Who won The Summit? Three players made it to the top, but only one was voted the winner.
After 14 grueling days of daunting challenges and brutal betrayals, three inexperienced climbers reached the top of The Summit.
The first season of CBS's new reality competition series wrapped up Wednesday night with a finale filled with both triumph and heartbreak.
Premiering in September, The Summit follows 16 contestants with no mountaineering experience as they attempt to summit a peak in the New Zealand Alps within 14 days.
Along the way, the players carry cash in their backpacks and must pass through several checkpoint camps, where they vote each other out. If the remaining contestants fail to reach the summit by the deadline, they leave empty-handed. Each episode features the mysterious "Mountain Keeper," who drops a bag containing a note with an ethical and strategic dilemma for the players to confront.
In Wednesday's finale, titled "Judgement Day," just four contestants remained as they made their way toward the summit on Day 14. However, in classic Mountain Keeper style, a sudden twist meant only three could finish what they had started.
Here’s what you need to know, including the winner’s explanation to USA TODAY about how they pulled it off.
