Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!
"International Man of Mystery" Jeffrey Dean Morgan Will Host Destination X
Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan was drawn in by the new reality competition Destination X's "blend of travel, mystery, and gaming."
Jeffrey Dean Morgan will be bringing some star power to NBC’s new travel adventure reality series Destination X.
Morgan — best known for his iconic roles on The Walking Dead and Grey’s Anatomy — will join the innovative reality competition as the new series' host, bringing a rugged and adventurous spirit to the high-stakes contest.
RELATED: Suits L.A. Moves Production from Vancouver to Los Angeles
“Jeffrey Dean Morgan embodies the mischievous international man of mystery, making him the perfect host and puppet master for this new travel adventure series,” Corie Henson, Executive Vice President, Unscripted Content, Competition and Game Shows for NBCUniversal Entertainment announced in a press release. “He’s dashing, charming, playful and the ultimate travel companion!”
The show will mark Morgan’s first unscripted project.
“Destination X captivated me with its blend of travel, mystery, and gaming,” Morgan said of what drew him to the show. “I can’t wait to embark on this wild guessing game across the globe as Master of Ceremony, navigating players through challenges that test their mental and physical abilities."
The seasoned actor will also serve as an executive producer of the show.
What is Destination X?
Destination X, the vision of British production company Twofour, is the perfect blend of action, adventure and competition as reality contestants are dropped into an unknown location in the world and must work to try to discover where they are. The show is based on an innovative and award-winning format in Belgium created by Geronimo.
“Viewers will follow contestants as they embark on the road trip of a lifetime but have no idea of their location. In order to win, they must figure out their mystery locations,” a release from NBCUniversal explained. “Once they're on the blacked-out Destination X bus, the journey transforms into a real-life game board, with challenges designed to offer clever clues as to their location, along with a few misdirects to keep them guessing. At the end of each episode, the contestant who places an X on a map furthest from the actual location packs their bags.”
The first participant to reach the game’s final destination, known as the titular Destination X, will walk away as the winner of the competition.
Viewers in the U.S. and UK will now be able to get in on the fun as part of a collaboration with NBC and the BBC. Twofour, part of ITV Studios and Universal Television Alternative Studio, will simultaneously film a version of the show for each network later this year.
It isn’t the first time the two networks have worked together to create reality show magic. The networks previously collaborated on Peacock’s smash hit The Traitors, which pits reality stars against each other in a clever “murder” mystery that has everyone looking out for themselves as they scheme and lie their way to the top.
Although the exact premiere date for Destination X is yet to be determined, the new series is expected to be released on NBC sometime midseason in 2025.
Who is Jeffrey Dean Morgan?
As an action and science fiction star, Morgan is no stranger to adventure. He is perhaps best known for his years playing brutal and powerful strategist Negan Smith on AMC’s The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: Dead City, but his acting credits don’t end there.
Morgan first rose to fame in 2006 as heart transplant patient Denny Duquette on Grey’s Anatomy. The handsome patient quickly worked his way into the heart of Dr. Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) — as well as the rest of America — with his effortless charm and charisma.
“I think Katie [Heigl] and I had some really special chemistry that translated well on film, and the character was so damn good. He was real and good at the same time, if that makes sense. And everybody—even men—liked Denny. But the women just went crazy,” Morgan told Parade earlier this year of the beloved character.
Sadly, Denny didn’t survive, but Morgan’s stint on the popular medical drama catapulted his career into a whole new stratosphere. From there, he landed the role of John Winchester on the television mystery thriller Supernatural, along with the role of Edward Blake in the superhero movie The Watchmen.
His stint as Negan Smith on the post-apocalyptic zombie TV series The Walking Dead, began in 2016.
“He’s moving and grooving. It’s not one-note,” Morgan told Parade of the ever-evolving character. “Every year I can find something different to hold on to that feels new to me. That’s why I like him so much.”
Morgan has also appeared in The Boys, Weeds, The Good Wife and Magic City during this lengthy career.
When he isn’t on location, Morgan can often be found on his 120-acre farm in Rhinebeck, New York where he lives with his wife, One Tree Hill alum Hilarie Burton, and the couple’s two children.
