Rick Szabo wins $250,000 in thrilling Destination X season 1 finale

NBC’s Destination X aired its season 1 finale on July 29, 2025, concluding the cross-country mystery journey with one final challenge.

The Grand Finale featured the last three players, Rick, Biggy, and Peter, as they faced off for the grand prize of $250,000 and the title of Destination X champion.

With misdirection central to the show’s format, the finale continued that theme through riddles, trivia, and surprise twists. The episode began with the finalists waking up in a helicopter above London.

They were soon brought to Greenwich, where host Jeffrey Dean Morgan revealed the first task: a trivia showdown in the historic Painter Hall, surrounded by portraits of previously eliminated contestants.

Tensions rose as players had to choose between moving themselves forward or pushing others back based on correct answers.

Biggy was eliminated after a sudden-death question, leaving Rick and Peter to face the final challenge across London.

With the city transformed into a game board, the duo raced to solve location-based riddles. In the end, Rick was the only contestant to correctly identify Big Ben as the final destination, earning the cash prize.

His win was especially meaningful as he shared that his family had sold their home during the pandemic and could now start over.

Surprises, alliances, and strategy mark the final trivia challenge in Destination X

 

 

 

 

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At the start of the finale, the remaining three contestants, Rick, Peter, and Biggy, arrived at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. Inside Painter Hall, surrounded by paintings of past players, host Jeffrey Dean Morgan announced a trivia round that would determine which two contestants advanced.

Each correct answer allowed a contestant to move forward or send an opponent back, while the sound of the Greenwich Observatory clock would signal the end.

Biggy entered the round feeling confident in his bond with Rick, stating that their relationship gave them “the best position to advance.”

Rick, however, saw the trivia format as an advantage, noting that it was “his time to shine.” As the game progressed, strategic decisions caused friction.

Rick repeatedly pushed Biggy back, despite their earlier friendship, leading Biggy to admit he was “blindsided.”

Eventually, Rick secured safety, leaving Biggy and Peter in a tie. A tiebreaker question, guessing how many islands make up Venice, sent Biggy home by a one-point margin.

With Biggy eliminated, Peter and Rick acknowledged that their alliance had ended, and it would now come down to one final challenge to decide the winner of Destination X.

London becomes the playing field in a high-stakes final race in Destination X

For the last leg of the competition, Jeffrey informed Rick and Peter that the city of London was now their game board in Destination X.

Each contestant received riddles pointing to landmarks, and if they reached the correct location, they would get the next clue and a puzzle box.

Both players solved their first riddle, choosing the Bank of England, and moved to the second.

Peter picked a riddle about Amsterdam and guessed the Shard, while Rick chose a Paris-themed clue and identified Piccadilly Circus.

Both earned their second clues. In the final riddle, Peter linked “card game” and “columns” to Tower Bridge.

Rick, using a Sherlock Holmes reference in the clue, correctly chose Baker Street in Destination X. With three clues in hand, an hourglass, a $100 bill, and a photo of Queen Elizabeth,each had to deduce the final location.

Rick initially guessed the Tower of London but reconsidered after noticing Benjamin Franklin on the bill. He then chose Big Ben.

Peter stuck with the Tower of London. Jeffrey later confirmed that Rick’s guess was correct. As Rick opened the briefcase at Big Ben and found the money inside, he celebrated his win.

He revealed that his family had sold their home during COVID to repay debt, and the prize would allow them to buy a new house.

Stay tuned for more updates.