CBS's 'The Summit' Has Something in Common With 'Lord of the Rings'

If you are someone who is afraid of heights, we suggest you skip The Summit. This series started in Australia, a place famous for its lovely people, tropical beaches, and of course all manner of frightening creatures. Please don't be mad Australia, but you sure do have some creepy critters. This daring reality show challenges contestants to climb a mountain with various challenges along the way. A lump sum of $1 million is split between each and carried in backpacks. Winner takes what remains.

In September 2024, an American version of the popular reality competition show premiered on CBS and we simply cannot get enough. It's like Survivor if Survivor hated gravity. We know what goes up must come down, but what if it just keeps going? Yikes! So, where does all this daredevil tomfoolery take place? Here's what we know about the filming location.

Just like Lord of the Rings, The Summit is filmed in New Zealand. The crew of brave, or foolish, contestants began their adventures at Lake Wakatipu near Glenorchy, a town in the South Island. Their ultimate destination was somewhere at the top of the Southern Alps of New Zealand.

At the risk of being a Negative Nelly, we thought it would be important to mention the existence of an enormous fault, aptly named the Alpine Fault. According to GNS Science, it's one of the "largest sources of seismic, or earthquake, hazards in Aotearoa New Zealand. Historically, when this fault ruptures, it produces an earthquake of about magnitude 8.0."

Don't worry, it's only ruptured four times in the past 900 years, with the last one occurring in 1717. No one panic, but they seem to kick off every couple hundred of years or so which means they could be do for another. With that in mind, we wish everyone the best of luck!