Air National Guard Master Sgt. Ladeania Jackson is known as “Punkin Jackson” on the CBS reality TV show, “The Summit.” (Ladeania Jackson)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Straining to conquer a peak in the snowcapped Southern Alps of New Zealand with 16 strangers and $1 million at stake, Master Sgt. Ladeania Jackson felt right at home.
Jackson, aka “Punkin Jackson” on the CBS reality TV show, “The Summit,” had survived three episodes of physical and mental challenges as of Wednesday, with more to come.
Her military experience gives her an edge, including her fitness, training in things like map reading and ability to cope with change, she told Stars and Stripes by phone Tuesday.
“We’re always having to adapt, and we’re always changing locations, and so just being able to go with the flow and adapt to different situations,” Jackson said. “We’re sleeping outside, we’re having to read maps. Everything that I’ve learned in the military played a big role in being able to help me on the mountain.”
The CBS reality TV show, “The Summit,” is set in the largest mountain range in New Zealand. (CBS)
A native of Columbus, Miss., Jackson serves with the Air National Guard and the 194th Air Support Operations Group at Camp Murray, Wash. But her home is at Yokota with her spouse, Senior Master Sgt. Tamika Boler of the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron.
Jackson joined the Air Force in 2011, served eight years and joined the Guard in 2020.
When Jackson learned she’d made the cut for “The Summit,” she could barely restrain her joy, she said.
“I was super, super, super excited,” she said. “I was jumping around screaming. I am a reality TV junkie, and it was just something that I’ve always wanted to do. To hear I was chosen was just an amazing feeling.”
“The Summit” first aired with a sneak peek on Sept. 29; new episodes air Wednesdays, according to the network’s website.
“We have 14 days to reach it to the summit of the mountain, and each of us are carrying our share of a million dollars in our backpacks as we hike up the mountain,” Jackson said. “We get to a checkpoint almost every day, and at every checkpoint, you are voting someone off the mountain and stealing their share of the prize pot.”
The show is set in the largest mountain range in New Zealand. The Southern Alps include the country’s tallest peak, 12,218-foot Mount Cook, and run the length of the South Island. The 310-mile chain has another 15 peaks over 10,000 feet.
“I’m definitely terrified of heights,” Jackson said. “Every obstacle that has aired so far has been heights. I was constantly having to face my fear and get over it to accomplish the task at hand.”
Who will conquer “The Summit?” Jackson is legally bound to give nothing away.
“It’s definitely going to take a person that does not take no for an answer and does not give up,” she said. “Climbing a mountain is not easy by any means and then you add the mental aspect of playing a game. It takes a tough person for sure.”
