DWAIN CHAMBERS – RECRUIT NUMBER 13
Category: Press Pack ArticleAge 44
From: London
Occupation: Olympic Sprinter
Dwain was caught using performance enhancing drugs at the peak of his sprinting career, resulting in a two year ban on competing and huge reputational damage. He wants to prove the mistake was unrepresentative of him and that he still has what it takes to get through the Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins course. Previously struggling with controlling his temper he will use the course to test his physical stamina and mental strength.
Why did you want to take part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins?
Well, to be honest with you, I had no idea what I was getting myself into! I'd seen bits of the show before but not much. Even when the opportunity presented itself to me, I still didn't really spend much time watching it. I watched clips and I thought, "Okay, that looks easy." Boy, was I fooled! I wanted to take myself out of my comfort zone. My comfort zone is within the world of sport, and being an international athlete for so long, that's all I've known. Although I've had brief episodes in TV shows and other sports, they've been brief. But this one was something totally different and I honestly just wanted to challenge myself and see if I could handle it.
Did you do any preparation before you flew out to Jordan?
I did what I thought was the right thing to do - I went for longs runs, I maintained my strength in the gym. I deliberately went on long runs to see how I cope under stress, to see what my mind would be like when I get tired, so I can kind of prepare myself for when I was out there. So I took myself beyond what I was comfortable doing. None of it prepared me for what really took place!
Did you feel like you had anything to prove on this show?
Going into it, no. I didn't have anything to prove. Not on the surface, anyway. Not to anybody else, but more so to myself. Because what I've started to notice in the latter part of my career, as in running, when I get tired in training, I say to myself, "Okay, Dwain, that's enough. Leave it for another day." I've started to notice, when I've had that mindset, my performances started to decrease. So I thought, "if I'm out there now, I want to push myself to not say no and not voluntarily withdraw. So no matter what's going on, Dwain, this is your chance to be a better version of yourself." So that was my driver for the show more than anything else. Just to go beyond what I was capable of.
What was your biggest fear ahead of filming?
My biggest fear was getting there and getting kicked off the show! Not being able to handle it. That was my greatest concern. Even though, from a physical point of view, I can handle stuff, because I love all of that, I love the challenge, but if there was something I couldn't do, how would I handle it? Am I going to get annoying by being shouted at by the DS? Would I react to the DS? And if I do react, what am I going to say? And how am I going to last with no food? How am I going to last with no sleep? So these are things I don't know about myself. Because if I'm hungry, I can just go to the shops and get what I want, or cook. Whereas out there, all those privileges are taken away. So I thought, "What am I going to do here? How am I going to react?" And I told myself, "Dwain, don't try and predict what's going to happen, just react on the day."
What did you make of the Directing Staff?
I was uncomfortable. I hated them at first. We were all being beasted and getting punished all the time, and I fricking hated it.
How did you cope with them screaming in your face?
In my mind, I was like, "D, do not say a fucking word. You just shut up. Just shut up. Just shut up." I just kept my mouth shut. Because I realised, if you step out of rank, it affects the whole squad, the whole team. You don't want to do that, because deep down, when other people stepped out of rank and we all got beasted for it, deep down in your mind, you're like, "Fricking hell, blah blah blah," whoever it was. But you couldn't say anything to them. If you point the finger at another one of your teammates, it shows some form of disrespect, but at the same time, we're losing our team camaraderie. So you just have to take it for the team, but you just can't show your frustrations to each other because it's a small thing. Instead you just have to bite your lip and get on with it.
Did you have a laugh with the other celebs in camp?
Every single night. Do you know what the funniest part was? When we first got there, everyone was a bit prudish about going to the toilet in front of each other. I guarantee you, by day two, day three, nobody cared. Everybody was like, "All right, who wants to go for a shit now? We'll all go together." We would shower naked together and everything. Everyone’s seen each other's bits. We're pooing together, we're eating together, we're laughing together, we're crying together. And that was the best bonding session I've ever, ever had with a bunch of people I've never, ever met before.
How would you sum up the experience?
The best experience of my life. Out of what I've done in my whole entire life, that was the best experience of my life. It put me through some highs. It took me through a series of lows that make you realise who you are. You're either somebody who crumbles under pressure, or you step up. And every single one of us stepped up. I loved every single bit of it. Would I do it again? Hell no! But I’m glad I did it.