I suspect the final of the Australian version may be that night too.
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The SAS Australia brand has been severely tarnished by allegations of widespread war crimes - Seven may be wise to quietly retire the franchise.
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However, it will then move to 7mate with a new timeslot: 7.30pm Mondays, from 30 November.
This means episode 4 will potentially air in WA after the night’s BBL match on December 14, due to time difference.
(There are five episodes in Series 3 which Seven is showing)
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They’re still showing it? Maybe give it a rest until next year, given recent events.
SEASON FINAL
In tonight’s SELECTION test, the final five SAS Australia star recruits had to:
- Escape captivity and evade capture by the Hunter Force.
- Be subjected to painful stress positions and disturbing repetitive noise.
- Display resistance to interrogation by specialist defence personnel and maintain a cover story.
- Survive The Final Sickener – a three phase operation which included a 3km artillery resupply carrying heavy sandbags and ammunition containers; an arduous casual evacuation through unforgiving terrain; and an uphill 4km sprint to an extraction point.
After two weeks of brutal physical and psychological training, the final five recruits – James, Merrick, Molly, Nick and Sabrina – were just holding it together physically and mentally as they entered the final stages of SAS selection.
After unsuccessfully trying to evade a hostile Hunter Force, the recruits were held captive and subjected to painful stress positions and disturbing noises, all designed to break their mental resolve ahead of facing interrogation.
Physically and mentally worn out, and suffering in the near freezing temperatures, Molly tearfully decided to VW - “I just can’t stop shivering, I’m in so much pain right now.”
The remaining four recruits then embarked on The Sickener - a final gruelling task which pushed them beyond any limit thought possible, to determine who would pass or fail selection.
After surviving 21 punishing tasks, 11 VWs and two recruit culls, the last four recruits made it all the way to the end of the course where the DS had to decide – who would we want on our team, standing by our side in a warzone?
Chief Instructor Ant Middleton asked James to hand in his number, telling him it’s “just not your time” and it “just wasn’t enough” but he should hold his head up high.
Merrick, Nick and Sabrina passed selection, the hardest thing they will ever do –
Nick : “… just an amazing experience, I feel like I’ve learnt a truckload, a lot about myself too, definitely bullet proof for life for sure.”
Sabrina: “To embark on this and to pass selection and for them to embrace me as one of their own, I’ll never be able to explain how much this means to me.”
Merrick: “To pass it and to get through it and survive it is one of the greatest achievements I’ve ever had in my entire career. F#$% yesssssssss!!!”
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SAS Australia scores big for 7 and 7plus
Biggest new TV show of 2020
After six weeks of punishing conditions, extreme physical tests, sleep deprivation and intense interrogations, the Seven Network’s latest hit show, SAS Australia, reached its dramatic conclusion last night.
The final episode – which saw comedian Merrick Watts, rugby union player Nick Cummins and AFLW star Sabrina Frederick pass SAS selection – drew a national audience of 1.04 million.
In the capital cities, it captured 767,000 viewers and dominated its timeslot with a commercial share of 42.0% in 25 to 54s, 47.5% in 16 to 39s and 35.4% in total people.
Across its debut season, SAS Australia achieved a total video audience of 1.35 million, making it the biggest new show of 2020.
SAS Australia’s total video audience included a broadcast audience of 1.13 million on Channel 7 and a record-breaking catch-up audience of 228,000 on 7plus.
SAS Australia shattered 7plus records, becoming the biggest show in the history of Australia’s #1 commercial free-to-air BVOD service in record time. The premiere episode now has a BVOD audience of 414,000, with subsequent episodes seeing similar BVOD audiences.
Seven’s Network Director of Programming, Angus Ross, said: “SAS Australia has broken records all over the place. It’s the biggest show ever on 7plus and the biggest new TV show of the year.
“It also joins Big Brother and Farmer Wants A Wife as our third successful launch of a tentpole program this year. All three shows have performed very strongly on broadcast–delivering significant growth in 25 to 54s and 16 to 39s – and on 7plus and social media.
“The success of SAS Australia is another demonstration of our commitment to cross- screen programming, which has once again shown its power with the record-setting audiences SAS Australia secured on 7plus.”
Seven’s Network Sales Director, Natalie Harvey, said the multi-screen success of SAS Australia led to exceptional results for the show’s commercial partners.
“Since June, we have launched three new prime time hits, all of which will return in 2021,” she said.
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After finishing season 3 of SAS: UK this Monday, 7mate will show the very first season next Monday (December 27) at 7.30pm. In WA it will air at 8pm after the BBL.
Ant Middleton is leaving the UK version, but has filmed a regular and celeb version for this year.
It very much sounds like it wasn’t a “voluntary withdrawal” and more a reaction to his increasingly controversial comments on various issues.
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What comments are those?
He called the Black Lives Matters protests “scum” and was a serious Covid denier, saying it didn’t affect him, back in the early days, urging people to carry on with their lives and believed he wouldn’t need to isolate as he was healthy. To be fair though he did backtrack on those comments when it became obvious how wrong he was.
Interesting he was kept on for the latest series though - not sure when they were filmed but presumably he was under contract. And with the show being largely about redemption they’ve never hidden away from their own flaws. What will be interesting is whether it’s one out all out as they’ve worked very much as a team over the years.
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Given the recent controversy surrounding Ant Middleton, it will be interesting to see if Seven drop him from the Australian version before filming commences.
Though I’d say it’s unlikely given many viewers of SAS Australia wouldn’t have a clue about some of the comments he’s made in recent months.
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Former rugby league star Sam Burgess, former AFL premiership player Heath Shaw, Brynne Gordon and Jana Pittman are tipped to take part in season 2 of SAS Australia.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/fiona-byrne/sam-burgess-taking-unexpected-plunge-into-reality-tv/news-story/586663a714661e793da271bfb11b65e8
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This is the network who kept Pete Evans on for how many years? Ants comments over the last 12 months have been despicable and he shouldn’t be on the seven version. It is not like he is needed to do the show. I am sure 7 can find some local talent to do it
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Steve ‘Commando’ Willis would be a good choice.
Although knowing Seven they’ll probably choose Ben Roberts-Smith instead 
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I wonder if Seven was recruiting Brynne Gordon to take part in SAS Australia just to make up the numbers, like Roxy Jacenko last season?
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