#618 - Sam and Colby

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• The shift in Sam and Colby's paranormal content from exploring abandoned buildings to actively seeking supernatural encounters was catalyzed by legal trouble and subsequent, undeniable experiences at haunted locations like the Queen Mary.  Copied to clipboard!
• The success of Sam and Colby's content hinges on the viewer's willingness to meet the experience halfway, as genuine paranormal activity often requires the investigators to be open-minded and receptive, rather than purely skeptical.  Copied to clipboard!
• The duo's recent 'Hell Month' investigations, particularly the trip to the Paris Catacombs, highlight the extreme physical and psychological risks involved in seeking out highly charged, potentially 'demonic' locations, contrasting with their earlier, less equipped explorations.  Copied to clipboard!
• Colby expressed deep personal conflict and concern to Sam about participating in rituals that delved into 'hellish things' like contacting Satan, citing his own faith as a boundary.  Copied to clipboard!
• The conversation explored the idea that repeated engagement with negative or dark subjects, even for content creation, can eventually shape one's reality or being.  Copied to clipboard!
• The guests discussed the historical acknowledgment of paranormal activity, referencing the Bell Witch haunting where a death was officially attributed to supernatural causes, even being confirmed by President Andrew Jackson.  Copied to clipboard!

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Guest Introduction and Identity

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(00:00:26)

• Key Takeaway: Sam and Colby are established paranormal content creators with over 13 million YouTube subscribers, currently promoting their annual ‘Hell Month’ series.
• Summary: Theo Von introduces Sam and Colby as paranormal explorers known for visiting scary places globally. They have amassed a significant following exceeding 13 million subscribers on YouTube. The episode is timed around their ongoing Halloween series, ‘Hell Month’.

Defining Paranormal Amigos

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(00:01:11)

• Key Takeaway: Sam and Colby humorously describe themselves as non-expert ’two-dudes with a camera’ documenting experiences, contrasting with professional ghost hunters.
• Summary: The guests joke about potential channel names like ‘Paranormal Amigos’ or ‘Seance Monkeys.’ They clarify they are not psychics or experts, but rather documentarians who capture whatever happens during their explorations. Their approach is likened to ‘community college Ghostbusters.’

Hometown Contrast and Audience Interest

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(00:02:23)

• Key Takeaway: Sam and Colby’s massive online success (15 million subs) contrasts sharply with their small Kansas hometown origins, highlighting widespread public curiosity about the afterlife.
• Summary: The creators note their small Kansas hometown population is less than 100,000, making their subscriber count surreal. They attribute their success to the universal human wonder about what happens after death. Moving to LA and Vegas after high school at age 18 marked a significant life change.

Origin Story and Early Content

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(00:04:26)

• Key Takeaway: Sam and Colby met in middle school in Kansas, initially bonding over a shared desire to avoid the conventional life path by pursuing early social media content creation like Vine.
• Summary: They met around age 14 in band camp, driven by a mutual goal to escape the typical Kansas trajectory of college and a nine-to-five job. Colby introduced Sam to the potential of Vine and YouTube, leading them to grind content creation during senior year to earn enough money for a gap year in LA. Their early content sometimes led to trouble, including being called into the principal’s office for public disturbance stunts at the mall.

Pivot to Haunted Locations

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(00:07:46)

• Key Takeaway: The pivot from exploring abandoned buildings to focusing on haunted locations occurred after they were arrested for trespassing and realized they needed to shift their content focus to locations with established paranormal lore.
• Summary: Initially, they enjoyed the exhilaration of breaking into abandoned sites, but arrests forced a change around 2019. Prior to that, they had begun visiting places with haunted histories, initially skeptical but hoping for content. Real, undeniable events like voices and slams convinced them the paranormal was real, leading them to abandon simple urban exploration.

Queen Mary Experience and Spiritual Shift

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(00:09:32)

• Key Takeaway: A late-night, off-camera experience on the Queen Mary fundamentally changed Colby’s perspective, making him religious and shifting his focus from content creation to seeking spiritual answers.
• Summary: After an uneventful night filming on the Queen Mary ship, off-camera events convinced Colby that the paranormal was real, profoundly impacting his life and faith. This experience motivated him to seek answers about the afterlife rather than just creating spooky content. This shift emphasizes that being open and willing to believe is crucial for experiencing phenomena.

Belief, Faith, and Meeting Halfway

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(00:11:22)

• Key Takeaway: The act of engaging with the paranormal, much like religious faith, requires putting oneself out there and meeting the unknown halfway for any experience to manifest.
• Summary: Theo compares the paranormal pursuit to faith, noting that both require meeting the unseen halfway. Colby, raised Christian, found the Queen Mary experience secured his beliefs, while Sam was initially a non-believer. They advise that skepticism prevents experiences, whereas genuine willingness to believe opens the door for phenomena to occur.

Theo’s Perspective on Evidence

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(00:15:55)

• Key Takeaway: Theo Von’s belief is reinforced by scientific data collected from near-death experience interviews by Dr. Jeffrey Long, suggesting patterned commonalities in accounts of the afterlife.
• Summary: Theo cites Dr. Jeffrey Long’s work compiling data from near-death experiences, noting the uniformity of accounts provides a pattern suggesting something beyond mere guessing. He also recounts a profound DMT experience where the overwhelming feeling was pure love, suggesting the purpose of life is love, and all earthly concerns are secondary.

Paranormal Investigation Process

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(00:24:32)

• Key Takeaway: Sam and Colby utilize equipment that measures EMF energy changes, but emphasize that direct sensory experiences like knocks and voices are often more compelling than technology alone.
• Summary: Their equipment primarily measures electromagnetic energy (EMF), which everything alive or dead emits, and they use motion sensors and everyday objects to visualize activity. They stress that personal experiences—being touched, hearing voices, or seeing doors slam—are central, as equipment helps viewers visualize what the team feels. They often bring skeptical guests to act as independent variables to witness these events firsthand.

Pendle Hill and Demonic Energy

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(00:34:04)

• Key Takeaway: Locations steeped in historical trauma, such as Pendle Hill associated with the 1612 witch trials, attract specific types of energy, which in this case involved summoning attempts directed toward the devil.
• Summary: Pendle Hill, site of infamous witch trials where accused witches turned to the devil, is considered highly demonic due to centuries of focused dark energy. The family dynamic during the trials was toxic, as individuals blamed each other to save themselves, leading to mass executions. If people focus energy toward the demonic, they will attract that specific type of entity.

Paris Catacombs Terror

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(00:39:59)

• Key Takeaway: The Paris Catacombs investigation was terrifying due to the sheer volume of remains (six million), extreme claustrophobia, and the real danger posed by criminal gangs operating in the unmapped sections.
• Summary: The Catacombs contain six million skeletons, organized into ritualistic bone structures, and feature 200 miles of illegal, unmapped territory. The team faced physical danger from freezing water and the threat of being robbed and abandoned by criminal elements known to prey on lost tourists. The experience was compounded when they became lost for hours, unable to contact the outside world due to lack of service.

Voice Recorder Evidence

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(00:47:46)

• Key Takeaway: A specific, recalled Japanese voice recorder model is used because it allegedly captures frequencies beyond human hearing, leading to clear, unprompted responses like a spirit stating, ‘I’m alive.’
• Summary: The team uses a voice recorder, recalling a 1970s model recalled for picking up extraneous voices, believing it captures frequencies the human ear misses. During the Catacombs investigation, when asked if they were dead or alive, the playback clearly stated, ‘I’m alive.’ This clear, unexpected response was so terrifying it caused the entire group to flee immediately.

Colby’s Faith Boundary

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(00:50:48)

• Key Takeaway: Colby confronted Sam about participating in rituals involving Satan due to conflict with his personal faith.
• Summary: Colby pulled Sam aside before a ritual to express near-tears concern about meddling in matters conflicting with his deep religious beliefs. He stated he was ‘good on that one’ regarding talking to the devil himself. This conversation was shown in their video content.

Ghostly Sexuality Speculation

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(00:52:20)

• Key Takeaway: The speakers speculated on the mundane or sexual activities invisible ghosts might engage in.
• Summary: Theo questioned if ghosts ever appear as attractive women or engage in sexual acts, suggesting ghosts might be ‘gooning behind the scenes’ since they are invisible. Theo joked that if he were invisible, he would be ‘spraying’ constantly.

BlueChew Sponsorship Read

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(00:53:47)

• Key Takeaway: BlueChew offers chewable tablets for sexual performance enhancement, providing a first-month free deal with a promo code.
• Summary: BlueChew is promoted as a ‘cheat code for your crotch,’ promising stronger, harder, and longer-lasting results. Listeners can get their first month free by using the promo code ‘Theo’ at checkout, only paying for shipping.

Shopify Sponsorship Read

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(00:55:07)

• Key Takeaway: Shopify is presented as a tool to help individuals turn passions and ideas into real businesses, manageable via mobile.
• Summary: Shopify helps turn passions into reality, functioning like a digital crew running background operations for the creator. Users can manage orders, track sales, and tag products directly from their phones. The call to action encourages listeners to start building their thing at shopify.com/theo.

Valor Recovery Introduction

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(00:56:33)

• Key Takeaway: Valor Recovery offers coaching and mentorship for men struggling with pornography abuse and sexual compulsivity.
• Summary: Valor Recovery, founded by Steve, helps men overcome the shame and stigma associated with porn use, which often masks loneliness or anxiety. Coaches in long-term recovery serve as partners and mentors to help men develop healthier sex lives.

Government Acknowledgment of Paranormal

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(00:58:08)

• Key Takeaway: The only widely cited case where a death was officially attributed to paranormal causes in US history is the 1820 death of John Bell Sr. during the Bell Witch haunting.
• Summary: Andrew Jackson reportedly visited the Bell Witch Cave and stated he would rather face the British Army than spend another night there, lending credibility to the phenomena. John Bell’s death was allegedly caused by a black liquid poisoning, claimed by the Bell Witch.

Secularism vs. Spiritual Belief

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(01:01:48)

• Key Takeaway: Modern society’s reliance on scientific terms and digital verification (like ChatGPT) diminishes belief in spiritual or unobservable phenomena.
• Summary: The speakers suggest that many historical spiritual experiences are now labeled as scientific conditions like schizophrenia, potentially overlooking deeper spiritual roots. They lament that people now require digital proof (like seeing something on ChatGPT) rather than experiencing things firsthand, unlike past generations.

Ouija Board Experiences

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(01:09:42)

• Key Takeaway: Using a professional spirit board correctly with an occult expert provides a tangible, magnetic pulling sensation unlike commercial gimmick boards.
• Summary: The guests used a spirit board with a priestess at the Smurl House location, experiencing the planchette being physically pulled by an unseen presence. They learned that spirits, like people, can be unwelcoming, with one entity telling them to ‘go away’ and leave it in peace.

Smurl House Investigation Details

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(01:06:04)

• Key Takeaway: The Smurl House haunting involved severe physical and sexual assaults by an eight-foot-tall, scaly, red-eyed demonic entity on the entire family.
• Summary: The entity reportedly lifted and threw family members against walls, causing broken bones, and sexually assaulted the family over 13 years. The family’s German Shepherd was also attacked, and a child was nearly killed when a fan flew off the ceiling.

Haunted Locations and Energy

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(01:14:21)

• Key Takeaway: Hauntings are not limited to buildings; any location with deep human connection or energy, like a playground or community hub, can potentially be haunted.
• Summary: The guests mentioned owning Farrar Elementary in Iowa, which remains active because it was a century-old social center for the town (dances, weddings, school). They noted that the energy of a place, rather than just its structure, dictates spiritual presence.

Theo’s Dating Anxiety

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(01:16:30)

• Key Takeaway: Theo expressed anxiety over a text exchange with a new romantic interest after using a self-deprecating opening line.
• Summary: Theo felt chemistry with a woman he met but texted her by saying his ‘buddy’ (himself) was asking her out, immediately fearing rejection. He linked this feeling to an internal energy of constant rejection he needs to overcome.

America’s Most Haunted Places

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(01:17:52)

• Key Takeaway: The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA, acts as a ‘Grand Central Station for spirits’ due to its bizarre, endless architecture.
• Summary: The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia is another extremely creepy location known for patient torture, including lobotomies for minor issues like ’laziness.’ The East Coast is generally considered the most haunted region due to older history.

GOAT of Ghost Hunting

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(01:25:43)

• Key Takeaway: Zach Bagans of Ghost Adventures is considered the ‘father of paranormal’ by the guests, despite Ed and Lorraine Warren being famous demonologists.
• Summary: Zach Bagans is highly regarded, with the guests noting that ’the ghosts are scared of him’ at his museum in Las Vegas. The guests emphasized the importance of showing up to spiritual encounters with the intent to receive, similar to how one approaches relationships or faith.