The Summit is off and rolling on CBS's Fall TV schedule, and it took no time for contestants to learn just how brutal this game could be. After being blindsided by the reveal, they had to climb a mountain in 14 days for a share of $1,000,000. We'd already seen one drop out for medical reasons, leading the team to miss a checkpoint. Fortunately, the exclusive clip above shows the Mountain Keeper offers a helpful choice-based lifeline in the upcoming episode "Snakes And Ladders," I think the decision is easy considering what's at stake.
As mentioned in the above clip, the Mountain Keeper offered to let two contestants travel to the next checkpoint via helicopter. If the contestants sent two of their struggling people via helicopter, there was a chance they'd reach the next checkpoint on time and avoid another night of roughing it.
The downside is that they'll all go without food that night in exchange, and going hungry is obviously a big price to pay. The clip ends before fans see what is chosen, but we'll get the answer when tuning into The Summit on CBS on Wednesday, October 16th at 9:30 p.m. ET or on streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
I Think Taking The Helicopter Ride Offer Is The Obvious Choice
If I'm one of the half-miserable contestants on The Summit, I'm 100% taking the helicopter ride. While a weaker climber might hesitate because they feel taking an easy route could make them a target come elimination time, I think they'd be at a greater risk if they rejected the offer when they needed it.
Imagine being the slowest in the group, rejecting the helicopter, and then the whole team misses the checkpoint anyway? I know that if I wasn't the person responsible for the checkpoint being missed, I'd want that person out immediately.
At the same time, giving up food for two people to take a free ride would undoubtedly have me feeling some less-than-ideal way. The mountain may look beautiful and perfect for a television series, but it's still a beast to hike. Hiking for three additional hours from that point, only to arrive and not get food, would be rough.
That said, I would probably break myself to still make the checkpoint on time after a day of carrying that mixture of real and fake money if it meant a comfy tent and not roughing it outside of the checkpoint. I'm not a big fan of camping, but those massive tents look much better than the sleeping bag shelters.
For those who haven't had a chance to check out one of the most exciting reality shows on TV, it's worth a watch. I'm not sure we've seen a reality show this brutal since Fox's Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, which is reserved for celebrities. It's fascinating to see how the contestants continue to tackle climbing this mountain and the strategy to eliminate a mixture of weaker and stronger competitors. I'm hooked so far, and I hope I can continue to be as we get closer to that season finale come December.
As mentioned, The Summit airs on CBS on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET. Keep with CinemaBlend as the season airs, as we all watch together and see who will ultimately reach the top of the mountain.