Shay Mitchell Combines Her Passion for Travel and Boozy Drinks as Host of ‘Thirst’

The four-episode Max original travel series Thirst with Shay Mitchell takes viewers on a cultural journey exploring Peru, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil, one drink at a time. With the help of guides and experts, host Shay Mitchell, who is also known as an actress and businesswoman, tries various drink trends and visits local bars while learning about the history and process behind each liquid creation. But it’s not just a beverage bonanza, as you get glimpses of landmarks and natural wonders, memorable meals, and what goes on behind the scenes.

During this one-on-one interview with Collider, Mitchell talked about how Thirst has been years in the making, why this series is a dream come true, what was most unexpected about this experience, how her parents instilled a love of travel in her that she hopes rubs off on her own children, pushing herself outside of her comfort zone, how she paced herself when it came to drinking all the alcohol, and where she would like to travel to next, if she gets to make more episodes. She also discussed the role that time plays in her career decisions, knowing that her work will take her away from her family.

Hosting ‘Thirst’ Is a Dream Come True for Travel Enthusiast Shay Mitchell

Collider: We’ve gotten to know you as an actress and an entrepreneur, and now you’re taking us on this whole cultural travel journey, one drink at a time. When did you feel like you’d make a good drinking show host? Was there a moment your life took a turn, or was it a gradual realization? How did you realize this was so well suited to you?

SHAY MITCHELL: It’s been years in the making. From the time on YouTube when I was shooting Shaycation, to then starting a travel and accessory brand with BÉIS, to then going into the alcohol space with Onda, it just was the perfect combination, and this is like the child of all of that. It’s been a long time in the making, in more ways than one. This has always been a dream for me, being able to explore cultures, history, and human connection through the lens of beverages specific to different locations because of the ingredients that they have has always been a passion of mine and a curiosity that I’ve always wanted to learn more about. This is a dream for me, truly.

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You can’t film in other countries without unexpected things happening. How unexpected was this experience? What most surprised you about doing this?

MITCHELL: What was most unexpected was that I would be sick in the first destination that we landed, on the second day. I am somebody who, knock on wood, doesn’t tend to get sick very often. But when shooting this, I did. And on a travel show, it is very unlike any other show and there is no real day to take off. Everything is set. You have your plane tickets booked well in advance of when you’re starting and when you’re leaving. We had four to five days in each place and there was no time to take a day off. It was a different experience than anything I’ve had before. But I honestly feel like, because I was so passionate about it, I used every ounce of strength to push through. Hopefully, people can’t tell when they’re watching, aside from my voice. It was a different experience than I’ve ever had before, so that definitely was unexpected.

‘Thirst’ Host Shay Mitchell Hopes to Pass Her Love of Travel To Her Daughters

You talk in this about how your parents taught you that travel was the best form of education and how you hope that your kids also feel that same way. When did you realize that was actually true for you and that it was also something that you wanted to pass down to your own family?

MITCHELL: I feel very fortunate that, at a young age, my parents love to travel and took my brother and I with them when they went, and I just loved getting to learn about different people and how they did things and the foods that they ate and the drinks that were there. I’ve always had this curiosity from an early age. Even when shooting [Pretty Little Liars], I would be the first person to just jump on a plane and go somewhere because I was yearning to get out and go discover something. That’s always what I get from travel. I learn so much about another place, but also about myself, and I come back with a different perspective, which I love. So, that was something that has been ingrained in me from an early age, that I definitely hope to instill in my daughters. With names like Atlas and Rome, I hope they always travel. It’s something that’s important to me and I feel very lucky to be able to do that with them.

You also talk about the importance of pushing yourself outside your comfort zone while traveling, and congratulations for trying guinea pig. I have to admit, I would never have done that. When you honor the culture and the traditions in that way and you try something you wouldn’t otherwise choose to eat, how do you feel? When you do something like that, that’s intertwined with your worst fear, were you proud of yourself for at least trying it?

MITCHELL: Yes. It was done with respect. This is something that definitely has been ingrained in the culture in certain places. We’re used to eating chicken, and over there, that’s something that they have. That’s a delicacy there. Depending on what it is, there are limits to what I will do. With this, I definitely pushed it a little bit more, but travel pushes you in different ways. I would never be in a room with two hundred guinea pigs if I was in L.A., but in Peru, that was the situation. I learned a lot about myself from that, and from other experiences that I had abroad and have abroad. It pushes you, and I like that.

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How did you pace yourself, in order to drink so much alcohol for the series?

MITCHELL: I would say a lot of water, a lot of Hydralyte in my water, at all times, and sleeping when I could. I’m not a napper, so I would try as hard as possible to not stay out late. Because we were filming so much during the day and I was drinking, it allowed me to get some sleep, which was important.

I love that you have these interesting guides that we really get to know the personalities of. It adds so much to each episode. What did you most enjoy about all the people you met and the time that you spent with them on this adventure?

MITCHELL: I was very fortunate that we got such incredible hosts to be able to show me around. That’s the part that I always love whenever I go to a place. I’m always trying to meet up with a local because I think nobody knows their city like a local. I get to learn about different places that I wouldn’t be able to find in a travel guide or online. Some of the most memorable experiences I’ve had, not just on this show, but in my travel experience, have been when I’ve met up with somebody from that city that has taken me off the beaten path and shown me something that I would never have discovered without them. I love that. All the hosts showed a piece of themselves and their incredible cities. We lucked out.

Shay Mitchell Wanted To Show Behind the Scenes Glimpses of the Making of ‘Thirst’

Throughout these episodes, you also give us little behind the scenes glimpses of the shoots. We get to see you getting ready, we see the weather complications, and we see your feet after a night dancing. Was that something you always wanted to include, or was that something you realized you had to include because of what it added to the experience?

MITCHELL: It was always something I wanted to include. I don’t think it’s a secret, when you’re watching any show, whether it’s scripted or unscripted, that there are camera operators and there’s a sound guy, so why not show them? They’re a part of making this, just as much as I am. If I didn’t have Joe on sound, you wouldn’t have been able to hear me in a lot of places. If I wasn’t being filmed, you wouldn’t have seen me. Everybody played a part, so why not show that? I’m really happy and proud of the crew that we had this season. I love breaking the fourth wall because I want you to be able to see what happens. That’s why I showed the parts where I was sick. I think that was important. Not everything is peaches and rainbows. On social media these days, people want to see behind that. People want to see the reality of things, so that was always something that was important to me, from the beginning. There were parts of Colombia that I wanted to go to, that we weren’t able to because I didn’t know there was going to be a torrential downpour like that. You can’t plan for that, but that is part of a travel show. There is only so much that you can plan because Mother Nature has a bigger hand in all of this and we weren’t able to go to those places, so it is what it is. The other side of traveling that makes it fun is the unexpectedness, and I love that, so I wanted to show it.

Shay Mitchell Would Love To Travel To Asia for ‘Thirst’

You’ve done these four episodes exploring South America, so where to next?

MITCHELL: If we are lucky enough to get picked up and I get to do this again, I would love to go to Asia. I’d also love to go back to South America because there are still so many places. The beauty of this is that there are so many places we can go to discover. Like the people that make it up, the ingredients that make up these different drinks, it’s more than the drinks themselves. It’s really about the stories and the conversations that are had over these drinks. I’m excited, and I hope there are many more seasons, truthfully.

What’s next for you, as an entrepreneur and an actress? How do you even switch gears to go back to that work, after having such an incredible experience like this?

MITCHELL: I feel like, because it’s all in the same sphere of travel, from Shaycation to BÉIS to Onda, and now with Thirst, it all just feels right and it fits. I don’t know how to explain that in another way, but I never feel like I have to come to a full stop, put on another hat, and go in another direction. Everything is really smooth, in what I do, because it is genuine. I think that helps a lot. I really do love what I do, in all aspects, with everything, so I’m just continuing to go with the flow.

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Does it change what you look for, as an actor?

MITCHELL: Yeah. I feel like time is a huge player when I make decisions now. Obviously, priorities have shifted from before I had kids to now. Something has to mean a lot to me and I have to be very passionate about something for that to take time away from my kids now. This is definitely one of those projects where I was willing to be away because I believe in it so much. In addition to it having its funny moments and being colorful, there is an importance to the show as well, showing off different cultures and learning that we are all more similar than we think, no matter where we are. I think that’s important. I’ve learned a lot from travel shows that I watched growing up, and I really do believe in this. I’m excited about this finally airing because it’s been four years in the making. I hope I can do more seasons and bring you along for more places.

Thirst with Shay Mitchell is available to stream on Max. Check out the trailer:

Watch on Max