Locky Gilbert has been axed by SAS Australia staff just moments before reaching the end of the brutal show. James Weir recaps.
SAS Australia star Locky Gilbert has been chewed up and spat out by the reality TV machine, with staff on Channel 7’s extreme military-style program axing him just moments before the finish line on Tuesday night’s finale.
Over the brutal two-week course, Gilbert — a professional reality contestant who has bounced between several iterations of Survivor and The Bachelor — divided viewers with his cocky sound bites and infuriated co-stars with his brashness.
“I am an egotistical arsehole,” he proudly described himself in an on-camera interview before later declaring he didn’t possess empathy.
His antagonistic streak resulted in several explosive fights with co-stars and led to the show’s military staff calling him a “bully”.
It was a Honey Badger-style fall from grace for the one-time reality TV fave. And producers made sure the experience remained bitter till the very end.
The remaining four celebrity contestants faced the final stage of the course in Tuesday night’s double-episode finale. After completing a series of tasks, the recruits were asked to secretly nominate a peer to cull.
With the votes pitting Locky and motorsports presenter Riana Crehan in a deadlock, it was up to the military staff to choose who to axe. Snuffing out Locky’s imaginary hero’s journey with the finish line in sight was the perfect end to the villain arc producers had crafted.
“I’m f**king devestated,” Locky said. “Because that’s, like, the worst way you could go out — to be voted out by your peers. That’s hectic! Voted out?”
Strangely, the culling appeared to force-feed the self-described “egotistical arsehole” some humble pie.
“I failed, so now I just need to learn from it and take all these lessons into life and just become a better person,” he said.
The three recruits left standing — Riana Crehan, retired NRL star Darius Boyd and NRLW player Millie Boyle — all made it through the final challenge and passed selection into the SAS.
Locky joins a growing list of celebrity contestants who’ve had their reputations torpedoed while appearing on SAS Australia. Former Underbelly actor Firass Dirani became the surprise villain of the show’s inaugural 2020 season, thanks to cocky displays and uttering kooky actor musings during interviews. Former Home And Away star Dan Ewing met a similar fate when he appeared last year.
During Locky’s time on the course, he copped viewer backlash for taking a dig at people with “normal jobs” and bragging about not having to work for the past 10 years.
So, how did this gig compare to a regular nine-to-fiver? He was paid a reported $30,000 for a few week’s work. The job description? Getting tear-gassed, set on fire and having his reputation destroyed.
Suddenly, a normal job doesn’t sound so bad.