Expedition Impossible (TV series)

Did You Know?

• Prospective contestants had to demonstrate skills including horseback riding, righting a capsized boat, compass reading, and rappelling.
• The series was announced on November 4, 2010, with Burnett describing it as 'high adventure television' and 'an epic Indiana Jones-style experience'.
• Open casting began in November 2010.

Game

The competition consisted of ten stages, each with checkpoints where teams received instructions and sometimes faced challenges. The last team to reach the final checkpoint in each stage was eliminated; if any team member quit, the entire team was eliminated. The course began in Merzouga and ended in Marrakesh, covering about 2,000 miles through the Sahara Desert and over the Atlas Mountains.

International distribution and adaptations

CTV Television Network acquired the series for Canadian broadcast, debuting it on June 21, 2011, before moving the premiere to June 23 to match the American debut. Australia's Network Ten began airing the show on July 16, 2011, in the 6:30–7:30 pm timeslot. A Spanish adaptation, Expedición Imposible, premiered on Cuatro on January 23, 2013, hosted by Raquel Sánchez-Silva and featuring ten pairs of celebrities racing through Morocco.

Teams

Thirteen teams of three competed. John Post, Taylor Filasky, and Eric Bach were friends who had collectively traveled to over 40 countries. Erik Weihenmayer, Jeff Evans, and Aaron "Ike" Isaacson included a blind motivational speaker, his climbing guide, and a soldier. Ryan Allen Carrillo, Kari Gibson, and AJ Gibson were roommates; Kari and AJ were siblings, and Ryan and AJ had formerly been a couple.

Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, Robert Ortiz, and Ricky Sharpe were former professional football players who met at San Diego State University. Christina Chin, Brittany Smith, and Natalie Smith were friends from the University of California, Davis. Nicholas Coughlin, Jason Cronin, and Chad Robinson were friends from Mississippi. Gus Sanfilippo, Nino Sanfilippo, and Joe Sanfilippo were fishermen; Gus and Nino were brothers, and Joe was their cousin.

Lindsey Haymond, Kelsey Fuller, and Mackenzie Fuller were three sisters originally from Kansas. Dick Smith, Steven Smith, and Samantha Smith-Gibbs were store owners.

Reception

Before its debut, the series drew comparisons to The Amazing Race, Pirate Master, and Eco-Challenge; Burnett said his show was much more difficult, involving deserts, mountains, camels, and horses. David Hinckley of The New York Daily News found the premiere followed a familiar formula and questioned whether a saturation point had been reached. Brian Lowry of Variety called it a transparent knockoff of The Amazing Race but praised Burnett's ability to create jeopardy in the challenges.

The premiere was the top-rated program of its night, with a 2.4/7 rating in adults 18–49 and 7.18 million viewers, ranking eighth most watched that week. The second episode drew a 1.8/6 and 6.16 million viewers, a drop attributed to the holiday weekend, and was the top program of its hour and second of the night. Ratings continued to decline: the fifth episode had a 1.3 rating and 4.68 million viewers; the eighth episode hit a season low of 1.1 and 3.83 million viewers; the ninth episode had 4.45 million viewers; and the finale ended with a 1.3 rating and 4.61 million viewers.