An exciting series shaped by the man who brought “Survivor” to the smallscreen begins this Sunday on History.
Executive producer Mark Burnett’s “Expedition Africa” is a visual thrill ride that retraces the historic trails of Dr. Livingstone, who set out in 1865 to find the source of the Nile River.
Executive producer Mark Burnett’s “Expedition Africa” is a visual thrill ride that retraces the historic trails of Dr. Livingstone, who set out in 1865 to find the source of the Nile River.
In 1871, the New York Herald dispatched Stanley to find the missing Livingstone, who was located nine months later.
The setting for this survivalist’s dream is Tanzania as four experts within their specific fields, with Sherpa, cameramen and Masai warriors in tow try to stay as true to the original Stanley/Livingstone trail as possible.
Ex Dolphin’s cheerleader Dr. Mireya Mayor seems to be the most pragmatic, level and diplomatic of the bunch, which includes expedition geophysicist Pasquale Scaturro, “Mad dogs and Englishman” survivalist, explorer Benedict Allen, and my least favorite member of the foursome, solo journalist Kevin Sites, who takes charge initially then falls by the wayside when the terrain get a bit tougher in the trek than he would like.
These explorers travel the treacherous 970-mile journey that journalist Henry Morton Stanley took to find Dr. David Livingstone in 1871.
There is one particular edge-of-the-seat scene where the team must traverse a crocodile-infested river in the flimsiest canoes in all of Africa. After that feat, they stumble into snake-infested areas in their hike that reveal spitting cobras, as Dr. Mireya educates her colleagues that the venom, if sprayed in the eyes, will blind you if not flushed with milk or water immediately.
Livingstone
Tanzania is an astoundingly gorgeous land, and like any visually arresting spot, it is filled with potentially lethal inhabitants. The place has 29 types of indigenous poisonous snakes alone.
As the trek becomes more intense, the personalities shed superficiality and each participant’s character is revealed. This is the fun of the series, seeing this ongoing fluid diplomacy and political back-and-forth game within the group as they conquer (or not) daily challenges.
The accompanying laborers and Masai warriors are interesting too, mostly quiet, but they reveal their personalities more as the trip unravels.
The group endures windstorms, lack of hygiene facilities, rain deluges and persistent hunger which is suddenly sated by a happenstance moment, stumbling into a village Shangri-la after a particularly onerous day hike; a friendly locals offered the weary starving team an array of delicious local fruits, veggies and one unlucky little goat,
According to executive producer and History buff Mark Burnett, more than 2,000 hours of footage were edited to create the eight-hour series. Burnett has a bond to Livingstone and his hometown of Glasgow. Burnett’s family hails from the same city.
This series begins at10 p. m. Sunday, and it is highly recommended.
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