“Wait. Isn’t there already a Josh Gates show with that title?” I thought when I saw an ad for Destination X.
The new reality travel competition show premiered on NBC on May 27. New episodes air on Tuesdays and stream the next day on Peacock. Thankfully. I missed the first two episodes, so I streamed the premiere over the weekend.
Was it any good? We’ll get to that. Let’s first explore the name of the show.
How Destination X Differs from Destination Truth and Expedition X
It’s easy to understand why someone might confuse Destination X with Destination Truth and Expedition X, two similar-sounding shows hosted by Josh Gates. (Or am I just trying to make myself feel better? In my defense, the names are so close, though.)
While both are travel-centric, there are differences. Big ones. Destination X is more like NBC’s answer to ABC’s popular and long-running The Amazing Race rather than an investigative show like Josh Gates is known for.
It also went with a curious choice for host: Jeffrey Dean Morgan (a.k.a. “Negan” from The Walking Dead). As much as I love, Love, LOVE Morgan, I almost think Gates would’ve been better suited to host this show.
Not that Morgan is bad. He’s funny in his trademark snarky way, and that voice of his…nope. I’d never get tired of listening to it. (He’s certainly easy on the eyes, too.)
However, it also feels like he’s not entirely comfortable in his role. I couldn’t help but notice he channeled a similar technique to Alan Cumming, host of Peacock’s hit The Traitors. For instance, Cumming refers to the castle as “his.” Morgan does the same for the bus that the contestants ride to the mystery locations.
All of which I found interesting when I read an NBC Insider article about how he was reluctant to accept the hosting gig. (His wife, Hilarie Burton Morgan, convinced him to go for it.) He also studied some Traitors episodes to see how Cumming handled host duties, and he admitted he tried to channel that style a little bit.
Speaking of The Traitors…
Destination X Is No Traitors
The Traitors, Beast Games, The Mole, Amazing Race…I’m a sucker for Squid Game-esque competition shows. (Minus the murdering of contestants, of course.) That’s why I was all aboard for Destination X.
Except, it’s somehow lacking the luster that draws me in with the other shows. I wasn’t even inspired to keep bingeing. Will I go back to it? The jury’s still out. Though FOMO may get the better of me.
I feel like I should see if it improves in the second episode, but I may be prejudiced at this point. Especially after searching Bluesky to see if there was any chatter about it after I watched the first episode. I found some, and the majority seemed as disenchanted with it as I did. One guy claimed that he only made it through 10 minutes of episode 1 before walking away.
However, comments on a clip NBC shared on YouTube of the first team challenge were more positive. Proving once again, it’s all about perspective, right?
Maybe it’ll grow on me—if I give it another chance, that is. Clearly, some are. Programming Insider reported that viewership of episode 3 improved compared to its premiere.
That doesn’t mean it gets better as it progresses. It’s the end of the school year, graduation season, and so on, and since Memorial Day was on May 26, it’s possible that people were still out of town when it premiered on May 27. Perhaps they’re now back and able to catch up, or they’ve seen chatter about it elsewhere and are tuning in. There’s no telling.
If you’ve seen Destination X, I’d love to know your thoughts. Check in below and let me know!
Check-In
If you were on a reality TV competition show, would you rather be in a static environment (a la The Traitors‘ castle or the Big Brother house) or traveling from city to city (like Amazing Race and now Destination X)?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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