The fifth episode of SAS: Who Dares Wins season 8 saw the nine remaining recruits pushed to their limits. The aim of the DS was to drain their reserves ahead of the sixth and final phase.
In episode 5, the theme was Survival. The episode opened up with the recruits called onto the parade square for a briefing from chief DS Billy. For this phase each recruit was told to survive on their ration packs. The first challenge was a helicopter ladder extraction from water. The recruits were taken out in pairs before being dropped from a fast moving boat into the water. They than had to swim and race to climb ladders to reach a helicopter. The loser would have to jump out of the helicopter back into the water.
First up was Number 2, Grant versus Number 14, Ross. It was a close race but Ross just managed to get to the helicopter first. Number 9, Daniel beat Number 4, Hilary while Number 10, Danica beat Number 7, Faye. Finally, Number 16, Jordan went up against Number 8, Rosie. Jordan made it to the helicopter while Rosie failed to even make it to the ladder and had to be rescued.
Back at base, the DS met to discuss how the recruits had performed on the task. Following the meeting the recruits faced another brutal beasting. In teams the recruits had to complete circuits of the temple steps while carrying logs. There were also sections of exercises including bear crawls, burpees and jumps. Ross began to struggle with an injury and decided it was time to hand in his armband.
Jordan also began to lag behind as fatigue set in. The DS noticed and pushed her more and more. She became frustrated with herself and lost her temper. Back at base, Jordan was called in for questioning. She was upset with herself and spoke of her traveller upbringing and coming out when she was younger. Billy gave her advice on how to progress.
The next challenge involved the recruits swimming out in pairs to a floating platform. There they had to wrestle each other until one of them was pushed off the platform into the water. Recruits Daniel, Grant and Hilary won their battles against Rosie, Danica and Faye. Last up was Number 3, Joshua versus Jordan. The two boxers went for each other but Joshua quickly came out on top. His final push resulted in Jordan injuring her shoulder which forced her to be medically withdrawn from the course.
After another meeting the DS decided it was time to speak to Grant. They said he was doing well but they couldn’t work him out. He spoke of difficulties growing up and being bullied at school. After a breakdown in his twenties he was diagnosed with adult ADHD. He had since been learning how to manage it. DS Foxy gave him some advice on how to progress.
At the end of the episode, the recruits were split into two teams. Team Alpha was led by Joshua and Team Bravo was led by Danica. The two teams faced a race through the jungle to find a hidden cache. Team Bravo lost time trying to figure out which way to go. However, Team Alpha made a wrong turn and ended up finishing in second place. Bravo was rewarded with extra rations and equipment to set up camp for the night. Alpha were tasked with standing guard and faced a sleepless night.
Episode 6
In the series finale, the seven remaining recruits are ambushed by a hunter force team behind enemy lines. Handed over to the feared interrogators for questioning, the recruits are subjected to punishing techniques, exhaustion and hunger, as they attempt to stick to their cover story.
In the most feared phase of the course, they must endure psychological and physical punishments designed to break their will and force a confession. As they edge closer to the end of the course, will the final seven prove magnificent or not?
SAS: Who Dares Wins series 8 concludes at 9pm Tuesday 21st February 2023 on Channel 4.
