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Exploring the Supernatural with Josh Gates: A Deep Dive into His Spine-Chilling Adventures

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True fans of Josh Gates know that he is like a real-life Indiana Jones. He has been all over the world exploring the secrets of ancient civilizations, finding treasure, and even crossing paths with the supernatural.

Meet the Reality Daredevil

Gates was born in Massachusetts. But his adventures would take the now 45-year-old far from his home and into the unknown — several mystical destinations that are far more fantastic than the ones of Steven Spielberg’s fedora-wearing adventurer.

Josh Gates: Facebook

Clad in his adventure garb including his signature necklace, Gates has taken viewers into places they most likely will never visit in person. Along the way he, and we, have encountered some pretty hair-raising adventures.

We have gone in search of Amelia Earhart and explored lost Incan ruins. He has brought us along to find cryptids and other supernatural mysteries.

In fact, when FOX News asked him about the one place he would never return his answer was a place notoriously known for its ghostly inhabitants.

“I would say Waverly Hills, which is an abandoned sanitarium here in the States — it’s high on the list of places I don’t ever want to spend the night again,” Gates said. “A lot of those old, 19th-century sanitariums, mental institutions, there are a number of them left here, old prisons, things like that.”

Waverly Hills

The 6’2″ explorer was raised Episcopalian but thanks to his deep dive into the afterlife, has since become a little more fluid in his spiritual beliefs.

“Most cultures believe, and most religions believe, that there is a spirit, there is a soul, there is something that happens when we die where this spirit leaves our body,” he said in an interview for FOX. “And there are people all over the world who believe in ghosts and angels and demons — things like that. And we touch on this throughout [Destination Unknown: Search for the Afterlife]. But belief and faith are very personal things.”

Destination Truth

This is the series that started it all. Gates was not only the host but also its co-executive producer. In its run from 2007 to 2012, there were a total of 30 episodes. It was on the SyFy Channel back when it was called “Sci-Fi.”

This was the world’s first introduction to Gates. They quickly found him fearless and intrepid. But he also had a sense of humor. There were a few popular supernatural reality series at the time. Shows such as MonsterQuest and Ghost Hunters had already perfected the formula, but Gates took it one step further; he explored remote parts of the world and took us along with him.

Josh Gates

The one thing about Gates is that he is a borderline skeptic which often leads to humorous one-liners or witty banter with his team. However, when he experiences a phenomenon that can’t be explained right away, he doesn’t dismiss it.

Whether it is scuba diving, exploring an ancient temple, or tromping through the jungle, Gates is always trying to find the truth even if there is no definite answer to what he is seeking.

Ghost Hunting

Jason Hawes, Josh Gates and Steve Gonsalves

Speaking of the cable television hit Ghost Hunters, another popular reality show with nosey infrared cameras and hosts, Gates crossed over into the series in 2007 with a live Halloween special. He became a regular guest and even hosted a seven-hour live investigation in 2008.

Gates seems to have a soft spot for ghosts and the people who hunt them. In 2012 he made a guest appearance on Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files and created the paranormal reality series Stranded under the Jason Blum production company.

Today, he produces another show called Ghost Nation which stars Ghost Hunter legacy investigators Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves, and Dave Tango.

Additionally, in 2020 he teamed with paranormal researcher Jessica Chobot and scientist Phil Torres for a show called Expedition X.

Expedition Unknown

At the beginning of 2015, Gates began working for the Travel Channel with this adventurous reality series. The show would eventually make its way to the Discovery Channel where it would remain a channel staple.

In that time Gates would investigate a haunted ship, Mayan ruins, vampires, Japan’s Atlantis, the lost city of Roanoke, and the Bermuda Triangle.

Josh Gates is back in 2023 with the continuation of this series. This time he invites viewers on an adventure of a lifetime. He once again visits captivating archeological wonders while trying to solve some of history’s most captivating puzzles.

Additionally, the bearded daredevil will continue to explore the stranger side of the unknown in a series of action-packed episodes.

Destination Unknown: Search for the Afterlife

Taking things into the great beyond, Gates isn’t satisfied limiting his exploration to the corporeal world. In this series he assists with a real exorcism, talks to scientists about what happens the moment we die, examines a haunted ship and learns about the afterlife in Varanasi, India.

This series, he admits, was a trek into things that made him question his own faith.

“In the first episode, I openly stated that I was raised Christian,” Gates said. “And like a lot of people, I sort of drifted away from the church as I got older. Now I have two small kids. I have a family and I’m starting to ask those questions. I’m at a point in my life where I’m saying, ‘What is really out there?’ For me, there were a number of moments in the special that really challenged my agnostic beliefs.”

Josh Gates: Facebook/Discovery+

Josh Gates On Tour

Gates has continued to connect with his fans through live appearances. He just finished up a national tour at the end of last year, and although he doesn’t have another one scheduled at this time, be sure to follow him on social media for updates and schedules. His shows are very popular and often sell out.

Discovery+

If you are interested in following Josh on his many adventures, most of the shows listed above can be found on Discovery+. This is a paid content app that requires a subscription.

Final Thoughts

Josh Gates is a reality show celebrity, but what is different about him is his team’s fearless and often dangerous forays into places most of us fear to tread. Whether he’s diving into the ocean’s depths to explore its mysteries, traversing through a haunted house, or spelunking into a deep cave, he always delivers a nail-biting good time.

While we still love our fictional cinematic adventurers, we can always count on Gates to take us away from the theater and put us into his Jeep for a wildly exciting road trip.

Josh Gates: Facebook
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Nick Groff Reveals “Truth” Behind ‘Ghost Adventures’ & Zak Bagans

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It could be argued that the American paranormal documentary and reality TV phenomenon started with Ghost Adventures back in 2004 when then-unknown investigator Zak Bagans and his team filmed a documentary that allegedly revealed actual footage of paranormal activity on camera. That movie wouldn’t become widely available to viewers until it aired on the SyFy (nee Sci-Fi) Channel in 2007.

The movie, titled Ghost Adventures, inspired a television reality show of the same name that premiered on a different network, The Travel Channel, in 2008.

It must be noted that the hugely popular paranormal investigation reality show Ghost Hunters was already a mainstay on SyFy since 2004 and would go on to span 11 seasons.

Since then both original shows have found new life on Discovery+ with each brand having spin-offs and new seasons.

Lately, Ghost Adventures has become the topic of rumors and harsh accusations, especially against its host Zak Bagans. From allegations of career sabotage to being hard to work with, Bagans has recently been vilified by some people formerly on his team.

One of the original creators of Ghost Adventures, Nick Groff went on Twitter this week to speak about his former business partner, and let’s just say Bagans didn’t fare well. Groff doesn’t mention Bagans by name in the video, he often refers to him vaguely, as in, “the host who I was working with.”

To be fair, the paranormal behind-the-scenes drama is really nothing compared to the success that the original Ghost Adventures team wrought. Since Bagans was the face of the show (and still is), and apparently a sex symbol in that field, it was mostly his persona that propelled the brand into reality stardom.

That isn’t to say no one else from his team didn’t work hard to make the show as iconic as it is, Groff even says he helped come up with the name. But comparatively, Bagans is like the lead singer of a rock band and his investigators just aren’t as visible.

However, Groff, having gone solo, is himself a pop culture favorite. His show Paranormal Lockdown, which he executive produced, found a huge following. Many fans were upset that it ended in 2019 as you will see in his Twitter Q&A above.

Tell us what you think of this reality drama in the comments.

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‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2’ Comes to Brilliant 4K UHD From Vinegar Syndrome

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Texas

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is on its way to us from Vinegar Syndrome. The new release comes with an entire heck load of special features to boot. From new interviews with Tom Savini to Caroline Williams and more the disc is loaded with all kinds of new features to dig into. Of course, the new collection also made sure to include all the previously released special features. This makes for one hell of an absolutely complete collection.

The entire Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 experience on its own is a brilliant one. Director, Tobe Hooper took things in a vastly different level from that of the first film. Gone are the greasy, dirty, sweat-drenched Texas summers with the underlined stench of a cattle feed lot. Instead, Hooper went in a direction that underlined a comicbookish feel to the characters and the evil undeground lair in which The Saw and The Family took to hiding. It isn’t a direction everyone woul have gone with but Hooper wasn’t everyone and his brilliance shined through immensely with this gigantic choice.

The Vinegar Syndrome Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 special features include:

  • 4K Ultra HD / Region A Blu-ray Set
  • 4K UHD presented in High-Dynamic-Range
  • Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
  • Presented with it’s original 2.0 stereo theatrical mix
  • Brand new audio commentary with film critic Patrick Bromley
  • Audio commentary with director Tobe Hooper
  • Audio commentary with actors Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams and special effects makeup creator Tom Savini
  • Audio commentary with director of photography Richard Kooris, production designer Cary White, script supervisor Laura Kooris and property master Michael Sullivan
  • “The Saw and Savini” – a brand new 2022 interview with special effects makeup creator Tom Savini
  • “Stretch Lives!” – a brand new 2022 interview with actress Caroline Williams
  • “Serving Tom” – a brand new 2022 interview with special makeup effects artist Gabe Bartalos
  • “Remember The Alamo” – a brand new 2022 interview with actor Kirk Sisco
  • “Texas Blood Bath” – a brand new 2022 interview with special makeup effects artist Barton Mixon
  • “Die Yuppie Scum” – a brand new 2022 interview with actor Barry Kinyon
  • “Leatherface Revisited” – a brand new 2022 interview with actor Bill Johnson
  • “Beneath The Battle Land: Remembering The Lair” – a brand new 2022 featurette with actors Caroline Williams, Barry Kinyon, Bill Johnson, and Kirk Sisco
  • Never-before-seen extended interviews with director Tobe Hooper and co-producer Cynthia Hargrave – from director Mark Hartley’s documentary “Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films”
  • “It Runs In The Family” – an 85-minute documentary on the making of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
  • “IRITF Outtakes” – extended interviews with L.M. Kit Carson and Lou Perryman
  • “House Of Pain” – an interview with makeup effects artists John Vulich, Bart Mixon, Gabe Bartalos and Gino Crognale
  • “Yuppie Meat” – an interview with actors Chris Douridas and Barry Kinyon
  • “Cutting Moments” – an interview with editor Alain Jakubowicz
  • “Behind The Mask” – an interview with stunt man and Leatherface performer Bob Elmore
  • “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds” – a featurette on the locations of the film
  • “Still Feelin’ The Buzz” – an interview with author and film historian Stephen Thrower
  • 43 minute behind-the-scenes video footage shot during the film’s production
  • Alternate Openingl
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Original theatrical trailers for U.S. and Japan
  • TV Spots
  • Extensive promotional still and image gallery
  • Reversible cover artwork
  • English SDH subtitles

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is coming to 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndome. Head over HERE to place your order before they are all gone. (They are selling out fast!)

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‘Bambi’ Meets ‘Apocolypse Now’ Fever Dream ‘Unicorn Wars’ Coming to Blu-Ray

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Unicorn

Director, Alberto Vázquez brings the animated fever dream Unicorn Wars to life in a must-see spectacle and surprisingly heavy political statement. Fantastic Fest 2022 selected Unicorn Wars as part of its programming and it didn’t let down in the heavy genre fest. The film which is best described as Apocalypse Now meets Bambi is an incredible film with surprisingly heavy drama for being such a squishy, and happy animation style. That juxtaposition makes for an incredible and singular viewing. Luckily for us, the radical experience is coming to Blu-Ray from G Kids and Shout! Factory.

The synopsis for Unicorn Wars goes like this:

For ages, teddy bears have been locked in an ancestral war against their sworn enemy, the unicorns, with the promise that victory will complete the prophecy and usher in a new era. Aggressive, confident teddy bear Bluet and his sensitive, withdrawn brother Tubby could not be more different. As the rigors and humiliation of teddy bear bootcamp turn to the psychedelic horrors of a combat tour in the Magic Forest, their complicated history and increasingly strained relationship will come to determine the fate of the entire war.

unicorn

Unicorn Wars Bonus Features

  • Interview with the director Alberto Vásquez
  • “Working in Blender” featurette
  • Feature-length animatic
  • Trailer

Unicorn Wars arrives on Blu-Ray beginning May 9. Are you excited about the insanely over-the-top experience? Let us know in the comments section.

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