When Did Sam And Colby Start Ghost Hunting? The Complete Investigation Timeline (2026 Edition)
Sam Golbach and Colby Brock officially began dedicated ghost hunting in late 2018, transitioning away from casual urban exploration and comedy pranks to launch focused overnight paranormal investigations at historically haunted locations.
While the duo rose to prominence on Vine in 2014 and gained massive traction on YouTube between 2015 and 2017 through trespassing, abandoned building exploration, and rooftop climbing, their deliberate shift into paranormal research materialized in October and November 2018. Investigations at locations like the Stanley Hotel and Queen Mary catalyzed what became their signature paranormal series format, which has evolved into high-production supernatural documentaries leading up to 2026.
The Origin Story: Transitioning from Urban Exploration to the Paranormal
Understanding the precise moment Sam and Colby became paranormal creators requires tracing the architectural evolution of their content across four distinct developmental phases.
Phase 1: The Vine Comedy and Prank Foundation (2013–2015)
Before stepping into abandoned hospitals or haunted sanatoriums, Sam and Colby built an audience of millions on Vine. Based in Stanley, Kansas, the duo produced short-form comedy sketches, parkour clips, and public mall antics centered on their "Onward and Upward" motto. When Vine shuttered, they migrated full-time to YouTube, leaning into lifestyle vlogging, challenges, and creator house collaborations in Los Angeles.
Phase 2: The Urban Exploration and Abandoned Infiltration Era (2016–2017)
Between 2016 and 2017, the channel pivoted toward high-adrenaline exploration ("urbex"). Sam and Colby explored mega-mansions, storm drains, restricted construction cranes, and decaying resorts. During this period, the primary tension was legal and physical danger: escaping security guards, avoiding falling through weak flooring, and evading law enforcement. However, viewers frequently pointed out strange audio artifacts, inexplicable shadows, and odd environmental shifts in the background of their abandoned exploration footage.
Phase 3: The Paranormal Pivot (Late 2018–2019)
The formal transition occurred throughout late 2018. Following a legal scare in early 2019 stemming from a non-paranormal school exploration arrest, the team restructured their creative direction. They systematically moved away from unlawful trespassing toward authorized, fully leased overnight stays at certified haunted sites. Key productions in late 2018—such as investigations at the Queen Mary ocean liner and Estes Park’s Stanley Hotel—marked the turning point where ghost hunting equipment, psychic mediums, and spiritual containment rituals became the central focus of their uploads.
Phase 4: Production-Grade Paranormal Cinema (2020–2026)
From 2020 through 2026, the channel discarded ad-hoc handheld experiments in favor of serialized cinematic productions like Hell Week, The Origin, and multi-part documentary investigations at sites like the Conjuring House and Bobby Mackey's Music World. The duo integrated established field techniques, collaborating with traditional investigators while building an entertainment enterprise that redefined YouTube's paranormal genre.
Chronological Blueprint: Key Milestone Investigations
The evolution of their investigative style reflects clear operational milestones, shifting gear standards, and location complexities over time.
| Year | Era / Series | Signature Locations Investigated | Primary Equipment Deployed | Core Channel Objective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2017 | The Urbex Phase | Abandoned hospitals, storm drains, private estates | Flashlights, GoPros, cell phone cameras | Thrill-seeking exploration and physical evasion |
| 2018 | The Paranormal Transition | The Queen Mary, The Stanley Hotel | Basic EMF readers, amateur audio recorders | Testing overnight stays at recognized haunted landmarks |
| 2019 | The Overnight Series | Crescent Hotel, Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum | K-II EMF meters, Spirit Box SB7, Cat Balls | Standardizing ghost hunting tools and team formats |
| 2020–2022 | Structured Field Expeditions | Villisca Axe Murder House, Lizzie Borden House | Rem-Pods, SLS cameras, Estes Method headsets | Integrating blind sensory deprivation investigations |
| 2023–2025 | Cinematic Feature Eras | The Conjuring House, Mount Washington Hotel | FLIR thermal imagers, HexCom, customized sensors | Multi-episode event series featuring specialized guests |
| 2026 | Advanced Media Documentaries | International historical sites, private paranormal residencies | Full-spectrum environmental rigs, synchronized feeds | Long-form cinematic investigation and cultural history |
Ghost Hunting USA's Most Evil Prison (w/ Sam and Colby) (2025)
The Technical Ghost Hunting Toolkit: Tools and Methodologies
When Sam and Colby launched their formal ghost hunting series, they adopted established tools from legacy paranormal reality television while popularizing lesser-known experimental methods with a younger generation.
1. The Estes Method
Popularized across digital platforms by the duo and fellow creators, the Estes Method remains a cornerstone of their investigations. The technique involves sensory deprivation:
- One investigator wears tightly fitted, sound-blocking headphones plugged directly into an active, scanning AM/FM frequency sweeper (such as an SB7 Spirit Box).
- The investigator wears a blackout sensory mask or blindfold, completely eliminating visual cues.
- The blindfolded investigator continuously recites aloud any disconnected words or phonemes heard through the sweep, completely unaware of the questions asked by other investigators in the room.
- The objective is to eliminate subjective bias, yielding direct vocal correlations to contextual room queries.
2. Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Mapping
Using standard K-II meters and multi-axis digital EMF meters, the team establishes baseline radiation readings inside a structure before attributing spikes to unexplainable phenomena. Field protocols require identifying household circuit boxes, refrigeration compressors, and hidden wiring conduits to prevent false-positive electromagnetic reads.
3. REM-Pod Proximity Detection
The REM-Pod (Radiated Electromagnetics Pod) creates an independent, miniature radio-frequency field around a telescopic antenna. It alerts investigators via tiered LED lights and audible tone bursts when physical objects or localized energy disrupt the immediate field perimeter.
4. Structured Motion Triggers
To measure physical interaction without human interference, the team uses trigger objects wired with vibration or proximity triggers, including perimeter beam alarms, infrared motion sensors, and static-target lighting devices (commonly referred to in field production as ghost hunting cat balls).
Evaluating the Format: Entertainment Media vs. Methodological Research
The ghost hunting format pioneered by Sam and Colby has generated both widespread praise and critical evaluation across the paranormal research community.
Strengths and Innovation
- Audience Accessibility: The duo stripped away dry, overly scientific lecturing, replacing it with infectious curiosity, direct emotional stakes, and energetic storytelling.
- Cinematic Packaging: Modern sound design, drone establishing photography, archival historical deep-dives, and narrative episodic structure elevate the genre beyond grainy 2000s-era reality television.
- Openness to Collaboration: Regularly featuring outside viewpoints—ranging from skeptical creators to seasoned paranormal veterans—provides multiple perspectives for the viewer.
Methodological Limitations
- Confirmation Bias: In high-energy group settings, environmental noises (settling timber, pipe water hammer, wind pressure) are occasionally classified as intelligent auditory responses before mechanical causes are fully ruled out.
- Pacing Pressures: Creating engaging digital media requires continuous narrative momentum, which can occasionally rush the tedious baseline environmental mapping required in formal scientific research.
- Sensory Contamination: Moving rapidly between rooms while vocalizing strong emotional reactions can trigger accidental acoustic and thermal anomalies that skew sensitive recording sensors.
How to Conduct an Authorized Paranormal Investigation
Aspiring investigators inspired by digital creators must recognize that safe, professional ghost hunting requires rigorous logistical preparation, proper safety standards, and strict adherence to property laws.
Phase 1: Securing Lawful Access and Permissions
Legal compliance is mandatory. Unlawful entry on private or commercial property causes serious legal liability and undermines the credibility of the research community. Always obtain signed commercial location agreements or schedule sanctioned historical night tours.
Phase 2: Comprehensive Historical Site Profiling
Before conducting field experiments, compile documented land titles, historical municipal records, and archived property blueprints. Understanding architectural additions, previous structural fires, building materials, and utility layouts helps investigators separate real local history from urban legends.
Phase 3: Baseline Environmental Auditing
Prior to turning off the lights or commencing communication trials:
- Walk the entire property with a calibrated, non-scanning EMF meter to log baseline domestic interference.
- Check floor stability, window drafts, HVAC operational intervals, and pest-control sound deterrents.
- Establish dedicated, illuminated basecamp command zones equipped with certified first-aid kits and operational communication channels.
Phase 4: Systematic Evidence Review
Record all trials with dual-channel external microphones and uncompressed digital video. Review evidence using calibrated reference monitors, discarding any anomalous audio or visual elements that align with external vehicle traffic, insect trajectories across the lens, or investigator clothing movement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Sam and Colby's very first ghost hunting video?
Sam and Colby’s first deliberate paranormal video was their overnight investigation at the Queen Mary, published in late 2018. While they previously explored abandoned sites containing dark local folklore, this production marked their first intentional use of ghost hunting equipment, historical research, and spiritual communication experiments.
The Queen Mary shoot laid the groundwork for their dedicated paranormal series, proving to the creators and their audience that authorized historical overnight stays offered greater storytelling potential than trespassing in non-haunted ruins.
Why did Sam and Colby switch from abandoned exploration to ghost hunting?
They pivoted due to legal, safety, and creative considerations following a high-profile trespass arrest at a closed construction site in early 2019. Urban exploration carried severe legal penalties and physical dangers that risked their channel's viability, whereas authorized paranormal investigations provided structured, legal access to historic landmarks.
Furthermore, their audience responded far more strongly to the mystery and narrative tension of historical hauntings than to repetitive walk-throughs of abandoned modern infrastructure.
What equipment do Sam and Colby use during investigations?
The team relies on industry-standard paranormal technology, including the SB7 and SB11 Spirit Boxes, K-II EMF meters, REM-Pods, full-spectrum video rigs, thermal cameras, and blindfold sensory deprivation kits for the Estes Method.
They also integrate static target monitors like illuminate-on-touch vibration spheres, directional audio shotguns, and long-range laser grid arrays to detect visual distortions in open hallways.
Is Sam and Colby's content real or staged?
Sam and Colby maintain that their investigations, baseline reactions, and captured anomalies are authentic and unscripted. While post-production incorporates dramatic editing, narrative framing, and cinematic audio design to enhance entertainment value, their field inquiries center on actual physical locations, real-time reactions, and unmanipulated audio sessions.
As with all serialized digital entertainment, viewers are encouraged to evaluate anomalies critically, weighing natural environmental factors, audio reflections, and equipment sensitivities against unexplainable evidence.
What is the most famous location Sam and Colby have investigated?
Their multi-episode investigation of the Rhode Island farmhouse that inspired The Conjuring franchise stands as one of their most popular projects. Spanning multiple days of documentation alongside specialized guests, the series generated tens of millions of views and established their modern documentary production style.
Other landmark locations include the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, the Lizzie Borden House in Massachusetts, Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Kentucky, and the Catacombs of Paris.
Expanding Your Paranormal Perspective
The evolution of digital paranormal investigation has transformed ghost hunting from a niche late-night television format into an interactive community across global platforms. Whether evaluating evidence through a scientific lens or enjoying the cinematic suspense of long-form site investigations, understanding the methodology, history, and tools behind the screen enriches the viewing experience. Continue developing your critical eye by studying the physical science of environmental anomalies, reviewing historical archives, and supporting the preservation of historic properties open for responsible exploration.
