Everest: Beyond The Limit Season 3 Schedule Clarified

Leave it to Alan Arnette to figure out what's going on with Discovery Channel's series Everest: Beyond The Limit. Last week I posted a story with the news that it seemed the show was set to begin airing on December 30th and would consist of five episodes. This info came from Tigress Productions website, and seemed to counter rumors that show would begin on Sunday, Dec. 27th.

Turns out, both dates were right, but for different reasons. Alan says in this blog post, that the show will air on both the 27th and 30th, and all five episodes will be broadcast on those two days. It seems episodes 1-3 will be shown on the 27th, beginning at 8 PM Eastern Time. Then on Wednesday the 30th, episodes 4 and 5 will be broadcast, bringing the show to a very quick end. Here's what we can expect to see on those episodes according to Alan:

Episode One covers early trips through the ice fall, David Tait’s summit with the rope fixing team and the ice fall avalanche that killed the Sherpa.
Episode Two concentrates on John Golden’s summit attempt with IMG
Episode Three covers the main IMG team summit on May 20
Episode Four is the first Himex summits on May 21
Episode Five is the second Himex summits on May 23

This is very interesting news for a number of reasons. First, and foremost, I know fans of the show have been waiting for news for some time, and I think it's quite odd that two weeks out, we're still waiting for Discovery to start promoting the show. I also think it's odd that there are only five episodes, and that they are all going to be shown in rapid fire succession, a far cry from years past when the show went on for weeks, and was accompanied by another show called "After the Climb" that broke down in more detail the events that transpired on the mountain, usually with the climbers giving us the scoop. I know that Beyond The Limit has a nice following for Discovery, and after a two year hiatus, you'd think they'd be pushing it's return and milking it for all it's worth. After all, this will be a different show, with new climbers, on a different side of the mountain. It sort of seems like the show is being sent out to die, airing through the holidays, a traditionally slow time for television, without much fan fare.

I guess we should take what we can get and enjoy it for what it is.

Update: The Discovery Channel Schedule does go out to Dec. 27th now, and the show is indeed listed for that Sunday. The three episodes listed for airing that night have the following descriptions:

Episode 1: Everest gives up it's first summit of the season, and takes its first victim.
Episode 2: After a knee injury ended his football career, John Golden overcomes a disability to attempt the highest goal on earth.
Episode 3: Astronaut Scott Parazynski attempts to be the first spacewalker on the summit of Everest.

There you go. Set the DVR's now!