To celebrate the season premiere, Expedition Overland and Toyota teamed up for a release event at the Studio Movie Grill near the new Texas-based Toyota HQ. Area Toyota off-road clubs and overland enthusiasts were invited for free admission and popcorn.
By 4:30pm on Friday night, the movie theater parking lot was peppered with built-up Toyota 4x4 rigs as guests began to arrive. From 5:00 to 6:00pm, the XO cast mingled with the large turnout of enthusiasts and fans. XO fan Jonathan Rogers of Plano, TX said he and his wife “totally couch potato the series.”
TCT Magazine spoke with XO crew member Rachelle Croft during the parking lot festivities. When asked which South American country was her favorite, she responded with, “Definitely Columbia because of the scenery and the people.”
At 7:00pm, the theater lights dimmed and the packed theater fell silent as the episode aired. Throughout the show, the audience reacted with laughter and amazement.
As the episode ended, gauging by the audience reaction, it was clearly a hit.
Following the show, the entire crew went to the front for a Q&A session. People wanted to know why the show wasn’t on a TV network, what was in the bag the airline lost, who smelled the worst, and what role did each team member fulfill.
One question in particular caused quite the audience reaction: “When returning to the United States, what was the first thing you wanted to eat?” “A burger” was the response.
Josh, the Toyota team member hosting the Q&A, added that in moving to Texas, he was relieved to see In-n-Out Burger in the Dallas area. This prompted the audience to shout “Whataburger!”
The crew explained that access to food differed in each country. While Colombia had plenty of grocery stores, Peru and Bolivia lacked the grocery infrastructure, and thus food was more challenging to obtain.
What do you not leave home without? Toilet paper, wipes, gloves, and hats.
What can the community do to support XO? Clay said encouragement goes a long way. Fanbase response serves as motivation.
The most important question of the evening: “Why Toyota?” Clay quickly responded with “reliability.”
You can see all past episodes of Expedition Overland on their YouTube Channel
