The Summit: where getting to the top is only half the battle

Getting to the top is only half the battle in The Summit, the brand new action-adventure series premiering Sunday, May 14, at 7.00pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.

With a setting like no other amid the picturesque mountains of New Zealand’s South Island, 14 strangers, people from all walks of life, will embark on an unforgettable experience: to try and win $1 million, equally divided between them, as they carry the cash to the top of one of New Zealand’s highest peaks.

The Summit is a thrilling game of trust, greed and betrayal where morals will be tested, physical limits pushed to breaking point and bonds forged and broken, hosted by Australian actor and Hollywood star, Jai Courtney.

The contestants will have to work as a team through dangerous, rugged terrain, encounter wild weather and adrenaline-charged obstacles to reach the summit of a distant mountain in 14 days to take home the prizemoney.

But if a trekker falters and gets left behind, so does their share of the money, reducing the size of the cash pot. And if the group fails to reach the summit in time, all the prizemoney will be lost.

There will be brutal twists along the way – like opportunities to steal someone’s money if a trekker is seen as a weak link, and add it to the prize pot for the remaining trekkers.

How much money will be lost and stolen? And who in the group will risk the trekkers not making it to the top of the mountain in time?

Jai Courtney said: “You are going to see people physically, mentally and emotionally tested. You’ll see bonds made and broken. We will get a real look at how far people are willing to push themselves and push each other, and see how their resilience is tested. I think it’ll be inspiring, a little heartbreaking, and action-packed.”

As the old saying goes, be kind to the people on your way up, because on this adventure you never know who you might meet on the way down.

Meet the 14 trekkers taking part in The Summit: