True fans of Josh Gates know that he is like a real-life Indiana Jones. He has been all over the world exploring the secrets of ancient civilizations, finding treasure, and even crossing paths with the supernatural.
Meet the Reality Daredevil
Gates was born in Massachusetts. But his adventures would take the now 45-year-old far from his home and into the unknown — several mystical destinations that are far more fantastic than the ones of Steven Spielberg’s fedora-wearing adventurer.
Josh Gates: Facebook
Clad in his adventure garb including his signature necklace, Gates has taken viewers into places they most likely will never visit in person. Along the way he, and we, have encountered some pretty hair-raising adventures.
We have gone in search of Amelia Earhart and explored lost Incan ruins. He has brought us along to find cryptids and other supernatural mysteries.
In fact, when FOX News asked him about the one place he would never return his answer was a place notoriously known for its ghostly inhabitants.
“I would say Waverly Hills, which is an abandoned sanitarium here in the States — it’s high on the list of places I don’t ever want to spend the night again,” Gates said. “A lot of those old, 19th-century sanitariums, mental institutions, there are a number of them left here, old prisons, things like that.”
Waverly Hills
The 6’2″ explorer was raised Episcopalian but thanks to his deep dive into the afterlife, has since become a little more fluid in his spiritual beliefs.
“Most cultures believe, and most religions believe, that there is a spirit, there is a soul, there is something that happens when we die where this spirit leaves our body,” he said in an interview for FOX. “And there are people all over the world who believe in ghosts and angels and demons — things like that. And we touch on this throughout [Destination Unknown: Search for the Afterlife]. But belief and faith are very personal things.”
Destination Truth
This is the series that started it all. Gates was not only the host but also its co-executive producer. In its run from 2007 to 2012, there were a total of 30 episodes. It was on the SyFy Channel back when it was called “Sci-Fi.”
This was the world’s first introduction to Gates. They quickly found him fearless and intrepid. But he also had a sense of humor. There were a few popular supernatural reality series at the time. Shows such as MonsterQuest and Ghost Hunters had already perfected the formula, but Gates took it one step further; he explored remote parts of the world and took us along with him.
The one thing about Gates is that he is a borderline skeptic which often leads to humorous one-liners or witty banter with his team. However, when he experiences a phenomenon that can’t be explained right away, he doesn’t dismiss it.
Whether it is scuba diving, exploring an ancient temple, or tromping through the jungle, Gates is always trying to find the truth even if there is no definite answer to what he is seeking.
Ghost Hunting
Jason Hawes, Josh Gates and Steve Gonsalves
Speaking of the cable television hit Ghost Hunters, another popular reality show with nosey infrared cameras and hosts, Gates crossed over into the series in 2007 with a live Halloween special. He became a regular guest and even hosted a seven-hour live investigation in 2008.
Gates seems to have a soft spot for ghosts and the people who hunt them. In 2012 he made a guest appearance on Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files and created the paranormal reality series Stranded under the Jason Blum production company.
Today, he produces another show called Ghost Nation which stars Ghost Hunter legacy investigators Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves, and Dave Tango.
Additionally, in 2020 he teamed with paranormal researcher Jessica Chobot and scientist Phil Torres for a show called Expedition X.
Expedition Unknown
At the beginning of 2015, Gates began working for the Travel Channel with this adventurous reality series. The show would eventually make its way to the Discovery Channel where it would remain a channel staple.
In that time Gates would investigate a haunted ship, Mayan ruins, vampires, Japan’s Atlantis, the lost city of Roanoke, and the Bermuda Triangle.
Josh Gates is back in 2023 with the continuation of this series. This time he invites viewers on an adventure of a lifetime. He once again visits captivating archeological wonders while trying to solve some of history’s most captivating puzzles.
Additionally, the bearded daredevil will continue to explore the stranger side of the unknown in a series of action-packed episodes.
Destination Unknown: Search for the Afterlife
Taking things into the great beyond, Gates isn’t satisfied limiting his exploration to the corporeal world. In this series he assists with a real exorcism, talks to scientists about what happens the moment we die, examines a haunted ship and learns about the afterlife in Varanasi, India.
This series, he admits, was a trek into things that made him question his own faith.
“In the first episode, I openly stated that I was raised Christian,” Gates said. “And like a lot of people, I sort of drifted away from the church as I got older. Now I have two small kids. I have a family and I’m starting to ask those questions. I’m at a point in my life where I’m saying, ‘What is really out there?’ For me, there were a number of moments in the special that really challenged my agnostic beliefs.”
Josh Gates: Facebook/Discovery+
Josh Gates On Tour
Gates has continued to connect with his fans through live appearances. He just finished up a national tour at the end of last year, and although he doesn’t have another one scheduled at this time, be sure to follow him on social media for updates and schedules. His shows are very popular and often sell out.
Discovery+
If you are interested in following Josh on his many adventures, most of the shows listed above can be found on Discovery+. This is a paid content app that requires a subscription.
Final Thoughts
Josh Gates is a reality show celebrity, but what is different about him is his team’s fearless and often dangerous forays into places most of us fear to tread. Whether he’s diving into the ocean’s depths to explore its mysteries, traversing through a haunted house, or spelunking into a deep cave, he always delivers a nail-biting good time.
While we still love our fictional cinematic adventurers, we can always count on Gates to take us away from the theater and put us into his Jeep for a wildly exciting road trip.
Josh Gates: Facebook
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