Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins reaches a dramatic and unforgettable conclusion as three women defy the odds to pass the toughest course on television. DANI DYER (recruit 4 - British), GABBY ALLEN (recruit 5 - British) and EMILY SEEBOHM (recruit 10 – Australian) are revealed to have passed, during Channel 4’s 9pm series finale on Monday 26 January.
Over eight relentless episodes, in the searing heat of North Africa, this condensed Special Forces selection process, led byChief Instructor Billy Billingham MBE and his Directing Staff (DS) – Jason Fox (Foxy), Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver – stripped the recruits of sleep, strength and certainty. In Monday night’s programme, the remaining five celebrity recruits - TV stars, Dani Dyer and Gabby Allen; rugby legend, Ben Cohen MBE (recruit 7 – British) and Olympic swimmers, Emily Seebohm and Mack Horton (recruit 14 – Australian) - faced a final test designed to reveal who truly had what it takes to pass.
The fourteen British and Australian celebrities who began the course were pushed to breaking point - and not all had what it took to reach the end. Some chose to withdraw, while others were removed by the DS. In the final episode, the last five recruits faced the ultimate test of endurance and resilience: interrogation. Under intense psychological pressure and extreme sleep deprivation, the two remaining men - Ben Cohen and Mack Horton - made the decision they could not continue, leaving the three women to stand alone before the DS in the final moment.
After enduring the intense, brutal selection, in the unforgiving North African heat, Chief Instructor Billy Billingham MBE delivers the final verdict:
“Eight days ago you came from both sides of the world. Fourteen arrived. Three stand before us.
Just because you stand on the finish line doesn’t mean you’ve passed this course.” He then reveals: “It’s a rare moment to say — congratulations to all three of you. You’ve passed this course.”
Overcome with emotion after hearing the three of them had passed, Dani Dyer congratulates her fellow finalists, Gabby Allen and Emily Seebohm: “Well done, girls.”
Reflecting on the achievement, Dani says: “Every single moment was horrendous. But to hear that I’d passed — it’s the best feeling in the world. If I can do this, I can do anything.” She adds: “I definitely am a lot stronger than what I think I am…I can’t believe I’ve actually been able to do it. I’m really proud of myself.”
On discovering that the last recruits standing were all women, she adds: “I love it because we are strong women. We go through so much as women, mentally and physically. That final day with the interrogations and the noises, the animals in our ears, the pig noises, the scratching, it was awful. I thought I’d messed up. I thought I grassed everyone up. That was in my head. But we are strong women. We really are.”
Gabby Allen is stunned by the outcome: “I can’t believe that out of fourteen people, it’s us. Well, I can — because we’re boss bitches.” She continues: “Standing there with two women at the end meant everything to me. My whole brand is about empowering women from every walk of life. Men are strong, but women show time and time again that we can do just as much. We were lifting the same weights, trying just as hard. I wouldn’t have wanted to be there at the end with anyone else. We built a bond you could never replicate.”
She adds: “I wanted to leave knowing I’d given absolutely everything that I could, that I'd thrown myself into everything and made myself proud and my dad proud. That’s all that mattered to me.”
One person consistently surprised Gabby throughout the course: “The whole cast surprised me in different ways but Dani surprised me. I felt protective of her, but she held her own and never gave up. Standing next to her at the end was incredible. Two girls from Love Island showing everyone what we can do.”
Olympic swimmer Emily Seebohm says she initially thought the women had been singled out as the weakest: “When we were unbagged and it was just the three of us standing there, I thought we’d been picked out as the weak ones.”
Discovering the three of them had passed, she adds: “I couldn’t have been prouder of the girls. We spent the whole time lifting each other up and reminding ourselves how strong we were.”
On how it felt to discover none of the men had made it to the end, Emily adds: “I wasn’t surprised it was the three women, but I was surprised the two guys (Ben and Mack) didn’t make it because they were so strong. I was always trying to keep up with them during tasks, so to not see them at the end was shocking.”
Revealing what got her through to the end, Emily said: “Every time I struggled, I pictured my son in his dinosaur pyjamas. I could see him so clearly, and it gave me strength. When we were climbing the mountain with chains and tyres, I could see him the whole time in my head. I wasn’t struggling at all. It was pure mind over matter.”
Being congratulated by Rudy Reyes, who tells her, “Be proud of yourself,” Emily later reflects: “I’ve been to four Olympic Games. I’ve been through a lot in my life — but I don’t give up.”
Watching the moment unfold, Jason Fox (Foxy) admits it affects the Directing Staff too: “I love it when people pass the course. Sometimes I have to hold back the odd tear. I’m honoured to be part of their journey.”
He adds: “When selection ends, you realise it’s character-building. It creates bonds that last.”
As the recruits leave the course, Billy Billingham reminds them what truly matters: “You’ll walk away knowing what’s important in life. It’s not followers, money or materials. It’s yourself, your health and the people who love you.”
The moment is punctured with humour when Dani Dyer adds: “and showers,” prompting laughter from both staff and recruits.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is available to stream on Channel 4.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is a Minnow Films production for Channel 4. The Executive Producers for series seven are Liam Humphreys, Dave Sutton and Joe Ward, the Series Producer is Kim Rossiter and Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor for Science, Travel and Adventure is Jonah Weston.
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