The Summit

I'm not sure what it is with aussie reality shows but they feel the need to stretch way too long.

This could have been a good show (albeit with a lot of seemingly random eliminations) if it was maybe hour long episodes. But no, every single challenge or discussion is dragged out till you just wanna fast forward huge chunks of it.

The scenery is awesome - that's why i picked it up. Jai seemed to be playing an emotionless character (or just didn't want to be there) which was weird - no reason he couldn't have been a bit more fun like say the aussie amazing race host.

All in all, was enjoyable enough to keep watching but i did skip chunks.

The following review contains information about the first half of the first episode - which I do not consider to be a series spoiler. I have actual mountaineering experience, and am trained in search & rescue.

In real mountaineering, SAFETY is the TOP PRIORITY, and NO LIVING PERSON is left behind. People compete against the mountain, and NEVER against each other.

"THE SUMMIT" is erroneously couched in actual mountaineering, and infected with hypocritically self-conflicting objectives. The show should be presented as a team race, on a controlled closed course, and not disguised as a mountaineering quest.

+ Unlike "Survivor," contestants are told that this is a unified team effort, for everyone to complete the journey. That is a blatant lie.

+ Some contestants are chosen, who are obviously out of shape, plainly unable to perform in the hike or "challenges," and subject to real life threatening health emergencies. That is not legitimate competition. A better show would be the TRAINING of contestants to challenge their own personal limitations, and those who successfully train, then climb a mountain as a unified team. That would be the "Survivor" equivalent of merging the tribes.

+ Similar to "Survivor," contestants are implicitly encouraged to align in opposing "aliances," and forced to eliminate their fellow competitors. That never really happens on a mountain. By contrast, elimination happens on an Olympic competition rock climbing wall. Or even earlier, when one gives up training.

+ In my opinion, this show is offensive to the sport; and, falsely leads people to believe that they can just put on a backpack, and start walking up a mountain. That is less realistic than a cartoon.

The concept is good, but none of the show makes sense.

The "overwatch view" helicpoter thing is silly.

Having participants vote out the strong rather than the slow makes no sense. They make just as much money getting to top with strong person as slow. But with a slow person they may not make it at all.

The Host told participants they wont make the top if they dont speed up. So what do they do, they vote out a fast person. Crazy.

They are trying to copy Survivor with the back stabbing and alliances, but you cant in this scenario, its clumbsy and not working.

Then having the show take back money is funny, guess they dont want to give out a full million. Remember the last guy at the bridge crossing, they chopped the rope bridge. The host said they were taking the money back, there was nothing the participants could do about it. The shows just did not want to give the money away.

But I have to keep watching as my wife likes the show. LOL.

It's unbelievable that the producers could ruin this program. It had everything: physical challenges, competitions, beautiful scenery, eliminations, deceit, loads of cash, strong athletes, everything. And yet, ruin it they did. The last episodes were unwatchable for the boredom and can be fast forwarded through the weeping from letters from home, the weeping from zoom chats (do they really need zoom chats at the top of a mountain?) and the repetition of the previous scenesafter the commercials. Honestly, this program became so disappointing after the initial episodes draw you in. It's as if they wanted to incorporate every reality series ever done and failed miserably in the doing.

Are you kidding me?? Gave this show a go because it looked different. Different?!?! It is the same tosh as every other Australian show. What do we have...?? A bunch of contestants from different walks of life, different demographics, different abilities, but oh boy do they AAAAALLLLL have that same old "life has been hard" montage to bleed out. Same thing over and over. Introduce contestant, slow motion montage hiking/walking/climbing/surfing/playing with their dog/whatever. They've got three kids (tick), a loving relationship (tick), great job (tick)... and here it comes... quick switch from upbeat music to sad piano... here we go... "... but life hasn't always been easy..." And boom. Here we go again. Every two minutes there's a slo mo montage on TV of someone who looks perfectly fine on the outside, but *cue sad piano* "... life hasn't always been easy". They lost this, they lost that, they fought, they rebuilt, they blah blah blah. How are people still switching this rubbish on?? Summit, jungle, kitchen, island, city, dog pound... no TV show format is safe from this same old dried up bottom of the barrel nonsense of the real life DRAMA every single show wants to ram down our necks. Uplifting orchestra flips to sad piano flips back to uplifting orchestra over and over for sixty minutes. It's DONE, DONE, DONE. Honestly, how can people still care?? Every year new seasons of the same drivel just in a different format. This time people "who haven't always had it easy" climb a mountain. Oh great. Cue tears, sad piano, life montage. There seriously can't be anyone left in Australia with a sob story to tell to a slo mo montage anymore. Just stop.