How Do You Feel About Ghost Adventures on The Travel Channel?
Posted by ParanormalPI on Wednesday, June 4, 2014 Under: The Media
I wrote this blog on my Facebook back in May & boy did
it get mixed responses, but I think it's important to post it here as well. The
point isn't completely to bash on the Ghost Adventure crew, but more so on
their tactics & my points in regards to respect, boundaries, & results.
Anyway, here she goes...
Ghost Adventures on The Travel Channel:
Since I started working my book I haven't really had the
time or even the interest in blogging, but there is a show I saw last night
that I think deserves my attention, so here it is! A few months back my best
friend let me know she had seen some ghost hunting show where the guy
excessively taunted and provoked spirits in order to get them to approach his
crew. The episode she had seen showed this person sitting in a bathtub that a
person had committed suicide in, this is a sensitive topic in itself and one
that should be approached gently, instead this person proceeded to insult and
yell at the spirit calling them demeaning names and then simulated slitting
their own wrists in the same tub! He then believed he brought the spirit to
him. She let me know about this guy because she knew something like this would
leave me very upset, so she was advising me not to watch, but after a few months
I had completely spaced the name of the show.
Last night I was channel surfing and came across a show
called Ghost Adventures on The Travel Channel, I decided to check it out, as I
usually like to give paranormal shows a shot. At this point I will simply say
although I'm not quite ready to tell the world about myself yet, I will say I
know much more about the paranormal than these douche bags. My best friend
walked into the room soon after I started watching this show and she let me
know this was the show she had warned me about, so of course I had to keep
watching. After only minutes of watching this show I found myself appalled,
amused in a bad way, and embarrassed for the entire paranormal community. I
don't even know where to begin here. First off let me say this, if you are
going to "hunt" ghost, why the hell would you scream like a little bitch and
try to run away when you finally make contact? I can't stand that!
Here's a note for all those paranormal shows: When you dramatically scream and yell every time you hear a noise, see something out of the corner of your eye, or think something touched you, yet you claim to be looking for proof they exist, you make yourself look 10 x's less credible. I don't give a shit if you are freaked out or excited, take a breath and approach each situation calmly, respectfully, and professionally otherwise you just look ridiculous.
Here's a note for all those paranormal shows: When you dramatically scream and yell every time you hear a noise, see something out of the corner of your eye, or think something touched you, yet you claim to be looking for proof they exist, you make yourself look 10 x's less credible. I don't give a shit if you are freaked out or excited, take a breath and approach each situation calmly, respectfully, and professionally otherwise you just look ridiculous.
Next point to make, you are making the decision to approach
them, you are putting yourself in their space, you are interfering with their
plane and messing with their vibrations, be respectful!!! You don't walk into
some dude's house uninvited and start taunting and screaming at him do you?
It's the same thing! If a spirit wants to make contact with you they will do
so. They don't need your dumb mouth running to make contact and they don't need you bringing
in ridiculous props or simulating something you believe happened to them.
Spirits don't lose their minds when they pass, granted it's not composed of
brain matter, but they know everything
they knew on this plane, in fact they know more then they knew here.
Are there confused spirits? Of course. Are there overly aggressive spirits that also have respect issues? Yup! These spirits are not the normal though. Assuming all spirits are confused and/or aggressive is a stereotype and just means you are very uneducated and clearly have had very little real experience with the other side. Will your taunting and harassment get yourself activity? It's very possibly, but it's not necessary and it's less then ethical. The point? These guys coming into the plane of spirits just to f' with them in hopes of getting something for their own benefit is messed up and quite honestly unnecessary. IF taking a polite approach doesn't work then they probably have no interest in communicating with you and you should respect that. If you are truly there to find the truth then move onto a location that wants to help, don't go out of your way to disrupt souls because they didn't want to perform the fabulous tricks you thought they would. Jeeeze!
Are there confused spirits? Of course. Are there overly aggressive spirits that also have respect issues? Yup! These spirits are not the normal though. Assuming all spirits are confused and/or aggressive is a stereotype and just means you are very uneducated and clearly have had very little real experience with the other side. Will your taunting and harassment get yourself activity? It's very possibly, but it's not necessary and it's less then ethical. The point? These guys coming into the plane of spirits just to f' with them in hopes of getting something for their own benefit is messed up and quite honestly unnecessary. IF taking a polite approach doesn't work then they probably have no interest in communicating with you and you should respect that. If you are truly there to find the truth then move onto a location that wants to help, don't go out of your way to disrupt souls because they didn't want to perform the fabulous tricks you thought they would. Jeeeze!
Next topic.... props? Really?? Ok, these guys ran around with
fake cap guns in the dark, they were pointing them at walls as if pointing them
at the spirits they couldn't see. First off, if a spirit wants to make contact
with you, your dumb cap gun isn't going to stop them. Secondly, they don't care
about your cap guns, you really think a spirit only comes out when they see
something they like or dislike? Ok, think about this... The whole reason they
went to this location is because they heard there was a lot of activity there.
That means multiple people have experienced things at this particular location.
My guess would be that the staff and guest at this location do not walk around
with fake guns all day right? Yet they still experience stuff! Why? Because the
spirits felt like making contact! It wasn't because the staff tried to force
contact with ridiculous cap guns, threats, and babyish screaming!! Please trust
me when I say this, if a spirit wants to make contact with you they will, no
words or toys necessary!
What else pissed me off with this show? Oh yes... the goose
bumps! Hahahahaha oh my god, people please, goose bumps are a physical reaction
to the cold. In fact I have goose bumps as I'm typing this, but that's because
I should probably put on a pair of socks and a thicker hoodie. I won't sit here
and say you don't have a physical reaction when a spirit comes in contact with
you, obviously you do, your senses will react to the vibration level spirits
bring, but I will sit here and say goose bumps are not a single sign you have
made contact. Have you ever been in an active location minding your own
business and all of a sudden you get what I refer to as a "shiver"? Out of
nowhere this crazy strong feeling goes all the way up your spine and out about
your neck line, it almost shakes your entire upper half. There are even times
you will get back to back shivers; THOSE are often associated with a presence
touching you or going by you rather quickly, goose bumps not so much.
This guy on this show was walking through this building in a short sleeve shirt in the middle of the night. He tried to say it was hot outside, which I'm sorry, but in an old ass building hot or not there could easily be a breeze at night, but he suddenly noticed goose bumps on his arm, his teammate also had goose bumps, nothing else had happened at that point, they simply had goose bumps. He went on to explain that they believed a spirit must have just gone right through him! Actually he freaked out in the 5yr old girl scream crap and then explained a spirit must have gone through them. Once again goose bumps don't equal spirits and more importantly WHEN a spirit goes through you, which in my experience is rare, they can see where they are going, they will go around you, but WHEN they do go through you.... It's a feeling you can't even explain. In all my years I have only felt that once and words can't explain the feeling, but I will tell you goose bumps were not involved and even if I had experienced goose bumps, the rest of the feeling and senses you would have experienced simultaneously would have been much more of talking point then "do you see that? I have goose bumps"!
This guy on this show was walking through this building in a short sleeve shirt in the middle of the night. He tried to say it was hot outside, which I'm sorry, but in an old ass building hot or not there could easily be a breeze at night, but he suddenly noticed goose bumps on his arm, his teammate also had goose bumps, nothing else had happened at that point, they simply had goose bumps. He went on to explain that they believed a spirit must have just gone right through him! Actually he freaked out in the 5yr old girl scream crap and then explained a spirit must have gone through them. Once again goose bumps don't equal spirits and more importantly WHEN a spirit goes through you, which in my experience is rare, they can see where they are going, they will go around you, but WHEN they do go through you.... It's a feeling you can't even explain. In all my years I have only felt that once and words can't explain the feeling, but I will tell you goose bumps were not involved and even if I had experienced goose bumps, the rest of the feeling and senses you would have experienced simultaneously would have been much more of talking point then "do you see that? I have goose bumps"!
I'm aware this show must have fans and that's why they are
still on the air, but please know they have no idea what they are talking
about. The sad part is that some of the locations they go to very well could
have activity and really should have been investigated properly, but now it'll
be harder to even take those locations seriously. I can't say they didn't
experience activity there, if the place is active and they are acting that
ridiculous odds are the spirits will be amused or annoyed enough to make an
appearance, but anything they did actually experience was so over dramatized
that I just can't sort the real stuff from the bull sh*t, which completely
ruins all their credibility. There are decent paranormal shows out there, no
doubt, but this is not one of them. If you are a fan of the show I understand
this may upset you, you may even be like "Who do you think you are?", especially
since I am not willing to tell anyone at this point, but seriously listen to
what I am saying, you may find I make sense.
P.S. When they play most of their "audio" I can't hear a
word they say, even when they post on the screen what they believe they
captured, I still I can't make out jack. I have heard good evp's, even some of
you have posted better evp's. Really listen and look at what people are trying
to sell you. I am not a de-bunker, TRUST ME, but I get very upset when fakes
actually manage to sell entire audiences on their b.s. Keep believing in the
paranormal, they are out there, I know, but also understand they are not stupid
and they deserve respect; plain and simple!
Ok, I'm done. Here's the deal, I swore I wouldn't bring
myself into paranormal discussions until I was finished with my book, yet I've
already managed to get myself into a discussion about certifications for
paranormal investigators and now a blog on this show, I guess I can't help it.
I will do my best to stay in the background for a while, but I think it's
important for people to really consider what they are watching, even if it's
involving a topic they love; that's the only reason I'm writing this today, well that and the show really pissed me off and I needed to vent. =)
- Leia
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UPDATE:
Ok, a few of my friends love the show Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel, although I think they really just like looking at Zach. haha I know I was really hard on the Ghost Adventures crew for my last review so I thought I'd give the show a 2nd chance... It wasn't to their benefit unfortunately. It wasn't as horrible as the 1st episode I reviewed, I will say that, but it definitely wasn't good either.
In this episode Zach still admits to taunting the spirits, pretty proudly too. They are still waaay too jumpy & exaggerated. In fact my five year old was watching the episode with me & she started laughing and going "Oh my god!" in a mocking tone. I looked at her and she goes "What? it's funny." I was like, "You're right, it is". When a five year old thinks it's being overdone it may be time to bring it down a notch; just saying. Their evidence still seams way too forced & not so believable. I heard one out of like 10 of the evps they showed that was even clear. They write text on the screen saying what they think it says & even then, even enhanced, a lot of it is really reaching.
However, I do have a retraction to make. On my last review I made fun of how
crazy they got over goosebumps & I said that while you may get chills you
won't get goosebumps; that was incorrect. I suppose because I'm so used to
encountering spirits I've stop paying attention to the little things that
happen during an encounter, but after that episode I started paying closer
attention to my body during a presence & turns out I was wrong! There have
been several instances where I did in fact get spontaneous goosebumps that left
when the spirits left so I was wrong there. :) However, goosebumps alone have never been a sole determining factor for me on if a spirit is present, especially in an environment where goosebumps would normally show up.
Also, I do have to actually give them props for their filming/investigative
style. I am a fan of Paranormal
State minus all the demon
mumbo jumbo and I feel like most paranormal teams / shows have way more tools than
they do. Honestly I think all you need is yourself, a camera, a digital voice
recorder (dvr), and a video camera to catch paranormal evidence. I appreciate
that the team of Ghost Adventures keeps it simple & less Hollywood like the cast of Paranormal State. I also can appreciate the history they
provide on each hunt. This episode was in Italy on a plague island and the
history was very cool to learn about.
The props & physical items they use are still amusing to me. In this
episode they brought out a mask which was fine, but probably not so necessary,
but then after one investigator heard a big bang he says "Just in case,
machete, Imma fuck something up". He was dead serious too, not joking at all. I mean really? You're gonna hurt a
spirit with a machete? Come'on. Haha
So in the end... I see some positives with the crew & the show & I do appreciate their simplicity, but I still don't like the dramatic hysterics, the forced evidence, and especially the unnecessary & disrespectful tauntings, simply to get what they want.
Sorry to disappoint, but technically it still was a better review then last time. Haha :)
In : The Media
Tags: gac ghost adventures paranormalpi paranormal travel channel television show investigation etiquette rude polite spirits ghosts