<p> Season 9 Host Biographies</p><p>Brianna Barnes Brianna Barnes hails from Canada and has a zest for adventure. Her wanderlust led her to leave home when she was only 14, heading for Paris where she entered a modeling competition and won model of the year. Working with top agencies, she’s been travelling every since, visiting countries such as Greece, Scotland, England, Germany, Italy, China, South Korea, Japan and Australia. Brianna is very grateful for her modeling adventures because it taught her how to immerse herself in different cultures very quickly and efficiently.</p><p>Soon, however, Brianna found that she needed more of a challenge and is now studying acting. She is currently learning the Meisner Technique with William Esper, a renowned acting teacher in New York. </p><p>Brianna has since appeared in numerous independent films in addition to hosting “Globe Trekker.”</p><p>Neil Gibson Scotsman Neil Gibson was born in Aberdeen and received a bachelor’s degree in communication from Napier University, Edinburgh.</p><p>Before joining “Globe Trekker,” Neil had a wide and varied range of jobs. When he applied for the “Globe Trekker” position, he was working in a stationery office in book sales and assisting on the Edinburgh Gazette, a financial newspaper. Beforehand, Neil was a reviewer of shows at the Edinburgh Fringe festival for Triple F magazine, a financial administrator, a bank clerk and a commercial producer for Festival FM in Great Britain.</p><p>Neil has backpacked through Asia, Australia and America, working in hostels, cafés and a New Zealand supermarket. His main interests other than traveling are scriptwriting and the cinema, reading, the theater and photography. In his spare time, Neil practices hypnotherapy and plays the harmonica in a band. With “Globe Trekker,” Neil has journeyed through the Baltic States and Central America as well as Finland, Pakistan and Peru. Zay Harding Zay Harding has a fear of heights; but he is not afraid to try new things, and he loves to travel. His daring and outgoing personality lands him the “Globe Trekker” gigs that no other hosts are willing to do. This is fine for Zay, because he loves exploring new cultures and finds his most challenging journeys to be the most rewarding ones.</p><p>With the enviable background of growing up on the beaches of Hawaii, Zay is a true outdoorsman. His childhood was spent in the Boy Scouts where he achieved the highest level in scouting, which served as early preparation for his globe-trekking adventures.</p><p>Zay’s first taste of adventure travel was presenting “Treks in a Wild World” for Pilot Productions. This led to a pilot show titled “Tribal Challenge,” where Zay and a co- host lived with Ethiopia’s Surma tribe for 10 days. They shared huts with livestock and drank cow blood between sessions of herding, fishing, farming and stick fighting. His love of adventure travel is what landed Zay on “Globe Trekker.”</p><p>Zay’s travels with “Globe Trekker” include trips to Austria, Cameroon, Canada, Kuwait, Laos, Oman, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.</p><p>Adela Ucar Innerarity Adela Ucar Innerarity was born in Bilbao, Spain where she currently lives with her family. She received a BA in audiovisual communications and studied toward a postgraduate degree in documentaries in Melbourne, Australia. Adela has traveled around the world and in becoming a host for “Globe Trekker,” she has fulfilled one of her lifelong ambitions.</p><p>Padma Lakshmi Padma Lakshmi is an actress, food expert, model and award-winning writer. She may be best known in the United States as the host of Bravo’s enormously popular “Top Chef,” which is returning for a 7th season in 2010.</p><p>Padma established herself as a food expert early on in her career, having hosted two successful cooking shows and writing a best-selling cookbook. She follows this success with the publication of her second cookbook, “Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet,” released by Weinstein books in October 2007. A follow-up to her successful book “Easy Exotic,” for which she won the International Versailles Event for best cookbook by a first time writer, her new book is a larger endeavor filled with over 120 recipes from around the world and intriguing personal memoirs.</p><p>For The Food Network, Padma hosted “Padma’s Passport,” where she cooked diverse cuisine from around the world. She has also hosted “Planet Food,” a documentary series produced by Pilot Productions and broadcast on The Food Network and worldwide on the Discovery Channel. Padma was last seen with Aishwarya Rai and Dylan McDermott in Paul Mayeda Berges’ newest film, “Mistress of Spices.” She received a positive response for her performance as Princess Bithia in ABC’s much anticipated mini-series, “The Ten Commandments” alongside Naveen Andrews (“Lost”), Omar Sharif and Dougray Scott. The program was the second-highest rated television film of 2006. She also recently starred in BBC America's “Sharpe's Challenge” opposite Sean Bean. </p><p>Padma is also an accomplished writer. In addition to her food writing, she has contributed to such magazines as American Vogue, Gourmet and British and American Harper’s Bazaar. She is currently a monthly syndicated columnist for The New York Times syndicate.</p><p>Originally known as the first internationally successful Indian supermodel, Padma started modeling while an exchange student in Spain with Clark University, where she received a B.A. with honors in Theater Arts.</p><p>Megan McCormick Megan McCormick was raised in Florida and graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and political science. Before joining the “Globe Trekker” team, Megan worked as an English teacher in Japan, as a social worker, and behind the scenes on “The News with Brian Williams” for MSNBC.</p><p>Megan’s credentials include extensive independent travel in Asia and Europe. She has visited Belgium, China, England, France, Hong Kong, Inner Mongolia, Ireland, Japan, Java, Sumatra, Thailand and Vietnam. For “Globe Trekker,” she has traveled to many places including the Arab Gulf, Egypt, Hawaii, India, the Maldives, Micronesia and Sri Lanka.</p><p>“All of these experiences have informed who I am and have given me an enriched perspective,” says Megan. “Plus, if I have any memories that start to fade, I have a good video to watch to remind me.”</p><p>Holly Morris A natural in front of the camera, Holly had early media exposure. She won her first Emmy Award at the age of eight, when she and her siblings narrated a program about their family’s travels through Europe and the Soviet Union.</p><p>As editorial director at an independent company that publishes an eclectic list of fiction and non-fiction books by women writers, Holly developed and edited the publisher’s successful imprint, Adventura Books, a line of titles that celebrates women’s travel, and outdoor and sports activities.</p><p>Holly has published two books of her own, Uncommon Waters and A Different Angle; both are collections of stories about fly-fishing. Her writing has appeared in literary journals and magazines, including The New York Times Book Review.</p><p>She is a contributing columnist for abcnews.com and frequently speaks on topics as diverse as publishing, gender politics, creative writing, women and travel, and fly- fishing. Holly resides in Seattle. Zoe Palmer Born and raised in London with a family background in Sierra Leone, Zoe Palmer first appeared on television at the age of 7 in a series of programs for ILEA (Granada Television). Having studied at the Royal College of Music in London, she now performs regularly as a musician and singer. She’s graced the stage of the Young Vic and The Royal Opera House, as well as singing at Glastonbury as part of The Cosmicorus, a 20-piece psychedelic gypsy jazz choir. </p><p>Zoe has also gained a first class degree in Anthropology at UCL and an MSc with distinction in Human Ecology at the University of Strathclyde. She’s a writer of poetry, articles and an ever-evolving book, as well as an active campaigner for social justice and the preservation of the environment. </p><p>Recently Zoe starred in a theatrical production, Free For All, about the abolition of slavery, which toured Sierra Leone, giving her an opportunity to explore her family roots. Zoe’s decades-long love affair with Africa has also included a GAP year working at a Harare children’s home, travelling overland on a bus through West Africa as part of the crew of a Channel 4 documentary and two months researching South African House Music.</p><p>Merrilees Parker Merrilees Parker is renowned in the food TV world for “Anything You Can Cook,” a 27-part BBC2 cooking series. She was also the resident cook in “House Call,” which aired on BBC1 in 2001.</p><p>Merrilees is a passionate foodie and went through her “on-the-job” training as chef at The Lansdowne in London. Here she developed her own style of no-nonsense food, earning rave reviews for the restaurant with her innovative menus.</p><p>She is a key figure in Antony Worrall-Tompson’s restaurant group, and she’s served as head chef at The Greyhound restaurant. Merrilees has also worked on a wide range of food projects, including live events during London Fashion Week and cooking demonstrations at the Mosimann Academy.</p><p>Merrilees speaks fluent French and divides her time between the UK and France.</p><p>Alex Riley Alex Riley started his career as a “Top Gear” researcher and from there he went on to write and perform sketches for the “Chelsea Flower Show” and “Britain in Bloom” specials on BBC1. He also appeared in the primetime BBC1 documentary, “Bigamy,” and wrote and presented “Short Circuits,” an innovative ten-part series for Discovery Home and Leisure. Sami Sabiti Sami Sabiti was born in Uganda, East Africa, and he has lived in Egypt, Kenya and the United Kingdom before settling in South Africa. A self-confessed nomad, he studied economics and management, graduated, and then discovered his love of television, radio, and the media.</p><p>Sami's diverse career in radio and television began when he hosted South Africa's first 24-hour music channel, Music Television. Later, he read and produced their news and music programming. Sami has also presented an adventure travel show titled “African Adventures,” as well as “Idols” in South Africa, the talent search that took the world by storm. </p><p>He says, “I woke up one day and realized that this was my life. I always thought I'd follow the straight and narrow path of commerce but that got boring real quick.” Sami spent two years working at IBM's head office in Johannesburg.</p><p>Sami has an adventurous personality and among other things has ridden camels across deserts, trekked ice fields, parachuted, driven dirt bikes across the African bush and dived with manta rays and great white sharks. </p><p>Justine Shapiro Justine Shapiro was born in South Africa and grew up in Berkeley, California, where she lives today. She attended Tufts University in Boston where she studied history and theater. She moved to Paris to study theater with Phillippe Gaulier and later went to Hollywood where she appeared in films and television movies including “I’ll Do Anything” (by James L. Brooks), “Storyville” (20th Century Fox), “Floodtide” (Granada Television) and “SeaQuest DSV” (Amblin Entertainment). During four years in Los Angeles, Justine taught English to immigrants, and their stories inspired her to take the next step in her life.</p><p>Justine returned to the San Francisco Bay area and became involved in several documentary projects, including “Voices from the Storm” about Gulf War veterans and IDG Film’s “Nagasaki Journey.” In 1995, Justine began producing an independent documentary film titled “Promises,” featuring seven Israeli and Palestinian children in Jerusalem. Rather than focusing on hard news, “Promises” offers a human portrait of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The film was nominated for a 2002 Academy Award for best documentary. It won News and Documentary Emmys for best documentary and for outstanding background/analysis. The film also received audience awards at the San Francisco, Vancouver, Sao Paolo and Rotterdam film festivals, as well as juried awards at the Hamptons, Valladolid, Locarno, Munich and Jerusalem film festivals. </p><p>With “Globe Trekker,” Justine has nearly conquered her fear of flying as the show has taken her all over the world to Argentina, Australia, Belize, Benin, Burkina Faso, the Caribbean, China, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, England, France, the Galapagos Islands, Germany, Guatemala, India, Israel, Italy, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, the southwest United States, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.</p><p>Ian Wright Englishman Ian Wright has packed a great deal of travel and adventure into his life. Before hosting “Globe Trekker,” Ian spent three months in Guyana with Operation Raleigh, a Prince’s Trust initiative, traveling in a self-made bamboo raft down uncharted rivers. In addition, he spent several months in each of the following countries — Egypt, India, Nepal, Poland and Romania.</p><p>An accomplished artist and theater performer, Ian has had an exhibition of his paintings at Chats Palace. He also devises plays in schools, runs drama and art workshops at the Children’s House in Islington on the weekends and works with children with behavioral difficulties in special schools.</p><p>On three occasions, Ian has won the prestigious U.S. Cable Ace Awards for Best Magazine Host for the “Globe Trekker” Morocco, Central Asia and Ethiopia programs. </p><p>His “Globe Trekker” adventures have taken Ian to Alaska, the American Rockies, Armenia, Australia, Baja California, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Corsica, Cuba, Easter Island, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greenland, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lapland, Lebanon, Libya, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Samoa, Sardinia, Sicily, South Korea, Syria, Tahiti, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Zanzibar.</p>