SAS Australia Mahalia and Matthew
TV

SAS Australia 2023 Recap Episode 9: A shock VW rocks camp and a desert storm hits

“I can push through mentally, but physically, it’s not how it works"

TV
WRITTEN BY Anita Anabel / Edited BY Anita Anabel
1 November 2023 , 3 minutes to read

It’s episode nine of SAS Australia 2023 and a shock VW has left not only the campers reeling, but the DS too.

Only five recruits remained on the ruthless SAS selection course, and expert sniper DS Staz led a task to see who had the skills to identify a high-value target and take them out with one shot.

Given their indecision and ineffective communication, every single recruit failed the task which left the DS wondering if they could operate under pressure — the literal one thing they need to be able to conquer.

Ant Middleton and DS Staz, Seven

While settling back into camp, a rare desert storm hit, flooding their barracks and forcing the recruits to sandbag the entries while water poured from the ceiling of the dorm. 

The grunt task and a shock VW

In a gruelling Grunt Task, the recruits faced their ultimate challenge – conquering a towering sand dune while hauling a whopping 40 litres of water.

As the other recruits pushed through, Mahalia Murphy’s body began to break down and she became the tenth recruit to withdraw from selection.

Telling the DS she was “done”, Mahalia said: “I can push through mentally, but physically, it’s not how it works.”

“Despite all the pain, the experiences have been unreal. Even the mindset, it’s given me a different perspective and made me think differently, which is going to help me a lot going forward.” 

Mahalia Murphy and Ant Middleton, Seven

The DS interrogate the final four recruits

After Mahalia leaves the camp, the final four recruits – Abbey Holmes, Tim Robards, Matthew Mitcham and Craig Challen – are interrogated in the mirror room.

They were asked why they should be awarded the final selection and who they believed was the strongest and weakest among them. 

Former Bachie Tim said he was the strongest while adding that Abbey was the weakest, while both Matthew and Craig agreed. 

SAS Australia 2023 Final Four, Seven

Want more recaps? Check out our SAS Australia 2023 recaps below!

Episode 1 / Episode 2 / Episode 3 / Episode 4 / Episode 5 / Episode 6 / Episode 7 / Episode 8

SAS Australia 2023 continues on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 7.30 pm on 7 and 7Plus.

Want to CHATTR with us? Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more entertainment news.