Expedition Unknown

                 Josh Gates is back!  I was so excited when I started seeing promos for Josh Gates’ new show on Travel Channel.  When Destination Truth on Syfy ended, I wondered what was going to happen to him.  Josh is such a great host and I really hoped I would get the opportunity to see him on television again, but I wasn’t sure if I would.  Thanks to Expedition Unknown I get to do just that, except this time I like him even better.

                In Expedition Unknown, Josh travels the world investigating more historical mysteries instead of looking for creatures as he did in Destination Truth.  He also investigates alone rather than having a team investigate with him as he did before.  This way it is all up to Josh to find what he is looking for, which could be a variety of things.

                The first episode was a two hour special about Amelia Earhart.  Missing since 1937, there have been many theories as to what may have happened to her.  In order to try and find the truth, Josh went to two different parts of the world where it is rumored Ms. Earhart’s plane may have crashed.  He worked with locals to try and find plane wrecks, and at one point even searched for a missing set of bones that could possibly belong to Ms. Earhart.

                In another episode, Josh searched for Russia’s Amber Room.  Missing since World War II, Josh traveled around Europe following every lead he received.  At times this led him into unsafe situations, such as walking through unstable tunnels, but Josh remained determined to do all he could to find the lost Amber Room.  Pretty much Josh will do anything to find what he is looking for.

                I do mean anything.  Other than the tunnels, the episodes have shown Josh scuba diving to plane wrecks, deactivating land mines, crossing extremely dangerous bridges, and propelling down giant rocks.  That is just some of the things Josh has done in his efforts to solve the mysteries.  There are so many more situations Josh gets himself into, and it’s obvious he’s loving every minute of it.  Okay, maybe not every minute, but the vast majority of them.  Who wouldn’t enjoy traveling the world doing whatever they can to solve mysteries that have been around for as long as most people can remember?

                What I really like about Josh, other than the fact that he enjoys his job so much, is that everything Josh does is done with his dry humor and a smirk of a smile, but he is always respectful all at the same time.  No matter what, Josh never fails to be polite to those he encounters and makes sure to follow their customs.  It would be so easy for Josh to walk into these countries like a bull in a china shop and demand people tell him what he wants to know, but he doesn’t.  Instead Josh does what he can to fit in and become part of the community.  Sometimes this involves some interesting activities, but Josh always does them and for that I have great respect.   

                I don’t know yet if there will be a second season of Expedition Unknown. Hopefully there will be. It is one of the few shows right now that I really look forward to watching. The reason isn’t only because of Josh, although that could be reason enough. What I also look forward to each week is the facts of the case and the journey Josh takes. I always hope he finds at least a little of something to help these mysteries and maybe start someone on their way to finding the true answer. The places he travels to are fascinating as well. So many I would love to see for myself, but for now I can visit at least part of it with the help of Expedition Unknown.