''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 ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

series that premiered on October 17, 2008, on the

Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, who previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in Manhattan, with ...

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 Discov ...

in 2021. An independent film of the same name originally aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on July 25, 2007. The program follows ghost hunters Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley as they investigate locations that are reported to be haunted.

Premise

''Ghost Adventures'' was preceded by an

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

with the same title, produced in a

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

style. It was filmed in 2004 and produced by 4Reel Productions in 2006. The SciFi Channel premiered the film 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, United States, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno, Nevada, Reno–Sparks, Nevada, Sparks Reno, NV Metropolitan ...

, 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 architec ...

Goldfield, Nevada Goldfield is an unincorporated town and census-designated place 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. Gold ...

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

merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...

of MY Entertainment and Tupelo-Honey Productions).

Methodology

Zak Bagans, Nick Groff (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 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) is a physical field, varying in space and time, that represents the electric and magnetic influences generated by and acting upon electric charges. The field at any point in space and time can be regarde ...

(EMF)

meters The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

, 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 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, 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 EV ...

(EVP), and apparitions. The crew also claims to have recorded

spirit possession Spirit Possession is an altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors which are purportedly caused by the control of a human body and its functions by Supernatural#Spirit, spirits, ghosts, demons, angels, or Deity, gods. The concept ...

s on video. Bagans believes that he was possessed at the Preston School of Industry and at Poveglia Island in Italy. Groff claims that he was overtaken by a "dark energy" at the

Moon River Brewing Company Moon River Brewing Company was 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 Ogletho ...

. 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 Winch ...

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

Team members

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

Former

* Nick Groff (2008–2014) 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): " Pico House" episode * Brendan Schaub – " Peabody-Whitehead Mansion" episode *

Chad Lindberg Chad Tyler Lindberg (born November 1, 1976) is an American actor. He is known for his film roles in '' The Fast and the Furious'' and '' October Sky'', as well as television roles on ''Sons of Anarchy'' and ''Supernatural''. Lindberg was also the ...

– " Return to Linda Vista Hospital" episode *

Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist of heavy metal music, heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 formation until his departure in 1992. Neil reunited with the ...

– " The Riviera Hotel" episode * Jamie Gold – "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 "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

– " Loretta Lynn's Plantation House" episode * Brit Morgan – " Glen Tavern Inn" episode * Mimi Page – "Glen Tavern Inn" episode *

Post Malone Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His music blends various genres including hip-hop, Pop music, pop, Contemporary R&B, R&B, Tra ...

– "The Slaughter House" episode * Ciaran O'Keeffe – "Hellfire Caves" episode * Dean Haglund – "Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum" episode *

Loren Gray Loren Gray Beech (born April 19, 2002) is an American social media personality, singer, and songwriter. Gray rose to prominence in 2015 on the video sharing app, Musical.ly. In 2018, she released her debut single "My Story" under Virgin Recor ...

– "Joshua Tree Inn" episode *

Holly Madison Holly Madison (born Hollin Sue Cullen; December 23, 1979) is an American television personality, best known as a former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner and for her appearance in the reality television show ''The Girls Next Door''. She also starred in h ...

– "Haunting in the Hills" episode *

Jonathan Davis Jonathan Howsmon Davis (born January 18, 1971), also known as JD, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is the lead vocalist and frontman of nu metal band Korn, which is considered a pioneering act of the nu metal genre. Davis's ...

– "Glen Tavern Tragedy" episode * Matt Rife – "Abandoned at Whiskey Pete's" episode

Series overview

Episodes

Reception

''Ghost Adventures'' (along with '' Ghost Hunters'') 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 list of reportedly haunted locations, locations that are purportedly haunted by ghosts. The practice has been heavily criticized for its dismissal of the scientific method. No scientific study has e ...

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

as well as

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...

Controversies

Ghost hunting shows and ''Ghost Adventures'' in particular, have been accused of fakery.In the

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

special titled ''Ghost Adventures Live'', which was broadcast from the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum 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 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 could not 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. 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 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 not a crime" ...

van room where women have fainted, the

Natalie Wood Natalie Wood (née Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress. She began acting at age four and co-starred at age eight in ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947). As a teenager, she was nominated for an Academy Award f ...

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+. 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, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. 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 Eli Roth, noted horror movie maker, to present a film anthology inspired by pieces found in Zak’s personal collection of allegedly 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 GoWith

Foxtel NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...

having their own online catchup service called Foxtel GO * on DTour,

* on

(2020–present) * on AXN Sci Fi and DMAX * on FOKUS TV * on Planète+ A&E –

CStar CStar () is a French free-to-air television channel, owned by Canal+. History D17 was launched on 7 October 2012, replacing Direct Star, after Canal+ bought it from Bolloré. D17 was rebranded CStar on 5 September 2016. Since 27 February ...

* on Discovery and

* on A&E Germany * on Spike and

* on Spike * on Prima ZOOM * on

and

Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

(2023–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 th ...

and Cignal PH * on Travel Channel – DStv * on

TrueVisions True Visions Group Co., Ltd. is the largest provider of a cable analog television (CAtv) and digital satellite television (DStv) in Thailand. TrueVisions is a subsidiary of the business division of True Corporation. Prior to February 2007, ...

* on

* on Max by

Home media

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 ki ...

by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment 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.

Footnotes

Notes

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

See also

Footnotes

Notes

References

External links