Here’s the announcement we’ve been waiting for —or at least I have. For months I’ve been wondering what’s the plan for Ghostober 2021? I had a feeling it was going to look a little different this year because…well, doesn’t everything look different these days?
Seriously though, the addition of discovery+ at the beginning of this year has changed the programming landscape when it comes to Travel Channel. Well, word just came out today that Ghostober 4 —or Ghostovber IV as Discovery Inc is branding it— won’t just be a Travel Channel event this year. It’s going to be a cross-brand, cross-platform Ghostober viewing extravaganza with 14 new Halloween specials and series.
Which we sort of got a taste of —pun intended— when it was announced that the Food Network Halloween 2021 lineup was going to include Zak Bagans.
But Zak won’t be the only star-studded celeb headlining the festivities. Several of the series and specials will also be led by fan-favorite celebrities and supernatural experts. Such as Emmy® nominated actor and producer Anthony Anderson (Black-ish, To Tell the Truth) and his mischievous mom, Doris Bowman (To Tell the Truth). They’ll star in the tricks-filled real estate show House Haunters on discovery+.
Actress Alyson Hannigan hosts Outrageous Pumpkins, an ode to astounding carved creations on Food Network.
In addition to his stint on Halloween Wars, fans can also catch Zak in a Ghost Adventures: Goldfield Hotel special on discovery+. He also collaborated with director Eli Roth in the new discovery+ series, The Haunted Museum.
Jack and Kelly Osbourne hunt for ghosts aboard the RMS Queen Mary in Jack and Kelly Osbourne: Night of Terror on discovery+.
But those are just some highlights. Ghostober 2021 revisits an off-screen partnership with an amusement park too. Let’s break it down even more and peek into the goodie bag to see what other tricks and treats are in store for us this year.
When does Ghostober IV officially start?
We don’t have to wait until October to start enjoying the Ghostober 2021 programming. Thankfully. Because it all adds up to more than 50 hours of viewing! There are only 31 days in October. That’s why the Ghostober IV kicks off in September with new series and specials as well as returning favorites.
Ghostober 2021 Heads Back to Six Flags
Ghostober IV is once again expanding beyond the small screen. Building on the successful partnership from 2019, discovery+, Travel Channel and Food Network are bringing the “Ghostober” excitement to Six Flags Fright Fest® at 13 Six Flags Theme Parks, from September 10 through Halloween.
The partnership includes a “Ghostober” themed haunted attraction at Six Flags Magic Mountain. There’s also a Food Network specialty dessert item celebrating the return of the series Halloween Wars, which is available for a limited time only.
Additionally, “Ghostober” and Halloween Wars trailers will air across the nation on the Six Flags TV network.
Ghostober 2021 Show Descriptions
The fun begins with a new season of Halloween Baking Championship on September 13. This time, the bakers create killer treats that pay homage to quintessential 1980s horror films.
The baking fun continues when Halloween Wars returns on September 19 with a new season featuring Ghost Adventures star Zak Bagans. He lends creepy inspiration from his Haunted Museum collection to challenge the teams to create frightening confections. Which artifacts will he choose —and will they curse any of the teams?
But it only gets scarier on September 26 as disastrous cooks face their fears in the kitchen and tackle terrifying ingredients in the new special, Worst Cooks in America: Halloween Redemption 2.
October kicks off with an especially personal Ghost Adventures lockdown. Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley and Jay Wasley return to the place where their journey began in the emotionally charged special, Ghost Adventures: Goldfield Hotel on October 1. Will they once and for all settle a mysterious, evil feud that’s been cast over this haunted Nevada town?
Then, on October 2, the fear kicks up a notch with the horror anthology series The Haunted Museum, which was produced in collaboration with filmmaker Eli Roth. Each episode tells frightening tales inspired by some of the most terrifying, cursed artifacts on display in Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum in Las Vegas.
October isn’t complete without some Outrageous Pumpkins. Alyson Hannigan hosts the new season, which premieres on October 3. The series takes the pumpkin-carving tradition to another level as talented carvers compete for the grand prize.
Then, bringing in the Halloween “tricks” on October 7 are actor Anthony Anderson and his mom Doris Bowman, as they host the new series House Haunters. The duo takes over properties to devise humorous gags to scare, startle and surprise visitors –it’s a hidden camera real estate and home renovation prank show that’s full of Halloween fun.
The Haunted Museum isn’t the only Eli Roth Ghostober 2021 series. Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life premieres on October 8. This new series from the master of horror recounts real-life stories of hauntings that have taken a terrifying toll on unsuspecting people.
On October 23, medium Amy Allan and retired homicide detective Steve DiSchiavi are back on the case with a brand-new season of The Dead Files. The duo once again combines their unique skills to help solve paranormal mysteries plaguing property owners.
Another duo, brother and sister team Jack and Kelly Osbourne, investigate the haunted RMS Queen Mary ocean liner in Jack and Kelly Osbourne: Night of Terror, which premieres on October 24. The pair are in for a night of fright with unsettling and aggressive paranormal activity —laced with classic Osbourne expletives and sibling squabbles, of course.
Finally, on the scariest night of the year, Halloween, October 31, comes the revival of the series that started it all: Ghost Hunters. Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves, Dave Tango and Shari DeBenedetti, along with a few other familiar faces, take on epic haunted locations in a sneak peek of their brand-new season.
Other new episodes premiering during Ghostober 2021 include Paranormal Caught on Camera, These Woods Are Haunted, and The Alaska Triangle.
“Ghostober IV” and Halloween-Themed Programming Lineup (by date)
Paranormal Caught on Camera
New episodes on Thursdays beginning September 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel
These Woods Are Haunted
New season starts Friday, September 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel
The Alaska Triangle
New season starts Friday, September 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel
Halloween Baking Championship
New Season premieres Monday, September 13 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network
This season pays tribute to 1980s classic slasher movies, kicking off with host John Henson welcoming the competitors to Camp Devil’s Food Lake where only their baking skills will help them survive. Each week the bakers must create killer cakes, creepy cupcakes and more to showcase their skills in challenges that pay homage to quintessential horror films. Judges Stephanie Boswell, Carla Hall and Zac Young determine whose desserts earn $25,000 and the title of Halloween Baking Champion! (Seven episodes including three super-sized, two-hour episodes and four one-hour episodes) #HalloweenBakingChampionship
Halloween Wars
New Season featuring Zak Bagans premieres Sunday, September 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network
Paranormal investigator Zak Bagans has spent the last 15 years experiencing the scariest supernatural encounters ever recorded, and for the first time he shares those experiences with the eight Halloween Wars teams of expert cake and sugar artists in the new season. Over the course of the season, Zak takes inspiration from his collection of dangerous and mysterious artifacts from his Haunted Museum in Las Vegas to challenge the teams to create intricate cakes that are as frightening as they are tasty. One team will be eliminated in each episode by a panel of judges featuring award-winning cake decorator Shinmin Li, and chefs and cookbook authors Aarti Sequeira and Eddie Jackson, and the last team standing will earn $25,000. (Seven one-hour episodes) #HalloweenWars
Worst Cooks in America: Halloween Redemption 2
New special premieres Sunday, September 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network
Four ghoulishly disastrous Worst Cooks recruits return for another stab at boot camp and they will once again face their fears in the kitchen and tackle terrifying ingredients. With coaching from chefs Anne Burrell and Michael Symon, the culinary hopefuls will create a spooktacular feast for a panel of culinary experts. The recruits start by making a dish using a mystery ingredient they have been assigned; after Anne and Michael pick their teams, the chefs will teach them to make a buffet for a Halloween gathering in order to win a kitchen upgrade worth $5,000 and culinary redemption. (One hour-long episode) #WorstCooks
Ghost Adventures: Goldfield Hotel
New special begins Streaming Friday, October 1 on discovery+
The Ghost Adventures crew heads back to Goldfield, Nevada, to settle – once and for all – a mysterious evil feud that’s been cast over the town. In a highly personal and emotionally charged investigation, Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley and Jay Wasley revisit the haunted town where their journey began … and head back inside the infamous Goldfield Hotel, a landmark with a bloodied past. New frightening paranormal incidents call the GAC back in their final attempt to unmask a vengeful presence that only grows stronger – and more menacing – by the day. (Two-hour special) #GhostAdventures
The Haunted Museum
New series begins Streaming Saturday, October 2 with a two-episode binge on discovery+
The creepy collection of haunted artifacts housed inside Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum are getting the spotlight in The Haunted Museum, a new horror film anthology series produced in collaboration with filmmaker Eli Roth. The series presents frightening and hellish tales inspired by the spooky relics on display in Zak Bagans’ Las Vegas museum. Bagans, a devoted collector of the macabre, is opening his museum vaults and sharing the secrets and stories behind a curated selection of his most prized haunted items through scripted shorts produced by Roth and his accredited team and with featured commentary from Bagans. (Nine episodes) #TheHauntedMuseum
Outrageous Pumpkins
New season premieres Sunday, October 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network
Outrageous Pumpkins with host Alyson Hannigan takes the traditional Halloween pastime to the next level. Seven extraordinarily talented pumpkin carvers duke it out in an outdoor pumpkin competition that defies imagination. Each week, the carvers dive headfirst into the most insane, eerie and outrageous challenges executing their intricate Halloween designs to impress judges Terri Hardin and Marc Evan. Only one will earn the coveted title of Outrageous Pumpkin Champion and take home $25,000. (Four one-hour episodes) #OutrageousPumpkins
House Haunters
New series begins streaming on Thursday, October 7 on discovery+
Emmy® nominated actor and producer Anthony Anderson, star of the ABC sitcom Black-ish, along with his mom and co-host of ABC’s To Tell the Truth, Doris Bowman, will combine their love of all things home—and mischief—to host the new discovery+ series House Haunters. During this hidden camera real estate and home renovation prank series from the producers of Impractical Jokers, Anthony and Doris will take over properties and devise hilarious gags for unsuspecting house hunters, real estate agents, handymen and even a few HGTV stars, including Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent (The Nate & Jeremiah Home Project) and Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt (100 Day Dream Home). Throughout House Haunters, with dozens of hidden cameras in place and working from a nearby unmarked van, Anthony and Doris will scheme to scare, startle and surprise visitors to the homes – executing humorous high jinks with creepy dolls come to life, mysterious pests on the loose, home decor that has a mind of its own or seemingly haunted spaces. (Six half-hour episodes) #HouseHaunters
Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life
New series begins streaming Friday, October 8 with two-episode binge on discovery+
From master of horror Eli Roth, A Ghost Ruinded My Life shares the shocking stories of hauntings that have left emotional (and sometimes physical) scars on those unlucky enough to have experienced them. Equal parts terrifying and evocative, every hour-long episode will expose viewers to the real-life stories of survivors who have been dragged through hell and back and now struggle to rebuild their shattered lives. (Eight one-hour episodes) #AGhostRuinedMyLife
The Dead Files
New season pemieres Saturday, October 23 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel
Former NYPD homicide detective Steve DiSchiavi and physical medium Amy Allan are back on the case. Utilizing his detective skills, DiSchiavi interviews witnesses and experts, and researches the history and facts behind each haunted location. Allan, a physical medium who sees and communicates with the dead, assesses the property to identify what underlying entities reside there. Keeping their findings hidden from each other, the team avoids all contact with one another – coming together only at the very end to reveal their shocking discoveries to the property owners, and each other. (Six one-hour episodes) #DeadFiles
Jack and Kelly Osbourne: Night of Terror
New Special – “The Queen Mary” – begins streaming Sunday, October 24 on discovery+
Jack Osbourne introduced his sister, Kelly, to the paranormal last year and turned her skepticism into a curiosity of the unknown. Now, he’s bringing her to the queen of all haunted locations – the RMS Queen Mary. For decades, people have ventured onto the ship, docked in Long Beach, California, for a glimpse at the other side. However, since it shut down to the public in early 2020 when the Coronavirus pandemic struck, the hallowed halls of this once-elegant ocean liner have grown silent – but hardly empty. The skeleton crew of security and maintenance workers have experienced unsettlingly aggressive paranormal activity including scratches, threatening footsteps thundering down the hall and vivid apparitions. Now, Jack and Kelly will come aboard to investigate the infamous ghost ship alone. (Two-hour special) #NightofTerror
Ghost Hunters
New Season Sneak Peek – Special Halloween Event – begins streaming Sunday, October 31 on discovery+
The revival of the series that started it all is here! Ghost Hunters comes exclusively to discovery+ with a brand-new season featuring original team leader Jason Hawes, joined by Steve Gonsalves, Dave Tango and Shari DeBenedetti. A special Halloween event kicks off the new run, as the TAPS team take back the paranormal reins in epic haunted locations. Joining the hunt inside one of America’s scariest prisons are a few familiar faces and special guests, including Amy Bruni and Adam Berry (Kindred Spirits, Ghost Hunters). (One-hour episode) #GhostHunters
For More Info
Visit discoveryplus.com, Travel Channel, Food Network, and HGTV.
Check-In
Which Ghostober 2021 show(s) and/or special(s) are you looking forward to most?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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I’ve always loved The Dead Files, so I’m always excited about any new DF episodes. And since I grew up in Alaska, a new season of The Alaska Triangle would be interesting to watch. IT’S ALMOST OCTOBER!!!
Hey, I never thought to ask you this before but was the Alaska Triangle a thing when you were growing up or is that something’s that recently evolved?