BuzzFeed Unsolved

BuzzFeed Unsolved
Also known asUnsolved
GenreFactual television
Created byRyan Bergara
Written byRyan Bergara
Creative directorSteven Lim
Starring
  • Ryan Bergara
  • Shane Madej
  • Brent Bennett (February 2016–June 2016)
Narrated byRyan Bergara
Theme music composer
Ending theme
  • "Anxious"
    by Duncan Pittock
  • "Interacted"
    by Terry Devine-King
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons
  • Total: 15
  • True Crime: 8
  • Supernatural: 7
  • Sports Conspiracies: 1
No. of episodes
  • Total: 121
  • True Crime: 66
  • Supernatural: 55
  • Sports Conspiracies: 5
Production
Executive producers
  • Katie LeBlanc
  • Ryan Bergara
Producer
  • Shane Madej
Editors
  • Anthony Frederick
  • Steven Castro
  • Mike Reilly
  • Grant Henderson
  • Devlin McClusky[1]
Running time4–55 minutes[2]
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseFebruary 4, 2016 (2016-02-04) –
November 19, 2021 (2021-11-19)

BuzzFeed Unsolved (also known as simply Unsolved) is a documentary entertainment web series created by Ryan Bergara for BuzzFeed that ran from February 4, 2016, to November 19, 2021. It first appeared on the YouTube channel BuzzFeed Blue and was later given its own flagship channel BuzzFeed Unsolved Network.[3][4]

The show was split into two alternating themes, with each season seeing Ryan Bergara and co-host Shane Madej discussing either unsolved crimes in BuzzFeed Unsolved True Crime or investigating alleged haunted locations and demonic possessions in BuzzFeed Unsolved Supernatural.[4] The show was filmed primarily in the United States with some episodes filmed in separate locations in England and Mexico. Most episodes were followed by a question and answer episode, entitled BuzzFeed Unsolved Postmortem, where Bergara and Madej answered questions sent in by viewers about the week's episode.[5]

The series began streaming on Hulu and Amazon Prime in 2018.[6] Prior to the premiere of season 8, BuzzFeed renewed the show for a 9th season, which appeared in late 2018. In 2019, the 10th season premiered in March and the 11th season premiered in September.[7] In late 2019, Bergara and Madej started their own digital production company, Watcher Entertainment, with Worth It's Steven Lim; however, the two continued BuzzFeed Unsolved with a 12th season in March 2020.

BuzzFeed Unsolved True Crime concluded with its 8th and final season in July 2021,[8] and the 7th and final season of BuzzFeed Unsolved Supernatural started in October 2021 and wrapped in November.[9] There are a total of fifteen seasons. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Supernatural was not produced in 2020 and has one fewer season than True Crime because production was unable to secure haunted locations to visit under quarantine.[10] The final episode was followed up by a behind-the-scenes documentary BuzzFeed Unsolved: The Making of the Final Investigation on 24 November 2021.[11]

The "spiritual successor" to BuzzFeed Unsolved Supernatural is Ghost Files,[12] a documentary entertainment web series by Watcher Entertainment that was first released on September 23, 2022.[13] The successor to BuzzFeed Unsolved True Crime is Mystery Files, which was released on May 19, 2023.[12]

Format

Synopsis

BuzzFeed Unsolved True Crime and Supernatural were originally co-hosted by Bergara and Brent Bennett until Madej took over from Bennett in July 2016.[14] Madej does not believe in supernatural phenomena, whereas Bergara does.[15][14][16]

Production

The episodes were normally filmed with the two hosts at a desk, with Bergara presenting Madej and the audience with either a True Crime or Supernatural case depending on the season, aided with the use of stock photos and other visuals. In some episodes, the hosts and other crew members traveled around to investigate a location(s), although this method was primarily used for the Supernatural episodes; the show's True Crime seasons were typically filmed all within the Unsolved set.[16] Often, Bergara and a team of producers would pitch and research episodes and Madej would be kept out of the process to give a more fresh perspective.[17]

BuzzFeed Unsolved True Crime

In the show's True Crime seasons, Bergara focuses on unsolved crimes and mysteries. Bergara reads out the story of the case before presenting a handful of possible suspects and theories. Bergara and Madej will discuss these cases with a comedic tone.[citation needed]

BuzzFeed Unsolved Supernatural

In the show's Supernatural seasons, Madej and Bergara travel to places with haunted folklore in order to attempt to find evidence of paranormal phenomena. These episodes sometimes contain more frightening scenes than the True Crime episodes, and they broadly involve some sort of in-person investigation.[18]

Throughout their investigations of hauntings, both Madej and Bergara use a variety of instruments and equipment to attempt to collect evidence, including video and audio devices.[19] Other BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural episodes investigate supernatural entities and phenomena such as Goatman[4] and the existence of aliens.[16] The two aim to create an "everyman approach" in discussing the topics, with the use of humor in an effort to balance the tone between dark and goofy.[17]

Guests

Father Gary Thomas, a pastor who has been to the Vatican to learn about exorcisms and spirits, was featured in several episodes.[20] In "BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural" Season 6, Madej and Bergara investigated an alleged haunting at the home of Youtuber Loey Lane.[18]

Hosts

True Crime Presenters
  • Ryan Bergara (2016–2021)
  • Shane Madej (2016–2021)
  • Brent Bennett (2016)
Supernatural Presenters
  • Ryan Bergara (2016–2021)
  • Shane Madej (2016–2021)
  • Brent Bennett (2016)
Sports Conspiracies Presenters
  • Ryan Bergara (2018)
  • Zack Evans (2018)
BuzzFeed Unsolved - Postmortem Presenters
  • Ryan Bergara (2017–2021)
  • Shane Madej (2017–2021)

Episodes

BuzzFeed Unsolved – True Crime

Season 1

# Episode Date Published Postmortem Q+A Episode
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 Postmortem Q+A Episode
1 The Terrifying Axeman of New Orleans July 28, 2017 August 2, 2017
2 The Mysterious Death of the Boy in the Box August 4, 2017 August 9, 2017
3 The Bizarre Road Trip of a Missing Family August 11, 2017 August 16, 2017
4 The Tragic Murder of JonBenét Ramsey August 18, 2017 August 23, 2017
5 The Odd Vanishing of Amelia Earhart August 25, 2017 August 30, 2017
6 The Creepy Murder in Room 1046 September 1, 2017 September 7, 2017
7 The Strange Drowning of Natalie Wood September 8, 2017 September 13, 2017
8 The Mysterious Poisoned Pill Murders September 15, 2017 September 21, 2017
9 The Disturbing Murders at Keddie Cabin September 22, 2017 September 28, 2017
10 The Suspicious Assassination of JFK September 29, 2017 October 4, 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 -

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

Season 7

# Episode Published Postmortem Q+A Episode
1 The Eerie Vanishing of The Flannan Isles Lighthouse Keepers October 16, 2020 October 21, 2020
2 The Daring Heists of The Elusive Pink Panthers October 23, 2020 October 28, 2020
3 The Suspicious Death of Harry Houdini October 30, 2020 November 4, 2020
4 The Sudden Disappearance Of Cynthia Anderson November 6, 2020 November 11, 2020
5 The Maritime Mystery of The Mary Celeste November 13, 2020 November 18, 2020
6 The Haunting Murder Case of the Hammersmith Ghost November 20, 2020 November 25, 2020

Season 8

# Episode Published Postmortem Q+A Episode
1 The Mysterious Death of George Reeves June 18, 2021 June 23, 2021
2 The Puzzling Disappearance of Agatha Christie June 25, 2021 June 30, 2021
3 The Menacing Case of the Monster with 21 Faces July 2, 2021 July 7, 2021
4 The Perplexing Disappearance of Judge Joseph F. Crater July 9, 2021 July 14, 2021
5 The Tragic Death of Princess Diana July 16, 2021 July 21, 2021
6 The Bizarre Death of Alfred Loewenstein July 23, 2021 July 28, 2021

BuzzFeed Unsolved – Supernatural

Season 1

# Episode Published Postmortem Q+A Episode
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 Postmortem Q+A Episode
1 The Hidden Secrets of Area 51 September 20, 2019 September 25, 2019
2 The Haunting Shadows of the St. Augustine Lighthouse September 27, 2019 October 2, 2019
3 The Lost Souls of the USS Yorktown October 4, 2019 October 9, 2019
4 The Hollywood Ghosts of the Legendary Viper Room October 11, 2019 October 16, 2019
5 The Haunting of Loey Lane October 18, 2019 October 23, 2019
6 The Unbelievable Horrors of the Old City Jail October 25, 2019 October 30, 2019

Season 7

# Episode Published Postmortem Q+A Episode
1 The Demonic Possession of the Conjuring House October 15, 2021 October 20, 2021
2 The Horrors of Villisca Ax Murder House October 22, 2021 October 27, 2021
3 The Gettysburg Ghosts of Farnsworth House Inn October 29, 2021 November 3, 2021
4 The Haunted Halls of Morris–Jumel Mansion November 5, 2021 November 10, 2021
5 The Spirits of Pythian Castle November 12, 2021 November 17, 2021
6 Return To The Demonic Sallie House November 19, 2021 -

BuzzFeed Unsolved - Sports Conspiracies

Season 1

# Episode Published Postmortem Q+A Episode
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

Documentaries and behind the scenes

# Episode Published
1 BuzzFeed Unsolved: The Making of the Final Investigation November 24, 2021

Crossovers

In Control With Kelsey - Season 2

# Episode Published
1 Ryan and Shane Make Each Other in The Sims 4 June 9, 2018
2 Ryan & Shane Choose a Fan's Haunted House • The Sims 4 June 26, 2018
3 Shane Controls His Friend's Life in The Sims 4 • Ryan August 4, 2018
4 Ryan Control's His Friend's Life in The Sims 4 • Shane August 11, 2018
5 Ryan & Shane Seduce a Ghost in The Sims 4 August 18, 2018
6 Shane and Ryan Try To Kill The Try Guys in The Sims 4 August 25, 2018

Other 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 Try To Make Apple Taters August 5, 2018
4 We Styled Ryan & Shane • Ladylike August 8, 2018
5 Ryan and Shane from BuzzFeed Unsolved visit Knott's Scary Farm 2018 October 17, 2018
6 Worth It Meets Unsolved in The Sims 4 November 17, 2018

Ending segments

The "Hot Daga" – a portmanteau of "hot dog" and "saga" – is a recurring segment at the end of some Postmortem episodes that focuses on a cast of anthropomorphized food.[21]

References

  1. ^ BuzzfeedBlue (October 4, 2017). JFK - Q+A (Special Announcement). YouTube. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  2. ^ "BuzzFeed Unsolved Network - YouTube". www.youtube.com.
  3. ^ Klein, Kaz (October 6, 2017). "Watch Season 3 Trailer of BuzzFeed Unsolved Supernatural". TubeFilter. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c North, Caroline (November 9, 2017). "Denton Urban Legend Put to the Test on Buzzfeed Web Series". Dallas Observer. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  5. ^ "BuzzFeed Unsolved - Post Mortem". YouTube. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Sheng, Kyle (February 2, 2018). "Your Favorite BuzzFeed Shows Are Now Streaming!". BuzzFeed. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  7. ^ "Buzzfeed Unsolved TV Show - Season 11 Episodes List - Next Episode". next-episode.net. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  8. ^ "BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime - Season 8 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  9. ^ "BuzzFeed Unsolved - Supernatural Season 7 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  10. ^ Hale, James (May 27, 2020). "BuzzFeed's Latest 'Unsolved' Season Scares Up Record YouTube Traffic". TubeFilter. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  11. ^ "About This Video – BuzzFeed Unsolved: The Making of the Final Investigation". BuzzFeed Motion Pictures. November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Romanchick, Shane (March 2, 2023). "Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej Announce New 'Mystery Files' Series". Collider. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  13. ^ Romanchick, Shane (September 16, 2022). "'Ghost Files' Trailer Teases Return of the Ghoul Boys". Collider. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  14. ^ a b 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.
  15. ^ Francisco, Eric (July 28, 2018). "The Internet's Funniest Ghost Hunters Aren't Going to Solve Anything". Inverse. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  16. ^ a b c Anantharaman, Maitreyi (February 5, 2019). "'Buzzfeed: Unsolved' a spooky salve for a lonely generation". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  17. ^ a b Francisco, Eric (April 14, 2019). "How Choosing New Crimes Changed 'BuzzFeed Unsolved'". Inverse. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  18. ^ a b Palamara, Kristen (June 12, 2020). "15 Scariest Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural Episodes". ScreenRant. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  19. ^ Lovitt, Maggie (September 21, 2022). "'Ghost Files': Ryan Bergara & Shane Madej Unpack Their Return to Paranormal Investigation". Collider. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  20. ^ King, Ryan Bergara, Shane Madej, Kirsten (October 27, 2016). "These Guys Investigated Three Notoriously Haunted Locations And Their Footage Might Make You Believe". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ McCauley, Tara (June 8, 2021). "BuzzFeed Unsolved Will Come to an End This Year". MXDWN Magazine. Retrieved October 6, 2021.