Season 01

[Tango64]

So this whole show was a lie. They lied to the contestants and they lied to the viewers.

”The objective is to get the team to the summit.” Nope, the real objective was to get yourself  to the summit.

”Those who make it to the top will share the prize money.” Nope, a jury of pissed off losers will decide who gets the money.

”The prize is a million dollar bucks.” Nope, they started reducing that figure right away.

”You’re not playing a lame ripoff of Survivor.” Yes, yes you are. But we are going to confound viewers by giving them no clue as to why you are conniving against one another. 

[tv echo]

In the preview for the finale (iirc), Manu said something like, the eliminated people will have the power to decide how much cash the people who reach the summit will take home and who will be crowned the king of the summit. So I'm not sure if that means only one person gets all the remaining money or if that means the jury can give one person most of the money.

If they want to be consistent with what was said in the premiere episode, then the jury could be told that everyone who makes it to the summit must get at least some money. (I don't know, I'm just speculating.)

[tinderbox]

12 hours ago, Thalia said:

I haven't watched this show closely enough to know if BeckyLee was lying or telling the truth during the vote.   But I DO know that she is really, really impressed with herself and that I've disliked her since Ep. 1.  And if she had harangued me the way she was haranging/bullying Jen before the vote I would have announced my vote before we sat down.  

THIS

[BradandJanet]

I'm curious how much the players were told about the game. They seemed to know something about the rules, but the viewers have been kept in the dark for no clear reason. Other reality game shows explain how the game works so we can see how well the players are strategizing.  

A comment on their "greatest obstacle" yet. It looked difficult, but the upper rope and the sling were carrying the user's weight so the player just had to use their arms to move forward, and the wheel probably offered no resistance. The rope might have been on a slight incline to let gravity help. The player didn't have to look down either, but I'm sure it was in no way as steep as the camera shots suggested. For effect, however, the pulley system was designed to release extra length if the contestant fell off. This show has an occasional mean streak, as the mountainkeeper might agree. 

Videos from home? Whatever. 

Did the show get some last-minute editing to lop off an extra half hour? If so, it was a good decision.

Goodbye, BeckyLee. I would have liked to see you and nurse Dennis turn on each other, but it was not to be. 

 

 

[millennium]

Manu seems to reached the peak of his patience with this stupid show, "Let's go, everybody's had their say, okay?"

I was trying to imagine a scene where Nick says he wants to take Becky to the Summit because he wants two straight white people in the final. 

One thing I hate about reality shows is that women always seem to give more weight to male lies than the word of a female friend.

Liked the parrot or whatever it was.

One of the many things that sucks about this show is that I can't think of anyone being eliminated because they can't complete the challenges.  What does that say about the true difficulty level of these challenges?

Kinda sad to watch Nick basically admit that winning the Summit is all about filling the hole left inside him by the baseball career he'll never have.  

[SVNBob]

1 hour ago, millennium said:

Liked the parrot or whatever it was.

It was a kea, which is a type of parrot.  On research, they're endemic to the southern island of New Zealand, and a protected endangered species. 

Also an intelligent species that can use tools to solve problems like corvids and other parrot species.

So, to call these climbers "bird-brains" would be an insult to these native birds.

 

1 hour ago, millennium said:

One thing I hate about reality shows is that women always seem to give more weight to male lies than the word of a female friend.

While that's part of it, it may also be a case of "they who speak first are telling the truth...even if they're lying."

[Netfoot]

I come away with the following thoughts running through my head.

1. We have been told from the start that the whole team must make the objective or nobody will win.
2. We were told that the winners would equally share the prize money.

Now, at the eleventh hour, we learn that those who make it to the top will share the prize money and those who don't... won't. But this implies that the whole team need not make it to the top in order for there to be winners. This completely contravenes the conditions of the "race" that we have been lead to believe all along. It also begs the question as to what happens to the money carried by those who don't make it to the top. Is it recovered somehow, and added to the winner's prize? Or is it a convenient way for Production to reduce the final payout?

We also discover that the winners won't share the prize equally, because we have to suffer through the painful draaaaama of a "jury" of biased, disgruntled and vindictive losers each with an axe to grind. We can also deduce that there will be at least two winners. If only one person made it to the top, the entire "jury" would be unnecessary. And it's obvious that Production would not tolerate that.

Now, I expect that the entire prize award system has been carefully scrutinized by lawyers. But frankly, if I were on this climb, made it to the winner's circle and received less than an even split of the total prize, I would sue their asses off.

Now, I hate the very idea of the next episode, and shudder to think how angry it will make me. Quite possibly too angry to post comments on it! However, I am somewhat of a completist so I will probably watch the episode, but I guarantee I will not be happy about it. And I guarantee that if Season #2 is an all-female cast and they have to climb the mountain buck-naked, I still won't be watching it.

Edited November 29, 2024 by Netfoot

[tv echo]

I re-watched the beginning of episode 1 to take notes on what Manu Bennett actually said. Here are the pertinent parts...

MB (voiceover intro): "It's a call 16 ordinary Americans have answered. If they can climb the mountain in 14 days, they'll earn their share of a million-dollar prize. But if they miss that deadline, they'll be sent home with nothing. ... It will be the ultimate test of their character and courage. But they won't be alone. Their every move will be tracked by the Mountain's Keeper, who will force them to make difficult but necessary decisions along the way. ... Only those who are worthy will reach the summit. ... If they quit along the way, their money will be lost. ... But if they are voted out, those remaining will steal the money for themselves."

MB (to contestants): "You see this mountain? Your challenge is to reach the summit. ... (Asks Amy to open bag) ... That's a million dollars. Take that with you and put it in your backpack. You're going to carry this to the summit. ... Each of you will carry an equal share of the million dollars. And that prize will be shared by the few who make it to the top. If anybody quits, that money disappears. It's gone. ... There's one more catch. You must travel together. You'll only be as fast as your slowest member. If you miss the 14-day deadline to reach the summit, you will all go home with nothing. ... But I have to warn you. There's something you won't find on that map. Something more sinister. That's going to be out there lurking, keeping an eye on your every move. We call it the Mountain's Keeper. It has its own way of sorting out who is worthy of reaching the summit and will force you to make some tough decisions. This mountain has eyes."

Edited November 29, 2024 by tv echo

[BradandJanet]

The instructions imply it's a group effort and getting to the top in 14 days is the goal. Therefore, logically, the weakest and slowest should be voted out. However, production, the MK, and Manu are messing with the eliminations, using unknown criteria, to decide who is "worthy" to stay in the game. I'm watching but am beyond caring. 

When will the Amazing Race be back? 

[Skooma]

14 hours ago, BradandJanet said:

A comment on their "greatest obstacle" yet. It looked difficult, but the upper rope and the sling were carrying the user's weight so the player just had to use their arms to move forward, and the wheel probably offered no resistance.

I concur.  You could see that the upper rope was really taunt meaning the player basically weighed nothing making this the easiest "challenge" yet.

[Tango64]

They must have told the contestants more than they told the viewers. As tv echo's post confirms, they presented it to viewers as "Everybody get to the summit! Hurry! Everybody who gets there in time will get a lot of money! Watch out though, there will be some challenges!"

The contestants must have been told it's also a Big Brother/Survivor type interpersonal contest where you form alliances and eliminate supposed enemies, and that will affect how much money you get. 

We were right all along when we said they seem to be playing a game we weren't told about.

 

[PaperTree]

19 hours ago, Tango64 said:

We were right all along when we said they seem to be playing a game we weren't told about.

 

Big time!  h/t to Peter Gabriel.

[BradandJanet]

19 hours ago, Tango64 said:

We were right all along when we said they seem to be playing a game we weren't told about.

 

It would appear. 

The premise was promising, but sloppy production and editing, poor casting, intentional  meanness and ridicule towards the players, and the players' lack of charm and acting ability doomed any hope this show might have had. 

Manu, be careful the next time you sign a contract. You don't want this to happen to your career again. 

I read that a fifty-one-year-old contestant on the Norwegian version died during filming. He was dangling in a harness after falling and had a heart attack. The on-site medics had no defibrillator to revive him. Apparently, he had been allowed to participate despite his high blood pressure. 

[seacliffsal]

There are many aspects of this show that make me roll my eyes in disbelief, but the main one continues to be the 'mountainkeeper' helicopter that is supposed to instill fear into the participants as well as the viewers.😂

[BradandJanet]

8 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

There are many aspects of this show that make me roll my eyes in disbelief, but the main one continues to be the 'mountainkeeper' helicopter that is supposed to instill fear into the participants as well as the viewers.😂

I'd cheer if the contestants started throwing rocks at the MountainKeeperKopter in a fit of rage. Would Manu go in to calm the little mob, or would he wisely walk off the set and try to hitch a ride home with some of the crew? 

[Diana Berry]

On 11/28/2024 at 9:38 AM, tv echo said:

In the preview for the finale (iirc), Manu said something like, the eliminated people will have the power to decide how much cash the people who reach the summit will take home and who will be crowned the king of the summit. So I'm not sure if that means only one person gets all the remaining money or if that means the jury can give one person most of the money.

If they want to be consistent with what was said in the premiere episode, then the jury could be told that everyone who makes it to the summit must get at least some money. (I don't know, I'm just speculating.)

The only thing I’m curious about is the divvy up process and I noticed it’s a final 3 not 4 so someone gets dumped before the jury.  I’m also,curious Is it just the audience that was duped or the contestants,too? Or  did they know about the prize being determined by a jury?  
 

 

[tv echo]

I doubt that the contestants were told ahead of time about the jury. The producers would want to show their surprise/shock.

However, if any of the contestants are savvy fans who've watched TV reality competitions like Survivor, then they could've speculated about a jury (although we didn't see anything in the confessionals to indicate it). 

Also, any savvy TV reality competition fans would know or strongly suspect that the show will make sure at least one person makes it to the summit. Just like The Hunger Games, there has to be a winner (for ratings).

If the next Primetimer Awards have a category for most disappointing show after a promising start, The Summit should be nominated.

Edited December 1, 2024 by tv echo

[iMonrey]

In the Australian version, 

Spoiler

the losers got to decide how to split the money among the winners. So all the people who made it to the Summit got some money, but the "jury" decided how much each one got.

That's still not the premise of the contest the show presented to us when it started.

The Australian version was cancelled after two seasons. Hard to believe anyone came back for a second helping of this.

On 11/29/2024 at 8:48 AM, BradandJanet said:

When will the Amazing Race be back? 

January, I think.

[MarylandGirl]

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

In the Australian version, 

  Hide contents

the losers got to decide how to split the money among the winners. So all the people who made it to the Summit got some money, but the "jury" decided how much each one got.

That's still not the premise of the contest the show presented to us when it started.

The Australian version was cancelled after two seasons. Hard to believe anyone came back for a second helping of this.

January, I think.

Perhaps this was just a very elaborate way for CBS to get viewers to have a greater appreciation for The Amazing Race? And Survivor.

And maybe Australian TV has a lower bar for renewing shows.

[HappyDancex2]

This is way more responsibility of the jury than on Survivor if they have to pick the winner and then somehow allocate the money based on….what?  The absolutely gold standard of “deservability.”   Is that height?  Weight?  Struggle per age related fitness level?  Best sob story of childhood?  Overcoming trauma?  Whiteness of teeth?  Ability to cry on cue?

[Red Bridey]

I was furious that this absolutely STUPID show has another episode left. I thought it would be DONE. And the huge surprise TWIST is unveiled in the previews? Boo! Boo! 

See, if they had just booted off the slowest and weakest team member every elimination  like we were all hollering at them to do, there wouldn't be any reason for REVENGE or SPITE. And there might be a more equitable division of the money. Because there wouldn't be any "I don't want so and so to get any money because s/he was mean to me" nonsense.

And while I did not pay any attention whatsoever to the Beckylee Punkin relationship, Punkin may have turned on BL after witnessing her lying to other teammates with a completely straight face. A good liar, when you can see them in action, should never be trusted.

[MarylandGirl]

I'm wondering whether they all have to be in agreement on how much each gets? And is it going to be something like they have to choose whether they all get an equal share vs. the first person getting, say half, and the others each getting a quarter (assuming there are three at the end)? Because if they're going to have to decide unanimously on exact amounts that each person gets (without set options), I feel like that would take forever.

[SVNBob]

On 11/29/2024 at 8:48 AM, BradandJanet said:

When will the Amazing Race be back? 

First Wednesday of March.  One week after the premiere of Survivor 48.

[Irlandesa]

On 11/28/2024 at 6:28 PM, BradandJanet said:

I'm curious how much the players were told about the game. They seemed to know something about the rules, but the viewers have been kept in the dark for no clear reason.

Yep.  One guy mentioned something about wanting to be a "Final 2" with another contestant.  Final 2.  How did that come up?  They shouldn't be envisioning a "Final #" since the goal is allegedly for everyone to make it.  And didn't Manu say that they had their last elimination?  At this point, there are 4 or 5 people still there.

22 hours ago, Red Bridey said:

I was furious that this absolutely STUPID show has another episode left. I thought it would be DONE.

You're me!  I was fooled by the one hour episode and the fact that it was called "The Final Checkpoint."  I thought to myself "yay, final episode." Only for it not to be.

And I don't know how this show had a second season in Australia.  Once it's revealed there's a jury, everyone has to know that there's no way they'd let this group fail.  It's probably why they practically made them eliminate the weakest contestant a few weeks ago.

[Quilt Fairy]

3 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

And I don't know how this show had a second season in Australia.

I've been bingeing on the 4 seasons of TAR-Australia available on the South Hemi TV website, and I've been shocked - shocked, I tell you! - at how the Australian version plays fast and loose with some basic TAR OG rules.  Without giving any spoilers, it wouldn't surprise me if the original Australian version of this show told the players one thing on the first day of their journey and something else when they got close to the summit.  At all.  Or if they changed the rules again for season 2. 

PS - Best part of TAR-Aus is that the 2 non-celebrity seasons I've watched are 24 legs long!  The teams were racing for over 7 weeks!

[KeithJ]

Ugh, they all get $250k and the “jury” awards the last $250k to one person. Who cares at this point. This show sucked.

Edited December 5, 2024 by KeithJ

[Madding crowd]

I hate to say it but I think the end was pretty good. 

[Skooma]

Our long national nightmare of this show is over.

PS:  Bad to the end.  Punkin deserved the extra.

[seltzer3]

Yeah wished Punkin won. 

Again open voting is so stupid.  I will never again complain about Survivor or Big Brother having drawn out votes.  Geez having a commercial break before two votes are revealed, and freaking Manu counting every single one?

[seltzer3]

Also, its really stupid to have everyone vote.  Because having people like Tony, Bo, and Shewta people that left super early be votes for Nick is so incredibly stupid.  Like Tony literally just voted based on who he saw for the first two hours, before he got medically evacuated.

[Tango64]

I watched every episode and now this finale, and I still don’t understand how this game worked. 

[Irlandesa]

19 minutes ago, Skooma said:

Our long national nightmare of this show is over.

PS:  Bad to the end.  Punkin deserved the extra.

Yep.  I turned it off as soon as they had Punkin saying something positive and Nick complaining about coming close to losing it all.  I knew as soon as the commercial came back we'd get the most predictable winner ever.

[Madding crowd]

I think it ended in the right way. The person who got you up the mountain deserves to win. It should have been Dusty, but Nick helped out a lot of people too. Punkin had a great personality but didn’t help as much. Just one time when someone says “How could you vote for me” I wish they would say “Who should I have voted off?”

 

[seacliffsal]

Although not my favorite, I was glad that Nick pushed back against some of the nonsense that Beckylee and Patti were trying to push forward.  Was also glad that Punkin didn't back down to Beckylee.  And, although I did like Punkin best, Nick did help others even though he may have been plotting against them.

However, I will be deleting 'record this show' from my DVR.  I finished the season but will not watch another season of this show (should there be one).  Too many things that bothered me too much.  Having liked the helicopter that was a featured player on Magnum P.I. (both versions), I certainly did not like the helicopter that was the star of this show...

[tv echo]

I'm glad the three finalists each got to keep the $250,000 they carried to the summit. I'm glad all of the contestants who were lost during the journey got to award all of the money that was lost during the journey ($250,000) to one of the finalists.  I'm glad the show gave away all $1M in the end.

I'm glad Therron did not win the extra money because I didn't like the way he blindsided Dusty. Also, he wouldn't have made it to the summit at all if other contestants hadn't helped him along the way.

I would've been happy if either Punkin or Nick had won the extra money. Although Punkin was more likeable and honest in her behavior during the journey, I'm not mad that Nick won because he did help weaker contestants during the journey. Also, part of me is glad that one of the stronger contestants made it to the top (although I would've preferred Dusty or Geoff).

If this show is renewed for a second season, they need to cut each episode back to one hour, come up with less repetitive and less boring challenges, give more focus to survival and less to game play, and devise a less laughable "Mountain's Keeper."

(I just posted in the Media thread a Parade interview with the showrunner Kevin Lee about, among other things, what changes he would make for a Season 2.)

Edited December 5, 2024 by tv echo

[KeithJ]

The final live vote was just weird.  Did they have the jurors question the three finalists and then pull them all aside and ask them who they were voting for so Manu could call them in the correct order for the most dramatic effect?

It also made no sense to have the first couple of people vote.  Especially the guy who got hurt on day one.

[Netfoot]

Thank goodness that's over!

When this started I thought it had the potential to be unique in the world of reality TV shows - a game that fostered cooperation rather than conflict. But no, it was the same old crap as all the rest.

I think the distribution of the prize money was far better than I expected. At least each of the three finalists got to take home a one third share of the prize money that they had been led to believe they would get. The award by the jury losers (let's tell it like it is) was a surprise, and I believe it went exactly where it belonged. Into the hands of the man who dragged all their sorry asses up that mountain to what ever height they  achieved before being eliminated.

Now, excuse me as I go and unfollow this thread because I won't be watching this crap ever again.

[suzeecat]

I remember how they built up this series before it began - a LOT!  I feel like I got sucked into a bunch of - nuthin'.  I won't be watching any future seasons.  It was really a dumb, stupid show.

[Skooma]

2 hours ago, suzeecat said:

I remember how they built up this series before it began - a LOT!  I feel like I got sucked into a bunch of - nuthin'.  I won't be watching any future seasons.  It was really a dumb, stupid show.

Yes CBS was promoting it a full half year before it's premiere and I mean promoting it every single night ad nauseam.

But all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put this show together again. Pure crap.

[iMonrey]

Punkin and Nick were tied with one vote left. What if that person had voted for Therron? Would Punkin and Nick have split the extra $250K?

The whole concept of this show was just dumb. Making it a Survivor-style voting thing just made the whole summit scaling part pointless. They might as well have all been on an island.

[Skooma]

31 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Punkin and Nick were tied with one vote left. What if that person had voted for Therron? Would Punkin and Nick have split the extra $250K?

The whole concept of this show was just dumb. Making it a Survivor-style voting thing just made the whole summit scaling part pointless. They might as well have all been on an island.

Or in a really cheap looking, fake studio house overrun by ants.

Edited December 5, 2024 by Skooma

[Tango64]

In their deep reflections voiceovers, did Nick say something like, "This journey has proven to me that I'm as awesome as I always thought"? Whatever the exact words, it made me laugh out loud.

[SweetSable]

19 hours ago, Tango64 said:

I watched every episode and now this finale, and I still don’t understand how this game worked. 

It didn't, at least not for me.  I'm not sure what I was expecting this show to be, but Survivor at Higher Altitude wasn't it.

[meep.meep]

What a great show they could have made and what a crappy thing they came up with.

But...we're free!  No more Dennis and Becky loo mustache twirling!  No more Amy crying!  No more Manu!  No more Mountain's Keeper maintaining the reputation of black helicopters everywhere!  It's done!

[HappyDancex2]

I wasn’t able to watch it live but found it very satisfying to watch it via FF on DVR lol.  My takeaway is that the ending was better than I had thought and this show would have been fine as a 2 part episode.  Not sure how they would pay for it but seriously nothing really happens other than watching people do excursions on vacation.

I’m fine with the winner because I felt like Punkin winning would have been just voting for the least egregious choice.  As a grouo they were forced into a lot of odd social predicaments, with most of us here questioning who was playing and privy to what rules.

Theron by luck got to the bag first on the rando elimination.  Punkin for some reason wanted to go first on the helicopter challenge.  If Nick goes first and then he chooses Trader Joe’s then she has the decision of who to boot off at the end.  And none of it is even as fair as a bag of rocks you know?   It’s hard to play the social game when the social game is dictated by accidental occurrences.

 

[Auntie Anxiety]

Goodbye show. I regret wasting the hours I spent watching your sorry ass. Good luck finding an audience if there’s a season 2. Meanwhile, I did NOT miss Amy’s crying and that look on her puss that made me wonder if she was always smelling farts. 

[SVNBob]

14 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Punkin and Nick were tied with one vote left. What if that person had voted for Therron? Would Punkin and Nick have split the extra $250K?

First, they wouldn't have shown the results like that.  Therron's third vote would have been revealed earlier in the three-way ties, before the lead-up to the final tie.

Second, and this is just a guess... then Therron would have cast a final vote.  (Meaning the final results would have been the same.)

[cowgirlwen]

After hearing some spoilers prior to the finale, I was worried that the eliminated hikers would be voting on who was getting the entire remaining pot of money.  (An outcome that had my blood boiling.)  But in the end, the show sort of redeemed itself, by giving each of the final three contestants their share of the remaining pot as promised at the beginning, and then having the eliminated hikers vote on solely the leftover money.  That was an acceptable alternative to me.

However, I didn't like how the eliminated "jury" members kept referring to "game play" and "strategy" when they were deciding who to vote for.  It made no sense, much like the entire season of this show.  They were supposed to be a group of inexperienced individual hikers that were to work together to get to the top of a mountain in 14 days.  Why would that mission even have to involve "game play" and "strategy"? 

I think the original premise of this show would have played out much better than the Survivor-style game it became.  If we had 16 inexperienced individuals who literally had to climb a mountain, with no production-made obstacles or assistance, no looming Mountainskeeper, no instructions, no elimination voting, etc., it would be something worth watching.  Sort of like "Alone" on a journey.  LOL!!  Now that's a show that I could get behind!!

[gibasi]

I will not watch a second season. As it was I fast forwarded through so much of every episode including the finale. I thought it was crazy that Tony got a vote. And seeing Amy again (and of course she was crying) made me remember how much I disliked her. 

I was rooting for either Nick or Punkin to get the extra money. So it was a good end for me. Therron was just too needy as far as I was concerned.

[millennium]

What is the deal with women who say "oh, you betrayed me, you hurt me, you lied to me, I'm 56 years old and you crushed my last chance at realizing my dreams for me and my family ... so I'm going to give you an extra $250,000."  Jeanie AND Amy.   Nick looked right at Jeanie and said "I always intended to bring you to the summit" (right up til the moment I decided not to)  and she swallowed it whole!