Expedition Impossible (ABC) - Synopsis and Review

A few months ago rumors about a brand new series came into existence. There was talk about a new concept from Mark Burnett, a well known television producer with some big shows on his name. The show is supposedly a mixture of 'Survivor' and 'The Amazing Race', though Mark Burnett denies this. The show is called 'Expedition Impossible' and is hosted by Dave Salmoni. The race consists of ten episodes, an episode is called a ‘stage’. At the end of each stage the team that arrives last at the finish line will get eliminated. During each stage teams will face a few challenges which have to be completed before moving on. Thirteen teams start the race but only one will be the winner. Every team has three players with a preexisting relationship (for example brothers). This season takes place in Morroco, where teams will travel through the desert and over snow capped mountains.

On June 23th the first episode of Expedition Impossible aired on ABC. The ratings of the premiere were really good, it was the 8th most watched show that week. As with a lot of shows, the subsequent episodes are having less viewers, but still the ratings remain good. It seems like this brainchild of Mark will become another big hit.

Five episodes have been aired so far and I feel like this show could be around for a few more seasons. Though, not without changes. The first three episodes were all on the same kind of terrain, and although that is not unusual for a show like this, I was a bit bored. I felt like we were not seeing any new things, the challenges weren’t that different from each other, the terrain stayed the same and the teams didn’t bring much drama either. There was simply not enough action to keep me interested. There was one team that didn’t get along really well, that made it a bit interesting, but unfortunately that team got eliminated in the first episode. However, drama within teams is not necessary to keep me watching, but a little bit more competition between teams wouldn’t hurt.

I think the fun part about this show is the challenges, it is far more interesting to watch a challenge than to watch someone walk 5 miles. But, you know, the challenges could be a bit more challenging. Most of the time it’s just a small assignment which is fairly easy to complete. Consequently, the challenges never really shake things up, the teams usually leave in the same order as they arrive. For the viewers it would be more exciting if a challenge was a bit harder and teams could pass each other.

Even though I’m not thrilled about the show, I keep watching. Apparently there is something that attracts me, and other viewers as well. I’m not sure what it is, maybe it’s because the show is not looking for the drama but is just capturing the adventure of the teams.

I do recommend the show to every reality show lover out there. It has some features of the shows Survivor and The Amazing Race, though at the same time it’s nothing like those shows. If you don’t like those shows, you still might like this show. It has some good qualities (not focusing on the drama) and some points of improvement (better challenges) but the show remains fun to watch. Even if you don’t necessarily like reality shows, this is worth watching for the amazing shots of the Moroccan landscape.