Heartwarming moment we all missed on SAS Australia

We’ve seen blood, sweat, tears and physical pain from this year’s crop of celebs – but there was a key moment between two stars that never made it to air.

It’s easily the grittiest, most challenging reality show on Aussie TV – with 18 celebrity recruits put through their paces during a gruelling course, while trying to get by on minimal sleep, basic food rations, and constant discomfort.

But according to actor Dan Ewing, the worst part about appearing on SAS Australia isn’t what you’d expect.

The former Home And Away star – who is now down to the last five recruits after a whopping three exits on Monday night – told news.com.au that the mental challenge of losing teammates was extremely difficult to adjust to in the SAS climate.

“Losing people was so hard – that sounds really cliche, but every single person brought something, so as people dropped off, it was just like a piece of your soul goes,” Ewing, 36, said.

“It’s the brotherhood, the connection, and getting each other through it.”

Ewing with SAS Chief Instructor Ant Middleton.

He went on to describe the heartwarming scenes that viewers never got to see during the earlier stages in the course, involving singers and fellow recruits Pete Murray and Bonnie Anderson - who have both since quit - performing shows for the group.

“They were singing amazing duets, covered in mud, exhausted – they sung to us all the time … But (producers) didn’t show any of it,” Ewing said.

“It was such a nice moment, such a nice connection – it’s those moments that you like reading about in wartime, where it’s like they’re playing games of soccer, or there’s music. The matrix, the connection that the bond among recruits and soldiers.”

Pete Murray didn’t get a lot of air time during his stint on the show.

Bonnie Anderson joined Murray for performances that didn’t make it to air.

One of the other worst aspects of undertaking the course was trying to soldier through with hand injuries which were being exacerbated daily.

“Because you’re waking up, trying to do your laces on these heavy boots with cold hands, so you can’t feel what you’re doing – your skin’s all dry and the laces and the metal arches are just cutting through your hands, plus obviously you’re then crawling all over the ground,” Ewing said.

“You’re all covered in bandages.”

In fact, while the show may come across as staggeringly difficult to viewers, according to Ewing, the reality is significantly worse.

“It’s so much harder – when you are there, it’s 24/7, that’s the thing,” he explained.

“So it’s 24/7 of all that stuff and you’re just never, ever comfortable, and you always think something is coming, and that mental aspect … that’s what grinds on people the most.”

The actor added that the DS (Directing Staff) deliberately intensify that feeling by constantly warning the recruits that “something’s coming”.

“So it’s always that fear, ‘what’s going on?’” he said.

SAS Australia continues tonight at 7.30pm on Seven.

Originally published as Heartwarming moment we all missed on SAS Australia