In a comment following my very first column, Bob Degon suggested that I try some “off the beaten path shows” that I might not otherwise have taken the opportunity to watch. While he didn’t specifically mention this week’s choice, I thought I’d give it a shot nonetheless.
I could be mistaken, but Ghost Hunters may very well be the first show I’ve ever caught on Syfy (I know for sure that it is when not taking into account past column selections). And I absolutely must preface this by saying that I don’t believe in the paranormal. And not only do I not believe in it, but I also lack the ability to suspend my disbelief when it comes to the paranormal. I just don’t buy it. So why bother with the show? Honestly? Curiosity. I’ve always wondered what they do week after week.
The TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) team took on two assignments last week — the first was at Fort William Henry in upstate New York, while the second was a follow-up to an investigation done several years ago at the Buffalo Central Terminal. Joining the team was Ghost Hunters Academy (another show?) winner Adam Berry.
To start with, it was interesting to hear in both cases what the reported incidents were. If you ignore the obvious inferences of paranormal activity, most things these individuals reported were relatable. We’ve all heard strange sounds and seen strange things.
The team does a ton of both technical and manual work when investigating claims. There are camera set-ups, walk-throughs, analysis, etc. But they also throw around terms like “call and response” and “debunking,” kind of making the entire thing sound a bit ridiculous. The first refers to a technique Grant and Jason used in attempting to get a spirit to respond. Lack of response was not a good sign for the spirit world … okay. Let me ask you a question: assuming a tourist at the fort had heard a ghost whispering in the dungeon, does that mean said ghost would have been hanging around the same spot who knows how long afterward? Do spirits generally stay in one place?
The fact is that the majority of the odd experiences could be, and were, explained away by the abundance of animal life roaming the fort. And the fact that there were “footsteps” and “voices” that couldn’t be debunked or disproved says what exactly? Does the recording rule out the possibility that it was wood settling? Do we know what 200 plus year-old wood sounds like when it shifts and resettles? Do we know that wind rustling through odd cracks in 200 plus year-old wood doesn’t sound like voices, or that it can’t set up some abnormal wind tunnel that could blow the chimes in the gift shop?
I’ll grant you that some of the stuff at the Buffalo Central Terminal — the knocking in pattern, the flashlight turning on and off — was crazy. But the only thing I wondered echoes Phoebe’s question to Ross on Friends when she challenged his assertions about dinosaur bones: Who’s playing the practical joke and why? And separate from that, why in the world did the team bring along “celebrity” investigators? Doesn’t that marginalize what they’re doing?
Not only that, but I was confused by the follow-ups that Grant and Jason held at the end with whoever hired them. What are next steps on these cases? Is the entire point of this verification (or lack-thereof, considering the fact that most questions go unanswered)? You have to wonder who’s paying who — do the locations pay Ghost Hunters for the service, or does Ghost Hunters pay the locations for the opportunity to “do their thing” and tape it?
Weird experience for me. Maybe I should have stuck with one of Bob’s actual suggestion and tried MythBusters.
By the way, for all who read last week’s column on The Walking Dead — I’m heavily leaning toward catching episode two for next week’s column. Check back in and see if I could stomach it.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Nov 15, 2010 @ 17:15 EST5EDT
I loved this show when it first came out. They were able to debunk most of the paranormal things that were supposed to be happening, once in a while there were things that they couldn’t and with my belief in the supernatural, it made me interested, however, it seems now, more often than not, they find that there is “definitely” something going on makes me wonder. Thanks for the write up on.
Hope you watch the second episode of The Walking Dead. I really think it is a good show.
I’m probably the closest thing CliqueClack has to a ‘Ghost Hunters’ expert, so let me try to answer a few things.
Let me preface that I really don’t know what to believe with the paranormal. I’d have to witness something first-hand before I could make a decision, I guess.
As for the “guest hunters,” I really believe that’s all Syfy’s doing. ‘Ghost Hunters’ is one of their longest running shows right now, and Syfy will do all sorts of corny stunts to get people interested in their other shows. I’m willing to bet at least Jason wants to gag when they tell him he has to do one of these shows alongside a fucking wrestler. A wrestler? Really?
As for who gets paid for the locations, I don’t believe anyone does. The locations practically beg ‘Ghost Hunters’ to investigate there, because it’s free publicity and, well, they think it’s damn cool. Conversely, ‘GH’ needs locations to set up in, or there’s no show. So it’s win-win.
Oftentimes Jay and Grant will give advice to the person on what to do next, based on their findings. I don’t believe we’ve seen any updates, though. They’d either tell the person not to be afraid or that they need to try to consult other experts. Or that there’s nothing there at all but wind and creaky boards.
You wonder why someone would play the practical joke and why, and that’s easy: because someone’s making money on this, ergo Syfy and the TAPS team. How completely boring would it be if they came away with nothing week after week? The show would be a disaster. So, as the seasons went on, they’ve added new tricks to keep us “wowed,” like the flashlight. The flashlight, when we see it used, can be pretty startling, but it’s also obviously a bunch of bullshit. They put the flashlight down on a hair-trigger, where someone’s breath could cause it to turn on and off. So why always a flashlight? Why not, I dunno, make them push around a balloon or something light like that? If they are actually *pushing* on something, why not something more tangible? It’s because the flashlight gag is bull, and it’s a cheap way to get people interested.
Grant told me in an interview once that he doesn’t care if the show tanks, and I don’t buy that. He says he’d be fine just being a plumber all the time. If he’s serious, then why doesn’t he quit?
Another thing to note is that, from what I’ve heard, at least some of these guys — Jason included — started out as actors or at least *do* act from time to time. What’s that tell you?
I used to really dig this show. I like the guys too — I spent a night with one of their investigations! But I just confirmed that there will indeed be a ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ crossover episode, and when that does happen, I’m DONE with the show. That’s shilling to the Nth degree.
*POST AUTHOR*
Thanks Keith! This helps explain a lot.
I should have better phrased my “who gets paid” question, because what I was really wondering was who gets the most benefit … to me it would seem the show, not the location. Maybe it’s just me, but being “haunted” wouldn’t make me want to go somewhere more. ;)
That sucks about the flashlight thing. I didn’t put any stock in it, but to hear that it’s been done before? And a Real Housewives of Atlanta crossover? Get out of here! That’s insane.