Filling in Jessica Chobot’s shoes on Expedition X was always going to be a hard task for new co-host, Heather Amaro.
Heather Amaro, who describes herself as a “third-generation paranormal investigator” replaced longtime Expedition X co-host and fan favorite, Jessica Chobot.
The August 14, 2024 episode of Expedition X, which was the opener for season 8, gave us a chance to watch and evaluate Amaro.
Right off the bat, Amaro seemed out of place and seemed too rehearsed and overly enthusiastic. The customary “mission brief” segment led by Josh Gates at the beginning of each Expedition X quest, was nothing short of cringeworthy and outright uncomfortable.
Consider this “riveting” exchange below:
Josh: Alright, first things first. Heather, welcome to Expedition Headquarters, and more importantly to the Expedition X family.
Heather: Great. Thank you so much.
Phil Torres: We’re thrilled to have you.
Heather: Thanks
Josh: Are you excited?
Heather: Uh, yeah! [chuckles] Are you joking? I have been fascinated with the paranormal my entire life and I’m a third-generation investigator. So, joining y’all is like a dream come true.
Phil: You know what you getting you’re getting yourself into?
Heather: Maybe
Josh: You’ll be fine. In fact, to commemorate you joining our merry band of investigators, I have arranged something truly special for you to investigate. The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.
Heather: Oh, heck, yeah.
Josh: I take it you know this place?
Heather: I wouldn’t be a very good paranormal investigator if I didn’t.
All delivered with the D-grade acting and fake enthusiasm that wouldn’t even land you a role in a middle school play.
Then there was the utterly cringeworthy REM pod scene. Where the team was trying to talk to a ghost, they supposedly saw via cameras set up in one of hallways:
Josh: Okay, REM pods are set up. Doors are all either open or closed [Yeah, doors do that, a fascinating observation from Josh as you can tell] We got a nice view down the hall. Now we just need something to show up.
Heather: Is there anyone here with us right now?
Josh: A scream was heard here. Was that scream from you? Can you scream for us now?
Heather: Are you the Joker?
Josh: Are you the shadow that we saw on the camera?
REM pod beeps. Heather is startled, violently moves back, audibly gasps. Mouth open, body frozen.
I am sorry I can’t, this is way too much overacting, even for Expedition X.
This was a strange scene. For a person that is supposedly a “third-generation paranormal investigator”, Amaro should be quite accustomed to communicating with ghosts. It should definitely not be such an earth-shattering moment that elicits such a reaction from her.
Then came the scene in the cellar. While searching for another ghost, Amaro commenced to complain of nausea, saying she felt horrible, complaining of feeling drained and subsequently had quite a violent coughing episode.
In the same vein as my blame above, this was equally puzzling. Again, as a “third-generation paranormal investigator” Amaro should be used to small crawl spaces, abandoned buildings and all the occupational hazards that come with her so-called paranormal investigative work.
I am certainly not the only one who was unimpressed by Amaro’s performance in the first episode, social media chatter was even more unforgiving.
Some social media users argue that she was trying too hard to be like Jessica Chobot. Some believe her to be too fake and cliché, and others assert she is not a good fit for the show’s chemistry.
One social media user, put it this way: “I guess I should wait until there are a few more episodes until I review her abilities, but I really was not won over in that first episode. I will say that it took almost the first full season before I came around to liking Jess. Hopefully, it will get better with her. The chemistry is just not there at all. Seemed very forced and her reactions were very over the top.”
So, in the end, there is a sense that despite my criticism and that of several others, there is still room for Heather Amaro to find her footing.
That perhaps what we found unforgivable in that first episode, might change, or even be the reason that she might grow on us.
That soon we may find Heather as integral to the show as we found Jessica Chobot. So yes, the jury is indeed still out, and we await the next episode to get to know Heather Amaro a bit more.
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