The Expedition X team are back for another season of traveling across the globe exploring the mysterious and unexplained. Adventurer Josh Gates leads his team working to uncover the truth behind some of the world’s supernatural occurrences. Joining him once again is scientist Phil Torres and paranormal researcher Heather Amaro.
During the premiere episode of the popular spinoff of the Discovery Channel series Expedition Unknown, Torres and Amaro travel to the most haunted chateau in France. As seen in the exclusive clip above, they’ll dig into the terrifying stories of hostile ghosts stemming from strange and savage murders. The deeper they go, the pair find the other-worldly forces at play in the spooky castle are more than they imagined.
Here Torres looks back at where the show has gone approaching a big milestone and teases what’s to come.
How is it for you to see the show’s longevity going into Season 9?
Phil Torres: It is surreal to be inching towards that 100 episode mark for the show. I’m thankful to work with an amazing team in the field, so thankful for the fans who keep on coming back for more, and thankful to be on a planet so full of mystery and wonder we’ll never run out of questions worth seeking answers for.
What were some of your favorite investigations?
In past seasons, the Uinta Basin left a deep impression on me. And no doubt tracking down what people call the Loch Ness Monster (and getting a major sonar hit!) will forever be an investigation I’ll want to go back to. This new season takes us to some incredibly hard to reach places with centuries worth of lore and physical history uncovered. The upcoming Belize episodes are not ones to miss.
Discovery Channel
How would you describe the evolution of the way you approach an investigation with new technology and experience?
We’ve been doing the show so long that technology has been changing over the years, we’re eager to keep up and innovate in the field. We’ve lately been experimenting with LiDAR technology and remote/autonomous robots that can be a bit more discreet than us in a new environment or access areas too dangerous for us to go— like depths of the ocean beyond diving limits. As far as overall approach to an investigation, I’ve learned to use a balance of my homework, A.K.A. what I have learned doing a deep dive about the history and environment of the region, and what our witnesses are telling us. Anything easily debunkable I try to use as a learning experience for us and the viewers.
How would you describe the dynamic of the team with the addition of Heather?
Heather Amaro is the newest member of the Expedition X team. She’s a third-generation investigator and is simply obsessed with making sure our techniques, equipment, and approach are all in sync with the mystery we’re investigating. I love giving her a hard time because she has experienced so much in the realm of the spooky and ghostly yet gets scared very easily. Her response is always “if you believe in it like I do, it is scary.”
What can you tease about the premiere as the team ventures to the most haunted chateau in France? What were some of the challenges you faced?
I’ve always wanted to use a grappling hook to get into a medieval castle, and when access to a dungeon took us the long route through a forest my dream came true, or perhaps nightmare came true in this case. That castle has deep history over the centuries, countless drama and deaths, and it definitely made our time there investigating challenging but ultimately fascinating.
What are some of the other investigations you’re excited to tackle throughout the season?
So many. Belize was an unforgettable adventure. Poland and Czech Republic had a horrific Nazi history that was ever present the deeper into the tunnels we went. The Fouke Monster took us to Heather’s home state of Arkansas and we had so much help from the townspeople joining forces in the biggest search for evidence in history.
How have these experiences formed your beliefs in the paranormal activity out there?
Nothing I have seen personally has pushed me out of the realm of being a skeptic. I believe the mind is a powerful tool that can convince you something is bigger, more human-like, or scarier depending on how you perceive the world around you. That being said, we have had countless witnesses that seem a hundred percent credible with what they have seen. If anything, all of my experiences on the show have made me even more curious and driven than I was starting out.
Expedition X, Season 9 premiere, January 22, 9/8c, Discovery Channel