Schapelle Corby joins the cast of reality show SAS Australia – viewers threaten boycott

Channel Seven has received a wave of backlash over the decision to cast convicted drug mule Schapelle Corby in its new reality show SAS Australia. 

Social media erupted with criticism on Sunday following the announcement that Schapelle, 43, had joined the all-star cast, with some viewers even threatening to boycott the show altogether. 

Former My Kitchen Rules mentor Colin Fassnidge led the charge by Tweeting: ‘I hope she packs her own bag this time [laughing/crying emoji].’ 

His Tweet was a comedic reference to a defence Schapelle used in court when fighting her drug trafficking charges 15 years ago – that someone else had packed her bags. 

Elsewhere, other social media users blasted Seven for giving a convicted drug trafficker entry into the glamorous world of reality TV.   

‘Are you kidding me, how much will she be paid for this gig? Shame on you Channel 7,’ one user raged on Instagram.    

‘A convicted criminal on TV? Have you lost your minds?!’ another angry viewer Tweeted. 

Many viewers took umbrage at the fact that Schapelle was introduced as a ‘star recruit’ in Channel Seven’s official casting announcement. 

‘Let’s call a convicted drug smuggler a star. What a disgrace Channel 7, really scraping the bottom of the barrel’, one person wrote on Instagram. 

A chorus of social media users also threatened to boycott the show altogether. 

‘Absolutely NO way I’ll be watching this. Stop lining the pockets of criminals,’ one fan Tweeted. 

SAS Australia Wins is a remake of the British TV show SAS: Who Dares Wins and will put stars through their paces as they attempt to pass the selection process to join the Australian Army’s elite Special Air Service. 

‘We go into the SAS as a number, not a name, which is significant for me because I won’t be Schapelle Corby, I will just be a human being,’ Schapelle told The Sunday Telegraph this weekend. 

‘I’ve got strength of mind, determination and willpower,’ she said. ‘I don’t give up. I will face anything that’s thrown at me head on.’  

Schapelle told the publication that she’s looking forward to testing her limits and demonstrating her ‘grit’ on the show, which will soon start filming in Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains. 

However, Schapelle insisted that she isn’t looking to ‘prove’ herself to Australia by competing on the show.  

‘I don’t care what people think of me. I hope people enjoy it, but this is for me,’ she declared. 

Filming for SAS Australia begun earlier this year in Queenstown, New Zealand, however, it will now resume in New South Wales, due to strict international travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

It boasts the biggest cast of celebrities ever assembled for an Australian reality series, including PR queen Roxy Jacenko, former Bachelor Nick Cummins, Ironwoman Candice Warner, former Miss Universe Erin McNaught, and cricketer Shane Warne’s son Jackson.

According to Woman’s Day, Seven has spent millions on the production, with cast members being paid around $150,000 each.

‘This is [the network’s] big ticket item for 2020 and has been kept top secret,’ a source said. 

Schapelle became a household name after she was arrested in October 2004 at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport with 4.1kg of marijuana wrapped in plastic inside her boogie board bag.

She was later sentenced to 20 years in prison, but after a series of sentence reductions was released on parole in February 2014 after nine years behind bars.

In May 2017, she was deported back to Australia amid a media frenzy.