Just got back from seeing Josh Gates live at the Akron Civic Theatre, and man, what a night. He was awesome. Told a ton of great stories from the current season of Expedition Unknown, including the wild episode that just aired Wednesday about Adolf Hitler’s plans for American bombers. He even gave us a sneak peek at what’s coming up the rest of the season definitely has some good stuff ahead.
He also shared behind-the-scenes stories about working with Christopher Lloyd on Expedition Back to the Future during the pandemic. Josh liked to bring up quotes from old films throughout the day which annoyed Lloyd, according to Gates. Same thing with William Shatner while filming Shark Trek for Shark Week. He joked about how it would annoy both of them during shoots, and honestly, the stories were hilarious.
One of my favorite parts of the night was hearing how Josh Gates Tonight came to be. Basically, Discovery was so desperate during the pandemic, they told him they needed something, and he had the idea, they even said he could film on his iPhone if he had to. And out of that chaos came this talk show that’s had guests like Matthew McConaughey, Evangeline Lilly, and Adam Savage. He revealed which celebrity was the biggest jackass to work with that didn’t surprise me one bit.
He also dug into his early days with Destination Truth and told this great story about showing up for the final casting call at Syfy/NBCUniversal absolutely filthy after getting back from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. He didn’t shower, didn’t clean up, just walked in dirty and gross, and somehow that ended up being his big break. Showed us a clip reel from those days wild foods, sketchy rides, and way too many things you probably shouldn’t put in your mouth.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Josh Gates show without the paranormal and oddities. He talked ghosts, the Yeti, and a bunch of different theories from around the world. Even got the crowd involved, asking how many people believe in Bigfoot or ghosts. It was interesting to see how the room voted on each topic.
Now… I got to talk about the downside of the night: the heat. Holy hell, it was miserable in that theater. Look, I get that the Akron Civic is almost 100 years old, but if you’re going to host summer shows, you’ve got to figure out the air conditioning. Even Josh mentioned the warmth during his opening segment. It was cooler in the lobby than it was in the theater, and that’s saying something. I was sitting there sweating like I was on one of his jungle expeditions. If you’re thinking of going to a show there in June, July, or August, bring a fan or just wait until they go somewhere else down the road.
That being said, the show itself? Incredible. Josh Gates is just such a great storyteller. Super funny, down-to-earth, and he made the whole crowd feel like we were just hanging out with him, swapping stories. I already liked the stuff he did with Back to the Future, but after tonight, I’m definitely checking out more of his shows. If he’s coming to your city, go. Just maybe not in an 80-degree theater.
Check out the promo for Season 15 of Expedition Unknown on Discovery Channel.
