Joshua Gates -Expedition Unknown

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are some locations we will be seeing this season?

A) We are upping the bar this season. We are trying to go further and to have even bigger adventures. We’re traveling to some really remote locations. We’re traveling to Mongolia to investigate the Lost Tomb of Genghis Khan. Khan controlled one of the largest (if not the biggest) empires in history and we have no idea where it is buried. So, there is a really exciting search underway to find his tomb, which well may be loaded with pretty incredible treasures. Mongolia is one of the most remote places on Earth so it is a really exciting place for us to take viewers. We’re going to be diving off the coast of southern Japan, investigating the Yonaguni Ruins. These are strange underwater formations that some people contend are manmade and others will simply contend  they are just geological formations. There has been great debates on it so we are going to dive down and have a look for ourselves to see what may be a sunken ruin. We are going to Haiti, Portugal and Spain to do a really great story on Christopher Columbus. We all know the name, but if you stop to think about it most of us (myself included) know very little about as the man. In fact, his story is really interesting, strange and mysterious. This is a guy who we learn about in school and we have a holiday named after him, yet we know almost nothing about him. There is a really interesting search underway for his flagship, The Santa Maria, which was lost in 1492. That is also a really interesting story. The premiere is a big story about King Arthur. We will be going across England, Wales and Scotland doing a story on King Arthur. He’s another incredibly iconic character and yet there is this big question that most people don’t know the answer to which is, “Was he a real person?” Was there an Arthur, a Merlin and Lancelot. So, this story is going to tackle the truth behind one of our greatest legends.

Q) How much influence do you have on the locations and storylines of the show?

A) There is a group of us that find these stories and we are looking at stories where there is new discoveries or a new piece of information that has come to light where scientists and archeologists have kind of made a step forward. So, we hone in on those stories first and those really feel like a real natural progression. We take those stories to Travel and are in concert about what are the types so stories that are going to work for us. So, it starts over here and is really a conversation.

Q) This is the second trip for the show to Japan. Is there some personal significance to you for this location?

A) It does! I have been to Japan a number of times and it is one of those countries that I think as an outsider it is this really strange combination of an incredibly welcoming place where the people are hospitable and the country is beautiful, but it is a very confounding place. It is very hard to get. Sometimes you travel places and you think, “I kind of get what this place is about,” but Japan is difficult because it is so difficult it is intriguing. It’s also such a diverse country in terms of its geography. We were there last season in the mountains and the snow investigating this very mystical samurai sword and now we are down in the southern islands where it feels like you are in the tropics, people were wearing Hawaiian shirts and were scuba diving. It feels like a totally different Japan. It is one of those place with a lot of different faces. So, it is a very different episode this season and near and dear to my heart because the country is such a mystery.

Q) How much research goes into the historical references of the locations you visit?

A) A lot! I think we want to go to a place where there is some heat on the fire. We’re not going to go to do a story about some place no one is researching and there is no breakthroughs because then I think we are just presenting. We want to go to a place where we can just dive in. So, we spend a lot of time trying to interface with scientists and archeologists who are on the forefront of these stories. That requires a lot of coordinating and how to link in with them to help tell their stories, too. There is a big component of that before we jump into the field, for sure.

Q) A lot of the mysteries last season we didn’t get a resolution to because they are centuries old. Is that something you took into consideration more this season?

A) A little bit, but look I think the goal isn’t to close the book on the story every week. I think the goal is to have a real adventure and bring our viewers along to meet really interesting people doing really cool work. I think what we saw a lot in Season 1 that we will see a lot of in Season 2 is real discovery, being there in the moment when something gets found. I was thrilled in Season 1 when we were with an explorer in Peru and found a never before documented Incan Ruins. We found human remains in Papua New Guinea. We’re going to be doing that again in Season 2, being with people as discoveries are happening. I think the stories are big, they are layered and they are old. So, I think we are not going to have stories that at the end of the day or hour we say, “Okay, you know everything there is to know about it.” But, to me, the mark of a successful episode is the journey. Is the adventure exciting, worthwhile, are we learning something new and are we really there either making discovers or being there being present and participating in them? That’s the really cool stuff to me – just having the opportunity to showcase this kind of stuff.

Q) You often take place in the storytelling of these legends, with a little comedy relief as well. Was that something you actively sought to be a part of with the show?

A) I think, for me, we want the show to feel immersive. Our main goal is not to present the show, but to have the viewer feel like they are coming with us. So, one of the things about travel that I think has always been true for me and for everybody is that things go wrong. Things don’t always go smoothly. There is a lot of confusion and difficulty. Some shows about travel don’t show that. You see kind of glossy programming about beautiful resorts or destinations. That isn’t at the heart of the show. The heart of this show is about showing warts and all, flat tires and all the travel. So, we try to leave that humor in and the challenges in because it is a more honest view of what is happening. I love my role in the show being able to host, but also be kind of a proxy for the viewers having these adventures and being a real person out there trying to get through some difficult spots.

Q) You add a bit of levity to these situations as well to these very serious moments.

A) I think when it comes to travel you have to have a good sense of humor because it is not always going to go your way. Traveling is about getting out of your element and doing things that are hard. So, I think you have to be good humored about it and go with it. You can’t really fight it. That, for us, is a big part of the show. It’s highlighting all the difficult aspects of it.

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you look forward to the instant fan feedback you receive?

A) For sure! Social media has changed the way that everybody makes TV. For me, I think it is an amazing tool because it does two things: 1) I’m able to share more of our adventures being able to post more photos and links and to really spread the word more about what we are up to. 2) It is a conversation. It’s a way to interact with fans of the show and to hear about what they love, what they have questions about and what they want to see. For me, it’s a conversation and I love having that conversation. It’s something that wasn’t possible now it is. It’s just great.

Q) What do you think it is about “Expedition Unknown” that has made it a fast fan favorite program?

A) I think it is because it is a real adventure. I think there is something kind of old fashioned in a way and I mean that in a good way. It’s about getting out, having an adventure, putting boots on the ground and seeing what is out there. I think that for a lot of people that is something we are all struggling with these days because we live in a very tech oriented world and spend a lot of time at our desks. So, we spend a lot of time looking down at our devices. This is a show that really is about celebrating, getting out and having an adventure. We’re really trying to make something that is immersive and bring folks along with us. I think all of that works really to our favorite to make something exciting and fun.

Q) What are some memorable moments fans can look forward to this season?

A) I’m excited to showcase our Mongolian episode because we really go off the grid and have a camping, backwoods adventure. We are going to break that fourth wall down a little bit and that is going to be fun for viewers. We’re going to be in some pretty, as usual, gnarly situations with challenging solutions and challenging situations. One of the things I’m looking forward to is that some of the characters we are investigating this year are people who are not black and white. When it comes to people like Columbus (and we did a great story on him) or Black Beard the pirate – these are guys who exist in this in between world. They are heroes to some and villains to others. I’m really interested in seeing what people have to say about them once they learn the backstory of these characters that maybe they didn’t know.

Q) What would you like to say to fans and supporters of the show?

A) Obviously, first and foremost, I say thanks for the support. One of the things that is very true about TV (and it is more true than ever) is that it really exists because of the support of the fanbase. The show wouldn’t exist without that support and our mission, I think more than anything, is to give them an adventure every week. I think we are going to do that bigger and better in Season 2. I’m excited to invite people along for the ride, to invite them to join the expedition and tune in. We’re back on the air Wednesday nights, October 7th at 9pm ET/PT. We’re just thrilled to invite everybody back to enjoy the adventure and to spread the word to get other people excited about it as well.