''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 a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

.'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 Sport utility vehicle, SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first five-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer, was introduced as a replacement for the three-door Ford Bronco II ...

. Created by producer

Mark Burnett James Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a British television producer who has won thirteen Emmy Awards including ten Primetime, one Sports Emmy Award and two Daytime Emmy Awards. His other accolades include five Producers Guild of America A ...

and hosted by wildlife expert Dave Salmoni, the series premiered on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

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 village in southeastern Morocco. The village is near the Erg Chebbi dunes, one of the tallest in the Sahara. It is about southeast of Rissani, about from Erfoud and about from the Algeria–Morocco border, Algerian border. S ...

and concluded in

Marrakech Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

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

Sahara Desert The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

and over the

Atlas Mountains The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. They separate the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range, which stretches around through M ...

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 Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. Launched in 1961 and acquired by BCE Inc. in 2000, CTV is Canada's largest privately owned List of Canadian ...

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 the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...

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, Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the 4, number 4, may refer to: * Cuatro (instrument), a family of Latin American string instruments, including: ** Cuatro (Venezuela) ** Puerto Rican cuatro * Cuatro (TV channel), a Spanish free-to ...

in Spain on January 23, 2013. Hosted by Raquel Sánchez-Silva, ''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 coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. Video Producer
Eric Bach, 26,

San Francisco, CA San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of 2024, San Francisco is the fourth-most populous city in the ...

. 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. Due to this accomplishment he was fea ...

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

Topeka, KS Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cens ...

. 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, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With an estimated 3,878,704 residents within the city ...

. 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 Gbajabiamila (born May 6, 1979) is an American former professional football player in the National Football League (NFL) who is a commentator and co-host of ''American Ninja Warrior'' and its spinoff '' American Ninja War ...

, 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 university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

The Cops

Robert "Rob" Robillard, 43, Concord, MA. Police Lieutenant
Dani Henderson, 34, Marlborough, MA. 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, United States. 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 ...

. 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, United States. Located approximately northwest of Sacramento, it is a part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. The population continues to grow every year, with a growth ra ...

. 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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

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 Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

and nearby.

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''.

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 Co-workers who are firefighters in New York

Team Kansas

Lindsey Haymond, 27,

Houston, TX Houston ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the seat of Harris County, as well as the principal city of ...

. Teacher
Kelsey Fuller, 22, Overland Park, KS. Student
Mackenzie Fuller, 18, Overland Park, KS. 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 cities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area, and is Illinois' seventh most popu ...

. 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 ( ; ) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 census and is the fourth-most populous city in Pennsylvania after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Allento ...

. Bookkeeper
Ruthie Vanderbeck, 28,

. Realtor
Abbie Vanderbeck, 30, Norwalk, CT. 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 (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

. Fitness Instructor
Raven Garcia, 30,

Bronx, NY The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. Freelance Writer
Mai Reyes, 38,

. Manager Friends and co-workers, all with Latino 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 competition franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. ''The Amazing Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselv ...

'', '' Pirate Master'', 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 advent ...

''.'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 ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in tabloid format, and rea ...

'' 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 Adventure reality television series American Broadcasting Company reality television shows Television series by MGM Television Television series created by Mark Burnett Television shows filmed in Morocco Television shows set in Morocco