Tonight on SAS Australia, an unprecedented fiery exchange between a recruit and the DS sent shockwaves through the group.
During a cliffside tug-of-war task, convicted drug dealer Richard Buttrose was accused of cheating and cutting corners by the DS, despite both he and his opponent pulling the rope too early.
Deeply offended at the accusations, Richard decided he’d had enough, announcing: “I don’t want to be part of your stupid TV show anymore.”
Chief Instructor Ant Middleton fired up and an explosive war of words ensued, with Richard ultimately deciding to stick with the course.
Back at base camp, Ant had a message for the recruits: “This course isn’t for most of you, if not all of you. You might not understand it. You might not be physically capable or psychologically robust enough to get through.
“If that is the case and the pressure is too much, you are a volunteer, you can leave at any stage. Everything we do has a purpose. Everything we do relates to being on the battlefield. It is not a scripted f***ing course. If it’s too much for you – f*** off!”
He then gave Richard an ultimatum: “Do you want to be here number 13, yes or no?” before taking his number.
After the shock cull, duty recruit Millie Boyle tried to diffuse tension between the recruits, before the DS brought her in for questioning after noting her “cold stone killer” execution of the morning’s task.
The NRLW player was emotional as she explained how she’d been forced to grow up at a young age after her rugby playing dad sustained a serious head injury in a farming accident 11 years ago.
“I think that Dad would know that I have a lot of ticker in me and that I can push myself a lot further than I know that I can,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint him or the rest of my family knowing that I could have done a better job.”
In the second gruelling task of the day, recruits had to attack the assault course in pairs, completing lap after sickening lap; which left them bloodied, bruised and utterly exhausted. Boxer Ebanie Bridges even lost a chunk of her hair in the punishing task, declaring in disbelief: “My whole fringe is gone!”
Anna Heinrich, who had been teamed with Barry Hall, was particularly impressive and the DS decided to dig deeper into her mindset. They were surprised to learn she’s been plagued by negative thoughts and self-doubt since a young age.
“My whole life I’ve had to prove to everybody that I was more than just blonde hair and I think it’s just stayed with me,” Anna confessed. “Everything I do, I feel I’m not good enough until I’ve done it. I just want to prove to myself, prove to my family… I’ve got a 10 month old. I want to show her that her mum can kick ass.”
