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‘Trailblazers’ Promises Plenty Of Dangers And Discoveries

By Charlinda Robinson
Published on: 08:44 PST, Apr 26, 2016

When scientists need to travel to some of the most remote locations in the world, they often turn to professional guides, or trailblazers. These elite survivalists are experienced in getting teams of people safely in and out of extremely dangerous situations and areas.

Trailblazers follows three of these men as they each lead their own team through some of the most difficult terrain anywhere in the world. Through exploration, the scientists and researchers on Trailblazers search for clues and new discoveries that could lead to major and game-changing scientific breakthroughs.

Trailblazers posted to their Facebook page on April 26 a sneak-peek video of the series, along with a caption stating, “If they survive fiery volcanoes and remote jungles, they could make discoveries that will change the world.”

Gary Humphrey is one such trailblazer, and his Trailblazers mission will be to lead a team of four through the jungles of the largely unexplored island of Papua New Guinea. This trailblazer joined the British military at the age of 20 and served 17 years in the Royal Marines and then the UK Special Forces. He honed his survival and trailblazer skills in several harsh environments such as dense and dangerous jungles, scorching deserts, and in the frigid Arctic.

As he polished his skills, this trailblazer began to use his expertise to lead scientific expeditions, perform black ops security engagements, and to guard TV and movie productions, such as Top Gear and Robin Hood. As a bodyguard, his job is to protect many high-profile celebrities, including Matt Damon and Anthony Bourdain. Trailblazers will put everything Humphrey knows to the test as he guides his team and strives to complete the mission.

Trailblazers’ Nick Koumalatsos joined the Marines, and in 2007, he joined the Marine Corps Special Operations unit. During that time, this trailblazer was deployed on seven covert operations all around the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan. After leaving the Marines, he worked as a private contractor conducting intelligence operations for the Department of Defense in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

A year ago, Koumalatsos began offering his expertise and services as an expedition guide, or trailblazer. Now he uses his tactical and survival skills to help safely trailblaze, guide, and protect scientists on their various missions, as they often trek through some very dangerous and harsh environments. For Trailblazers, he will have professional animal handler and wildlife enthusiast Chris Gillette along to help deal with deadly snakes in the hostile jungles of Bolivia. Together, this pair of trailblazers faces several challenges as they work to get their team safely to their intended destination.

Trailblazers’ Shaun Keilen is a former Navy Seal and served as a combat medic. While serving in the Middle East, this trailblazer also honed and refined his fast extraction skills. He now works as a private contractor in Afghanistan for the U.S. government. Safety comes first with this trailblazer, and although his extensive medical training will be an asset, hopefully it will be something he doesn’t need to draw upon on Trailblazers. For the purposes of Trailblazers, he will lead a team of scientists up the Reventador volcano, which is an active stratovolcano (conical volcano) located in the eastern Andes of Ecuador.

According to Red Carpet Crash, each hour-long episode of Trailblazers will follow the teams as they journey through some of the most lethal and hostile locations found anywhere on earth.

Although each Trailblazers expedition will have its own unique set of challenges and dangers, every team has a job to do that they take very seriously. Any major scientific breakthrough made by the scientists on Trailblazers could have important ramifications and could be a real game-changer. The risks these teams must take may be high, but the rewards could very well be more worth it, and it’s up to the trailblazers to get them to their destination.

Will you be watching Trailblazers? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions below. The Trailblazers premiere airs on Friday, April 29 at 10 p.m. ET on the Discovery Channel.

[Image via Gary Humphrey/Facebook]

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