Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal and reality television series. The original series aired from October 6, 2004 until October 26, 2016 on Syfy. The original program spanned eleven seasons with 230 episodes, not including 10 specials. The series was revived in early 2019 and aired its twelfth and thirteenth seasons from August 21, 2019, to May 27, 2020, on A&E, after which it was cancelled and then revived for its fourteenth season only months later on Discovery+, which started airing on October 31, 2021. Season 15 began October 1, 2022 on Travel Channel. Season 16 of Ghost Hunters started airing on Travel Channel on April 6, 2023. No plans for further seasons have been announced by Warner Bros. Discovery as of September 2025.
The program featured Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, who founded The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) team of paranormal investigators to investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter while moonlighting as paranormal investigators at night. For the 12th and 13th seasons, the revived show featured Wilson and a new investigatory team that had no discernible connection to TAPS, although the series still maintained the same format and producers and referenced past episodes. For the fourteenth season, Hawes and the previous TAPS incarnation from 2016 returned, while Wilson and the new team were not featured.
The series, initially produced for 10 episodes as a docu-soap, had later episodes shift to a more documentary focus. Ghost Hunters episodes feature the team going to reportedly haunted locations across the United States, with some investigations in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Canada in earlier seasons. The latter concept led to the show's first spin-off, Ghost Hunters International, in 2008, which often featured Ghost Hunters investigators in lead and guest roles, including Hawes and Wilson. A second spin-off, Ghost Hunters Academy (2009–10), had TAPS members Dave Tango and Steve Gonsalves training prospective investigators in a competitive format. Additionally, annual Halloween specials were broadcast live from 2005 to 2011 and featured celebrity guests and interactivity.
The series popularized paranormal reality television and ghost hunting, and some members of the show have moved on to feature in their own television programs.
Premise Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, along with other team members who belong to the group they founded, The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), investigate locations of interest by using various electronic equipment, which they believe is capable of detecting paranormal activity. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as a day job while investigating locations at night.
Investigative procedures
When investigating a location, TAPS team members first visit and survey the property with its owners, who describe their experiences at the site. Next, the team sets up electronic equipment in the apparent paranormal hotspots. The TAPS team then spends several hours taking electromagnetic field and temperature readings, recording audio for EVPs, and filming with digital video cameras. Many times, they will even try to verbally coax the ghosts into responding, while recording. Afterwards, the team spends several days analyzing all of the data for evidence of possible paranormal activity.
A few days after reviewing the information, Hawes and Wilson discuss their findings with the location site owners, offer suggestions for dealing with any apparent activity, and answer any questions the owners may have.
The TAPS members state that they do not believe that every phenomenon captured is evidence of the paranormal and sometimes provide reasonable explanations such as cold spots which may be drafty windows, strange noises that may be a thumping branch or vermin in the walls, moving objects which may have been accidentally bumped or tugged, or phantom lights which can be reflections of light from a passing vehicle.
Since the series began airing, TAPS has recorded thousands of hours of audio and video data. Most investigations, according to TAPS, turn up cold with very little, if any, paranormal activity occurring; however, the ghost hunters claim to have several decent recordings of moving objects, mysterious lights, strange mists, and shadowy figures that manifest before the camera and are highlighted at the end of the show.
Sci Fi initially categorized the program as a docu-soap. In addition to the investigative aspect, the show has also presented personal conflicts and relationships among members of the TAPS team. Portions of some episodes portray Hawes and Wilson involved with their plumbing job or personal lives, but this varies by episode and is not always included. As the series progressed, however, the "behind-the-scenes" and "docu-soap" aspects were reduced, and by the fifth season the show focused primarily on the investigations, with virtually none of the docu-soap material that characterized earlier episodes.
Equipment used During investigations, the TAPS ghost hunters team use various equipment, including digital thermometers, EMF meters, thermographic and night vision cameras, handheld and static digital video cameras, digital audio recorders, and laptop computers.
The team has also experimented, in at least one episode, with a geiger counter during their investigation to see if it would register any anomalous readings.
Starting around the third season, the team has used the K-2 (or K-II) meter, a type of EMF meter that uses a series of LEDs to measure the strength of an energy field instead of a numerical LCD screen. During the Manson murders investigation, in particular, the team used a K-2 meter in an attempt to get "yes" and "no" responses to verbal questions posed to a supposed entity in a room.
In the fifth season's "Edith Wharton Estate" case, the team introduced two new pieces of equipment: one is a custom-made geophone, which detects vibrations and flashes a series of LEDs that measure the intensity of the vibration; the second is a new EMF detector that makes a buzzing sound when in the presence of an electromagnetic field, and the stronger the field, the louder it buzzes. In the episode, the geophones were recorded on video flashing to the vibrations of what sounded like footsteps across a floor, even though no one was supposedly in the room.
Other gear not typically shown on screen are an ion generator, a device that charges the air with electricity and is theorized to help spirits manifest, and the white noise generator, an audio device that makes a static background noise and is theorized to act as a catalyst for assisting entities in making EVPs.
Team Current members Jason Hawes – lead investigator/producer/TAPS Founder (2004–2016; 2021–2023) Steve Gonsalves – co-lead investigator, previously tech manager (2004–2016; 2021–2023) Dave Tango – tech manager/investigator (2005–2016; 2021–2023) Shari DeBenedetti – investigator (2016; 2021–2023)
Guest members Members who currently make Guest Appearances in Episodes Amy Bruni – Main investigator (2008–2014), Guest Investigator (2021–2023) Adam Berry – Ghost Hunters Academy winner, Main investigator (2010–2014), Guest Investigator (2021–2023) Dustin Pari – Main investigator (2005–2008; moved to GHI in 2008, returned to GH as main team member 2015–2016), Guest Investigator (2014, 2021–2023) Samantha Hawes – Main investigator (2014–2016), Guest Investigator (2021–2023) Kris Williams – case manager/investigator (2007–2011; moved to GHI in 2011) Guest Investigator (2021–2023) Satori Hawes – Guest Investigator (2022–2023) Cody Ray DesBiens – Guest Investigator (2022–2023) Austin Hawes– Guest Investigator (2023)
Former members This list includes former investigators considered part of the crew, and is sorted by tenure and amount of investigations taken part in. Persons after season 1 who made less than 7 appearances are not included.
Grant Wilson – lead investigator/producer/TAPS co-founder (2004–2012; 2014 guest; 2019–2020) Britt Griffith – investigator (2008–2014) K.J. McCormick – investigator (2010–2016) Brian Harnois – tech manager/investigator (2004–2007; moved to GHI) Donna LaCroix – case manager/investigator (2004–2007; moved to GHI) Kristen Luman – guest investigator (2015); co-lead investigator (2019–2020) Daryl Marston – co-lead investigator (2019–2020) Mustafa Gatollari – team researcher/investigator (2019–2020) Brandon Alvis – tech manager/investigator (2019–2020) Brian Murray – investigator (2019–2020) Richel Stratton – investigator (2019–2020) Kristyn Gartland – investigator (2005–2009) Joe Chin – investigator (2008–2010, moved to GHI; 2014 guest) Andy Andrews – investigator (2004–2007; moved to GHI) Traci Boiselle – case manager/Halloween special 2011 Center Command staff (2011; 2016) Joshua Ovenshire – tech manager (2016) Barry Fitzgerald – investigator/GHI lead investigator (2006–2010) Michelle Tate – Ghost Hunters Academy alumni, investigator (2013–2014) Mike Dion – investigator (2004–2007) Lisa Dowaliby – investigator (2006–2007) Ashley Troub – investigator (2012) Carl Johnson – demonologist (2004–2006) Paula Donovan – investigator (2005–2006)
Celebrity guest appearances (2008–2016) During its first run of episodes, aside from guest investigators with connections to The Atlantic Paranormal Society, Ghost Hunters utilized connections with other Syfy and NBCUniversal series to feature actors and personalities from those programs, in particular during the live specials and especially those for Halloween:
Josh Gates – multiple episodes (also Ghost Hunters live specials host) Meat Loaf – "A Bat Out of Hell", "Sloss Furnaces", and “The Haunted House on the Hill” episodes. Ghost Brothers - “Tortured Souls of Cresson” episode. Johnny Weir - “Bound by Blood” episode. Elijah Burke – "2007 Halloween Special" episode Colin Ferguson – "USS Hornet" episode Ben Hansen – "2010 Halloween Special" episode Kofi Kingston – "2010 Halloween Special" episode Nene Leakes, Shereé Whitfield and Kim Zolciak – "T.A.P.S. Meets The Real Housewives of Atlanta" episode Joe Maddalena – "2010 Halloween Special" episode Eddie McClintock – "Ghost of Buffalo Bill" episode Mike "The Miz" Mizanin – "2008 Halloween Special" episode CM Punk – "2006 Halloween Special" episode Meaghan Rath – "2010 Halloween Special" episode Allison Scagliotti – "2010 Halloween Special" episode Amanda Tapping – "2008 Halloween Special" episode Steve Valentine – "2008 Halloween Special" episode Meredith Vieira – "Murdered Matron" episode
Production On March 3, 2010, Ghost Hunters''' 100th episode aired, featuring their investigation of Alcatraz Prison. The two-hour special featured a live studio audience with question and answer segments, hosted by Josh Gates of Destination Truth. The special also featured the GHI crew, the winning contestants of Ghost Hunters Academy, and Craig Piligian, the creator and executive producer of Ghost Hunters. On June 2, 2011, Syfy renewed Ghost Hunters for an eighth season, marking it as the longest-running reality series to air on the network.
On February 15, 2012, Grant Wilson announced he would be leaving the cast of Ghost Hunters in order to focus on his personal life. In a statement, Hawes responded with, "I will miss working with Grant on a daily basis, and am indebted to the level of dedication and expertise he has brought to our field. I can’t imagine having a better partner through it all — both on the show and off. Grant and I, along with our spouses and children, are all like one big family. While I fully support his decision to move on from the series, this longtime friendship — as well as our business partnership — will continue off-camera for years to come." Subsequently, Wilson also left the Beyond Reality radio show and was eventually replaced by JV Johnson, the publisher/editor of TAPS Para-magazine.