Thoughts On Expedition Impossible: Episode 2

Okay, I promise I won't be doing recaps or posting thoughts after every episode of Expedition Impossible, but considering my critique of the show earlier in the week, I thought it was fitting that I follow it up with another after watching the second episode.

After watching the premiere last week, I felt confident that I was going to enjoy the show, although there were a few aspects that I felt needed to be improved. Watching the second episode, it became more clear that those small nitpicks probably weren't very fair judging from the one episode alone. For instance, I wrote that I felt that there wasn't any real navigation going on in the show, and that the contestants were being led down clearly marked routes to ensure that they didn't wander off somewhere and die. If you saw the show last night, you know that that isn't the case, as we watched a couple of teams wander around looking for a checkpoints. In fact, it was the lack of a clearly marked trail that brought some added drama to the event, and made for a much closer finish. After watching the events unfold in the show, I think it is safe to say we'll probably see some other teams get a bit lost in future episodes as well.

I also criticized last week's challenge a bit, saying that once one team figured it out, all the other teams were able to piggy-back on their success. That wasn't the case this week, as the challenges were demanding on all teams, and some struggled more than others to accomplish the tasks. I have to commend the producers for coming up with some unique and interesting things for the racers to do, combining both physical strength and mental cleverness. If the challenges going forward are more like they were last night, then we'll have some entertaining episodes in store for us all.

Finally, I thought the show did a better job of keeping us informed of where all the racers were at any given time. The editors gave us good updates on progress and it was fun to watch the teams go head to head. The coverage was starting to feel like an adventure race, albeit one that provides coverage of all the teams involved. I'm also still enjoying the great HD footage of Morocco, which simply looks amazing.

After two episodes, I think it is safe to say that I'll be tuning in for the remainder of the season. Judging from the preview of next weeks show, it looks like things are going to get very intense. It should be fun!

Expedition Impossible Episode 2 Is Tonight

The second episode of ABC's summer reality show Expedition Impossible is set to air tonight, and I know that some of you, like me, enjoyed the first episode and are looking forward to the race continuing. With that in mind, I have a few links to share this morning that fans of the show might really enjoy.

First, we have a great post from Eric Weihenmayer on his BlindVision Blog in which he gives a peek behind the curtain and shares some details of what really went on during the race. If you're watching the show, he's the "blind guy," although most of us know him as the first blind person to summit Everest. Eric isn't giving anything away in his post, so no worry about spoilers, but he does share insights into some of the events that went down on the first episode. For instance, he mentions that the show was actually filmed over the course of two days, but edited to seem like one. He also says that the first impressions of a couple of the teams were a bit gruff, but that they actually turned out to be good people once they got to know them, specifically the NFL Players and The Fishermen.

One thing that Eric noted that stuck with me was that the contestants to the race really didn't know what they were getting themselves into and small details made a difference. For example, Eric was the only one who brought gaiters with him on the race, something I noticed and actually mentioned while watching. (Yes, I'm a gear nerd!) That shows his experience in rough terrain, and it helped his feet in the desert. Meanwhile, everyone else, including his teammates, suffered with sand in their shoes. Ugh!

Eric promises to do similar recaps after every episode, and while this one was published last week, it is still worth a read before heading into tonights episode.

Speaking of tonight's episode, the PR team over at ABC has been excellent at sharing video clips leading up to the start of the race. Turns out they have a few more to offer for tonight as well. Check out the preview below to get you ready for a new episode tonight. Hopefully we'll start to get to know the teams a bit better and see some really interesting challenges. Enjoy!

Reminder: Expedition Impossible Starts Tonight

I've been posting about ABC's Expedition Impossible on a semi-regular basis lately, and tonight we'll finally get the chance to see if it has been worth the hype. It has been getting promoted fairly heavily in the past few weeks, in part because it is summer now, and there simply isn't much to watch on TV. But that said, from the promos I've seen so far, this looks like it'll be a fun diversion for those looking to watch an interesting competition, that doesn't deal with singing or dancing, set in an exotic locale.

For those who have some how managed to avoid the promos, Expedition Impossible looks to be a mash-up of The Amazing Race and the sport of adventure racing. When the show launches tonight, it'll have 13 teams of three racing against one another for a $150,000 prize. Each week they'll face both mental and physical challenges, as they race to a series of checkpoints, with the last team to arrive presumably being eliminated. We'll find out more about the exact format tonight, but it seems there will be a mix of puzzle solving, navigation, climbing, running, and more.

The show is the latest creation of Mark Burnett, who has a background in adventure racing having produced the legendary Eco-Challenge races back in the 90's. While the premiere episode of the show is airing tonight, Burnett will be live Tweeting the show, offering some behind the scenes insights and commentary about the events unfolding on the screen. You'll be able to follow his tweets at @MarkBurnettTV. Additionally, ABC will be hosting a "Chat Party" on their website as well, with viewers sharing their thoughts on the show as it unfolds and incorporating Burnett's tweets too. The Chat Party begins at 9PM ET, when the show starts, and will run through the West Coast feed a few hours later.

So, will you be tuning in to watch? I know I'm interested to see what the show is all about. I like that they'll be racing through a single location and it seems more physical than The Amazing Race, which I am admittedly a fan of as well. At the very least, I hope it is fun and entertaining, and while I'd rather Mark Burnett revive the Eco-Challenge, I'll settle for this. For now.

Two-Minute Trailer For Expedition Impossible

A few days back I posted a teaser video for an upcoming television show called Expedition Impossible, that will begin airing here in the U.S. on ABC in June. The show is produced by Mark Burnett and looks to combine elements of adventure racing with a healthy mix of puzzle solving and challenges a la The Amazing Race. Now, we have a full two-minute trailer for the show, that offers up a bit more insight into what we can expect when it begins airing on June 23rd.

The show will pit 13 teams of three against one another in a competition that looks to cover a sizable distance through the country of Morocco. In the trailer, we see plenty of trekking, climbing, and paddling, and it looks like the competitors will have to deal with one of the banes of adventure racing – animals! Camels are notoriously stubborn, and I know plenty of adventure racers that groan when ever they, or just about any other animal, is added to a race. The ones in this trailer just look plain mean and nasty.

Also of note is the fact that mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer is one of the competitors in the race. You may recall that Erik made headlines all over the world when he became the first blind person to summit Everest a few years back. He has gone on to climb plenty of other mountains, and do all kinds of other amazing things, so I expect he'll do quite well here and probably surprise a lot of people who are unaware of his abilities.

So, what do you think? Is this going to be a fun show to watch?