SAS Australia celebrity who got paid nothing to appear on the reality series

Sam Burgess may have gone home with a heavy pocket after his stint on SAS, but it turns out one contestant got paid nothing to appear on the gruelling show.

While SAS Australia has a big budget to sign a host of celebrities, it’s been revealed one contestant wasn’t paid a single cent to take part in Channel 7’s gruelling reality show.

After it emerged Sam Burgess got paid between $150,000 and $200,000 to star on the show, making him the highest earner for this season in information obtained by The Daily Telegraph, one of his castmates was sent home with a very light pocket.

Former My Kitchen Rules judge Manu Feildel was reportedly the only celebrity who didn’t receive a sign-on fee to participate, according to the publication.

The chef’s brief appearance on SAS was said to be part of his network contract, meaning he didn’t receive an initial special fee that all the other celebrities got.

Manu bowed out early on in the series in a dramatic exit on Wednesday night’s episode, as he handed in his number prior to an underwater challenge.

“I came on this course to prove something to myself, and I just realised I don’t need to prove anything,” Manu told the camera.

“I’ve got a f***ing good life. I’ve got a f***ing good life, and I want it back.”

Celebrity chef Manu Feildel bowed out when faced with an underwater challenge. Picture: Jeremy Grieve

When asked about the moment on The Morning Show, Manu said while he looked calm at the time, he was far from it beneath the surface.

“I was not relaxed at all. Inside I was bawling, I was freaking out. The previous day, there was this tunnel that you had to go through which I did not get to do, because Sam Burgess was in there for too long, but we were promised that we would be doing that again in the next two days, and I lost sleep over that already,” he said.

“Claustrophobia is something I suffer from, and I thought I would see what happened the next day, and when I saw the Jeep hanging from a crane over the water, and what would happen, I was out. There was no way to change my mind.”

Of the celebs who received a sign-on fee, former politician Emma Husar was the lowest paid on SAS, reportedly getting $25,000.

Emma Husar pulled out of the show last week. Picture: Jeremy Grieve

Although he didn’t receive a sign-on fee, Manu likely received a bonus from the network.

Most of the stars, apart from Burgess, got paid between the $50,000 and $70,000 mark.

SAS Australia continues tonight on Channel 7 at 7.30pm.