“It’s Never Too Late to Reinvent Yourself”: ‘The Summit’ Winner Brooke Is Ready for Anything

June 5, 2023

The Summit Australia 2023 finale winner Brooke. — Nine

Last night, Brooke Kilowsky, Lulu Hawton, and Isaac Compton made it to The Summit, becoming the first winners of Channel 9’s newest reality competition series. The trio presumed they would split the $490,000 cash prize evenly between them, but there was one final twist in store. The eliminated Trekkers returned, holding the power to decide how much money each winner would recieve. Brooke took home $150,000, Isaac was rewarded with $250,000, and Lulu was given $90,000.

Chatting to The Latch over the phone, Brooke was bubbly, excited, and thrilled to finally be able to talk about her life-changing experience on The Summit and what’s next for her.

Why Brooke Applied for The Summit Australia

A single mum and psychology student, Brooke was going through a period of adversity before the show. She was going through a divorce, and grieving the loss of a friend, and ready for a change. Then, she was inspired to apply for The Summit after one of her university classes.

“I was in a psychology class and we were talking about personality profiling for reality shows and I was like (gasps) ‘I could do that!’,” she recalled. “I started googling, and I found the show!”

She continued: “I was like, ‘Adventure? A million dollars? I can do this! Bring it on!’ and that’s what got me into it.”

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A post shared by Brooke Kilowsky (@brookekilowsky)

How Brooke Prepared for The Summit

An hour after submitting her application, Brooke heard back from the producers.

“I knew they liked me,” she said. From that moment, it was all systems go, and Brooke began training for the climb before even receiving confirmation that she would be competing on the show. Her preparation was extensive.

“I’ve got this whole list that goes on for ages,” she said, quickly listing off “bouldering, altitude training, hiking,” and learning how to tell time by the sun.

“I did everything possible!” she said.

Aside from the physical training, Brooke also went in prepared to play a strategic and social game.

“Everyone was like ‘I didn’t know it was such a social game!’ — I knew it was a social game!” she exclaimed. “I was reading all the psychology around everything. The 48 Laws of Power, the mental training, I just went above and beyond.

“They took us over there and we were in lockdown, and I was strategising in code in my book so the producers couldn’t read my book. I knew it was going to be Survivor-like, I knew it.”

On the show, Brooke said, “people didn’t see” how intense her strategic planning was.

“Day one, I was like ‘relationships are key’,” she said. “My relationships with everyone were real — get to know their story, get to know the people, build those bonds. Night one, I didn’t sleep because I was strategising, going ‘who do I need to connect with? And we need to keep these strong boys for a certain amount of time, but we need to get rid of them’.”

She laughed.

“I could talk about it forever!” she gushed. “I’m so excited I can finally talk about it! But yeah, my strategy was huge. I wasn’t physically as strong as everyone else, so I really had to work on relationships, and when was the right time to get rid of people, and that’s how I got to the top.”

She paused, laughing again.

“Was that the longest answer you’ve ever gotten from one question?” she asked. (It wasn’t!)

What Brooke Learned About Herself on The Summit

Going into the show, Brooke felt that she’d never had time for herself.

“I had kids young,” she explained. “It was like, ‘who is Brooke?’ Brooke’s always been ‘Mum’.”

As she took on The Summit, Brooke said that it transformed her “in many ways”.

“I got time to meditate, to tap into my life,” she said, “and what I did learn about myself was that I just didn’t give up.

“There was not a moment in my brain where I went ‘I’m quitting, I’m walking off!’ because you just have to believe in yourself,” she continued.

“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I didn’t give up. I would’ve died before I gave up, and that’s the power of a parent! I’m pretty tough, I know that!”

Brooke was also proud that she had held onto her integrity throughout the journey, even during her altercation with Jacqui.

“I was mortified that she was so upset with me, and on the inside, my heart was racing,” Brooke recalled. “You couldn’t see it, but my heart was pounding, I wanted to cry, I wanted to run away, but I was really brave and I handled it really well. And I learned a lot about myself in that conflict.

“I’m just so proud that I can show my children that, you know, some people get upset, but you can handle any situation. I’m just so proud of myself,” she said.

What Is Brooke From The Summit Doing Now?

In a world beyond The Summit, Brooke is ready for anything and everything.

“Throw it at me!” she exclaimed. “I went into it just for the experience, but you know what I found? I’m such an extrovert that I love being around people, all the producers, I just felt such a sense of belonging!

“I’d love to do something else in TV, or media, or even motivational speaking! Hopefully this opens up some doors,” she said.

“I just love people and I love to help people!” she said. “I’ve just got this new love for life, and it’s beautiful. It is never too late to reinvent yourself!”

The Summit Australia is streaming now on 9Now.

Want more of Channel 9’s The Summit? Read all our content here, and check out the links below.

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