Digging for the Truth
Digging for the Truth is a History Channel documentary series that aired from 2005 to 2007. Over four seasons, it produced 54 hour-long episodes. The first three seasons starred Josh Bernstein, while Hunter Ellis hosted the fourth season.
Bernstein, the series host, was the president and CEO of the Boulder Outdoor Survival School and held degrees in anthropology and psychology from Cornell. The show aired Monday nights at 9:00 PM Eastern on History. It premiered on January 24, 2005, with 13 episodes and quickly became one of History Channel’s top-rated programs.
Season 2 began January 23, 2006, also with 13 episodes. Season 3 started January 22, 2007 and included a two-hour Atlantis quest special; it had 20 episodes. Season 4, the final season, began September 8, 2007 and had 8 episodes. In February 2007 Bernstein announced he would leave History and Digging for the Truth to join Discovery Channel as an executive producer and host of a new prime-time series. Hunter Ellis, known for other History Channel programs, took over as host for the last season.
Each episode explored a historical mystery or controversial topic. Bernstein presented the various theories and then traveled to locations, sometimes putting himself in hands-on situations to illustrate past activities. He interviewed researchers who were experts in the subject, and many places visited were not open to the public. The show ended by summarizing what was known and offering a possible explanation or noting that the truth remains a mystery.
In late 2006 Bernstein published a book, Digging for the Truth: One Man's Epic Adventure Exploring the World's Greatest Archaeological Mysteries, which shares some of his experiences from the series and his background with BOSS.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 04:14 (CET).