JayRo Watches: Expedition Impossible

(No true spoilers here.)

I watched the first episode of Expedition Impossible and enjoyed it a lot. That's all you need to know.

Well, maybe some description would be nice.

Expedition Impossible is essentially Mark Burnett's ode to the Amazing Race. It uses the familiar checkpoint/roadblock method of racing, but eliminates (a) the travelling from country to country via plane and (b) the puzzle side of determining where you have to go next. Both are replaced by having to traverse the landscape of Morocco, whether that be the desert, the canyons or the snow capped mountains. The last team to check in at the pit stop cross the finish line is eliminated.

One improvement on the Amazing Race is some of the humour added by "translating" the locals. (I put translating in quotes because it's not completely clear whether the locals are actually saying what the subtitles say.) On the Amazing Race, you normally are left to wonder what these locals are thinking about the crazy Americans doing wacky things in their country. Here, you get an answer, and it can be amusing.

The addition of team names is a mixed blessing - it's nice to have an easy way to identify the teams from the outset, but the names are pretty plain. They are pretty descriptive of the idea behind the team though, so again, it is appreciated.

If you like the Amazing Race, you will enjoy this show. It has all of the features of the amazing race, with some gorgeous shots of the Moroccian landscape that only a Mark Burnett production can provide.