She’s spooky and mysterious, not to mention beautiful and curvy, but we’re not talking about a model or even a movie star. Katrina Weidman is, however, a TV personality. Most recently, we’ve been enjoying her on the Travel Channel’s Portals to Hell as she spends days at a time inside some of the most haunted places around. It takes a lot of guts to face other people’s demons or ghosts. However, there’s more to Katrina than just a steely resolve and an avid interest in the paranormal. Here are ten things you didn’t know about Katrina Weidman.
1. More Than A Decade
Unless your parents are very famous, or you have better luck than a leprechaun with a necklace of good luck charms, then you don’t just get a TV show. Katrina has earned her place among paranormal investigators. She’s been working with spirits and strange phenomena for more than a decade now, and it’s paid off. Portals to Hell isn’t her first creepy rodeo. Last year she was on Paranormal Lockdown, and she even did a guest spot on The View.
2. Halloween Hilarious
If you’re going to face your fears and other peoples as well, then it helps to be well rounded. Comedy is a well documented and healthy way to handle stress, but mostly, it’s just fun. Katrina is an amusing lady. This month she’s been posting on Instagram about the worst Halloween treats people have ever gotten. Among the most surprising responses were, “A rock,” and “Sour milk.” We’re not even sure why or how that last one gets inside a treat bag. However, Katrina’s vote for worst overall non-treats are religious pamphlets and toothbrushes.
3. She Also Sings
Even when your life is mostly ghostly, you’ll still have downtime. When Katrina isn’t on screen, she’s on stage. As the lead singer of Away From 30, an alt-rock band, Katrina is used to being in the public eye.
4. Volunteer Crisis Counselor
Rocking out or hunting ghosts is just the tip of the iceberg for Weidman. When she’s not on stage with her band in Oregon or traveling the world as one of the premier ghost hunters of our time, Kat likes to give something back to the community. She’s been working as a volunteer crisis counselor and helping others get through some of their personal lows since 2008. We admire a woman who’s willing to do something so selfless for others.
5. Kat & Jack
There are shows where a paranormal expert goes it alone, but Portals to Hell isn’t one of them. For this years’ ghost-filled extravaganza, Katrina is teaming up with Jack Osbourne. If his name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s one of the Osbournes. Unlike Kat, he may come from rock royalty, but Jack isn’t a singer or even a musician. Even stranger, Jack isn’t a ‘real’ paranormal investigator, but rather an interested hobbyist. The duo works well together, and they share a healthy fear of what they might encounter. If you want to find out exactly what happened while they were filming, you’ll have to tune in for yourself.
6. Motivated Partner
Jack Osbourne may not be as experienced as Katrina Weidman, but he makes a great partner. In fact, you might say that without him there wouldn’t be a show at all. Osbourne Media and Critical Content produce Portals to Hell.
7. Karaoke, Cooking and Golden Girls
While we weren’t surprised to find that Katrina, like many singers, loves karaoke, some of her other hobbies are downright unusual, at least for a rock and roll ghost hunter. When she has the time, Katrina loves to cook. We’d bet she’s just as good in the kitchen as she is on stage. Stranger still, she’s obsessed with watching reruns of The Golden Girls. As professional TV aficionados, we totally get it, but it did surprise us to discover that an alt rocking paranormal investigator enjoys such a tame and quaint comedy. Maybe it’s a nice counterpoint to the hectic worlds of spirits and music.
8. It’s Not Always Exciting…
What does it take to become a ghost hunter? Well, you have to understand the equipment and what it’s looking for, plus you need to know when to trust your gut. Moreover, you have to be willing to face the fact that you could come across some otherworldly entity, and it might not be happy to see you. Beyond that, you need patience. Ghost hunting isn’t always exciting. Sometimes nothing happens at all for a very long time. Hauntings can be nothing more than a rumor. Other times, you aren’t the one an angry or lost spirit is looking to make contact with.
9. Sometimes Frightening
Professional or not ghost hunters get scared too. Sure, many of them play it off like they have nerves of steel a hundred percent of the time, but it’s just not true. Katrina admits that paranormal investigators are people too. When something goes crazy or wrong, they have the same fight-flight-freeze instincts the rest of us have. The difference is that it’s their job to push through that anxiety and keep looking no matter what happens.
10. Educated Woman
There’s no degree for the paranormal, well, maybe noetics but there certainly isn’t a ghost-busting degree on the syllabus. Katrina went to school for music and theater. She graduated from Penn State with degrees in Integrative Arts and Theatre with a minor in Music Technology.
Final Thoughts
The haunting season is upon us, and as Halloween gets closer, we all start to think about the paranormal a little more than usual. However, for people like Katrina Weidman, every day is October. We have had a great time binge-watching episodes of last year’s Paranormal Lockdown between episodes of Portals to Hell. As far as real-life ghostbusters go, Katrina is one of our favorites. We’re hoping to see a whole lot more of her work on screen and stage in the future. What surprised you the most about Katrina? Let us know in the comments.
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