Fans left furious James Magnussen was dumped so close to finish line during SAS Australia finale…. so were Ant Middleton and the DS in the right?
James Magnussen was brutally dumped within seconds of finishing the course during the finale of Channel Seven’s brutal military show SAS Australia on Tuesday night.
The Olympic swimmer, 29, was told he ‘just wasn’t enough’ by the DS before he was asked to hand in his number, while fellow recruits Merrick Watts, Nick ‘Honey Badger’ Cummins and Sabrina Frederick were told they had passed.
Despite all four celebrities completing the course, fans were puzzled as to why James didn’t make it to the finish line.
‘That’s just unfair’: SAS Australia viewers are furious Olympic swimmer James Magnussen, 29, (pictured) was dumped so close to finish line during the show’s finale on Tuesday night
‘To take it all that way – I then just get dumped is poxy – poor James,’ wrote one viewer.
‘Bloody hell, that’s so harsh for poor James!’ tweeted a second.
Another voiced: ‘That’s just unfair. James should’ve passed. Being a silent achiever is not any less commendable.’
The fan went on to defend James’ strategy added: ‘If anything, being stoic and clear-headed is a useful trait in battle.’
‘That is bs’: Despite all four celebrities completing the course, fans were puzzled to why James didn’t make it to the finish line
The 29-year-old Olympic swimmer was told he ‘just wasn’t enough’ by the DS (directing staff) before he was asked to hand in his number. James pictured (L-R) with Nick Cummins, Merrick Watts and Sabrina Frederick
Not impressed! Viewers were quick to take to his defense on Twitter, with one writing: ‘James not making that is bs. He basically carried Sabrina in that last run and was consistently good’
Winners: His fellow recruits Merrick Watts, Nick ‘Honey Badger’ Cummins and Sabrina HFrederick were all told they had passed the course. Pictured with Ant Middleton (right)
James, Merrick, Nick and Sabrina all passed the course during the finale of the show on Tuesday night, but Chief Instructor Ant Middleton shocked the foursome when he told them not all of them passed.
‘And that ultimate question that we ask ourselves, would we have you in our team? You’re stood here, so you succeeded in your own right, feel proud of that, but not all of you have passed this course,’ he said.
After announcing that James had failed to pass the course, Ant reminded the other three recruits that the course is ‘cutthroat’.
He then announced that Nick, Merrick and Sabrina had passed, prompting the ecstatic recruits to breathe a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, earlier on in the episode, James candidly spoke about his devastating performance at the 2012 London Olympics.
The swimmer lost his race by 100th of a second, before later being embroiled in a prescription drug scandal.
‘Throughout my life, showing emotion is not something that I’ve ever been very comfortable with,’ he confessed.
‘Because for many years of my life, I was embarrassed and ashamed of that performance at the London Olympics.
‘When I retired from swimming, that ambition that has always driven me got away from me a little bit. I had a sense of loss.’
So close: The swimmer lost his race by 100th of a second, before later being embroiled in a prescription drug scandal. Pictured far left at the London Olympics in August 2012