Heather Amaro was born on the summer solstice. She will tell you that herself, and she says it the way someone says something they have believed their whole life.
She grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, watching her mother investigate hauntings. Her grandmother did the same work before that. By the time she was old enough to join the investigations herself, she already knew the vocabulary, the equipment, and the specific feeling of walking into a room where something did not want to be found.
Now she does it on television. Since Season 8 of Expedition X on the Discovery Channel, Heather Amaro has been the show's paranormal investigator, stepping in after Jessica Chobot's seven-season run ended without a public explanation. Season 11 premiered on January 7, 2026. She is currently in the middle of her second full year on the show, traveling to Scotland, Slovenia, Ireland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania to investigate legends that have survived centuries because nobody has fully explained them.
She has been doing paranormal investigations for more than 20 years and describes joining Expedition X as the thing her entire life was leading toward.
Who Is Heather Amaro on Expedition X?
Heather Amaro joined Expedition X as the show's paranormal investigator starting in Season 8, which premiered in 2024. She works alongside biologist Phil Torres and host Josh Gates, who oversees investigations from Expedition HQ while Amaro and Torres handle most of the on-location fieldwork.
Her role is to lead the paranormal side of each investigation. She evaluates reported hauntings, runs call and response sessions, reviews evidence, and spends significant time in genuinely unsettling locations. In her first season alone, she investigated Vulture City in Arizona, a cliffside castle in Slovenia, and North Carolina's Ocracoke Island in search of the ghost of the pirate Blackbeard.
By Season 11, she had investigated haunted prisons in Ireland, battlefields at Gettysburg, and the USS Hornet. She has called both of those American history locations among the most meaningful of her career.
She replaced Jessica Chobot, who had been a fixture on the show since its 2020 premiere. Screen Rant detailed the transition when Chobot's absence from Season 8 promotional materials became noticeable before any official announcement was made. Discovery eventually introduced Amaro through the @expeditionunknown Instagram account, where she shared her background and what drew her to the show.
Why Did Heather Amaro Replace Jessica Chobot on Expedition X?
The official reason has never been confirmed by the Discovery Channel or by Chobot in full detail.
What is publicly known: Chobot was with the show from Season 1 through Season 7. When she addressed the cast change on social media, she wished Phil Torres and Heather Amaro well but did not mention Josh Gates by name. She also unfollowed Gates on Instagram after her departure.
Fan and media speculation have pointed to creative tension between Chobot and Gates throughout their run together. Distractify noted that Chobot's farewell post conspicuously excluded Gates, which observers interpreted as confirmation that the departure involved more than a routine cast transition.
Amaro acknowledged the difficulty of replacing someone fans had known for seven seasons. She said change is never easy and that she had big shoes to fill.
"Change is never easy, and I had some big shoes to fill, but it's been wonderful being welcomed into the Expedition X family," she said in a January 2026 interview with Primetimer.
She has not made any public statements that address Gates or Chobot directly.
Heather Amaro Background: Third-Generation Paranormal Investigator
Heather Amaro identifies as a third-generation paranormal investigator.
Her mother, Rhonda Burton, is a paranormal investigator. Her grandmother was involved in the same work before that. Amaro grew up going on investigations with her mother, absorbing both the methods and the mindset before she was a teenager. Her father is a dentist. She has an aunt named LaDonna Campbell.
She was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, and has been conducting paranormal investigations for over two decades.
In her introductory Instagram video, she said she had been doing paranormal investigations for 20 years and described joining Expedition X as the thing her entire life had been leading toward.
She is a Ghostbusters fan. Her first Instagram post featured the franchise's logo. She has a rescue dog, which she has described as a handful.
She worked alongside guest investigator Jack Osbourne in Season 8, which she described as one of the better experiences of her early run on the show.
"He taught me a technique that I still use for call and response sessions today," she said. "He's a pun machine. I would be happy to work with him again anytime."
Heather Amaro Husband and Personal Life
Heather Amaro keeps her personal life almost entirely out of her public presence. She has not publicly confirmed details about her relationship status. Her Instagram account, @heatheraamaro, is almost entirely professional content related to Expedition X and her investigation work. Joel Amaro does not appear in her professional posts, and she has not discussed the relationship in detail in any interview.
She has a rescue dog mentioned occasionally in casual posts. Her professional schedule keeps her traveling for much of the year.
Heather Amaro Net Worth
Heather Amaro's net worth has not been publicly confirmed or officially estimated.
She joined Expedition X as a full cast member starting in Season 8 in 2024, with no prior television credits. Her public profile has grown significantly since joining the show. By Season 11 in 2026, she has built a recognizable presence in paranormal television with over 37 episodes completed.
Before the show, she operated as a private paranormal investigator for over two decades without a media profile.
Expedition X Season 11: Where Is Heather Amaro Now in 2026?
Heather Amaro is currently filming and promoting Season 11 of Expedition X, which premiered on January 7, 2026, on the Discovery Channel. New episodes air on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST and are also available on Discovery+.
Season 11 has taken her and Phil Torres to Ocracoke Island in North Carolina, rural Pennsylvania, Slovenia, La Mancha in Spain, and Ireland. She remains active on Instagram at @heatheraamaro and has been doing press and interviews throughout the current season.
For readers interested in other reality television personalities navigating major career transitions in 2026, Nicole Curtis faced a similar kind of public reset earlier this year when HGTV canceled Rehab Addict after 15 seasons.
Heather Amaro Fast Facts
| Hometown | Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Relationship | Not publicly confirmed |
| Mother | Rhonda Burton (paranormal investigator) |
| Father | Dentist |
| Aunt | LaDonna Campbell |
| Show | Expedition X, Discovery Channel |
| Seasons | Season 8 through Season 11 (2024 to present) |
| Episodes | 37+ |
| Replaced | Jessica Chobot |
| Co-stars | Josh Gates, Phil Torres |
| @heatheraamaro |
Frequently Asked Questions About Heather Amaro
Who is Heather Amaro on Expedition X?
Heather Amaro is the paranormal investigator on the Discovery Channel's Expedition X, joining in Season 8 in 2024 and currently appearing in Season 11. She replaced longtime co-host Jessica Chobot and works alongside biologist Phil Torres and host Josh Gates, traveling the world to investigate paranormal legends and unexplained phenomena.
Why did Heather Amaro replace Jessica Chobot on Expedition X?
The official reason has never been confirmed. Chobot was absent from Season 8 promotional materials, and when she addressed the change publicly, she wished the new cast well but notably left Josh Gates out of her farewell message and unfollowed him on Instagram. Creative differences between Chobot and Gates have been the most widely cited explanation.
Is Heather Amaro married?
Heather Amaro has not publicly confirmed details about her relationship status. She keeps her personal life almost entirely private and rarely discusses it in interviews or on social media.
What is Heather Amaro's background in paranormal investigation?
Heather Amaro grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, as a third-generation paranormal investigator. Her mother, Rhonda Burton, is a paranormal investigator, and her grandmother was involved in the same work. She has been conducting investigations for over 20 years and had no prior television credits before joining Expedition X.
When did Expedition X Season 11 premiere?
Expedition X Season 11 premiered on January 7, 2026, on the Discovery Channel. New episodes air on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST and are available on Discovery+.
What happened to Jessica Chobot on Expedition X?
Jessica Chobot was a co-host on Expedition X from Season 1 through Season 7. Her absence from Season 8 promotional materials was noticed by fans before any announcement. She later confirmed her departure on Instagram, wishing Phil Torres and Heather Amaro well but not mentioning host Josh Gates. The official reason for her exit has never been confirmed by the Discovery Channel.