Interesting read. I might add that it wasn't too long ago I myself saw season one, actually no more than two months or so. As you say, the show had a different feel and coming from shows like MH, PS and national psychic shows it was a refreshing take (as a note: both MH and PS has been braodcasted in my country, GH has not and is almost unknown).

As for the demon brothers they are unfortunately present in PS aswell, where I saw them first, and it was somewhat disconerning that they was featured also in GH. They did however disappear out of the show rather quickly. Thankfully.

Anyways, you do raise two interesting points, the claim of debunking 80 % of all cases and the standstill in equipment and techniques. The 80 % catchphrase is interesting, since it is a statistical claim that really never gets explained or supported, neither in the show or in the book. Where does the number come from? Is it just an arbitrary number describing the notion that they debunk almost all cases, or have they actually done the math? The series or the book, where the cases is selectively chosen for the thrill of course, does not support that at all. Rather the opposite. But they could choose to say "most cases" instead of "80 %" to be safe. But I fear the arbitrary number is chosen, because it sounds scientific and factual. Like, these guys know what they talk about, they even have the numbers figured out!

As for equipment and techniques, they did try some new equipment in the season 3 special at the Augustine Lighthouse: Faraday Cage, hunter cameras and so on. But none of that survived into season 4. The only "new" equipment they have incorporated in their investigations is the suspicious K2 Meter. Now what they use is not bad in itself, but in any field you constantly try out new quipment and techniques to improve your work. And assess what you use to see if there is problems or advancements to be made in their use. That seems not to be done by TAPS. Neither is there any talk or discussion on their techniques, attempts at protocol, even after suspicious events.

When seeing the first episode one was left with the impression that that was to be made, but they haven't really delivered on that at all.

But as you said, that first episode did get one hooked, and was an entrance to a damn good ride. And something other than the usual psychic babble.

One note on the twins – the local paper here in Rhode Island had an article which stated that the Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI is the focus of this weeks GH episode. It also said that the twins lead a ghost tour of the Mill and the surrounding area at a cost of $15 a head. I would bet that TAPs finds a few ghost to bolster the tour appeal.

Oh people can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. 14% of people know that.
Homer Simpson

So we weren't the only ones thinking it was a "documentary." I will hold my head up higher. A tad. I was sort of surprised to figure out that the whole first episode was re-enacted. I thought "real" ghost-hunting would provide enough scenes of interest to avoid this, but I guess I was mistaken.

I do love the 80% statistic, because it comes out of nowhere and is never explained.

The K-2 meter is no better than a ouija board, which is why I think it's a fabulous instrument!

I'm still curious as to whether such crystal-clear "EVP's" have ever been obtained anywhere else, by anybody. Because – man, are they distinct!

It was a good ride for a while.

Hey- jut had to leave my comments- really while you are picking me, my home and experiences apart- why not come and explore yourself!!! bring depends = you'll need them

First of all my daughter Anna was 2 years old- not three, I saw the book levitate about 1 foot above her little hands- she was on the toilet- boy wish my imaginary friends could have done that for me and millions of other little ones when I was little… and it lasted for quite a few seconds!!!

Secondly there were 2 tapings total where all the footage they shot the first time being black after they left. Carl- an atheist- I later learned, blessed my house- how nice. As for the evps- well if you really listen well you will hear a child being coached- not anna- she really was asleep- i can vouch for that myself…in THEY DON"T WANT US and It was me in Can I come in? I was checking Anna, in her room where she was sleeping as they monitored her from downstairs.

The vents were only opened- unsealed as they left about 10 minutes before they left… tiolet shown- not ours… They were here for over 12 hours both times and believe you me- MY daughter had nothing to do with the evps and I really am tired of the finger pointing- I gained nothing but HELL from this show and its bullshit- that's right I now know that they were fakes but guess what My house is Really HAUNTED and they knew that BEFORE they came… if you base your thoughts on that show alone go ask Patty wilson and scott crownover what they know about the house- they were the real investigators- not them.

We were lied to about the show, too- not a real documentary but crap… You want voice analysis come and get some so you can eat your words about Anna- I'd never let my Daughter be used like that… however the two shit mongers both have girls- what about them- don't here you accusiing them of misdeeds there…

The YES was a tape skip supposedly and I have the email from Jason to prove that it was that or so he claimed….. I regret them coming- we got no help, no chance to share the whole story, no you base your assumptions on them – well talk to me- not them… WE continue to this day to find out more about our house, even who the man is or was and how he DIED in our house, a violent death on the basement stairs and as for the names well she has never moved from those names and she is getting to old for imaginary friends- people.

What none of you ever knew or heard was that I PERSONALLY SAW KATIE!!!! She was blonde, a small child dressed in older clothing- shoes,etc… I turned to yell at Anna to eat from my kitchen, turned to tell her to stay seated and turned to footsteps while doing dishes to find not my daughter but a blonde child- she told me "KATIE" , giggled and slowly- Slowly vanished before my eyes!!!!

I assure you i don't lie and believe me- if They said I was haunted why would I be so upset??? We were used- dammit and believe me they are not honest… and we naively believed them… And we have had to deal with death threats, neighbors not speaking to us and we still have a home with 4 ghosts in it- trapped… PLEASE… exlpore for yourselves and leave the ghosthunters to the dung heap where they belong…

And who said it was re-enacted??? what you see is 2 tapings people- from my end what you saw is what you saw. As for Anna being talkative, you also saw her tired… She spoke for an hour with Patty wilson on 2 occasion and told her about the ghosts, never changing her story- she is very bright but to tell of a man a boy with a hurt leg and head and arm and for me to help him while shem cried for him??? What do you think? How the lady saved the house from buring by telling me to GET UP-not GET OUT (attic?- never said that), from a sound sleep to see my downstairs flooded with black smoke from food my husband fell asleep cooking???

See- so much and more you all do not know…. But get all facts before you judge me and mine based on this crap…. Feel free to email me – Please- I just love to heasr the biased crap I am now an unwilling part of… really, Please… Ask me about our contract for privacy and the firing of a scifi producer who was also used… Brenda in Altoona

Just another note- where did you hear my daughter change her voice- with the toothbrush in her mouth or when she was crying? she really didn't have much air time because I demanded that… As for the breathing? where was that? the YESSSS see explanation above- again vents were only opened when they were leaving (about last 10 minutes)and putting away their stuff- It was sealed- sealed up because we no longer use them!!!

As for the evp's we have had them all looked at by good people we trust and they know it is not anna's voice- the child in the evp has a LISP- anna does not. I know this becuase I work with children with speech impediments- have for years… not my daughter- sorry. it is labeled a docu- soap. we were also told documentary. We never saw finished product until all of you saw it…

download evps- use audacity to clean them up and see… it is very hard to get 1 evp much less 4, with windows open and all crew running around…. As for the book not levitating- how did it stay up for the time it did with Anna on the tiolet- the tug of war happened between the tiolet and the sink and i witnessed the book going back and for when Anna LET GO!!! not UP and the book stayed there with her looking at me asking for me not to be mad at her for not sharing!!!

No , we saw what we saw, experienced what i said and more and unlike them I'd take a lie detector test to prove it… God I hate this… we still experience things here… believe it or not- you don't live it and until you do well…. keep forming useless theories….Brenda- Altoona Pa.

Brenda…wow…I am so interested in your story. Please don't take to heart what people here may say about your story. We are responding to the constant rediculous claims from TAPS, not from you. We are somewhat disturbed by how TAPS claims to "help" people then just leave them hanging! I am very interested in hearing your story….not just your haunting experiences, but your full experience with Taps. Please give us more info about how the show is put together and how things are handled. I am so sorry to hear of the troubles you have been dealing with after asking TAPS for help…..now help us by giving us some more facts about the GH Production and please feel free to share your ghostly experiences with us…most of us here WANT to believe and are always searching for evidence that we can discuss openly. Really…we are not a hateful group…just very suspicious and very curious and we love a good debate about the paranormal.

Brenda,

I would add one more thing to what Brenny said, and that is you have to keep in mind that this review of your case was just recently written. When I first watching the show, I watched with a far less critical eye than I do now, partly because I found this site and saw that in the later seasons there were questions about TAPS and their "evidence". The beginning of the turning point for me was the asylum episode where the TAPS people pronounced that the footage of someone in a black sheet and sneakers was a ghost.

In the time since your episode aired, there have been numerous occasions of questionable, altered, and possibly staged footage, recordings, and other evidence. TAPS tries so hard to find a place haunted now, that I don't doubt that if their investigation of your house happened now, you would see strikingly different results. You would probably even get the help it sounds you deserve.

So, please don't take the comments here personal, they are not directed at you or your daughter. I think most people here are willing to take your experiences seriously and would eagerly help in anyway possible. It's the de-bunking and investigative methods of TAPS that most here now call into question, and this review was an attempt view the earliest episodes of GH's with the critical eye we now know they need.

I would also add this, we as viewers are just recently seeing/hearing some of the problems with Pilgrim Productions, which apparently you experienced early on. Some, if not maybe all, of the blame for the problems with the show lie on Pilgrim.

I tend to become a momma bear with both my kids- I now have son who is seeing things too- at 9 months old- he coos to the celiling and places no one can ever reach or get to- without help… he also follows and tries to crawl to places he can't even hope to get to and cires as if you are preventing him from going somewhere or to someone- I get your points but believe me I'd never let them ever come back here and they have asked- others to ask me and they tell them to come to me personally- no phone call- yet- and they know better.

They have threatened us to keep our mouths closed and even went so far as to tell another site owner we tried to extort money from them- and when pressed for proof and none came we went o aol and they basically told Jason to stop or face charges- that's libel anfd well he knows it never happened- This is not what true ghosthunter do or act like -believe me I know… it is so sad for people like me, the ghosts and others needing help… thanks Brenda

[NOTE FROM ADMIN]: Brenda replied to the email notifications, so I have copied/pasted this here on her behalf (which is why the time stamps are 1 minute apart

Now that is something I can do……… The interview was fake- never were in any danger- we are still here and that proves that fact… The book did levitate for over 10-15 seconds or more and she- anna was being potty trained- it stayed a little above – close to the top of anna's hand as if a child was standing slightly taller than her. We estimate Katie to be atleast 4-5 years old and dressed in old clothing dating roughly late 1800's- early 1900's… the man was very- agitated and now we know why he died young leaving home he adotred and worked hard on and a family he left too soon…

The evp's are fake- with that I agree as stated earlier… I cried because I am a natural helper, hence why I am a master's level social worker… I do ahve evp of a small boy laughing from the railroaders museum, which they stated was not haunted and not in dire need of cash either… It is haunted, I know I have been there numerous times.

Oh and as for Mishler- My daughter anna saw Mr. Mishler- without ever being told it was haunted to not scare heror upset her.. She is very open to this now and I refuse to let her be hurt or ridiculed— sad big, brawny men missed what a 6 yr. old didn't- guess the ghost had bettertaste- also 2 of her friends also saw the ghost,as well….

They never treated Brian the way you saw it either- i'd never had allowed that crap to go on… They promised no address or outside shots and well look at the tape- not hard to find us, the house with wrought iron detail was neighbors- not ours- they wanted to sue us and now do not speak to us… I will tell more but little time for now- so much more… thanks Brenda

[NOTE FROM ADMIN]: Brenda replied to the email notifications, so I have copied/pasted this here on her behalf (which is why the time stamps are 1 minute apart

Brenda–

Belated welcome to SkepticalViewer! I'm very sorry that you didn't like my post, and thought that I was picking at you or your experiences. I can certainly see how it seemed that way.

Let me be absolutely clear: any criticism I have is directed at TAPS and Pilgrim, not at you or your family. I have no reason to think you're lying, and I apologize if I didn't make that clear enough.

When I post reviews of Ghost Hunters, I'm trying to do something very specific– figure out if TAPS has presented compelling evidence for the paranormal. I'm not trying to judge whether your house is haunted or not, since as you say I'm not in a position to judge. All I can comment on is what TAPS and Pilgrim show us, and from what you say, they're not showing us much.

Thanks very much for the invitation to investigate your home. Since I live in California, I don't think I'll be able to take you up on that, but I do appreciate it.

I didn't realize that you had described the book as levitating for an extended time. I'm not sure if they edited it out, or if I blinked and missed it. I probably should have stuck to examining the evidence that TAPS showed, rather than trying to find mundane explanations for what you were saying. I'm not in a position to judge there.

As for the EVPs, if you say your daughter was asleep at that point, then she was asleep. If you think that these EVPs were faked, then that's yet another reason to disregard them as evidence. I didn't mean to imply that you or your family had done a deliberate hoax. GH had presented the vent as open, so I thought that there might be an innocent explanation.

To sum up, I really don't think we're on opposite sides. I'm no fan of TAPS, and certainly don't have anything against you or your family. I wish you all the very best.

Stephen

No problem- really- gotcha ya…. it's hard not to be defensive when we tend to get painted withthe same brush as they do- believe you me- they are as fake as a $9.00 bill and people just eat this crap up as true evidence… it makes me sick the damage they are doing to this field…. no problems – here reallly – thanks for the comment- Brenda

Brenda….more more more please! I loved reading your post regarding the GH production experiences you had. I have always been curious about the number of people on the site, the interviews, the research etc etc and found your information…a first-hand account…to be VERY interesting. Please post more when you can! Also, is there a place where we can see/hear some of the evidence you have captured? Would love to check it out. Good luck in the future and keep fighting for your family!!

Hi Brenda,

My name is Aimee Medeiros and I too was on an episode of Ghosthunters. I wrote into this website back in April when the review of my show had been written. Since that time I have actually become a fan of this website and learned not to take the whole thing so seriously. We did not have the same negative experience as you did and I am sorry that you had to go through all of that. Our experience was quite positive. We did end up getting way more solid evidence during an investigation by TAPS that was not taped than the one that was shown on TV. I also have some issues with Pilgrim as I wrote back in April in my previous statements.

I think that it is more than obvious that there is a definite change in the way that this show is being presented now compared to back in 2004-05. I started watching the show because it made me feel so good knowing that there were other home owners like myself that are going through the same things as we are. I don't get the same feeling when I watch now and I don't think it is because of the team. I feel the issue lies with the production of the show. I am very close friends with one of the investigators on the show(due to her dedication and commitment to helping my family)and I know that the majority of the team do care about these families.

We still have an ongoing issue with whatever is sharing our house with us. We have come to terms with the fact that they are here to stay and they often make their presence known when we least expect them too. An example of this is: the other night my husband and I were standing in our bedroom wich has a master bath attached to it, we were standing about five feet from the bathroom door talking. All of a sudden the bathroom door just shut, not slammed, just shut. We both looked at the door, and then each other, shrugged our shoulders and went back to our conversation. It just goes to show that everyone handles things in different ways. A year ago I never would have thought about being so carefree about the occurances in our home, but bottom line is that it is YOUR home. I do hope that things get better for you and you are able to find some peace with all of this.

Logisti,

I have told my friend from TAPS about your website(in particular the entry title Letter to Producers)and she was very interested in talking to you. Is there anyway to contact you outside of this website so that I can give you some details about that?

Thanks

Brenda, I have just found your posts and want to thank you for your candid remarks. Please don't feel badly about some of us thinking the voice belonged to your child. It's just that we are so suspicious of TAPS evidence and your child was, of course, right there in the vicinity. Just as in a police investigation, suspicion first falls on those closest to the event.

I believe you about your house being haunted as I grew up in a haunted house, where a glass levitated traveled a bit and then smashed on the floor. You were misled into thinking you were going to get a REAL investigation and ended up seemingly being used. You have every right to be angry about that.

I wish you and your family all the best.

You know I really appreciate all the kind words and thoughts… i just wish things could have been what they needed to be or were promised. I do believe in this hence the search for help for not us, but really-for them !!! I cannot imagine being stuck in any one place when so much more awaits us…. There must be a reason why God made us all so unique and special in our own way- so there has to be more- some lesson to learn where we can grow and move on to meet and impact others…. This was a very bad situation and one I have tried to overcome but it is one that never seems to DIE down- no pun intended- hahahahaha. We relive it when they re- air the show, or come to state college to so- called – lecture… we get recognized and the house in october gets bombarded with those wanting to see spooks!!! Truly, it never goes away so anger comes and it goes and begins again. I don't hate them for now but really they have done damage to more than just me…. and that is the saddest part of all…. Keep trying to find your answers- just don't leave it up to others… be your own hunters…. Brenda

Talk about no proof! You haven't got ANY proof at all that any of your tearing down of this GH episode is true either! It doesn't sound like Anna to me either. So, why are YOU right and we ( even her own mother ) are wrong?

All you guys that say, "Well, it could have been this or that" but then turn around and declare "So that IS what it REALLY was!" as if its a fact – just because–

[PERSONAL ATTACKS REMOVED BY ADMIN. CIVIL DISCUSSION ONLY PLEASE]

The funny thing is, if they had come to you instead, and you had a dream team of hunters, plus all the gear you desire, and even if you did the shows exactly like YOU think it should be done, there would soon be another clown to come forward and declare that everything you did was wrong, or faked – just like you do now.

M Theory:

Welcome to Skeptical Viewer. We welcome reasoned debate. I think that you'll find that there are people here with all kinds of views. Your post contains personal attacks, and we don't tolerate those well here. However, you raise some interesting points, so I want to address them.

In the post, I wasn't trying to decide if the house is haunted or not. I've never been there. I'm trying to figure out something different: did this episode of Ghost Hunters give us compelling evidence?

You point out that Brenda, Anna's mother, says that the EVPs weren't Anna's voice. That's true. Ironically, in her comments in this thread, Brenda tells us that she believes that TAPS faked at least some of the EVPs, and regards TAPS as "fake as a $9.00 bill." If it were Anna's voice, that might have had an innocent explanation. So if I'm guilty, I'm guilty of being too lenient on TAPS.

You state that I have no proof that what I say is true. That's what we call "shifting the burden." I'm not making any claims of my own. I'm providing analysis. I don't claim any special knowledge, so the burden of proof is not on me. I'm not claiming that the house is NOT haunted. I'm arguing that TAPS didn't show us that it was. If you can show me compelling, verifiable evidence in that episode, please do so.

You claim that I'm jealous of TAPS. That's what's called an "ad hominem", meaning that you're attacking me, not my arguments. If my arguments are wrong, that's fine– I'd like to know. However, personal attacks don't tell us anything about my arguments. I could be the Devil incarnate and still be right.

Finally, you say that if I ran an ideal ghost hunting organization, people would criticize me just like I'm doing to TAPS. I certainly hope so. In science, people try to find holes in each other's arguments. Debate is part of the process. So long as it's based on good argument, criticism's a healthy thing and a sign of respect. TAPS initially claimed to be scientific ghost hunters. I'm trying to treat them as scientists.

So I'm hoping you that you can understand where I'm coming from. I also hope that you can stop the personal attacks and join in the debate here. We need a wide range of views for a healthy site, and I'm sure that you have something to contribute.

Stephen

So Brenda was acting? I don't get what this is. Did they tell her what to do? Sometimes she's defending the evps and sometimes they're fake? What?

No, Brenda was not acting. Please read this entire thread. She has commented on what happened that night beginning October 5.

I understand she had attempted to post on the TAPS official board and was attacked so viciously she gave up. My take is that she is saying the evps were not real; one is her own voice when she asked if she could come in and check on her sleeping daughter. The other sounds like someone is coaxing another child to say something. I could be wrong as to what she believes but do read carefully through her posts and determine for yourself what went on.

I don't think any of us are "jealous" of TAPS. I'm not in competition with them in any way and don't think anyone else here is either.

In fact, many find no pleasure in this. We just want the truth, nothing more, and it seems that's not what we have been getting.