Josh Gates

Television host and producer Josh Gates combined a natural curiosity about the more mysterious corners of the world with a wry sense of humor as the host of such popular reality series as "Destination Truth" (Syfy, 2007-2013) and "Expedition Unknown" (Travel Channel, 2015-). Born Joshua Gates in the Massachusetts coastal town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, he studied archaeology and drama at Tufts University from 1995 until 1998, and the two subjects would largely define his subsequent career as a researcher and television personality. He also developed an interest in travel from his father, whose work often took him around the globe, and the younger Gates followed suit in his scientific endeavors, most notably in deep-sea research off the coast of Israel for the University of Maryland between 1996 and 1998. In the early 2000s, Gates decided to try his hand at acting in Los Angeles, California; there, he appeared in several short films and television commercials, and in 2006, participated in a documentary-style project produced by Budweiser called "Truly Famous," in which Gates and a troupe of actors posed as faux celebrities in order to prove that "famous" people were granted more deference than "average" individuals. In 2007, he merged both of his career paths into hosting and producing duties for "Destination Truth," a reality series that investigated myths and legends about paranormal figures and creatures of cryptozoology like Bigfoot and sea serpents. The show's blend of humor, travel and weird science, as well as Gates' penchant for taking risks - a third-season episode found him spending the night outside the Russian nuclear disaster area in Chernobyl - made "Destination Truth" a sizable ratings hit for Syfy and Gates one of its most popular on-air personalities. While appearing on "Truth," Gates also served as celebrity guest host of the paranormal investigation series "Ghost Hunters" (2004-), and contributed to other similarly themed shows for the network, including "Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files" (2010-12), and created "Stranded" (2013), which followed teams of paranormal followers and skeptics after being left in supposedly haunted locations for several days. In 2015, Gates moved to the Travel Channel to host "Expedition Unknown," a reality/travel show that took him around the world in search of global legends like the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, the treasure of Blackbeard the pirate, and the mythical city of Shangri-La. In 2017, Gates announced a multi-part investigation into alien life for Travel Channel, "Expedition Unknown: Hunt for ExtraTerrestrials."