If you love ghost investigation shows then you most likely have seen at least a few episodes of the grand-daddy of the genre, Ghost Hunters. For 13 years, the TAPS team (led by Roto-Rooter plumbers Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson) went headfirst into some of the most reportedly haunted locations, including places like Eastern State Penitentiary. They also helped out regular homeowners dealing with apparitions and poltergeists plaguing their daily lives.
While the show has been off the air for a few years and the investigators have moved onto their own spinoffs and spirit-searching series, Discovery+ is getting the band back together for season 14. Fans at New York Comic Con got to spend an hour with some of the TAPS team, including Steve Gonsalves, Dave Tango, and Shari DeBenedetti, along with special guests Amy Bruni and Adam Berry. Founder Hawes was unable to attend but moderator Damian Holbrook shared a video message from the team leader.
The panel offered fans an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming season (which is not a reboot, but a continuation of the OG series), exclusively streaming on Discovery+ and kicking off on Halloween with a one-hour special.
Gonsalves shared why this incarnation was the right thing to do and one of the reasons why some of the original team members were on board to return.
“Ghost Hunters became very much ‘we’re investing, we’re investigating, we’re trying to get the best piece of evidence,’ and we sort of lost a little along the way of actually helping people. To be able to now know that we are back to that, helping people, under Ghost Hunters, is awesome. It’s a bit of a different mission statement.”
The investigator was happy to return to more extensive research and more personal stories where the team can provide closure and help. He added:
“The people who are experiencing these things, they’re not investigators, they don’t have the mindset like we do. They see something, it’s absolutely terrifying. People who live in a haunted house. They really have a hard time maintaining relationships, sleep patterns. They have a hard time maintaining a career. All of those things really come into play. Being able to give anybody a bit of a relief from that I think is really awesome.”
Tango chimed in:
“That’s the best thing. That warm feeling you get from actually helping people. We are a show, but we really are helping people.”
The special event reflected on some of the show’s most terrifying moments, including when investigator Dustin Pari was knocked down inside Ireland’s Leap Castle or when the team was chased out of Trans-Allegheny Asylum. They also discussed how sometimes their work followed them home. Bruni while pregnant felt something hugging her leg as if a small child-sized ghost was feeling her upcoming mommy vibes.
The panel also revealed a look at the Halloween special where the team returns to the famously haunted Missouri State Penitentiary. Just like in previous visits, the spot did not disappoint.
A big announcement was that the streaming service has acquired all the seasons of the show’s first run, which fans can catch up on beginning October 15.
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