Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi has stepped off the sunny boardwalk of the Jersey Shore and into the darkest corners of Ontario’s haunted locations.
Crave’s Snooki: The Paranormal Rookie premieres October 2, with two episodes released every Friday leading into Halloween for a total of eight episodes.
Although Polizzi has participated in investigations before, she wanted to explore her mediumship and learn more about the technical side of paranormal investigating alongside a team. And with her in Ontario are medium Kevin Whitaker, tech specialist Todd Thomas and historian/occult expert Missy Morrow.
“I’ve done a few on my own before,” the mother of three said during a September Zoom conversation. “The few that I did do, I just felt a million spirits of little kids holding my hand, being touched on my back and my hair.
“I knew going into this that that was probably going to happen, which terrified me,” she added. “But obviously, I’m still a rookie. I’m not fully experienced in investigating and actually having a team and going in.”
Road trip
The foursome’s road trip takes them to Tuckett Mansion in Hamilton; Fulford Place in Brockville; Huron Historic Gaol in Goderich; a heritage village in Peterborough; Old Fort Erie; Niagara Parks Power Station; and Loretto Academy, a former boarding school in Niagara Falls.
Their first stop, Tuckett Mansion, was the former home of George Elias Tuckett, Hamilton’s 32nd mayor. Local lore has it that he died under mysterious circumstances after a rendezvous across the street and had to be carried back in a wheelbarrow by his butler. A woman in white has also been spotted on the grand staircase of the Romanesque Queen Anne-style building.
Medium Kevin Whitaker has lived in Canada for the past 16 years. Although he admitted he was unfamiliar with some of the finer details of Canadian history, that allowed him to approach all eight locations with a relatively blank slate.
“We’ve picked eight stellar locations here in Ontario,” he said. “But each of them had a slightly different vibe. It was amazing. Stick a pin on the Canadian map and say, ‘This is just as rewarding a paranormal investigative experience as you would have in Europe or the States.’”
For Whitaker, those experiences are even more meaningful when there’s evidence. That’s where Todd Thomas comes in. He brings the technical know-how to the show. He had previously worked with Whitaker on Ghost Hunters of the Grand River.
“I need that degree of balance because I want to eventually have that measurable thing,” Whitaker said. “I’ve had the experience of seeing or feeling a spirit; Todd’s been able to record it or, in the best-case scenario, videotape it.
“My wife teases me and says that’s my bromance.”
You’re on candid camera
Thomas is accustomed to the camaraderie of working with his Six Nations Investigation Paranormal Encounters (SNIPE) teammates and is ready to equip the group with the tools of the trade. For a paranormal rookie like Polizzi, he started with a digital recorder to capture electronic voice phenomena (EVP) that often go unnoticed. He typically carries a recorder in a neck sheath, a practice rooted in his Iroquois culture.
“It captures voices. It captures things that we cannot hear and are inaudible with our human ears,” he said. “That’s something that, for myself, is very important.”
When it comes to the basics, Thomas follows three rules: courage, a good camera and a really good recorder. Those essentials came in handy during the final episode they filmed at Loretto Academy, located just up the hill from Niagara Parks Power Station.
While Thomas focuses on the equipment used to document potential activity, Morrow brings a different set of tools to the investigation: historical research and an understanding of occult practices.
“At a place like Tuckett Mansion, for example, understanding the family history and Victorian beliefs around spiritualism can help us ask more informed questions as we investigate,” she wrote in an email. “It isn’t about trying to prove the paranormal through historical research; we are not trying to force a narrative.”
As the team’s witch, Morrow also incorporates ritual magic into the investigations. She was mindful of the different religious backgrounds of her fellow investigators, including Polizzi, who was raised Catholic, and Thomas, who is Indigenous.
“I kept the ritual authentic while also keeping it simple and approachable for the whole team,” she said.
Circle of protection
Polizzi and Whitaker each have their own rituals to practise before an investigation to help them feel protected. For Polizzi, that means praying, using a bracelet she wears and applying holy water.
“I make sure at the end of our investigations that I have Missy sage me and just getting all the negative energy off me because I don’t want to bring anything home,” she said. “I already have a ghost in my backyard and that bothers me.”
Whitaker, meanwhile, relies on a pair of socks he has worn exclusively for investigations over the past 15 years, much like a hockey player who sticks to a lucky routine during the playoffs.
“I don’t think that there’s any protection there, or anything, but it’s like if I don’t put these socks on, then I’m not protected,” he said.
When she needed a break from touring Ontario’s grimmer locales, Polizzi stayed in Toronto, where she enjoyed the food and the people.
“I love going to Canada,” Polizzi admitted. “It’s so beautiful and I feel like everybody’s so nice there.”
The first two episodes of Snooki: The Paranormal Rookie on October 2 take viewers to Tuckett Mansion in Hamilton and Huron Historic Gaol in Goderich, on the shores of Lake Huron.
Photo courtesy of Crave