Shine the Ghost Files beacon in the sky, “beautifully shining” behind the CN Tower, and Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej will come to Toronto’s paranormal rescue. Just make sure The Tragically Hip is playing on the radio and there’s plenty of poutine on hand.
The dynamic duo is known for their paranormal hijinks on Buzzfeed Unsolved, which has amassed over 988 million views on YouTube. Bergara, who created the show, later launched Watcher Entertainment — home of The Ghost Files — in 2019 with Madej and Steven Lim.
Bergara is known as the believer of the pair, while Madej plays the unflappable skeptic, taking great pleasure in watching his counterpart squirm. The former shared that during their Toronto show, there was no shortage of people opening up about their brushes with the inexplicable.
“Anybody who came up to us at the show, or on the street, they were very open about the paranormal,” Bergara admitted. “That would be the place where they would be (open) unless they’re on Shane’s side of the aisle.”
That “aisle,” of course, is skepticism. But Madej isn’t the James Randi type of debunker, demanding smoking-gun proof in exchange for a $1 million reward.
“I did feel like people talked about it less. Usually, when we go to other cities people are telling us their stories a little more,” Madej admitted, with Bergara interjecting.
“You’ve gotten pretty adept at tuning them out over the years.”
“I think that’s a fair point. It’s all white noise to me now,” Madej added, with a laugh.
That’s not to say people are intimidated by Madej’s persona. He said he actively listens and, at Bergara’s chiding, admitted that he “believes what they believe”.
“Obviously, the dynamic on the show is skeptic and believer,” he said. “Despite the fact that we shoot so many of these and have been to so many ghost-hunting locations, being a skeptic of the paranormal is not a big part of my personality in real life.”
“When we go to these places and meet people, I’m as friendly and cordial as ever,” Madej continued. “I’ve learned over the years not to dismiss something so easily — because I’ve yet to really be spooked.”
Bergara and Madej were in Los Angeles, prepping for the tour’s finale on November 1. The tour kicked off on September 5 in Denver, Colorado, making stops in Montreal and Toronto on September 18 and 19, respectively. When The Superstitious Times caught up with them, they had completed a 15-city, back-to-back-to-back tour, with little time to explore each city.
Still, Bergara and Madej managed to experience some sights and bites in Hogtown. Bergara visited Kensington Market, the Distillery District, St. Lawrence Market, Centre Island, and Canada’s Wonderland in Vaughan, 35 kilometres northwest of Downtown Toronto. Madej, on the other hand, spent time biking through Toronto’s downtown core.
“I personally wasn’t, ‘Let me go check out some haunted locations,’” he said. “I just wanted to ride a bicycle around and you know. But it is fun to go to a city and find out what the local tales are.”
Cycling back to the topic of ghosts and the possibility of an afterlife, both admitted that The Ghost Files provides a unique experience in each episode.
“It’s important to me because I’m naturally curious about it, and I feel I haven’t completely explored or discovered everything I want about that curiosity,” Bergara said. “I feel like every investigation brings me closer to answering the questions I have.”
Their personalities shine through, and their banter provides the comic relief that’s so common in Shakespearean dramas. But it’s never embellished, Bergara noted. “What you see is what you get.”
Madej, ever the skeptic, dove deep into the well of sardonicism.
“I find no scientific or academic value to the show, but people like it, and I have fun doing it,” he said, with levity. “I’ve said it many times: I would love nothing more than to see a full-bodied ghost someday. It would be delightful to know that there’s more to this world than what the limits of science can perceive. I don’t think that’s ever going to happen, but I have a good time, and I enjoy the historical aspect of a lot of places.”
The two plan to return to Canada in 2025.
Photo courtesy Al Drago