I have watched Ghost Hunters since it’s humble beginnings back in 2004. Back in those days the team mostly investigated private homes and almost every episode was full of drama thanks to friction between some of the former team members. Since then the team dynamic has evened out and they are a lean, mean, ghost hunting machine.
I’ve long dreamed of joining the guys on a hunt someday and plan to buy tickets to one of their special events just as soon as I can justify the expense of a trip to the northeast. I watch both Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters International religiously, so you can imagine my delight when I was offered the chance to interview investigator Kris Williams.
Kris joined the team when the show was in its third season. Prior to becoming a household name, she had studied communications at Rivier College in New Hampshire and held several jobs not normally held by girls such as carpenter, mechanic and construction. She began pursuing a career in modeling and appeared in a few movies and television shows before she was contacted by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson about coming on board with TAPS.
She had know Jason and Grant for a few years and had followed their work closely, so when some members left the team they decided that ghost hunters needed a female’s touch. Kris jumped at the chance and the rest is paranormal history.
I spoke to Kris on the phone Friday afternoon and she shared some info about herself and what we could expect on Ghost Hunters in the coming weeks.
Neal for AS: The big Halloween live episode is coming up soon. What can we expect this year?
Kris: We are going back to the old format of actual investigation instead of just replaying old episodes. It will be six hours at the Buffalo Central Terminal and Josh Gates (host of Destination Truth, also on SyFy) will be hosting again this year.
Neal for AS: Josh is great.
Kris: Yeah, he’s a good guy and he’s funny as hell. We will also have the chat line open again this year so you can log on and ask questions and we will answer them online. We are going to have the panic button again. There is going to be a live video feed so that people can watch and alert us if they see anything. It’s going back to the investigations that people keep asking us to do. We are looking forward to it.
Neal for AS: That’s great! I really enjoy the investigation part of if over seeing the old episodes. You guys caught some really good footage there the first time you investigated at the terminal.
Kris: We did! And everyone there had some sort of experience. It should be a good one.
Neal for AS: You mentioned that you were doing the panic button again. Does that ever get out of hand with people going in and clicking it over and over again just to drive you nuts?
Kris: Oh my God. They get hundreds of thousands of panic button hits. I am glad that I don’t have the job of sorting through those.
Neal for AS: That has to be a nightmare
Kris: I know! Somebody goes through them and they let us know, like on this camera someone is reporting activity, go check it out, and that is what we do. I can’t imagine being the person sifting through all of them, trying to figure out where to send us.
Neal for AS: I am from Atlanta, and I know you were down here recently investigating with the Real Housewives of Atlanta. What was that like?
Kris: Yes we were. That was interesting.
Neal for AS: Those girls are a hot mess. I am sure it was an interesting evening.
Kris: It was crazy. When we heard about it all I was thinking was big hair, high heels, crazy outfits, and the only one who really fit that description was Kim (Zolciak). She was a real sweetheart though. She got right into it and we didn’t expect that. They were great. They kept us laughing and a few of them actually got to experience a few things. They were great.
Neal for AS: That’s good to hear. When I saw the promo for it I was afraid that they were going to be acting silly and running around scared. I am glad they were serious about it.
Kris: They do have big personalities. When they showed up we were all like ‘what is going on?’. It was nice though, a good change, breath of fresh air. It is nice to let people who don’t normally do this see what we do. When things did happen they didn’t freak out.
Neal for AS: The house I grew up in had some stuff happen in it and I got scared a few times. When I watch you guys investigate it takes me right back.
Kris: For some reason I don’t scare easily. When I experience something I just pull it apart and try to wrap my head around what could be causing it. Then if I can’t discount it I get excited, not scared.
Neal for AS: When I watch you and Amy Bruni investigate I notice how you both manage to stay so calm, even when stuff is happening around you. If it were me I’d be jumping out the window. It seems like you two are pretty good friends.
Kris: (laughing) We are. We met a year before she came on the show. They needed a sixth person to round out the team and I really fought to have her come in. She started out as Jason’s radio producer and had been doing investigations for years and I knew if there was a new person coming in I would get stuck with them, so I said ‘bring Amy!’ She’s one of my best friends.
Neal for AS: I read that she introduced you to the wonderful world of clothes shopping.
Kris: Oh God.
Neal for AS: I was watching this week’s episode and was thinking that they should let you glam it up sometimes.
Kris: It would be nice.
Neal for AS: I guess it’s not practical to ghost hunt in heels.
Kris: No, not really. Before the show I always had guys jobs. I did strange things for a girl and I dressed comfortably because the last thing you want to do in those jobs is stand out as a female. When I moved into ghost hunting I was used to working in a guys world so I still dressed like a slob. Then Amy came in and now I am going broke.
Neal for AS: You always do the research on the show and I read that you are really into genealogy. What sparked your interesting in that?
Kris: I started when I was eleven. My fourth grade teacher was really into and and she had us do our family tree. She expected us to only have our parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters and maybe a grandparent. Once I started asking my grandparents about their parents I started hearing all these crazy stories.
One of them was about this woman who was accused of being a witch in Boston was actually hanged in the Boston Commons. It all really caught my interest. I don’t have as much time for it now. One reason Jay wanted me to come in was because I had experience in this. It’s crazy what you can find out. It gives you a better sense of yourself.
You don’t realize how much past generations affect who you are today. I love it.
Neal for AS: Did you see Paranormal Activity?
Kris: You know, I have no desire to see it and everyone asks me that. I do this every day for real so I don’t need to see the movies about it. It’s like, ‘I’m gonna go investigate an old fort tomorrow, why would I want to go see a movie about it?’ I’d rather be at the fort. Plus Hollywood makes things bigger and crazier and I’d be picking it apart.
Neal for AS: That makes sense. I never thought about it that way. One of the things they do in the movie is pull out a Ouija board to try and talk to the ghost. What do you think about ouija boards?
Kris: I’ve played with them when I was a kid. I think everybody is guilty of it. I had some crazy stuff come out of it. We played every day and it turned into a weird morbid thing, but it was fun. After using it for so long we started hearing things in our house, doors slamming, footsteps, and so forth. Whether it had anything to do with the board I have no idea. People always say you should mess with them, that you are opening yourself up to things.
I think there is some truth to that, I’m just not sure how much.
Neal for AS: I noticed on the show that you and Amy almost always work together. Steve and Tango are always together as well. Is that planned out or do you just head off with whoever you want to work with that night?
Kris: It’s planned out. We get paired up with who we work well with together naturally. But I do like it when we switch it up because you get to the point where we have nothing else to learn from each other. I find that when I work with Steve or Tango I end up learning new things. I’m usually up for whatever.
Neal for AS: It is obvious you all get along really well.
Kris: It’s a really strange job because we are on the road a lot. Amy counted 300 days last year that we were on the road. It’s not the normal 9-5 where you can go home and refresh yourself.
When you are on the road your coworkers are everything. You depend on them for work and for social life. Right now we are on hiatus and we are still texting and calling each other all the time. Being on the road feels more like home than home does and that’s sad sometimes.
Neal for AS: As a fan I really enjoy the residential cases. Are there any plans to get back to doing more residential locations?
Kris: The thing is some of these people don’t want to be on camera. They don’t want their neighbors knowing what is going on in their house or thinking that they are crazy.
Neal for AS: I just started following you on Twitter recently besides waiting for the annoucement of Kris’s Big Secret. One thing was very obvious right away, you are a big Doors fan.
Kris: I love them. The other day I found out The Doors were following me on Twitter, I totally nerded out. We go to work every day just like everyone else. We forget the cameras are there and that millions of people will see it.
When you meet someone who looks at you like they’ve known you for years it’s kind of weird. I didn’t get it. When I found out The Doors were following me I realized that there are people out there reacting to me. It’s hard to wrap your head around, but I’m very thankful. I feel like I was born in the wrong decade.
I would kill to have been teenager in the late sixties or early seventies. I am jealous of my parents.
Neal for AS: So you are a rocker chick?
Kris: I am! I mean I like Sinatra and Bobby Darin but I listen to The Doors or Zeppelin pretty much every day. There is not a lot of room for the new stuff. Honestly, I look at the new artists and think ‘who are people going to talk about in ten years’ and I can’t think of one. I don’t see any of them lasting.
Kris was amazingly sweet and I thank her for the opportunity to talk with her. You can catch her and the rest of the TAPS team on SyFy every Wednesday at 9pm. Also follow her on Twitter @kriswilliams81
Also don’t miss Ghost Hunters Halloween Live, cable’s #1 Halloween event! Ghost Hunters Halloween Live features cast members from the entire Ghost Hunters franchise (as well as some other special guests), who will team up to take on the haunts at the inimitable Buffalo Central Terminal in Buffalo, New York. Built in 1929 and abandoned 50 years later, the Terminal was once a bustling, 14-story combination office tower and train station.
Now, this decaying art deco masterpiece is a potent hotbed of paranormal activity. Destination Truth’s host Josh Gates leads a fearful journey to get you glued to the tube and sitting on pins and needles. Don’t miss this must see coverage as part of Syfy’s 31 days of Halloween this Sunday, October 31 from 7PM-1AM (ET/PT) only on Syfy.
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