Destination Truth

              There is so much of the world I would love to see.  When I think of all the places I want to go, I find there are far too many for me to count.  This is why I envy Josh Gates and his Destination Truth team.  Well, I envy them to a point.

                The premise of Destination Truth is a team of investigators travel the world searching for creatures of local lore.  They look for all sorts of things.  From Bigfoot-like animals to ghosts and everything in between, the team tries to find what has been witnessed for years by those living in the area.  Sometimes it is a journey to get to the location itself, but once they do, witnesses are interviewed and the investigation begins.  This is where my envy stops.  During the dark of night, the team puts themselves in some precarious positions as they search for the creature.  I have seen them walk through jungles, crawl through narrow caves, boat (and swim) in unknown waters, and walk across old, unstable bridges.  These are just some of the things they have done, and as I said, all at night.  This does not seem like fun to me.  No, thank you.  I think I will stick with the day time, although many of these things I would not do at any time of day.  However, I do appreciate the team’s determination to find what they are looking for no matter what they must do.          

                This show could have easily been the usual set up of explain the case, arrive at the location, investigate, and go home.  It is not.  Instead, the journey to get to the location is a big part of each episode.  This allows the audience to see so much more of the country’s culture and people.  Much of this time is done with humor, but not in a malicious or insulting way.  Mr. Gates makes a lot of humorous comments about what is going on around him, the members of his team, and even himself.  His team members take his ribbing with good cheer, and sometimes even join in on the fun.  My favorite funny moment was when Mr. Gates got stuck in his seat belt and everyone left him in the vehicle as they went off to investigate.  I smile just thinking about it.

                Despite the joking around, it is clear everyone on the team is very respectful of where they are.  They try local food and happily interact with those around them.  What I respect most, and in some ways is what I like best about this show, is how the team tries to make sure to bring the proper gift to the witnesses.  This may sound like an odd thing for a viewer to pay attention, but I believe it is important to note.  The team goes out of their way to find out what is most desired by the people they will be visiting.  Then they make sure they get it.  I do not know how many people would A) Think to bring a gift, B) Find out what the appropriate gift would be, and C) Search for the item, or items, until found.  If nothing else, this act is what should be admired about the Destination Truth team.