So I loved it and we both said this, you know,
anyone that puts himself forward for this course is you know,
a complete champion, but also a civilian, someone that doesn't
really have much to gain in terms of profile. It
is purely for the commitment of the course.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
I have nothing but respect for all of these recruits,
and he has been really nice to watch.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
And finally, I'm going to give three votes to Bessim
because he gave me so much entertainment and also to
remind me. He reminded me that sometimes just having a
crack at something that is uncomfortable is going to give
you great learning. So good on him. I thought he
was excellent. I wouldn't have liked him to be my
rope man, but well, Sabrena, it's been an absolute play.
(33:00):
Thank you so much for joining me each week for
the debrief here. Keep an eye on the iHeartRadio app
for your next podcast binge and if you want to
watch Says Australia all over again, it's available for catch
up on seven Plus until next time. Thanks for listening.
Hi there.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm Merrick Watts here with Sabrina Frederick and this is
the SAS Australian Debrief and it feels like we've only
just met the ordinary Australians who have gone through this process,
but already we're at the end of the season. Sabrina,
do you reckon Hell Week lived up to its name?
Speaker 1 (00:17):
I think so?
Speaker 3 (00:18):
With the amount of b things and getting your head
that close to that, you pretty much our own hell
at that point. And I think we can both agree
it was pretty physical and hard to watch.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Actually, yeah, full.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Credit to them. That was an absolute punish coming up
in this episode? How did Bisim keep making mistakes? We
talk about one of the most frustrating recruits we've ever
seen on this show, the Paul Bugger. Plus should Isabella
have voluntarily withdrawn to save her team from a punishment?
And do we agree with the DS's final selection for
(00:51):
one last time? Let's get into it. Well, nine recruits
remain at the halfway point of Hell Week, they celebrate
with one of the most terrifying challenges, the trustful Sabrina.
We've talked about how dangerous this task is, but how
(01:11):
would you have been if Basim was at the end
of the rope for you.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Look, it's hard.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
It's hard to tell because his heart's into it, and
you know that you'd feel like you'd trust his personality
in a sense, he'd want to do the best for you,
But he just seems like he just can't concentrate. And
I would be so worried for the one moment he
needed to break. He just catches something else and he
just starts watching it instead of instead of breaking my fall.
(01:36):
I'd be so nervous up there. I'd be giving it
everything to try and trust him, but I would be
so nervous.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah, I think his heart's in the right place, but like,
I just don't know that I would be able to
put my life on the line at one stage. I
don't know if you've copped it. But there's a bit
there where he'd let go of the rope before, you know,
before anybody was actually you know, repelling, but they were
in place, and he'd let go of the rope so
he could stretch and warm up, and Billy said, did
your hands back on the rope, And I was like, oh, dude.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Not the best, not the best now, And he did
it twice.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
That was what do you reckon's going through his mind?
He would have been overthinking that. You know, he's failed
on the first attempt. On the second attempt, it was
almost a fatal complete, wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Yeah, I mean the other thinking it gets the better
of him. I've noticed he tries so hard, like, way
too hard, almost to the point where he needed to
let them fall a little bit longer. And he was
probably worried because he made the mistake the first time.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
And yeah, he just couldn't reel it in.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, the panic unfortunate. But I still really like him,
you know, as we've said the whole way, he's got
a great heart, but his mind just sometimes just drifts off.
Following the trust full we saw Sarah's fork was found
in the mud, which ant picks up and results in
a grueling and muddy beasting in that coal, which made
me think, fucking hell. And that's not with an accent,
(02:58):
that's just the play on words. Do you reckon that
that was already in place, Sabrina?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Yeah, I mean we know the ds, they've always got
something up their sleeve. As much as they try and
push you, those little things are what they're looking for.
It's part of that soldier mentality. If you get caught
out there with any little bit of rubbish, any fork, knife,
whatever it may be, that can be enough to give
themselves away.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
So look, I think they were going to go through
that mud regardless. But what I liked about that was
that Sarah she owned it, she owned the mistake. But
then when the beasting was done, she looked remorseful to
a team, which says a lot. But then she just
parked it and moved on. So you know, it was
like three things. There was an acceptance that she'd failed it,
there was an acceptance that was on her, but then
(03:42):
she just went, well it's done. Now I've got to
park it and move on.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah, the amount of grit that I saw and determination
in her face piling through that mud like she wasn't
getting there was nothing going to stop her.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Did you see some of them had like proper black
mud in their teeth. I was like, in their teeth.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
People pay good money for that.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Isn't that a beauty treatment? So at this point we
lost stay at home mum Sandy with a calf injury.
Do you reckon? If she had not been injured, she
could have gone the whole way I don't.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Know there was There's part of me that said that
she had the mentality what they needed to push through,
but there was probably little bits that we saw early
on in terms of the team dynamic that may have.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Slipped her up.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I definitely think she had the determination. Maybe maybe, I
don't know. I'm not one hundred percent bought on that though.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I like the fact that she stayed in overnight that
you know, she was injured, and she didn't complain about it.
She did actually go out and face the next day,
so I like that. That showed a bit of grit.
But ultimately, you do a calf injury like that on
that course, that's out. You're not going to get through it.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yeah, you can't stay in a limping either.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
You know you're not going to You definitely would have
been not selected at the end, so it's sort of,
you know, jump out while you can.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Good on her for hanging in for as long as
she could. The remaining crews returned to the accommodation to
clean off the Mudwell, they try to clean off that
mud so that is not there's still got it on them.
Gary was brought in to have a bit of a
chat with Aunt and doctor Dan Pronk to discuss his
psychometric evaluation. Now, we should probably explain you and I
and all the recruits had to go through several psycho
(05:19):
evaluations before you go on the show, not just to
see whether or not you're okay to do it, but
also to give them an indication of your personality type
and what that kind of reveals. Do you remember answering
those questions because there's so many of them and thinking
should I bullshit them? And because it's an option.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
I mean, there's part of you that you know everyone
has their skeletons, and you sort of think, oh, maybe
I shouldn't say this, maybe it might be used against me.
But once you realize that this show is not like
that and they genuinely do have your best interest, it's
probably the best thing to give them everything so they
know the parameters of what they can do to push
you and also know if they pushed you too far.
(06:01):
So yeah, for a bit that I was thinking this is,
you know, very very deep, but at the same time
I knew that it was going to be used in
the right way.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Yeah, it's funny with use tests too. Should explain it
like it's not like you know what the correct answer is.
You have to give your answer, and so it's really
tricky to know whether or not you're revealing too much
and that could be used against you, and that's what
kind of plays in your mind. But ultimately I just went,
I think I need to be honest because if I
get caught out bullshitting them on the course, that will
(06:30):
be off for sure, and they'll break me open. So
I may as well be honest and at least I'll
know that I have been rather.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Know that you're a psycho right from the beginning.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
That looked at my profile and just went yep, too crazy.
Certified comedian. I don't know about that, but I will
say this though, if I was Gary and I was
called in to talk about my psychometrics, that would have
really rattled. Out of all of the situations that I've
seen where you know, we were interrogated properly, I actually
think been called in to discuss your psychometrics at that
(07:03):
point and the course, that would have really rattled me.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
I mean, when you walk in there, probably the last
thing you're thinking they're going to talk about. And each
recruit has their own demons that they're battling with That's
probably why they're on the course. But I think it
also can be used and harnessed as a good thing.
I think you can come out of a conversation like
that and go, you know what, this is everything I've
gone through, but I'm still here and I'm still tracking along.
(07:30):
Can I use this and harness this in a good
way to push me through and keep myself in the game.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
And it was really good to say, And I've seen
this with a lot of civiliances. Just there's no bullshit.
You know, Gary just went straight to truth. He just
went straight to truth. And I was just like, good
on you. That was you know, that really kind of
won me there. The next challenge, the recruits are split
into teams for the casually Stretcher, Evacuation and Surf and
Mitch Cops and absolutes Straying from DS Billy, let's have
(07:59):
a listen to the audio you by the week I've
ever made my life for your weal? You are pathetic?
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Do you understand me? What are you? Pathetic?
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Pathetic? You got more balls than us? Sharing with him?
Is that? Is that the most brutal spray we've heard?
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Oh? I think it's up there.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Anytime Billy raises his voice, you know you've done. That's
what I'll saying all four of them. If he's the
one yelling at you, you might as well pack your
bags now.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yep, correct, because with aunt An it's always yelling at you. Foxy.
If if he's yelling at you, he's usually teasing you
at the same time, or he's genuinely a bit pierceed
but moves on. Olie will yell at you, but you've
got a push in pretty hard. If Billy goes off
and you Oh shit, Oh, I was just I felt
so sorry for me. I thought I didn't think he'd
(08:54):
done that badly, to be honest.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Never did I, but you know, having to say that,
he's pathetic out look.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Oh, I felt for him. Definitely felt for him.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Do you reckon? He deliberately kind of put a little
bit of a spray on him to you know, put
him on the flames, as it were, to to see
whether or not he'd crack. Do you reckon? He wasn't
actually maybe doing that badly, but Billy knows that that's
enough to kind of get into his headspace.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Yeah, I mean, the des they're not stupid.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
They know what they're doing, and they know that they
can push certain people.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
And I think up until that point.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
They were still trying to figure out where Mitch was
at in their sort of order, and I think that
that might have been part of that. I don't know,
but I think sometimes they just love a.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Little bit of a spray.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
The same time, sometimes I feel like they just want
to have a sandwich and have a cup of tea
and so. And if we're slowly at the process, it's
just like, you know, you're taking too much time, and
to go, are you're hungry? Do you have a snickers?
Speaker 1 (09:50):
All?
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Right? Gary struggled here as well, and although he made
it through to the end, he laid a VW's because
his body has reached his limits. I looked at Gary
and I just thought that that is a person who
has given every ounce. You could see it, couldn't it
physically and mentally.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Yeah, And you could tell that he mentally was so strong,
and part of his career back then would have been
it would have required a lot of mental strength. And
I definitely think it wasn't that that let him down.
I think physically he just wasn't going to be able
to keep up and to be honest, he lasted longer
than I thought, so credit to him.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Yeah, look, he took a beating, he took a real punishment,
and I have full respect for him. I thought he
did a really good job of it. But do you
reckon Gary walks away from this content?
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I mean I think so. I think so.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
I don't think he left thinking I've got more in me.
I think he left going I genuinely have given everything,
and I feel like when you've given everything, you know
you've given everything. I think you know where you're at inside.
And I hope, I hope he did take something away
from it.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
You know what I really liked. He asked for those
sickond chances. He was given no sicking chances. He took
it for what it was. Really like that about.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Gary, Yeah, I can I completely agree.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
I think he was very real, very honest, and he
was there for the right reasons. I felt like he
you know, he's made some mistakes in the past and he.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Was there to confront those demons. So yeah, I'm pappy
for him.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Closing out of the episode was one of the most
brutal things, not just for people to watch and see,
but like to be in that circumstance, unanimously, Bassim was
voted out by his peers. That group moment where you
have to say to somebody your time has come. It
must be awful to do.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Yeah, I didn't realize that they would be the ones
making the decision. Ultimately, I thought it would be coming
down to the DS. So it's a lot of responsibility
to put on the group. But at the same time,
if the group picked you, you can't sit there and go.
You know, I deserve to be here. Obviously it's the
right thing to do. But with BASSI him, it was
(11:59):
I felt two things. I felt, you know, I was
sad because he entertained me this whole time, and I
genuinely loved watching him, even when he made mistakes.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
But I also completely understood the process. You know, he
just wasn't He wasn't all there, and you can't just
be all hard and you can't all be physical.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
You need to be the complete package. So yeah, he
was the weakest league can the end.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Yeah, I really liked him as a person. I think,
you know, he made mistakes, but outside he was always
caring for the group. He was always around other people
who wanted to do the right thing. He just wasn't
capable of processing what was required on the course. But
you know, good on him. You don't want another time
in another place. He could probably do really, really well there,
but it's at the moment for whatever reason. I think
(12:43):
from the start he made a few mistakes and they
just ate him away. But good on him, and now
just six recruits remain. Up. Next, we discussed the final
episode of SAS Australia Hell Week for twenty twenty one. Well,
(13:04):
we've reached the final stages of what has been a
brutal week of SAS Australia. Let's jump into the first
of the final challenges, the cat Crawl, which is a
very technically difficult task made even more difficult by making
a race Sabrina. It's about a balance between technique and speed,
and we saw people literally, you know, capable falling off
(13:26):
the ropes because they tried to go too hard, too fast.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Yeah, with a task like that, you've got to be
so focused, you've got to be so disciplined, especially when
you're competing against someone else. I love the fact that
they did at another person because it's another bit of
pressure and to see how focused you can be and
I think there was probably two false starters that took
the race quite literally and it threw them off completely.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
As soon as you fall off the.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Rope, we know how hard is to try and get
back up from that rope.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Definitely we should point out that people like you know,
your hands at this stage are really brutalized, hands are sore,
and those ropes are not very comfortable, so everything hurts.
Just pulling yourself along on a rope is uncomfortable, but
if you slip, to regain is actually very difficult because
everything now hurts, so you have to be laser being
focused on that rope. And unfortunately, I think it was
(14:18):
James the health coach. He just glanced to his side
and bang is off the rope and that's all it takes. Momentary.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Yeah, and the ds they always say just look along
the rope, like keep your eyes straight across the rope.
So honestly, I remember how hard. I couldn't even pull
myself up. That's how hard it actually is, and not
many people can. And I think that credit to the
two guys that tried to sort of keep themselves still
going backwards, But at that point I knew they weren't
(14:49):
gonna they weren't gonna make it.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Yeah, it's uncomfortable. Look, and I won't speak on behalf
of you, Sabrina, but for me it did shred my
balls apart.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
So it's a big rope and look, it has to
go somewhere, that rope and unfortunately, I mean I might
have had a couple of stabilizers there.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Maybe that helped me. I really don't know, but it
was not very pleasant. And I remember, like just getting
across the cat crawl. I remember being really badly bruised
and burnt from the rope.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Yeah, I mean, I can't really relate on the ropeband
down there, but I can definitely, I can definitely relate
to the rope burn on the hands and genuinely just
with your hands being completely cooked, it is the last
thing you want to do.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Well.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
When Mitch fell from the cat crawl, I reckon that
again was a distraction issue. Recruit Isabella couldn't keep a composure.
There was a gasp and what sounded and looked like
a laugh. Now this of course pissed and right off,
let's take a listen to his reaction. Oh, get the
(15:56):
noise down. Number eleven I think it's funny.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Number eleven, No staff, Sorry stuff, Sorry, do you know
what you're.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
All gonna hey later? If you think it funny? Sorry,
should be sorry to the others because they're gonna pay
because of you. Number eleven stand by for when we
get back now. Hmmmm.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
Anyone who's got the nerve to laugh after Aunt Middleton
has just said something, they have got some serious gags
because I would never do that, never, I.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Think, do you regulus? Just a case of being young
and maybe just misreading the room a little bit. I
don't think she was malevolence there. I think she just
no just had a strange reaction to the circumstance, you know,
heightened emotions and it's you know, she's done really well
on the cat crawl. But then like when he says
zip it, if they say kip the noise down, they
(16:59):
mean it.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Yeah, they really do.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
And to be honest, I wonder if it was triggered
by the level of confidence that she, you know, she
completed the task. She was in a good space and
feeling quite confident. I think if she didn't do I
wonder if she would have been in that situation where
she would have been laughing, but yeah, it ended up
being a real beast thing.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Yeah, that's a good point to bed. Look, they talk
so much about having control of your emotional state, like
you have to you have to be locked down emotionally
to everything when you're on that course. And that's probably
the first example I reckon i've seen where the emotions
have carried somebody away because through relation. We did actually
see it in season two with Alsia Mollik when she
(17:40):
got up the helicopter and she celebrates like oh, fistbump, Yeah,
and I think it's you know, sometimes when you do well,
it's something you've got to actually just look like it
has not touched you, has not phased you, to show
the emotional control. So that was probably what it was.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Yeah, it's it's a tough one because in the in
the DS's eyes, I see.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
It is you know, you've you've completed the task, but
so you should have yep, exactly.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
For them it's like, yeah, you need to pass the task,
whereas us it's.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Like, oh my goodness, we've just passed. How have we
done that?
Speaker 3 (18:13):
So it's sort of balancing those emotions between you know,
being human and understanding how hard those tasks are, but
also realizing that part of being selected.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
You need to be passing those tasks.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Absolutely, And that's just like you say, it's just their
expectation is like, yeah, of course you should do that.
I reckon that the hardest physical thing I have ever
done in my life where I actually thought I might
die on top of a mountain. I remember getting to
the very top, being the first one there, seeing Foxy
and going he's probably going to reward me with a
chocolate bar here, and I get up and he goes,
(18:45):
all right, keep the noise down, number ten, And all
I was doing was breathing, where's my Chocolate's? Foxy far?
All right? The recruits head back to base camp. We're
immediately they're on the parade square waiting punishment. We know
what that's like when the waiting is half the part
(19:06):
of it. But it's not a beasting, Sabrina. It was
a sickener. Explain, explain to people what the difference is
between a beasting and a sickener.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Oh so, I mean, to be honest, they're both terrible,
But the difference between a beasting and a sickner is
the sickner does not stop until a recruit or more
than one recruit falls away so cannot complete the task anymore.
And that is tough, a tough situation to be and
(19:35):
especially at this point in the course when a lot
of these recruits can actually hack it. So you're going
to be doing it for a little bit of time.
It's not like you're going to do one lap and
it's going to be all over. At this stage, most
people can keep up, so you know you're going to
be doing it for at least an hour or two hours,
and you know, if you don't have that person who's
willing to put their armband in, you can be doing
(19:57):
it all day.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
Yep. I look at what they did on that seat,
and you know, most of those exercises we did in
beastings or on sickness, and I can honestly vouch that
that would have been incredibly difficult because it was all
body stuff. You know, It's like every single part of
your body is going to ache from that. There's no
like kind of relief anywhere. Every single part of your
body is going to get brutalized in that. It seemed
(20:20):
definitely that they were out there to break Isabella, to
get her to VW for her actions on the cat right,
But it was actually Mitchell that went.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
And that is unfortunately part of the sick now. You
just don't know who's going to go. You don't know
who it's going to take victim because everyone is struggling.
There is no one that's going through a sick now
that is comfortable. Every single person has a moment where
they think, if this goes on for a certain period
of time, I don't think I can do this anymore.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, definitely. And it can be something, you know, for
each individual, it might be squats, or it might be
the fireman's carrier, or there's always something you think. If
this goes for another minute or to I'm cooked, and
then all of a sudden, you know, you might might
change up and then or you're doing something different and
you're okay again. But unfortunately it caught Mitch. It's hard
to say whether or not he quick because he was
getting completely flogged, or if he voluntarily withdrew to end
(21:16):
the pain of the others.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Yeah, I think there's a little bit of me that's thinking.
I think he did do the right thing in his brain.
I think he thought he knew that it wasn't going
to finish until someone did. I think he also may
have realized that this was really.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Tough like it. Maybe he even admitted on the.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Phone to his loved ones that this was way tougher
than he thought it was going to be. And I
think maybe there was a small crack in his mind
earlier that may have played on him and he's and
it's probably a little bit of both.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Yeah, well, look, full respect to him. I thought he
did an awesome job for a young man at age
twenty two. He did really well. Good on him. Unfortunately.
The next challenge where they all went on to was
a familiar one of the two k obstacle course. It's
the same course that almost took out the Olympians. Janna
Pittman and John Stephenson Sabrenda. We're talking about having the
(22:07):
awareness to know when you're done. What were you thinking
when Isabella refused to hand in her armband on that course?
Speaker 3 (22:15):
I felt that was probably the most real, weird scene
from her. When you're under that much fatigue and pressure,
I think it shows you the true character. And I
was a bit disappointed, to be honest, because she she
wasn't just a little bit behind, she.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Was way behind.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
Way way behind, and there was no way that she
was catching up. And at that point you need to
be very not just honest, but I think just self aware,
self aware of what you can and can't do. And
you know, it took the DS actually taking it from
her rather than her going you know what, I'm going
to give it up.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Yep. So it's a fifty to fifty knife edge call
for me there because I admire somebody that refuses to quit,
but also too, you know, if you don't quit and
you rejoin that team, that team is not going to
want you as part of that team because you didn't
sacrifice yourself when they needed you to. So, gentlemen, you
(23:15):
can't win either way.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
I think for her that point for me was probably
the beasting the night before. I think that that was
her moment to go, you know what, I cause this.
We're in a lot of pain, but I'm sticking with this,
and she did. But then this one. You can't have
two in a row in my eyes, two in a
row where you're you know, you're really struggling and you're
(23:38):
probably the weakest in the park.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
You've got to call it a day.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
And that's what they do. That's what it's designed to
do is to literally wear you down. But in the end,
you know, it was at Middleton taking your armband and
that was that was it for Isabella. We've now made
it to the final challenge and the last chance for
the recruits to have an opportunity to prove themselves worthy
of SAS selection. Our thoughts on the final four next
(24:10):
fourteen ordinary Australians with something to prove took on SAS
Australia's selection course, and now only four remain Holistic health
coach James, Trady Luke, dating coach Sarah and dancer James.
The final challenge splits the recruits into pairs and they
have to complete a helicopter insertion before following a map,
(24:33):
finding a locked cage and remembering a code to open it,
and then using bold cutters inside to rescue the hostage
from within a tear gased prison. Sabrina, were you jealous
or envious this one of this task?
Speaker 1 (24:49):
I'm definitely jealous.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
There's two seasons now with a tear gas and we
didn't get that, so I know, But to be honest,
I actually thought these guys did alright.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
I thought they handled it quite well.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Yeah, It was interesting, like, you know, the attention to detail.
It's unforgivable to forget the code or not absorb the code.
If they give you a number, you've got to know that.
Dancer James, he was on that he had it both times.
He knew it and that was absolutely pivotal. The gas
obviously is to discombobulate. They would not have known in
(25:22):
a million years that was going to be the case.
They would have been straight into that and they all
had to pile out and go back in for a
second shot. But it did feel very much like a
mission challenge, didn't it, as opposed to just a physical challenge.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Yeah, there were so many things that compounded in this
last challenge, which I think is the whole point of it.
They want to see if you've learned throughout the last
few days and you can use it in the last challenge.
I think even being in pairs is such a part
of the challenge that people don't realize. You can get
so complacent when you're in a pair because one can
(25:57):
lead and one can just be a part of it.
And I felt like they probably was times with Trady Luke,
I felt like he was probably being a little bit
complacent with James being his partner.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
The other thing too, is that none of them really
seemed to form up a plan, like you know, it's
everything's easier in hindsight, But there was no kind of
like stopdown of k you know, where there was a
communication between either of the pairs that they said, Okay,
this is what we'll do. I'll go in first. If
it's clear, I'll call to you. If it's not, I'll
come out, you know, going into the smoke filled room.
(26:31):
There was not a lot of communication in pairs full
stop in that challenge, and I reckon that that's actually something
that the DS are looking for. That team work, that communication,
that pairing in that final challenge. You just say, it's
a combination of everything they've learned.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
The one thing that probably stood out for me though,
with the gas was James and Luke and how they
approached being able to use what they've got to combat
the gas as much as you can in that scenario.
The first they completely went straight back in again and
struggled probably almost the exact same is when they went
(27:06):
in the first time.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Yeah, and look, I mean I've never been gased. I'd
like to it sounds weird, but it's yeah, it's probably
something that would be so horrific that it's hard to
concentrate on what you're doing from thereafter, you know, like
once you've kind of had that battery of the gas,
it's hard to make concise decisions. But in the end,
one team went through and one team failed that. But
(27:29):
before we discuss final selection, let's go over each of
the final recruits. Trady. Look, he was one of my
picks to pass the course, but he seemed to be
lacking something with hesitation. The DS mentioned that he was
hesitant before he did something. As you would say, Sabrina,
(27:50):
you can't hesitate when you're in those situations. If they
say get out of a chopper, you're out like that.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Yeah, the hesitation part is a major red flag for
them because I feel like all these small things are
parts of your personality they can't teach, and that is
the part that they're looking for. The physicality and all
those things you can teach, you know, as time progresses.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
You know what, that is an excellent point and you
make that it's about the things that they can't teach
you that they're looking for, and you're right, like if
you're the sort of person that is naturally hesitant. They
can't really teach you not to be all right. Next,
holistic health coach James are really warm to this guy,
and I started thinking Ham a sick and he's becoming
a real dark horse. Is he the gray man? But
(28:35):
he faulted a bit in the final challenges? What did
you think of him?
Speaker 3 (28:39):
I felt like he didn't show enough and maybe that
let him down. Like you said, a bit of a
gray man, but maybe in a seven day course, it's
probably not enough time to show what he was completely
made of.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
For me, he didn't really make an impact at all.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Yeah, I think he was just kind of cruising along
and you know, enjoying the experience of it as opposed
to trying to thrust himself forward as a leader or
a winner in that case. But look, good guy did well.
Certainly very fit and he will take a lot away
from it. Dating coach Sarah Sabrine one of your picks
for the course.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Yes, she was one of my picks right from the
get go.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I think what was it?
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Right from day one?
Speaker 3 (29:21):
I could just see she was completely focused and she
was taking it seriously. And for me, those are two
major major things on this course. You need to want
to be there, you need to be able to embrace it,
and you need to be able to focus. And for me,
I saw that through her eyes right from day one.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Dancer James, both of us picked him for the course.
He's focused from the start, his determination, his resiliency, physical strength.
It only really occurred to me after watching the last episode.
Oh that's right, he's a dancer, Like you know, that's
notally a profession that you don't associate with brutality and
that kind of perseverance. You think it's a show business.
(30:00):
He was absolutely there from the get go.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
I think it was actually that controlled aggression, like he
knew the timing of when to let it out and
when to push forward, but also he knew the timing
of when to pull back and start thinking and being
very very calm. And I think that that was a
major attribute. And to be honest, it showed in the
last bit there, and he was a standout for me.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
Yeah, he was switched on at the end there. He
knew the code for the lock, he knew what was
going on, he corrected it. He wasn't letting any details
slip by him. But I reckon that one of the
things that got him through was just a work rate.
He was absolutely working the whole time, and no doubt
that comes from his dancing background, which is very hard working,
(30:46):
physically demanding, and he was able to do it and
keep a really good positive attitude the whole time. And
that's what I was like, Okay, I reckon, he will
get through, all right. So James and Sarah past selection
for Hell Week, Sabrina, is that what you would have
called if you had been one of the ds, would
you have picked those two?
Speaker 1 (31:08):
I think it would have been close.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Being completely honest, I think James probably was a little
bit more in front than Sarah, just on the basis
of he was just consistent across the board, and maybe
she would have just missed out with me selecting. But
at the same time, I think they both deserve to
be there. I think they both work their ass off,
and I think they both were fully committed to the course.
(31:32):
So I would have been maybe a little bit different,
But at the same time, I don't disagree with what
they say.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Yeah, that's it. Like I was a little bit surprised
to see Sarah then I thought James was a shoeing.
I wasn't disappointed though. I was like, oh, am, okay,
there's a logic here, and I could when I recalled
all the things that she'd done and the things that
she hadn't done, I was like, yeah, okay, that makes sense.
And then you know, you've got to take into into
account that the DS see different levels, even different levels
to what you and I see as opposed to just
(31:58):
a viewer. They would see have incredible insights and they've
seen something in her and they've gone that pass the selection.
So yep, fair cool and fair play and congratulations to them.
I think congratulations all them. Sabrena. I was really I
really liked watching the civilians. I really liked it.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
So I loved it and we both said this, you know,
anyone that puts himself forward for this course is you know,
a complete champion, but also a civilian, someone that doesn't
really have much to gain in terms of profile. It
is purely for the commitment of the course.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
I have nothing but respect for all of these recruits,
and he has been really nice to watch.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
And finally, I'm going to give three votes to Bessim
because he gave me so much entertainment and also to
remind me. He reminded me that sometimes just having a
crack at something that is uncomfortable is going to give
you great learning. So good on him. I thought he
was excellent. I wouldn't have liked him to be my
rope man, but well, Sabrena, it's been an absolute play.
(33:00):
Thank you so much for joining me each week for
the debrief here. Keep an eye on the iHeartRadio app
for your next podcast binge and if you want to
watch Says Australia all over again, it's available for catch
up on seven Plus until next time. Thanks for listening.
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