''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 Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

.'Expedition Impossible' sounds like an amazing race
/ref> The first team to cross the finish line after completing the ten stages of the competition was to receive US$150,000. In addition, each team member won a new

Ford Explorer The Ford Explorer is a range of SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first four-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer was introduced as a replacement for the two-door Bronco II. Within the current Ford light ...

. Created by producer

Mark Burnett Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a television producer who is the former Chairman of MGM Television, MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows The Apprentice (American TV series), ''The Ap ...

and hosted by wildlife expert

Dave Salmoni Dave Salmoni (born September 4, 1975) is a Canadian animal trainer, entertainer and television producer. He has his own production company, Triosphere, which is based in South Africa and specializes in wildlife films. Dave has dedicated his life ...

, the series premiered on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

on June 23, 2011, to mild critical response. The show was canceled following its first and only season.

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 Merzouga is a small village in southeastern Morocco, about southeast of Rissani, about from Erfoud and about from the Algerian border. The village is known for its proximity to Erg Chebbi and is a popular destination for tourists. It has been ...

and concluded in

Marrakech Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...

, covering a course of around 2,000 miles including treks through the

Sahara Desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

and over the

Atlas Mountains The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range. It stretches around through Moroc ...

.'Expedition Impossible' goes off the road to Morocco
/ref>

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 and adaptations

On May 9, 2011,

CTV Television Network The CTV Television Network, commonly known as CTV, is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. Launched in 1961 and acquired by BCE Inc. in 2000, CTV is Canada's largest privately owned television network and is now a divis ...

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.Expedition Impossible Exclusive Preview: What To Expect In Tonight’s Season Premiere
/ref> On July 16, 2011, Australia's

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

started to broadcast the show in the 6:30pm – 7:30pm timeslot on its main channel - 10. An adaptation of the series premiered on the channel

Cuatro Cuatro is Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the number four. Cuatro may also refer to: * Cuatro (instrument), name for two distinct Latin American instruments, one from Puerto Rico (see Cuatro) and the other from Venezuela (see Cuatro) ...

in Spain on January 23, 2013. Hosted by

Raquel Sánchez-Silva Raquel Sánchez Silva (born 13 January 1973 in Plasencia, Cáceres, Spain) is a Spanish television presenter and writer. After studying journalism, she started working for a local television in Plasencia. After that, she was a news anchor on Te ...

, ''Expedición Imposible'' features ten pairs of celebrities racing through Morocco.

Teams

The Gypsies

John Post, 25, Pensacola Beach, FL. Sustainable Farmer
Taylor Filasky, 31,

San Diego, CA San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. Video Producer
Eric Bach, 26,

San Francisco, CA San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

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

No Limits

Erik Weihenmayer Erik Weihenmayer (born September 23, 1968) is an American athlete, adventurer, author, activist and motivational speaker. He was the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on May 25, 2001. As a result of this accomplishment h ...

, 42,

Golden, CO Golden is a home rule city that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,399 at the 2020 United States Census. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountai ...

. Motivational Speaker/Writer
Jeff Evans, 41,

Boulder, CO Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Colora ...

. Motivational Speaker/Physician Assistant
Aaron "Ike" Isaacson, 33,

Topeka, KS Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central Un ...

. Soldier Jeff is Erik's climbing guide on mountaineering expeditions because Erik is blind. Ike is a soldier.

Fab 3

Ryan Allen Carrillo, 36,

Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Unemployed
Kari Gibson, 26,

. Model
AJ Gibson, 30,

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

The Football Players

Akbar Gbaja-Biamila Akbar Oluwakemi-Idowu Gbaja-Biamila (born May 6, 1979) is a former professional American football player in the National Football League (NFL) who is a commentator and co-host on the ''American Ninja Warrior'' television series. He is the forme ...

, 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 San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

The Cops

Robert "Rob" Robillard, 43,

Concord, MA Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the conflu ...

. Police Lieutenant
Dani Henderson, 34,

Marlborough, MA Marlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 41,793 at the 2020 census. Marlborough became a prosperous industrial town in the 19th century and made the transition to high technology industry in the ...

. Police Officer
James "Jim" Vaglica, 49,

Billerica, MA Billerica (, ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 42,119 according to the 2020 census. It takes its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England. History In the early 1630s, a Praying Indian ...

. Police Sergeant Cops who work together. In 2016, Jim Vaglica of The Cops would appear on the FOX reality show, American Grit.

California Girls

Christina Chin, 24,

Davis, CA Davis is the most populous city in Yolo County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 66,850 in 2020, not including the on-campus population of the University of California, Davi ...

. Corporate PR.
Brittany Smith, 24, Rancho Murieta, CA. Aspiring Pro Golfer
Natalie Smith, 25,

Woodland, CA Woodland is a city in and the county seat of Yolo County, California, located approximately northwest of Sacramento, and is a part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. The population was 61,032 at the 2020 census. Woodland's origins date to 1 ...

. Teacher/Coach Friends who met while attending the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...

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 Bolton is a town in Hinds County, Mississippi, Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 567 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, down from 629 at the 2000 2000 U.S. census, census. It is part of the Jackson, Mississipp ...

. Real Estate Investor Friends coming from

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and nearby.

The Fishermen

Gus Sanfilippo, 48,

Gloucester, MA Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

. Fisherman
Nino Sanfilippo, 43,

. Fisherman
Joe Sanfilippo, 44,

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

New York Firemen

Kevin "Fathead" Coursey, 39, Belle Harbor, NY. Firefighter
Rob Keiley, 34,

Rockaway Park, NY Rockaway Park is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The area is on the Rockaway Peninsula, nestled between Jamaica Bay to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The neighborhood of Rockaway Beach lies on its eastern bo ...

. Firefighter
Mike Egan, 34,

. Firefighter Co-workers who are firefighters in New York

Team Kansas

Lindsey Haymond, 27,

Houston, TX Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. Teacher
Kelsey Fuller, 22,

Overland Park, KS Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal city, principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the most populous suburb of Kansas City, ...

. Student
Mackenzie Fuller, 18,

. Student Three sisters who are originally from Kansas.

Grandpa's Warriors

Dick Smith, 69,

Normal, IL Normal is a town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 52,736. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area, and Illinois' seventh most ...

. 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.

Mom's Army

Eleanor "Ellie" Vanderbeck, 52,

Reading, PA Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philadel ...

. Bookkeeper
Ruthie Vanderbeck, 28,

. Realtor
Abbie Vanderbeck, 30,

Norwalk, CT , image_map = Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Norwalk highlighted.svg , mapsize = 230px , map_caption = Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County and ...

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

Latin Persuasion

Dashia Imperiale, 44,

New York, NY New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Fitness Instructor
Raven Garcia, 30,

Bronx, NY The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Yor ...

. Freelance Writer
Mai Reyes, 38,

. Manager Friends and co-workers, all with

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

heritage.

Progress

*A team placement means the team was eliminated. *A team placement means the team won the expedition.

Stages

Reception

Before its debut, ''Expedition Impossible'' drew comparisons to other reality television series, including ''

The Amazing Race ''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in forei ...

'', ''

Pirate Master ''Pirate Master'' is an American reality television show created by Mark Burnett and broadcast on CBS. The show followed sixteen modern-day pirates on their quest for a gold treasure valued at US$1,000,000. The show was hosted by Cameron Daddo a ...

'', and Burnett's own adventure race series ''

Eco-Challenge ''Eco-Challenge: The Expedition Race'' is a multi-day expedition length adventure race in which teams of four (five in the early years) competed. It originally aired on TV from April 1995 to April 2002. Based closely on the Raid Gauloises adventu ...

''.'Expedition Impossible': EP Mark Burnett on Why This Isn't 'Amazing Race'
/ref> 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 The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

'' 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 Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', 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. The premiere was the 8th most watched show that week. In the second episode, ''Expedition Impossible'' pulled a 1.8/6 in adults 18/49 and 6.16 million viewers. This drop was not unusual for a holiday weekend, as other shows also experienced a rating decline. Despite this, ''Expedition Impossible'' was the top rated program of the hour and the second top rated program of the night, as well as the 12th most watched show that week in the 18/49 demo. Ratings however continued to slip when its fifth episode only garnered a rating of 1.3 for the 18/49 demo and 4.68 million in total viewers. The show hit a season low for its eighth episode, with a demo rating of 1.1 and only watched by 3.83 million viewers.Expedition Impossible: ABC Worldwide Competition; Cancel or Keep It?
/ref> The show's ninth episode was watched by 4.45 million viewers, and the season finale ended with a rating of 1.3 for the 18/49 demo and 4.61 millions in total viewer number.Thursday Final Ratings: Numerous Adjustments Due to NFL and Irene Preemptions
/ref>

International versions

The TV format was exported in Spain with the title '' Expedición Imposible'' when it was aired on

and hosted by Raquel Sánchez Silva on 2013.

References

External links

Official site
{{Mark Burnett 2010s American reality television series 2011 American television series debuts 2011 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming Television series by MGM Television Television series created by Mark Burnett Television shows filmed in Morocco Television shows set in Morocco