The remaining eight recruits speak in advance of the final episode of SAS: Who Dares Wins.
The finale of SAS: Who Dares Wins, in which ex-Special Forces soldiers put recruits through a recreation of the SAS selection process, takes place on Sunday night.
Here the finalists reflect on their experiences during the Channel 4 show.
James
“I count it a great achievement to have made it through to the final eight on SAS: Who Dares Wins, considering the brutality of the conditions. The altitude and the cold played a major part in wearing us down throughout the course and the Staff ramped up the intensity of the challenges in those last days, both in physical and mental terms. We were all pushed to breaking point and learned how to come through with a little more left to spare. It was an incredible exercise in understanding our capabilities and limits.”
Rick
“When I started the process of SAS: Who Dares Wins, I set myself a goal of getting to interrogation. I knew I was physically fit enough to take on the course but I wanted to test my mental strength. No prize, no ceremony just you against you.”
Mark
“Making it to the final eight was a great personal achievement but I knew I still had more to give. I also knew the that interrogation would be so testing. This was quite unsettling as I knew it would test every part of me.
“The biggest thing I learnt after the show was the power of speaking up about mental illness. So many people are struggling in silence. My intention was never to go on and make a difference to mental health stigmas but it was so amazing to see what effect it has had on people.”
Vicki
“To get to the final stage of SAS: Who Dares Wins was firstly an immense privilege. But I also felt an overwhelming sense of relief. That I had done everything – and to the best of my ability. I knew interrogation was going to be tough, but I knew that there was nothing at the other side of it, except deep satisfaction when it would finally be over.
“It was also a huge honour to be going into the last phase of the course with the other seven recruits who had made it that far. I knew from that moment that we had a really strong and unbreakable bond no matter what happened. Then it was just down to each of us to resist for as long as we could. I wanted every single one of them to pass.”
Lou
“It was an absolute privilege and honour to have taken part in the series. To have been amongst the first women to compete on equal par with the guys on the programme and to have finished it as part of the absolute legends that are the final eight, makes me proud every minute.”
Louise
“I feel proud, motivated and exhilarated to have made it to the final eight. It’s quite emotional watching it back and see yourself go through the ‘trauma’ of some of the tasks. I think the last episode will make difficult viewing for me but the whole experience has been amazing.”
Hannah
“I went with the attitude that I would never hand my armband in and I would keep my hand down and graft. I was exhausted physically and mentally but I was so proud to stand next to the other amazingly strong recruits as one of the final eight. This and the thought of my boyfriend serving eight years in the Royal Marines gave me that extra motivation to push on and dig deeper into interrogation stage!”
Milo
“I was truly humbled to be surrounded by great people, I’ve always believed that the harder you work, the luckier you get. I gave 100% in everything… I was never going to VW (voluntarily withdraw). My fate was in the hands of the DS and I’ve made it to the final eight.”
The SAS: Who Dares Wins final airs on Sunday February 10 at 9pm on Channel 4.