Josh Gates

Adventurer, television personality, and author Josh Gates is the host and executive producer of the smash-hit Discovery Channel series, Expedition Unknown. The show follows Gates as he sets out on a global journey to explore archaeological discoveries, historic mysteries, and scientific breakthroughs. Josh immerses himself in each story, conducting his own investigations, showcasing the work of dedicated explorers while also highlighting vibrant cultures and fascinating destinations. Armed with a degree in archaeology, a quick wit, and a hunger for adventure, Gates travels to some of the most remote corners of the planet in immersive, hilarious, and thrilling journeys.

Josh is also the host of Discovery’s new, hit show Josh Gates Tonight, which Collider recently declared “the best talk show going for film nerds and genre fans.” Each week, Josh is joined by high-profile guests from around the world in a series that’s part Raiders of the Lost Ark and part celebrity chat-show. Josh pours exotic cocktails with guests like Matthew McConaughey, Tim Robbins, Karen Allen, Kevin Bacon, Stephen Soderbergh, John Cleese and more.

An avid scuba diver and photographer, Josh has participated in sub-sea archaeological excavations in the Mediterranean, and his wanderlust has taken him from sweltering African deserts to the icy shores of Antarctica. To date, he has set foot in more than one hundred countries, has scaled "the roof of Africa" on Mt. Kilimanjaro, and climbed Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Americas.

For five years, Josh also helmed and co-executive produced the hit Syfy Channel series, Destination Truth. Each week, Gates and his intrepid team set out to investigate age-old legends. The show features remote and often never-before-filmed locations, from the distant mountains of Bhutan to the uncharted jungles of Papua New Guinea. He also eats very gross things and drives a lot of cars that break down.

As the face of adventure for Discovery, Josh is also known for taking some of the biggest stars in Hollywood on thrilling expeditions into the unknown. He recently starred in a 4-part series alongside Doc Brown himself, Christopher Lloyd, in Expedition: Back to the Future. In the Shark Week special Shark Trek, Josh also traveled where no host has gone before with William Shatner, taking the veteran Stark Trek icon to dive with man-eating Tiger Sharks in the Bahamas.

Other expeditions include the first ever overnight filming in the infamous tomb of King Tut as well as the sprawling temple of Angkor Wat. The team also made headlines by spending an entire night in the shadow of the world’s worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl. Arguably not Josh's best idea. A mysterious “Yeti” footprint recovered by Josh in the Himalayas is now on display at the Expedition Everest attraction at Walt Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida.

Josh holds degrees from Tufts University in Archaeology and Drama, serves as a trustee on the governing board of the Archaeological Institute of America, and is a fellow of The Explorers Club — a prestigious organization dedicated to the advancement of exploration and field research (also, they have stuffed polar bears and a lot of good Scotch). He has appeared on The Today Show, CNN, and a variety of other national television and radio programs. Even more of Josh’s travels are chronicled in his bestselling book, “Memoirs of a Monster Hunter.”

Josh currently resides in Los Angeles and on airport floors around the world.