SAS Australia’s Matthew ‘Ollie’ Ollerton reveals who his ‘favourites’ were one the show

While they kept things equal on the show, SAS Australia’s Matthew ‘Ollie’ Ollerton said it was impossible not to have ‘favourites’ among the celebrity recruits.

Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia last week, the 47-year-old SAS instructor and mental health speaker said Nick ‘Honey Badger’ Cummins and Ali Oetjen were standouts for him.   

‘You always have favourites! The Badger was just incredible. Badger was brilliant,’ he said of the 33-year-old former rugby union player. 

Star players: While they kept things equal on the show, SAS Australia’s Matthew ‘Ollie’ Ollerton (centre) said it was impossible not to have ‘favourites’ among the celebrity recruits

‘From day one, you knew if he doesn’t make it to the end, it’s going to be because of an injury. If he didn’t make it to the end, I would’ve been surprised.’

Ollie also said Ali, 34, ‘was absolutely incredible’, despite being ‘a little bit broken’ from her recent split with Taite Radley. 

‘We took her into the interrogation room and we said, “You need to drop that.” At that point, we were saying, “She’s not going to make it,” and then all of a sudden after that interview in that room, she rose like a phoenix from the fire,’ he said.

'You always have favourites! The Badger was just incredible. Badger was brilliant,' he said of Nick Cummins (pictured)

‘You always have favourites! The Badger was just incredible. Badger was brilliant,’ he said of Nick Cummins (pictured)

He added: ‘Everyone would assume that Ali would not have been able to do the things that she did. She’s this pretty little blonde thing, you wouldn’t think she’d roll around in the mud, and she was absolutely brilliant.’

But not everyone won Ollie over, with the former SAS soldier describing Firass Dirani as ‘unbelievably frustrating’. 

‘The thing is with Firass, he had so many good qualities as well. He had this one side that was so annoying, and he couldn’t control that… Just when you think he’s learnt, this [his mouth] will just go,’ he said. 

Good effort: Ollie also said Ali Oetjen (pictured) 'was absolutely incredible', despite being 'a little bit broken' from her recent split with Taite Radley

Good effort: Ollie also said Ali Oetjen (pictured) ‘was absolutely incredible’, despite being ‘a little bit broken’ from her recent split with Taite Radley

‘But he was such a strong character, and very strong physically, and that’s why we gave him so many chances.’

Ollie said that despite being given multiple chances to change his attitude, Firass, 37, ‘was his own demise’.  

‘He rejected himself at the end of the day. We tried and tried and tried, but some people you just can’t change,’ he continued.

'We took her into the interrogation room and we said, "You need to drop that." At that point, we were saying, "She's not going to make it," and then all of a sudden after that interview in that room, she rose like a phoenix from the fire,' he said

‘We took her into the interrogation room and we said, “You need to drop that.” At that point, we were saying, “She’s not going to make it,” and then all of a sudden after that interview in that room, she rose like a phoenix from the fire,’ he said

‘But I do think that Firass would have come a long way. Absolutely frustrating, but great TV.’

Ollie also admitted that he was disappointed Roxy Jacenko didn’t give the course more of a chance, after she elected to leave after just six hours.  

‘I know she was injured and stuff, but it’s on the show where she’s like, “I’m really uncomfortable doing this,”‘ he recounted of the 40-year-old publicist. 

Getting on his nerves: Not everyone won Ollie over, with the former SAS soldier describing Firass Dirani as 'unbelievably frustrating'

Getting on his nerves: Not everyone won Ollie over, with the former SAS soldier describing Firass Dirani as ‘unbelievably frustrating’

'He rejected himself at the end of the day. We tried and tried and tried, but some people you just can't change,' he said

‘He rejected himself at the end of the day. We tried and tried and tried, but some people you just can’t change,’ he said

‘It’s like, you’re coming on a military show, what did you expect? She came out and said she had an injury, and that’s fair enough… But you either turn up and perform or you don’t, and that’s it. 

‘At the end of the day, I’m disappointed for her, not for me. I just think she could have done a lot better.’

And Ollie said he wasn’t the only DS who was ‘shocked and disappointed when she left’: ‘We wanted to deliver more pain! We had so much more for her.’  

Gone girl: Ollie also admitted that he was disappointed Roxy Jacenko didn't give the course more of a chance, after she elected to leave after just six hours

Gone girl: Ollie also admitted that he was disappointed Roxy Jacenko didn’t give the course more of a chance, after she elected to leave after just six hours