NBC’s newest reality adventure, DESTINATION X, hosted by the charismatic Jeffrey Dean Morgan (best known for The Walking Dead and Supernatural), takes travel competition to a mysterious new level. A blend of psychological strategy, global geography, and personal grit, the series pits contestants—some reality show veterans, others regular civilians—against one another as they attempt to determine their hidden locations across Europe. Traveling inside a completely blacked-out bus, players must rely on observation, clues, history, geography, pop culture knowledge, and deduction.
Each week, the contestants face location-themed challenges. Afterward, they must place an “X” on a giant map to mark where they believe they are. The contestant whose guess is farthest from the actual location is eliminated. The ultimate goal? Be the last person standing and win $250,000. But there’s a twist—sabotage and misdirection are part of the game.
MEET THE CONTESTANTS ON THE PLANE
Before the game officially begins, contestants board a private jet and begin forming first impressions. Ally Bross, a travel influencer, brands herself as a “lover girl” on a mission to find romance. Kim Conner, working in Child Protective Services, proudly rejects the typical grandmother stereotype, boasting adventures that she plans to document for her children. Josh Martinez, the winner of Big Brother Season 19, enters with experience and a strategy-focused mindset.
RICK, BIGGY, AND TAI REVEAL THEIR GAME PLANS
Rick Szabo, a birdwatcher, believes his skill in identifying birds can also help him pinpoint geographical locations. Biggy Bailey, a sports bettor who’s never left the country before, admits others may underestimate him. Tai Lowry, a flight attendant and attorney, shares that she’s competing out of financial need following a divorce. She sees the prize money as a life-changing opportunity.
FIRST CHALLENGE: IDENTIFY THE COUNTRY TAGS
Jeffrey Dean Morgan greets the contestants and explains the rules of the first challenge. Fifty identical suitcases each hold a tag referencing a European country. Players must grab tags and match them to the right cart. The person with the most correct matches wins a clue and gets to choose one person to share it with.
As the game kicks off, Rick drops a tag, which is quietly scooped up by Ally. Jeffrey notices, but Ally wins the challenge by correctly placing 7 out of 10 tags. She chooses Mack, a legislative attorney who is there seeking personal validation, to share the clue.
FIRST CLUE LOCATION: VOLTERRA RUINS
Ally and Mack are blindfolded and led to the clue—ancient ruins identified as Volterra, about 200 miles from their actual first stop. Mack believes the site resembles Roman ruins and advises Ally to share limited information with the rest of the group to retain their strategic advantage. Returning to the bus, Ally and Mack vaguely say they saw a lot of people, but others like Rachel quickly sense deception.
As the blacked-out bus hits the road, contestants continue mingling. Rachel, a sales consultant, feels out of place among the athletic and attractive competitors. Josh draws attention to himself by reminding everyone of his reality TV victory, prompting Rick to see him as a potential threat but still worth aligning with. Meanwhile, Biggy tries to catch hints by peeking through window cracks.
Conversations break off into groups, with women discussing threats and men evaluating trustworthiness. Josh privately expresses concern over Ally picking up Rick’s dropped tag, viewing it as a strategic warning. Rick, meanwhile, reveals in his confessional that though he’ll play the “dad” role, he’s not above trickery to win.
A MAJOR CHALLENGE: COIN HUNT IN A MEDIEVAL WELL
Jeffrey introduces the next challenge. Contestants are split into two teams—captained by Ally and Mack—and sent to a medieval well located eight stories underground. Five special coins, each containing subtle clues, are hidden around a nearby town. Each team selects a coin searcher, while the others must solve riddles to release the searcher to begin hunting.
TEAM ALLY: Tai, Biggy, Josh, Shayne. Biggy is chosen as the Searcher.
TEAM MACK: Kim, Rick, Jonah, Rachel. Mack volunteers to be her team’s Searcher.
Clue reading and problem-solving begin. Tai and Shayne—as well as—Rick and Rachel rush through riddles. Biggy is the first one to be let go after—Ally’s team quickly figures out their puzzle. He figures out a clue about Pinocchio and finds the first coin. At the same time, Rachel is having a hard time with the wine-related clue, even though she knows the answer.
COINS AND CONSEQUENCES: THE POWER TO SEND TO THE MAP ROOM
The twist? For every coin a team finds, they can send a player from the other team to the Map Room. This makes things a lot more dangerous.
As Rachel finally figures out her puzzle and frees Mack, the sense of urgency grows. Each team has to race against the other teams and the clock. As the day’s challenge goes on, relationships change, alliances are called into question, and the fear of being eliminated hits home.
THE MAP ROOM MOMENT: WHO’S GOING HOME?
As the teams finish looking for coins, Jeffrey calls everyone together and tells them the big news: it’s time to go into the Map Room. Each player has to guess where they are by putting a “X” on a big map. The person whose guess is the furthest from where it really is will be out of the game. Some may not have to go into the Map Room at all, though, because of how well they did.
The contestants already know who is telling the truth, who is misleading them, and who could be the next person to go. As the Destination X bus travels through Europe, the lack of trust and growing number of secrets makes the trip more than just physical; it’s mental warfare as well.
Allies like Mack and Ally start to be careful. Josh, who is always thinking ahead, keeps looking at what everyone is doing. A friendly Rick hides a smart mind that is good at planning. Tai looks at everything with more and more doubt. As the players slowly figure out who they are, what drives them, and how they plan to play, they get ready for the long game.
A RACE ACROSS EUROPE JUST BEGINS
There’s more to DESTINATION X than just guessing what it is. It’s a test of memory, instincts, friendships, and betrayal. The competition will only get tougher as more places, artifacts, and stronger clues are added.
As the journey continues across Europe, players must find their way through lies, truths, and everything in between to win the grand prize.
Come back to tvacute.com for more Destination X news, in-depth recaps, and the newest episode breakdowns.
