The Summit Australia 2023 concluded on June 4 with Brooke Kilowsky, Lulu Hawton and Isaac Compton claiming a share of the $490k prize money.
After deliberations were made by the eliminated Trekkers, including Jans Andre who was sent home at the top, Compton in particular, walked away with $250k, a cash amount he says he “absolutely deserves”.
“Gemma [Mullins] had said, ‘a lot of people motivated you and pushed you, some people even carried your bag. Why do you deserve to be there and not over here with us?””, Compton recalled during an interview with Mediaweek before his win.
“This is true. I was helped along the way. Yeah, people pushed me and encouraged me. But at the end of the day, I still had to get myself there and physically push myself. There were mental blocks and I had to push passed them to get to the end.”
Isaac Compton. Nine
In fact, it was so difficult, that when asked if he ever thought he wouldn’t make it up the mountain, he said: “Every day. Every single day because it only got harder.”
“You’re on uneven terrain. You go up and down and back up again. It’s slippery, it’s wet, it’s dirty and all these things alone are tough and then you tack on height challenges and physical exertion.”
The Summit’s Isaac Compton reveals what he will do with the prize money
During the hike, Compton would often talk about his mum, Gillian, using her as a source of inspiration and even though he is the third of seven children, his siblings would always joke he was the “favourite”. When questioned about what he will do with the money, his mum was the first person he thought of.
“So, first and foremost, I’m going to buy my mum a new kitchen,” he said. “She has been talking about it for ages. Me and my mum have been through some tough times together.”
Compton also recalled the moment he realised the past contestants were going to decide who would be divvying up the cash prize.
“I was doing backflips. I was jumping for joy,” he admitted. “Because a lot of my friends were in that helicopter and I knew for a fact that these two [Kilowsky and Hawton] had screwed a lot of people over in that in that helicopter, but I couldn’t show that. I just pretended like I was devastated.”
Isaac and Jai Courtney. Nine.
As for the overall experience, Compton said: “It was incredible, absolutely amazing. It was incredibly hard. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and if they asked me to do it again? I’d do it again at the drop of a hat. Absolutely. Because I’ve seen what I can do. I’ve been there and pushed myself, and I know what I can do if I push my body and my mind too.”
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