Nick Groff Addresses the Ghosts of Shepherdstown ‘Staged’ Controversy
Steve Barton
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A few days ago a story broke online that sent a fair share of shockwaves throughout the paranormal community. The Inquisitr reported that the Destination America show “Ghosts of Shepherdstown” was “staged and fake,” saying that ghost stories and locations are changed by the show’s producers “to make good television.”
The comments came from the director of the visitor’s center in Shepherdstown, Marianne Davis. The article even went on to cite an IMDb page for actor Bradley Nnadi, who reported played “a witness named Terrence” in the first episode of Season 1. As reported, all of this came as truly disheartening news for paranormal investigation enthusiasts.
Today co-host Nick Groff took to his Facebook page to respond to the controversy.
“I started to see some questions about the authenticity of GHOSTS OF SHEPHERDSTOWN, and I just want to clear the air for you all as we go into Season 2 next week.
“My fellow investigators, Bill Hartley and Elizabeth Saint, and I work closely with production, the local researcher, Dana Mitchell, and the town of Shepherdstown to ensure that all witnesses’ stories are told accurately. All of the witness accounts that we investigate are real.
“Unfortunately, an online outlet took a quote from Marianne Davis, the director of the Shepherdstown visitor’s center, out of context from an interview that Marianne gave to a local newspaper earlier this year. Marianne was not interviewed by this outlet, nor any other that shared the story.
“Marianne is a lovely person who cares passionately about her community and has been a great resource and ally for us filming. After talking with her today, Marianne said, ‘We’re looking forward to the new season, and introducing new visitors from around the world to Shepherdstown.’ And to help her set the record straight, I wanted to share the full context of what Marianne said when she did an interview with a local newspaper back in January. You’ll also notice in that interview that she never states, ‘Parts of “Ghosts of Shepherdstown” are staged and fake’ as referenced by other online outlets.
“Thanks to you all for the support, and I hope that you’ll tune in on Monday night at 10/9c to watch the Season 2 premiere on Destination America! Have a great day!” – Nick Groff
In summation, Davis did NOT say in the article that things were “staged and faked,” but she did say that “some of the locations or ghost stories were changed by the show’s producers ‘to make good television.’” Take that for what it’s worth. We’re just here to report.
It’s great to see Groff take on the controversy head on.
On “Ghosts of Shepherdstown,” which is now going into its second season, we follow incidents occurring in the small town of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, as investigators Nick Groff, Bill Hartley, and Elizabeth Saint attempt to solve unexplained activity in what’s supposed to be the “most haunted town in America.”
Season 2 of “Ghosts of Shepherdstown” airs on Destination America on July 10 at 10 PM ET.
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