SAS Australia ex-special forces officer Ant Middleton was left shocked after witnessing the biggest failure he has ever seen during episode nine of the savage TV show.
The five remaining recruits—Abbey Holmes, Dr Craig Challen, Mahalia Murphy, Matthew Mitcham and Tim Robards—put their grit to the test during the final 48 hours of the brutal SAS selection course.
The celebrities were warned things were only going to get physically, psychologically and emotionally harder.
At breakfast, AFL field commentator Holmes said she was “never eating porridge again” as the others struggled to talk among each other.
Finding a way to push on, the group was tasked with the first mission of the day: a shoot-to-kill exercise.
In pairs, they had two minutes to locate a “high-value target” that posed as a lethal risk to SAS allies and make a decision to take them out with a sniper.
Mitcham and Murphy were up first but failed after shooting at the wrong target.
The OG Bachelor Robards also failed after his indecisiveness got the better of him and the enemy closed in on him instead.
However, it was Holmes and Challen who took out the biggest “epic fail” Middleton has ever seen.
Not long into the mission, Challen made a hasty decision that the HVT was a man in a white shirt, ordering Holmes to take him out.
After failing, Challen revealed he only made the decision based on the “different colour” of his shirt.
The admission angered Middleton who said the pair would have to “live with the blood on their hands”.
“Are you taking the p…? That’s the biggest fail I’ve ever seen. Now f… off,” he said.
Back at the base, a once-in-a-lifetime desert storm rolls through the Jordanian desert and the recruits are tasked with sandbagging the accommodation so it doesn’t flood.
In a mid lull of the wild and hostile desert weather, the group is sent to their next exercise of the day: a debilitating 500m hill climb while carrying two 40L water containers.
Middleton said the task was designed to bring forward the weak with only the strongest of the strong to make it through into the final 24 hours.
All recruits but Murphy are able to complete it.
The international rugby star’s body couldn’t allow her to physically carry on and made the decision to quit on the second last day.
Middleton praised her “outstanding efforts”.
In a call to her family back home, her proud mum said doing SAS was the “greatest thing you could do”.
With Murphy gone, the four remaining recruits are called in for a “final roasting” to see if they have what it takes to make it through the last exercise and be considered for selection.
Hammered with interrogation, Holmes is called out by the others for being the weakest link of the group.
However, she ranks herself third in the group and places Challen last.
“I deserve to be here…I’m determined and driven,” she said.
The reality check has left the recruits with much to think about as if they get the final exercise wrong on Wednesday they won’t pass the course.
Watch the final episode of SAS Australia on Channel 7 and 7plus on Wednesday at 7.30pm.