A new competition series is coming to CBS on Sept. 29, and executive producer Kevin Lee told PopCulture.com all about The Summit. Based on the Australian series, the show follows 16 strangers embarking on a journey through the New Zealand Alps in an attempt to reach the peak of a mountain. With their backpacks containing an equal share of $1 million, the group endures an exhausting distance in two weeks in order to win the cash they are carrying. Not everyone will make it, though, as they must work together to tackle “the dangerous terrain, unforgiving Antarctic winds, heart-pounding challenges, and gut-wrenching eliminations on their way to the peak.”
Lee previewed all there is to know about The Summit, which has a special preview on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. ET before its time slot premiere on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 9:30 p.m. ET with the second episode. Hosted by Manu Bennett, The Summit will be a show like no other, so take a look at what Lee had to say. (Interview has been edited for length and clarity).
PopCulture: What can you tell me about The Summit?
Kevin Lee: I’ve done a lot of reality shows, and this was the most crazy and difficult behind the scenes. To shoot on the side of a mountain is unique and difficult and hard, and we’re sleeping in tents, and we can’t have all the big equipment we normally have. And we’re eating food that’s made on a campfire just like the cast, but it was really rewarding and fun, though, too.
PC: What can viewers expect from the series?
Lee: I think there’s a couple things. And that is visually, it’s stunning. And to see a show in the mountains of New Zealand is not something you see on a reality series very often. So, visually, I think it’s gonna be a treat for the viewers. But then also, the social experiment gameplay is really strong and elevated and dramatic. And so you put those two things together, this beautiful kind of natural environment, this cutthroat social experiment gameplay; I think the viewers will like to see that unique combination together.
PC: There are shows like The Challenge and Survivor, among others, that really test contestants both physically and mentally. How does The Summit compare to those?
Lee: I’ve been lucky enough to work on The Challenge quite a bit. And I’ve been a big fan of Survivor forever. And I think that this show, I feel, acknowledges them even more because for two reasons. First of all, obviously, they do physically difficult things on The Challenge, and they do physically difficult things on Survivor. But being in a mountain environment, high altitude with snow, and all of that really makes it even harder for them, I feel.
And then mentally, the way this format works, they don’t really know all of the information, and they’re always kind of like, “What’s gonna happen next?” And there’s a little bit more uncertainty in this format, which is, I think, mentally very difficult for them. It’s kind of straining for them because they don’t know how the end game is gonna play out. One person could win, then five people could win. They don’t know if it’s gonna be the votes, if it’s gonna be the same, or if there’s gonna be other elements. They don’t know what these backdrops are gonna include. And so that uncertainty was draining for them mentally. And when they would be eliminated or finish the show and I would see them later, they were just exhausted not from the mountain, but from the uncertainty of the show.
Coverage of the CBS Original Series THE SUMMIT, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Manu Bennett.
– Sean Beale/CBS)
PC: In your opinion, why should fans watch The Summit?
Lee: I think if they like reality gameplay, then they should come to this because what they’re gonna see is a different environment that they haven’t seen in a reality show. And these strategic gameplays will be familiar to them, but it’s gonna be different too. And so I think if they love to watch the strategy and alliances on Survivor, then come here because it’s gonna give them some of that, but it’s gonna be different and exciting and with a completely different backdrop. So kind of have their cake and eat it too if they come to this.
PC: Is there anything else you can preview about The Summit?
Lee: I will say that if anybody that’s watching the first episode if they looked at those 16 people and tried to guess who’s gonna win, they’re gonna be wrong. And they’re gonna be surprised, and I was wrong, and I was surprised. And so, to me, that’s one of the best things about a show when it surprises you and can’t figure it out ahead of time.