You probably remember the "dad bod" seen 'round the world. Back in 2020, while most of us were stuck in our living rooms wearing the same sweatpants for three days straight, Zac Efron was trekking through the Icelandic wilderness. He had a thick beard, a rugged plaid shirt, and he was eating reindeer tartare. It was a massive departure from the airbrushed, shredded Disney star we all grew up with.
Down to Earth with Zac Efron wasn't just another celebrity travelogue. It was a weird, earnest, and sometimes scientifically questionable journey into how we might actually save the planet—and ourselves.
👉 See also: Similar Movies to Hacksaw Ridge: 11 War Epics That Actually Feel Real
Honestly, the show felt like a fever dream at times. You’ve got the guy from High School Musical and a "superfood hunter" named Darin Olien wandering around France tasting water like it’s fine wine. But beneath the "bro-y" high-fives and the constant "wows," there’s a lot to unpack about what the show actually got right, where it tripped over its own feet, and why people are still talking about it years later.
Why Everyone Obsessed Over the "New" Zac
For a long time, Efron was trapped in a cycle of extreme body transformation. If you saw him in Baywatch, you know what I mean. He’s since been very vocal about how miserable that process was—diuretics, overtraining, and a lack of sleep.
So, when he showed up in Down to Earth looking like a guy who actually enjoys a carb every now and then, the internet lost its mind. He looked healthy. He looked... normal.
Basically, the show served as his public "detox" from Hollywood's impossible standards. We saw a guy who was genuinely curious about the world. Whether he was milking a goat in Puerto Rico or learning about geothermal energy in Iceland, he seemed more interested in the dirt under his fingernails than his lighting in the shot. It was refreshing. He wasn't playing a character. He was just Zac, a dude who was tired of the grind and wanted to know why people in Sardinia live to be 100.
The Darin Olien Factor: Science vs. Vibes
We can't talk about the show without talking about Darin Olien. He’s the wellness guru who acts as Zac’s guide. He’s the one telling Zac to walk barefoot to "ground" himself and talking about the "vibrations" of water.
This is where the show gets a bit polarizing.
If you’re a scientist, some parts of Down to Earth probably made your eye twitch. The show has been criticized by experts, including those at the McGill Office for Science and Society, for leaning into "wellness woo-woo." They point out that some of the claims—like the idea that "alkaline" water is a miracle cure or that certain superfoods can replace actual medicine—don't really hold up under a microscope.
But here’s the thing: most viewers didn't care about the peer-reviewed data. They cared about the intent.
What the show actually highlighted:
- Iceland’s Renewable Energy: Seeing 100% of a country's electricity come from geothermal and hydro power is objectively cool.
- The Water Crisis: The episode in Paris showed how public water systems can actually be sustainable and accessible.
- Biodiversity in Peru: Learning about the thousands of types of potatoes and why we need to preserve their genetics is surprisingly fascinating.
Is it a perfect documentary? No. It’s more like a "gateway drug" to environmentalism. It’s for the person who wouldn't watch a dry, two-hour lecture on carbon sequestration but will watch Zac Efron sandboard down a dune in Lima.
Season 2: The Australian Pivot
When the second season dropped in 2022, the vibe shifted slightly. Because of the pandemic, they stayed entirely in Australia. This actually worked in the show's favor. It felt more focused.
They tackled habitat conservation, the Great Barrier Reef, and the devastating impact of wildfires. It moved away from just "tasting exotic things" and toward "how do we fix this?" Zac’s brother, Dylan Efron, was heavily involved in the production, and you can feel that family connection in the storytelling.
One of the most moving segments involved Aboriginal voices. Instead of just having two Americans explain the land, they stepped back and let the Indigenous communities explain how they’ve been practicing sustainability for thousands of years. It was a necessary moment of humility for a show that sometimes felt a bit like "tourists discover things locals already knew."
Is it Worth the Watch?
If you're looking for a hardcore scientific breakdown of climate change, this isn't it. You’d be better off with a David Attenborough special.
But if you want to feel a little less cynical about the world, Down to Earth hits the spot. It’s lighthearted. It’s beautiful to look at (thanks to some incredible cinematography). And yeah, it’s a little bit goofy.
The real value of the show isn't in the specific health tips—please don't start drinking raw goat milk just because a guy on TV did—it's in the curiosity. It encourages you to ask where your water comes from, what's in your food, and how your lifestyle affects people on the other side of the planet.
👉 See also: Is Josh from The Challenge Gay? What Most People Get Wrong
How to Live a Little More "Down to Earth"
You don't need a Netflix budget to take some of these lessons home. You can't exactly fly to Iceland to bake bread in the ground today, but you can do a few things:
- Question Your Plastic: Paris showed that tap water can be elite. Get a good filter and a reusable bottle. Stop buying the flats of plastic water at the big-box stores.
- Eat Seasonally: The "Blue Zone" diet in Sardinia isn't about expensive supplements. It’s about gardens, beans, and eating what’s grown nearby.
- Get Outside: It sounds cliché, but the "grounding" Zac does isn't just about magic energy. It's about disconnecting from the screen and remembering that there's a physical world that needs our attention.
At the end of the day, Down to Earth with Zac Efron is about a guy who realized that being a "hunk" wasn't enough. He wanted to be a human. And in doing so, he made a lot of us want to be better humans, too.
Start by looking into your local community's waste management or supporting a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). The big changes happen when a lot of people start making small, "down to earth" choices every day.