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Archive for the ‘Ghost Hunters’ Category

I’m getting my desktop ready and I’m looking forward to some new seasons of investigations. It looks like we lost a few shows along the way, but to be honest, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. A few of those shows needed to go and a couple more still need to go. So which ones do I think are coming back?

Shows on now:

Right now there is only one show back on the air and it’s GHI. I really liked the first season of this show but there have been dozens of cast changes and the way they break up the season is just maddening. I can’t say how much longer I’ll be on board for this one.

Shows coming soon:

I know two shows will be starting soon, Destination Truth on September 9th and Ghost Adventures starting up in September as well. These are the two I’m looking forward to the most, I just have a great time watching these and they look like they’re having a great time making the show.

Shows on the fence:

Paranormal State: It has no start date listed but the fact it’s still on the books leads me to believe it will be coming back. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the last year for Satan seeking, Holy water throwing, seeing shadows in every corner, Ryan Buell and the PRS team. Ryan has become just way too damn melodramatic and quite honestly the show just isn’t that interesting anymore. Every single thing about this show seems staged and fake. The stories are weak, their reactions from the PRS team are WAY over the top, nothing is ever discovered and in the end Ryan buries a couple of medallions, tells the “spirits” they aren’t welcome, says a blessing and then heads home. And that “Director’s Log” crap is really wearing thin.

Shows that probably won’t be back:

Ghost Lab looks like it got the axe. Nothing is listed on Discovery and no new listings on IMDB. A Wikipedia entry sites they’re coming back for a second season but there is no actual confirmation of that. Their own websites lists two upcoming investigations this year, but no mention of the show. They may have had some of the coolest equipment, but their crazy antics and experiments may have done them in.

Looks like Paranormal Cops didn’t make it either. It has no return date listed in IMDB and the show has been pulled from the roster on the A&E website. There were some interesting aspects to this show, but overall it needed some work. They had procedures and guidelines which was great, but some of their fact checking seemed a little off and they made far too many connections that seemed to be huge leaps at best.

Shows that should never come back:

Ghost Hunters Academy. Please tell me we’ll never have to see or hear of this stupid show again… I can only hope.

Ghost Hunters will air again sometime this year, but really, who cares anymore?

I was reading this article the other day talking about whether the Ghost Hunters have jumped the shark. If you recall the original Happy Days episode where Fonzi literally jumps the shark it was because they wanted to add something breathtaking and exciting to the show. It was so over the top as to grab people’s attention and get them talking. It was a springboard if you will, and Happy Days went on for several more seasons.

Laura makes a good point that jumping the shark is to break up the status quo, to shock the audience and do something wild and different. And if Ghost Hunters have indeed jumped the shark what wild stunt did they do it with? What have they done to shake up the entire foundation of their show? By that definition they haven’t done anything. The first step toward shaking things up would be to get off the couch. I’m not sure when this couch sitting started, but it’s gotten out of hand.

To shake things up perhaps they could stop saying they will leave if something paranormal happens. I thought the whole purpose was to document and thereby perhaps explain the paranormal. If you keep saying you will walk out if apparitions appear what exactly as you accomplishing again? "Oh yeah, the place is riddled with spirits, but when they showed up we took off. That’s why we’re the Ghost Hunters."

I’ve also seen several comments stating people want the old Ghost Hunters back. Which old Ghost Hunters do you actually mean? The Ghost Hunters from Season One, or the beat Brian Hornois era, with surly Jason who basically used everyone as a whipping boy and brow beat them as he saw fit? Watching people fight over the proper way to roll up a cable is great fun.

Or the Ghost Hunters from Season Two, the Pick on Donna era, where Donna took the brunt of the blows and Steve did his darndest to try and find a spot within the group. It’s always a thrill to watch a group try and make one of their look like an incompetent ass. Let’s tune in for that!

Or would the Old Ghost Hunters be the team from Season Three where they seemed to really get into the swing of things, with Steve constantly showing his air of superiority and constantly picking on Tango?

And let’s not forget the whole Brian is on the show, Brian is kicked off the show melodrama we had to deal with. As well as the ever rotating crew of people who came in. Remember the drama at Eastern State with Brian and Brian? Do we really have to put up with Kristyn who is basically just as ill tempered as Jason. Remember her in the 2008 Halloween Special? And all the other random one hit wonders which have made their way onto the show.

Or how about Season Four where Ghost Hunters went Hollywood and started spinning of new franchises and declaring every location paranormal regardless of what happened there?

Going by the definition of Jump The Shark, I agree with Laura that Ghost Hunters hasn’t done anything spectacular or memorable in years. I was entertained by the show because I looked at it as an offbeat travel show. They go to odd and creepy locations all over the country searching for spooks and specters. Who wouldn’t want a job like that? The show was exciting because they were excited, they were enthusiastic about what they were doing. I thought the best part was their debunking of noises, creaks and groans. They could sit and explain how the pipes were causing the banging, the house shook because of traffic outside, shadows appeared because of the way headlights could cast a reflection. That was really interesting and entertaining to watch. Plus, the whole ambiance was neat; sitting in the dark waiting for a spirit who might be lurking somewhere.

But all too quickly the arrogance level went through the roof and the show wasn’t fun anymore. They’re boring and tuning in has become drudgery. They’re ready to give up too quickly and the investigations seem short. Do they even investigate from dusk to dawn like they used to?

So which Old Ghost Hunters would I prefer? That’s a hard question considering what we have to choose from.

The Ghost Hunters special may be over, but you can get a sense of what it was like to be in the audience by reading this blog entry. Apparently the show was much more entertaining in person than on TV and watching the Ghost Hunters with a live audience is certainly different than just watching it on TV.

Check out this summary of what it was like to be in the audience that night.

I have to say, if I was in the area, I would have been begging to get tickets, if for no other reason than to see the gravity defying hair of Dustin! Check out the photo on the site!

I’m sure you’ve been anxiously waiting for my comments on the Ghost Hunters 100th episode at Alcatraz so here they are at last.

Before we begin I really have to make a comment about Alcatraz itself. After watching American Paranormal and their experiments with infrasound I’m completely suspect of any paranormal investigation at this site. The environment itself of wind and water would lead to plenty of false positives. Not to mention the hundreds of birds, rats and who knows what else that now make Alcatraz home. How could you not expect creaks, bangs, scratches, footsteps, the moaning of the wind, the thud of the surf and dozens of others sounds from the place? With so much "noise" how can you possibly differentiate what you’re hearing?

But anyway, the Ghost Hunters team if off to the glitz and glamour of Alcatraz for their 100th episode. As I mentioned before my interest in the Ghost Hunters has come to an end. I only tuned in because Josh was hosting the interview and he brings a sense of fun and levity into everything he does. As expected both the interview and the investigation were fairly lackluster.

And by the way Dustin, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not a rock star…

The interview portion was pretty much a let down because no one actually said anything. About four questions were asked the whole night and the team was basically able to articulate nothing more than a short one sentence answer. When asked about their paranormal experience, Jason and Grant, as you might expect, dodged the question and gave a pretty non-committal answer. Even though Robb is the head man of GHI, he had one sentence to say then was ushered off stage. Kris and Amy hung off to the side and kept the couch from rolling away. Even Steve and Tango hardly had anything to say. Honestly, this train derailed dozens of times and Josh was having a heck of a time keeping it going.

I’m biased about the investigation anyway so I’ll skip through most of it. I don’t think they captured much evidence and certainly nothing that gives credence to most of the claims people have out there. It would take a lot to convince me the wind and surf aren’t responsible for most things people see and experience.

One thing that did come to mind is that once again the team shows they aren’t always sure where the other members are. Steve and Tango hear noises and say it could easily be the other team members. This just shows TAPS can actually step over themselves and give false positives by their own actions.

No denying Alcatraz is a wild place which I would certainly like to visit. The tunnels, long corridors and plenty of places without light would be fascinating to see. But whether it’s truly haunted or not remains to be seen, at least in my eyes.

And what was the big news of the night? Ghost Hunters Academy is coming back for a second season. I’ll try to contain my excitement. We’re also informed that the GHA graduates, Susan and Karl will be joining GHI. I was woefully disappointed by GHI this season and this doesn’t help matters. Now that these two are going to join the ranks I think I might be stepping away from the entire Ghost Hunters franchise. The premise and crew from GHA just rubbed me the wrong way. It was a personality clash in every sense of the word so having them on GHI doesn’t make me want to tune in. Jason and Grant have lost me for now. I may change my mind if they go to some place that really interests me, but as we start this new season I’m not on board.

Overall the 100th episode special was somewhat interesting, but not thrilling. It’s pretty obvious they see this as a business now, which unto itself is fine, but the quirky fun of the show is pretty much missing now. But congratulations to the Ghost Hunters for 100 episodes which as Josh says, in today’s climate is an achievement no matter who you are. To be something on the fringe like this is a major accomplishment. Hopefully they’ll win me back, but for now, I think we need a bit of a break from each other.