''Sci Fi Investigates'' is a six episode
reality television series featuring skeptic
Rob Mariano, forensic specialist Deborah Dobrydney, archaeologist Bill Doleman, and paranormal investigator Richard Dolan, as they look at
paranormal and
supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
phenomenon and try to explain them. The show debuted in October 2006 on the American
SyFy
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. Lau ...
channel following ''
Ghost Hunters''. There have also been two
webisodes.
Episode format
The series documents a team of four
paranormal investigators who travel to various locations around the
United States and investigate various
urban legends.
The team uses various research methods to gather as much information as they can about the particular legend or phenomena an episode focuses on. They meet with local residents, listen to eye-witness reports, study documentation, conduct forensic experiments on physical evidence, and conduct on-location archaeological studies. At the end they review and discuss their findings and each investigator gives their opinions from different points-of-view.
Each episode is an hour long, including commercials.
Criticism
The Cryptomundo blog by Mothman researcher
Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman (born July 12, 1947) is an American cryptozoologist who has written over 40 books on a number of topics, including the pseudoscience and subculture of cryptozoology.
Early life
Coleman was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and grew up in ...
is an indepth criticism of the October 26, 2006, "Sci-fi Investigates" broadcast's "Mothman" episode. Coleman wrote that while it had a few moments that are pure entertainment and certainly funny, it had little or nothing to do with "investigating" Mothman or unexplained phenomena.
Credited cast
*Deborah Dobrydney – Dobrydney is a
forensics
Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and crimina ...
specialist with a B.S. in
psychology and a B.A. in Spanish studies both from
Fordham University
Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...
in New York and is a graduate of the Masters of Science program from the
University of New Haven. She has worked for a crime scene investigation unit since 2002.
*
Richard M. Dolan
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...
– Dolan is a
paranormal investigator and author of two volumes entitled ''UFOs and the National Security State''. Prior to his interest in UFOs, he studied Cold War history, tactics and diplomacy. He has a master's degree in history from the
University of Rochester and a bachelor's degree in history from
Alfred University
Alfred University is a private university in Alfred (village), New York, Alfred, New York. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The ...
. He earned a certificate in political theory from
Oxford University and was a
Rhodes Scholar
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
finalist. Dolan has also appeared in numerous paranormal documentaries over the years including Sci-Fi Channel's ''UFO Invasion at Rendlesham'' documentary.
*Bill Doleman – Dr. Doleman is an
archaeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
. He was also the chief investigator of a
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell () is a city in, and the County seat, seat of, Chaves County, New Mexico, Chaves County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Chaves County forms the entirety of the List of micropolitan areas in New Mexico, Roswell micropolitan area. As of ...
evidence dig conducted by the
University of New Mexico and documented in the 2003 documentary ''The Roswell Crash: Startling New Evidence'', which was hosted by
Bryant Gumbel and also produced by the Sci-Fi Channel. Doleman is a 1995 graduate of UNM with a Ph.D. in
anthropology. In 2004, Doleman became director of New Mexico's archaeological archive and database (a.k.a. ARMS).
*Rob Mariano – An
adventurer, Rob Mariano was also the former competitor "Boston Rob" to fans of ''
Survivor: Marquesas'', ''
Survivor: All-Stars'' and ''
The Amazing Race
''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in forei ...
''. He is the
skeptic of the investigative team.
*Lisa Van Camp – Van Camp is a forensic analyst (appeared in "Roswell" and "Paranormal Hotspots" episodes, filling in for Dobrydney)
Episodes
Specials
*Highway to Hell: The Legends of Clinton Road (SciFi.com Webisode in five parts) – Deborah and Richard investigate local ghost stories of Clinton Road in
West Milford, NJ
West Milford is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 25,850, reflecting a decline of 560 (−2.1%) from the 26,410 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in ...
.
See also
* ''
The X Creatures
''The X Creatures'' is a British documentary television series that was produced by the BBC which was broadcast from 26 August to 30 September 1998 on BBC One. It was presented by Chris Packham, and examined the possibility of the existence of m ...
'' – a similar
BBC series
* ''
Destination Truth''
* ''
Ghost Hunters''
External links
Sci Fi Investigates Cryptomundo blog on Sci Fi Investigates' Mothman
{{Cryptozoology
Paranormal television
Syfy original programming
2000s American reality television series
2006 American television series debuts
2006 American television series endings