‘Ghost Adventures’: Jay Wasley Addresses Shocking Findings to Come During Season 29

Aaron Goodwin, Jill Cook Richards, Zak Bagans, Billy Tolley and Jay Wasley pose with the clown doll prop featured in the movie, believed to contain sinister energy
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Discovery Channel
Aaron Goodwin, Jill Cook Richards, Zak Bagans, Billy Tolley and Jay Wasley (Discovery Channel)

They’re here! Paranormal investigators Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley and Jay Wasley are stepping into the iconic Poltergeist House for a special Season 29 premiere of Ghost Adventures on Discovery Channel on April 16. 

Over the course of two hours, they’ll tackle the first-ever otherworldly exploration inside the Simi Valley, CA property that served as the classic 1982 horror film location. This is just one of the chilling investigations the crew are hosting in future episodes. Here Wasley, who evolved on the show from sound mixer and tech guy in Season 4 to being in the thick of things, breaks down the chilling experiences to come. 

How much of a fan of the Poltergeist movie were you before going into the investigation? What stood out about this one that makes it the perfect way to kick off the season as a two-hour special episode? 

Jay Wasley: I spent most of my childhood and life watching movies and the original Poltergeist film was a big inspiration for me and influenced me on my path to become a filmmaker. It’s such an iconic horror film, so it was very surreal to be at that house. The parallels we discovered in the history of the house with the storyline of the movie were fascinating and fit perfectly with our paranormal research. At first we were going to film a regular one-hour episode there, but the evidence we captured in the Poltergeist house was absolutely mind blowing that we had to dive deeper into the investigation making it a two-hour special episode. The history, the stories, the interviews and the evidence all make it a perfect way to kick off our new Ghost Adventures season. 

Ghost Adventures

Ghost Adventures crew in basement of Poltergeist house. (Discovery Channel)

Any new tech or approaches you all take this season? 

I’ve been with the show 15 years now, and I love that we are all passionate about what we do and always trying to push the envelope and evolve the paranormal research field. We are constantly looking to use new equipment and technology in our investigations. We also try to use old equipment and approaches in new ways and are always adapting to the particular case we are investigating. We love every investigation we do, but this season we really dive in on a personal level and really open ourselves up to these locations.

How was it having Jonathan Davis and Matt Rife join in on their respective investigations? I know Jonathan joins you all for the Glen Tavern Inn while Matt comes on to explore the reported hauntings of a legendary bootlegger at a shuttered casino. 

Having Jonathon Davis and Matt Rife join us on different investigations was incredible. It’s really cool to bring in some new energy and these guys both fit perfectly with our team. They were really into investigating the paranormal and I was impressed with how well they both did. I grew up a big fan of Jonathan’s music with Korn and there was a really cool moment while filming the investigation that he turned to me and said “You guys have the best job in the world.” He was so into it and so excited that it made us all really be able to capture some amazing evidence. And I must agree, we do have the best job in the world. 

Any other guests you can tease or reveal? 

We have an episode at the Winchester Mystery House, ,which we’ve investigated before capturing amazing evidence, but this time we got to be there for the 100th anniversary of [Harry] Houdini performing a seance at the house. So we wanted to try and tap into that spiritual energy, and we found the only known blood relative of Houdini and brought in a few friends to conduct our own seance and the visual evidence we captured during that seance is something that is going to shock and stick with the viewers. I can’t wait for you all to see. 

Zak Bagans touching TV in Poltergeist house

Zak Bagans touching TV in Poltergeist house. (Discovery Channel)

Was there one episode this season that viewers will find most shocking or unexpected? 

Honestly, every episode this season has shocked us and felt much more personal than past investigations. So I really think the viewers will be just as shocked with what we encountered and the evidence we captured. 

How would you say your bond with the group has grown in recent years, even outside the show? Was there a time you leaned on a member of the group during a difficult time? 

This show has been 15 years of my life and the bond the four of us have created is something unlike anything else. We are a family, brothers and always looking out for each other. We continue to grow closer over the years. When you do what we do no one else really understands what you really went through, but we do. We try to always be there and help each other out whenever any of us are being affected in any way. With the experiences we go through we have to be able to trust and rely on each other and I think that’s a big part of how we’ve been able to keep going for so long. 

Is there anything you do to decompress or escape from the intense paranormal world? 

What some people don’t realize is that this is not just some TV show, but this is our life. We film an investigation every other week. The time we are home goes by quickly so after an especially intense investigation I try to ground myself as much as possible and surround myself in positive things that I love, like spending time in nature, hanging out with my family. I’m a musician so playing and listening to music is really important to my spiritual recovery. Then I pay some bills, do laundry, and we are back at it ready for the next one. 

What’s one fact fans would be surprised to know about you? 

I’m not sure what people know about me or not. I’m a pretty open book and I am truly myself on the show, but one thing most people might not know about me is that I own and run a production/recording studio called Simple Equations Media. When I’m not filming the show, I’m creating music, films, music videos and helping other people bring their creative visions to life. I’m also a vegan and like to help out different organizations that are trying to make the world a better place like Families for Effective Autism Treatment and the Charity Series of Poker. I want to create art that makes people happy and try my best to leave the world in a better place than what it was when I was born. 

Thoughts on going into Season 29 and how you evolved into being part of the investigations. What does that mean to you? 

I still remember the first episode that I flew to Las Vegas to work on back in 2010. It feels like it was just the other day. I’m amazed at how the time flies by, but I’m so grateful and honored to be a part of this show, to be able to do what we do, the friendships we’ve created, the places we’ve been and have the freedom and resources to truly investigate the paranormal and help advance the field. As I said earlier, this show is our life and I’m thankful everyday for Zak, Aaron, Billy, our crew, and the awesome network that’s supported us all these years. 

Ghost Adventures premiere, April 16, 10/9c, Discovery Channel