TV Series: Ghost Hunters

Scanning through some TV Series, a certain reality format program caught my attention. Its entitled "Ghost Hunters" of the Sci-Fi channel. Its about the group called "The Atlantic Paranormal Society", or TAPS for short, run by the 2 'Roto-Rooter plumbers-by-day' guys, Grant and Jason.

I got to watch the series early on their second season, where they transferred from their make shift headquarters at a trailer in Jason's backyard, to a storefronted office in Rhode Island, complete with equipment vans and a mobile headquarters.

Using various scientific equpment such as surface thermometers, EMF meters, thermal cameras, and an array of digital video and audio recording equipment, they go to a reported 'haunting' and try to debunk it using the evidence they gathered and by finding a rational explanation to what goes bump in the night.

They start by interviewing their 'clients' as to what supernatural events has transpired and where they commonly occur. After leaving their recording equipment in these 'hotspots', they go around investigating the area. After at least 8 to 12 hours of investigation, they retrieve all their data and equipment and review them. They move by process of elimination wherein the staff view and listen to the recorded data and, when they find something strange captured in their recordings, they debate if that piece of evidence is noteworthy or something common or rational which was viewed wrong (i.e., dust, reflections, creaking floorboards, water heater starting, etc...).

In between the investigation, they are some human intrest drama going on which gives the series the documentary - reality show feel to it. They also present some valid deductions or information which makes sense when debunking.

But as the series progresses, the formula of the program becomes boring. Maybe due to the fact that most of the times, its not a haunting that occurs. Maybe its the frustration of seing the investigators seems to insinuate or prove a haunting with certain feelings and observations, like when they said that they can feel the temperature change rapidly, or they smell something different, or when they see a moving shadow at out of the corner of their eye...you expect some evidence to back it up. But in the end, they capture nothing.

Well, as Jason once said, "sometimes they play, sometimes they don't".