Expedition Impossible
By Melissa Camacho,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Intense eco-competition with lots of teamwork, advertising.
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Expedition Impossible
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What's the Story?
In EXPEDITION IMPOSSIBLE, 13 groups of three players must use teamwork, courage, and character to successfully race across grueling terrain. During each stage of the competition, the teams must travel hundreds of miles across desert sand dunes, snow-capped mountains, raging rivers, and rocky cliffs. They must also complete a series of challenges at each checkpoint. The last team to complete each stage of the journey is eliminated. The team who completes the final stage first wins $150,000 and three new SUVs.
Is It Any Good?
Like most eco-series, Expedition Impossible offers lots of grueling challenges while showcasing the beautiful landscapes of a foreign country. It also features a colorful cast made up of people of many different ages, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and sexual orientations. However, some of the teams take on caricature-like qualities that underscore existing social stereotypes in order to create both humor and drama.
The show is full of exciting moments, especially when competitors overcome their greatest fears and/or unexpected obstacles to make it to the finish line. Watching some of the local culture is interesting, too. Folks who like this sort of thing definitely won't be disappointed.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about series like this one. What exactly is an eco-competition? Why are they so popular? Is it the remote locations? The challenges? Or is it the people who participate in them that make them entertaining?
Reality shows are often used to market goods and services to viewers. What other kinds of strategies do advertisers use to reach audiences? Parents: What can you do to keep your kids from being easy targets?
TV Details
- Premiere date: June 23, 2011
- Cast: Dave Salmoni
- Network: ABC
- Genre: Reality TV
- TV rating: TV-PG
- Last updated: October 23, 2022
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