Ghosts on Television, Part 1: Ten Reasons Why You Should Watch Ghost Hunters

Where: Sci Fi Channel

When: Wednesdays at 9PM EST

Starring: The core members if TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society from Warwick, Rhode Island): Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson, Kris Williams, Steve Gonsalves, Dave Tango and other special guests.

10) Easy to follow:

The show is very easy to follow because they use a standard format and title each segment. First, there is the pitch, which is when someone presents the case to Jason and Grant. Next, is the introduction, which is when Jason, Grant and Steve get a tour of the building, led by their client. The purpose of this is to listen to all of the claims of activity and find all of the hot spots. Next is the core of the show, the investigation. This is when the team investigates the entire place trying to stir up entities, catch evidence or debunk claims. Then there is the analysis, which is when the recordings are reviewed to try and find actual evidence. This is followed by the findings, which is when actual evidence that is captured is presented to Jason and Grant. And finally there is the reveal, which is when Jason and Grant share their findings with the client. On top of this, throughout the entire show you get explanations as to what they are doing and why, as well definitions of key terms and equipment.

9) Debunking:

The team goes into every investigation with a goal of debunking every possible claim of paranormal activity. In other words, the initial goal is to disprove the haunting by proving the activity is naturally produced. This is done purposely because they are very leery to label any place as haunted until the evidence says it is. This adds legitimacy and realism to the show. Some viewers may not like this, but if you want to consider yourself a real investigator of the paranormal, you have to be willing to tell the truth and admit when something is not paranormal. As any good investigator will tell you, most of the time evidence can be explained away. In other words, nothing manmade or fake will be used to help prove a haunting. You simply have to admire and respect this approach.

Technology:

TAPS uses the most up to date equipment available. By doing this, you know they are always taking their best shot to try and capture some kind of evidence. Included in their arsenal are: digital recorders, hand-held video recorders, EMF detectors, temperature recorders, thermal image camera, digital audio recorders, and a new favorite the K II meter. This incredible invention supposedly picks up the energy of an entity as it passes by the meter. It is used to try and communicate with the spirit. The results that Jason and Grant capture with this little device, is nothing short of astounding.

7) Entertaining:

The TAPS group is flat out entertaining. What makes them this way is their ability to just be themselves. They do not try to force anything, pretend or act for the camera. They let their natural personalities come through and it works. Each person has their own unique niche and they all add value to the show. You don’t mind following any of them, because they all bring something unique to the table. You really never know what they are going to encounter or what their reaction is going to be.

6) LIVE Halloween show:

This will be the third consecutive season TAPS will be conducting a Ghost Hunters live show on Halloween. You not only get to watch them live, you get to follow along with your computer. They allow viewers to text and email messages during the show. You also get to know the team and the process a little better as they are interviewed throughout the show. The host is Josh Gates, the star of Destination Truth. It is a long night, but you see the evidence as it happens and you get a feel as to what they go through on each investigation. This is just down right cool. So tune in this Halloween. The show starts at 6PM EST. If you can’t stay up all night, be sure to set your Tivo or DVR. This is a must see event.

5) Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango:

Steve and Dave do quite a bit of investigating together, so they are like their own little team. They work well as a unit and find ways to compliment each other.

Steve is the veteran who really gets into the investigations. He is extremely knowledgeable and is very good at teaching and sharing what is going on. He comes across as really serious, but at least once a show he lets loose into his prankster mode, with Tango being his target. For sure he is not afraid of any ghost, entity or demon. However, he is afraid of a lot of other things like flying, heights, spiders and other stuff. But, no one holds hit against him. It just makes Steve, Steve.

Dave has really come into his own over the past two seasons and has fit in nicely with the group. He is from New Jersey and is really beginning to let the Jersey attitude come to life. It’s actually quite entertaining. His investigative skills have grown, and as a result so has his confidence. However, he can be a bit gullible at times when it comes to Steve’s or other team member’s practical jokes, like the time he got conned into wearing a tiara.

Needless to say they are both very good investigators. And they both have a real knack for catching quality evidence when reviewing the recorders. However, they both have an ability to bring levity to the show. This adds to the humanism as well as the entertainment value. This is all part of their charm because they are just being themselves.

4) Kris Williams:

Kris is far more than just the beautiful woman on the show. She is first and foremost fearless. Over the past year, she has been used many times for what she calls “the bait”. In other words, she is asked to go into rooms by herself to see if she can stir up an entity. This takes flat out guts. Yes, there is a cameraman there with her, but there is no other investigator to talk to. I do believe she was the first investigator that Jason and Grant asked to go some where on their own.

Besides that she has her own very effective and unique investigating style. She finds a perfect balance between being friendly or taunting and provoking an entity. To top it all off, she is a talented researcher who seems to find the needed information and background that puts the pieces of the puzzle together on an investigation. She is far more than just another pretty face for television and is a critical part of the show.

3) Jason and Grant:

Simply put, Jason and Grant are two ordinary plumbers, who followed their instincts and passion into an extraordinary field. These two innovators created TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society), which is now one of the largest and most successful paranormal investigation groups in the country. They used their own individual experiences as catalysts into a search for the truth about paranormal activity.

They have an amazing chemistry while working together and have an incredible knack for bringing out the best evidence time after time. Neither one is a psychic medium, but entities do seem to gravitate to them. This is a gift and legitimizes what is clearly their calling.

They bring to the table an incredible likeability and humanism, which makes up a large part of their charm. Viewers cannot help but get mesmerized while they are investigating.

You have to admire their professionalism when dealing with a client and their genuine concern to do everything they can to make the client feel at ease. They come across as one hundred percent real and legitimate. That’s because they are.

2) The Truth:

By the end of each show the team gets to the truth. They are not afraid to say that a place is not haunted. They are not afraid to go back to a client with no evidence if there isn’t any. They do everything they can to try and debunk supposed paranormal activity, and most of the time they do. This is what makes the show so real. They do not go into an investigation thinking the place is haunted. They go in thinking it isn’t, with a goal to prove what the client is experiencing is explainable.

There are times when their instincts, based on personal experiences, are telling them the place is haunted but they just do not have the hard evidence. They will share this as well. They are realistic enough to tell you that spirits do not come out on cue. On the other hand, they will gladly inform the client if the place is haunted. But, they will only do so if the evidence is clear. Most people want every place they investigate to be haunted. They are honest enough to admit, that’s just not the case.

Apparition of a Gray Lady

An apparition from the famous Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana.

1) Evidence:

When the evidence is there, the viewer gets to see and hear it, several times. You don’t just hear them talk about it. You see and hear what they see and hear. There is nothing more startling than a clear EVP (electronic voice phenomenon), a shadowy ghost image, a full body apparition, an image of an entity through the thermal imaging camera, or the intellectual response on a K II meter.

This show is all about the evidence and that’s what is so real about it. If the evidence is there the viewer will know it. You find out exactly what the team does. If there is no evidence, you will know that too. The producers and participants of the show realize that in order to get the viewer to buy into the end result of the investigation the evidence must be shared.

Conclusion

This show is by far the most popular and most successful ghost hunting show out there, and with good reason. It’s easy to follow. They approach each investigation trying to disprove the haunting. The team members are all quite entertaining and charming. They use the best technology available to them. They get to the truth. And they share every bit of legitimate evidence they discover with the viewer.

If you are not watching this show, you should be. As Grant would say, “What the fetch?”

Stay tuned for parts two and three of this series. .

For more articles and stories by Peter Cimino click here: https://www.triond.com/users/Peter+Cimino

For more information on TAPS click here: http://www.the-atlantic-paranormal-society.com/

For more information on the Ghost Hunters Television show click here: http://www.the-atlantic-paranormal-society.com/