Manu Bennett To Host Reality Competition Series ‘The Summit’ For CBS

CBS has ordered a U.S. version of The Summit, an adventure reality competition series.

Manu Bennett, who starred in Spartacus, Arrow and The Hobbit trilogy, will host the series, which is based on an Australian format.

The series, which originally aired on Australia’s Nine Network, follows sixteen strangers, who will embark on a journey through the New Zealand Alps in an attempt to reach the peak of a mountain.

With their backpacks containing an equal share of $1M, the group must traverse the distance in just 14 days in order to win the cash they are carrying. But not everyone will make it, as the strangers must work together to tackle the terrain, Antarctic winds, challenges and eliminations on their way to the peak. Tracking them along this journey is the “Mountain’s Keeper” who will surprise the trekkers with twists and force decisions that complicate things. If the group fails to reach the summit in time, all the prize money will be lost.

The Summit is produced by Endemol Shine North America with Kevin Lee, Tina Nicotera, Sharon Levy and DJ Nurre as exec producers.