Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Climb’ On HBO Max, A Reality Competition For Expert Rock Climbers

Jason Momoa and Chris Sharma, considered one of the best climbers of all time, are the executive producers of The Climb, a reality competition where ten expert climbers compete for a $100,000 prize. In each episode, we see Mamoa, Sharma, and co-host Meagan Martin — herself an expert climber and repeat American Ninja Warrior contestant — scout breathtaking locations for climbs. Then the contestants climb that particular location.

THE CLIMB: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A shirtless Jason Momoa climbs a rock without a rope, over waves crashing on shore. Chris Sharma talks about when he met Jason and how he help the actor spark a passion for rock climbing.

The Gist: On the day of the first climb, on the island of Majorca, Sharma and Martin are on one raft while the ten contestants — most in their 20s and 30s, but with one climber competing at 53 — are on the other. The rules are simple: Climb the sheer rock face, with tough finger and footholds, a “crux” that has a difficult overhang, and other hazards. Oh, by the way, they don’t use a rope on this climb, using the water to break their falls if they slip. And, oh by the way again, the weather isn’t so good, and the rock gets wetter as the day goes on.

Most of the climbers don’t make it all the way up due to the degree of difficulty. If everyone made it to the top, the ones who took the fastest routes would be safe. In the case of this first climb, the two climbers who fell off the rock at the lowest point are up for elimination. If there’s a tie there, then the slower time determines which climber is up for elimination.

The two bottom climbers then are taken to a different rock for the elimination climb, this time there’s a severe overhang midway through the route. The climber that gets further is safe, and the other one goes home.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The vibe among the contestants in The Climb is supportive, making it feel like Top Chef in that specific way. Otherwise, we can’t think of another show that comes close to this one as a comparison.

Our Take: If you’re watching The Climb to see Jason Momoa, you’ll likely be disappointed. Sure, you see him scouting locations with Sharma and Martin, but he won’t be there for the actual competitive climbs; you’ve got Sharma and Martin doing play by play as each climber makes their way up a rock.

Now, about that part: Watching people climb rocks is pretty much the whole show. The scenery is spectacular, don’t get us wrong. But unless you’re really into rock climbing, or watching other people go rock climbing, there isn’t a whole lot that this show can offer you.

Because of the cooperative and collaborative atmosphere among the contestants, we do get glimpses of them interacting with each other; some even know each other from the pro climbing circuit. In the first episode, we see subsets of the contestants walking through the local town, getting stuff at an outdoor market and talking about why they climb. There are other segments where we see pairs of people discuss who has the better chance during the elimination.

So there’s a bit of a personal touch there to help viewers connect with the contestants. But there isn’t really enough of it, especially with the full slate of contestants to deal with. Storylines are given, like Alice Hafer talking about the anxiety that has plagued her during climbing tournaments, or Cat Runner talking about how his lack of height does put him at a physical disadvantage.

But what we mostly see is people climbing rocks. And as much as the show’s production team tries to make it visually interesting, you likely won’t stay with the show if you’re not into watching people climb.

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: As one of the bottom two contestants climb the elimination challenge, she gets near the point where the previous contestant reached, and the show cuts to black.

Sleeper Star: We were rooting hardest for April Fulton Welch, who at 53 is the oldest contestant by over a decade. She was in fantastic shape, and we wanted to see if she could defy time and challenge the young’uns.

Most Pilot-y Line: One pair of contestants have a conversation about who has a better chance during the elimination and it looks completely set up.

Our Call: SKIP IT, unless you’re really into watching people climb rocks. Yes, The Climb looks spectacular, and yes, you get glimpses of Mamoa in each episode. But if you’re not into what’s going on during the contest, it’s going to get old fast.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.