Truth behind Dan Ewing’s awkward SAS interrogation in finale episode

Viewers were led to believe Dan Ewing majorly botched an interrogation on the SAS finale, but one of the contestants has revealed what really happened.

Dan Ewing didn’t manage to complete the SAS course on Tuesday night’s finale after a seemingly botched hostage interrogation.

Viewers were led to believe the former Home And Away actor concocted a random story to tell the captors during one of the final challenges, as opposed to his fellow contestants who all spoke honestly.

“How’d you get here?” the soldiers asked him.

Ewing responded: “I was brought here for a fundraiser in a car. I’m just an actor, I don’t give a f**k what you guys got goin’ on.”

The show’s narrator then mocked Ewing, saying: “Misunderstanding the purpose of being questioned, Dan isn’t co-operating – and, instead, draws upon his acting background by … inventing … a cover story.”

He was then brutally kicked off the course by the soldiers who dubbed him “thick”.

However, his co-recruit Jana Pittman, who just missed out on passing the course, has told 2DayFM’s The Morning Crew with Hughesy, Ed and Erin that they were all told to recite Ewing’s fabricated story – but only Ewing’s made it to air.

“Poor Dan … We were given the exact same story and Dan and I did sit there for hours and hours and hours rehearsing it,” Pittman said.

“That story he said, he went into character straight away whereas I think some of us went in and thought, ‘Oh gosh these guys are scary, they’re the real deal, I think they’re not wanting a story here’.

“Whereas Dan stayed in character which is, to be honest, what we were told to do initially.”

Dan Ewing was kicked off Tuesday night's finale of SAS Australia.

Pittman also said Ewing was “pretty upset” about his portrayal on the show.

“I’ve spoken to him a lot, and in Dan’s situation I think he is such a strong guy who has come out as someone who’s very into yoga and (is) holistic in his nature, but what an opportunity we’ve missed to highlight that mental health and identity crisis does happen in young men, and finding avenues and ways to get passed that.

“In that respect I hope he does have opportunities to talk about why he did the show and how he has grown in life because we did only see some of the more dramatic sides of him.”

Retired NRL player Sam Burgess was the only contestant to successfully pass the course, while Mark Philippoussis and John Steffensen both completed it alongside him.

SAS Australia airs its reunion episode tonight at 7.30pm

Originally published as Truth behind Dan Ewing’s awkward SAS interrogation in finale episode