Information AboutGhost Hunters |
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''Ghost Hunters'' is a Reality Television series featuring Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson , who are Roto-Rooter plumbers by day and who hunt ghosts at night as part of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS). The show debuted in October 2004 on the American Sci-fi Channel . It should not be confused with the original 1996 Inca Productions show '' Ghosthunters '' produced for the Discovery Channel . The format was sold to the US to become ''Ghost Hunters''. The only remaining link between the two shows is presenter Ian Cashmore who anchored the UK/Europe show, and piloted the US show. On airing, Ian Cashmore rapidly distanced himself from the US version as he believed it was too "over-sensationalised". Ian continues to present for other paranormal tv and radio shows - but only those he says "which have a sound rational investigational standpoint." INVESTIGATIONS Hawes and Wilson are armed with the latest electronic equipment to record paranormal activity. They use digital thermometers, EMF (electro-magnetic field) scanners, infrared and night vision cameras, high-definition handheld video cameras, digital audio recorders, and laptop computers to record their data. Their first step when investigating a location is to take a tour of the site, where owners or housekeepers describe their encounters. Next the team sets up their devices in whatever paranormal "hot spots" were indicated on the tour. They then spend several hours roaming the location, taking EMF and temperature readings, recording audio for EVP , and filming whatever they can. Afterward, they spend several hours analyzing all the audio and video they have gathered. The next day, if a return trip to the location is warranted, Hawes and Wilson go over their findings with the location site owners and discuss what they have uncovered. They also offer suggestions to help deal with the activity and answer any other questions the owner may have. Since the show aired, TAPS has recorded thousands of hours of audio and video footage. Most investigations turn up cold with very little activity, if at all, but occasionally they find something strange that makes the trip worthwhile. They have several good recordings of strange mists, odd lights, moving objects, and shadowy figures that manifest before the camera and disappear quickly. TAPS does not believe every piece of evidence gathered is proof of the paranormal. To lend credibility to their investigations, the team tries to debunk what they find and look for a reasonable explanation for such things as; "cold spots" (that may be identified as drafty windows), "moving objects" (something was accidently bumped or tugged), "phantom lights" (as reflections of light form a passing vehicle), to "strange noises" that could have a more logical explanation, like a thumping branch or vermin in the walls. CRITICISM While TAPS has certainly found an eager audience for ''Ghost Hunters'', many seasoned paranormal investigators have taken issue with the show. Some have suggested that the program does not concentrate enough on historical research of locations, favoring instead to showcase melodrama between various TAPS members, and that some members of the team seem to lack a basic understanding of how their equipment works, or what exactly they are even looking for. This was one of the reasons that the original UK presenter Ian Cashmore did not want to be a part of the US venture after he filmed the US promos. He had very much prided himself with producing shows with a sound historical/investigational background. He wanted to steer clear of the sensational angle taken by other shows in the field (see Most Haunted ). Possibly as a response to this criticism, the third season of the show features at least one or more TAPS members taking a trip to a local library near the investigation site to conduct historical research. There they look up death certificates and newspaper articles on the names of any of the deceased mentioned during the pre-investigation tours, as well as property records to find the names of previous owners. Others have called into question some of the more sensational results the US team recorded on their investigations; going so far as to question if they have not been hoaxed by members of the film crew, or even TAPS themselves. Still others are at odds over the conduct that some on the TAPS team have displayed on their investigations and are concerned that TAPS may not be the best role model for the next generation of paranormal researchers. CREDITED CAST
LIST OF ''GHOST HUNTERS'' EPISODES Season one Season two SPECIALS 2005 Halloween Special - TAPS goes to Savannah, GA to investigate a brewery, and a historic museum. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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