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Stress fractures and deep bruising: The brutal physical toll of SAS Australia.

To catch up on all the SAS Australia 2021 recaps and gossip, check out Mamamia's recaps and visit our SAS Australia hub page.

I've spent five weeks judging and joking about the physical and mental tasks on SAS Australia's ruthless selection course, which is bold from someone who... could absolutely not make it through a single day of being yelled at by angry British men.

But while I pointed and laughed from the comfort of my home, this year's SAS Australia celebrity recruits lived it - for much longer than the one hour of television we got to see each day. 

While selection may be over now, the physical toll on their bodies isn't necessarily done.

I mean, we all watched them have to punch each other in the face and jump off cliffs, right?

Watch: Actually, when you watch this, the injuries... make perfect sense. Post continues below video.


Video via Channel 7.

After up to two weeks of pushing themselves to the absolute brink, SAS Australia took an enormous toll on the recruits. 

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Here is what we know about how they went after filming, and the injuries they'll still living with months on.

Painful, deep bruising.

Erin Holland was only on the course for a couple of days, opting to withdraw because her fellow recruits were being punished for her inability to carry the weight of Dan Ewing on her back.

But those few days were... well, ouch. Look at these bruises:

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Erin said these pics were a "raw look at what a few days of selection looked like (plus a sore back from 90+ kilos on it)".

She said the show was unlike anything she'd ever experienced and there were so many tasks that Channel 7 couldn't possibly put it all to air.

So wait. There was MORE TASKS THAN THE 12,000 WE SAW? Yikes.

Emma Husar also shared a carousel of images showing the deep bruises, cuts and grazes she earned in her two days on the course.

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She said the pics were taken immediately after her first post-show shower.

"I thought I was still dirty, so I turned the taps back on and went in a second time," Husar wrote.

"We filmed 24/7, and each ep is 43 minutes, there's a lot you don't get to see! Namely the crawling through rocks, over rocks and doing burpees on rocks! Rocks for dayzzz!"

Kerri Pottharst shared photos of her injuries too, which included lots of bruising and... really badly damaged toenails. Click across this carousel at your own risk!!

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Oh god. I've said it before and I'll say it about: it's a no from me.

A stress fracture.

OKAY NO.

THIS ISN'T OKAY.

Isabelle Cornish left the series with more than bruising... she now has a literal stress fracture.

"I actually was limping from day three but sucked it up, cause I didn't feel like I'd done what I needed," she wrote on Instagram after her withdrawal.

"The load took its toll and I'm now suffering from a stress fracture in the hip."

WTF.

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I mean, I enjoy watching the show. It's entertaining, and I think there's a lot of value in learning how far you can push yourself, both physically and mentally. But when it results in an injury that could affect you for years??? Is it worth it???

"My back is also not in good shape and I didn't want to push it further than I needed at this point in my life," Izzy continued.

She may be physically... sore, but there's recently been some mental clarity, which is nice to hear:

"The past six months since SAS have been a pretty wild ride for me mentally. I asked so many questions and couldn’t get answers. My puzzle pieces have been falling into place the past few weeks," she wrote.

"Leaving the course for me was growth... I swallowed my ego, and I didn't stay to prove myself. Personally, I didn't go on the show to prove anything. I went on there to hopefully be an inspiration to others, share my story and see if I love doing cool sh*t as much as my head believes. Can confirm I love this sh*t!! 

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"I actually had a little post-SAS meltdown because I wanted to run away from my life and join the military."

Oh... wow. Just maybe fix your hip first, okay.

Pete Murray's elbow.

We saw Pete Murray's poor dislocated elbow happen on the show.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THAT BE WHAT AN ELBOW LOOKS LIKE!!!! Image: Channel 7.

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ICK.

It took three men at the hospital to put the elbow back in place (ARGH) and Pete wanted to return straight away, but the injury was too serious for that to happen.

It clearly wasn't the quick fix he'd hoped, because 1. He turned up to the reunion in a big ol' sling, and 2. In late September, he wrote on Instagram that the arm was 'at about 90 per cent.'

That's really good news, but filming was in APRIL, YOU GUYS. THAT'S A LONG RECOVERY.

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Speaking to the SAS Australia Debrief podcast on September 22, Pete said he still couldn't straighten it fully.

"It's a tough one to heal," he said, adding he'd only recently been able to get back in the water to surf.

Drastic weight loss.

Considering how much the recruits are walking, running and being tortured with assault courses, and how little they're eating, it's unsurprising that many experienced drastic weight loss over their time filming.

Winner Sam Burgess, the only one to pass selection this year, said he lost 8.5 kilograms over the 14 days.

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No word on how his already cooked shoulder is holding up, though.

Jett Kenny also lost 8kgs while on the course, which was made by tougher because of his problems with the food.

"I always knew I'd struggle with the food, I'm a fussy eater," Jett told HIT Queensland's Breakfast with Cliffo & Gabi.

"I got to the point where it almost made me vomit and couldn't afford to vomit what I had had the night before."

On Instagram, he said with hindsight he knows he should've tried to force down food down to keep his energy levels up.

He also told Cliffo & Gabi his body was sore for about a month afterwards, requiring physio, rehab and massage therapy.

"My body was a bit sore throughout the end of the days that I was there but for the next month after the show, I struggled to get my shoulders above my head," he said.

"My body's all good now and yeah, if I had the opportunity to do it all again I definitely would," he added.

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Wild.

Read more:

Chelsea McLaughlin is Mamamia's Senior Entertainment Writer. For more pop culture takes, sarcasm and... cat content, you can follow her on Instagram.

Feature image: Channel 7.

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