Looking for "Destination Truth's" Purpose: Series 5 and Impressions

Creators: Michael Mandt, Neil Mandt.

Cast: Josh Gates, Gabriel Copeland and Mike Morrell.

After four seasons of looking for cryptids and spooks in the series "Destination Truth," Josh Gates sometimes comes close to making a revelation that will amuse his fans. While such paranormal-reality programs hardly ever find definitive proof positive of what lurks deep in the jungles, or late at night in some mystic ruin, the amusement viewers get from this program — especially from this lead’s antics — is what keeps this particular series going.

Nearly everyone knows that the episodes are made to tease and tantalize. Gates knows how to work the crowd. Now that this series is in its fifth season, this cadre of adventure seekers has some new legends from all over the world to pursue. Quite often, the evidence Gate's team finds are of the arboreal and nocturnal persuasion rather than anything else.

In the first episode of the new season, Gates and his team are in search for the Vietnamese version of Bigfoot, and the findings are not conclusive. Although Dr. Jeffrey Meidrum, a noted anthropologist, deems what they find significant, the news is not as widespread.

With the second episode, the camaraderie the team has for each other is what defines this show. The good-natured fun the team likes to show on screen is what keeps this program going. And if the puns are bad, just seeing Gates attempt to do the impossible makes watching this episode good. One better “Belize” it.

While what this team typically finds are more often based on personal experiences than with recorded evidence, to witness a teammate getting harmed is what makes this program dramatic. In the third season a former teammate, Evan, was attacked by an invisible force while sitting in a grove inside the Romanian forest of Hoia Baciu. This area is said to be supernaturally active.

With the second episode of the fifth season, the suspense was certainly there because long time fans will wonder if Evan would get attacked again. One ear-bleed later, the investigation is called off and the team heads home to access their information.

Some answers should be emerging by now, but instead, only half-facts and conjectures are given. When dealing with certain supernatural elements, the tools used may never capture definitive evidence. But with cryptids, it is possible to capture a creature, and some viewers must be wondering by now why don’t the team simple try to cage such a creature?

When the team came close to tracking down the "Kapre," an ape-like monster in episode three, they were out of their element. Who knows what may have been rustling in the bushes. If the animal did not leap out to attack the crew, then could it be one of the cameramen playing a trick? The team must have a means to protect themselves in the event of an attack.

In all the years of this show’s broadcast, nobody mentions what weapons are carried along the way. There were a few times where they were escorted, but even tour guides might have the inkling to flee if they do not like the vibe an ancient graveyard gives in the night.

When the Gates team does go ghost hunting, those are the episodes to watch. The next promising episode is set to air July 31st, where the group is set to go searching for the Ghosts of Tikal.

And what the expedition finds are often better curious pieces of evidence than any ghost hunting show may find and they venture into some very disturbing territory that will even cause some viewers’ hair on the back of the neck to stand up on end. The “Island of Dolls” episode from season three is the best to date. The "Ghosts of Cannibal Village” from this new season is second because during the week of airing, the real life documentary tracing the history of cannibalism on Fiji helped bring a perspective to the culture that was once pervasive throughout this island. This program aired on National Geographic.

This kind of historical backdrop is what makes "Destination Truth" appealing. And if Gates or his crew ever gets conclusive evidence, the media storm that might happen will certainly put this program on the map. SyFy is known for offering mostly fictional entertainment content. If their reality programming ever gets moved to another network, then just maybe all the legends and lore "Destination Truth" explores will get taken more seriously.

Series Score: 7.5 out of 10.

*broadcasting on SyFy Tues at 8/7c.

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