There I was, flicking through the TV channels last Sunday night, and I found myself gawping at Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. The show has quite a lineup this year! My partner looked up from her phone and said, “Isn’t that the drag queen from RuPaul’s?” Sure enough, there was Bimini getting absolutely hammered by the DS.
Got me wondering how mental this year’s lot actually is. Fourteen celebrities got paid to get bullied, pushed, and basically tortured for charity. Mental, but brilliant telly.
The Survivors Still Fighting
When you look at the Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins cast for this series, it’s honestly pretty mad how diverse they are. You’ve got reality stars standing next to professional athletes and rappers next to drag queens. It’s as if someone threw darts at a dartboard full of famous people and picked whoever got hit.
The thing that strikes me most is how quickly some of them gave up. Four episodes down, and we’re already down half the batch. It does make you wonder if they actually saw the show before agreeing to join it.
The Love Island Contingent
Right, let’s start with the Love Island lot because there are quite a few of them. Tasha Ghouri bailed in episode 2, which I think shocked me the most. She looked hard as nails on Love Island, but the SAS course was a different ball game altogether.
And Adam Collard, who’s somehow still getting away with it. Fair play to him; the lad’s done Love Island twice, so he obviously doesn’t shy away from a challenge. My mate always says Adam’s got that gym lad mentality, all or nothing.
Chloe Burrows also quit in episode 2, the same as Tasha. Bit of a sham,e really, because I quite liked her on Love Island. But then again, getting screamed at by Billy Billingham isn’t exactly the villa experience, is it?
Harry Clark got culled in episode 4; the DS decided he wasn’t cutting the mustard. That must hurt more than deciding to leave yourself. Poor lad probably thought he had what it took.
The Sports Stars Bringing the Heat
Now, here is where things start to become interesting. Troy Deeney is still there, and honestly, who didn’t see that coming? The guy’s a warrior on the pitch when it comes to football, so I think he must have some sort of mental strength to be able to deal with this madness.
Another competitor still standing is Conor Benn. Pro boxer taking on SAS selection? Makes perfect sense to me. The guy gets punched in the face for a living, so mud and shouting probably won’t faze him that much.
What I least anticipated: Adebayo “The Beast” Akinfenwa’s quitting in episode 4. I mean, the man’s an absolute unit; proper strong, tough-as-nails footballer. But I suppose physical strength doesn’t always translate to this type of mental challenge.
The Musical Talent
Lady Leshurr is still very much on the up, and that doesn’t shock me at all. So anyone who succeeds in the rap game is sure to have a pretty high degree of mental toughness. Plus, she’s a Brummie, and I’ve always thought Brummies were as hard as ruby nails.
And Lucy Spraggan is still there as well. Remember her from X Factor? The singer-songwriter who has already been through the wringer, life-wise. That life experience probably helps when some ex-military bloke is screaming in your face.
The Reality TV Wildcards
RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Bimini is still in the race, and it’s fair to say: good for them. Drag queens are tougher than most would believe. The abuse they suffer for just being themselves? That’s character development the way it ought to be.
And then there’s Rebecca Loos, most famous for that whole David Beckham thing years ago. She’s still in the mix too. Fair play to her for subjecting herself to this after all the media nonsense she’s dealt with over the years.
The Early Departures
Louie Spence threw in the towel for episode 1, which was hardly surprising. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the bloke’s energy, but SAS selection isn’t exactly designed for jazz hands and theatrical flourishes, is it?
Hannah Spearritt also dropped out in episode 1. She was a member of S Club 7, but it turns out reaching for the stars doesn’t prepare you for slithering through mud in the middle of nowhere.
The One That Really Surprised Me
Michaella McCollum is still going, which is probably the biggest shock of the lot. She’s the one who got caught smuggling drugs in Peru years ago. After going through Peruvian prison, maybe getting shouted at by British ex-military doesn’t seem so bad?
What Makes This Year Different
The thing about this year’s cast of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is how diverse it is. Usually, you get a bunch of reality stars and maybe a few athletes. But this lot? It’s proper all over the place.
You’ve got people from completely different worlds trying to survive the same brutal course. A drag queen and a professional boxer sharing the same hell? That’s not something you see every day.
My Take on Who’ll Make It
If I had to put money on it, I’d say Troy Deeney and Conor Benn have the best chance of making it to the end. They’re both used to high-pressure situations and physical demands.
Lady Leshurr’s another one, which I reckon could go all the way. She’s got that mental strength that comes from fighting your way up in a tough industry.
As for Adam Collard, he’s got the physical side sorted, but Love Island drama and SAS selection are two very different beasts. We’ll see if all that gym work translates to mental toughness.
The Real Winners
Whatever happens, fair play to the lot of them for even attempting this madness. Most of us can barely handle a difficult Monday morning, let alone getting screamed at by ex-special forces while crawling through freezing mud.
The show’s brilliant because it strips away all the celebrity nonsense and shows what people are really made of. No stylists, no scripts, just raw human determination. Or in some cases, the complete lack of it.
That’s what makes Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins such compelling viewing, as we watch famous people discover things about themselves they probably didn’t want to know.
