ABC's 'Expedition Impossible' Boasts Team of Local Cops

Three of the Waltham Police Department's finest recently lived out a fantasy adventure in the diverse country of Morocco as part of ABC's new series Expedition Impossible, which will premiere Thursday evening at 9 p.m. Among those officers is Concord's own Lieutenant Robert Robillard.

Produced by Mark Burnett, well-known for giving television audiences such programs as Survivor, The Apprentice and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, ABC auditioned hundreds of three person teams from around the country and selected just 13 for the premiere. 

The team known as "The Cops" is comprised of Lieutenant Robert Robillard, 43, of Concord; Sergeant James Vaglica, 49, of Billerica; and Danielle Henderson, 34, of Marlborough. 

Of their reasons for choosing these Massachusetts residents, Executive Producer Lisa Hennessy, and long-time partner of Mark Burnett, had plenty to say. 

"These are good people, and it is always interesting to see people who are accustomed to the rules of an urban environment thrown into an outdoor arena," said Hennessy. "These are all relatable, ordinary people up for an amazing challenge."

Hennessy added that they were looking for a diverse cross section of America, giving every viewer someone to root for, and even against. 

"The Cops" will be competing against a team of three New York City firemen, several  friends from Mississippi, a team of women from the Bronx known as "Latin Persuasion", two former female soldiers and their mom, a blind man (who has climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest) and his two friends, and many more interesting contestants. 

"Robert, Dani and James know that the camaraderie that is shared between police officers is hard to replicate anywhere else in life," said a press release from ABC. "The level of trust that is necessary to work together is amplified when you are putting your life in someone else's hands—which is something these three Massachusetts officers do every day. We're pretty sure their survival skills on the streets will be put to the ultimate test during their Moroccan expedition."

Each team is expected to complete challenges every week, and will face possible elimination should they fail. Should the Waltham officers, or any other team win, however, they can expect prizes of $50,000 each and a brand new Ford Explorer.

While to some this program may look similar to CBS's popular Amazing Race, this show is actually inspired by a previous Burnett/Hennessy series called Eco-Challenge that originally aired in the U.S. in 1995.

"This is about three people working together," said Hennessy. "Some days one team member is strong and one is weak. They are tested together in the outdoors against the other teams and mother nature."

Hosted by Dave Salmoni, the 10 episode arch begins Thursday night with challenges set in Morocco's portion of the Sahara Desert. Hennessy said contestants will have to deal with a 200 foot repel down the face of a cliff in just the first episode, testing people's limits to the max almost immediately. 

Patch will follow the progress of the local contestants progress each week. Check in every Friday morning to see a recap of Thursday's episode and much more.