(HEAVY BREATHING)
NARRATOR: Selection for the SAS...
..is a test like no other.
ANT: I don't care if they're celebrities in their world.
They're not going to know what's hit them.
(HELICOPTER ROTOR)
NARRATOR: 17 celebrity recruits...
ANT: Let's go, let's go, let's go!
..have volunteered to put their glamorous lives behind.
INSTRUCTOR: You having a nice time?
I want to show I'm not just the reality TV girl.
Go!
ANT: SAS selection is designed to break the most elite soldier.
NARRATOR: They're put through
the most gruelling stages of selection...
Are you OK? Yes, staff!
..by an elite team of special forces soldiers.
(SCREAMS)
Let's go, let's go, let's go!
NARRATOR: Chief Instructor, Ant Middleton...
..and his team of directing staff will make no exceptions.
ANT: Head up!
We're going to find out who they really are.
And so will they.
BILLY: Go!
Brake, brake, brake! Brake!
NARRATOR: Coming up...
BILLY: Come on, move yourself! Let's go!
(GUNFIRE)
..in the line of fire, one mistake can be deadly...
Sort it out! For fuck's sake!
(GUNSHOT)
It's all about what's up here.
If you don't want to be here,
put your rock down and give me your number.
All I ever want to do is make my family proud.
ANT: Fuckin' iron-lady, my arse. Move!
..and Candice Warner breaks her silence.
There was a ball tampering incident.
I support everyone.
ANT: Move!
Fuckin' move.
NARRATOR: It's day four of SAS Selection.
A course that is not for the faint-hearted.
ANT: Don't start the day off by pissing us off.
NARRATOR: Already, three of the 17 celebrity recruits
have voluntarily withdrawn
and the DS are about to dial up the intensity.
Today, this course is all about mindset.
It's not going to get any easier.
We're going to induce that stress up here more and more.
'Cause the physically weak have gone.
Now, we're going to start chipping you off psychologically.
(CHIPPING NOISE)
Move, let's go. Move!
To be a special forces operator, you have to have a certain mindset.
It's not about the physical.
We're there to push you psychologically
to see if you can deal with the horrors of war.
Move! Yes! And you, go!
Number two is the front person.
Everybody else, single file all the way down the track.
Watch your feet.
Have you got the mental fortitude to get through the course?
Let's go.
It's all about what's up here.
ANT: When I call you forward,
you will be moving like fucking weasel grease.
RECRUITS: Yes, staff.
NARRATOR: The DS are about to test the recruits' mental strength
under extreme conditions
that simulate the life-threatening chaos of a war zone.
Before the course, the majority of these celebrities
have barely seen a gun, let alone fired one.
(GUNFIRE)
So, in preparation for their next task,
the DS gave them a crash course in armed combat
and the rules of engagement.
A raised weapon is an attacking enemy
and should be shot. (GUNFIRE)
A lowered weapon is a friendly ally.
BILLY: You have to make a choice.
So, know these rules of engagement.
(GUNFIRE)
The marksman's task is a decision-making task
with all the constraints of being on a battlefield
and being in a war situation.
They will be confused, they'll be tired,
they'll be exhausted, there'll be distractions,
exactly as it would be for a young soldier on a battlefield.
It's a life or death situation.
ERIN: I lived overseas, I've had kids,
I have an amazing family.
I have a really amazing life.
NARRATOR: First up in the firing line
is recruit number seven, Erin McNaught.
Seven! Let's go.
Come on, let's go, let's move! Move, move, move, move.
Quick, quick, quick, quick!
Fast as you can! Fast as you can!
My whole life, I've only ever attempted things
where I have known I'm going to be good at them.
The only way you're going to get out alive
is if you do exactly as I tell you!
If there's been any chance of failure, then I won't attempt it.
Get up!
And that's the worst lesson to be teaching my kids.
(GUNFIRE)
You're trying to fucking save yourself.
Start switching on! They're shooting at us!
Move it! Fucking move.
Get up! Stand up! Run! Run! Run!
(GUNFIRE) We're being shot at!
ERIN: If there's one thing I want to learn from doing this course...
(GUNFIRE) Here's your weapon!
Here's your weapon! Sort it out!
..it's how to fail and get back up and keep going.
Sort it out! Sort it out! Now! Look! (GUNFIRE)
Sort it out! (GUNFIRE)
Stop.
Stop!
You see somebody trying to kill you?
Yes, staff.
And what happened?
I didn't shoot, staff. Why?
I was trying to see if he was a friendly, staff.
Fucking Stevie Wonder could see that was not a friendly.
He's right on top of you, pointing a gun at you!
You are leading me and the rest of the team in.
Have a guess what? Got yourself killed.
I'm going to go and tell your fucking husband and kids now.
'Cause you couldn't make a decision.
Disappear round that corner. Yes, staff.
NARRATOR: With no decisive action under fire,
number seven, Erin, failed the task.
ANT: Go! Move! Move!
NARRATOR: Next to enter the breach... Head down, move!
..is TV personal trainer, number eight, Shannan Ponton.
Up! Get up! Get up!
(GUNFIRE)
SHANNAN: For me, fitness is now about being able to do
all the things I want to do with my kids.
It's not about being big and buff and being able to show off muscles.
It's about being able to climb monkey bars and kick a ball.
(GUNFIRE) Move forward.
But I want to see if I've still got that strength.
Move, move, move!
Fuckin' move!
SHANNAN: I wonder how I'm going to react
when someone's screaming in my face to get going...
Just listen to me. (GUNFIRE)
Start switching on! They're shooting at us!
Keep that down, keep that down!
..when every single fibre of my being wants to quit.
Get on your feet! Run! Run! (GUNFIRE)
SHANNAN: I want to know if I've still got enough pluck
and enough character to get up and keep going.
Get on your feet! Go! Let's go!
Get on your feet!
SHANNAN: That's what this is all about for me.
Get on your feet! Get on your fuckin' feet!
SHANNAN: Have I still got it?
Sort it out! Sort it out!
Or did I ever have it?
(GUNFIRE)
Stop!
Do you want to be Rambo?
Take a breath.
Think about the actions of what you've just done.
Which I will believe were the right actions.
Yes, staff.
However, a little bit fuckin' OTT. Yeah?
OK, staff.
Alright, it's about composure, control.
Yes, staff.
You just took out fuckin' half the village right there.
Alright?
It's about composure.
Got it? Yes, staff.
Disappear round the corner.
NARRATOR: Despite the DS believing he was trigger-happy,
number eight, Shannan, passed the pressure test.
(MILITARY-STYLE DRUMMING)
NARRATOR: As a former ironwoman champion,
number two, Candice Warner,
is no stranger to physical and mental resilience.
ANT: Number two!
NARRATOR: But making life or death decisions in a war zone...
Let's go! Move, move! ..is something else entirely.
Quick, quick, quick, quick!
CANDICE: I've got three daughters.
I want to do this course for them to be proud of their mum.
Come on, low as you can.
You know, they're super proud of their dad
but they just see Mum as Mum.
(GUNFIRE) They're shooting at us!
(GUNFIRE) Get down! Get down!
The lady who picks them up from school, makes their dinner,
gets them breakfast, puts them to bed, reads them books...
(GUNFIRE) Run! Move yourself!
Move yourself!
CANDICE: I want to show them that there's a lot more to their mum
than just that.
(GUNFIRE) Get up! Get the fuck up!
Stand up!
CANDICE: What I want to take from this
is how far I can actually push myself.
(INDISTINCT)
Sort it out!
CANDICE: I think I'm strong and I'm mentally tough.
But am I?
(GUNFIRE) Sort it out!
(GUNFIRE)
Stop!
Relax.
Put the safety catch on.
What was your decision right there?
Not to shoot.
So, are you happy with your decision right now?
Are you happy with your decision right now?
No, staff. Why?
Why? Tell me something about him.
Now!
He's got a gun.
Correct. What is he doing with that gun?
Pointing it straight at me. Well done, Miss Dead!
Absolutely fantastic.
I'll go back now, tell your husband and your kids
you got yourself killed and probably half a dozen other people as well.
Fantastic.
Couldn't make a decision.
How do you feel about that now?
Pretty fuckin' shit. Pretty shit.
Your decision ended it for us as well.
Stood at the grave with the kids.
"I couldn't make a decision."
Take your sorry little arse round the corner
and go and join the rest of them. Fuck off.
BILLY: What we're looking for is staying in control of yourself,
staying in control of your head.
So, it's whether they can make that decision.
Many celebrity, the hardest decision of the day
is whether their coffee latte is hot enough
or fuckin' not hot enough.
I can't believe I didn't shoot.
BILLY: Put yourself in the situation of a young fuckin' soldier,
going into Iraq for the first time
and having to make that decision.
That's exactly what people have to deal with every day.
Move! Sprint!
NARRATOR: Coming up, a relentless beasting...
ANT: If you don't want to be here, give us your fuckin' numbers!
..leads to a hidden truth.
CANDICE: There was a ball tampering incident.
The media make us out to be people that we're not.
And what do they make you out to be? Bad parents.
Don't get on the defensive.
ANT: Number 11! Let's go! Move.
Let's go, let's go, let's go! Quick! Quick, quick, quick!
NARRATOR: In a remote location,
the DS are ruthlessly testing 14 celebrity recruits...
Keep down! Go on! They're shooting at us!
..in an extreme combat scenario...
(GUNFIRE)
..to test their mental strength.
NARRATOR: After being disorientated,
dragged through the mud and handed a weapon...
Sort it out! Sort it out!
..recruits are forced to make
a life or death split-second decision.
BILLY: Do something!
Stop!
What am I doing?
BILLY: Stand up.
What are you fuckin' doing?
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
Luckily, for you, it was friendly.
They get that one split moment
of dealing with a situation.
(GUNFIRE) Stand up!
You're confused, you're tired,
"Somebody's got to kill, I've got to kill."
Exactly as it would be for a young soldier on a battlefield...
(GUNFIRE)
Stop!
..and all that goes before you...
Take a breath.
..in that split second...
(PANTS) Oh fuck.
..you've got to have clarity in your mind of,
"Should I squeeze the trigger or should I not?"
Start switching on.
(GUNFIRE) There's enemy! They're close!
They're shooting at us! Move forward, move!
I don't consider myself a celebrity at all.
I think my dad is obviously a celebrity.
Get down! Get down!
The Warne last name is a celebrity.
(GUNFIRE) Run! Run! We're being shot at!
But I don't think I'm famous or anything like that.
Fuckin' get down! Crawl! Crawl!
JACKSON: At such a young age,
I haven't had that life experience other people have had.
(GUNFIRE) Hold your weapon!
Sort it out!
But this is an awesome test that I can try and do
to test myself physically and mentally.
Take cover!
Sort it out!
Are you fuckin' with us?
Yes, staff. You are?
What's going on?
He's a friendly, staff.
When did you realise he was a friendly?
When he was coming down, staff.
And what told you he was friendly?
He's got his gun down, staff.
He's a friendly, staff.
You're a fuckin' impressive person.
Disappear round that corner and off to the right. Go.
NARRATOR: Recruit number three, Jackson Warne, has passed the test.
(GUNFIRE) Run! Run with your feet. Run!
NARRATOR: Now, entering the fray is number ten...
(GUNFIRE) We're being shot at!
..comedian, Merrick Watts.
Take your weapon!
Do something!
(GUNFIRE) Sort it out!
(GUNFIRE) Sort it out, for fuck's sake!
(GUNSHOT)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
Stand fuckin' still!
Stop!
Give me the weapon.
What do you see?
MERRICK: He's here to kill me. BILLY: And what did you do about it?
You couldn't even fuckin' stand straight.
You couldn't look, make a decision, could you?
Could you?
And a big fucker like you couldn't take the safety catch off
and defend you!
More importantly, defend me 'cause I'm behind you.
Yes, staff.
How do you feel about that right now?
I don't feel good, staff.
Go and have a fuckin' word with yourself.
Go round to the corner there and run to the right.
Get away.
NARRATOR: Like most before him, number ten, Merrick, failed the test.
Faced with an armed aggressor, he was unable to defend himself.
How did that go for you guys?
I didn't shoot. I didn't shoot either.
Neither. I didn't get a shot off.
I couldn't decide.
I got the safety off just at the last second
but by that time, I was greased.
Fuck.
NARRATOR: Next to be put on trial is Australian swimmer, Shayna Jack.
I've represented my country for swimming for three years now.
ANT: Move! Move, quick!
Head down, let's go!
I love to be in control.
Get up! Get up!
That's just how I've been due to my routine and swimming.
I am here to challenge myself to fight for myself...
Jesus Christ! Get up!
(GUNFIRE) Come on! Let's go! Let's go!
We're getting shot at!
..to show the world that I'm a strong fighter
who flourishes in a tough environment.
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
(INDISTINCT) Deal with this!
(GUNSHOT)
Stop!
What are you doing?
Put the safety catch on.
Take a breath.
Look in front of you.
What do you see?
An enemy.
Yes.
What does that mean?
That I should have fired.
Because he was putting my life in danger
'cause he had his weapon on me.
So, what happened?
You fuckin' went irrational. You couldn't make a decision.
Too busy worrying about being out of breath.
You know what you are?
A liability. Yes, staff.
A fucking liability.
To the whole of the people behind you. OK?
Yes, staff.
That leaves it to me or someone else
to go tell your mum, tell your dad,
holding onto your nuts got us all fucking killed nearly.
Unfortunately, she's dead.
How does that sound?
Terrible, staff.
Terrible, and all you had to do was think, observe and deal with.
Couldn't do it, could you?
No, staff. Too many things going on.
I let the team down, staff. You fucking did.
You're a disgrace.
Fucking get out of my sight.
Have a think about what you've just done.
Why? What happened?
I had the dude just dressed in black with a gun coming at me
and I didn't shoot.
NARRATOR: So far, only three recruits have made the right decision.
ANT: Dig deep! Let's go!
NARRATOR: Recruit number 15, Mitchell Johnson,
is the last in line.
In the world of cricket, he is known for his aggression
and coming out on top even when he's surrounded by deafening noise.
MITCHELL: In cricket, you have to perform.
You're in the limelight.
Stand up. Stand up. Watch it, watch it.
I've copped a fair bit of abuse over time with crowds.
(GUNFIRE) Alright! OK, they're shooting at us!
Come on!
But I just had to block that out..
Run! ..and focus to keep positive
and it seemed to work.
(GUNFIRE) You're like a fucking wet blanket.
Get up! Get up! Go!
(GUNFIRE)
I've found it tough since retiring from cricket.
Stand up! Stand up!
(GUNFIRE)
There's your weapon.
MITCHELL: All of a sudden, you're not doing as much.
(INDISTINCT)
You sort of lose your purpose a little bit.
Deal with it! Sort it out!
(GUNFIRE) Sort it out!
(GUNFIRE) Get your shit together.
MITCHELL: That's why I'm trying to find things to push myself.
BILLY: Sort it out!
(GUNSHOT)
This course is one of those things.
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
Look in front of you.
What do you see?
MITCHELL: Someone pointing their gun.
Where's he pointing the gun? At me.
What does that mean?
I need to fire and shoot him first.
So, what do you reckon would've happened right now?
I'd be dead. Fucking wonderful.
You know why?
'Cause you're tired.
Look at the fucking size of you.
Yes, staff.
Maybe you're a casualty, maybe you do survive.
Next two behind them, dead.
Would you be happy with that?
No, staff. No.
Well, you don't get a second chance in this.
Yes, staff. So, how do you feel about that?
I feel like shit. Yeah, you should.
You should.
You have a reason to.
So, what I suggest you do is disappear round that corner,
turn right, join the rest of them, have a think about your actions.
What you've just done.
Yes, staff.
Go.
MITCHELL: I'm quite goal orientated
and that's come through with my sport.
But everyone has their breaking point.
Couldn't get the safety off.
Fucked it.
It's a split decision, hey?
MITCHELL: If I get to my breaking point
and I can't go any further than...
I think I'll be pretty disappointed.
ANT: Today's been an interesting day.
All about mindset.
Nothing really physical about today, was there?
NARRATOR: After this morning's gruelling marksman task,
the DS are disappointed with the mental vulnerability
of some within the group.
ANT: It's exposed a lot of them, I think.
Although they've done the least amount of physical work,
it's been the most powerful day that we've had yet.
Yeah.
That one-minute decision affects their whole day.
I think it was number seven went away from that broken
and that will, you know, that self-doubt all day long
about making that wrong decision.
Some just froze but some actually went,
"Fuck, I need to do something about it", and did that.
The ones that stood out
and really took the bull by the horns
and did something, if I'm honest,
number three and number eight.
They actually reacted
and basically did exactly what they were supposed to do.
OLLIE: But look at number two falling apart.
ANT: Yeah.
So...
That's amazing how one decision or one doubt in your head
can just...
You know, you can just fall apart.
You just crumble.
BILLY: Number 15, he just froze.
OLLIE: Yeah.
He just stood there, you know, almost like he beat himself up.
He just didn't have the confidence,
he had no confidence to make that decision.
Yeah. He wanted to be told what to do.
Yeah.
Go through the tunnel alright?
Yeah, I couldn't see shit, actually.
Yeah, it was hard to breathe.
It was like trying to breathe, like... Yeah.
It's funny, no matter how composed you think you can be...
Like, I knew what they were about to do to me
and I was like, "It'll be alright."
But the more they roughed me up, it still gets to you a bit.
Yeah, no. I'm not a fan of...
..that sort of those tight, tunnel spaces.
Yeah.
NARRATOR: Recruit number 15, Mitchell Johnson,
has been struggling to shrug off his failure
at this morning's marksman task.
Keen to find out why, the DS bring him in for questioning.
MITCHELL: In 2011, in South Africa,
I got to the point where I just wasn't enjoying myself,
I wasn't enjoying being a professional cricketer
and being, I guess, looked at and judged all the time
and I just took everything personally.
I was physically exhausted
and I was mentally exhausted as well.
Yeah, I'm really interested to see how I do cope
with all the things and what sort of person I really am.
I think that's part of the reason why I wanted to do this course.
You OK?
Could be better.
So, what was your motivation at the start for coming here anyway?
Um... (SIGHS)
(SNIFFS) I've just always loved SAS.
Um...
growing up, the army came to our school
and... (INHALES)
..I remember they were trying to recruit in Year 12,
and, um, I actually almost joined the army when I left school
six months out of high school.
Um, but then cricket for me, I got really lucky with that,
so I went down that path.
I think one thing that we both noticed was...
after we did marching, your demeanour changed.
(EERIE MUSIC) Yeah.
I just thought about it too much.
Just the lead-up of it.
Do you understand what, what we're doing there?
Because that relates to our world.
It's about making decisions
when everything around you is falling apart.
What did you do when you got to... DS? What did you do?
Um, I, well, I picked up the weapon
and I panicked. Yeah.
The panic sort of set in.
Um, and then the disappointment. Yep.
(TENSE MUSIC)
He picked up on it and said to me, "Is he OK?" And I said, "Yes."
Your head went straight down and it was like...
And I actually thought you took that really personal when you shouldn't.
I struggle with probably... confidence at times,
and... (INHALES) ..just think I'm in that transition now
where I've been out of playing cricket for about two years
and it's... Have you found that transition hard?
Um, yeah. Yeah, plenty of times. Yep.
I mean, I, I...
I found out I've got depression.
(TENSE MUSIC)
But I think the depression was something I've had
even from a younger age.
Cricket was my...
It sort of blocked things out in a way.
Like, it sort of hid the depression.
But there was a lot of times where you go back to your room,
you're away from family and you start to dwell on things.
But...
through my cricket career, I actually just dealt with it.
Um, it's just about me now actually moving forward
and taking it upon myself to be active with certain things
to keep my mind going.
(POIGNANT MUSIC)
That's exactly what you've gotta do.
You've gotta find something else and have a goal now.
We get on this crazy train, our world, the SF world,
which - it travels at a thousand miles an hour.
And you get off, doing all these crazy things,
you get back on it, then all of a sudden, it finishes.
And your body and your mind is doing 50% of what you were doing.
You haven't got the camaraderie either.
You haven't got the same sort of people around you you're used to
working with, and it's difficult. Yep.
Everything's a challenge to us now.
That's the only way I can relate it to.
But we give you a pinch of...
That's what we do, that's our shit we've had to deal with.
That's fuckin' hard. It is hard.
(POIGNANT MUSIC)
Take every day as it comes, alright,
and don't be afraid to fuckin' push forward and go for it.
Guard! (DOOR RATTLES)
(POIGNANT MUSIC)
You have your moments where you struggle with it really bad.
It can be tricky when you've got a lot of time to think about things.
I think that's when it becomes the most difficult.
There's just... You have no control whatsoever.
And, um, your mind just starts playing those tricks with you, so.
Yeah, you start thinking of the worst.
Faster! Faster! Move!
Next - the recruits are pushed beyond their limits.
If you don't wanna be here, give us your fuckin' numbers.
Fuckin' Iron-lady, my arse.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
NARRATOR: It's the end of day four.
In near freezing temperatures,
the recruits prepare to turn in for the night.
Can we just have a quick chat about the fires?
Because last night, the fires went out about 4:00.
Can we just check both fires, both fires?
I mean, I'm not trying to be Captain Fire.
You've got five minutes!
Get on the parade square!
Move!
But the recruits have been summoned by the DS
for a surprise on-the-spot inspection.
Some of them still seem unaware as to what might happen
if they disobey even the most basic of rules.
10:29pm.
Firass, seriously. MAN: Shh!
Shut the fuck up.
Sometimes, shh, brah. Mate, from here on.
No fuckin' talking, seriously.
Everyone's the same, mate.
(HANDS RUB TOGETHER)
Don't wanna hear it.
MAN: Stop moving!
(TENSE MUSIC)
All of you...
get your water bottles out,
undo them and put them in front of you.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
Undo it.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
Is that full?
I'm tipping it out halfway. Is that full?
It's 97% full.
Is that... No, it's not full.
Pour it over your head.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
Put it away.
It's the small things as an SAS soldier that really stick with me,
like having your water bottle full to the brim.
During my training, if it wasn't full to the very brim...
then you were wasting a mouthful.
And when you're on operations,
you don't know how long that mission's going to last,
so every mouthful counts.
Is that full?
Look at me. Look at me.
Simple...it's a fucking simple question.
Is that full? Pour it over your head.
You know what to do with that, don't you?
Pour it over your head.
And I remember going through training,
and every time my water bottle wasn't full up,
I had to pour it over my head.
Ah, so I started the day off wet, cold and miserable.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
Put it away.
Those of you with empty water bottles, go and fill 'em up.
By experiencing what it takes
to have the unique mindset of a special forces operator...
they do what we tell them to do when we tell them to do it...
or they're gonna think they're in hell.
Half of you didn't even have your water bottles full up 50%.
Do you realise how basic... watering yourself...
and feeding yourself is?
ALL: Yes, sir.
I feel like we're getting nowhere.
I feel like we've taken a whole fucking day backwards.
Now we're wasting our time.
For that, you're obviously still not using your time wisely.
It's gonna be a very long night into a very long day.
To teach the recruits a lesson,
they will be severely punished with a beasting.
MAN: Start banging out press-ups. Move!
Beastings are designed to push recruits beyond their pain barrier.
Come on, move it!
They're so physically and mentally demanding,
that recruits will often quit as a result.
Keep fucking banging them out and stop making a noise.
Move! Sprint! Move!
A beasting is just to drain you physically.
Start moving quicker!
Hurry the fuck up!
It's a physical thrashing.
And when you're drained physically, it can get into your head.
Seal crawl! Cross your fucking legs.
Am I fit enough?
Is this course right for me?
Have I got what it takes?
If you don't wanna be here, give us your fucking numbers.
Asking those questions to yourself.
Go, just get past it.
It's gonna eat away at you.
The fucking nightmare can end for any one of you right now.
What's that, number ten? Do you got a mountain behind you?
Your body is fit, your mind is fit.
If you can get 'em both to work at the same time...
you are a weapon.
I think about winning. Come on!
I think about pushing myself.
I think about doing the best I can
because I'm doing this for my family.
The more confident I am, the more present I am...
for my family.
The better I am for them, the better they are for me.
This is your doing! Your making.
Go! Get in there.
You pathetic bunch of fucking creatures.
Dance!
(RECRUITS GROAN)
We go until we drop!
Given my height and stature,
people just assume that I'm gonna be
physically capable of most things
even though I've spent most of my life horizontal in a pool.
Now, pick them up. Baby carry!
Alright!
Start sparking!
But I hope that I can push myself
to limits that I've never done in my swimming career.
(GROANS)
Fucking Iron Lady, my arse. Move!
(GROANS)
I've always been a very competitive person,
but since having kids, I have never pushed...
I haven't pushed myself to the limits that I used to.
So for me, it's all about
just seeing how far I can push myself physically and mentally.
I wanna see 100% from everyone
otherwise we will carry on all fuckin' night.
The image of my kids cheering for me,
watching me at home...
being proud of their mum...
is for sure what's driving me.
All good. (PANTS)
NARRATOR: Also put under strain is former Bachelorette Ali Oetjen,
who is made to carry one of the heaviest recruits,
number ten, Merrick.
He's over 1.5 times Ali's weight.
Come on. Come on.
Go. Come on then, number 16.
Physical fitness is a given.
You should come on the course at an athlete-plus standard of fitness.
We're not there to test your fitness.
We're there to push you psychologically...
Get me into the yard. Come on!
Get me to the yard.
..to see if you can deal with the horrors of war.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC) (PANTS)
Tonight is going to be a very fucking long night.
Good job.
If you don't buck your ideas up,
if you don't get to that level, to that standard,
then...whoosh!
We're gonna fuck you off.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
When I say, "Go!" you'll go over to that pile of rocks over there.
You will grab a rock suitable to your size
and you will come back with that rock
and you will stand still.
Stand by, go! Move!
NARRATOR: After 2.5 hours of ruthless physical punishment
in near freezing conditions,
the DS are pushing the recruits to breaking point,
on the hunt for a voluntary withdrawal.
A very simple exercise right now.
When I say, "Go..."
you will hold your rocks above your head...
until told otherwise.
Going to start...with three minutes.
Three minutes of hard work.
Go!
(TENSE MUSIC)
Straighten those arms.
Block out the pain.
Get the job done.
If you don't wanna be here...
put your rock down and gimme your number.
Think if you want to be here.
Why you're here.
From a young age at school,
I...
was in constant need of pats on the back.
If I wasn't getting those pats on the back,
I would become too scared... to tackle something.
(ALL PANT)
(PENSIVE MUSIC)
Number seven!
You keep dropping your rock.
Put your rocks down.
Thanks to number seven...
we're gonna go again.
Go!
Three minutes of hard work, that's all I want.
Block out the pain and get it done.
The thing that excites me the most
about taking on a challenge like this is...
really seeing how far I can push myself.
I wanna see what those limits are.
I wanna find those limits,
because I don't feel like I've ever really found them before.
(TENSE MUSIC)
Three minutes of fuckin' hard work, that's all I want.
Block out the pain and get it done.
(TENSE MUSIC)
I'm definitely a resilient person. There's no doubt about that.
I'm like that because of what I've been through.
I'm like that because I've been hurt so much in the past.
I'm like that because there's no other way.
You have to be.
And if you don't, you get eaten up and spat out.
One more minute.
You know, if something's in your face, you just...you go for it.
You just turn on beast mode
and you just do whatever you've gotta do to survive.
(TENSE MUSIC)
And if you don't wanna be here,
put your rock down and gimme your number.
One minute.
That's fuck all. Lock your arms out.
Number two, straighten your arms. Keep it up there.
Oh...
Fuckin' Number two.
Right, put your rocks down in front of you.
NARRATOR: Recruit number two, Candice Warner,
struggling under the heavy weight,
failed to last another 60 seconds.
So close...but yet, so far.
So the DS prolong the agony.
In life, all I wanna do is make my family proud.
So I won't quit.
Quitting's not an option. I won't quit.
Even if I have to crawl...
um...
the DS will have to remove me, because I won't quit.
When I say, "Go," you will lift your rocks up
and you will hold them for one minute.
Is that understood? ALL: Yes, sir.
Standby. Go!
(TENSE MUSIC) (RECRUITS GROAN AND PANT)
Stop making pathetic noises.
(TENSE MUSIC)
If you don't wanna be here...
put your rock down and gimme your number.
30 seconds.
Block it out.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Ten seconds.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Five!
Three, two, one.
Put them down.
Right. When I say, "Go," you put the rocks back
and get back on your numbers with your water bottles on your person -
is that understood? ALL: Yes, sir.
Standby. Go! Move!
NARRATOR: After almost three hours of severe beasting...
the DS finally call time.
All the recruits have managed to survive.
It's the only way you're gonna learn, by suffering...
and hardship.
And you will suffer as a group.
It's as simple as that.
This isn't a course of self discovery.
This is the course of how mentally tough you are.
How much grit and determination you have...
and ultimately, what you're capable of.
Go! Move! Get off the parade square.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
Number two!
That's me? Oh, two. That's me!
NARRATOR: After surviving the relentless beasting,
recruit number two, Candice Warner, has caught the attention of the DS,
so they call her in for questioning.
Oh, former girlfriend for Western Force halfback.
Got drunk and had sex in a hotel toilet.
CANDICE: So in my early 20s, I made a very big mistake.
It's something I'm not proud of but something I can never take back.
I put myself in a situation where I shouldn't have.
And because of that...
I brought embarrassment, shame to my family.
(TENSE MUSIC)
(DOOR RATTLES) Walk, walk, walk.
(TENSE MUSIC)
Sit.
(PANTS)
(DOOR SLAMS)
How are you feeling?
A little bit tired but everyone else is.
I don't think you've come out of third gear, really, have you,
second gear.
You've been quite comfortable.
Oh. (CHUCKLES)
I thought to myself, she must be a family woman or...
Yeah, I've got three kids,
ah, three little girls that I absolutely adore, so.
And what's your husband do?
He plays cricket for Australia.
I know that... (CHUCKLES)
..because I've got my laptop here. Yeah.
Why are you here?
I'm here to represent my family.
Um...
Too many people, I feel...
um...
They're very quick to make a judgement.
On what? Or opinions.
On what? On myself and my family.
Why? What have you done?
Well, I haven't done anything.
OK, so why would they make judgement on you?
Because they're ill-informed from maybe some media
that don't know the entire truth.
About what?
About us.
Oh, come on. You, you're big enough to tell me.
People... Tell me, tell me.
The media make us out to be... Enlighten me.
The media make us out to be people that we're not.
I get that. Yeah, I get that.
But how? What do they make you out to be?
Oh...bad people.
Bad parents.
Don't get on the defensive.
You started it. I know, but I'm very passionate.
So very calmly, right. I know.
Stay calm. Stay calm.
Yeah, I understand that. I'm just asking.
I'm not interrogating you. I'm just asking you questions.
Yep. Relax.
I think the hardest thing for me
was being told that I was a really bad mother.
OK. And why did they say that?
When we came home from South Africa in 2018,
when there was an incident with the Australian Cricket Team -
there was a ball tampering incident, so...
What, with your husband involved?
With my husband. OK.
He tampered the ball or supposedly tampered the ball?
No. That's other people's opinion.
And he's never said his part.
OK. So that's followed you around, has it?
Yeah, it has. OK.
But even before that, um...
there were things, there was incidents in South Africa
where people were... (INHALES) ..ah, trying to make fun of me,
mock me, belittle me in front of my family.
Why? Which...
Because of an incident that happened in the past.
And they think that it's funny.
What incident was that?
It was just a... a bad mistake.
It must've been a bad incident.
Can't you talk about you got caught...
No, I don't wanna talk about it.
Why the defensive mode? Why are you jumping down my throat?
Because I have always been on the defensive.
People - they do, they question my integrity.
They think - they used to think I was a bit of a joke.
So I've come on here to show people
what myself and my family are made of.
And I think I've been through a fair bit and...
and I'm still here.
I'm still fighting.
I've always got my husband's back
and, for me, family's all that matters.
(POIGNANT MUSIC)
I think your journey has got nothing to do with
proving how strong you are or where you can be.
Or how supportive you are with your family.
I think you're intrigued to know how you react to triggers.
Yeah.
And I think your journey now is
how you deal with things that fuckin' wind you up.
Yeah. (CHUCKLES)
Yeah. No, you're right. You're absolutely right.
All I've ever known is to get on the defensive and...
It's tiring, though, innit?
It is, but it's all I've ever known,
is to be aggressive or to suck it up and...
I don't know any other way.
Sometimes when you drop a front... it's the most enlightening thing.
Yeah, but I'm almost too scared to.
Well, that's... There we go.
Oh, if you've got a supporting husband,
then you've got that support.
Yeah, I do but I feel like I'm the one...
(POIGNANT MUSIC)
..that supports.
I support...everyone.
Yeah, but you can't fuckin' support everyone.
Yeah, but... Who supports you?
My husband.
Yeah? Um, but...
It gives me great pleasure
doing everything for my husband and my kids.
You can still do that.
You just don't need a front.
'Cause the front is just a wall that doesn't really exist.
(POIGNANT MUSIC)
You gotta remember - the only thing you ever hear is the noise
but the noise isn't worth listening to.
Mm-hmm.
Just fucking concentrate on your journey in here for now.
Mm-hmm. And concentrate on those triggers,
because, trust me, those triggers will trip you up at some point.
Yep.
Guard!
(DOOR RATTLES)
(PENSIVE MUSIC)
If you get knocked down, you get back up.
If you get knocked down again, you get back up.
You never stop moving.
You never look back.
You keep moving forward.
Because life has so many things to offer you.
I don't wanna change anything about myself,
but I just want to learn more about myself.
Captioned by Ai-Media ai-media.tv