Suvechha Sarkar
Season 1 of NBC’s ‘Destination X‘ races towards its nail-biting conclusion in episode 10, ‘The Grand Finale.’ The stakes are now higher than ever, and the deceptions are about to become more daring. Only the top three contestants remain on this whirlwind journey, where misdirection is quite common. With the grand prize of $250,000 and the title of Destination X champion on the line, every choice matters. The Finale kicks off in a dramatic mode as the contestants’ goggle visions flicker on, revealing they are in a helicopter. It all comes down to one last adventure for the winner to stand at the finish line.
Surrounded by Paintings of Fallen Players, the Finalists Face a Trivia Test
Once the goggles’ vision of Rick, Peter, and Biggy turns on, they notice iconic and famous landmarks like Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, which means they are now in London, England. However, they are all skeptical about the trick the host, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, has up his sleeve. He has brought the players to Greenwich at the Old Royal Naval College. As they enter the Painter Hall in Greenwich, they notice it is filled with paintings everywhere. They also note paintings of all the eliminated contestants lined up, but it prompts Biggy to note that although it brings many memories back, he can’t let his feelings get in the way of the competition. As they take their positions, Rick expresses that he wants to win the Prize money for himself, his wife, and his family.
On the other hand, Biggy reveals that he wants to travel with his grandmother because it is something she loves to do, but hasn’t done since her husband passed away a few years ago. As for Peter, he shares that the money can help him set down roots on the West Coast, particularly near his family in Los Angeles, California, where his brother is also close to having a daughter, whom they have already named Willow. When Jeffrey finally arrives, he discloses that only two among them are going to go for the search for the final destination X. He will ask them a question relating to their time in the game, and each of them has to write the answer on their picture frame. If they get it correct, they can move the opponent backwards or themselves closer to Jeffrey. When they hear the iconic clock chime of Greenwich Observatory, the game is over. Just like Map Room, the person who is physically farthest away from him is going to be out of the contest.
Since no one wants to go home at this point in the game, the anxiety and pressure are at an all-time high. Biggy remarks that he and Rick have been close since the first day, and their relationship puts them in the best position to advance, and he hopes they are going to maintain the relationship to get to the end together. Rick feels that this is a trivia contest where they are going to be judged based on how well they know European facts regarding the countries they’ve been to. Hence, he feels confident that it is his chance to shine. The first question is for one space: At the bottom of the well in Italy was a coin with two star-crossed lovers, Juliet and Romeo, but in which city is Romeo and Juliet actually set? As Biggy provides London as his response, it turns out to be incorrect, which means he stays in the same position.
Strategic Choices Blur the Lines Between Friendship and Gameplay
Since Rick gets the correct answer to be Verona, he cannot move forward since he is as close as he can get to Jeffrey. However, he can move either Peter or Biggy back one spot, and he picks the latter for the same. Peter’s inaccurate response of Milan moves the game on to the next question for two spaces: Italian, French, and German are the three languages most commonly spoken in which of the host’s ‘Destination X’ countries. While Biggy moves Peter back with the correct answer of Switzerland, Rick worries about how to save Peter because he is trying to get to the Finals with him. He observes that although Biggy is a good friend, he cannot win with the latter still in the game. So, when Rick responds correctly, he puts Biggy back again. However, Peter’s incorrect answer of Italy once again keeps him in the same spot.
For the next two spaces question, the contestants have to name the European city, which is translated into English as “monk.” All three provide the correct answers, and Biggy first chooses to move forward. However, with their accurate response, Peter and Rick both send him back. This only prompts Biggy to note that he is baffled that Rick is blindsiding him at this position in the competition. For the next one-space question, they must determine whether “There are more bicycles than people in Amsterdam” is true or false. After Rick correctly responds with True, he sends Biggy back again and notes that he feels bad for the latter because learning that someone you trust shouldn’t be trusted is terrible.
Jeffrey then announces the next three-spaces question: In the forest in Germany, before Kim sadly departed my game, he laid bread crumbs pointing towards a collection of famous fairy tales written by whom? After Biggy’s correct response of the Grimm brothers, he moves Peter back. However, Rick sends Biggy three spaces back further after his accurate answer. Jeffrey quickly asks him if he has an alliance with Peter or if he is just afraid of Biggy. Rick gets nervous and confesses that, from the day Peter and Jana came on the bus, they had been in a secret alliance. He reveals that outside of the game, he is truthful and dislikes hurting people, but the game demands it.
As the Trivia Round Comes to a Dramatic End, Tensions Continue to Rise
For the same question, Peter also provides the correct answer and chooses to move forward because his only other option is to put Rick back, since Biggy is already at the back. The following two-spaces question: Which European city is known as the City of Light? This time, both Biggy and Peter have provided Athens as their incorrect response. However, Biggy answers Paris as the correct answer, and he decides to bring Peter back. The following question is worth three spots: The room they are standing in has been called Kay’s Sistine Chapel, but which country is the actual Sistine Chapel in? While Peter incorrectly states Italy, Rick provides Vatican City as the accurate response. However, the latter now has no choice but to move Peter backwards since Biggy is already as far as he can go and cannot move forward.
Right after, Biggy’s correct response helps him to move Peter once again back to the same spot as him, because if he moves forward and there is still time for the next question, he can be sent backwards. The clock finally chimes, marking the end of the round, which means Rick is safe while Biggy and Peter have tied. Jeffrey informs the two of them that he is going to ask a question, and the person closest to the right answer will move forward in the game. The question is: You cut Ally and Jana loose in Venice. How many islands is Venice made up of? While Biggy provides 210 as his answer, Peter responds with 27. It is revealed that the correct answer is 118, which means that Peter is closer by just one island. As Biggy bids his goodbyes, Rick remarks that although he is happy, he is sad for the former because they have been friends since the beginning.
In his exit interview, Biggy admits that he is shocked by Rick and adds that he would never move him back. He thought he could trust Rick, but he should’ve been more cautious. He continues that he let his guard down, but it is the best experience of his life, despite being shocked that he lost by one island. As the focus shifts to the remaining two contestants, Peter notes that he and Rick have put so much trust in one another, but they are on their own now. Similarly, Rick observes that their alliance is gone since there is only one winner. As the next day rolls in and the goggles’ vision is turned on, they find themselves above London on the London Eye. Rick is nervous about what Peter knows because he is smart, being a pilot, and has even played the reality TV game. On the other hand, Peter feels confident because, despite Rick being the strongest player in the game, he wants to take out the best to get to the top.
London Becomes a Game Board as the Final Two Players Race to Solve Riddles
Jeffrey announces that the majestic view from the London Eye stretches 25 miles in every direction, spotting the Palace of Westminster, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, and even the Tower of London. For the final challenge, the city is a game board, and the $250,000 is hidden amongst the landmarks below. Rick and Peter have two envelopes each containing a different riddle for them to decipher. If they get the riddle correct and head to the correct landmark, they are going to be rewarded with a clue. The two envelopes are marked: (i) Rome, Money is Power, and (ii) Geneva, Fire & Ice. Both competitors select the first envelope, which contains the riddle: A well full of coins and a trip to a tower. In Italy, you exchange knowledge for power. Here, pounds saved can buy all that you name; there’s a life-changing deposit to be one in my game.
Both Rick and Peter lock their answer as the Bank of England since everyone saves their pounds in a bank. They move towards the destination in two separate black cabs by guiding the drivers, and at the end of 4 hours, the game is also going to be over. If they have answered their riddle correctly, they are going to meet Jeffrey’s footmen at the location, who are going to hand them their next riddle and a box with an important clue. It turns out both of them have gotten the answer correctly, receiving riddles, and the host asks them to keep the box safe since they are going to need it later. The envelopes that they have received this time are marked with (i) Amsterdam, Getting High, and (ii) Paris, Lost in Love. Peter selects the Amsterdam envelope with the riddle: In Amsterdam, you shared a feast in the sky, you ate, and you dined in a city quite high. A mirage in the desert was there to confuse, but which point here is the tallest for the best views?
Peter checks the map with the landmarks each player has been provided with, and he determines the answer to be the Shard since, from the London Eye, that was the tallest thing he spotted. On the other hand, Rick has picked the Paris envelope with the riddle: The City of Light was a place to get lost, where new players joined and old and new crossed. Love is the answer, it’s a carnival, it’s swinging. Get struck by his arrow, and you may end up winning. Initially, he struggles to find the answer, but notes that a strike by an arrow may indicate Cupid. When he looks at the map, he spots Piccadilly Circus with a Cupid-like structure (actually Cupid’s brother, Anteros). As both players reach their destination, they receive the second clue and the last riddle. Jeffrey informs them that there is only an hour left on the clock for the last one.
After Solving the Final Riddles, Rick and Peter Race to Decode the Cryptic Clues
Peter picks up the envelope marked with “Monaco, Play Your Hand,” containing the riddle: High stakes and high seas were a game with two colors. No yacht rock was played, but you did play each other. To win the next clue takes one final gamble. To a columned card game is the place where you must scramble. The focus shifts to Rick, who has the envelope marked with “Salzburg, Playing Detective,” with the riddle: In my Austrian castle, you pondered my clues, you went head to head to win vital views. Are you the best? Will you rise to my game? It’s elementary, dear player, to my home you should aim. He observes that “elementary” refers to “my dear Watson,” which is from Sherlock Holmes, and he knows it because he has read the book and watched the movies. As he heads to Baker Street as the destination, the attention shifts to Peter.
Although Peter has never played it, he notes that Bridge is a card game, so he locks Tower Bridge as his answer. It turns out that both of them have responded correctly and now have three clues beside them. In one and a half minutes, they must decipher the clues and determine the last and final destination. As they open the boxes, they find the clues: a picture of Queen Elizabeth, an hourglass, and a $100 bill. Initially, Rick presumes the answer to be the Tower of London, but when he turns over the bill and notices the picture of Benjamin Franklin, he notes it may point towards Big Ben. On the other hand, Peter has decided to settle his response to the Tower of London. After the players finish placing their X, Jeffrey announces that the next time their goggle vision turns on, one of them will be standing in Destination X, where they are going to find the $250,000.
In a Finale Filled With Hidden Clues, Rick Szabo is Crowned the Winner
As Rick and Peter reach their respective location and are about to open the briefcase, the tension is at an all-time high. To his absolute delight, Rick discovers that his briefcase has the money inside it, which means he is the last man standing. On the other hand, Peter expresses his disappointment since he wanted to end it on a high note. However, he also remarks that he came this far because of Rick, and so, he is happy for him, knowing how much it means to him and his family. Upon asking, Rick discloses to Jeffrey that his family sold their house to pay off debt during COVID, and now they can get back into a home.
After Jeffrey congratulates Rick on his win, he reveals that although the winner guessed the correct answer from the picture of Benjamin Franklin, the hourglass represents time, and the clue Queen Elizabeth is its namesake. However, he adds that all throughout the competition, he has been leaving hints like the clock tower in Orvieto, Italy, the French château, the Austrian Castle, the Swiss cuckoo clock, and the Salvador Dalí clock in the Dutch desert. Not only have the contestants received time for themselves during this game, but they have also found love, like Shayne and Ally. In the end, Rick takes the prize money of $250,000 back home, taking his long-deserved win.
Read More: Destination X Episode 9 Recap: How’s Your Poker Face?
