Suvechha Sarkar
Season 1 episode 2 of NBC’s ‘Destination X‘ ramps up the intrigue as the mystery journey continues at full throttle. Still blind to their location, the remaining contestants are once again going to rely on the challenges and clues to figure out where they are. They are headed to the next destination, leaving behind the ancient wonders of Rome. The episode titled ‘Take It Up a Notch’ lives up to its name as tensions rise and alliances begin to form. Their next stop is none other than the city that proudly wears the badge of peace. As always, wrong guesses at every step of the way will bring them one step closer to elimination.
Tensions Simmer Beneath the Surface While Some Alliances Begin to Form
After Josh’s elimination, which revealed that the first Destination was Rome, Italy, the remaining contestants wake up on the road on their way to their next destination. Ally notes that the experience on the bus is like a long sleepover for adults. She then adds that she has not only started liking everyone but also feels attracted to Shayne, who she believes is on the same wavelength as her. The latter then approaches Biggy, with whom he has essentially formed an alliance, before revealing in his confessional that his gameplay is to be social. Shayne also divulges that he believes Biggy can end up being one of the biggest threats in the game, so his plan is to remain close to him. On the other hand, Biggy states that he is pretty good at reading people, and he perceives Shayne as trustworthy. Since knowledge is power in this game, he is also going to make alliances to pick up the clues he misses.
As everyone speaks about Josh’s shocking exit, Rick expresses how the former blaming him just before walking away hurt him. While he candidly declares that he is open to and looking for an alliance, Tai reveals in her confessional that she doesn’t want to work with him because she cannot trust him. On the other hand, Ally politely declines, stating she doesn’t believe she is in the right headspace to commit. This leads Rick to observe that he is now alone in the competition. As the host, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, greets everyone through the screen, he announces it is time for the next challenge. With 130 miles left for the next exact Destination, he instructs everyone to put their goggles on. When their vision is turned on, the players are awestruck to find themselves amid a snowy mountain range. Rachel promptly guesses that they may be in Germany because she believes she recognizes the peak.
Meanwhile, Jonah presumes it to be the Alps before jokingly adding that it is the only mountain range he knows. Stranded at 10,000 feet on the top of a mountain in Europe, the host announces the next challenge – everything that the players need to build a fire is present there, but it is buried under snowy mounds. Each of these mounts is divided into three categories: famous figures – Timothée Chalamet, Roger Federer, and Viktor Frankenstein, dogs – St. Bernard, French Poodle, and German Shepherd, and foods – Swiss chocolates, cheese, and baguettes, with three types each under one category. Each of these clues points to a country, but not all are correct. If they succeed in uncovering the correct category for the country they are in, they are going to receive the best fire-building tools. In case of failure, they are going to receive equipment that is going to make a fire harder to build. The first among the three teams – yellow, red, and purple – to successfully light a fire will get a clue about the next Destination X.
After an Intense Fire-Building Challenge, the Winners Uncover a Major Clue
While the yellow team has Mack, Shayne, and Jonah, the red team consists of Tai, Biggy, and Kim. Rachel, Rick, and Ally are on the purple team. As everyone jumps right into action, Mack notes that her strategy is the process of elimination. Since she guesses they are in France, they choose the French poodle mound, but it ends up being wrong, confusing her. Meanwhile, Rachel states that she is sure they are in Germany because she perceives the peak as the Matterhorn and her team’s correct choice of the Frankenstein clue. Although the yellow team is the first to reach the burn pile, they struggle to start a fire because they only have flint. The purple team is far behind, but they have the right fire-building materials. Rick quickly decides to switch to his action gear because he is used to making fire in the snow.
As every team gives their best to build a fire, Rick is the one who succeeds, ending up winning the round. As he, Ally, and Rachel are picked up in a helicopter, he is thrilled since the game is providing him with the adventure he expected. They find the helicopter circling an observatory when Rachel spots Switzerland’s flag. It is revealed that they are currently looking at the High Altitude Research Station at Jungfraujoch. Rachel notes that although everyone underestimates her, she has a degree in history, which she believes can help her. She feels like an alligator in the water and is the fiercest competitor here. As they return to the bus, Ally tells the other contestants that they have seen a lot of mountains. However, Mack is reluctant to believe this information. On the other hand, Rick reveals that he doesn’t want to be a loner in the game.
Rick is getting impatient because of his temptation to share the clue. Meanwhile, Rachel is trying to misdirect others by speaking about how she feels the clues are pointing towards Germany. Mack also thinks it may be Germany because of the Frankenstein and German Shepherd clues. When Kim notices Jonah is nervous, she observes that he is not cut out for this game. As Ally finds herself drawn to Tai, she shares the clue with her. In her confessional, Tai opens up about how Ally is playing a social game and notes that she is pretty sharp and strategic. They further discuss how they don’t find Rick to be trustworthy. In the meantime, he once again observes that he is still playing the game alone. In an attempt to make friends, he ends up telling Shayne and Biggy about the clue.
Triggering Surprise Swaps Upend Alliances and Expose Hidden Agendas
Shayne notes that Rick is loyal to everybody, which indicates that he is not faithful to anyone. The contestants are now 50 miles from the next destination and heading to a multilingual city where the World Wide Web was invented. Here, the next challenge is going to offer them clues to the exact city and a chance to dodge the map room. With the goggles on, they arrive at the challenge location. As their vision is turned on, they find themselves amid beautiful green pastures and before a lovely home. When Biggy observes that the location has to be in Switzerland, he adds that Rick can be trusted. They soon discover a letter from Jeffrey, which Tai picks up and starts reading. It reads that this time, the players themselves are going to decide who will go to the map room. The game shall begin when the cuckoo clock cuckoos.
If the clock cuckoos once, one player has to go inside the lodge, two players if it cuckoos twice, and so on. Shayne volunteers to be the first person to enter, and when the clock cuckoos one time, he enters the lodge. As he looks around inside for the clues, Jeffrey welcomes him there. Since he is the first person to enter, he gets the advantage of choosing five players to send to the map room. Shayne first selects Rachel since she is the safe choice, followed by Mack since he feels she is a strong competitor. He then chooses Jonah since Shayne perceives his silence to be a danger. Biggy becomes his fourth choice since no one is going to suspect him of selecting the former. Lastly, he chooses Ally because they are getting close, and no one will believe he chose her to go to the map room.
When Shayne returns to the table, he informs the players that while five people are going to the map room, four are safe. As the clock cuckoos twice, Tai and Ally enter the lodge. This time, Jeffrey explains a new rule- they have the power to swap their names with others, provided they win a game. The host shall ring the bells before them in a sequence, and if they can guess correctly, they can swap one player. If they remember all ten, they can swipe two. They correctly guess all ten sequences, and Ally immediately swaps her name with Rick. Since Tai considers Kim to have a lot of life experience, she picks Kim. For the next turn, Biggy, Mack, and Rachel enter the lodge when Mack instantly notices a fountain from Lake Geneva, Switzerland, and a piggy bank on the bells. Mack observes that Switzerland is known for their great banking laws.
The Sequence Game Results in Emotional Fallouts and Rising Suspicions
As Mack, Rachel, and Biggy play the sequence game, they succeed in guessing all ten of them correctly. Rachel notes that they should put Ally’s name up instead of hers, since she is going to be safe because she has a pretty good idea. This prompts Mack to quickly point out that Rachel’s team indeed had a good clue when they were up in the helicopter. They end up choosing Tai as their next choice. As it is now Jonah’s turn to enter, he reveals that he is not good at backstabbing or playing a cut-throat game. When he expresses his nervousness and reluctance to endanger anyone, Jeffrey reminds him that he is playing for the $250,000 prize. Although he fails to guess all 10 bell sequences correctly, he successfully guesses five. This allows him to swap his name with Mack’s since she has a decent chance of being safe either way.
Meanwhile, Rachel speaks up about one person from the purple team who has shared the clue. Ally promptly suspects Rick since she believes Tai wouldn’t share the secret. As Kim and Rick next enter the lodge, the former notes that she is going to save herself no matter what. As both of them successfully guess the entire sequence, the latter unhesitantly puts Rachel in the map room. He wants her to be eliminated since she cannot keep it together at the table, and he wants no part of it. Kim selects Jonah since she believes he has no clue about the game. Once she returns, she reveals her choice, stating how she feels he is the weakest player. This hurts Jonah, as he fears people are wary of sharing information with him. When Rick opens up about his choice, Rachel becomes sure that he is the one who revealed the clue.
A Strategic Misdirection Ends up Sealing the Fate of the Eliminated Player
Rachel thinks that they will soon find out that she is not someone to mess with. As the players are back on the road, Mack contemplates how she saw one clue about Lake Geneva on one of the bells, but she isn’t sure because no other clues point toward it. When Ally asks Shayne if he knows anything about the clue, he denies it. However, he playfully smiles when she asks if Rick has said anything. This only confirms her suspicions, and she notes that she cannot trust Rick. However, she observes that she and Shayne are like-minded. Ally recalls a picture of Jeniffer Aniston and Eva Longoria in the lodge, which partly together reads “Geneva.”
However, to throw Shayne and Jonah off, she points out that the capital of Switzerland is Bern. On the other hand, Jonah grows emotional about the feeling that she is backing him up because he feels everyone sees him as a liability. As they reach the destination, Jeffrey boards the bus to announce the five individuals who will go to the map room: Ally, Mack, Jonah, Tai, and Rachel. During this time, Rachel points out how Rick could’ve chosen someone else to save himself since she was his teammate. Each five-player now has 2 minutes to place their X in the correct location. As time comes to an end, Mack quickly regrets her choice and expresses how she made a bad call.
Ultimately, Jeffrey announces that Jonah is going to be leaving the bus. As he bids an emotional goodbye to everyone, Kim notes that she has said what no one dared to do. Similarly, Ally observes that betrayal is a part of the game. When he leaves the bus with the host, he realizes he is in Geneva and Ally has outplayed him. Last but not least, Jeffrey lists down the clues like a Lakers Jersey on the lodge’s wall, a hint of Lake Geneva, and a Rolex around his hand, which indicates they are in Geneva. The players also had hot chocolate and fondue, besides not noticing the Swiss knife and the cuckoo clock, which all indicate Switzerland. With another destination crossed off from the map, it is now time to look forward to the next episode to see where the road leads the contestants.
Read More: Destination X Episode 1 Recap: Welcome to Destination X
