# All Those "Ghost Hunters" TV Shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 7, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384 "2010-10-07T17:23:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/21 "2010-10-08T16:35:38Z")
> [@](#): > > I always like when they try to get all high tech with weird meters. I wonder where they get those things. Did the high end one you bought get proven by the ghost detecting labs to detect ghosts 20% better? When the engineers were doing the R&D, how’d they go about comparing different types of ghost detection? I wonder if they killed orphans in the basement and then recorded it on multiple prototypes. The local Ghost Tours (Salem is full of them, but they’re also in Boston and Plymouth and Providence) have taken to equipping their charges with such “ghost meter” devices, I understand. I haven’t been on one since they started this, but it’d be interesting to see how they play it. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/22 "2010-10-08T16:52:23Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > My sister took a “ghost tour” somewhere and emailed photos with mysterious orbs floating in the rooms. My daughter responded with “I’m pretty sure that’s dust in the air.” They looked just like the ghosts we had in the basement when we finished sanding the drywall… > > Anyway, I don’t watch these shows. I’m too embarrassed for the idiots making them and even moreso for those who believe it. I’ve been on a couple of these “haunted” tours. Not the ones where they claim you’ll see anything, mind you, but rather the ones where they just talk about the folklore. It’s a good way to learn some local history and get the scoop on locations that might not otherwise have attracted your attention. Also, the guides on these tours always seem to know the best places to go drinking. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bafaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@bafaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bafaa)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/23 "2010-10-08T17:10:46Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I never thought they were really encountering ghosts, but I believed that they were genuinely looking and that they really thought they were really encountering ghosts. Then I saw this > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlM-Uy8ODYQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlM-Uy8ODYQ) > > Yeah, hucksters, pure and simple. Yup, same here. That was pretty much the last episode I watched. I don’t believe in ghosts but it looked like the “Ghost Hunters” were at least being honest in their investigations. I thought it was interesting to see them do their “hunting”. The first couple of seasons they were still being honest and most episodes they would come to the conclusion that whatever place they were investigating was not haunted. In later seasons they switched to saying that even though they didn’t find any evidence it didn’t mean that the place wasn’t haunted. Really? Is that how it works? :dubious: In my opinion the show went downhill fast from there and no longer worth watching but I guess they are still getting ratings so what do I know? I like a new show called Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files. They are still doing actual investigations and looking for real world explanations for videos. Some of it is hokey but the show is fun. ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/24 "2010-10-09T00:26:28Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I like a new show called Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files. They are still doing actual investigations and looking for real world explanations for videos. Some of it is hokey but the show is fun. I was actually yelling at the TV when this show came on. They were investigating “spooky ghost writing” on instant Polaroid pictures. Their self-proclaimed photography expert tried everything to debunk the eerie writing on the prints, but came to the conclusion that it had to be Paranormal. They even took a picture through clear acrylic and wrote on it with markers to try to recreate the photos. They made a big deal out of the fact that the photos developed in real time, so no one could tamper with them. I have _no_ photography skills at all, and even I know that if you scratch a Polaroid while it’s developing a white line will appear. Scratch in letters, and miraculously words will appear! That was the first and last episode I saw. -Wallet- ---
**Author:** ![Omi\_no\_Kami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Omi\_no\_Kami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omi_no_Kami)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/25 "2010-10-10T05:16:25Z")
I used to watch Ghost Adventures regularly- I think it’s fake as hell, always have, but when I was living in the himalayas it was one of three tv shows that was 1) on weekly 2) not dubbed, and 3) good. So when I wanted to take a break from watching vintage WWF or badly dubbed soap operas, I’d get my ghost on. What I remember most about the show is that they had an episode where they went back to the host’s hometown and were walking around on a brush-covered hill during the day. The host was talking about how you had to be careful of venomous snakes in the underbrush, and whenever they saw one he acted _just like_ he did when they found a ghost. “Whoa!!” _points_ “Did you see that? Are you seeing it too? He’s poisonous, watch out!” Steps around, then double-takes “Wow! Look out, right there!” _points frantically_ “Right there!!! Do you see it?” I like Ghost Adventures better than the other shows though, for one reason and one reason alone: they have their cameraguy who knows nothing about the supernatural stuff, just does not give a damn, and gets attacked by ghosts _every single episode_. After a while the hosts catch on and start using him as a ghost magnet, they’ll be like “We’re getting lots of EVP from this room, and the ghost of a murdered who likes to throw sharp objects at bystanders’ heads is said to haunt it, so we’re gonna lock the camera guy in there alone and see what happens.” Then you get a couple of minutes of the camera guy sitting there going “What the hell man, this sucks, Shit, they’d better fuckin’ get me out”. It’s like scooby doo with more pretentiousness- I really think that the extent to which they go to make the entire thing up makes it much more entertaining than the more “realistic” ghost hunting shows. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/26 "2010-10-10T05:26:03Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I never thought they were really encountering ghosts, but I believed that they were genuinely looking and that they really thought they were really encountering ghosts. Then I saw this > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlM-Uy8ODYQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlM-Uy8ODYQ) > > Yeah, hucksters, pure and simple. I had to snicker when I heard one promo recently, something like “More reasons to believe!” That’s sheer objectivity right there, that is. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/27 "2010-10-10T05:41:41Z")
You all need to do the ghost busting for yourselves. I went to Haunted Hill, where allegedly there where numerous murders and you could hear people running and screeching. I saw something with red eyes staring at me.Turned out to be a bird. Then I heard running and screaming. Seems it was small kids. Then I heard moaning. I searched and searched and finally located the source. Turned out to be a horny roadrunner calling for a mate. Let’s see if they ever put Haunted Hill on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/28 "2010-10-10T09:41:27Z")
Can’t you just picture that whole crew in the bar after wrapping up another show, back-slapping and high-fiving each other thinking they’ve put another one over on America. ```auto "Dude! You shoulda seen your face, when we blew the wind in your hair! Your eyes got big as saucers, man, and your voice sounded like a little girl's! Good one, man!" *slap*-*slap* ``` Qasi ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/29 "2010-10-10T11:02:37Z")
> [@Omi\_no\_Kami](#): > > I like Ghost Adventures better than the other shows though, for one reason and one reason alone: they have their cameraguy who knows nothing about the supernatural stuff, just does not give a damn, and gets attacked by ghosts _every single episode_. After a while the hosts catch on and start using him as a ghost magnet, they’ll be like “We’re getting lots of EVP from this room, and the ghost of a murdered who likes to throw sharp objects at bystanders’ heads is said to haunt it, so we’re gonna lock the camera guy in there alone and see what happens.” > > Then you get a couple of minutes of the camera guy sitting there going “What the hell man, this sucks, Shit, they’d better fuckin’ get me out”. > > It’s like scooby doo with more pretentiousness- I really think that the extent to which they go to make the entire thing up makes it much more entertaining than the more “realistic” ghost hunting shows. LOL sucks to be the poor camera guy. I have to confess, I love watching Destination Truth to see if anybody falls off a cliff or down a hole … they are just so cavalier about it. The first episode I watched, to see if I liked it was one where they were after something that actually comes out in the daytime, and there they are running around in a strange area at night with no lights … how idiotic is that 😕:smack: I find the British group idiotic, every place is ‘the most haunted place I have ever seen’ _every_ damned show no matter where they are. I still would love to get a group of investigators and psychics together, find a place that is purportedly haunted, never been on a show previously, take them there without them knowing where they are and run them through 3 locations that are similar in vintage and size [like 3 victorian houses emptied of the dwellers] on 3 successive nights without telling them what is supposedly going on, not letting them speak to anybody that knows anything and see what shakes loose. [Probably actually keep them in each house for 24 hours, they can sleep in each place before going on to the next one so they don’t get sneaky and figure out how to do any research. Have to definitely search them to remove any possible way to contact the outside world or find a place with absolutely no cable service, and bribe everybody within half a mile to turn off any wireless routers] Then see if they pick out the same haunted house, figure out what the haunting is supposed to be and come up with the _same_ haunting. Hm, how many ghost shows are there? GHI, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Lab and Ghost Adventures, and those silly brits from scariest places on earth or whatever they are called. 6 groups? I suppose you can do them in 2 batches and just cycle them all through , then you would have 19 shows, a seasons worth of shows and one giant wrap up episode. I happen to believe that there are things that we do not yet understand, and may never actually get to understand. I just think that when you go in with preconcieved notions you get proof that fits what you are looking for if there is going to be something odd going on. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/30 "2010-10-10T12:31:57Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > I find the British group idiotic, every place is ‘the most haunted place I have ever seen’ _every_ damned show no matter where they are. That’s true, isn’t it? “Zero ghosts! That’s the most we’ve found yet!” ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/31 "2010-10-10T19:15:34Z")
I still wonder what the hell a couple of plumbers are supposed to do if they did find evidence of a ghost? If they are walking through some guys house and a spirit walks up to them and says “Hi. I am an evil angry ghost!” what, exactly, are they going to do for the poor homeowner other than to say “Yep, you really do have a ghost. Sucks to be you. Good luck selling the house now!”? ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/32 "2010-10-10T22:38:19Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > I still wonder what the hell a couple of plumbers are supposed to do if they did find evidence of a ghost? If they are walking through some guys house and a spirit walks up to them and says “Hi. I am an evil angry ghost!” what, exactly, are they going to do for the poor homeowner other than to say “Yep, you really do have a ghost. Sucks to be you. Good luck selling the house now!”? No, see, if you tell them firmly to leave, they’ll leave! See how simple that is? For more extreme cases, with demons and whatnot, an Episcopalian priest can exorcise them for you. I’m not sure why it’s always an Episcopalian, but I suspect it’s because the Catholics won’t touch this stuff with a 10 foot pole so an Episcopalian is the closest they can get. That brings up another thing that amuses me about the ghostie shows; all the “theories” they work from are grounded in a Christian viewpoint. I’d like to see a group made up of a Heathen, a Wiccan, a Jew, a Buddhist, an athiest, and one of those Chaos folks (the proper name escapes me) go at it. They still won’t find anything, but the arguments would be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/33 "2010-10-10T23:11:08Z")
Paranormal State is running a marathon right now. They seem to have some sort of Wiccan/Pagan/D&D LARPer of some sort as thier “Occult Specialist”. She was doing some sort of ceremony that involved waving around a knife and muttering nonsense words. Appearently it worked. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/34 "2010-10-10T23:54:12Z")
Zak Bagans (aka hair-mousse guy) of Ghost Adventures has challenged skeptics to watch the show Friday night - they bring their own skeptic to an investigation of the Stanley Hotel. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/35 "2010-10-11T12:27:15Z")
What sort of “skeptic”? Almost all of those guys say “oh yeah, I’m really a skeptic, but when I heard a floorboard creak, I was totally convinced! That was undeniable proof!”. They try to give themselves instant credibility by labelling themselves as skeptics. Incidentally, there are actually skeptic groups who do investigations like this. They’ll figure out that the rocking chair is moving because one of the floorboards runs right under it, so when you step on it some of the momentum is transferred, or whatever. Do you think they get TV shows? No one likes rational people telling them that there’s no magic in the world. Actually, [it’s been tried](http://www.skeptologists.com/), but obviously no one is interested in reality, they’d rather see some asshats drag along a crappy tape recorder and say OMG I’M SO SCARED than find out what’s really happening. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/36 "2010-10-11T13:47:11Z")
[quote=“aruvqan, post:29, topic:556384”] > [@Omi\_no\_Kami](#): > > I have to confess, I love watching Destination Truth to see if anybody falls off a cliff or down a hole … they are just so cavalier about it. The first episode I watched, to see if I liked it was one where they were after something that actually comes out in the daytime, and there they are running around in a strange area at night with no lights … how idiotic is that 😕:smack: I really like Destination Truth; if you watch a few episodes, you realize that Josh and crew are really taking a tongue-in-cheek approach to the whole thing. They do conduct searches for this or that, but I’ve always got the impression that it was more about adventure traveling than actual ghost/monster hunting. A big part of their show is sampling the local culture and talking to the people who believe in the local legends about whatever they’re supposed to be looking for. I always get the sense that they’re cautiously optimistic that they might find SOMETHING but if they’re looking for, say, a werewolf, they don’t go in thinking “it’s a werewolf,” so much as, “There must be some basis in this legend, let’s see if there’s any animal here that could make people believe there’s a werewolf in the area.” Pretty much every episode ends up being inconclusive, even the ones where they do manage to gather evidence of something, and more often than not, they conclude that the legend of whatever may very well be a case of mistaken identity or a natural phenomenon. I really enjoy the show for both the exploration of other cultures and their apparent honesty about their findings. Yeah, the ghost hunting stuff still seems bogus, and it’s annoying that they consult the “experts” at TAPS sometimes, but I actually think that’s part of their tongue-in-cheek style. Josh Gates can interview someone who claims a leprechaun’s skeleton is on display in their pub and for the most part keep a straight face. Later, when looking for said leprechaun, he jokes about Lucky Charms and the ends of rainbows. So yeah, he’s pretty much using the legends as excuses to get the network to pay for him to travel to Ireland in that case. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/37 "2010-10-11T19:55:44Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > What sort of “skeptic”? No idea. I just read a promo about it. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384/38 "2010-10-16T04:58:35Z")
Evidently the “skeptic” was a guy with some cool electronic stuff. Sonar and a thermal sensor that tracked some interesting activity the guys were subjectively experiencing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-those-ghost-hunters-tv-shows/556384.md?page=1)