Our original review and updated opinion of the show, Ghost Hunters...
The new Sci-Fi TV show, "Ghost Hunters" featuring TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) has been receiving a huge audience. People who are interested in the paranormal and perhaps just the "spirit world" in general, have been excitedly interested in watching the TAPS team bring credible ghost hunters to light. The show had been worth tuning in as the TAPS Ghost Hunters sought not to hide their fears, doubts, experiences and differences with each other from the TV show's audience. What was most impressive was the balance that was brought by the TAPS team's two "head honchos," Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. These guys are open to the paranormal as ghost hunters should be, but also look for rational explanations to some of the ghostly phenomena they encounter. They originally would rather disprove a purported haunting, than create it into another ghastly legend. If the TAPS team cannot disprove the evidence they have collected, they present their findings to their audience (such as an intriguing TAPS ghost video) and let them decide as to what the Ghost Hunters have found. (Note: Now, Sci-Fi is known as SyFy.)
UPDATE (2005): Unfortunately, the TAPS ghost hunters seem to have taken a new attitude that if they didn't capture the evidence, then it might not be authentic. This trend started showing up, in earlier episodes that aired after the first year, when the team didn't capture any hard evidence of haunting. What has changed these ordinary guys which double as plumbers...just guys trying to figure out the spirit world and having fun doing it? Our bet is the money that the show's producers have generated. The show Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi has gone more commercial with the team now travelling the countryside to investigate haunted locations. It is only a matter of time before they end up overseas investigating hauntings (Update: November 2006 their first show aired of a TAPS investigation in Ireland - guess we called that one!). Apparently, their hit show has now given them an influx of monies, as they are well equipped with the latest gadgetry, new expensive vehicles and have moved out of their trailer into an office building. However, what is really concerning is how the show is now interviewing other paranormal investigators, showing their evidence to get viewers to the program and then later making them look bad by discrediting the same pictures and video without the knowledge of those they interviewed on the TV show.
In October of 2005, a show aired of an investigation at the Moundsville Penitentiary in West Virginia. Jason and Grant recreated a shadow on a door and claimed to have debunked the famous "Shadow Man" photograph that was shown to viewers at in the beginning of the show. What was most troubling was how these supposedly professional ghost hunters duplicated the original photograph so unprofessionally. Had they looked at the photo and listened to the lady's account of how it was captured, they would have realized that the shadow on the door was in no way able to be created the way they proposed to viewers. After seeing this episode, Angels & Ghosts visited the penitentiary, met with the lady who took the phone, and investigated the Shadow Man story and photograph - so you can decide for yourself.
Due to the show's (and most likely the producers') shameless way of editing the series without regard to their guests, we suggest that you do not provide TAPS with your paranormal evidence for the TV show, or you, too, may be hung out to dry. We do think the boys have good hearts and are mostly well respected in the paranormal community, but mix in Hollywood nd profits, and the best of intentions can be twisted and tangled by the powers that be.
Update (2008): From interesting to fakery and fraud? Wow. What can we say? Since their first season, the TAPS Ghost Hunters have either become quite good at gathering evidence, or the ghosts are following them around just hoping to be collected as evidence. Seriously, the amount of ghostly evidence from TAPS has escalated dramatically since their first season. This is suspect, as seasoned paranormal investigators know from experience that the sheer-volume of ghost phenomenon captured by TAPS Ghost Hunters is unrealistic. Watch episodes from the first year and take note of how much evidence they collected; now, compare that with the amount of evidence the TAPS team gets every week.
In addition to the rise in the TV show's evidence collection, now each episode seems to have either a flashlight or KII EMF meter that responds quite nicely to "yes" and "no" questions. This is also becoming too predictable and appearing quite staged. What is going on with TAPS Ghost Hunters? Is SyFy or the production company behind this for ratings? Sorry fans - something is foul.
If we look back through the years of Ghost Hunters episodes, we will find other so-called evidence that wreaks of maybe contamination, or downright manipulation. All one has to do is Google the TAPS name on YouTube, and you will easily find numerous analysis of their evidence. The thermal imaging camera has been a consistent performer for TAPS in the last few seasons, and so, many analysis of the ghosts appearing as "warm" entities can be found. When examined closely, it becomes very obvious that these ghosts are really thermal reflections of either Jason, Grant or a crew member (e.g. camera man) off of reflective objects, such as mirrors, metal cabinets, and the like. TAPS Ghost Hunters teach that ghosts will manifest as "cold spots" and is the sole reason they look for temperature changes with their digital thermometers. If correct, then, why would ghosts manifest as "heat" on their thermal imaging camera? Also, why do they not pick up "hot spots" with their digital thermometers, as well? The answer is that ghosts do not manifest as heat. TAPS Ghost Hunters know this, but apparently the show's producers love the so-called "evidence" the FLIR camera provides on a regular basis.
Downright Fakery on SyFy's Ghost Hunters
The straw that breaks the camel's back, however, is the episode of Ghost Hunters Live that aired on October 31st, 2008. Three times, Grant Wilson had the collar of his coat pulled, purportedly by a ghost. Upon examination of the video, the collar is being pulled downward from inside the coat, coinciding with Grant's right arm remaining straight down with his hand under the bottom of the right side of the jacket. This is an old trick, and was obviously rigged for ratings. Yes, TAPS Ghost Hunters is faking evidence we are sad to report. We want to keep an open mind, but this "reveal" was just too much for us to handle. We liked the show and the actors, but we can non longer sit mum while such blatant falsehoods are being portrayed as being the truth. What is amazing is not only do they pull the prank once and capture it on video, but they captured it three times by four cameras, purposely. However, TAPS also accidentally recorded the collar going down on its own a fourth time, when the collar was not supposed to. TAPS Ghost Hunters was done in by doing a "live" television show, without the advantage of being able to edit their mistakes out of the footage. Look at the following videos we found analyzing the TAPS Ghost Hunters collar tug and decide on your own:
TAPS Fraud Video - Watch an examination of Grant Wilson's jacket collar...going straight down.
TAPS Collar Yank Video - Video reviews the fakery done by the show, Ghost Hunters
TAPS Coat Yank Re-Creation Video
We must ask, "Who will debunk the debunkers?"