The Summit may just be the most thrilling reality show on the 2024 TV schedule, which will be evident to viewers when the premiere arrives. 16 contestants from different walks of life gather in New Zealand to learn for the first time they have a chance at a share of $1,000,000, but there's a catch. They must collectively carry the amount up a mountain, something none of them knew about prior to being selected. It seemed like a risky and challenging reveal to hide, so CinemaBlend had to get the details on how it all went down from its executive producer.
I spoke to EP Kevin Lee ahead of The Summit's special sneak peek premiere on CBS, and had to know if there was worry on the crew's end the contestants wouldn't react well to learning they had to climb a mountain for the first time during the premiere. Lee confessed there was some risk involved, but fortunately, it worked out in the show's favor:
Yeah, a little bit. You gain something, and you risk something. As you saw, they kind of have big reactions when they find out, and they actually can see it. It is a dramatic moment and that's why we didn't tell them. But, the risk is that, like you said, four of them were just like, ‘No, that's not for me and, and just quit.’ That would have been difficult for the show. And luckily, none of them did.
Fortunately, no one backed down, and each contestant agreed to shoulder a chunk of the million in their backpacks with the intention of those who make it to the top splitting it should they reach the summit in fourteen days. As if braving the trials of hiking the mountain weren't enough, they're bound to the will of the "Mountain Keeper," who will force hard decisions on them along the way, such as removing others from the competition.
It's compelling television readers won't want to miss whether they watch on CBS or with a Paramount+ subscription, but is it real? I wondered how a show could legally find participants, not all of whom are peak athletes, and blindside them with the reveal they're climbing a mountain. Kevin Lee was more than happy to explain how they were able to make it happen:
While they didn't know they were gonna be climbing a mountain, they did know that they were gonna be doing something physically strenuous, and during the casting process, you know, we talked to them. In their contract, it looks like, ‘You know, that you're gonna be climbing cliffs and, and walking across snow and climbing ice and [etc], so kind of all the stuff that they did is listed and they kinda had a sense that they might be doing that, although it's on a long laundry list. So they kind of just tune it out at some point.
Ah, yes, the classic "terms and conditions" tactic of throwing so much information at a subject that they overlook the possibility of climbing a mountain for money. At least everyone involved was generally aware they needed to be in decent physical shape to participate because I would hate to be the couch potato in the cast who was suddenly hiking miles a day uphill. Remember those people who quit Survivor in Season 45? I imagine it would be like that.
While the cast of The Summit isn't entirely comprised of the young and fit, Lee added that precautions were taken to ensure each person was cleared before joining the series. This allowed them to proceed as safely as possible but still set up a big thrill for the premiere:
They go see their doctors. Their doctors have a kind of checklist of physical activities that they would be expected to be able to perform. We did our best to kind of make sure that they could make it., but we didn't tell them exactly what it was because we wanted that kind of dramatic moment at the beginning.
If the thrill and drama of The Summit weren't enough, the show enlisted the help of former Arrow actor Manu Bennett to host the series. As someone who had the opportunity to watch the first four episodes, I think he'll become as synonymous with this new series as Jeff Probst is to Survivor, though time will tell if this show manages to last as long. I think it has potential, with it being a solid mix of The Amazing Race mixed with the cut-throatness of Big Brother.
The Summit premieres on CBS with a sneak peek on Sunday, September 29th, at 9:00 p.m. ET. After that, be sure to check it out on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET, along with all the other exciting new shows, like that new Matlock series with the wild twist.
