Destination X, NBC’s travel competition show, has crowned its first-ever winner. Bird watcher Rick Szabo was Season 1’s winner, taking home the $250,000 cash prize. He beat out 11 other players to claim victory.
Of course, devious yet charming host Jeffrey Dean Morgan didn’t make it easy for the contestants. They traveled on a bus with blacked-out windows, wore goggles that blacked out their vision, and then had to guess their destination. The player who put their X the furthest from their actual location was eliminated.
Reality Tea sat down with Rick to discuss his gameplay, his alliances, and why his age was actually an advantage in the game.
Rick Szabo kept his biggest asset a secret on Destination X
“My biggest strength was I’ve been everywhere. I’ve traveled a ton,” Rick said. “It turns out I’d been to every Destination X. I think that’s an advantage when you’re in your mid-40s, you have a life of experience that somebody in their 20s doesn’t have.”
He continued, “I’ve got 20 more years of vacationing and traveling. So, that was my biggest strength. And I also love trivia. So, anytime there was a question about what European city did this, or that, like I knew a lot of that stuff,” the entrepreneur added.
As for Rick’s biggest liability? It was his social game. “Because I’m so much older than everybody – hard to connect. They see me as an uncle, or a father figure, not as a buddy that they want to share all their secrets with,” Rick stated. “So that was a struggle – just to connect with these folks. And because I was keeping a lot of my travel quiet, it was hard for me to connect on a personal level.”
Rick Szabo explains why betraying Biggy Bailey was “heartbreaking”
In London, Biggy Bailey realized in the trivia challenge that Rick and Bachelor alum Peter Weber were working together. That moment was “heartbreaking” for Rick.
“It started in Monaco on the yacht, when Jeffrey outed me with, ‘Hey, Rick, what was in your box?’” Rick said of the moment that Biggy learned that Rick and Peter were in a secret alliance. “Thinking that I’m going to say, well, the ring boxes. But I had told Biggy the pinecones. So, I knew he was on to me.” He added, “But there was a lot of damage control to be done with Biggy, because I’m like, ‘Alright. Hey, you know you heard that I just lied to you in front of Jeffrey, but no, that was my own gameplay. I was going to tell you about my box as soon as I figured it all out.’”
However, the finale was brutal as Biggy was targeted by both Peter and Rick. “And then, in the final, as Pete and I are ganging up on Biggy, like, I couldn’t turn around because I knew I was breaking his heart. I knew he was feeling crushed, and there was nothing he could do about it,” Rick stated. “And that was hard for me, because now he’s seeing that I was playing both sides. I was playing with him the whole game, but we didn’t have an alliance.”
While Biggy and Rick didn’t have an “official” alliance, they had “an understanding.” Rick added, “We were bunkmates. We were friends.” However, Biggy did have a solid alliance with someone else. “He chose Shayne [Cureton] as his alliance member. He chose Shayne, not me,” Rick said.
Currently, the constants keep in touch through a group chat. And Rick has mended his relationship with Biggy. Thankfully, the game didn’t sink these friendships.
Who was Rick’s “lifeline” in Destination X?
Episode 1 of Destination X was a rough one for Rick. When Big Brother alum Josh Martinez was eliminated, he tried to destroy Rick’s game as he departed.
“When Josh threw me under the bus, I went to everybody. ‘Hey, do you want to work with me? Do you want an alliance with Rick?’ And everyone’s like, ‘Nope. Nope. Don’t want to touch you. Don’t want to touch you,’” Rick said. “Well, that came back to bite you, because you should have partnered with me. And then, when Pete and JaNa [Craig] came on, that was my lifeline.”
He continued, “So, I was going to take Pete to the end because I was only there because of Pete. Because they all would have ganged up on me. I mean, it was becoming clear that I was at the bottom on that bus heading into Amsterdam.” Rick added, “Like, I would have been gone because nobody trusted me. Josh had planted that seed, and it stuck.”
Of course, Josh’s swipe at Rick was a bit surprising. “I’m trying to play under the radar. I’m trying to be like the fun dad. Don’t call me a snake,” Rick said. “Don’t call me untrustworthy – because that threw my whole game out the window. And I had to start from scratch, building up rapport and trust.”
Which challenge rocked Rick’s world on Destination X?
There were some difficult and confusing challenges on Destination X. Of course, Jeffrey would hate for it to be too much fun for the contestants. So, which challenge was Rick’s favorite? “For me, my favorite was on top of the Swiss Alps, when we’re digging in the snow, and we have to make a fire. Not only because I crushed it, and I felt like you know I made the fire for my team,” Rick stated. “I made Canada proud because we’re up north, we’re in the snow, we’re making fires. That’s what we do. And then, to top it all off, we got to go in the helicopter to see the Alps. That was a dream – that was great,” he added.
However, one challenge in France proved too challenging for Rick. “The game that was the most challenging for me was the maze. It was just like, run as fast as you can, turning whichever way. And Shayne and Tai [Lowry], they got it in like seven minutes. And it took Mack [Fitzgerald] and I like an hour,” Rick explained to Reality Tea. “It was so frustrating that it just seemed to be a game of luck and not skill, but Shayne had the intuition that took him to the win.”
Why Rick Szabo wanted to represent for older contestants on competition shows
“I said, ‘I’m going to show those whippersnappers that an old man can still whip their *ss!’” Rick exclaimed. He sure did! “You turn on TV, the shows are all young, you know, chiseled, six-pack, hot bods. That’s what people want to see,” Rick stated. “That’s what’s getting the ratings.”
He continued, “It’s okay to like an average person, like a dad. Someone who’s got three kids. I can still play a game. I still got smarts, and I want to show these people like it’s okay to root for the old guy.”
Rick added, “Normally, on Survivor, the old guy or the old lady, like they’re the ones that are out third or fourth. They never win. So, like let’s show that we can win, too.” Amen to that!
Rick Szabo’s once-in-a-lifetime experience with Jeffrey Dean Morgan
In order to win the $250,000, Rick and Peter had to decipher three clues and put their X on an iconic London landmark. Peter chose The Tower of London, while Rick selected Big Ben.
Rick reached the clock tower at night and went inside to find his briefcase filled with cash. “Of course, that was the right place to pick for my X. I mean, that’s the best landmark in London. And then to go up there,” Rick shared. “I even heard the bells ringing, hugging Jeffrey, like that was the crowning moment of the game.” He added, “I’m so glad it was inside Big Ben, because normally, people don’t get to go up there. So, that was really, really cool.”
The bird watcher continued, “I remember the elevator ride down. There’s an old guy in the elevator who’s like the timekeeper for Big Ben. He’s been doing this since the 70s.” The Destination X winner added, “And he’s like, ‘Rick, nobody ever gets to go inside Big Ben at night.’”
So, what does Rick plan to do with his winnings? “Oh, like I said the whole time on the bus, I’m a family man. I’m planning on spoiling my family. I hope to buy a house at some point,” Rick said. “My wife and I both are entrepreneurs. We’re always building new businesses.” He added, “I’ve got my birding business. She’s a budding lawyer. She’s starting a law practice, so we’re going to be building those up as well.”
This interview was edited for clarity.
Destination X is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – ARE YOU HAPPY THAT RICK WON? WHICH DESTINATION X LOCATION WAS YOUR FAVORITE?
