Special Forces ultimate hell week

harr wrote: »

I think the UK tv viewers have gotten to know the DS in the last number of years as they are all minor celebrities at this stage and have had various TV shows and book deals and the likes. I found the Irish a lot more edgy and raw compared to the UK version. The first series of the SAS version started out the same as the Irish one but then changed to focus on the back stories of those taking part.
I still really enjoy both but you can see the bigger budget in the SAS series.
Anybody remember the Ray Mears survival program? That’s was a cracking program.

I hadn't seen the SAS one before the Irish one (which i did enjoy) and I wonder if it might lose something after because of the profile they got.

I don't doubt that there would be a bigger budget buy I just felt the improvements to the Irish one wouldnt really be ones of budget or being flashier. Just by bringing more nuance.

Kian Powerful Velcro wrote: »

I see RTE are inviting applicants for another season of the show, great news.

Where will they recruit them from this time? I thought most of last seasons crew look liked the got the call through fitness facilities.

jimbobaloobob wrote: »

Where will they recruit them from this time? I thought most of last seasons crew look liked the got the call through fitness facilities.

You can apply online through a fairly detailed application process, the link was on their FB page.

Damo 2k9 wrote: »

You can apply online through a fairly detailed application process, the link was on their FB page.

What if you're not on Facebook? I'd never heard of this until the programme aired.

Yeah looking forward to it on Monday. SAS Who Dares Wins just finished last Sunday and was a really good show too.

That start in the stream was some shock to the system

Jaysus that was brutal stuff and it's only day 1!

That was very enjoyable, certainly not taking it easy on them

Fair play to them all. I wouldn't last an hour.

alchemist33 wrote: »

Wait til they find out Jason Black climbed Mount Everest (he's a minor celebrity in Donegal).

"Oh so you climbed a big f***king mountain, did ye? There's no sherpa to carry your pack for you now, is there?"

Summited K2 as well in 2018, much tougher than Everest. Over 4,000 people have summited Everest, only around 400 have reached the top of K2.

FishOnABike wrote: »

Summited K2 as well in 2018, much tougher than Everest. Over 4,000 people have summited Everest, only around 400 have reached the top of K2.

Yeah and the death rate on K2 is something else, I think 1 in 4 who attempt it lose their life. A good few summit it but lose their lives on the way down like Ger McDonnell in 2008



Good program last night. Pity the young taxi driver lad bailed so early, he was good for a laugh while it lasted.

Noticed that series 2 is 8 episodes long as opposed to 6 episodes for the first one, good stuff.

I enjoyed last night's episode. The DS take no sh1t as I would expect. I said it last season and I'll say it again. They are alot tougher on the participants than the SAS channel 4 version. Unfortunately the channel 4 version has ended up with 2 men and 2 women on the final for the last 2 seasons. If this is supposed to be on ability then one would not expect a man vs women in every final every season.

Kian Powerful Velcro wrote: »

Oh, deadly. That's great news

We all watched it again at lunchtime in work today, we'd great craic looking at civilians go through it and fair fvcks to them.

I said it earlier in the thread (season 1), this is as close to the real thing you're going to put civilians through.

It was pretty full on alright. Can you tell us about the scratch, when you went through it how many hours did it last and what sort of stuff did they have ye doing? And is it a one off or something that happens regularly when you're in the army?

Think you wold enjoy the SAS version, season 7 just finished so the episodes should up on Channel 4 on demand still. Its mainly filmed in the Scottish highlands and Isle of Skye by the looks of it. They had them doing some mad stuff like abseling down waterfalls, rope bridges across a gorge and simulated drowning in a fast moving river. They had an undercover DS with the group too

Muahahaha wrote: »

It was pretty full on alright. Can you tell us about the scratch, when you went through it how many hours did it last and what sort of stuff did they have ye doing? And is it a one off or something that happens regularly when you're in the army?

Not to be answering for Mak, just my own observation. Plus Mak would have done Scratch back in the day when it was only an Itch and probably rougher :pac:

The version of scratch you saw was a toned down version of the real thing, purely because weapons, military specific kit, tactics, skills (maybe H&S :pac:) have been removed from it.

Saying that, what you saw was accurate and enough to completely fcuk you, the principles are the same despite the military aspect being removed. If you put the effort in like the group last night, you'd be bunched.

Most soldiers have done scratch a number of times while in Recruit training, career courses or just because your Unit felt like a "bonding day". It is not exclusive to SOF Selection Course.

I have been (un)fortunate to have undergone it about 6 times in two decades (longest was probably 8hrs or so) it's not a "regular" thing but it's not designed to be. I have also been a DS on a number of Recruit & career course Scratch's.

I will caveat that by saying "scratch" is designed as "an introduction or refresher to operating on the ground". It's purpose is to physically and mentally push you past your percieved limits, to hear, understand and execute orders under all types of physical and mental pressures. To let you see the strengths and weaknesses of your kit, yourself, your buddy and your military skills.

We also regularly do a thing called "Battle PT" which is pretty much a more structured and shorter (maybe 2 hrs) affair. All your fighting kit on while crawling, dragging tyres, logs, sandbags, etc etc.

At the start, you are dreading it but by the end you are loving it.

Edit: Depending what environment scratch is taking place in will depend on what you do.

*In General* Kit wise: Boots, combat uniform, 3kg kevlar helmet, 5kg rifle or 14kg machinegun, SRAAW, at least 10kg of full front line blank ammunition, 10-15kg battle vest with all your kit inside, 15-20kg small daysack on your back. It can be heavier or lighter than that.

Then you have all the extra stuff, tree trunks, logs, tractor tyres, jerry cans of water, sandbags etc etc.

The river you saw at the start is used for Scratch in that area, it's along a short 10Km route and its a bastard.

blueberrypie wrote: »

They are not allowed bring water to hydrate, personally I felt it was humiliating to empty it over each others heads rather than just be seen to dump it.

All part of the hard man/ try to break you mentality.
I am a softie.

I thought it was because they were told to have their water bottles filled to the top?

Man Vs ManUre wrote: »

Was Jason Black in it from the start?? There was no mention of him in episode 1. I didn’t think they bring in new participants so he must have been one that went unnoticed??

Is he number 21?