''Ghost Adventures'' is an American

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

and

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series that premiered on October 17, 2008, on the

Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...

before moving to

Discovery+ Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discover ...

in 2021. An independent film of the same name originally aired on the

Sci-Fi Channel Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. ...

on July 25, 2007. The program follows ghost hunters

Zak Bagans Zachary Bagans is an American paranormal investigator, actor, television personality, museum operator, and author. He is the principal host of the Travel Channel series ''Ghost Adventures''. Early life Bagans was born in Washington, D.C. and ...

Nick Groff Nicholas Groff (born April 19, 1980) is an American paranormal investigator, musician, and television personality. Groff was the lead investigator for the television series '' Paranormal Lockdown.'' He was a co-investigator, executive producer, e ...

(season 1–10), Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley as they investigate locations that are reported to be

haunted Haunted or The Haunted may refer to: Books * ''Haunted'' (Armstrong novel), by Kelley Armstrong, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Cabot novel), by Meg Cabot, 2004 * ''Haunted'' (Palahniuk novel), by Chuck Palahniuk, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Angel novel), a 200 ...

Premise

''Ghost Adventures'' began as an

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

, produced in a documentary style. It was filmed in 2004 and produced by 4Reel Productions in 2006. The

SciFi Channel Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. La ...

premiered 4Reel's ''Ghost Adventures'' on July 25, 2007. The film centered on the trio's investigation of alleged

paranormal activity Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

in and around

Virginia City, Nevada Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Virginia City developed as a boom ...

, including the

Goldfield Hotel The Goldfield Hotel is a historic four-story building located at the southeast corner of Crook Avenue ( U.S. 95) and Columbia Avenue in Goldfield, Esmeralda County, Nevada. Designed in the Classical Revival style of architecture by Reno architect ...

Goldfield, Nevada Goldfield is an unincorporated small desert city and the county seat of Esmeralda County, Nevada. It is the locus of the Goldfield CDP which had a resident population of 268 at the 2010 census, down from 440 in 2000. Goldfield is located ...

. The crew returned there during the series' fourth, fifth, and seventh seasons. The series is produced by MY-Tupelo Entertainment (a merger of MY Entertainment and Tupelo-Honey Productions).

Methodology

(seasons 1–10), Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley investigate reportedly haunted locations, hoping to collect visual or auditory evidence of

. Each episode begins with the crew touring the investigation site with its owners or caretakers. These introductions typically include Bagans's voice-overs of the site's history as well as interviews with people who claim to have witnessed

paranormal phenomena Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, Folk culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific under ...

there. On the basis of these interviews, the crew place X's with black or gray tape at the sites of some serious alleged paranormal activity. They later return to these spots in order to set up static night-vision cameras to try and film it happening. After completing the walk-through, they discuss their strategy, then are locked in the location overnight, which they believe will prevent "audio contamination" and extraneous shadows. They use a variety of equipment, including digital thermometers,

electromagnetic field An electromagnetic field (also EM field or EMF) is a classical (i.e. non-quantum) field produced by (stationary or moving) electric charges. It is the field described by classical electrodynamics (a classical field theory) and is the classical c ...

(EMF)

meters The metre ( British spelling) or meter ( American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its p ...

, handheld digital video cameras, audio recorders, the Ovilus device, point of view cameras, and infrared night-vision cameras in an effort to capture evidence of ghosts. The members sometimes place what they call 'trigger' objects and shout verbal taunts they believe ghosts might move or respond to. The video and audio collected during each investigation is analyzed after the investigation, and the whole thing is cut down to fit one hour. The most prominent pieces of evidence found are then presented at the appropriate times they happened during the investigation and each one is explained. During the series, the crew claims to have captured and experienced various

Fortean phenomena Charles Hoy Fort (August 6, 1874 – May 3, 1932) was an American writer and researcher who specialized in anomalous phenomena. The terms "Fortean" and "Forteana" are sometimes used to characterize various such phenomena. Fort's books sold w ...

, which they say include simultaneous equipment malfunctions such as battery drain, voltage spikes, fluctuations in electromagnetic fields, sudden changes in temperature (such as cold spots), unexplained noises,

electronic voice phenomena Within ghost hunting and parapsychology, electronic voice phenomena (EVP) are sounds found on electronic recordings that are interpreted as spirit voices. Parapsychologist Konstantīns Raudive, who popularized the idea in the 1970s, described E ...

(EVP), and

apparitions Apparition may refer to: Supernatural *Apparitional experience, an anomalous, quasi-perceptual experience * A vision, something seen in a dream, trance, or religious ecstasy *Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear ...

. The crew also claims to have recorded

spirit possession Spirit possession is an unusual or altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and re ...

s on video. Bagans believes that he was possessed at the

Preston School of Industry The Preston School of Industry, also known as Preston Castle, was a reform school located in Ione, California, in Amador County. It was proposed by, and ultimately named after, state senator Edward Myers Preston. The cornerstone was laid in Dec ...

and at

Poveglia Poveglia ( ; ) is a small island located between Venice and Lido in the Venetian Lagoon, of northern Italy. A small canal divides the island into two separate parts. The island first appears in the historical record in 421, and was populated u ...

Island in Italy. Groff claims that he was overtaken by a "dark energy" at the

Moon River Brewing Company Moon River Brewing Company is a brew pub, restaurant, bar and brewing facility located at 21 West Bay Street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Brewery Moon River Brewing Company opened to the public in 1999 on the site of the former Oglethor ...

. Goodwin claims he was " under the influence of a dark spirit" at Bobby Mackey's Music World and

Winchester Mystery House The Winchester Mystery House is a mansion in San Jose, California, that was once the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of firearms magnate William Wirt Winchester. The house became a tourist attraction nine months after Win ...

. Goodwin is often left alone in the alleged "hotspots" during lockdowns to see how the spirits will react to Goodwin being alone.

Team members

(2008–present) *Aaron Goodwin (2008–present) *Billy Tolley (2009–present) *Jay Wasley (2009–present)

Former

(2008–2015) The following people have appeared as recurring guests in the show as part of the GAC: * Bill Chappell (2010–2020) * Mark and Debby Constantino (2008–2014; until their deaths)

Celebrity guests

''Ghost Adventures'' has involved celebrities who have participated in the investigations or appeared as eyewitnesses: *The Real Hollywood Ghost Hunters (

Kane Hodder Kane Warren Hodder (born April 8, 1955)According to the State of California. ''California Birth Index, 1905–1995''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com is an Americ ...

, R. A. Mihailoff, and

Rick McCallum Richard McCallum (born August 22, 1954) is an American film producer. He is mostly known for his work on ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' as well as the '' Star Wars'' Special Editions and prequel trilogy. He is best known for his frequent ...

): "

Pico House The Pico House is a historic building in Los Angeles, California, dating from its days as a small town in Southern California. Located on 430 North Main Street, it sits across the old Los Angeles Plaza from Olvera Street and El Pueblo de Los Á ...

" episode *

Brendan Schaub Brendan Peter Schaub (born March 18, 1983) is an American podcast host, former professional mixed martial artist, and stand-up comedian. He is the host of ''The Fighter and the Kid'' podcast, the ''Below the Belt with Brendan Schaub'' podcast, ...

– " Peabody-Whitehead Mansion" episode * Chad Lindberg – " Return to Linda Vista Hospital" episode * Vince Neil – " The Riviera Hotel" episode *

Jamie Gold Jamie M. Gold (born August 25, 1969) is an American television producer, talent agent, poker player, and younger brother of Doug Gold, who is based in Malibu, California. He is known for winning the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event ...

– "The Riviera Hotel" episode *

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Ma ...

– " Loretta Lynn's Plantation House" episode *

Brit Morgan Brittany Morgan Dengler (born September 24, 1987) is an American actress. Early life Morgan was born and raised in the Marlton section of Evesham Township, New Jersey, where she was a 2005 graduate of Cherokee High School. Career Morgan's fi ...

– " Glen Tavern Inn" episode *

Mimi Page Mimi Page (born February 2, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and composer. Musical style Page's original music blends ethereal vocals with piano-driven, atmospheric soundscapes. She attributes her ethereal sound to her u ...

– "Glen Tavern Inn" episode *

Post Malone Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his variegated vocals, Malone has gained acclaim for blending genres and subgenres of hip ...

– "The Slaughter House" episode * Ciaran O'Keeffe – "Hellfire Caves" episode *

Dean Haglund Dean Haglund (born July 29, 1965) is a Canadian actor, known for the role of Richard "Ringo" Langly, one of The Lone Gunmen on ''The X-Files''. Haglund is also a stand-up comedian, specializing in improvisational comedy, including work with the ...

– "Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum" episode *

Loren Gray Loren Gray Beech (born April 19, 2002) is an American social media personality and singer best known for the TikTok career she began in 2016, at the age of 13. She is the seventeenth most-followed individual on TikTok as of December 2022, and ...

– "Joshua Tree Inn" episode * Holly Madison – "Haunting in the Hills" episode

Series overview

Episodes

Reception

''Ghost Adventures'' became one of the most popular shows on Travel Channel. Since its debut it has found an audience for its mix of paranormal investigation, history, and interpersonal drama, and fan reception has been generally positive. ''Ghost Adventures'' also helped popularize

paranormal television Paranormal television is a genre of reality television that purports to document factual investigations of the paranormal rather than fictional representations seen in traditional narrative films and tv. Over the years, the genre has grown to be ...

and

ghost hunting Ghost hunting is the process of investigating locations that are reported to be haunted by ghosts. Typically, a ghost-hunting team will attempt to collect evidence supporting the existence of paranormal activity. Ghost hunters use a variety of ...

during its original run on Travel Channel. The show now airs on

as well as

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...

Controversies

In the

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

special titled ''Ghost Adventures Live'', which was broadcast from the

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, subsequently the Weston State Hospital, was a Kirkbride psychiatric hospital that was operated from 1864 until 1994 by the government of the U.S. state of West Virginia, in the city of Weston. Weston State Hosp ...

on October 30, 2009, controversy arose when Robert Bess, inventor of the Parabot Containment Chamber (said to attract and empower spirits using energy, giving them form), claims to have had an

EMF meter EMF measurements are measurements of ambient (surrounding) electromagnetic fields that are performed using particular sensors or probes, such as EMF meters. These probes can be generally considered as ''antennas'' although with different charact ...

knocked violently out of his hands. However, upon investigation of the video, it was found that he had actually thrown it. In the November 6, 2009, follow-up ''Ghost Adventures Live: Post Mortem'', hosts Bagans and Groff reviewed the video and concluded that they couldn't claim any paranormal explanation for the incident.

Related productions

Spin-offs

''Ghost Adventures: Aftershocks''

''Ghost Adventures: Aftershocks'' is a series that premiered on Saturday April 26, 2014, on the Travel Channel. The three season miniseries features Zak Bagans interviewing former Ghost Adventures interviewees to find out how their lives have changed since those GAC "lockdowns"/investigations from the past. Any new audio and/or video evidence that was not shown before, in previous Ghost Adventures episodes, are also revealed.

''Ghost Adventures: Where Are They Now?''

''Ghost Adventures: Where Are They Now?'' premiered on Friday August 30, 2019, on the Travel Channel. The series aired as a 5 episode miniseries all under 10 minutes each featuring Zak revisiting some of Ghost Adventures' most chilling paranormal investigations. He follows up with the real people featured on fan-favorite episodes to find out what happened after the crew left.

''Ghost Adventures: Serial Killer Spirits''

''Ghost Adventures: Serial Killer Spirits'' premiered on Saturday October 5, 2019, on the Travel Channel. The series aired as a 4 part miniseries featuring Zak and the crew visiting locations across the United States teeming with the dark energies of serial killers.

''Ghost Adventures: Screaming Room!''

''Ghost Adventures: Screaming Room!'' premiered on January 2, 2020, on the Travel Channel. There were 13 episodes announced for the first season and second season with Zak, Aaron, Jay and Billy opening up to viewers in their screening room (a.k.a. "screaming room") to watch their favorite episodes.

''Ghost Adventures: Quarantine''

''Ghost Adventures: Quarantine'' premiered on June 11, 2020, on the Travel Channel. The series aired as a 4 part miniseries featuring Zak and the crew locked inside his Haunted Museum for 10 days during the 2020

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The first episode of this miniseries started filming during the start of Nevada state lockdown on March 30. It was titled "Perimeter of Fear" where GAC investigated the

Jack Kevorkian Murad Jacob "Jack" Kevorkian (May 26, 1928 – June 3, 2011) was an American pathologist and euthanasia proponent. He publicly championed a terminal patient's right to die by physician-assisted suicide, embodied in his quote, "Dying is n ...

van room where women have fainted, the

Natalie Wood Natalie Wood ( Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress who began her career in film as a child and successfully transitioned to young adult roles. Wood started acting at age four and was given a co-starring r ...

room and a display of haunted dolls.

''Ghost Adventures: Top 10''

''Ghost Adventures: Top 10'' premiered on Saturday January 2, 2021, on Discovery+. The series aired as an 8 episode miniseries. Zak Bagans counts down fans' favorite moments from Ghost Adventures. It's a fun yet terrifying walk down memory lane as Zak revisits the scariest, funniest and most insane clips from episodes past and presents some of the crew's best paranormal evidence.

''Ghost Adventures: House Calls''

''Ghost Adventures: House Calls'' premiered on Thursday May 19, 2022, on Discovery+. The series will air as an 8 part miniseries. Zak Bagans investigates the haunted homes of everyday people who are living in terror with nowhere else to turn; Zak and his crew enter each residence armed with equipment to document the unexplained activity.

Other

''Paranormal Challenge''

''Paranormal Challenge'' is a competitive paranormal reality show that premiered on June 17, 2011, on the Travel Channel, with one season aired to date. The show is hosted by Zak Bagans, who challenges ghost hunters from around the United States to go head-to-head in a weekly competition to gather paranormal evidence by spending a night in reportedly haunted locations in the United States.

''Deadly Possessions''

''Deadly Possessions'' (also known as ''Ghost Adventures: Artifacts'') is a series that premiered on April 2, 2016, on the Travel Channel. The series aired one season and features Zak Bagans as he gathers artifacts for his new museum in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. The show reveals the dark history of the items, as well as associated paranormal claims.

''Demon House''

''Demon House'' premiered on Friday March 16, 2018, with Lost Footage from the film being released on January 1, 2019 and an Uncut version airing shortly after on February 16, 2019, on the Travel Channel. After buying a haunted home in Indiana over the phone, sight unseen, paranormal investigator Zak Bagans and his crew are unprepared for the demonic forces that await them at the location referred to as a "Portal to Hell."

''The Haunted Museum''

''The Haunted Museum'' premiered on Saturday October 2, 2021, on Discovery+. There were 9 episodes announced for the first season. Paranormal investigator and host of Ghost Adventures Zak Bagans joins forces with filmmaker Eli Roth, the modern master of horror, to present a terrifying film anthology inspired by pieces found in Zak’s personal collection of haunted artifacts.

Distribution

International

''Ghost Adventures'' is currently on air or streaming in the following countries and channels: * on

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

Foxtel Go Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

With Foxtel having their own online catchup service called

Foxtel GO Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

* on

DTour DTour (styled as DTOUR) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel was originally established by Canwest in 1997 as Prime, a cable companion to Global with a general entertainment format focusing o ...

* on

(2020–present) * on AXN Sci Fi and DMAX * on FOKUS TV * on

Planète+ Planète+ (formerly Planète Câble) is a French television network that primarily broadcasts documentaries. It is owned by the Canal+ Group. It is available on digital terrestrial television Digital terrestrial television (DTTV or DTT, or ...

A&E –

CStar CStar () is a private national French TV channel, owned by Canal+ Group. History D17 was launched on 7 October 2012, replacing Direct Star, after Canal+ bought it to Bolloré Group. D17 was rebranded CStar on 5 September 2016. Since 27 F ...

* on DMAX * on A&E Germany * on Spike * on Spike * on Prima ZOOM * on

and

(2021–present) * on

* on Travel Channel –

Sky Cable Sky Cable (stylized as SKYcable) is a cable television service of Sky Cable Corporation in the Philippines. It covers areas across the country with both digital and analog cable services, and it has 700,000 subscribers, controlling 45% of ...

and Cignal PH * on Travel Channel –

DStv Digital Satellite Television, commonly abbreviated to DStv, is a Sub-Saharan African direct broadcast satellite service owned by MultiChoice and based in Randburg, South Africa. Launched on 6 October 1995, the service provides multiple audio, ...

* on

TrueVisions TrueVisions is a cable and satellite television operator in Thailand. TrueVisions is owned by the True Corporation. Until February 2007, it was called the United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), or UBC-True. History International Broadcasting ...

* on

* on Max by

Home media releases

The documentary which the series was based on was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

Echo Bridge Home Entertainment Echo Bridge Entertainment is an American independent distribution company. It acquires and distributes feature films, scripted and non-scripted series, documentaries, and children’s programming for home video, digital and television in the United ...

on October 5, 2010. Season 1 was released on DVD on August 18, 2009, the Season 2 DVD was released on September 14, 2010, Season 3 was released on September 6, 2011, Season 4 on September 4, 2012, and Season 5 on February 24, 2014. Many episodes are available to stream on Discovery+. However, it is missing key episodes that primarily feature Mark and Debby Constantino as guest investigators out of respect to them and their families, such episodes include "Washoe Club and Chollar Mine", "Goldfield", "Mustang Ranch", "Winchester Mystery House" to name but a few. Other episodes that are currently missing include the original Documentary film, any version of the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum live episode, and the "La Palazza" episode.

Footnotes

References

* *

External links

* * *{{thetvdb, 83929 Travel Channel original programming Paranormal reality television series 2008 American television series debuts

Premise

Methodology

Team members

Former

Celebrity guests

Series overview

Episodes

Reception

Controversies

Related productions

Spin-offs

''Ghost Adventures: Aftershocks''

''Ghost Adventures: Where Are They Now?''

''Ghost Adventures: Serial Killer Spirits''

''Ghost Adventures: Screaming Room!''

''Ghost Adventures: Quarantine''

''Ghost Adventures: Top 10''

''Ghost Adventures: House Calls''

Other

''Paranormal Challenge''

''Deadly Possessions''

''Demon House''

''The Haunted Museum''

Distribution

International

Home media releases

See also

Footnotes

References

External links