A new endurance series is now being filmed across Dubai and Hatta, placing participants in some of the UAE’s toughest environments. From steep mountain climbs to long, hot stretches of open desert.

The project is led by Ant Middleton, the former UK Special Forces soldier and global TV personality known for tough, mindset-focused programmes like SAS: Who Dares Wins. While working here, Middleton noticed something interesting: people in the UAE are increasingly choosing discomfort on purpose.

In a country known for comfort, safety and smooth routines, that choice stands out.

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UAE residents live in one of the most organised and secure places in the world. Life here is predictable, systems work, helps arrive fast, and daily stress is usually manageable. Yet more people are signing up for challenges that push them far outside their comfort zones. They run through desert heat, climb rocky peaks, and take part in activities that leave them exhausted, exposed and mentally stretched.

So why does a place built for comfort inspire people to seek the opposite?

According to Middleton, the answer lies in how humans react when support is removed.

“Life today is so safe and secure that everything is done for you,” he says. “When you take all that away and have to rely fully on yourself, you feel alive again. You discover your own self-worth.”

He said that extreme environments don’t just challenge the body, they challenge who you think you are. People often arrive believing they know their limits. Under heat, pressure and uncertainty, those limits shift.

One of Middleton’s strongest beliefs is about honesty. When people are tired, afraid, or mentally stretched, they can’t pretend. Their true reactions appear.

“When we strip people down and show them a mirror,” he said. “They either turn away because they don’t like what they see, or they accept it, learn from it, and come back stronger.”

The UAE offers something rare: a blend of modern comfort and raw, untamed nature. That contrast makes the emotional impact even stronger, said Middleton. 

While filming in Hatta, Middleton was surprised by the difficulty of the terrain. Its highest natural peak, Umm Al Nesoor, reaches around 1,300 metres, a serious climb even for experienced hikers.

“People imagine Dubai as skyscrapers and flat desert,” he said. “But Hatta is rugged and real. Some areas are tough and technical. Combine that with the heat and humidity, and it exposes people very quickly.”

This mix of new and old, urban and wild, gives the UAE a unique energy. Within an hour, someone can move from a peaceful, air-conditioned city to a mountain path where they must rely entirely on their own strength.

It’s not about being the strongest, it’s about understanding yourself, said Middleton. 

Middleton mentioned that he isn’t focused on finding the fittest participants, but he’s looking for those who can be honest with themselves.

“People who accept failure and understand their fears usually do better,” he said. “The real limits we have are the ones we create in our own minds.”

This message resonates strongly in the UAE, where ambition is encouraged, but daily life is often predictable. Extreme challenges break that pattern and remind people what they’re capable of.

"For many, the goal is not to win a challenge. It is to experience a moment of clarity, a point where the noise of daily life disappears and all that remains is effort, breath and instinct," said Middleton adding that Growth doesn’t happen in comfort zones.