5 Things to Know About Manu Bennett, Host of High-Stakes Competition Series ‘The Summit’

Most reality competition players have to make it to the end to get a glimpse of the grand prize. In CBS‘ new reality competition series The Summit, the prize money is precious cargo on the contestants’ once-in-a-lifetime journey through the treacherous New Zealand Alps. Guiding them through it all is actor Manu Bennett, who serves as host.

Premiering September 29, The Summit follows 16 strangers as they attempt to reach the peak of a distant, towering mountain. With their backpacks containing an equal share of $1 million, the group must traverse an exhausting distance in just 14 days in order to win the cash they are carrying. But not everyone will make it, as these strangers must work together to tackle the dangerous terrain, unforgiving Antarctic winds, heart-pounding challenges, and gut-wrenching eliminations on their way to the peak.

There’s a twist: Monitoring their every move is the “Mountain’s Keeper,” who flies around in a helicopter to drop brutal twists and force decisions that complicate the already grueling journey. Morals and relationships will be tested when they must decide what to do if someone falls behind, because if the group fails to reach The Summit in time, all the prize money will be lost.

You may recognize The Summit host from his work on film and TV (he had major roles in The Hobbit, Spartacus, and Arrow), but for those who don’t, here’s what you should know about Bennett.

1. He played the lead villain in The Hobbit trilogy

As a native New Zealander, Bennett knows the country’s terrain well. He got to know it even better when playing the villainous Orc called Azog the Defiler in Peter Jackson‘s The Hobbit trilogy. See him behind the scenes of one of the climactic fight sequences in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies above. Jackson called him the breakout star of the three films.

2. He played a fan-favorite character on Spartacus

Matt Klitscher / Starz / Everett Collection

A fan-favorite character of the Starz series, Crixus was a former Champion of Capua and was introduced into the story as a slave who wanted to become a gladiator. He succeeded, fighting his way up until he became one of the top gladiators of Ludus. One of his costars was Cynthia Addai-Robinson (pictured above, with Bennett), who now stars in the latest Tolkien onscreen adaptation, Prime Video‘s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

3. He played Slade Wilson/Deathstroke on Arrow

Bennett’s Slade Wilson started out as a mentor and friend to Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) on The CW superhero series, but he evolved into Oliver’s arch-nemesis as Deathstroke. Most recently he can be seen in lead roles in Perfect Addiction and the Maori crime drama Muru.

4. Bennett has famous parents

Bennett is of Maori, Scottish, English, French, and Finish ancestry and was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1969. His father, Charles Edward Tiwha (Ted) Bennett, was a popular singer in New Zealand who had a No. 1 hit in the song “Clap Your Hands” as well as other hits in the 1960s.

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His mother was Jean Clark, an Australian model who modeled the very first two-piece bikini ever designed by Paula Strafford, who’s credited with introducing bikinis to Australia.

5. He’s a talented rugby player and dancer

Bennett is a trained actor, dancer, musician, and rugby player. He was selected to play for the NSW Schoolboys Rugby Union Team in Australia and was also invited to try out for the Australian National Team, but a leading role in a production of the ballet Swan Lake stood in conflict.

In the 1990s, he had the option to accept a ballet scholarship in New York or an acting scholarship at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in Los Angeles. He chose the latter.

The Summit, Series Premiere, Wednesday, September 29, 8:30/7:30c, CBS