[Closed] Special Forces Ultimate Hell Week - Anyone Been Watching It?

Watched one episode out of idle curiosity. Apart from the entertaining reference, I agree wholeheartedly with your synopsis. 😀

I'm not too certain as to whether it's true 'special forces' training. Seems like standard soldering fitness......

Some top clowns on there though.

Watched last night's it wasn't bad. The Russian guy seemed like he would have interesting stories to tell.

That Russian guy was brilliant. I thought that he just saw right through the BS and got rid of the people he would never want to go into battle with. Plus, he like a vodka.

Just watching last nights with my lad. Really interesting mix of trainers. Some interesting backgrounds I would imagine.

Fair old collection of total knobbers on it.

b'out right for dat kinda prog, dontcha fink ?

b'out right for dat kinda prog, dontcha fink ?

I find it interesting that very few, if any, of the total knobbers have got to the final.

My lad has just asked why the SAS have been kept till last, and were they "Extra Special" Forces?

Found a clip of the ending of the Iranian Embassy siege on You Tube, and explained that this was central London, one Sunday evening on live TV in the early 80s.

He was like - as the young people like to say these days - OMG!WTF!

Anyone recommend a decent - not overly dramatic - book about the siege - think he'd enjoy it!

If he's not too young, soldier I is a very good book. Covers a good bit including the siege, written by one of the assault team.

He's 12 - not a wannabe soldier type, but really interested in how things get done behind the scenes in all manner of situations.

Parish lives just round the corner from me. It was nice to see the Spetsnaz guy saying he didn't really want to boot him off but didn't have a choice, and the proceed to explain to the rest that they were being dumped for basically being knobs 🙂

I read this book on Spetsnaz many years ago [url= http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov6/index.html ]link[/url] and I saw elements of it last night.... The blood and entrails and the race at the end following the arrows.

Ninja edit.... Also explains in chapter one why the carried those little entrenching tools with them at all times on the program.

It's not sensationalist, but it is "gritty" and detailed. He might find it a bit slow. Also deals with mental issues (although with a soft-ish touch). It ain't hollywood.

I've been watching it, I like these programs to think how I'd fare. Then I bonked 5 mins into my stay commute home today and had to eat a sandwich, coke, chocolate bar... And a bag of chips! Worst ever blow-up, I wouldn't have finished day 1

This is a great story for your son to watch, not modern day SAS, but one story of their origation.

watched it a couple of times mrs likes it I found it a bit tedious, lots of carrying heavy things maybe just get a wheelbarrow or something like that.

This series is a good one, I don't think they count as SF but it does show Special Forces Ultimate Hell Week up as just toss

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00k8rcw/behind-the-lines-1-fain-would-i-climb ] Behind the Lines - 1. Fain Would I Climb First transmitted in 1985, this series follows the progress of 25 prospective members of the Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre (MAWC), a specialist unit of the Royal Marines.[/url]

Ninja edit.... Also explains in chapter one why the carried those little entrenching tools with them at all times on the program

The toughest part of the challenge is the lack of sleep over the week, everything else looks a little tame, bog standard stuff.

Ninja edit.... Also explains in chapter one why the carried those little entrenching tools with them at all times on the program.

you wouldn't want to dig in on concrete hill with those spades

The trouble with these sort of programs is you never get a true sense of things, it's one thing watching people sat shivering in the sea for a few minutes and to be told by the narrator they've been there hours but you don't really comprehend how tough actually doing it for hours (when exhausted, sleep deprived etc. etc.) actually is. I did smile though when the women who's never quit anything went in the first (or was it second) episode?

I only saw the Spetsnaz episode, but I did chuckle at that ordinary bloke muttering 'Copy that? Dick...' when that other dude replied 'Copy that' instead of 'OK'

The toughest part of the challenge is the lack of sleep over the week, everything else looks a little tame, bog standard stuff.

Swooooon!

have u watched all the episodes ?

I'd say the people who made it to the last episode are all pretty tough.
It was nt easy.

Arguably the challenges have got easier as it went on.

Now of the episodes have been too aerobically tough, although they was alot of carrying.

But the first episode (with the nazy seals) just had them jumping in and out of cold water tanks at night, then sitting in the sea etc

I know I could nt have done that, I've always found it you get wet and cold its very difficult to get your self going again no matter how fit + strong ur feeling.

in some ways I think the Russian episode maybe was a bit of a "rest" before the final challenge.

If that spetnaz book is the same one I read many years ago, the entrenching tools are razor sharp and they're good at throwing.

Can't recall if it was the book with the horrific bit about afghanistain and splits in trees.

[i]The toughest part of the challenge is the lack of sleep over the week, everything else looks a little tame, bog standard stuff.[/i]

That's the point, they run you down, they don't feed you, they make you cold.....and then standard stuff becomes very non standard stuff! Of course this is very difficult to get across to the average civvy who thinks that pushing themselves, is going for a five mile run!

I haven't seen the latest episode yet, but think the group that got through the first test in the cold water/lack of sleep would be extremely 'strong' individuals. VERY tough test!

going for a five mile run!

Like these 'special forces' 😆

NSFW...

Oooh! That's near Quickening Cote.

That's the point, they run you down, they don't feed you, they make you cold

The lass with the ginger hair is super tough, carrying half her body weight up hills etc..

Miller she's called, I think she has won one of the Tougher Mudder events about 6 times, right little hard nut.

I've enjoyed it, been a good laugh.

The two women have been fantastic, if I was wearing a hat I'd take it off to them - in fact I'd take it off to all the finalists, plus Parish and Hunter. I think they've done quite a good job of portraying how the contestants have been getting more and more worn down, insofar as it's possible to portray something that I'd imagine you'd really have to experience yourself in order to grasp just how blinkin horrendous it is. And Flintoff has actually been half-decent, IMHO. That first guy out, what a div - glad to see the back of him.

Miller she's called, I think she has won one of the Tougher Mudder events about 6 times, right little hard nut.

Yep - she is as hard as nails (and a bit of a turn-on as a result)....... Ooops, I said it.

Lol at the 5 miles......WTF! BTW, my comment was not aimed at the person who made the bog standard comment, it was an attempt to explain that it is probably a lot tougher than it appears!

Loving the forces humour tho!

The final is about to start.

What a flaccid, weak, wet ending to a series.

They should have least simulated the siege on the Iranian Embassy with live rounds and mortars and blown something massive up.

And a [s]bird[/s] lady won, I would have never guessed.

Of course this is very difficult to get across to the average civvy who thinks that pushing themselves, is going for a five mile run!

When they could, of course, go try the infamous "5 miler of death" that'd allow them to go "toe to toe with the Paras and the Marines"... 😆 😉

Bet Scouse Taylor's never lived that down...

Haha that speech was brilliant dave 🙂

Of course this is very difficult to get across to the average civvy who thinks that pushing themselves, is going for a five mile run!
When they could, of course, go try the infamous "5 miler of death" that'd allow them to go "toe to toe with the Paras and the Marines"...

Bet Scouse Taylor's never lived that down...

Was that video not a pl55take???, it was Alan Partridgesque.

Emmm Marines last test is a 30 miler not 5 😛

What hat is this? I want one

[IMG] [/IMG]

Used to love the Para's/Royal's coming to "play" on the Reg selection course.
Used to love embarrassing most of them on it too 😛
Many forget that those airfields they Reg get taken the piss out of for standing round guarding weren't ours to be guarded until whoever was there before were "asked to leave" - and it wasn't by the Para's/Royals...

Used to love embarrassing most of them on it too

Wrecker - we used to run it daily so for us is was part of our standard phys.
Ok - we obviously knew it well and where the right lines were, the best grip on the obstacles, etc - but still they used to come in with the "do you know who we are Son?" attitude and we used to like throwing it in their faces.
Caused more than one ruck but some of those guys are friends to this day - Green or Red makes no odds.

Last man standing was a better programme.

The right person won, great series, enjoyed that. Wouldn't have liked the interrogation part, my face is too expressive.

I don't reckon he was a real Russian.

I know the winner of one of the SAS Tough Enough series and she is truly nails - I'm stronger and faster physically than her (in the way blokes are), and found myself thinking "I could do that" (10 years ago) watching a lot of that, but then I'd have probably failed sitting in the cold water on the first day. I do also know quite a few other people who did SAS Tough Enough and failed in situations I'd have expected them to cope with, so as always it's not as easy as it looks on TV (as always, and from experience of programmes I've been in, the programme doesn't necessarily show the full reality either).

What I thought was particularly interesting was how some people failed in situations they should have been really good - the chap who taught the lass about map reading on the way to the nav exercise and then got lost, and the chap last night who had been fastest in all the physical challenges, yet was slowest even after allowing for his time penalties.

Was it just me that misheard the SAS chap on last nights episode, but I'm sure he expected them to complete the 3 miles run in 8 minutes.

Surely thats unachievable pace?

I think 3 miles was for both the group march and the timed run. They were only timed over 1.5 miles.

1.5 mile speed march out then followed by timed 1.5 mile run back in 8 mins

B.A.Nana - Member

Thanks for that Clarkson St Nazire raid thing up. Its was good.

Ahh right, thanks for clarifying.

Still bloody hard I imagine, but far more realistic.

Caught up with it this am. I don't think the TV got across to well how mentally challenge that last part was, especially god forbid having to get down to your underwear.

After a week or was it 10 days of hardly any sleep and that much exercise and challenges they must have been dead on their feet. Cold, hungry, mentally physically exhausted and trying to answer questions within strict rules would be tough.

so as always it's not as easy as it looks on TV

The 3 mile test is a standard one that is used to assess fitness, but it is done in boots, which slow you down.

I recall that 8 mins was a very good time, with the real quickies doing it around 7.45.

The average club runner would struggle to beat 8.30 in boots I'd suggest.

Edit: just saw wreckers post which was written at the same time.

Double Edit. My one and only half marathon was done in 1 hr 25mins but recall I never broke 8 mins on the airfield.

I'd be crap at the physical stuff, but the last day interrogation stuff was basically like a day in our office. I would have pissed that. Because nothing, and I mean nothing, riles up petty point scorers like keeping calm and po-faced whilst they try to worry/humiliate/stress you.

Now all I need to do is wind the clock back twenty years and have some willpower when it comes to booze and curries and I'd be a shoe-in for Spetznaz.