TV’s toughest show is returning and women who’ve enlisted say they’ve got what it takes to survive it.
When it comes to alpha types, they don’t get much more alpha than Olympian, world champion hurdler, doctor and mum-of-four Jana Pittman.
The 38-year-old says she’s taking part in SAS Australia – just six months after the birth of her youngest son Charles – to really “challenge myself mentally and physically”.
This show is tough. Did you ever want to quit?
I don’t quit, but every bit of me was screaming “get out of here” when I had to escape from a submerged car in one of the challenges. That pushed me so far mentally – I’ve never experienced fear like it in my life!
Why was it important to you to take part?
This is the first reality show I’ve ever agreed to do. I said yes because it’s the hardest. It’s physical, but it’s also about mental tenacity. My body was screaming but I would just go, “Shut up and get on with it.”
Did you suffer from any injuries during filming?
I tore off a toenail, which was pretty yuck, and I’ve never been more bruised in my life.
You’re currently working in an ED in a Sydney hospital – that must be gruelling?
It’s scary because I’ve got four little kids at home and we’re in the middle of a pandemic, but the hospital is super-strict about our safety. It’s actually an honour also to see firsthand what the world has experienced and to try and do something about it.
How has SAS affected you?
It’s pushed me to go for another goal of mine: to join the Army Reserve. I’d love to work as a medic or go overseas to help hard-hit disaster communities.
For most newlyweds, the days immediately after the ceremony are spent on honeymoon.
Not so for TV presenter, singer and former Miss World Australia Erin Holland.
Just days after she married international cricketer Ben Cutting, her husband travelled overseas to play and she threw herself into training for SAS Australia.
“I thought I was fit because I’ve trekked Kokoda in the Himalayas and done Tough Mudder [obstacle runs], but this was something else.”
Erin, 32, adds that when she told her family she was taking part in an upcoming reality show, her mum assumed it would be something like Dancing with the Stars.
“I think they were pretty shocked when I said I was doing this show. It’s brutal!”
In addition to wanting to physically and mentally challenge herself, Erin adds that a home burglary last year (which she elaborates on in the show) meant she wanted to “reclaim her power” after being left shocked by the incident.
“It was a tough time but SAS gave me the chance to build myself back up again,” she explains.
At just 57kg, Erin says carrying an 18kg pack around all day was hard but she learned her “body is more capable than I ever gave it credit for”. And she’d sign on to another season in a heartbeat. “It’s given me so much strength,” she says.
Politics is a bruising game, but for former MP Emma Husar that proved to be more than true when she was forced out of the Labor Party over false accusations of sexual misconduct and bullying.
“I decided to enlist for this show as a way of overcoming the issues I faced in 2018 and prove to Australia I’m not what I was accused of,” Husar, 41, says.
The mum-of-three was hampered going into the show by a calf injury sustained while training.
“Before that, I trained three to four hours a day. Physically I came onto the program injured, but mentally and emotionally I was so ready to tackle this.”
Husar says that taking part in SAS Australia has taught her so much about herself.
“I learned that I don’t have to prove anything to the outside world,” she reveals.
“I know my truth and I am brave enough to stand in that fire. I am worthwhile.”
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