Our exploits in Malaysia and Papua New Guinea gave way to a voyage that unfurled across the globe. We traveled on to Thailand, South Africa, Chile, and Argentina, searching for evidence of strange creatures and paranormal phenomena along the way. We tackled twelve individual stories, which were then distilled into six hour-long episodes. The collective experience was a nonstop thrill ride to film and a hard-knock education on how to hunt monsters and make a television show at the same time. This first season has since been released on DVD. Even though it’s a little rough around the edges, as I look back on the journey now, I’m amazed at what we were able to accomplish and how far we’ve come since then.
Though my journals from this inaugural season are brimming with colorful tales of misadventure, it was our travels through Malaysia and Papua New Guinea that stand out for me as the best embodiment of the unscripted and unpredictable nature of Destination Truth. After all, we traipsed through some of the planet’s most harrowing environments and let the ensuing adventures dictate our story. It’s supremely difficult to make television this way, to stake a narrative on the idea that interesting things will happen simply because the world is an interesting place. I’m just glad that it worked out and nobody lost a limb.
In Los Angeles, the long process of postproduction results in a unique series in SciFi’s lineup. The show combines the investigative elements that fans of the immensely popular Ghost Hunters franchise already love but places those investigations in a totally different context; the final product is a fast-paced mash-up of travel, comedy, myth, and mystery.
A month before we’re scheduled to air, I’m sitting at home watching Kevin Costner’s award-winning performance in Waterworld on SciFi. For those who managed to miss this cinematic gem, it’s basically about a guy with gills who drinks his own pee and occasionally clubs Jeanne Tripplehorn with an oar. There are also people on Jet Skis. At any rate, the movie goes to commercial, and I’m suddenly looking at a montage of myself. I do a full-spit take into my ficus plant and then sit bugeyed while a deep-voiced announcer plugs Destination Truth. At the end of the commercial, a snappy logo pops up and everything. It’s surreal. Beyond surreal. I even sit through the last act of Waterworld to see if it happens again.
The show premieres on June 6, 2007. It’s one of the only SciFi shows ever positioned in the ten o’clock hour that holds on to a large percentage of Ghost Hunters’ impressive audience. We’re a hit! In response, the Channel orders more episodes, but unfortunately, Neil declines to produce the show himself. It sounds like there should be a juicy story here, but there really isn’t. Neil and the Channel just can’t reach an agreement. It’s a huge loss to me, since Neil seems like the only person I know who’s crazy enough to pull this series off. His departure also means that we have to re-staff from top to bottom. I part ways with Carter, Eric, and the rest of the first-season team. It’s bittersweet and feels a lot like starting over.
The Channel recommends that I meet with a producer named Brad Kuhlman, who worked with SciFi two years prior on a series called Master Blasters and had recently executive-produced 1,000 Places to See Before You Die for the Travel Channel. He’s the owner of a burgeoning production company called Ping Pong Productions that he runs with his best friend and business partner, Casey Brumels.
Brad and I arrange to meet at a restaurant in Hollywood. I arrive first, get a table, and nervously watch the door. I feel like I’m on a blind date, worried that Carrot Top is about to show up. After all, running around the world searching for monsters is a pretty close-quarters business, and it’s really important to do it with people that you like and respect (or, at the very least, can tolerate). Brad steps in a few minutes later, and I have a hard time sizing him up. On one hand, he valets an obnoxiously huge Lincoln Navigator outside and is sporting hipster sunglasses and trendy sneakers. On the other hand, he seems completely down-to-earth. I sense that he’s just as unsure of what to make of me, and we do our best to not scare each other off in the first few minutes. As it turns out, he’s a great guy. By the time our entrées arrive, we’re chatting like friends. He’s experienced, funny, listens well (a quality I lack, so I always admire it in others), and has a genuine passion for travel.
A few days later, we meet again at a Borders bookstore, this time with Casey. I have no idea why we choose this location. Casey is significantly taller than Brad, with blond hair and a big, goofy smile. He’s also immediately likable. It’s easy to see why they’re friends. Casey seems similarly engaged by the project, and it’s clear that everyone is on board to work together. We sit amidst the paperbacks, spitballing potential locations for the second season and how best to evolve the show.
If there’s one thing of which I’m unconvinced, it’s whether these two understand just how hard D.T. is to make. They’re both a bit cavalier about the whole thing at first; more than anything, they seem to think that it’s going to be a lot of fun. Which it is, of course, but mostly in the way a plane crash is fun to reminisce about after you survive it. I do my best to explain the unique challenges of Destination Truth and to let them know how exhausting it is to film. I explain that the production is basically nonstop. Every aspect of our travels is filmed, and there’s little time to rest. The accommodations are crappy, the food is worse, and the dangers are real. They grin and nod, unmoved by my gloomy prophecies. Ah, well. It doesn’t really matter, I suppose. They’ll both find out the truth soon enough. I just hope they pack something warm.