Though he’s fought off zombies for years, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is now facing something even more frightening: a group of globe-trotting reality-TV contestants on NBC‘s Destination X.
But this place is not Destination X. We’re told it sits 200 miles away from the actual location — which remains unknown to viewers.
The only hint the clue offers is it looks Italian, but that offers no help in deducing the city — especially since the ruins aren’t even located in Destination X anyway.
Viewers are told Orvieto is still 90 miles away from Destination X.
On his way out, we finally learn this week’s official Destination X: Rome.
After years of fending off zombies, Jeffrey Dean Morgan now has to deal with something even more terrifying: a group of reality TV contestants traveling the world on NBC’s Destination X. But let’s review: did the series fall short?
In Tuesday’s premiere, the Walking Dead veteran transforms Europe into a real-life game board, taking us on a convoluted journey. In order to determine their location, players will travel across the continent in a blacked-out bus once a week. Contestants must guess their precise location in the Map Room after completing challenges at unusual tourist destinations. The player who makes the guess that is the furthest from the bus’s true destination forfeits their chance to win $250,000.
However, a casual viewer may find the game confusing. First of all, although the contestants occasionally don high-tech goggles, these are not virtual reality headsets. There is no VR element to this game; the eyewear merely serves as an elegant blindfold.
Secondly, clues do not always correspond to the final destination. In Episode 1, for instance, two competitors are given access to an outdoor theater as an exclusive clue. The players are positioned in front of what viewers discover to be the Italian Volterra ruins. But this location isn’t Destination X. We are informed that it is 200 miles from the real location, but viewers are still unaware of this. The ruins aren’t even in Destination X, so the only clue the clue gives is that it looks Italian, but that doesn’t help with identifying the city.
After stopping for a team challenge where participants solve puzzles to gather hidden coins that contain secret clues, the bus continues on its way to its designated destination. According to Morgan, the challenge is set in Orvieto and includes references to the city’s cathedral, abundant olive oil, and St. Patrick’s well—all of which are intended to be further hints for Destination X. Although viewers are informed that Orvieto is still 90 miles from Destination X, the group failed to notice the hints, but even if they had, how would identifying Orvieto aid anyone in determining the final location?
The losing team ultimately has to risk elimination by entering the Map Room. Once all of the guesses have been made, Big Brother veteran Josh Martinez puts his “X” on Milan, the guess that is the furthest from the location. Finally, we find out this week’s official Destination X: Rome on his way out. Despite this, the group had not really been there. Coins from the last challenge apparently contained hints about the city’s gladiators and the Swiss Guard of the Vatican.
