ITV has reportedly cancelled Ben Shephard's high-budget reality show The Summit after just one series, following disappointing viewing figures that failed to meet expectations. The eight-episode competition, which aired in a prime-time weekday slot starting February 2026, drew an average of just over 1.1 million viewers for its premiere and only 1.2 million for the finale, according to the Mirror.
Show Format and Host
Hosted by This Morning's Ben Shephard, The Summit featured 14 contestants tackling gruelling terrain and obstacles to scale a mountain in New Zealand's Southern Alps for a £200,000 prize. Each participant carried a share of the prize money in their backpack and faced elimination by fellow competitors, all while being pursued by a threatening black helicopter. The show was based on an Australian format.
Ratings and Cancellation Reasons
A source told The Sun: "Competition is fierce out there right now. And even shows with big budgets and big-name presenters are not a guarantee of success. Unless they make an impact quite quickly, execs have to weigh up whether the cost of making these shows is worth the ratings, and therefore the advertising revenues, to make it worthwhile. Everyone is looking for 'The Next Big Show'. Unfortunately, The Summit wasn't it, even though commentators remarked on the fact it did seem to try to tap into some of the energy of The Traitors."
Production Challenges
Ben Shephard previously revealed that the show involved dangerous stunts, saying: "We had an elite team setting these challenges. They were all extraordinarily, sort of brilliantly laid out by experts. But you look at it, and if it goes slightly wrong, it can go very, very wrong. And we had one very bad injury at one point."
ITV's Response
Daily Star reached out to ITV for comment, but the network declined to respond. Season one of The Summit remains available to stream on ITVX.
