Episode 6
Ultimate Hell Week has reached its final phase. Of the 18 recruits who started the course, only four candidates now remain. So far reality TV star Marc O’Neill (No2), Olympic Swimmer Melanie Knocher (No.5) Rugby Star Peter Stringer (No7) and Actor Ryan Andrews (No.18) have overcome each and every Hell Week challenge. The course culminates in one final event, a 24 hour tactical mission that will be the most physically and psychologically demanding experience of their lives. In darkness the four recruits must travel to Spike Island with an explosive device on a mission to destroy a large artillery weapon. They must evade capture, place the bomb on the target and set the timer to detonate. Complete the mission and they have passed the Ultimate Hell Week course. Its all or nothing.
Series information
Models and influencers, sports stars and soaps stars, singers and comedians all think they have what it takes to pass this years special Hell Week course. Each of them has excelled in their chosen field but now their reputations are on the line, as they go way beyond their comfort zone, to face the biggest test of their lives.
Over five days, the celebrity recruits will be required to pass numerous rigorous physical and mental tests. Surviving on two to three hours of sleep a night they will have to overcome cold-water events, height tests and claustrophobic challenges as well as various trials of strength, stamina and determination.
Based on the actual exercises and tests currently used the on the ARW selection course the Hell Week course instructors (DS), have designed a course that will test recruits physical, emotional and psychological resilience. It is designed to break all but the toughest of individuals. But Hell Week is not all about who is the fittest or strongest. It’s as much about mental toughness, the ability to endure and a dogged determination to never quit.
The recruits, some of Irelands fittest celebrities, all have one thing in common, each of them believes they have what it takes to pass the course. And with each recruit representing a charity of their choice, the stakes are high… The longer they last, the more they will raise for their worthy cause.
Each and every waking moment the celebrity recruits will face unrelenting pressure. Failure to meet the required standards means they will be asked to leave the course. For those who decide they cannot go on they simply have to D.O. (drop out) by handing in their number to the DS.
This is the mother of all challenges; it is not like any other reality TV series, it is raw, real and relentless; with no certainty that anyone will make it to the end. Will any of the celebrity recruits have what it takes to pass selection, Welcome to Hell.
Special Forces – Ultimate Hell Week – The Professionals is produced by Motive Television for RTÉ.
Who Are Irelands Special Forces
The ARW is one of the toughest, best-trained Special Forces units in the world. They are on standby 24 hours a day, either to deploy overseas or to react to any serious domestic criminal or terrorist threat. This constant high level of preparedness means there training and skills are benchmarked against other elite Special Forces units across the world including the SAS and the Navy Seals.
However due to the highly sensitive nature of its work, very little is known about the ARW, much of what they do is classified, its missions covert and its members have, until now stayed in the shadows. To become a member of the ARW all unit members must pass selection, the hardest test any soldier in the Irish military can go through. The failure rate is upwards of 90%; only the toughest, most mentally robust candidates pass selection.