Suvechha Sarkar
Season 1 of NBC’s ‘Destination X’ is a reality competition series that is introduced to the audience with a twist that is anything but ordinary. Hosted by Jeffrey Dean Morgan (‘Lost’), it takes ten contestants on a mysterious journey across Europe by bus. However, it is not a typical road trip. With no windows, phones, or GPS, they must rely on clues and their sheer instincts to answer one crucial question: “Where am I?” Ultimately, only one will make it to the end to claim the grand prize of $250,000. Episode 1, titled ‘Welcome to Destination X,’ commences as the players sit on a plane blindfolded with high-tech X Goggles with no idea where they’re headed.
With Light-Footed Introductions, The First Challenge Begins
As the captain of the plane allows the participants to examine one another, they begin getting acquainted. Ally Bross is a travel influencer and a self-proclaimed “lover girl.” She claims she tries to find her husband in every man she meets. Kim Conner works in Child Protective Services and clarifies that she is not an average grandmother. From going to Coachella to taking on solo trips, she does it all with the intention of one day gifting a memoir of her adventures to her children. Josh Martinez considers his win of ‘Big Brother’ season 19 to be a huge accomplishment and is already planning on how to advance in this competition. As the plane lands, everyone understandably begins to wonder if there are any signs that can help them figure out where they are. That’s when we’re introduced to Rick Szabo, a professional bird watcher who claims his superpower is identifying places by the birds he sees.
On the other hand, Biggy Bailey is a sports bettor who had never left the country before parting in this adventure. He states that although others may presume him to be an “idiot” since he is from the South, he actually isn’t one. In her confessional, Tai Lowry, an attorney and flight attendant, reveals that she signed up for this show because she needs the prize money. In fact, as a divorcée, she claims her finances have been in turmoil ever since she legally separated from her ex-partner, so the win would help her a lot. As host Jeffrey Dean Morgan arrives and welcomes the players, he informs them that each week, they are going to meet him at a new location. He is going to provide them with clues on how to find each unclear destination. The host then announces the first challenge – there are 50 identical suitcases with tags relating to a European country on each of them. The players must grab a case, collect the tag, and throw it in the correct cart.
The person with the most correct tags shall receive the very first clue and can pick someone to see it with them. Mack, who is a State Legislative Attorney, discloses that she is in the game for validation. Her strategy is to form an alliance with the least bright person and sacrifice them later. Rachel, a Sales Consultant, notes that she may remember the names of the countries from her almost perfect SAT score from back in high school. On the other hand, model Shayne Cureton claims that being well-traveled thanks to his profession in the entertainment industry makes him confident about this challenge. As the game begins, everyone jumps right into action. In a rush, Rick drops one of his tags, which Jefferey notices is quietly picked up by Ally. At the end of the round, the host also points out that Mack has no tags, only to learn that she actually gave hers to Ally.
Tensions Simmer Beneath Friendly Introductions as Strategy Starts to Form
Jeffery then reveals how Ally had picked up the tag that Rick had dropped. She immediately remarks that she owes one to him. Ally wins the round since she got 7 out of her 10 tags correct. During the decision-making process, she chooses Mack to get the first clue with her. Jeffery then explains the importance of the clue. He informs everyone that they will be traveling to the first destination over the next two days. Upon reaching there, he is going to ask them to go to the map room and place an X on the map at the exact location they believe they have arrived at. One wrong answer can end up sending them back home. As the contestants board the Destination X bus to hit the road, Josh notes that nothing can be seen through the windows. With introductions still underway, Rachel truthfully declares that she feels out of her element because everyone else is athletic and attractive.
When Josh openly reiterates that he is the winner of ‘Big Brother,’ Rick immediately identifies him as a threat. Yet, as a part of his own strategy, he chooses to stay close to the former. While everyone is busy, Biggy is trying to get a sense of direction through the bus window. Jonah, an English teacher, expresses to everyone how he is intimidated by his competitors. The girls move away to discuss who they presume is the biggest threat. While Rachel points out that Biggy may not be one, considering the day’s challenge, Mack notes that Josh appears to be playing dumb. Meanwhile, the guys are having their own discussion. This is when Josh expresses his belief that Ally’s move to pick up Rick’s tag is a red flag. In his confessional, he adds that the girls are teaming up, putting them in defense mode.
Rick divulges that he is going to be playing dad when he is actually deceitful and cunning and will do anything to win the game. He further reveals that his specialty is negotiation, claiming he does it on daily place. As a new day approaches, Ally inquires about any possible male alliance. Rick reveals to her Josh’s concern. However, Tai feels the former is deceiving Ally since he is a strategic player. Jeffery finally reaches out to Ally and Mack, explaining that it’s their time to see the clue. They are instructed to wear their X goggles for blindfolding as they are escorted to the clue location. As their blindfold comes off, they find themselves at the ruins of Volterra, located just 200 miles away from their first destination. Ally and Mack carefully take into account every detail of their surroundings.
Contestants Dive Into a Cryptic Coin Hunt That Can Decide Their Fate
Although Mack feels it looks like a Roman ruin, she had hoped the clue would be more definitive. When Ally asks what they should say once they reach the bus, Mack tells her to share very little information. Mack believes holding on to this information is an advantage this early in the game. When they return to the bus and say they saw many people, Rachel instantly notes that they are hiding information. Although Mack and Ally share the clue with Rick, they both claim they’re unsure about the location. The host then announces that when they reach the first Destination X, they have to go to the map room and put their X on the map. The one to put it farthest from their location must bid goodbye. However, the day’s challenge may help them avoid the map room entirely since better performance equals more clues.
For the day’s challenge, the contestants are taken to a medieval well, located eight stories underground. The host then explains how the locals of that town have been throwing coins into the well to make a wish. However, five coins are hidden in the town. They are randomly divided into two teams, with Ally and Mack as the captains. Each team has to choose the person who is going to search for the coins by picking clues in the town. Tai, Biggy, Josh, and Shayne are on Ally’s team. Although Josh is not happy about putting his fate into someone else’s hands, he hopes Biggy is going to pull through as the searcher. Mack’s team has Rick, Kim, Jonah, and Rachel. As the captain of this team decides to be the searcher, the host announces the rules. The searches are going to be left in the middle of the town until their vision is turned on.
On Jefferey’s cue, they have to read the clue and find the coin. On the other hand, their teammates in the well have to solve a riddle to release their searchers. To add a further twist, each coin one team finds shall grant them the power to send a player from the opposing team to the map room, where one of them is going to go home. The players in the well are going to be divided into pairs for the challenge. As the game begins, Tai and Shayne as well as Rachel and Rick rush to read and solve the clue. Jeffery advises them to pay close attention to the coins since they may also contain clues. As Ally’s team cracks the riddle first, Biggy gets a head start. Upon reading his clue, he quickly picks up that the first coin is hidden in a place related to Pinocchio. Meanwhile, Rachel is upset since she is unable to find the wine coin, although she knows the answer.
Both Triumph and Disappointment Set the Enviornment Leading Up to the Map Room
As Rachel finally manages to release Mack, the latter divulges that she is good with riddles. As Mack also reaches a shop filled with Pinocchio figurines, Biggy starts feeling the pressure of the situation.. Despite being late, Matt ends up getting the first coin. With the start of the second round, Biggy once again gets a head start. He immediately begins his search for a nearby tea shop based on the riddle. Mack also begins searching for a tea shop when her vision is turned on after a while. When she reaches the location, she expresses her hope to experience the repetition of the last round. However, this time, Biggy succeeds in finding the second coin. Before the third and final round begins, the host informs the searchers that the outcome depends entirely on them. The last three coins are at a clock tower.
The first player to enter the tower is going to win the coins. As they arrive at the location, Biggy and Mack find a board with multiple keys with Roman numerals. While the former begins to panic and tries each key individually, the latter calmly notices the number 154 written above. She chooses the key with the same Roman numeral, hoping for the best. Mack is beyond delighted to discover that it is indeed the correct one. As she wins the challenge with four coins, she notes that it gives her a good chance of not entering the map room. After returning to the bus, Mack spills all the information before his team, although she wants to withhold it.
On the other hand, Biggy is quite upset with his performance. When he informs his team that they are in Italy, they get upset because it is not a particular location. As Jonah, Rick, Kim, and Mack dissect the clues from the coins, Rachel remarks that she would’ve no idea without them. After a detailed discussion, they all choose to go with Milan as their answer. Meanwhile, Tai points out that one of the answers to the riddle is Romeo and Juliet. Hence, she deduces that they may be in Rome. Hence, Ally’s team decides to go with it as their Destination X. Biggy points out that their next focus should be deciding whom they want to send to the map room. He suggests that their target can be narrowed down to Kim and Rachel.
A Game-Changing Misstep Paves the Path to the First Elimination
When the players finally reach the first Destination X in the morning, the host meets them on the bus. After reminding them about the rules, Jeffery now asks them for their decision. Mack chooses to send Shayne, Josh, and Tai because she and her team decided to go with people who seemed most lost. When the choice came down between Biggy and Ally, she chose the former since she had an alliance with the latter. This surprises Rick and Kim since their team had agreed on a different plan. The former notes that she cannot be trusted at all. In her confessional, Mack reveals that choosing Biggy is her form of saving herself because Ally may come after her out of spite. The latter chooses Rachel by saying she has a lesser shot than others on her team. This prompts Rachel to declare she wouldn’t be upset to see anyone leaving Ally’s team.
As the five contestants head to the map room, Josh overhears Rick speaking about the location being Milan. Each player is going to receive 2 minutes to place their X on the map. Josh finds himself at a crossroads after overhearing Milan. He and Rachel become the last two players to make their choice in the last few seconds. It is now time for the host to declare who is going to leave the game. In a disappointing turn of events, Josh gets eliminated, shocking everyone. As he bids goodbye to everyone, he declares that Rick misled him and called him a “snake.” Furthermore, Josh advises others always to trust their instincts and never to trust Rick. When he finally leaves the bus with Jefferey, he is surprised to discover that he is, in fact, in Rome. The focus is now on the next episode to find out where the players are headed next.
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