Welcome to the Buzzfeed Unsolved Official Page!
Synopsis
The Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime and Supernatural shows are currently co-hosted by Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej. Madej took over from the original co-host, Brent Bennett, in late 2016. The greatest difference between Bennett and Madej lay in their responses to Bergara's theories: unlike Bennett, who would humor Bergara, Madej stands firm as a skeptic; this stark dichotomy proved the missing piece of the puzzle for the show. The contrast between Bergara's belief in conspiracies and the paranormal versus Madej's skepticism provides the majority of the dialogue. Bergara strongly believes in otherworldly spirits like ghosts or poltergeists, and frequently defends the existence of these throughout the series. However, Bergara shows reluctance towards things such as Bigfoot and sometimes aliens. Madej is a true skeptic of all that is non-scientific and constantly provides comedic relief toward spiritual encounters; however, he sometimes regards Bigfoot and aliens as somewhat realistic or grounded in reality. Those in support of Bergara have been called the "Boogaras" and those supporting Madej's skepticism have been labeled the "Shaniacs".
Show structure
The similarities and contrasts between the Shaniacs and the Boogaras can be clearly seen in the questions submitted to BUN and the ones read by Ryan and Shane during their Postmortem episodes where they answer the most pressing questions on the most recent episodes of BuzzFeed Unsolved. Other important members of the main Unsolved crew include TJ Marchbank, 1st AD, Devon Joralmon, line producer, and cameraman Mark Celestino. Due to the show's growth in popularity, Bergara works with a number of individuals to propose cases and if the show is capable of covering them, while Madej is kept out of the process to give a more fresh perspective.
Style
The episodes are normally filmed as the two hosts at a desk, with Bergara presenting Madej and the audience with either a True Crime case or a Paranormal case with the use of stock photos and other visuals. In some cases the two hosts and other crew members travel to investigate the locations, although this method is primarily used for the Supernatural episodes. Often, the paranormal investigations seek to answer the question "Are Ghosts Real?" and collect evidence using video and audio devices. Other Buzzfeed Unsolved: Paranormal episodes investigate other supernatural entities/phenomenas such as mothman, bigfoot and the existence of aliens. The two aim to create an "everyman approach" in discussing the cases with the use of humor in an effort to balance the tone between dark and goofy.