UK TV Channel WATCH acquired the rights to Expedition Impossible, a brand new reality series by ABC.
Created by Mark Burnett (The Apprentice) Expedition Impossible follows 13 teams of 3 contestants who race across Morocco to win $50,000 each, a total of $150000 for the entire winning team.
We caught up with 3 of the show’s stars, Real life super heroes FAB3: Ryan Allen Carrillo, his ex boyfriend AJ Gibson and his sister Kari Gibson. We get cozy with the trio and ask them about their experiences, what it’s like to work along side your ex and whether it’s strappy heals from now on for Kari.
R: Nothing to this extreme. Looking back, I have never been camping before or since. I actually had an extreme fear of heights. Day one on the expedition we did a 300ft rappel… I don’t know how I did it looking back. But the crazy thing is, I’m not afraid of heights anymore or anything really. I completely conquered my fear. I was a national champion roller skater and a professional inline skater and have done some really crazy stunts, but nothing compares to how “out of control” this competition was.
AJ: I’m pretty sure Kari and I tried “camping” in our back yard once when we were kids…pretty sure we got scared and ended up inside by around 10pm! And as for the physical stuff, we’re all pretty athletic but this show really tested us in way we never thought possible. By far the most difficult experience of my life.
K: no..never.
2) Was Morocco a culture shock?
R: I’ve traveled the world touring as a professional skater, however the culture shock to me was just being in the middle of nowhere. Literally no people, no electricity… and the villages we ran through… some were so remote that they had never seen outsiders. Granted we didn’t have much time to chat, but the people were so beyond excited to see us and were so warm and genuine. Having 39 cast members running around screaming in bright team colors, a production crew of 300, two helicopters and an insane amount of vehicles… we made quite an impact.
AJ: Yeh but the world has been a culture shock for Kari and I. We grew up in a small farming community in rural Ohio, so anything other than that whitewashed middle America look has always been a culture shock for us…but definitely in a good way! It’s so important to constantly expose yourself to people that are different from you are, it’s the only way to grow as a person.
K: I was definitely surprised at the way people lived with next to nothing… But I would say more so inspired at how giving their culture is. They would literally give the last of their food to a complete stranger. Our children in the states could learn a thing or two from theirs!
R: It is quite traumatic to go through a break up on international television I must say. However on this expedition we were literally competing for our lives. There were times we were in significant danger and if you didn’t trust your teammates you could have been killed or seriously injured. It sounds a little crazy, but it is 100% true. Usually when you go through a break up you go back and forth with emotion for a while until you finally get over it. We went on a crazy expedition and didn’t really think about any of that stuff for 30 days. Then after the fact came all the excitement of being on television each week, and we had lots of events and appearances together. So we really didn’t have time to focus on all the bad stuff. It was a way for us to become friends again.
AJ: At times, I literally wanted to throw him off the side of a cliff, but overall it was exactly what Ryan and I needed to move on from the heartbreak of a relationship of 3 years coming to an end. I know for certain that he and I would not be best friends today had it not been for the experience of Expedition Impossible. That…and I’m just a really hard guy not to be friends with 😉
4) Any renewal of feelings for each other?
R: Funny, I said this before I don’t know who is having sex in Morocco. LOL. We didn’t shower, shave, wear deodorant or have any creature comforts for 30 days. We were not pretty. We were covered in dirt, slime and shit! Not a good look for a gay man. The only thing renewed on the Expedition was our friendship. He is literally one of my best friends and we are happy to keep it at that.
AJ: NOPE! Next question! Lol. But seriously, Ryan and I have a very deep love for each other and will always be a part of each other’s lives, but that ship has definitely sailed.
AJ: I lost 20 lbs in 30 days. Quite the diet… and when we finally left the show we went straight to the hospital. We all had significant injuries. But yes I wanted chips…! More importantly I wanted something cold to drink. No ice or refrigeration meant that everything we drank was warm. Being in the heat and sun.. all I wanted was drinks.
Well…I’m not really sure what that question means, but I’ll assume you’re using the Queen’s English so I’ll do my best to decipher and answer accordingly. Lol. I’m pretty sure I wanted to quit an average of 912 times per day, but it’s just not my DNA to quit anything. I’m not sure how far along the show is in the UK, but in one of the early episodes I make a comment about how I’d rather be back in LA, in a pool and sipping a Mojito…does that answer your question? (Laughs)
R: I love chips! However in the rules for the show it clearly stated that if one of us quit the entire team would be disqualified. As the season progresses you will see that did come into play with our group in particular.
6) Your group is an interesting and potentially volatile mix of relationships – to Ryan – How did it feel to work with siblings – Ever get that gooseberry feeling? and to Kari: How did it feel to work along side two ex’s! Any awkwardness?
R: Well… as you will see AJ and Kari fight A LOT! Let me say that again A LOT! LOL. To be fair I think that’s fairly common among siblings. During the course of the show AJ and I also fought. When times are tough you are going to take out your aggressions on the people closest to you. When you are doing basically a half marathon everyday for a month you are going to start screaming at people. By day four our team name should have been changed to “Team Scream.”
And to AJ…how did it feel to get ganged up on by your sister and ex boyfriend?
AJ: LOL. Sheeeesh…give this guy some credit!
K: well I wouldn’t necessarily call my brother my ex… I know Ohio borders Kentucky but that’s just weird (Laughing). It was difficult working with my brother and his ex because at times Ryan and I would gang up on AJ. Its easy for AJ to fight with Ryan and for me to fight with my brother AJ but Ryan and I never really fought. The good thing was if AJ and I have a fight we would be over it in two seconds because that’s the dynamic of a sibling relationship.
R: There were so many. Since it was a competition, doing well on some of the legs and accomplishing our goals was very satisfying for me personally. But the magical moments came in the form of really small things. Taking a second to enjoy the breathtaking views, hearing the Muslim prayers at nearby Mosques and just taking a moment to realize you are doing a once in lifetime experience. Morocco is one the most beautiful places in the world and it was magical just to be there.
AJ: Some of the most magic moments actually occurred off camera, but not many things in life compared to the feeling of reaching the top of the sand dune on that first day of competition. The scenery was breathtaking and it was by far the hardest thing any of us had ever done physically and probably mentally. It was 115 degrees that day and actually took over 4 hours just to make it to the top of the dune…definitely an exhilarating accomplishment for us all. FAB 3 has some pretty incredible moments coming up this season though…so stay tuned!
K: The most magical moment was going to the bathroom outdoors… (Laughing) probably the feeling of accomplishment. I’ve never felt so accomplished in all my life… It was hard to come back to LA and feel like I was doing enough.
8) What’s next for you guys? What’s next for you guys? Mountain climbing or Red carpets?
AJ: We have been really busy since the competition. Expedition Impossible has opened many doors for us. We are currently in the middle of two development deals for other shows. I, like AJ, am an on air personality on The AfterBuzz TV network founded by Extra’s Maria Menounos. www.afterbuzztv.com and I currently cover Big Brother (US,) Dance Moms and AJ and I will be teaming up to cover Survivor. I love hosting and being in front of the camera. Since the show premiered last week my twitter has jumped off the charts. 30K new UK peeps! We are about to sign with management specifically in the UK. I hope we get to come there soon for a project. I really really really want to be on “Dancing On Ice!” Help me out people! (Laughing)
R: We still love to hike and spend time outdoors when we can, but the majority of the sand we come in contact with these days is at the beach! We’ve done more red carpets than I care to list, but the show has opened all kinds of doors to us. I am currently working as an entertainment host for Maria Menounos’ (Extra!) online network AfterBuzzTV.com, so your readers can find me there! We have 5 million viewers and listeners monthly in 75 different countries…I love my UK fans!
K Hopefully no more mountains! I’ll take Red Carpets all day long
R: Well if anyone asks me a song question I’m always going to answer with a Madonna song, having appeared in her “Sorry” music video. My favorite song in terms of lyrics is “Drowned World Substitute For Love.” To be honest I think Madonna is really underestimated as a lyricist. She has so many songs that have a lot of meaning in my life.
AJ: Probably John Legend’s “Ordinary People.” I think the lyrics really speak to all of us in that we are constantly struggling to find our purpose in life and what it is that truly makes us happy, but at the end of the day we’re all just ordinary blokes (you like how I went all British on you there). The only difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just that little EXTRA 😉
10) How does this show differ from out challenge and survival type shows?
R: The difference is honestly just the insane scope of the Expedition. We started at the border of Algeria and ended up in Marrakech. 2100 miles total and 500 on foot. There is no real rest period, meaning no hotels, no air conditioning, no place to regroup. Once our host David Salmoni said go, you were “in it.” That and we literally did so much each day. We rock climbed and rappelled nearly everyday, went down white water rapids in inflatables, navigated by compass and the sun… It never ends!
AJ: This show is not driven by a large prize, it’s driven by the human spirit. We weren’t given the luxury of sleeping in hotels, riding in taxi cabs or airplanes…we had to survive in completely different environments every single day. Expedition Impossible is truly a one of a kind show and has forever changed our lives.
K: It’s totally different because we had no advantages. We never got to rest up in hotels or airplanes because we were constantly outdoors. No showers… No food… All these things were extreme and other shows have these things.
