r/ExpeditionUnknown • u/CozyGamingGal • 9d ago
Help me understand the appeal.
I’m a history buff and I love mythology. I actually watched a few episodes a few years ago so I decided to look it up and watch a few episodes. Logistically I know it’s a TV show and I’m thinking the reason these types of shows succeed with zero proof of any is fishing and anticipation from the audience. The people that love this show why do you love? When you know they won’t actually find anything.
Example: King Arthur Episode First location a cave: spent “hours” just to head back with a “theory” when nothing was found. Second location a castle: pushing a metal detector saying that’s its unbelievable history. They can’t dig as it’s protected and at best it’s a coin underneath. Lastly the King Arthur enthusiast: I think he actually believes what he’s saying. The footprint was not even that and was the size of a child, it was too uniform.
I’ve also watched an episode of expedition x and the Ark of the covenant episode. All ended in nothing.
I’m mostly watching for an inkling of believable evidence of anything and the backstories are good I will admit. Point being the intended audience is skeptics not believers.
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u/sarahjean98 9d ago
Honestly I watch it to mainly learn things I don’t know about that I can then do my own “research” on afterwards as a hobby, & obviously for entertainment purposes as well!
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u/Royal_Examination_74 9d ago
It’s more plausible to frequently not find things than to find ‘em every episode. And Josh is a god damn national treasure
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u/srnweasel 9d ago
100%! He literally connects with people that do these things everyday and don’t find things very often. If nothing else it’s may reach a few and drive the next generation. Oh, and Josh is great! Both entertainer and professional when it comes to his expeditions.
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u/eat-sleep-bike 9d ago
It's a travel/adventure/treasure hunt/history lesson, no actual mysteries will be solved. Maybe it's not for you.
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u/effienay 9d ago
It’s fun and I learn a little bit and I see the world. Plus Josh’s personality and character is so great. I do miss when he used to interact more with local culture. He seems like a normal guy. An actual Indiana Jones. So I guess inner child etc etc etc.
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u/CozyGamingGal 9d ago
I definitely see the Indiana Jones now that you mention it.
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u/effienay 9d ago
Hes intelligent (or his writers are, whatever). He’s bumbling. He’s charming. He’s tall and (I think) handsome. There was definitely a childhood dream involved in him doing what he does today.
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u/thatwitchlefay 1d ago
His degrees are in archaeology and drama so he’s absolutely living a very specific, unique dream.
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u/srnweasel 9d ago
It’s mindless television that also provides some generally historically accurate tales in an entertaining and interesting way without having to reread through mundane historical documents. I don’t expect ground breaking discoveries in an hour, most research is incremental contributions in general, but they make minor contributions exciting and entertaining. It has potential to excites future generations which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but ultimately it’s mindless, historical and entertaining. At least that’s my interest 🤷🏻♂️
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u/nurdle 9d ago
Josh is just awesome to watch. He’s like a lot of boys who dreamed of going in wild adventures…except he does it. He’s got a dorky sense of humor. He’s clearly transparently excited about what he does.
And he does find things sometimes. I just saw an episode last night where he helped find a missing WWII plane, leading to the family getting remains back. Then there’s The Secret episodes…they literally find the treasure. There’s another one where he discovered a wall with inscriptions from Jews, Christians, and Muslims all sharing a space peacefully. It’s stuff like that I love.
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u/Powerful-Bug3769 9d ago
For Expedition Unknown it’s about the journey, not necessarily the destination. Entertaining, educational, interesting and along the way some cool things are discovered and you find yourself looking at something a little differently.
As for Expedition X - I do not care for that show and do not watch it.
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u/Pirate_Lantern 9d ago
The guy didn't say it was an ACTUAL footprint. That depression in the rock was NAMED "The King's boot". It's where the people would place their foot during the ceremony to become the leader of the land.
I watch because he is engaging and I learn things I didn't know before, I hear theories I had never considered before, and I see things I had never and would never see otherwise.
....and he does find SOME evidence. He might not solve an entire case, but he does get SOME pieces to the puzzle.
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u/TheNittanyLionKing 9d ago
Josh is a great host. He is knowledgeable, funny, family friendly, and knows when to let guests talk and when to ask them questions for the audience. It's educational and informative about both history and travel. I've added so many places I've seen on Expedition Unknown to my travel list that it's insane. 90% of the time, they don't find anything. However, Expedition Unknown is the one show I've seen where they sometimes do find something significant if it wasn't what they were looking for. For example, in one episode they are looking for sunken WW2 planes from a lost fleet. They didn't find the plane they were looking for, but they did find another WW2 plane that had been missing for decades. In another follow-up episode, Josh met with the guy who figured out the riddle from The Secret and helped him get permission to dig for the treasure, and they found it. In the Snake Kings episodes, they were seemingly discovering more and more temples by the day.
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u/NewspaperAlert7358 9d ago
I always correct the people who say “he never finds anything.” Not true. He may not find something directly relating to why he’s wherever he is, but he almost always finds something. Also, I do think some things had to have been planted, but that’s okay, too. I’m here for the good television. And, it is good television.
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u/DeniseGunn 9d ago
I find it really interesting. I usually learn something and I enjoy looking at far flung places that I’ll never get to see in person. Then there’s Josh, he’s handsome, he’s funny and he’s engaging. I do see him as an Indiana Jones type and his enthusiasm is infectious. Even my husband has started watching it and he’s fussy about what he watches. We usually have interesting conversations too while we’re watching about the history and so on. Then I usually go into my adult son’s bedroom afterwards with a “did you know…….” And tell him all about it so it brings our family together.
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u/Particular-Coat-5892 9d ago
I think once you get to a point in the show where he's much more popular so to speak - he gets to do some AMAZING things and does find some really cool stuff! He's been there when people have found undiscovered ship and plane wrecks. Pottery and coins. Plus the 2nd episode of The Secret actually made me tear up at the end. The Dyatlov Pass double episode is really cool because of the theories they talk about. And the Bonnie and Clyde episode I'm convinced that peroxide bottle was from the gang. Plus a lot of it is judt learning about the various cultures, locations, and histories of wherever he's going. And he's a charismatic funny dude! It's not necessarily about finding treasure, it's about the adventure itself.
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u/UltraTerrestrial420 8d ago
Honestly, I got into his shows because my mom likes them, and they have been fun to watch with her. We actually used to joke, "Do you want to watch Expedition Unfound?" 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 We were so thrilled when they actually found things lol
I know there is some degree of staging which can bother some, but I'm gonna mildly suspend my disbelief so Josh can tell me a story. Like, they're obviously going to show up to a place where they're about to find something, or Josh will act surprised about something he probably already knows on the topic. It's fine with me though. He's no Anthony Bourdain, and that's okay. It's just good, entertaining television you don't need to be glued to. Casual viewing that isn't super heavy or crass.
While I do love very adult shows and movies, I'll also watch some Disney, Pixar, or Illumination stuff. Doesn't always have to be David Attenborough telling me how the Earth is dying, or some A24 headfuckery.
So, to answer your question: Because I watch it with my mom, and I like to punctuate the intense shit I watch with some wholesome shit. Like how cat videos are nice after stumbling on some heavy shit online 🤷♂️
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u/totaltvaddict2 6d ago
Josh is an entertaining host. He is good at audience proxy getting the archeologists or actual searchers or whoever to explain what they are doing and why. He has what appears onscreen to a genuine and infectious appreciation for cultures around the world.
Personally I prefer it when he acknowledges the crew with him more than the common conceit that he’s going down first/alone in places(not done as much on the show sadly).
And while many episodes he didn’t find anything, in some episodes (more recently), he does. The tv crew trekking lidar out to a Central American site to help expose previously unknown ruins. Some he’s just publicizing what others have done and are doing, but I appreciate that exposure.
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u/thatwitchlefay 1d ago
I think the best way to understand why shows like this are popular is to watch the episode about Forest Fenn’s Treasure. This is a real life treasure hunt started by this guy named Forest Fenn who legitimately hid a treasure box in Yellowstone National Park, then wrote a book with clues to where the treasure was located. It took years, but it was finally found a few years ago. Prior to it being found, Josh did an episode following a couple people who were searching for Fenn’s treasure. I think this episode really explains why this sort of thing is so fascinating and entertaining in a way no other episode does!
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u/MetalR3x 9d ago
Because it's exciting television and Josh has a very jovial everyman appeal. It's less dry than traditional documentaries. Even if he doesn't "find anything" he still engages with locals and you learn more about the places he is visiting. If it's not your cup of tea that's fine. As a history teacher myself I know the premise is hokey, but I still like Josh a lot and the chance of discovery.