On every episode of TNT's new adventure series, "72 Hours," three groups of three people are dropped into the unknown with one goal: to survive long enough to find a suitcase with $100,000.
During those trying times, show host Brandon Johnson is their only connection to the civilized world.
"I may serve as like a lifeline for them," Johnson told TheWrap.
Johnson, who had previously starred on Disney Channel's "Shake It Up," hosted the series through its 73-day shoot that ended last December.
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Over its first season, "72 Hours" shot in the Southern Rockies, Fiji, New Zealand and Flinders Island off of Tazmania.
What makes this series different from other reality shows?
Brandon Johnson: The best quote I can give you came from a contestant named Megan. She said, 'You know I thought I was doing a reality show but this is a real reality show.' We're not writing this stuff, this stuff is just what happens. It’s sometimes very unexpected not only to the contestants but for us as well, because every episode is in a different location. And so we have to adapt. Mother Nature does not discriminate. We can’t just come back to these different countries and just re-shoot. So, the stakes are raised for us, as well. And so those things make the show different.
What's the most common thing you learned about people during the show?
I think it's that ability to just not give up in yourself. There's moment in our lives where we just can’t go any further and what this show will ultimately expose is that you’re a lot stronger than you may think. You've got a lot more, you gotta dig down into your inner resource and tap into that. And once you do, once that’s shown to you, you’ll take that experience out into your life from this day to the next.
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What was the show's most memorable destination for you?
Flinders Island is a tiny little pebble that’s just below Tazmania. So you got Australia, then you got Tazmania, then you got this little tiny island called Flinders Island. And that was probably the most, from a weather standpoint, the most archaic experience of the entire series. That whole particular episode is gonna be by far one of the most dynamic and exciting episodes of the series for sure.
"72 Hours" premieres Thursday at 9/8c on TNT.