Rudy Reyes: who is SAS Who Dares Wins season 7 host, why did Ant Middleton leave, who are other instructors?

Ant Middleton was dropped by Channel 4 after making controversial comments about the Black Lives Matter movement
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Season seven of SAS: Who Dares Wins will see 20 new recruits put through their paces in a brutal two-week bootcamp that will test their mental and physical strength.

The series was previously filmed at the island of Raasay in the Scottish Hebrides, but the new season will take place in the Jordan desert.

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While previous seasons saw contestants deal with the chilly Scottish weather, this season they will have to contend with extreme heat.

Who is taking over from Ant Middleton as Chief Instructor?

Following Ant Middleston’s departure from the show after season six, Rudy Reyes will take over as Chief Instructor.

Reyes, 50, from Missouri, is a former special forces sniper who saw action in Afghanistan and Iraq as a team leader of the US Recon Marines, an elite unit of just 300 men.

After his parents divorced, Reyes was looked after by his grandparents, but when they both died in the same year he and his two brothers experienced extreme poverty and were placed in care.

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During this time, Reyes became interested in kung fu, watching the movies of Bruce Lee and studying different styles of martial arts.

When he turned 17, Reyes emancipated himself and took custody of his younger brothers and took on odd jobs to provide for them.

He said that he joined the military in 1998 when he learned about the experience of orphans in Kosovo and empathised with their plight.

Reyes served for seven years in the Marines for seven years, leaving the service in 2005 and turning to acting.

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Reyes played himself in the HBO series Generation Kill, about the experiences of an embedded reporter during the invasion of Iraq.

He also played himself in the TV movie Apocalypse Man, and starred as Captain Vera in the military drama Brothers in Arms.

He is involved in seven upcoming film projects including as the lead role in the romantic drama Return to Eden.

Reyes struggled with PTSD after leaving the Marines and turned to drink as a way of coping.

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He became involved with biker gangs and got into a lot of fights which eventually cost him custody of his son, Dylan.

Reyes has since turned his life around and is living in South Carolina with his fiancée, model and actress Jade Struck, 23.

Remi Adeleke and Rudy Reyes join the staff of SAS: Who Dares WinsRemi Adeleke and Rudy Reyes join the staff of SAS: Who Dares Wins
Remi Adeleke and Rudy Reyes join the staff of SAS: Who Dares Wins

Who else will join the staff for SAS: Who Dares Wins season 7?

Reyes will be joined by former US Navy SEAL, Remi Adeleke, who will be the new Directing Staff (DS).

Adeleke was born into a wealthy family in Nigeria but when his father died the government stripped his family of everything they became extremely poor.

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His family moved to the Bronx, New York where he became involved in crime before turning his life around and joined the Navy SEALS.

After leaving the military in 2016, Adeleke entered the entertainment industry, starring in several Michael Bay films including Transformers: The Last Knight, and has tried his hand at scriptwriting.

Series regulars Jason Fox and Mark Billingham will also return to complete the staff team.

Fox joined the Royal Marines Commandos in 1992 and in 2001 joined the Special Boat Service where he reached the rank of sergeant.

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He was discharged in 2012 having been diagnosed with PTSD, which he discussed in his book Battle Scars.

Billingham served more than 20 years with the SAS and became a bodyguard after he left the military.

He has protected celebrities including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Michael Caine, Russell Crowe and Tom Cruise.

Why did Ant Middleton leave SAS: Who Dares Wins?

Middleton was dropped by Channel 4 after he made comments online referring to Black Lives Matter protestors as scum, and telling people to ignore Covid-19 safety measures.

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He was also accused by four women of making lewd and suggestive comments on set, which he dismissed as military banter.

Appearing as a guest on the James Smith Media podcast, Middleton said: “The press is so negative in the UK. You talk about a witch hunt? I didn’t think that existed until the latest shenanigans with SAS: Who Dares Wins UK.”

He had been Chief instructor on the show since the first season in 2015 but had become increasingly frustrated with Channel 4’s focus on health and safety.

Middleton, who served four months in prison in 2013 for the unlawful wounding of one police officer and common assault of another, wrote in his latest book, Mental Fitness, that the ‘woke police’ caused him to lose his job.

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He also stated that he was planning to leave the show before Channel 4 sacked him, and said that the channel let him go to protect their brand.

At the time of Middleton’s sacking, a Channel 4 spokesman said: “Following a number of discussions, Channel 4 and Minnow Films have had with him in relation to his personal conduct it has become clear that our views and values are not aligned and we will not be working with him again.”

Despite being dropped from SAS: Who Dares Wins, Middleton is still Chief Inspector on SAS Australia.

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