The Real Problem with 'The Summit': A ‘Brutal’ Climb Dumbed Down for Mediocre Hikers

CBS’s reality series The Summit takes an intriguing premise —- 16 people attempting to reach the peak of a mountain in New Zealand over two weeks for a share of $1 million —- and renders it bafflingly dull. Despite its potential for excitement, the series is weighed down by uninspired casting, a mid host, and contrived challenges. What should have been an intense, grueling competition instead plays out like a leisurely group hike with a few gimmicks thrown in.

The concept sounds promising: contestants must reach the summit of Mt. Head in 14 days, facing eliminations, potential injuries, and the challenges of exposure along the way. Viewers might anticipate high-stakes drama as inexperienced climbers tackle the grueling demands of mountain trekking. Yet, The Summit fails to deliver on this promise.

Yes, in the premiere episode, a contestant is forced out after passing out, but all he had been doing was walking up a hill. Nevertehless, that fleeting moment of physical difficulty set expectations for a brutal competition, but the reality of the show quickly becomes apparent: this climb is a far cry from challenging. Seven episodes in, it’s clear that The Summit is less demanding than Survivor or even The Amazing Race. The players rarely show signs of exhaustion or struggle, and the “trek” appears tightly choreographed by production to keep things running smoothly and on time.

The format betrays the premise. Players seem to walk no more than a few hours each day, moving casually from checkpoint to checkpoint. There’s no sense of urgency or real danger. Production clearly prioritizes maintaining a manageable group size for eliminations and confessionals over letting the mountain’s natural perils dictate the narrative. Players who ought to be dropping from sheer exertion are instead lounging around strategizing, as though at summer camp. The fact that one player has managed to remain in the game for over a week despite what seems to be a fairly painful knee injury suggests just how easy this is.

The contrived challenges make things worse. This week’s episode featured a zip line task where players held onto a rope to cross a gorge. The stakes? Losing their vote in the next elimination, not plummeting to their deaths or even scraping a knee. Predictably, nearly everyone made it across without incident, save for the oldest contestant, who struggled to grip the rope. Even then, another player’s rope broke, and after an we watched 140 replays in slow motion, she was granted a do over.

The show’s pacing only emphasizes how little happens. Scenes drag as players fret about challenges that ultimately require minimal effort. For all the buildup, it’s unclear how much ground they actually cover between obstacles. Most contestants arrive at checkpoints looking fresh and unbothered, reinforcing the impression that the trek is less of a grueling climb and more of a scenic stroll.

Adding to the lack of tension, less fit contestants frequently form alliances to oust stronger players, revealing just how undemanding the game truly is. If the climb were genuinely difficult, the weaker players wouldn’t last long enough to plot strategy. Reddit threads and social media suggest the actual trek these players are on might take four to five days for the average hiker — hardly the two-week Herculean feat the show implies.

Even the show’s use of zip lines, rope bridges, and other manufactured obstacles feels out of place. These elements are clearly designed for TV rather than actual mountaineering, and they rarely contribute to the story of reaching the summit. Worse, the challenges themselves are tedious, padded with unnecessary drama that feels more like filler than excitement. I never want to hear about these players fear of heights again — it’s a mountain. Get over it.

Ultimately, The Summit suffers because it never leans into its own concept. A brutal, punishing climb with the mountain as the antagonist could have been riveting television. Instead, we’re left with a series that manufactures drama where none exists, transforms the wilderness into a carefully curated set, and reduces its contestants’ journey to little more than a mildly challenging group outing. It makes for a shockingly limp reality competition series.