Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins season 5 saw sixteen new celebrities face one of the toughest challenges of their lives.
Over the course of seven one-hour episodes, the new group of famous faces abandoned their glamorous lifestyles and tried their luck at surviving in the most unforgiving jungle in the world, Thung Ui in North Vietnam.
The course was once again ran by the elite team of ex-Special Forces operators: Chief instructor Billy Billingham MBE and his team of directing staff, Foxy (Jason Fox), Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins season 5 release date
The series started on Tuesday, September 26 2023 at 9.30pm on Channel 4, with the final episode airing on Sunday, October 5 at 9pm on Channel 4.
All episodes are now available to watch on Channel 4 streaming.
Who has left Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins season 5 so far?
Hollyoaks star Kirsty-Leigh Porter was the first celebrity recruit to quit after she suffered a panic attack following a challenge where the contestants had to escape a room filled with tear gas.
TV presenter Melinda Messenger and Liberty X singer Michelle Heaton also handed in their armbands after being eliminated by Foxy and his team.
Welsh former rugby player Gareth Thomas was medically withdrawn from the course after injuring his hamstring in murderball.
Paralympic cyclist Jon-Allan Butterworth, singer Siva Kaneswaran and ex-footballer Jermaine Pennant were all medically withdrawn from the course after overheating in a gruelling trust task.
Comedian Zoe Lyons was removed from the course as a safety precaution by the staff after she became physically exhausted and James "Arg" Argent voluntarily withdrew from the competition after a beasting.
Love Island's Montana Thompson also left the show after dislocating her kneecap.
TOWIE star Amber Turner voluntarily withdrew from the competition after her team were 'kidnapped' when the recruits were sent into the jungle on a risky mission behind enemy lines.
Love Island star Teddy Soares made it to the final but failed the challenge after he broke his cover story early during interrogation and confessed that he was with the British special forces.
Olympic athlete Perri Shakes-Drayton also made it to the final but was removed from the course when she admitted what their true mission was after she had been broken by the intense treatment.
Who won Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins season 5?
Singer Gareth Gates won Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins season 5 after making it to the final alongside former health secretary Matt Hancock and TV personality Danielle Lloyd.
What happens in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins season 5?
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins tests the sixteen celebrities to their limits as they attempt to complete a condensed version of the SAS selection course. Braving the brutal climate and tropical rainfall of the Vietnamese jungle they will take on a number of gruelling physical and psychological challenges and face terrifying interrogations.
Meet the stars of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins season 5
Gareth Gates, 39 - winner
Singer-songwriter Gareth Gates, rose to fame after coming in second place on Pop Idol in 2002 to winner Will Young. Since then he's released three albums and starred in productions of musicals Footloose, Legally Blonde and Les Miserables.
He says, "WOW, this was an experience like no other. I learned very quickly that there is a difference between being gym fit and battle fit.
"I was so looking forward to doing this show, to test myself, to see what courage, grit and determination I really had. I would encourage anyone who wants one of the ultimate, physical and mental challenges to give this a go. It was an amazing, brutal, unique experience!"
Danielle Lloyd, 39 - final three
TV personality Danielle Lloyd is best known for taking part on Celebrity Big Brother, Total Wipeout, The Weakest Link and Splash!.
The mum of five says, “This experience was just life changing. It's made me positive and ready to take on the world.”
Jermaine Pennant, 40 - medically withdrawn
Ex-footballer Jermaine Pennant has previously played for Arsenal, Birmingham City, Liverpool and Stoke City, among other teams.
He says, “I wanted to push myself to my limits, but you underestimate how brutal it actually is until your body's going through it!”
Jon-Allan Butterworth - medically withdrawn
Paralympic cyclist Jon-Allan Butterworth lost his left arm in a rocket attack whilst serving in the RAF in 2007. He has won a gold medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games, as well as the 2011, 2012 and 2016 Track World Championships.
He says, “My military career was cut short, so I wanted to see whether I have what it takes to survive in a world the DS think is normal.”
Melinda Messenger, 52 - eliminated
The TV presenter started her career as a glamour model before moving into broadcasting, appearing on Eurotrash, Celebrity Big Brother, Loose Lips, All Star Family Fortunes, Dancing on Ice and Richard Osman's House of Games.
She says, “It was incredible, the most intensely physically challenging thing I've done. I would say it was surreal, but I'd also say it was way harder than it looks on TV!”
Matt Hancock, 44 - final three
The Former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, left his cabinet post in June 2021 and will be the first MP to take part in the show.
He says, "After coming through the most challenging period as Health Secretary during the pandemic, I wanted to push my limits. It's safe to say the course tested my resilience!"
Michelle Heaton, 44 - eliminated
Michelle is best known as a member of the pop group Liberty X. Over the years, she has also appeared on various reality TV and talent shows including Come Dine with Me, Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing on Ice.
“I loved being on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins because it put me in situations that I would never put myself in normally. It got me to think outside the box. It got me uncomfortable. It’s only then you learn where your real limits are.”
Siva Kaneswaran, 34 - medically withdrawn
The Irish musician rose to fame as a member of The Wanted before winning Celebrity Hunted with bandmate Jay McGuinness.
He says, “If you dig being tortured for a few days and being dragged out your comfort zone, then this is the show for you! In a weird way, it was very fulfilling in the sense that you face your fears and you come out of it a new person, a new improved person.”
Teddy Soares, 28 - eliminated
Teddy is best known for competing on Love Island in 2021. He came in second place, alongside Faye Winter.
Talking about Celebrity SAS he says, "The whole experience was overwhelming, but for me, it was one of the experiences that I will never, ever be able to live down.”
Gareth Thomas, 49 - medically withdrawn
The Welsh former rugby player retired back in 2011 after winning four rugby league caps for Wales. He has since presented ITV Sport's coverage of the Rugby World Cup and appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, Dancing on Ice, Get Your Act Together and The Jump.
He says, “There's not many experiences that allow you the opportunity to look inside yourself and see what you're truly made of. I just knew I had to say yes to this so I could work out who I really am, and it totally lived up to my expectations.”
Perri Shakes Drayton, 34 - eliminated
Track and field athlete, Perri, specialised in the 400 metres hurdles and 400 metres, winning a gold at the World Indoor Championships in 2012 and two at the 2013 European Indoor Championships. She has also been a contestant on Dancing on Ice.
Talking about her experience in the Vietnamese jungle, she says, “It was an incredible experience from start to finish. There are so many words I can use to describe it. I loved every minute of it.”
James “Arg” Argent, 35 - voluntarily withdrawn
Arg rose to fame after joining the cast of The Only Way Is Essex back in 2010 and has since appeared on Sugar Free Farm, The Jump, Celebs Go Dating, Celebrity Coach Trip and The Real Dirty Dancing.
Arg says, "It's the type of show that pushes you to breaking point and it's something I'll never forget. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Zoe Lyons, 51 - medically withdrawn
Comedian and TV presenter Zoe is best known for hosting former BBC show Lightning.
She has also appeared on Mock the Week, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, The Wright Stuff and Channel 4's Stand Up and Deliver, while in 2020, she opened up about her alopecia diagnosis.
She says, “Celebrity SAS was the worst ‘all-inclusive break’ I’ve ever been on. There's a bit of me that feels incredibly fortunate that I got to participate in the show because it does test you, and there's quite a bit of fun to be had if you don't mind losing a few toenails!”
Amber Turner, 30 - voluntarily withdrawn
Amber Turner is best known for appearing on TOWIE, having joined the reality show back in 2016
She says, "SAS was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, the most physically and emotionally demanding experience I’ve ever but the best experience all in one. I loved every moment of it (except having that bag over my head) and wouldn’t think twice about doing it again!”
Kirsty-Leigh Porter, 34 - voluntarily withdrawn
Actor Kirsty-Leigh is best known for her soap roles having played Zoe Willson in Coronation Street, Roz Fielding in Emmerdale and most recently Leela Lomax in Hollyoaks.
She says, "It was absolutely brutal but the most AMAZING experience and dare I say it, one I wish I could do again! And the DS are actual real-life superheroes – the strength they hold is unnatural. They are absolutely amazing!”
Montana Brown, 28 - medically withdrawn
The reality star took part in the 2017 season of Love Island and has since appeared on CelebAbility, Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls, Celebrity Mastermind and This Morning.
She says, “You don’t get the opportunity to do something this hard in life so I couldn’t say no. This was the hardest challenge I’ve ever experienced but I proved to myself that I’m actually quite tough and I can do anything I put my mind to.”
Is there a trailer for Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins season 5?
Yes, you can watch the celebrities being put through their paces here...
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins season 5 episode guide
Episode 1
The opening episode is themed, 'FEAR' and sees the recruits battling the extreme elements and tropical downpours of the Vietnamese jungle. The series starts with each of them pushed fully clothed from a jetty into water where they must swim ashore.
They then have to navigate their way across two bars suspended fifty feet in the air without losing their balance and later are teamed up into pairs, given boxing gloves and ordered to fight each other to see who will come out on top.
Chief Instructor, Billy says: “SAS selection course follows the ethos of the regiment. Self-motivation, self-discipline. pursuit of excellence and the will to never give up. Our recruits will be pushed emotionally, physically and mentally beyond anything they have ever experienced. The standards will never drop but most of the recruits will!!! No concessions, No excuses !! Only results …”
Episode 2
The celebs battle a brutal CS gas attack in the jungle during a punishing search operation. And with two recruits taken hostage, the gang launch a high-risk rescue mission.
Episode 3
The celebrity recruits climb up a giant cave and abseil back down again. There's a brutal introduction to murderball. And the celebs' resilience is tested further as they write 'death letters' home.
Episode 4
The celebs are tested on a gruelling trust task and they start dropping like flies.
Episode 5
The last eight recruits must pull themselves across a 300-foot-wide ravine, take a midnight beasting, and make an emotional call home.
Episode 6
It's survival of the fittest this time as they do some pontoon wrestling before they are sent into the jungle on a risky mission behind enemy lines.
Episode 7
For the series finale, the five remaining celebrities endure intense interrogation as they try not to break their cover stories.
