Not quite “across the ocean”, but certainly physically challenging

Of course they will deny it themselves, but… Expedition: Greenland It feels like an attempt to get the winter version of Over the ocean To make. The boat is replaced by skis and sleds, the vast ocean is replaced by equally enormous snow fields, light summer clothes give way to thick suits, and Captain Pete is now called the guide Henk Jan. Only the BVs remain, although there are two more now.

There are eight of them, fairly famous volunteer citizens, making a 160-kilometre trek across Greenland led by experienced guides. Not for the faint of heart, it becomes immediately clear. It’s not just the physical challenge – and it’s not just skiing on skis – but the extreme temperatures also play a major role. In temperatures of thirty or forty degrees below zero, you can’t do what you want. Soon images of frozen fingers and toes are presented, just to make skeptics doubt them even more.

Frostbite Or not, the desolate snowy plains make for great photos. No matter how monotonous it may be, it’s hard to get tired of those white landscapes in Norway – where they first conducted a beta test for a few days – and in Greenland. Throw in a drone shot every now and then, and you’ll instantly feel like heading to the far north yourself.

In thick suits

But is it worth worrying about surviving and enduring harsh conditions? Conversations that focus primarily on the arduous journey, physical pain, and practical, everyday needs? Expedition: Greenland – We’ve watched the first three episodes already – it fails to create the same great feeling that… Over the ocean, where it was more about the interaction between the BVs and you as a viewer also got to know them in a different way. And above all: there was a lot of humor in the program. Pleasant conversations were always alternated with sharp jokes and funny scenes.

in Expedition: Greenland Suffering takes over, and it’s taken literally when Lynn Van Royen has a hard time or when Tine Embrechts talks about her fear during a perilous night out. Survival has priority, at the expense of other aspects. And with BVs that constantly wear thick suits, the threshold is also somewhat higher. Sometimes this is highlighted, for example when you see a participant cracking along the way. Victor Verhulst may do his best to maintain the atmosphere, but he doesn’t really warm you up as a viewer.

It’s an iron law in television land: If a program is successful, derivatives that hope to achieve the same success soon appear in the course of the original program. How much is it worth? Expedition: Greenland What’s more, it also feels like reality TV that could have just as easily been shown on TV ten years ago. That new season of Over the ocean It may come quickly.

Expedition: Greenlandnow on Streamz, starting in January on Play 4.