"A whole different beast of its own" — Destination X star Josh Martinez comments on the competition series

NBC's Destination X premiered on May 27, 2025, with host Jeffrey Dean Morgan and 12 contestants — some new and some familiar faces. One among them was Big Brother and The Challenge star Josh Martinez, who recently opened up about his experience on the series.

In an interview with The Wrap, published on May 27, 2025, Josh discussed the challenges of the show and why it was unlike any other.

"Destination X is just a whole different beast of its own. There’s no other show like it. This is my 12th competition show and this was the hardest, gnarliest, craziest experience of my life," Josh said.

He added that despite being associated with the reality TV competition space for eight years, he had never experienced a show like Destination X. Josh was certain the series would be "a hit" and "one of the best shows that has ever existed because it's so different from everything."

Destination X will follow Josh and his co-stars as they traverse through Europe in a blacked-out bus, only allowed to rely on their historical and pop culture knowledge to locate where they are. The only objective of each participant would be not to be the last person to find the answer. While it may sound similar to The Amazing Race, the NBC series is the remake of a Belgian show of the same name.

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"A dream come true" — Destination X alum Josh Martinez recalls getting cast for the show

Josh is one of the three reality TV alumni who have joined the cast of Destination X, besides the other nine newcomers. The Bachelor and The Traitors star Peter Weber and Love Island USA season 6 alum JaNa Craig are the other two familiar faces. While speaking to The Wrap, Josh opened up about competing on reality TV for the 12th time, revealing it was one of his most challenging experiences.

"For all my other experiences — The Challenge is like seven, six, 10 weeks; I did 14, 15 weeks of Big Brother — so I’m like, 'I can do this no problem. It’s six weeks, you’re living on the bus traveling, it’s a couple challenges? Cake walk.'" Josh said.

The cast member, however, admitted that he was proven wrong soon after he joined the NBC show. Josh revealed that he was "not even nine hours into the bus ride" when he realized it was "f**king hell." It was only after travelling in a blacked-out bus that he understood that he was a "very claustrophobic person."

Josh said that the show also helped him figure out how quickly he could "get annoyed" when surrounded by people.

"I felt very deep connections very quickly, but with some people I was ready to start a riot. It was really hard."

The Destination X alum mentioned that even his eight years of reality TV experience could not prepare him for the NBC show. Josh explained that he was a "friendly, easygoing person," however, his social skills failed to support him on the show. He reiterated that being trapped in an unknown location and confined in a bus added to the intensity of the competition.

Josh then clarified that although the series seemed similar to The Amazing Race, it was not, claiming the latter was "missing a lot."

The cast member then recalled when he was cast for the contest, saying,

"A dream come true. Even when I got the call, I got off of another project, and my sister was like, 'You just got another gig, another opportunity.' I wanted to be done, but she’s like, 'No, this is NBC.' And I was like, 'I’m doing it.'"

The Destination X star added that he immediately "fell in love" with the concept of the series, calling himself an "adrenaline junkie." Josh expressed his love for adventure and competition and added that it was an "honor" and a "cool experience" to work with NBC. Josh deemed himself "lucky" and "very grateful" for getting the opportunity.

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Destination X episodes can be streamed on Peacock.