BuzzFeed Unsolved

Brent Bennett (formerly)

Katie LeBlanc

Delon Villanueva (Assistant Editor)

Lorne Pribbeno (Assistant Editor)

Lorne Pribbeno (Motion Graphics Artist)

Charlotte Gomez (Illustrator/Animator)

Micki Taylor (Research Producer)

Alaina Rook (Research Producer)

Lauren Woelfel (Research Producer)

Kate Donnelly (Head of Physical Production)

Devon Joralmon (Line Producer)

Mark Celestino (Director of Photography)

Jenna Benty (Photographer)

TJ Marchbank (Assistant Director)

Sarah Semlear (Post Production Director)

Leah Zeis (Post Production Senior Manager)

Avery Kotzur (Post Production Supervisor)

Mars Benjamin (Post Production Coordinator)

Felicia Cordova (Post Production Coordinator)

Hannah Mueller (Social Media Strategist)

Dayle Marie (Social Media Strategist)

Adam Colman (Rights and Clearances Manager)

Bekki Maggenheim (Staff Attorney)

Charlotte Gomez (Illustrator)

Rachel Gaffe (Brand Manager)

***BuzzFeed Unsolved*** (also known as simply ***Unsolved***) is an American educational documentary entertainment web series created, produced, and hosted by Ryan Bergara, and co-hosted by Shane Madej.

Every season, *Unsolved* alternated in their topic: True Crime, or Supernatural.

## History

In 2016, *BuzzFeed Unsolved* was created by Ryan Bergara after many commutes with his friend, coworker, and previous co-host Brent Bennett, whom he would argue with about unsolved cases, including supernatural occurrences. The episodes premiered on the *BuzzFeed Multiplayer* channel.

As was the setup, Ryan tended towards the "believer" end of the spectrum, entertaining the possibility of the paranormal and conspiracy theories, while Brent was a "skeptic," who preferred to stick to facts and dismiss the supernatural. However, after nine episodes, Brent left the show due to other obligations and a dislike of investigating crime.

Shane Madej was then brought on as Ryan's new "skeptic" co-host and has continued as such ever since. After the show gained popularity with the release of the mega-episode 3 Horrifying Cases Of Ghosts And Demons, BuzzFeed gave more funding and a larger team to the show, which had mostly been written, researched, edited and produced by Ryan by that point.

While the show had been released with Supernatural and True Crime episodes side by side for two seasons, it was changed by the third season, where it continued as strictly Supernatural. After the change, the show was officially split into Supernatural and True Crime seasons, which would then alternate every season.

(A notable exclusion to this rule were seasons produced in 2020 [which were limited to True Crime, due to the health risks of supernatural investigations during the COVID-19 pandemic]. These True Crime episodes [and their corresponding Postmortems] were filmed outside.)

In May of 2017, the first "Postmortem" episode was released as a way for Ryan and Shane to answer questions and theories from fans while staying at BuzzFeed. Postmortems eventually grew from being around seven minutes long to around fifteen to twenty minutes long.

In October of 2017, it was announced in the JFK Postmortem that the show would gain its own merchandise. This merchandise can be purchased through BuzzFeed's website, accessible here.

On July 13, 2018, the series received its own channel as the BuzzFeed Unsolved Network, often abbreviated to BUN. All episodes released after that date were posted by BUN.

In April 2020, *BuzzFeed Unsolved* celebrated their True Crime season finale by returning to their first case in The Mysterious Death of the Somerton Man Revisited, which was marketed as the 100th episode, despite being the 104th.

According to Instagram posts and a trailer on YouTube on June 7, 2021, *BuzzFeed Unsolved* announced it would air the final seasons of both its sub-series, True Crime and Supernatural, in 2021.

The 8th and final season of True Crime premiered on June 18th, and its final episode was released July 23, 2021. The 7th and final season of Supernatural premiered on October 15th and its final episode was released November 19, 2021.

A documentary, titled *BuzzFeed Unsolved: The Final Investigation,* is expected to premiere November 24, 2021.

## Before *Supernatural* and *True Crime*

*Main page: BuzzFeed Unsolved: Chronological Order.*

*BuzzFeed Unsolved* episodes were not originally split into the two sub-series, True Crime and Supernatural. Originally, they were released in the same season. This went on for two seasons until they were re-organized into the first True Crime season and the first Supernatural season.

## *True Crime*

*Main page: BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime.*

Ryan and Shane investigate a different unsolved "cold case" from history, usually ranging from the nineteenth century to the twenty-first, and usually centered in the United States. Most often, these cases are murders (ranging from famous serial killer cases to obscure family matters), but episodes have been known to feature disappearances, theft, and false solves.

The customary format is presented by Ryan, who explains the official timeline of the case, and then proceeds to present several theories (a running gag, often used in disappearances, is the possibility of an alien abduction). They occasionally travel to the site of the crime as well, giving commentary on the surroundings and their experiences at the location.

## *Supernatural*

*Main page: BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural.*

Ryan and Shane travel to a supernatural location and attempt to make contact with the forces that reside there. Almost always an American site, these locations are generally historic bars, houses, or jails (sometimes having been more than one throughout the place's history). Many have also had mass death or war occur near the site (especially true concerning locales like the Dauphine Orleans Hotel and Waverly Hills Hospital).

Ryan and Shane try and speak with the spirits and/or demons at the spot both individually and as a pair. They also use ghost-hunting technology like the "spirit box" (which Shane famously dislikes, due to its loud screeching noises), recorders, motion detectors, and infrared cameras, in order to catch video or audio of a paranormal creature. Occasionally, they will work with someone else, like a psychic or fellow paranormal investigator. Ryan and Shane have also made "house calls," where they investigate houses where people still reside.

## Bonus Episodes, Specials, Etc.

*Main page: Bonus Episodes, Specials, and More.*

There were occasionally some bonus episodes. These were usually either Supernatural episodes aired during True Crime seasons, or True Crime episodes aired during Supernatural seasons. The only episode not released under either title was Unsolved: Legend of Krampus.

Generally, these occurred due to sponsorships, like the CW show "Nancy Drew" sponsoring The Impossible Disappearance Of Dorothy Arnold.