BBC and NBCUniversal are partnering up on a new reality competition show “Destination X.”
The adventure series, whose format originated in Belgium, follows 10 contestants who embark on a road trip, but do not know their location as the Destination X bus works to mislead both the contestants and the viewers.
As their journey continues, contestants must follow clues to determine if they can trust what they see as their knowledge will be put to the test at the end of each episode. The “contestant who places their X on a map furthest away from the bus’s actual location must leave the game and loses their shot at winning a cash prize,” per the official logline. Remaining participants are tasked with finding the location of the host, who communicates with contestants from an unknown location.
“Destination X,” which is created by Geronimo and distributed by Be-Entertainment, marks the latest collaboration between the broadcast giants, who last teamed up on “The Traitors.”
“Following the must-see success of ‘The Traitors,’ I’m delighted that once again we’re partnering with NBCUniversal on another very smart, very addictive and very innovative competition show,” BBC Director of Unscripted, Kate Phillips, said in a statement. “With countless red herrings and brain-teasing clues, we were gripped from the start. It promises to be a hugely challenging adventure for our 10 brave contestants, with plenty of play along for all BBC viewers, as everyone hopes they’ve got the ‘X’ that marks the spot!”
Toby Gorman and Ed Havard secured the North American rights for Universal Television Alternative Studio, a division of Universal Studio Group, for development at NBC, which will be led by Corie Henson. BBC Director of Unscripted Kate Phillips and Editor of Unscripted Syeda Irtizaali secured the UK rights for BBC One and iPlayer.
“‘Destination X’ is a big unique format that pairs spectacular adventure travel with the ultimate guessing game. ’The Traitors’ instilled confidence that big formats are back, and ‘Destination X’ is incredibly ambitious,” said Corie Henson, Executive Vice President of Unscripted Programming at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “We’re thrilled to have the perfect traveling partners in Universal Television Alternative Studios, BBC and, of course, BE-Entertainment, for this one-of-a-kind immersive gameplay set among stunning locations.”
Managing Director of Be-Entertainment, Gepke Nederlof, added, “It’s amazing to see how ‘Destination X’ has literally taken off since its launch! It’s a true adventure both in and outside of the Destination X bus, and we could not be more proud than to partner with two of the leading content companies in the world in such an early stage of our international journey.”
