| Joshua Gates | |
|---|---|
Gates at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International. |
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| Born | August 10, 1977 Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States |
| Occupation | Explorer Presenter of Destination Truth |
Joshua Gates (born August 10, 1977, in Gloucester, Massachusetts) 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.
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In addition to being a qualified SCUBA diver, 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.[1]
Since relocating to Los Angeles, Gates has appeared in a number of television advertisements. He appears in a national commercial for BMW 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.[2]
In 2002, Josh was a contestant on Beg, Borrow & Deal, a reality/game show on ESPN.[3]
In 2006, he starred in Truly Famous, a series sponsored by Budweiser.[4]
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.
Starting in 2007, Gates has been the host of Destination Truth on the Syfy 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.[1]
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.[5]
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.[6]
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.[1]
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.[1] Gates also hosted Ghost Hunters live 100th episode special where the TAPS team investigated Alcatraz Prison.