Sci Fi Investigates

Sci Fi Investigates
StarringSee Credited Cast below
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time60 minutes (including commercials)
Original release
NetworkSci Fi Channel
ReleaseOctober 11 (2006-10-11) –
November 15, 2006 (2006-11-15)

Sci Fi Investigates is a six episode reality television series featuring skeptic Rob Mariano, forensic specialist Deborah Dobrydney, archaeologist Bill Doleman, and paranormal investigator Richard Dolan, as they look at paranormal and supernatural phenomenon and try to explain them. The show debuted in October 2006 on the American SyFy channel following Ghost Hunters. There have also been two webisodes.

Episode format

The series documents a team of four paranormal investigators who travel to various locations around the United States and investigate various urban legends.

The team uses various research methods to gather as much information as they can about the particular legend or phenomena an episode focuses on. They meet with local residents, listen to eye-witness reports, study documentation, conduct forensic experiments on physical evidence, and conduct on-location archaeological studies. At the end they review and discuss their findings and each investigator gives their opinions from different points-of-view.

Each episode is an hour long, including commercials.

Criticism

The Cryptomundo blog by Mothman researcher Loren Coleman is an indepth criticism of the October 26, 2006, "Sci-fi Investigates" broadcast's "Mothman" episode. Coleman wrote that while it had a few moments that are pure entertainment and certainly funny, it had little or nothing to do with "investigating" Mothman or unexplained phenomena.

Credited cast

  • Deborah Dobrydney – Dobrydney is a forensics specialist with a B.S. in psychology and a B.A. in Spanish studies both from Fordham University in New York and is a graduate of the Masters of Science program from the University of New Haven. She has worked for a crime scene investigation unit since 2002.
  • Richard M. Dolan – Dolan is a paranormal investigator and author of two volumes entitled UFOs and the National Security State. Prior to his interest in UFOs, he studied Cold War history, tactics and diplomacy. He has a master's degree in history from the University of Rochester and a bachelor's degree in history from Alfred University. He earned a certificate in political theory from Oxford University and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist. Dolan has also appeared in numerous paranormal documentaries over the years including Sci-Fi Channel's UFO Invasion at Rendlesham documentary.
  • Bill Doleman – Dr. Doleman is an archaeologist. He was also the chief investigator of a Roswell, New Mexico evidence dig conducted by the University of New Mexico and documented in the 2003 documentary The Roswell Crash: Startling New Evidence, which was hosted by Bryant Gumbel and also produced by the Sci-Fi Channel. Doleman is a 1995 graduate of UNM with a Ph.D. in anthropology. In 2004, Doleman became director of New Mexico's archaeological archive and database (a.k.a. ARMS).
  • Rob Mariano – An adventurer, Rob Mariano was also the former competitor "Boston Rob" to fans of Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor: All-Stars and The Amazing Race. He is the skeptic of the investigative team.
  • Lisa Van Camp – Van Camp is a forensic analyst (appeared in "Roswell" and "Paranormal Hotspots" episodes, filling in for Dobrydney)

Episodes

Ep# Investigation Original Airdate Summary
101 Voodoo October 11, 2006 The team travels to New Orleans, LA to investigate the practice of voodoo.
102 Bigfoot October 18, 2006 The team attempts to debunk a recent Bigfoot video by recreating the sighting of the creature with Rob wearing a Hollywood-movie quality Bigfoot costume.
103 Mothman October 25, 2006 The team travels to the mountains of West Virginia to investigate sightings of a winged creature known as the Mothman.
104 The Afterlife November 1, 2006 The team looks for evidence of the afterlife by subjecting themselves to special aura photography, sensory deprivation and past life regression experiments.
105 The Roswell Incident November 8, 2006 The team looks at the Roswell UFO incident. (Note: Lisa Van Camp filled in for Dobrydney for this episode.)
106 Paranormal Hotspots November 15, 2006 The team visits Dulce, NM, and Sedona, AZ which are the sites of numerous reports of UFO sightings, cattle mutilations, and other alleged paranormal activity.

Specials

  • Highway to Hell: The Legends of Clinton Road (SciFi.com Webisode in five parts) – Deborah and Richard investigate local ghost stories of Clinton Road in West Milford, NJ.

See also