BuzzFeed Unsolved
BuzzFeed Unsolved (also known as simply Unsolved) is an American documentary entertainment web series created and produced by Ryan Bergara. It first aired on YouTube on February 4, 2016, and has run for eleven seasons.[2][3] The show previously aired on BuzzFeed Multiplayer but now airs on the BuzzFeed Unsolved Network.
| BuzzFeed Unsolved | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Unsolved |
| Genre | Factual television |
| Created by | Ryan Bergara |
| Written by | Ryan Bergara Shane Madej |
| Starring | Ryan Bergara Shane Madej Brent Bennett Zack Evans |
| Theme music composer | Audio Network Warner Chappell Music AudioBlocks |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | True Crime: 6 Supernatural: 6 |
| No. of episodes | True Crime: 54 Supernatural: 49 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Katie LeBlanc Ryan Bergara |
| Producer(s) | Ryan Bergara Shane Madej |
| Editor(s) | Anthony Frederick Steven Castro Mike Reilly Grant Henderson Devlin McClusky[1] |
| Production company(s) | BuzzFeed BuzzFeed Multiplayer |
| Release | |
| Original network | YouTube BuzzFeed |
| Original release | February 4, 2016 – present |
BuzzFeed Unsolved follows Ryan Bergara and co-host Shane Madej, who discuss unsolved crimes, haunted places, alleged demonic possessions, and historical occurrences. While the topics of discussion are often morbid, most episodes are presented in some form of a comedic manner.[4] The show is filmed primarily in Los Angeles with some episodes having parts filmed across the U.S and even some in other countries such as the United Kingdom and Mexico.
The show has also become a rating hit for BuzzFeed, regularly featuring as one of the network's most-watched shows. Prior to the premiere of the eighth season, BuzzFeed renewed the show for a ninth season, which aired in late 2018. A tenth season premiered in March 2019, and an eleventh season premiered in September 2019.[5] Ryan and Shane started their own digital production company Watcher Entertainment with Worth It's Steven Lim in late 2019. However, the two are still employed at BuzzFeed as freelance producers and continued the series with a twelfth season in March 2020.[6][7]
Format
Synopsis
The Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime and Supernatural shows are currently co-hosted by Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej. Madej took over from the original co-host, Brent Bennett, in late 2016.[4][8] The greatest difference between Bennett and Madej lay in their responses to Bergara's theories: unlike Bennett, who would humor Bergara, Madej stands firm as a skeptic; this stark dichotomy proved the missing piece of the puzzle for the show.[9]
The contrast between Bergara's belief in conspiracies and the paranormal versus Madej's skepticism provides the majority of the dialogue.[10][8] Bergara strongly believes in otherworldly spirits like ghosts or poltergeists, and frequently defends the existence of these throughout the series. However, Bergara shows reluctance towards things such as Bigfoot and sometimes aliens. Madej is a true skeptic of all that is non-scientific and constantly provides comedic relief toward spiritual encounters; however, he sometimes regards Bigfoot and aliens as somewhat realistic or grounded in reality. Those in support of Bergara have been called the "Boogaras" and those supporting Madej's skepticism have been labeled the "Shaniacs".
The similarities and contrasts between the Shaniacs and the Boogaras can be clearly seen in the questions submitted to the Buzzfeed Unsolved Network (BUN) and the ones read by Ryan and Shane during their Postmortem episodes where they answer the most pressing questions on the most recent episodes of BuzzFeed Unsolved.
Other important members of the main Unsolved crew include: TJ Marchbank, 1st AD, Devon Joralmon, line producer, and cameraman Mark Celestino. Due to the show's growth in popularity, Bergara works with a number of individuals to propose cases and if the show is capable of covering them, while Madej is kept out of the process to give a more fresh perspective.[11]
Style
The episodes are normally filmed as the two hosts at a desk, with Bergara presenting Madej and the audience with either a True Crime case or a Supernatural case with the use of stock photos and other visuals. In some cases the two hosts and other crew members travel to investigate the locations, although this method is primarily used for the Supernatural episodes.[12] Often, the paranormal investigations seek to answer the question "Are Ghosts Real?" and collect evidence using video and audio devices. Other Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural episodes investigate other supernatural entities/phenomenas such as Mothman, Bigfoot and the existence of aliens. The two aim to create an "everyman approach" in discussing the cases with the use of humor in an effort to balance the tone between dark and goofy.[11]
Guests
In BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural Season 4 Ancient Aliens contributor Giorgio Tsoukalos was featured in the discussion about a potential UFO sighting.[13] A recurring guest on the show, in person and by mentions is a "Vatican approved exorcist" Father Gary Thomas, who discusses his belief in demons and the supernatural. During Postmortem episodes, guest co-hosts are occasionally brought in.
Hosts
| True Crime Presenters |
|
|---|---|
| Supernatural Presenters |
|
| Sports Conspiracies Presenters |
|
| Buzzfeed Unsolved - Postmortem Presenters |
|
Episodes
BuzzFeed Unsolved – True Crime
Season 1
| # | Episode | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mysterious Death of the Somerton Man | February 4, 2016 |
| 2 | The Horrifying Unsolved Slaughter at Hinterkaifeck Farm | February 20, 2016 |
| 3 | The Bizarre Death of Elisa Lam | March 18, 2016 |
| 4 | The Chilling Mystery of the Black Dahlia | April 1, 2016 |
| 5 | The Strange Deaths of the 9 Hikers of Dyatlov Pass | April 15, 2016 |
| 6 | The Mysterious Death of Tupac Shakur - Part 1 | May 20, 2016 |
| 7 | The Mysterious Death of Biggie Smalls - Part 2 | May 27, 2016 |
| 8 | The Horrifying Murders of the Zodiac Killer | June 24, 2016 |
| 9 | The Mysterious Disappearance of the Sodder Children | December 23, 2016 |
| 10 | The Odd Death of Michelle Von Emster | January 27, 2017 |
| 11 | The Shocking Case of O. J. Simpson | March 4, 2017 |
| 12 | The Strange Disappearance of D. B. Cooper | March 10, 2017 |
Season 2
| # | Episode | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Terrifying Axeman of New Orleans | July 28, 2017 |
| 2 | The Mysterious Death of the Boy in the Box | August 4, 2017 |
| 3 | The Bizarre Road Trip of a Missing Family | August 11, 2017 |
| 4 | The Tragic Murder of JonBenét Ramsey | August 18, 2017 |
| 5 | The Odd Vanishing of Amelia Earhart | August 25, 2017 |
| 6 | The Creepy Murder in Room 1046 | September 1, 2017 |
| 7 | The Strange Drowning of Natalie Wood | September 8, 2017 |
| 8 | The Mysterious Poisoned Pill Murders | September 15, 2017 |
| 9 | The Disturbing Murders at Keddie Cabin | September 22, 2017 |
| 10 | The Suspicious Assassination of JFK | September 29, 2017 |
Season 3
| # | Episode | Published | Postmortem Q+A Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Grisly Murders of Jack the Ripper | January 26, 2018 | January 31, 2018 |
| 2 | The Thrilling Gardner Museum Heist | February 2, 2018 | February 7, 2018 |
| 3 | The Ghastly Cleveland Torso Murders | February 9, 2018 | February 15, 2018 |
| 4 | The Enigmatic Death of the Isdal Woman | February 16, 2018 | February 22, 2018 |
| 5 | The Strange Killing of Ken Rex McElroy | February 23, 2018 | February 28, 2018 |
| 6 | The Scandalous Murder of William Desmond Taylor | March 2, 2018 | March 7, 2018 |
| 7 | The Historic Disappearance of Louis Le Prince | March 9, 2018 | March 14, 2018 |
| 8 | The Disturbing Mystery of the Jamison Family | March 16, 2018 | March 21, 2018 |
Season 4
| # | Episode | Published | Postmortem Q+A Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Sinister Disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa | July 13, 2018 | July 18, 2018 |
| 2 | The Bizarre Collar Bomb Bank Robbery | July 20, 2018 | July 25, 2018 |
| 3 | The Mysterious Death of the Eight Day Bride | July 27, 2018 | August 1, 2018 |
| 4 | The Incredible Alcatraz Prison Break | August 3, 2018 | August 8, 2018 |
| 5 | The Covert Poisoning of an Ex-Russian Spy | August 10, 2018 | August 15, 2018 |
| 6 | The Odd Death of Charles C. Morgan | August 17, 2018 | August 22, 2018 |
| 7 | The Bizarre Disappearance of Bobby Dunbar | August 24, 2018 | August 29, 2018 |
| 8 | The Treacherous Treasure Hunt of Forrest Fenn | September 7, 2018 | September 12, 2018 |
| 9 | The Chilling Black Dahlia Murder Revisited | January 11, 2019 | January 14, 2019 |
Season 5
| # | Episode | Published | Postmortem Q+A Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Eerie Case of the Watcher | March 22, 2019 | April 2, 2019 |
| 2 | The Unusual Australian Shark Arm Murders | March 29, 2019 | April 3, 2019 |
| 3 | The Suspicious Case of the Reykjavik Confessions | April 5, 2019 | April 10, 2019 |
| 4 | The Unexplained Murder of Bugsy Siegel | April 12, 2019 | April 17, 2019 |
| 5 | The Horrifying Texarkana Phantom Killer | April 19, 2019 | April 24, 2019 |
| 6 | The Shocking Florida Machete Murder | April 26, 2019 | May 1, 2019 |
| 7 | The Puzzling Disappearance of Walter Collins | May 3, 2019 | May 8, 2019 |
| 8 | The Curious Death of Vincent Van Gogh | May 10, 2019 | May 15, 2019 |
| 9 | The Impossible Disappearance of Dorothy Arnold | September 26, 2019 | - |
Season 6
| # | Episode | Published | Postmortem Q+A Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Macabre Death of Edgar Allan Poe | March 13, 2020 | March 18, 2020 |
| 2 | The Missing Identity of the Lady of the Dunes | March 20, 2020 | March 25, 2020 |
| 3 | The Tinseltown Murder of Thelma Todd | March 27, 2020 | April 1, 2020 |
| 4 | The Creepy Quandary of Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm | April 3, 2020 | April 8, 2020 |
| 5 | The Puzzling Case of Marilyn and Sam Sheppard | April 10, 2020 | April 15, 2020 |
| 6 | The Mysterious Death of The Somerton Man Revisited | April 17, 2020 | April 22, 2020 |
BuzzFeed Unsolved – Supernatural
Season 1
| # | Episode | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Creepy Real-Life "Men In Black" | April 29, 2016 |
| 2 | The Secret Society of the Illuminati | July 29, 2016 |
| 3 | 3 Horrifying Cases of Ghosts and Demons | October 26, 2016 |
| 4 | The Chilling Exorcism of Anneliese Michel | November 12, 2016 |
| 5 | The Bizarre Toxic Death of Gloria Ramirez | December 3, 2016 |
| 6 | The Spirits of the Whaley House | January 13, 2017 |
| 7 | The Haunted Decks of the Queen Mary | February 17, 2017 |
Season 2
| # | Episode | Published | Postmortem Q+A Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Ghosts And Demons of Bobby Mackey's | April 7, 2017 | - |
| 2 | The Harrowing Hunt for Bigfoot | April 14, 2017 | - |
| 3 | 3 Real-Life Creepy Cases of Ancient Aliens | April 21, 2017 | - |
| 4 | The Haunted Halls of Waverly Hills Hospital | April 28, 2017 | May 10, 2017 |
| 5 | The Strangest Disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle | May 5, 2017 | May 10, 2017 |
| 6 | The Murders That Haunt the Lizzie Borden House | May 12, 2017 | May 17, 2017 |
| 7 | The Spontaneous Human Combustion of Mary Reeser | May 19, 2017 | May 24, 2017 |
| 8 | The Haunting of the Salem Witch Trials | May 26, 2017 | May 31, 2017 |
| 9 | The Haunted Quarters of the Dauphine Orleans Hotel | June 2, 2017 | June 7, 2017 |
| 10 | The Bizarre Voodoo World of New Orleans | June 9, 2017 | June 14, 2017 |
Season 3
| # | Episode | Published | Postmortem Q+A Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Ghost Town at Vulture Mine | October 13, 2017 | October 18, 2017 |
| 2 | Three Bizarre Cases of Alien Abductions | October 20, 2017 | October 25, 2017 |
| 3 | The Captive Spirits of Eastern State Penitentiary | October 27, 2017 | November 1, 2017 |
| 4 | The Demonic Goatman's Bridge | November 3, 2017 | November 8, 2017 |
| 5 | The Horrors of Pennhurst Asylum | November 10, 2017 | November 15, 2017 |
| 6 | Roswell's Bizarre UFO Crash | November 17, 2017 | November 22, 2017 |
| 7 | The Mysterious Disappearance of the Roanoke Colony | November 24, 2017 | November 29, 2017 |
| 8 | London's Haunted Viaduct Tavern | December 1, 2017 | December 6, 2017 |
| 9 | The Chilling Chambers of Colchester Castle | December 8, 2017 | December 13, 2017 |
| 10 | The Subterranean Terrors of the London Tombs | December 15, 2017 | December 20, 2017 |
Season 4
| # | Episode | Published | Postmortem Q+A Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Search for the Mysterious Mothman | April 20, 2018 | April 25, 2018 |
| 2 | The Shadowy Spirits of Rolling Hills Asylum | April 27, 2018 | May 2, 2018 |
| 3 | The Demonic Bellaire House | May 4, 2018 | May 9, 2018 |
| 4 | The Phantom Prisoners of Ohio State Penitentiary | May 11, 2018 | May 16, 2018 |
| 5 | The Unexplained Phoenix Lights Phenomenon | May 18, 2018 | May 23, 2018 |
| 6 | The Spirits of Moon River Brewing | May 25, 2018 | May 30, 2018 |
| 7 | The Horrifying Sorrel-Weed Haunted Mansion | June 1, 2018 | June 6, 2018 |
| 8 | The Mystical Villa Montezuma Mansion | June 8, 2018 | June 13, 2018 |
Season 5
| # | Episode | Published | Postmortem Q+A Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Return to the Horrifying Winchester Mansion | October 19, 2018 | October 24, 2018 |
| 2 | The Demon Priest of Mission Solano | October 26, 2018 | October 31, 2018 |
| 3 | The Terrors of Yuma Territorial Prison | November 2, 2018 | November 8, 2018 |
| 4 | 3 Videos from the Pentagon's Secret UFO Program | November 9, 2018 | November 14, 2018 |
| 5 | The Haunted Town of Tombstone | November 16, 2018 | November 21, 2018 |
| 6 | The Haunting of Hannah Williams | November 23, 2018 | November 29, 2018 |
| 7 | The Hunt for La Llorona - The Weeping Woman | April 4, 2019 | - |
| 8 | The Demonic Curse of Annabelle the Doll | June 28, 2019 | - |
Season 6
| # | Episode | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Hidden Secrets of Area 51 | September 20, 2019 |
| 2 | The Haunting Shadows of the St. Augustine Lighthouse | September 27, 2019 |
| 3 | The Lost Souls of the USS Yorktown | October 4, 2019 |
| 4 | The Hollywood Ghosts of the Legendary Viper Room | October 11, 2019 |
| 5 | The Haunting of Loey Lane | October 18, 2019 |
| 6 | The Unbelievable Horrors of the Old City Jail | October 25, 2019 |
Buzzfeed Unsolved - Sports Conspiracies
Season 1
| # | Episode | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mysterious Retirement of Michael Jordan | December 14, 2017 |
| 2 | Patrick Ewing and the Frozen Envelope | December 21, 2017 |
| 3 | The Strange Case of Deflategate | December 28, 2017 |
| 4 | Muhammad Ali and the Phantom Punch | January 4, 2018 |
| 5 | The Notorious Game 6 of Lakers vs. Kings | January 11, 2018 |
Spin-offs and Specials
Holiday Specials
| # | Episode | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Legend of Krampus | December 17, 2017 |
| 2 | Hey There Demons, It's a Spooky Yule Log | December 17, 2018 |
Retrospectives
| # | Episode | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unsolved Almost 70th Episode Retrospective | July 15, 2018 |
Crossovers
| # | Episode | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Try Guys Sleep in a Fan's Haunted Bedroom • The Try Vlog (feat. BuzzFeed Unsolved) | September 30, 2017 |
| 2 | Ryan and Shane Eat Everything Boysenberry at Knott's Berry Farm | April 13, 2018 |
| 3 | Ryan and Shane Make Each Other in The Sims 4 | June 9, 2018 |
| 4 | Ryan & Shane Choose a Fan's Haunted House • The Sims 4 | June 26, 2018 |
| 5 | Shane Controls His Friend's Life in The Sims 4 • Ryan | August 4, 2018 |
| 6 | Ryan and Shane Try To Make Apple Taters | August 5, 2018 |
| 7 | We Styled Ryan & Shane • Ladylike | August 8, 2018 |
| 8 | Ryan Control's His Friend's Life in The Sims 4 • Shane | August 11, 2018 |
| 9 | Ryan & Shane Seduce a Ghost in The Sims 4 | August 18, 2018 |
| 10 | Shane and Ryan Try To Kill The Try Guys in The Sims 4 | August 25, 2018 |
| 11 | Ryan and Shane from BuzzFeed Unsolved visit Knott's Scary Farm 2018 | October 17, 2018 |
| 12 | Worth It Meets Unsolved in The Sims 4 | November 17, 2018 |
The Hot Daga
The "Hot Daga" is an animated mini show series shown at the end of Postmortem episodes, created, written, and narrated by host Shane Madej. The first episode of the Hot Daga Saga began at the end of the Postmortem episode "The Boy in the Box - Q+A".[14] Although at the beginning of episodes, Madej jokes that the show is commissioned by his co-host Ryan Bergara, Bergara is infamously not a fan of the series. However, Bergara listens to the show as it is narrated to the audience, though he does not fail to admonish it at any given opportunity. He once wore a T-shirt with a caption stating 'I hate the Hot Daga', although many have claimed this to be untrue.
Notable characters include Pam, the evil hotdog witch, Gene, the french fries, Maizie, a holographic lesbian corn icon, and the Plupples (fruits that are like peaches, but sexier and blue). Another character, Dr. Ernesto Gordon Goondis, is voiced by Bergara through Madej's splicing of many of his dialogues from Unsolved and connecting them to create the voice of the character.
The series originated when Madej jokingly wanted a skateboarding hot dog at the end of a Q + A episode, and it has grown to multiple mini-episodes and musical numbers which are sung by Madej himself. Since Season 5 of True Crime, the end of some Postmortem episodes have included a "Roast Mortem" section where the hosts go through commenters' roasts on the hosts in the episode in question. The segment later changed to "Toast Mortem" during the COVID-19 pandemic to spread positivity during quarantine. This segment has replaced the Hot Daga episodes.
The last installment of The Hot Daga took place in September 2018. In April 2020, the Soundcloud account for the Risky Fixins' published a new version of the musical number "Believe Me, Maizey" with morse code at the end of it. This morse code translates to "SPACE AND THYME AND SPACE AND THYME" repeated. Fans speculate as to whether or not this may indicate the Hot Doga's return in 2020.
References
- BuzzfeedBlue (October 4, 2017). JFK - Q+A (Special Announcement). YouTube. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- Klein, Jessica (October 6, 2017). "Watch Season 3 Trailer of BuzzFeed Unsolved Supernatural". TubeFilter. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- North, Caroline (November 9, 2017). "Denton Urban Legend Put to the Test on Buzzfeed Web Series". Dallas Observer. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- Gorsek, Stephanie (September 4, 2017). "BuzzFeed's One Redeeming Quality Is This Series". The Odyssey. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- "Buzzfeed Unsolved TV Show - Season 11 Episodes List - Next Episode". next-episode.net. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- Todd Spangler (December 9, 2019). "Ex-BuzzFeed Video Staffers Launch Watcher Entertainment Digital Studio (EXCLUSIVE)". Retrieved December 27, 2019.
- Geoff Weiss (December 9, 2019). "BuzzFeed Loses 3 More Creators, Who Have Exited To Launch Indie Studio 'Watcher'". Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- Entwistle, Lauren (September 21, 2017). ""Hey Demons, it's me… ya boi" – how Buzzfeed Unsolved is bringing out the pseudo-sleuths in all of us". Medium. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- "The Internet's Funniest Ghost Hunters Aren't Going to Solve Anything". Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- Pellock, Megan (October 25, 2017). ""BuzzFeed Unsolved" Is A Great Show To Watch This Halloween Season". The Odyssey. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- Francisco, Eric. "How Choosing New Crimes Changed 'BuzzFeed Unsolved'". Inverse. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- Anantharaman, Maitreyi (February 5, 2019). "'Buzzfeed: Unsolved' a spooky salve for a lonely generation". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- "Ryan Bergara on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- BuzzFeed Multiplayer. "The Boy In The Box - Q+A" – via YouTube.