SAS Australia’s resident doctor reveals the show’s WORST injury – and says the male recruits lost more than 25kg during filming
It has been described as one of the most gruelling shows on Australian TV.
And now, SAS Australia’s chief medical advisor Dr Sam Hay has explained how the military-style selection course has taken a toll on its star recruits.
Speaking to New Idea, Dr Hay explained that the punishment the celebrities put their bodies through resulted in significant weight loss.
SAS Australia doctor Sam Hay (centre) has revealed the show’s worst injury and says more than 25kg of weight was shed by its celebrity male recruits. Pictured with Directing Staff Mark Billingham (left) and Ollie Ollerton (right)
Celebrity trainer Shannan Ponton dropped 5kg, while radio presenter Merrick Watts lost close to 6.5kg.
Nick ‘The Honey Badger’ Cummins and swimmer James Magnussen are believed to have shed even more weight than that.
As the program’s resident doctor, Dr Hay was tasked with treating injuries on site.
Shocking: Shannan Ponton (pictured) dropped 5kg during his time on the show, while radio presenter Merrick Watts lost close to 6.5kg
‘The gash to Nick’s leg was pretty damn impressive,’ Dr Hay said.
‘It was down to the bone, and he was millimeters away from a catastrophic injury. But a dozen stitches and daily dressings ensured he kept soldiering on.’
Nick had cut his leg while lugging 250 kilos of artillery equipment up a hill during a challenge with Erin McNaught.
Impressive! ‘It was down to the bone, and he was millimetres away from a catastrophic injury,’ Sam explained of Nick Cummin’s injury on the show
The show must go on: After getting his leg bandaged up, Nick returned to the dormitory, happily telling his fellow recruits he’d been given the all-clear to continue with the course
Nick was then required to see Dr Hay, who inspected the gaping wound on his leg to assess whether he could continue with the show.
‘Yowzas, mate! This is a bad gash. You have gone straight down onto the bone, down onto muscle,’ the doctor told him.
‘We’re going to need a dozen stitches,’ he added, before warning the former Bachelor that it was ‘probably going to sting’.
Holding a torch over his wound as the doctor worked, Nick sat up and watched as his leg was stitched back together, before resuming the selection course.
Punishing: Nick Cummins (pictured) and Erin McNaught were the first team to complete a gruelling challenge but it came at a price