Travel Channel Programming Highlights: December 21 – January 3

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST PAUL BEBAN SETS OUT TO EXPOSE THE TRUTH BEHIND THE WORLD’S GREATEST SUPERNATURAL MYSTERIES IN NEW SERIES ‘PARANORMAL DECLASSIFIED’

The ‘Expedition Bigfoot’ Team Return to the Field in a New Season of the Hit Series, Hunting Down Surprising Clues in Their Search for the Elusive Beast

Amy Bruni, Adam Berry and Chip Coffey Revisit Startling Paranormal Activity in Salem, Massachusetts, in the Season Premiere of ‘Kindred Spirits’

NEW SERIES

PARANORMAL DECLASSIFIED

Investigative journalist Paul Beban knows what it takes to expose the world’s deepest and darkest secrets. Using declassified government files, a global network of inside sources and daring determination, he has uncovered pirate activity on the volatile coast of Somalia and earned recognition for his undercover operation exposing a violent human trafficking ring in South Africa. Beban stops at nothing to brings stories to light that have been hiding in the dark. Now, he’s taking his skills to investigate some of the world’s greatest paranormal mysteries. Buried deep in declassified government files are shocking leads and hidden truths about the paranormal. Using these clues as a guide, Beban steps into the unknown to find answers to enduring mysteries such as aliens, Bigfoot, a zombie apocalypse, superhuman soldiers, Skinwalkers and more. [Hour-long episodes]

SERIES PREMIERE: “Monsters of the Deep” – Premieres Monday, December 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT

Myths of sea monsters have tormented mankind for centuries. From massive sea serpents to underwater dragons and gigantic killer whales, legends of creatures appear in stories of every sea-faring culture in the world. Investigative journalist Paul Beban wants to know once and for all – is there truth to these legends? After exposing a U.S. Navy encounter with an unclassified creature in a Caribbean Sea trench, Beban tracks a similar one, nicknamed  “Champ,” said to be hiding in the dark depths of Vermont’s Lake Champlain. With over 300 verified sightings of the mysterious creature, Beban decides to hunt for evidence of his own. He assembles a team of expert divers and advanced sonar operators to investigate three areas in Lake Champlain where frequent sightings have occurred. After getting an anomalous hit on the side-scan sonar, Beban takes a dangerous plunge into the icy waters of Lake Champlain, where he finds a shipwreck – a possible feeding ground for Champ. But mysterious audio captured beneath the surface leaves the team more shocked than ever.

In the series premiere of “Paranormal Declassified,” host Paul Beban gets ready to explore the waters of Lake Champlain during his investigation of sea monsters

“Chasing Skinwalkers” – Premieres Monday, December 28 at 10 p.m. ET/PT

Paul Beban investigates evil shapeshifters from Navajo folklore known as Skinwalkers. Beban tracks the mythical beasts from the heart of the Navajo Nation, to the infamous Skinwalker Ranch in Utah, to Wisconsin, where he captures something unexplainable.

     NEW SPECIALS

“SHOCK DOCS” – THE UFO PHENOMENON

TWO-HOUR SPECIAL: Premieres Wednesday, December 30 at 8 p.m. ET/PT

Director James Fox investigates the decades-long cover-up and global mystery of unidentified aerial phenomena. Eye-opening evidence – from the bombshell testimonies of high-ranking government and military officials and NASA astronauts, to riveting, never-before-seen footage – reveals mankind is not alone in the universe. The timely film also reveals the monumental events behind the recent bombshell disclosure by The New York Times of the Pentagon’s secret UFO program. Narrated by Peter Coyote, the film includes Senator Harry Reid; President Bill Clinton; John Podesta, White House chief of staff for President Clinton and advisor to President Barak Obama; Governor Bill Richardson; Christopher Mellon, former U.S Department of Defense senior intelligence official; NASA astronauts; Governor Fife Symington; and Dr. Jacques Vallee, who was portrayed in Steven Spielberg’s film, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

EXPEDITION BIGFOOT

ONE-HOUR SPECIAL: “New Evidence” – Premieres Sunday, January 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT

The “Expedition Bigfoot” team – Bryce Johnson, Dr. Mireya Mayor, Russell Acord and Ronny LeBlanc –  re-examine their findings from last year’s expedition in Oregon, and reveal stunning new evidence. Plus, the new Bigfoot target zone is revealed along with never-before-seen footage of the remarkable next chapter of their journey.

The “Expedition Bigfoot” team (left to right): Russell Acord, Ronny LeBlanc, Dr. Mireya Mayor, Bryce Johnson

MOUNTAIN MONSTERS: A TRIBUTE TO TRAPPER

TWO-HOUR SPECIAL: Premieres Sunday, January 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT

The remaining members of the AIMS team gather round a campfire to celebrate the life of team leader and founder John “Trapper” Tice, who recently passed away. They relive and remember their favorite moments together, as they tell stories and watch their favorite clips of Trapper, while providing an all-new perspective to the classic Trapper moments. It is an emotional night where tears are shed, respect is paid and laughs echo throughout the Appalachian night sky as the team remember and pay tribute to their dear friend.

John “Trapper” Tice is remembered on new special, “Mountain Monsters: A Tribute to Trapper”

NEW SEASONS

KINDRED SPIRITS

Professional paranormal investigators Amy Bruni, Adam Berry and psychic medium Chip Coffey are facing hauntings unlike anything they’ve seen yet in the new season of “Kindred Spirits.” Bruni, Berry and Coffey dig deep into the past to identify the restless spirits haunting America’s oldest inns, homes and estates. Utilizing a range of tools and techniques, their multilayered investigations tackle frightening tales of possession, aggressive entities and more. Together, the team elicit shocking evidence and connections with the other side that lead them closer to the truth, as they search for answers behind each haunted tale. [Hour-long episodes]

SEASON PREMIERE: “Devil in Salem” – Premieres Saturday, January 2 at 10 p.m. ET/PT

Amy Bruni, Adam Berry and psychic medium Chip Coffey travel to Salem, Massachusetts, to investigate the home of John Proctor – one of the men executed during the infamous witch trials. It’s not the team’s first time at this renowned location, having visited once before during a special Travel Channel event that was broadcast live. During the event, they opened a gateway to the dead using powerful magic, which allowed them to communicate with spirits from the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. Now, the team returns to Salem to launch a full-fledged investigation and learn more about the gateway they previously opened … and who came out of it.

Adam Berry and Amy Bruni return to the John Proctor House in Salem, Massachusetts, in the season premiere of “Kindred Spirits”

EXPEDITION BIGFOOT

The “Expedition Bigfoot” team – Bryce Johnson, Dr. Mireya Mayor, Russell Acord and Ronny LeBlanc – have reassembled to respond to the uptick in Bigfoot sightings just this year. Using an advanced data algorithm, they are honing in on a massive swath of forest in southeast Kentucky, where the mathematical odds of a Bigfoot encounter are greatly increased. This year, their analysis has uncovered something new – possible Bigfoot migratory patterns that may reveal precisely where the legendary beasts will be and when they will be there. Using the latest in advanced technologies, evidence of Bigfoot begins to pile up – including vocalizations, unexplained structures, DNA samples and massive footprints that no man could have left behind. [Hour-long episodes]

SEASON PREMIERE: “The Search Continues” – Premieres Sunday, January 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

After coming closer than ever to proving the existence of Bigfoot, the team continue their expedition in the hollers of southeast Kentucky. Using an advanced algorithm and state-of-the-art technology to find the creature as it migrates through the Appalachian mountains, Bryce Johnson, Dr. Mireya Mayor, Ronny Le Blanc and Russell Acord endeavor, over the next two and a half weeks, to uncover evidence of the legendary cryptid. But when the team become separated in the dead of night, they realize the 8-foot-tall truth might be staring them in the face. TEBF201H

NEW EPISODES

WORLD’S MOST UNEXPLAINED (U.S. Premiere)

Is Elvis still alive? Has extraterrestrial life really visited Earth? Is it possible that some people see religious statues move or bear the crucifixion wounds of Jesus? Experts and eyewitnesses explore some of the most extraordinary happenings in recent history that science can’t explain. [Hour-long episodes]

            “Supernatural Sightings” – Premieres Monday, December 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

Experts investigate reports of moving Virgin Mary statues in Ireland and question whether the stigmata phenomenon is a miracle or hoax.

PARANORMAL CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Some of the most amazing, eye-opening and downright scary paranormal videos from around the world are featured as a panel of experts break down the footage and analyze what exactly the eyewitnesses captured. Insights from some of the most knowledgeable specialists in the field and firsthand accounts from the people lucky enough – or perhaps unlucky enough – to witness these strange phenomena for themselves just might make a believer of even the biggest skeptics out there. [Hour-long episodes]

            “OMG Caught on Camera” – Premieres Friday, December 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT

Two friends emerge unharmed after a car plows into a restaurant. Skydivers miraculously survive after their planes collide. A Utah man stares death in the face as he’s stalked by an angry cougar. All that and more will have you screaming, “OMG!”

GHOST ADVENTURES

In each episode of “Ghost Adventures,” Zak Bagans and Aaron Goodwin, along with A/V techs Billy Tolley and Jay Wasley, travel to a different haunted destination where they meet with locals, eyewitnesses and experts in an attempt to piece together the haunted history of each site. They then begin their “lockdown” investigation, using the latest scientific gadgets and technology in an effort to obtain physical evidence of the paranormal and uncover the truth behind each haunted mystery. [Hour-long episodes]

“The Comedy Store” – Premieres Friday, January 1 at 10 p.m. ET/PT (*Special time)

The “Ghost Adventures” crew discover that ghosts and sinister hauntings are no laughing matter at the iconic The Comedy Store in West Hollywood, California. Long before the club welcomed top comedians to its stage, it was a mob hangout called Ciro’s. Gangster Mickey Cohen conducted sinister business here, including illegal gambling, bootlegging and prostitution. That history has led to a dark haunting that sticks around despite the laughs.  Actor and comedian Jay Mohr, along with club employees, share their own haunting experiences. Actor and insult comic Jeff Ross surprises Zak Bagans with a roast on stage, before joining the crew on a paranormal investigation. 

MOST TERRIFYING WITH JASON HAWES

World-renowned paranormal investigator Jason Hawes uncovers the world’s most horrifying haunts. He reveals the gravest of locations through spine-chilling firsthand accounts, eerie re-enactments and eye-opening interviews with locals and historians. [Hour-long episodes]

“Blackbeard’s Vengeance” – Premieres Saturday, December 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

Jason Hawes unearths America’s scariest haunts including an island stalked by the spirit of a notorious pirate, a restaurant quaking with ghostly activity and an orphanage where a monstrous headmistress tortures innocent souls from beyond the grave.

“The Sealed Door” – Premieres Saturday, January 2 at 8 p.m. ET/PT

Jason Hawes discovers a massive 19th-century prison hiding a terrifying secret within its walls, a British museum haunted by a mysterious sealed door and a historic village where restless residents from centuries past roam.

SEASON FINALE: “Jason’s Top 10” – Premieres Saturday, January 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

From a ghostly pirate hideout to the spookiest castle in England, Jason Hawes reveals his top 10 haunted locations.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

FIRST LOOK: discovery+

HALF-HOUR SPECIAL: Premieres Friday, January 1 at 11 p.m. ET/PT

“Entertainment Tonight” hosts Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner give viewers a VIP preview of the exclusive new series and specials featuring your favorite talent, streaming only on discovery+. Get a sneak peek at new shows showcasing travel, nature, adventure, true crime, paranormal, mystery and more.

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