Reality TV thrives on mystery, endurance and dramatic slow-motion exits, but this season of SAS Australia has found itself wrapped up in a very different kind of intrigue: how much money everyone got paid.
ICYMI, the reality show is returning for its fifth season next week after a four-year hiatus with a brand new location, all-star cast and theme. Titled SAS: Australia v England, the series pits seven Aussie celebs against seven British stars as they battle it out in the Moroccan desert.
The Australian cast includes reality TV icon Jessika Power, actress and singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Neighbours star Ryan Moloney, musician Axle Whitehead, cricketer Brad Hodge and Olympic swimmers Emily Seebohm and Mack Horton.
They’ll go up against YouTuber Cole Anderson-James, UK Gladiators star Toby Olubi, social media personality Jack Joseph, reality star Dani Dyer, Love Island contestant Gabby Allen, cricketer Graeme Swann and rugby player Ben Cohen.
The upcoming season has already aired in the UK but will premiere on Wednesday, April 29, on Channel 7.
This article contains SAS: Australia v England spoilers. You’ve been warned.
SAS: Australia v England salaries leak
Industry chatter around the series has been heating up after insider salary figures began circulating, revealing to PEDESTRIAN.TV that contestants were reportedly paid anywhere between $36,000 and $86,000 to take part in the notoriously brutal challenge.
Yes, even if their stay in simulated military hell was short-lived.
While SAS has built its reputation on grit, resilience and watching celebrities suffer through sleep deprivation, fans are suddenly far more fascinated by the financial side of things. Because nothing reframes a tearful withdrawal quite like discovering someone banked a solid five-figure cheque for a few days of discomfort.
According to sources, pay packets were negotiated based on profile, public recognition and perceived audience pull, which explains the wide gap between salaries. Established television names and high-visibility personalities were understood to sit comfortably at the higher end, while reality TV regulars landed closer to the base rate.
Awkward detail about the upcoming season
The salary whispers are only half the story. The other, far more awkward subplot comes courtesy of the show’s winner, who now finds themselves navigating the delicate art of pretending the ending isn’t already out there.
Thanks to the series airing overseas before hitting Australian screens, dedicated fans and spoiler-hungry sleuths were able to piece together key outcomes long ago, revealing that — spoiler alert — Emily Seebohm is the only Aussie who passes final selection.
Which makes post-show behaviour… tricky.
Insiders claim the winning recruit has been forced into a strange limbo, publicly tiptoeing around the result while viewers who’ve followed international broadcasts are already very aware of how things play out.
“There’s only so much you can do once episodes exist elsewhere,” one source told P.TV. “People connect dots incredibly fast.”
None of this, of course, diminishes the physical difficulty of SAS itself. The experience remains widely regarded as one of the toughest reality gigs on Australian television, regardless of salary figures or spoiler headaches.
However, it does create a bizarre viewing dynamic. Because once money enters the conversation, the narrative inevitably shifts. Emotional exits feel strange, victories hit different and audience perceptions subtly recalibrate around a simple, unavoidable question: was that a breakdown, or payday?
Meanwhile, the winner’s carefully neutral public stance has become its own source of fascination, with viewers hyper-aware of the strange dance required when television timelines don’t neatly align.
In other words, SAS Australia v England may still be delivering drama on screen. But off-screen? The chaos is doing just fine on its own.
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