"Legendary Locations" Season 1 Review: How Many Of These Mysterious And Interesting Places Do You Know About?

Two seasons of "Legendary Locations" are currently viewable on Discovery. Each episode visits three interesting locations. The show is hosted by Josh Gates. He has produced and/or hosted a number of other travel and paranormal related shows.

Gates hosted "Destination Truth" on the SyFy channel for five seasons. Episodes later aired on the Travel Channel as well. Currently viewable on Roku.
He also hosted some of the live episodes for "Ghost Hunters" (16 seasons total) and "Ghost Hunters International" (3 seasons). "Ghost Hunter" is currently viewable on Discovery (seasons 14-16), NetFlix (season 8-9), Hulu (only on Hulu Live), Pluto (on the Ghost Hunters channel), etc. "Ghost Hunter International" is currently on Roku,
He executive produced and hosted "Expedition Unknown" which currently has 19 seasons plus specials. The Discovery channel has 12 seasons.
Gates also produced and directed SyFy's "Stranded" series (which aired in 2013). There are 2 seasons. Not currently available for streaming but can pay per episode to watch.
Along with paranormal researcher Jessica Chobot and scientist Phil Torres, Gates hosts "Expedition X" (which aired in 2020). Seven seasons currently available on Discovery and Hulu (Hulu Live only).

Below are a few of my favorites from each episode of "Legendary Locations".

Season 1

Episode 1- Monuments, Mountains, and Monsters (2017)- Chichen Itza is in the Yucatan, Mexico. It was built by the Mayans and is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is also an UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you go there during Spring Break you can watch the feather serpent god Kukulkan's shadow descend down the side of a step pyramid. The Mayans are fascinating for their scientific, astronomical and engineering genius as well as their violent culture (which included lots of human sacrifices).
Episode 2- Back From The Dead- A visit to Transylvania, Romania. Tourists flock to Bram Castle since it resembles the home of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (written in 1897). The real "Dracula" was probably Vlad Tepes III. He belonged to the order of the Dragon. Their mission was to defend the lands from the Ottomans... but you didnt want to run into this guy. He didnt get the nickname Vlad the Impaler for nothing. He is thought to have killed something like 80,000 people. And in Munich, the holiday of Krampus Day is celebrated in a big way. He's kinda the opposite of Santa Claus. He is believed to punish bad children, throw them in his bag and climb to the top of the tallest tree and eat them. The holiday was banned by the Nazis during WWII. It's now back in a big way. I just learned about this holiday several years ago and it's delightfully strange. It's become much more popular in the US recently.
Episode 3- Lost and Found- Angkor Wat in Cambodia is the world's largest religious building covering over 400 acres. What happened to the ancient Khmer empire? LIDAR analysis indicates that flooding was the culprit. Flooding led to famine and then the collapse of the civilization. In La Paz, Bolivia, they keep skulls in their homes in the belief that they will protect the homeowners and bring good luck. Some skulls may be relatives but others are just random people that are dig up. The residents pray to the skulls, dress them up, talk to them, etc. Everyone comes together to display their skulls (known as natitas) during the Day Of The Skulls.
Episode 4- Game of Bones and Unknowns- Cat Island in Japan. Yes please! The island is officially called Tashiojima and is one square mile. There is currently a population of 55 humans and hundreds of cats. The cats were originally brought to the island to scare off mice. Cats are symbols of good luck in Japan.
Episode 5- Last Resorts- I had never heard of the reed city (also called the Uros Islands) in Lake Titicaca. They are on the Peruvian side of the lake and were created by the Uro people. Around 1200 people currently live on the islands. They were originally built to protect the group from invaders (since in the event of attack, they could move their homes elsewhere). The residents subsist by farming, killing birds and gathering eggs. More recently tourism has become a major source of revenue.
Episode 6- Portals To Punishment- Gobekli Tepe in Turkey is believed to be some 12,000 years old. It was discovered in 1994 and may be one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all times. It is twice as old as Stonehenge and the Sphinx (which were built around the same time). Gobekli Tepe is believed to be the world's first temple. It's circularly arranged T shaped columns have lots of carvings of animals. The only older site is the recently discovered Bonculku Tarla. Also in Turkey, it is estimated to be 13,000 years old.
Episode 7- Crystal Skull Obsession- In Scotland's Shetland Islands residents celebrate the Viking Festival of Fire. The nominated Jarl leads a procession through town and then they burn a longboat to symbolize the Vikings return to Valhalla.
Episode 8- Places Of Power- Istanbul's legendary Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are highlighted. In the 1400s the Ottoman Empire took over the city and changed the Hagia Sophia from a Christian church into a mosque. Nearby the stunning Blue Mosque was also built.
Episode 9- Cults Of Personality- Cargo cults developed during WWII as a result of planes dropping cargo to support their troops. The indigenous people on Vanuata in the Pacific Islands began to worship the planes as gods. One island celebrates a John Frum Day (complete with US uniforms and the flying of the American flag). It is based on the legend of an American solider appearing and telling them to resist the colonists. In Lalibela Ethopia 11 underground churches carved from rock exist. In the 1100s King Lalibela had them built after experiencing a vision. The area is known as the "New Holy Land". It is a pilgrimage location for Coptic Christians. Some people believe the Arc of the Covenant is hidden there.
Episode 10- Secrets In Stone- Petra in Jordan is listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It previously existed on a trade route. In 300 and 500 AD an earthquake destroyed much of the site. Just 15% of the site has been uncovered.
Episode 11- If Walls Could Talk- The Great Wall Of India (or Kumbhalgarh) covers some 23 miles in western India. It was built by Rana Kumbha in the 15th century (by hand) and took some 15 years to complete. Legends says that someone had to voluntarily agree in be beheaded in order for the wall to be built. Unsurprisingly, no one came forward. A mystic named Baba Meyer appears and agreed. Today pilgrims made the steep trip to the wall to honor him.
Episode 12- Pi-Rat Paradise- Pirate treasure may be hidden on the tiny island of Saint Marie (or Nosy Boraha) Madagascar. It was along the shipping route where pirates operated in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 2015 a large silver bar was found by divers off the coast. Feeling lucky? Feel free to plan a trip and see what you find. Also check out the pirate cemetery on nearby Ile aux Femmes.
Episode 13- Fire Of The Gods- Biosphere 2 is located outside of Oracle, Arizona. This 3.14 acre closed ecosystem was designed as a prototype for living on other planets. The facility contains seven "biomes" including: a rainforest, ocean with coral reef, mangrove wetlands, savanah, desert, etc. Eight participants were sealed in the Biosphere from 1991 to 1993, The two year mission was considered a failure by the media. But those involved say the media missed the mark. Biosphere 2 was an EXPERIMENT meant to show the challenges that must be overcome before such a venture can succeed. One of the biggest issues was major a imbalance in the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Apparently the carbon dioxide in the soil interacted with the large amount in the concrete in the facility. Oxygen levels became dangerously low. External oxygen eventually had to be pumped in. The participants also suffered from extreme starvation. The growth cycle of the foods they grew was too long to support the team. Conflict also arose-- proving that humans are always the most unstable element of any closed system. The team broke into two groups. Luckily no one resorted to violence. Despite these challenges they learned a lot about what it tales to make such a project work. The facility is now owned by the University of Arizona and is still teaching us valuable lessons about self sufficiency. It is also being used for climate research. Where else can you test the effects of rain forest loss or bleaching of coral reefs? There is also a NetFlix series about the original project called "Spaceship Earth".
Episode 14- Angels or Demons? The Winchester Mystery House is a 24,000 square foot mansion in San Jose, CA. It was built by the heiress of the Winchester Repeating Rifle fortune (Sarah Winchester). A psychic told her the family was cursed by everyone their rifles killed. Sarah must continue building onto the mansion in order to keep the spirits away. And that's what she did until she died at the age of 83.