Josh Gates of Syfy Channel´s "Destination
Truth" Talks New Season, Filming in America, Pop Culture

post from NoControl: The Best Television Blog Posts on 09 July 2009 02:59:00 PM. © NoControl: The Best Television Blog Posts

Post Author: Amanda Rosenblatt
It’s late in the morning at Rockefeller Center on a Tuesday. Purple and white flags with the new “Syfy” logo adorn the area bustling with tourists.

To many loyal fans, this marks the death of the Sci-Fi Channel with the welcoming of the new brand. But today, TV personality Josh Gates is far from any mood of sorrow.

The host of the breakout series Destination Truth was at the July 7th event to join Syfy President Dave Howe and other network talent in celebrating the logo relaunch. He served as the opener of ceremonies in welcoming the press and fans to the kick-off of Imagination Park , as well as a year of free “Wyfy” in certain downtown areas.

“I’m really thrilled to be here this morning,” Gates declared to the crowd of photographers and curious gawkers. “To be among the first to welcome you all to Imagination Park , and to the unveiling of the all new Syfy Channel.”

Gates’ show, a travel adventure series seeking the cultural values and scientific authenticity of myths, hauntings, phenomena and creatures, is a reflection of the channel’s evolution in bold new programming. The third season, which premieres this September, will be full of its own landmarks, including focus on American case studies.

“We received a lot of letters and fan mail from people saying that we have these great stories right here in the US ,” Gates stated. “It was really a matter of time, and the year to do it.”

“We have two stories in the US , and both of them turned out great,” Gates said of season three. “I think that what we really learned is that there are parts of America that are really just as wild and difficult to film in as some of the most remote places we’ve been to on Earth.”

Destination Truth is a fan favorite on Syfy because it offers different interest points to the many fans who watch it. If you took a food show, mixed it with a travel series, put in a splash of a sitcom, and added a sizeable drop of monster hunting, that is the best recipe to describe the series.

Reminiscing on the shooting process this year, which lasted from winter to late spring, Gates was clear on what he loved about the shoot and what he detested. He enjoyed shooting in Egypt , but stated that the worst place to travel, experience wise, was Chernobyl .

One of the favorite things that fans like about this show, albeit from a possibly mean spirited stand point, is watching the drama unfold when things don’t always go according to plan. An infamous moment in season two presented the crew with the dilemma of no night vision scopes or thermal imaging cameras in Gambia , as airport customs believed them to be spies.

“I don’t think it’s actually going to make the show, but we drove from Lima in Peru down to Northern Chile and we were denied a border crossing in Northern Chile because we arrived at the border too late,” Gates said with an amused smile about this round of shooting. “It was, after a 20 hour driving day, probably our greatest moment of misery, having to sleep in this little border town after driving for 20 hours.”

But with all of the blunders of travel that the DT crew overcomes, especially with luggage issues and minor injuries, Gates finds himself utterly incapacitated when it comes to one thing. “Food Poisoning. Nothing is worse than that!”

The Syfy Channel was not Gates’ first home when it comes to reality television. His first stint with TV was on the first season of ESPN’s 2002 seriesBeg, Borrow and Deal, in which contestants had to go from New York City to San Francisco with no money, no car, and the clothes on their back.

Gates had met the show’s producer in Los Angeles , who had encouraged him to submit a casting tape. The TV personality was incredulous, at first.

“He said he was going to bring some finalists to New York and I sort of thought he was kidding,” Gates said, as he made a face. “Then a plane ticket showed up, I came to New York , then they selected me as a contestant, and we started filming from there!”

Gates, who is a Massachusetts native and graduated from Tufts University in 1999, was not exactly a stereotypical fit for the show, which involved performing sports-minded tasks. When having to perform a group mission of getting a permanent tattoo of their favorite team, Gates chose a Red Sox tattoo on the bottom of his foot.

“I’m not an enormous sports nut, so I didn’t want this big, loud tattoo on me that I would have to live with for the rest of my life,” Gates chuckled when asked about the tattoo. “I had it on my foot so that it was discreet, and it actually came off.”

Even though Gates is a major component on the Syfy Channel lineup and a photographer favorite at the Rockefeller event, he is as normal as it gets. A guy’s guy.

He loves country music, especially artist Dwight Yoakam, has a hard time making a choice between The Simpsons and Family Guy (even though he prefers The Simpsons), and has a typical set of rituals once international filming is done. Heavy amounts of sleep, TV watching, and a greasy American meal are on his to-do list when arriving stateside.

“When I come home, I sort of barricade myself for a few days,” Gates remarks, arms crossed. “Usually because my sleep cycle is screwy, I kind of just indulge in the things that I haven’t had while on the road.”

It is curious that Gates does not mention showering as an essential on his to-do list when coming home. With this fact, aside from his being able to tote an affiliation with The Explorers Club, he truly brings new meaning to the term “seasoned traveler.”

Destination Truth is slated to return for Syfy’s fall schedule, and the tentative premiere date is September 9. Locations for filming include Chernobyl , Egypt , United States stops, and a trip back to Nepal to follow up on season two’s groundbreaking alleged Yeti footprint discovery.

Amanda Rosenblatt is a freelance writer and a graduate of Suffolk University. She may be reached anytime at (508) 243 – 9761 or via email at amandarosenblatt@yahoo.com.

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