Though evidence of paranormal activity is always a tricky subject to broach, Expedition X has not provided enough compelling evidence to make the show feel real yet.
Josh Gates’ incredibly successful Discovery show, Expedition Unknown, has been airing for almost a decade.
And while the authenticity of many of Gates’ finds on this show is still up for debate, there is no denying that he has broadened the horizons of many, many fans following along from home.
Gates’ incredible knack for condensing some of the world’s most complicated myths, legends, folklore and mysteries into easily-digestible and downright entertaining episodes proved to be so effective, in fact, that the show even got its own spin-off in 2020.
The questions about Expedition X’s authenticity
This spin-off, Expedition X, follows two new hosts, Phil Torres and Jessica Chobot (and occasionally Gates as well) as they investigate paranormal mysteries all over the world.
And since there is such a fine line between paranormal and just plain made up, the show is frequently bombarded with questions about its authenticity
Admittedly a show investigating rumored paranormal events is bound to drum up much more criticism than a show investigating some of history’s biggest mysteries.
But there is really just no denying the lack of tangible evidence on Expedition X. Though we suppose that also depends on what you consider ‘real’ evidence of paranormal activity.
Expedition X so far
Even with all of the doubt floating around about what is real and what is not on Expedition X, the series has managed to air six seasons in the past three years.
These included investigations into everything from the legend of Mothman to the notoriously UFO-heavy Uintah Basin, as outlined below:
| Season | Total episodes | Initial air dates |
| Season 1 | 7 | February 12, 2020 to March 25, 2020 |
| Season 2 | 6 | November 11, 2020 to December 16, 2020 |
| Season 3 | 7 | April 14, 2021 to May 26, 2021 |
| Season 4 | 6 | September 1, 2021 to October 6, 2021 |
| Season 5 | 7 | May 25, 2022 to July 6, 2022 |
| Season 6 | 8 | August 2, 2023 to September 20, 2023 |
The Expedition X hosts’ credentials
Though the hosts of reality television shows typically do not have to have any credentials outside of impeccable hosting abilities, Expedition X’s Phil and Jessica do need to live up to Gates’ incredible reputation.
And fortunately, it seems like Phil and Jessica’s real-life experience in their fields is one aspect that the show definitely did not embellish.
Phil has a degree in Entomology and Biology from Cornell University, and he has been featured in publications like Wired, ABC News, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal and more.
Phil also has years of experience on the sets of shows like American Spring Live, TechKnow, Sesame Street and more.
Jessica has extensive experience in all things nerdy, as she has experience working for IGN’s IGN Daily Fix and Nerdist News and has also been involved in several other projects, such as the Mass Effect 3 and Daylight, video games.
The behind-the-scenes details
While the ‘evidence’ that the Expedition X team collects during their investigations may be questionable, the team does, at the very least, travel to all of the locations and really does its best to find the truth behind all of the local myths, legends and tall-tales.
In fact, if you follows Jessica’s Instagram account, you may already have seen that she frequently shares behind-the-scenes photos of their investigations as they happen, like this post from the Eloise Asylum, which Jessica posted in July of 2023.
The show’s biggest issue
These days, questions about whether or not a particular show is being staged for the cameras are pretty unavoidable. But we think that Expedition X may have bigger issues to contend with than its questionable ‘reality’.
And in reality, fans (and critics) of the series would likely have much less time to worry about whether the things that Phil and Jessica were saying or doing on the show were fake or not, if the show did a better job of keeping fans entertained in its episodes.
This actually seems to be quite a widely-held opinion, as one fan in the Expedition Unknown sub-Reddit even went as far as saying “Honestly? I just want Destination Truth back”.
And, other fans of the franchise seem to agree, as this comment gained almost 50 upvotes and spawned an entire discussion of how Gates’s other show, Destination Truth was “Easily the best ‘Monster Hunter’ TV show to exist” before it disappeared off the air.
And in this sense, it seems like the show’s biggest issue may actually lie in its concept – and not so much in its authenticity (or seeming lack thereof).
