NBC teases Destination X details ahead of US debut

NBC’s newly installed unscripted chief, Sharon Vuong, has unveiled details of the US network’s version of Destination X, which is set to debut next month. 

The show is being produced by ITV Studios label Twofour and has Walking Dead star Jeffrey Dean Morgan hosting and exec producing.

NBC has confirmed it will premiere on 27 May at 10pm, following America’s Got Talent, with episodes streaming the next day on sibling platform Peacock.

Vuong, who replaced Corie Henson on an interim basis after her exit in January, has now been handed the top unscripted job at NBC permanently and said viewers could expect “a fresh, uniquely NBC twist” to the format.

NBC formally greenlit the US reality competition in April last year, four months after Broadcast revealed Twofour had landed the £20m contract to produce the UK and the US version, which were jointly ordered by the BBC and NBCUniversal – the second of the two companies’ co-commissioning pact that had previously generated the global smash The Traitors. The BBC version  is expected later this year.

In NBC’s format, which is billed as a “bold travel competition series”, 12 American strangers are invited to participate in a geo-guessing contest across Europe. The players will traverse each country on a blacked-out “Destination X” bus with the goal of figuring out where the “X” they are each week.  

Each episode will see the players disembark the bus to visit unique and unfamiliar tourist attractions that have been gamified into experiential challenges. Relying on pop culture, history, geography and observational skills, they will win clues to their current location and earn an all-important advantage.  

Contestants must draw from their own personal expertise, identify hidden clues that are disguised as artifacts and discern intentional misdirects from competitors to ultimately determine their whereabouts, while their strategic gameplay is tested as they eat, sleep and travel together through Europe’s most desirable locations on the bus.  

Each episode will end with designated contestants entering the Map Room and placing their X on the map to indicate where in the world they think they are. The furthest from the actual location is sent packing. The final player standing at the end of the tour win $250,000 (£188,000). 

As gamemaster, Morgan will test the contestants with mind games and ultimatums, supported by reality stars JaNa Craig (Love Island) and Peter Weber (The Traitors), who hop on the adventure bus and change the trajectory of the game.  

The series is based on Belgian company Geronimo’s breakout format, which is sold by Be-Entertainment. 

It debuted on Belgium’s VTM in 2023, with its first international remake launching in France on M6 in January 2024. ProSiebenSat.1 in Germany and RTL4 in The Netherlands are among other buyers. 

The US version is produced by Twofour and Universal Television Alternative Studio, with NBCU’s Andy Cadman exec producing alongside Morgan, Geronimo’s Emanuel Vanderjeugd and Twofour’s Dan Adamson, David Clews and Shireen Abbott. 

Vuong takes charge

Destination X marks the first series to emerge from NBCU’s stable under Vuong, who added: “This series is the ultimate high stakes guessing game, inviting viewers to embark on a thrilling journey across Europe’s most iconic landscapes and landmarks, all while playing along with our adventurous, dynamic cast.” 

As well as Destination X, Vuong - who is executive vice-president, unscripted programming for NBC - will now oversee fellow tentpoles America’s Got Talent and The Voice.

She replaces Henson, who departed amid an NBCU overhaul of its TV businesses earlier this year, and reports to Pearlena Igbokwe, chairman, Television Studios, NBC Entertainment and Peacock scripted.  

She had joined NBCU in 2020 from CBS, overseeing development and current programming on unscripted formats spanning reality/talent competition and gameshows.