‘Ghost Adventures: Quarantine’ Isn’t Your Typical Night at the Museum

Chances are the last few months you’ve been spending a lot of time at home. But instead of comfortable surroundings, imagine hanging out in The Haunted Museum for 10 days. That’s what Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley and Jay Wasley did for Ghost Adventures: Quarantine.

The fearless foursome pulled up to Bagans’ “mecca of the macabre” in Las Vegas for a deep dive into the menacing areas and artifacts inside. From Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s notorious VW van to haunted dolls,  from the Devil’s Rocking Chair to  the mysterious Dybbuk Box,  a haunted object believed to curse those who come in contact with it. 

Before the premiere of the four-part Travel Channel miniseries, we sat down with Wasley to talk about his stay. The long-time team member also teases what happened when Bagans finally opened that noted container of evil.

Billy Tolley (Travel Channel)

This concept was put together pretty quickly considering filming began March 30. What were your initial thoughts when the idea for the miniseries was pitched to you?

Jay Wasley: When the whole pandemic started, everyone began to quarantine. We started to realize we had to cancel the episodes we were planning to shoot [for the upcoming next season]. Everything happened so quickly because we usually film all year. It’s so embedded in us. It’s something we love so much. It was only a few days after we were thinking what we could do. We wanted to find something to do locally. Zak contacted us about the idea since we were all just staying at home in Vegas. He thought why we don’t quarantine at the museum, film and investigate. We were all a hundred percent on board. I was totally excited, obviously nervous too. I’ve been to the museum plenty of times and investigated many times. It has always been one of the most active places I’ve ever been. To be able to take this opportunity to do a lockdown within a lockdown. We couldn’t pass that up. 

What do you think made the experience walking through the museum doors different than in the past?

One thing was the state of the world. Unfortunately, we live in a world where there are terrible things happening. There is so much fear across the country, across the world. It was interesting to take this fear and anxiety going on in the world and see how it amplifies the paranormal world. We also usually go to locations, spend a few days to a week there and go to the next spot. To be there 24 hours a day made it a totally different experience. We brought in campers, sleeping in the parking lot of the museum. We would get up, cook meals and hang out a little bit and get to it. It was nonstop experiments and investigations. It stood out on a grander scale than what we normally do. 

Was there a point where you were together for so long you felt like you needed space?

I consider the guys brothers, so it was hard to imagine us getting closer. Besides the paranormal experience, I think with the state of the world the way it is and for us to get together. Even doing our work keeps the mind off things. Since we love what we do, I think it picked up everyone’s spirits. There are times and nights where we could get away to our trailers  if we needed to. Just go and relax a little bit. There is definitely a moment in the investigations where I got overtaken by some energy. I lost my mind a little bit and felt the urge and actually did storm off to my trailer for a little bit. I had to regroup before I could get back out there to investigate. 

You guys filmed this all entirely on your own without a production crew or support team. What was that experience like?

I’d say the number one thing I felt was different with this experience is my back hurt more than it normally does! I was shooting everything and also doing sound as well. So I would have a sound-pack attached to me as I’m shooting with the camera. Normally, we would have a dedicated sound guy. The investigation side wasn’t that different other than we had more time. Living there, we were embedded in things. 

Usually, when we do investigations it’s pretty much us anyway going in there. The time we usually have a sound guy for example is when we are filming the beginning to our shows for interviews. With this investigation, at any time if we had an urge or thought of something to do, we were able to act upon it right away. That is different compared to if we are at a hotel and maybe miss something. Here we could react right away. That was really nice. 

Was there any part of the investigation that you were most worried or even excited about exploring further?

I feel like the excitement and fear run parallel with each other. We knew going into it Zak had planned to finally open the Dybbuk Box. When we were filming and doing our investigation we knew it was all going to lead to that. It kind of lingered over constant fear. We were excited to see what happened with the energy of the world where it is at. 

With viewers crafting theories about the box, what do you think their reaction will be for the big reveal?

Without giving away too much, I will definitely say the Dybbuk Box did not disappoint. Besides the energy and activity, everything you’ll see when it airs is ramped up. It was pretty amazing and the evidence we caught was absolutely phenomenal. Other than that, every night we were getting stuff. We were able to take more time to set up bigger experiments. 

We did experiments with Tesla coils and other devices to really put time into expanding our investigation and using more scientific experiments. Those did not disappoint either. I think we got some amazing evidence that we needed to figure out if it was haunted or not. But it was all on another level. It was more haunted and energized than I have ever felt there personally. 

What kind of impact do you think your presence and investigations had there?

The museum was closed for two weeks or maybe more before. Since Zak had to close it for the pandemic, it just sat empty. All the spiritual energy that usually feeds off of guests. We were able to interview people and Skype with them. We found out about more people’s encounters there. Just guests coming through and the workers. Almost every day there is some amazing activity going on there. For the museum to be closed, then for us to step in. It felt like you were stepping into a hungry lion’s cage ready to go after us. 

It’s incredible to think Ghost Adventures is entering its 20th season, and fans still can’t get enough. What does it mean to you to be part of much of the show’s run over the last decade?

I absolutely love it. This is our lives. Not only investigating, but I’ve found best friends and brothers. The bonds we’ve created over the years and continue to create is amazing. The overwhelming support of our fan base. I don’t know how they do it, but it’s getting stronger. You’re overwhelmed with how much people back us and how much love we get. I feel like we couldn’t do all this without them. They’ve seen us grow, and we’ve seen them grow. I think that drives us. Ultimately, we have the passion and drive to keep pushing the line. We just don’t sit back and do the same things over and over. We try things. Different experiments, ways to approach things. As technology advances, we try new pieces of equipment. I think that helps us stay fresh and push the paranormal community a little bit. 

Just when you think you’ve done it all, something like Quarantine comes along.

I’ve seen things go flying. I’ve been grabbed. I’ve been scratched. There have been exorcisms, possessions. What else can there be? Then something will happen that blows your mind again. It’s such a rush. I think besides the fact we get to do this and document it. It is a rush. We all have such a passion for it all.  We had to keep doing this even when the whole quarantine happened. We didn’t’ want to just sit at home. We wanted to investigate. 

Ghost Adventures: Quarantine, Series Premiere, Thursday, June 11, 9/8c, Travel Channel