SAS Australia stars’ secret off-screen deal revealed

Two of this season’s celebrity recruits made a private pact before the show – but when the big moment came during the course, it all changed.

SAS Australia star Dan Ewing has opened up about the secret deal he struck away from the cameras with fellow recruit Koby Abberton.

The two were partnered up early in the series for a boxing match – a challenge the inaugural 2020 cast were also infamously tasked with.

Knowing what was likely to be ahead, Ewing told news.com.au that he and the Bra Boy had had a private conversation before they arrived at the base camp ahead of filming.

“We knew they were going to do the boxing thing, right – so I said, ‘You know what’s going to happen here, our boys are the same age … I don’t want them to see their dads knocking each other’s heads off,” the former Home And Away actor said.

SAS Australia airs on Channel 7.

Ewing, 36, explained that they agreed to not necessarily “just step through the motions” – but to not “try to kill each other”.

However, their off-screen agreement seemingly evaporated once Ewing was paired with Abberton for the boxing match during the course.

“When we stepped out, I saw (Abberton’s) eyes and they were just red,” he said.

“I was just like, ‘I’ve made a mistake here’. He’s smaller but he’s a trained fighter, so I was just like … protect the face!”

SAS Australia airs on Channel 7.

During the brutal scene which played out on TV, Abberton lost his headgear, but the two men were encouraged to continue fighting.

“When his headgear came off, even though he’s an absolute machine and hit me 3000 times, I was like, ‘I can’t do this, I don’t feel comfortable doing this for a TV show’,” Ewing said.

Unsurprisingly, Abberton was declared the winner, with SAS Chief Instructor Ant Middleton telling the actor: “You got your a**e kicked there, didn’t you?”

“Yes, staff,” he replied.

Ewing, one of the final five celebrities still enrolled in the course, found himself in the firing line of SAS Directing Staff Mark “Billy” Billingham during Tuesday night’s episode.

The recruits were put through an intense driving situation where they had to transport a “VIP” to safety while negotiating a obstacles, gunfire and explosions.

Rather than ploughing through a blockade, Ewing appeared to freeze and instead slammed on the brakes before putting the car in reverse.

However, when confronted by Billingham after the challenge, he justified his decision by explaining that he’d been planning to reverse to “build momentum” – but the instructor wasn’t having it.

“You’re really p***ing me off,” he yelled at the actor.

SAS Australia continues 7.30pm tonight on Seven.