Expedition Impossible (TV series)

Expedition Impossible
Title card
Genre	Reality
Created by	Mark Burnett
Presented by	Dave Salmoni
Country of origin	USA
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	2
Production
Production location	Morocco
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	June 23, 2011

Expedition Impossible is a 2011 American reality television series. The series follows thirteen teams of three competitors as they "solve problems while racing across deserts, over mountains and through rivers" across the nation of Morocco. Each member of the first team to cross the finish line after completing the ten stages of the competition will receive USD$50,000 and a new Ford Explorer.

Created by producer Mark Burnett and hosted by wildlife expert Dave Salmoni, the series premiered on ABC on June 23, 2011 to mild critical response.

Game

Expedition Impossible is run in ten "stages", each of which has a series of "checkpoints". At each checkpoint, teams receive instructions on how to reach the next checkpoint and at some checkpoints they face challenges that must be completed before heading to the next checkpoint. The last team in each stage to reach the final checkpoint is eliminated. If any member of a team quits, the team is eliminated.

The competition began in Merzouga and concluded in Marrakech, covering a course of around 2,000 miles including treks through the Sahara Desert and over the Atlas Mountains.

Production

ABC and producer Mark Burnett announced the series on November 4, 2010, with Burnett describing Expedition Impossible as "high adventure television" and "an epic Indiana Jones-style experience". Open casting began later that month. Prospective contestants were required to demonstrate proficiency in several skills, including horseback riding, righting a boat that had been capsized, compass reading and rappelling.

After initially announcing a premiere date of June 21, 2011, ABC revised the date to June 23.

International distribution

On May 9, 2011, CTV Television Network announced that it had acquired Expedition Impossible for Canadian broadcast and that it would debut the series on June 21. CTV pushed back the premiere to the 23rd, corresponding with its American debut.

Team

California Girls

Christina Chin, 24, Davis, CA. Corporate PR.
Brittany Smith, 24, Rancho Murieta, CA. Aspiring Pro Golfer
Natalie Smith, 25, Woodland, CA. Teacher/Coach

Friends who met while attending the University of California, Davis.

The Cops

Robert Robillard, 43, Concord, MA. Police Lieutenant
Dani Henderson, 34, Marlborough, MA. Police Officer
James Vaglica, 49, Billerica, MA. Police Sergeant

Three police officers from Massachusetts.

The Country Boys

Nicholas Coughlin, 28, Clinton, MS. Internet Marketing/Entrepreneur
Jason Cronin, 37, Pensacola Beach, FL. Business Owner/Entrepreneur
Chad Robinson, 27, Bolton, MS. Real Estate Investor

Friends coming from Mississippi and nearby.

Fab 3

Ryan Allen Carrillo, 36, Los Angeles, CA. Business Owner
Kari Gibson, 26, Los Angeles, CA. Model
AJ Gibson, 30, Los Angeles, CA. Mortgage Consultant

Kari and AJ are siblings. AJ and Ryan used to be a couple but are now friends. All three are roommates.

The Fishermen

Gus Sanfilippo, 48, Gloucester, MA. Fisherman
Nino Sanfilippo, 43, Gloucester, MA. Fisherman
Joe Sanfilippo, 44, Gloucester, MA. Fisherman

Gus and Nino are brothers and Joe is their cousin. All three are crew on the fishing boat Captain Dominic.

The Football Players

Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, 31, Los Angeles, CA. Broadcaster
Robert Ortiz, 27, Solana Beach, CA. Business Owner
Ricky Sharpe, 31, Costa Mesa, CA. Health and Fitness Consultant

All three are former professional football players who first met while playing for San Diego State University.

Grandpa's Warriors

Dick Smith, 69, Normal, IL. Store Owner
Steven Smith, 48, Savoy, IL. Store Owner
Samantha Smith-Gibbs, 23, Thomasboro, IL. Store Manager

Samantha is Steven's daughter, Dick is Steven's father.

The Gypsies

John Post, 25, Pensacola Beach, FL. Sustainable Farmer
Taylor Filasky, 31, San Diego, CA. Video Producer
Eric Bach, 26, San Francisco, CA. Entrepreneur

Group of friends that, collectively, have traveled to over 40 countries.

Latin Persuasion

Dashia Imperiale, 44, New York, NY. Fitness Instructor
Raven Garcia, 30, Bronx, NY. Freelance Writer
Mai Reyes, 38, New York, NY. Manager

Friends and co-workers, all with Latino heritage.

Mom's Army

Eleanor "Ellie" Vanderbeck, 52, Reading, PA. Bookkeeper
Ruthie Vanderbeck, 28, Reading, PA. Realtor
Abbie Vanderbeck, 30, Norwalk, CT. Nanny

Ruthie and Abbie are Ellie's daughters. They were also in the military.

New York Firemen

Kevin "Fathead" Coursey, 39, Belle Harbor, NY. Firefighter
Rob Keiley, 34, Rockaway Park, NY. Firefighter
Mike Egan, 34, Rockaway Park, NY. Firefighter

Firefighters from New York.

No Limits

Erik Weihenmayer, 42, Golden, CO. Motivational Speaker/Writer
Jeff Evans, 41, Boulder, CO. Motivational Speaker/Physician Assistant
Aaron "Ike" Isaacson, 33, Topeka, KS. Soldier

Jeff is Erik's climbing guide on mountaineering expeditions. Erik is blind.

Team Kansas

Lindsey Haymond, 27, Houston, TX. Teacher
Kelsey Fuller, 22, Overland Park, KS. Student
Mackenzie Fuller, 18, Overland Park, KS. Student

Three sisters coming from Kansas.

Progress

Team	Relationships	Position
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
The Gypsies	Friends	1st	1st
The Country Boys	Friends	7th	2nd
No Limits	Friends	6th	3rd
The Football Players	College Friends	3rd	4th
Fab 3	Siblings and Friend	2nd	5th
The Fishermen	Brothers and Cousin	5th	6th
Team Kansas	Sisters	4th	7th
Grandpa's Warriors	Family	12th	8th
California Girls	College Friends	9th	9th
New York Firemen	Co-workers	8th	10th
The Cops	Co-workers	10th	11th
Mom's Army	Mom and Daughters	11th	12th
Latin Persuasion	Friends/Co-workers	13th

• A red team placement means the team was eliminated.
• A blue team placement means the team quit.
• A green team placement means the team won the competition.

Stages

Stage 1: "Sun! Sand! Sahara!"

Todra Gorge

• Checkpoint one: Teams must traverse a tall sand dune to reach a camel outpost.
• Checkpoint two: Teams select three camels to carry them to the Lone Palm Camp.

• Challenge: "Find water the local way." Teams must fill one jug with water obtained using traditional Berber collection methods.

• Checkpoint three: Teams leave the camels and proceed on foot to Todra mountain.

• Challenge: Rappel 300 feet into Todra Gorge.

• Checkpoint four: Teams travel on foot to Snake Valley.

• Challenge: Teams watch a snake charming routine and count the number of snakes, selecting a box bearing the number of snakes they see to receive directions to the finish line. If they select a box with an incorrect number, they are sent 30 minutes off course and must repeat the challenge.

• Finish line.

Stage 2: "Light My Way!"

• Checkpoint one: Teams travel to a horse outpost on foot, then ride Arabian horses seven miles to the Casbah.

• Challenge: Search for buckets and use them to fill an urn to receive the next set of instructions. Teams could choose a larger bucket that leaked or a smaller bucket that did not.

• Checkpoint two: Each team member paddles an inflatable kayak four miles down-river.

• Challenge: Search through the village craftsman's dwelling to find a traditional lamp which will illuminate the finish line on a map.

• Finish line: Travel two miles to an old bridge and search for the finish line at a hidden campsite.

Reception

Before its debut, Expedition Impossible drew comparisons to other reality television series, including The Amazing Race, Pirate Master, and Burnett's own adventure race series Eco-Challenge. Burnett has repudiated the comparisons to TAR, saying "There’s no taxis. There’s no hotels. This is very, very different. Here, you actually need to put yourself on the line, really be willing to cross the deserts and the mountains and use the camels and the horses. So, it’s a very, very much more difficult competition."

David Hinckley of The New York Daily News found the premiere to follow a familiar formula and wondered whether a "saturation point" for this style of entertainment had been reached. In saying so, he stressed that he in no way was diminishing the accomplishments of the participating teams. Similarly, Brian Lowry for Variety, while calling the series a "transparent knockoff of The Amazing Race", complimented Burnett on his ability to create "a sense of jeopardy in the challenges" while finding that the series as a whole "travels such a familiar course" that it was tantamount to "recycling" the concepts of other series.

Expedition Impossible was the top-rated program the night of its debut, pulling 2.4/7 in adults 18/49 and 7.18 million viewers.

External links

• Official site