Joshua Gates
Encyclopedia
Joshua Gates is an American adventurer, explorer, photographer, and television personality. He is currently the host of Destination Truth
on Syfy
, (formerly the Sci Fi Channel), a weekly one-hour show filmed in remote locations around the world that explores some of the world's mysteries and unexplained phenomena. Gates was born in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts
, where he was the president of his high school class, and currently resides in Los Angeles, California
. He has degrees in archaeology and drama from Tufts University
, where he graduated with honors in 1999.
, Gates has also summited Mt. Kilimanjaro
in Africa
and climbed Mt. Aconcagua
in the Argentine
Andes
. From 1996 to 1998, Gates participated in The University of Maryland's archaeological excavations of Caesarea Maritima in Israel. Part of a small SCUBA team, Gates worked with researchers to excavate and better understand the ancient city's submerged harbor complex. In addition to his field work, Gates has traveled to over 94 countries (Destination Truth Episode, 4-5-11) around the world and was recently inducted into The Explorers Club
, a prestigious organization dedicated to the advancement of exploration since 1904.
as part of a campaign launched by Publicis New York and BMW USA. Gates has also appeared in commercials for EA Sports video games and Stanley Tools.
In 2002, Josh was a contestant on Beg, Borrow & Deal
, a reality/game show on ESPN
.
In 2006, he starred in Truly Famous, a series sponsored by Budweiser
.
Gates also works as a voice-over artist and can be heard as the narrator of Time Warner's audio-book of A Brother's Journey, a memoir by Richard B. Pelzer
. Gates' narration was awarded the Earphones Award by Audiofile Magazine which celebrates exceptional audio presentations that excel in narrative voice and style, vocal characterizations, appropriateness for the audio format, and enhancement of the text.
channel. The series has entered its fourth season in 2010. The series premiered its second season with its best-ever telecast, delivering 1.7 million total viewers and making the show the highest-rated second season performance by a reality series on Syfy. Gates has appeared on numerous television programs to promote Destination Truth, including an interview on The Today Show.
On the season premiere of season two, Gates and his team uncovered a series of footprints high in the Himalayas of Nepal while in search of evidence of the Yeti
. The prints were cast and analyzed by Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum
, a leading evolutionary morphologist
. Preliminary data suggests that the footprints are anatomically legitimate and do not belong to a known primate.
The following year his team returned to the Himilayas and recovered a hair sample that was DNA tested as being from a primate, but was excluded as being human.
On April 21, 2008, Josh Gates traveled to Walt Disney World in Florida
to meet with Joe Rohde
, Executive Designer of Walt Disney Imagineering
. Gates presented Rohde with a cast of the "Yeti" footprint. The cast will soon be placed on display at Expedition Everest, a Himalayan-themed
, high-speed, coaster-like attraction where guests come face-to-face with a Yeti.
In 2007, Gates hosted Ghost Hunters
Live Halloween special, and in 2008 he made a guest-appearance on the mid-first season finale episode of Ghost Hunters International
.
Gates returned as the host of Ghost Hunters Live in 2008 where he helmed the live seven hour broadcast from Ft. Delaware, a civil war POW camp in Delaware Bay
. Both seasons have garnered high ratings and 2008's show made Syfy the #1 cable network in prime-time on Halloween night.
Gates has also hosted two round-table interviews with Ghost Hunters in 2007 and 2008. He also appeared in an episode of Ghost Hunters when they investigated the Essex County Penitentiary. Gates also hosted Ghost Hunters live 100th episode special where the TAPS team investigated Alcatraz Prison.
Destination Truth
Destination Truth is a weekly American paranormal reality television series that premiered on June 6, 2007 on Syfy. Produced by Mandt Bros. Productions and Ping Pong Productions, the program follows paranormal researcher Josh Gates around the world to investigate claims of the supernatural, mainly...
on Syfy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
, (formerly the Sci Fi Channel), a weekly one-hour show filmed in remote locations around the world that explores some of the world's mysteries and unexplained phenomena. Gates was born in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts
Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts
Manchester-by-the-Sea is a town on Cape Ann, in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 5,228.-History:...
, where he was the president of his high school class, and currently resides in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. He has degrees in archaeology and drama from Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
, where he graduated with honors in 1999.
Exploration
In addition to being a qualified SCUBA diverScuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
, Gates has also summited Mt. Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and climbed Mt. Aconcagua
Aconcagua
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...
in the Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. From 1996 to 1998, Gates participated in The University of Maryland's archaeological excavations of Caesarea Maritima in Israel. Part of a small SCUBA team, Gates worked with researchers to excavate and better understand the ancient city's submerged harbor complex. In addition to his field work, Gates has traveled to over 94 countries (Destination Truth Episode, 4-5-11) around the world and was recently inducted into The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is a professional society dedicated to scientific exploration of Earth, its oceans, and outer space. Founded in 1904 in New York City, it currently has 30 branches world wide...
, a prestigious organization dedicated to the advancement of exploration since 1904.
Television
Since relocating to Los Angeles, Gates has appeared in a number of television advertisements. He appears in a national commercial for BMWBMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
as part of a campaign launched by Publicis New York and BMW USA. Gates has also appeared in commercials for EA Sports video games and Stanley Tools.
In 2002, Josh was a contestant on Beg, Borrow & Deal
Beg, Borrow & Deal
Beg, Borrow & Deal was a reality television show that aired on ESPN with a first season in 2002 and a second season in 2003.-Premise:The show, which was originally called "Beg, Borrow and B.S.", featured two teams of four pitted against each other...
, a reality/game show on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
In 2006, he starred in Truly Famous, a series sponsored by Budweiser
Budweiser
Budweiser is a German adjective describing something or someone from the city of České Budějovice in Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic.Beer brewing in České Budějovice dates back to the 13th century...
.
Gates also works as a voice-over artist and can be heard as the narrator of Time Warner's audio-book of A Brother's Journey, a memoir by Richard B. Pelzer
Richard B. Pelzer
Richard Bryan Pelzer is an American public speaker, memoirist and author. Pelzer is the fourth of five sons of Stephen Pelzer and Catherine Roerva...
. Gates' narration was awarded the Earphones Award by Audiofile Magazine which celebrates exceptional audio presentations that excel in narrative voice and style, vocal characterizations, appropriateness for the audio format, and enhancement of the text.
Syfy / Destination Truth
Starting in 2007, Gates has been the host of Destination Truth on the SyfySyfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
channel. The series has entered its fourth season in 2010. The series premiered its second season with its best-ever telecast, delivering 1.7 million total viewers and making the show the highest-rated second season performance by a reality series on Syfy. Gates has appeared on numerous television programs to promote Destination Truth, including an interview on The Today Show.
On the season premiere of season two, Gates and his team uncovered a series of footprints high in the Himalayas of Nepal while in search of evidence of the Yeti
Yeti
The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology...
. The prints were cast and analyzed by Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum
Jeffrey Meldrum
D. Jeffrey Meldrum is an Associate Professor of Anatomy and Anthropology and Adjunct Associate Professor of the Department of Anthropology at Idaho State University...
, a leading evolutionary morphologist
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
. Preliminary data suggests that the footprints are anatomically legitimate and do not belong to a known primate.
The following year his team returned to the Himilayas and recovered a hair sample that was DNA tested as being from a primate, but was excluded as being human.
On April 21, 2008, Josh Gates traveled to Walt Disney World in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to meet with Joe Rohde
Joe Rohde
Joseph "Joe" Rohde is a veteran executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, the division of The Walt Disney Company that designs and builds Disney's theme parks and resort hotels. Rohde's formal title is Executive Designer and Vice President, Creative....
, Executive Designer of Walt Disney Imagineering
Walt Disney Imagineering
Walt Disney Imagineering is the design and development arm of the Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation and construction of Disney theme parks worldwide...
. Gates presented Rohde with a cast of the "Yeti" footprint. The cast will soon be placed on display at Expedition Everest, a Himalayan-themed
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, high-speed, coaster-like attraction where guests come face-to-face with a Yeti.
In 2007, Gates hosted Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...
Live Halloween special, and in 2008 he made a guest-appearance on the mid-first season finale episode of Ghost Hunters International
Ghost Hunters International
Ghost Hunters International is a spin-off series of Ghost Hunters that airs on Syfy. The series premiered on January 9, 2008...
.
Gates returned as the host of Ghost Hunters Live in 2008 where he helmed the live seven hour broadcast from Ft. Delaware, a civil war POW camp in Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
. Both seasons have garnered high ratings and 2008's show made Syfy the #1 cable network in prime-time on Halloween night.
Gates has also hosted two round-table interviews with Ghost Hunters in 2007 and 2008. He also appeared in an episode of Ghost Hunters when they investigated the Essex County Penitentiary. Gates also hosted Ghost Hunters live 100th episode special where the TAPS team investigated Alcatraz Prison.