Rory O'Connor, one of the 18 celebrity recruits for RTÉ's Celebrity Hell Week, has said viewers will see a very real side to the stars on the show because it strips them back "right back to the core of who they are".
The comedian, known for his social media account Rory's Stories, was a "big fan" of Ultimate Hell Week, which sees contestants take part in a grueling special forces selection course designed by former members of Ireland's elite Special Forces unit, the Army Ranger Wing (ARW).
Although O'Connor was aware of how "crazy" the course is before signing up for the celebrity spin-off, nothing could really prepare him for what it was like to take part.
Speaking to press at the RTÉ autumn launch, he said: "You can see within an hour how people don't pass this course. The second we got onto that island in Cork there were Alsatian dogs chasing us, we were all stripped down to our boxers, the girls were in their knickers and bras.
"The DSs [drill sergeants] laid down the law straight away, saying 'Yis are in for it'. It starts a hundred miles an hour and it doesn't stop until you're gone. It's relentless."
Although the failure rate for the course is upwards of 90%, O'Connor said he hoped he would do well on the show as he's "kind of stubborn".
"I'm not the fittest fella you'll ever meet, but I do enjoy going to the gym because it's part of my wellbeing for my own mental health so I'm always trying to keep myself in good shape," he said.
However, he admitted: "You can't prepare for Hell Week. You physically can't train, you mentally can't prepare. The duty of the DSs is to make you as uncomfortable as they possibly can from the second you get there to the second you're finished.
"They basically starve you, there's very little sleep - I think the first night we had 45 minutes' sleep. You're just a number to them. You're not even allowed make eye contact with the DSs or else you're punished. You only speak when you're spoken to, it's just real discipline."
Alongside O'Connor, the Celebrity Hell Week line-up features well-known Irish personalities from the world of sports and entertainment, including rugby stars Peter Stringer, Andrew Trimble and Barry Murphy, and lifestyle influencer Niamh Cullen.
"It's really cool to see all these various characters from their own industry brought right back to the core of who they are," O'Connor said. "If people have an opinion of someone from social media or TV, they'll see the real person on this show because you've no time to be fake.
"You're so tired, you're in survival mode. And that's the beauty of the show: there's no second chances. There's no 'Can we record that bit once more?'"
The comedian said that the women are "game-changers" and "so inspiring" on the show.
"I've so much respect for the women that took part in Hell Week because they were called to do the exact same as us, there was no weight difference. The DSs don't see the difference between men and women. You're there as a recruit, you're a number, female or male - it doesn't matter. It's showing that they can cut it when it really matters," he said.
Describing taking part in the gruelling course as "torture", O'Connor said he and the other recruits formed a close bond to get through it.
He shared: "We've a WhatsApp group that buzzes every day. I'm sure a lot of you saw the Friends reunion and Chandler [Matthew Perry] made a good point. [He said,] 'No matter where we are in the world, if we're on a night out and we run into a specific person from the cast, forget about the rest of your friends. It's them for the night'.
"That's kind of the Hell Week feeling. I've seen a couple of them since and you just forget your friends, because no one has went through what you went through apart from these people. It's a bond. I know my wife and other candidates' partners are sick of hearing about Hell Week but no one knows what we went through for those few days!
"It's amazing how you can form a bond in a few days because you’re just stripped right back to your core."
He added that the show is "insane" and "going to be such a good watch for Irish people".
"It's such good TV, I think. I saw a snippet of the trailer last night and it's another level of production. It's like a film - the special effects, the helicopters - it's just crazy."
The first episode of Celebrity Hell Week airs on September 8 at 9.30pm on RTÉ One.
Read more about what's coming up this autumn and beyond here.
