Destination X: Where were the final four contestants in episode 9? Details explored

Destination X (image via NBC)
Destination X (image via NBC)

NBC’s Destination X returned with episode 9 on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, offering the Final Four contestants a high-stakes opportunity to reposition their hidden Xs as the race for the $250,000 prize tightened. The episode picked up after the elimination of Ally, leaving Rick, Peter, Biggy, and Shayne to fight for a place in the finale.

The group was seen heading west from Venice and eventually riding horses through sun-soaked mountainous terrain. Though they were expecting cooler climates, they were unknowingly traveling toward a warmer location. Each player received a clue, and together, the clues formed a deck of cards, pointing toward the Casino of Monte Cristo.

However, not all Destination X players shared information equally, which proved consequential. By the episode's end, Monaco was revealed as their hidden location, and Shayne was sent home after a series of roulette-based strategic moves altered the course of the competition.


What happened in the Destination X episode?

The four remaining contestants on Destination X—Rick, Peter, Shayne, and Biggy—began episode 9 by traveling west from Venice, Italy. Instead of reaching a cold, mountainous region as some had anticipated, they were taken to a much warmer location, suggesting they were heading toward southern Europe.

During the leg of the journey, they had the chance to ride horses through scenic ranges, further adding to the confusion about their location. Each contestant was given a single clue, and together the four clues formed a deck of playing cards, pointing to the Casino of Monte Cristo.

Rick and Peter, who had been working together since Ally's departure, shared their clues. Shayne and Biggy, who also aligned, followed the same strategy. But Rick deliberately deceived Biggy by claiming he had received two white pinecones instead of his actual clue.

When it came time to mark their guesses, Peter and Rick both chose locations near Cannes, France. Biggy marked his X slightly west of them, while Shayne placed his in Milan, Italy—further from the correct destination.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan revealed that the group was in Monaco, the second-smallest sovereign nation in the world. This placed Shayne the farthest from the actual location.

Before final placements were revealed, the contestants boarded a yacht for a surprise twist. Morgan explained that they would play roulette to earn the right to move either their own or another player’s X.

Peter won first and chose to switch Shayne and Biggy’s Xs, placing Shayne in France and Biggy in Milan. Then Shayne also won a chance and opted to reverse Peter’s move by returning Biggy to France, an act that temporarily created a tie between him and Biggy.

Biggy then won his own spin at the roulette table and chose to move his own X closer to Monaco. This proved successful, and his new position placed him ahead of Shayne. As a result, Shayne was eliminated from Destination X in a close call.

At the episode’s conclusion, Morgan required the remaining three contestants—Rick, Peter, and Biggy—to open and share the clues they had gathered in the boxes. During this exchange, Biggy discovered that Rick had lied to him about his clue, exposing the level of individual strategy being used as the finale approached.

Though Biggy took the discovery in stride, the dynamic between the remaining players clearly shifted as the competition intensified.


Destination X airs every Tuesday at 10 pm EST on NBC.

Edited by Sroban Ghosh