‘Bulls..t TV show’: Buttrose quits SAS Australia

In a first for the brutal reality show, a recruit bites back as SAS Australia continues to take its toll on the celebrity recruits.

Richard Buttrose was forced to quit the brutal SAS Australia selection course after barking back at the DS with accusations of bulls … t TV.

In a series first, convicted drug dealer Buttrose – nephew of Australian icon Ita Buttrose declared “I’m sick of the bull TV” in a fiery exchange with Chief Instructor Ant Middleton, telling him to f … off after being accused of cheating.

“If you can’t take being called names, then this isn’t the place for you,” Ant responds.

Buttrose – who served nine years of a 12-year-sentence after being caught with two 6kg bags of cocaine and more than $1.3 million in cash – snapped after twice taking on the ultimate tug of war across two cliffs with a 100m-drop in between. He prevailed against Fat pizza star comedian Pauly Fenech, but lost to Olympic diver Melissa Wu.

Richard Buttrose has fallen on his sword in Monday night’s episode of SAS Australia. Picture: Remco Jansen

DS Ollie Ollerton tour strips off the 49-year-old, who returned to his fellow recruits and angrily recounted the exchange.

“It’s f.....g bullshit,” Buttrose exclaims, before standing up and saying “I don’t want to be part of your stupid TV show anymore.

“You blokes are tearing strips off me for things I’m not doing.”

Middleton asked him if he wanted to hand in his number.

Buttrose replied, referring to Fenech, “I’ll just stay right here – I just pulled that c. t off the cliff.”

The back and forth continued until Buttrose said “Beautifully edited.”

To which Middleton exploded.

“This isn’t a scripted show. We don’t go back and look at the footage. Everything has a purpose.”

Pauly Fenech was offended - yet again - by another recruit on SAS Australia. Picture: Supplied

Recruits were sent back to the base with tension thick in the air as Fenech was again offended by one of his colleagues – surprisingly not usual sparring mate Locky Gilbert this time.

“You called me a c. t for not no good reason,” Fenech said.

“I don’t want to be spoke to like that just because some rich wanker has a tantrum”

Buttrose:“Just so you know, Pauly, I’m broke”

Fenech: “well you act like you’re one. I don’t want to be talked down to by some scum drug dealer.”

Middleton hauled the recruits to the parade ground for a debrief before asking Buttrose again if he wanted to remain part of the show.

Buttrose refused to answer with a straight yes, continually saying. “You know my answer!”, infuriating Middleton who strode through the recruits demanding Buttrose hand in his number 14 and leave the course.

Buttrose had previously spoken about how he had lost his family because of his drug dealing.

He became visibly emotional as he spoke about his time in prison during a tense interrogation on the Channel 7 reality show.

The 49-year-old broke down as he revealed how his wife Pollyanna Stoneham gave birth to his daughter – their second child – two days after he was arrested.

His face dropped further as he revealed that five years into his prison sentence, he received a letter from his wife saying that she was pregnant with another man’s child and wanted a divorce.

I was married with a son and a pregnant wife, and I lost of all that. My daughter was born two days after I got arrested,’ he said.

‘She was amazing. One day I got a letter – typical, talking about my son playing sport and my daughter walking, talking. After all this beautiful stuff about my kids and everything – “I’m pregnant”.’‘Yeah. She was pregnant and she wanted a divorce,’ he added in a camera interview with producers.

Media personality Ita Buttrose supported her nephew Richard through his trial for drugs at the Downing Centre in Sydney.

He went on to tell the Directing Staff (DS) that he didn’t want any sympathy ‘as a convicted drug dealer’.

‘But the other people it affected – my aunt, my wife, my children …’ he added.

‘You still haven’t got over that, have you?’ DS Ollie Ollerton asked him, to which he shook his head.

When asked what he wanted from the experience, he said: ‘Just that last step at redemption. People look at money and drugs and think of those shortcuts.‘I didn’t take any shortcuts in jail – I did the time. I didn’t rat on anyone, I just f.....g took responsibility for everything I got caught with, pleaded guilty for everything I got caught with, and did the time.’

SAS Australia continues, Tuesday, 7.30pm, Seven

Originally published as ‘Bulls..t TV show’: Buttrose quits SAS Australia