Last night on SAS Australia, the DS culled Ebanie Bridges from the course before receiving Anna Heinrich’s shock VW, while Locky Gilbert confessed he made himself cry on The Bachelor.
Navigating strong wind gusts 100 metres above a crashing ocean, recruits raced each other in the longest cat crawl of any season of SAS anywhere in the world. An agonising back injury didn’t stop Melissa Wu from crushing the task, while Millie Boyle suffered extreme rope burn on her private parts screaming: “Ah f***ing hell, oh my god, it hurts so much”.
Separated from their loved ones for 11 days, recruits were given the chance to watch a video message from home, with all seven choosing to take up the offer despite the impact it might have on them psychologically.
“Messages from home are a double-edged sword,” explained Chief Instructor Ant Middleton. “You see people who draw strength from it, they need that extra boost to get them through this course. But you also see it break people.”
As Locky broke down watching a video from his partner Irena, the DS questioned his show of emotion, observing his face looked dry. Locky separately confessed to using sad songs to get himself in the mood to cry while filming The Bachelor.
“It’s a really good technique,” he said. “That’s what made me cry on the finale. I was literally standing with headphones in as they were about to walk out. Car pulled up, boom, headphones in the pocket. I had to make myself cry.”
Earlier, the DS had informed recruits they would be making a cull before the day was out, a cutthroat process to get rid of anyone who does not meet the benchmark for the final stage of selection. Their decision came down to two recruits: #1 Ebanie and #10 Locky.
“Good is not good enough, we want excellence,” Ant told them. “What we’re looking for is the thinking solider. Be given any piece of information, divulge it there and then and execute the task at hand. It’s a unique mindset that we’re looking for, #1 you do not possess it; #10 grit, determination is no longer good enough and will not get you through. Safety [is] huge. You, you’re a danger to yourself and a danger to others.”
The DS ended up taking Ebanie’s number.
“Obviously I would have loved to have stayed til the end but I’m very proud of how far I’ve come,” said Ebanie. “The fact is that I gave it my all and I did try my best. I’ve definitely grown to understand to just take a step back, take a breath. Being in this group with these amazing people has been a great experience. God, I’m so grateful for what I’ve learned here. Very grateful.”
As Ebanie exited the compound, recruits were instructed to submerge themselves in the troughs. Anna refused telling Ant “I just can’t do this anymore” and handed over her number.
“I didn’t want to let anyone down tomorrow,” said Anna. “I feel like I’ve literally pushed myself beyond my limits. I’m so proud of absolutely everything I achieved.
