SAS Australia fans blast Jessica Peris and John Steffensen: 'Dog act'

A challenge that saw the remaining celebrities face off against each other on SAS Australia on Monday night has caused a stir, with viewers slamming Jessica Peris and John Steffensen for playing 'dirty'.

The first test of the day saw recruits positioned on a narrow log, suspended over a torrent of rushing water, where they had to fight it out through a series of elimination rounds, with Jessica Peris pitted against Jana Pittman.

It was every recruit for themselves and, and after getting a bit of encouragement by the DS to play dirty, Jessica Peris chose to throw a handful of dirt at Jana's face to get the upper hand.

But the ruthless tactic sparked a flurry of backlash, as viewers took to Twitter afterwards to call out the 'dog act'.

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"Respect lost Jess...," one upset fan wrote.

"That's a dog act!" another agreed.

"Dirty tactics... guess it's win at all costs," was another comment, while others questioned the star's 'honour'.

John Steffensen also followed the suggestion from the show's staff to throw dirt in the eyes of his opponent, actor Dan Ewing.

"I liked John until this point. He's as much a dog as Jess," was the equally angry reaction on social media from one fan.

Others questioned why the directing staff would encourage the dirty behaviour, while a few also defended their decisions calling it a "dope move".

Three SAS stars hand in their number

Jett Kenny was the first of three to hand in their number on Monday night, choosing to voluntarily withdraw (VW) after struggling to fuel his depleted body on the basic rations.

Recruits then faced a back-breaking log race, hauling a 150 kilogram log through five kilometres of unforgiving terrain to a rendezvous point high on a mountain peak, all in one hour.

Barley a kilometre into the task, Jessica separated from the group and handed in her number, telling mum Nova on the phone: “It’s been absolutely brutal, but it’s been awesome.

“I’m happy, I’m one of the last girls so I did really well. I’m really proud of myself. Everything that I thought I couldn’t do, I did.”

Heath Shaw was next to falter, handing in his number in a moment of weakness before being convinced to take it back.

But as Ant debriefed recruits after the punishing task, an emotional Heath admitted he was empty and quit the course for good, saying: “I’m done, I’ve given my all."

The five recruits still on course in the hope of passing SAS selection are:

Dan Ewing – Actor

Jana Pittman – Dual Olympian

John Steffensen – Olympic Medallist

Mark Philippoussis – Tennis Legend

Sam Burgess – NRL Star

SAS Australia continues tonight at 7.30pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.

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