Here's my review:(BLANK).That's because I CANNOT recall the episode. Is it just me or is one episode just a continuation of the next? Unlike the paranormal the show APPEARS…to just blend from one investigation to another.
Like GHI, & Ghost Adventures, GH keeps adding more gadgets to "create," activity, but the evidence is weaker than Grant's ability to tell the truth.
We're treated to twinkling Christmas lights in a plastic box (K2), & now the new gizmo left on the floor to prove an entity is walking,
the geo-global-vibrate-a-date.

Well, the low-lite for me was seeing that Bimbo Kris now has her own taped segment in front of the TAPS logo – just like a real investigator. How cute is that?

Has anyone been able to determine whether or not the camera that was turned was a "stand-alone" camera or one of those jacked into the split-screen monitor in the van/truck?

It was one of the DVR cameras (part of the splitscreen setup). On that note, J&G:s claim that you really should have seen a shadow if a person turned is downright wrong, since the lights of the camera are mounted around the lens and for them to cast a shadow at all you must stand in front of the camera. The lights as they are mounted cancel out any shadow from other sources just as a flashlight does. Same as Robb and Angela's naturally cast shadow in the baltic prison presumably was cancelled out by the hand-cameras IR-light.

Five years (or more) of using DVR:s and they still do not understand how they work? There is no learning curve here, just a slippery slope down into ignorance coupled with ambiguity. I have learned that at least once (sometimes more) I have to cry out loud in frustration or anger when watching GH because they either misuse, misinterpret their equipment or make statements that defies rational thinking. It's really an exercise in masochism to watch GH, not unlike a bad soccer game where your team is totally overrun by their opponent and made to look fools*. However when it comes to soccer I actually care for the teams and players because I know they can and want to do better. When It comes to GH I really do not care about them anymore because they make themselves look like fools over and over again and don't seem to want to do better.

(*As a swede, two soccer games that match that description is our game against Germany in the World Cup 2006 and our game against Russia in the latest European Championship last year. It was horrendous. Total humiliation, and as a fan the frustration was overwhelming.)

The EVP: What I've never understood about EVPs is this: a)assuming there are ghosts; b)assuming they can communicate with the living; and c)assuming TAPS is capable of recording said communication; why don't the EVPs match up with TAPS "evp session" questions?

I can recall two that seemed like they could be legit (I know we're talking about ghosts – and GH – but work with me here) In the first season, one EVP said, "I miss Adam." which was allegedly from Adam's grandfather; and one from a family run business that said something like, "There is no Jean, here." after TAPS had been asking about her. Everything else (I may have missed a couple) is utter garbage, uninterpretable (if that's a word), or an obvious hoax.

I had serious doubts that a couple of plumbers with their friends on a docu-reality show on some cable network were going to find evidence of the afterlife.
However, it was still fun to watch. And occasionally they find something they couldn't explain. Didn't make it ghosts, but it was kinda neat.

Now, it's not about the paranormal at all; it's all about the personalities. The gigglers, the clowns, and the superstars. Unfortunately, the personalities aren't strong enough to pull this off.

Spilt the teams & watch the show, like the paranormal, disappear!
J&G continually have the most if not the ONLY "activity." The girls, no matter who, Donna, Kris, Amy, Jamie, Mamie, add nothing but eye candy & even then the "candy," shelves aren't often well stacked (sorry couldn't help myself).
Tango & Steve add immature banter.
Why don't they mix up the teams? Because who ever is paired with Grant is going to have the most "experiences." It would become blatantly obvious this isn't paranormal at all, but pair a normal, for Grant.

Originally, the thing that attracted me to GH was the skepticism and the practical debunking. I'll admit it — I don't believe in ghosts. They've always intrigued me as folk tales, they've always scared me as entertainment, and I certainly respect the beliefs of people who report they've had experiences. But I've never seen or heard one personally, so I remain unconvinced. I think there's a scientific explanation behind every haunting.

So to me, the GH premise made sense. A couple of plumbers should know the rational reasons for strange noises in buildings. For the first season or two, it seemed that was what GH was about. Most of the investigating was observational. The show was about the hunt, not the ghosts.

Now, though, GH has become completely reliant on these "instruments" (which they routinely misunderstand, misinterpret, and misuse). Suddenly, they're seeing spooks everywhere. The show is all about the ghosts, and not the hunt.

To continue bullerspoke's analogy, it's as though they've removed the goalkeeper. Sort of makes every score an anticlimax, doesn't it?

Strip away the pseudoscience, GH. Forget about EMF detectors, EVPs, IR cameras, thermometers, and K2 meters. Remember that the people who reported a building as haunted didn't use instruments to scare themselves — they SAW something, they HEARD something. Rely on what you can see, and what you can hear.

"Strip away the pseudoscience, GH. Forget about EMF detectors, EVPs, IR cameras, thermometers, and K2 meters. Remember that the people who reported a building as haunted didn't use instruments to scare themselves — they SAW something, they HEARD something. Rely on what you can see, and what you can hear."

Yes and No. They saw and heard something. I suppose by rights all that would be necessary to document something, then, would be a regular camera and audio recorder (or just a camera since it records sound) BUT, in the interest of science (pseudoscience only really relates to how the team is performing the investigation, not the equipment itself) why not gather as much data as you can (IS there a temperature change? IS there a field associated with the "entity")

You're right, though. Strip away the pseudoscience or, better yet, become versed in the instruments you are using, put some planning into the investigations, and elevate the pseudoscience to true science.

Nosfer said "Strip away the pseudoscience or, better yet, become versed in the instruments you are using, put some planning into the investigations, and elevate the pseudoscience to true science."

I couldn't agree more. In fact, I'm sure that there are many well qualified people in various fields of science that would be more than willing to travel to the TAPS HQ and teach them to properly use their equipment. They could possibly develop new testing procedures and methodology to aid their investigations. Maybe even explain some "actual theories" to the team in terms that they could understand and apply to the show.

Of course, this won't happen. They are "experts." It's the big joke on the forums (the thread is called "Ghost Hunters: New Generation" Casting). Apparently the GH team will teach the new people all that they need to know. Seriously? I can't tell you how much I'd love to be in that "training session." Well, the 3 minutes of it until I'm thrown out of it, hearing screams of "Get out skeptic! Naysayer! Heretic! Thinker! We don't need your kind here."

"Well, the 3 minutes of it until I'm thrown out of it, hearing screams of "Get out skeptic! Naysayer! Heretic! Thinker! We don't need your kind here."

Do you think you would A) Last that long; and B) Get off that lightly? For some reason I'm seeing you experiencing a fate similar to Giordano Bruno!

You're exactly right and I suspect any number of people in here could set these poor college-student/investigators on a more correct path, but I doubt it would make for good TV in their eyes. Pilgrim has a "formula" and they will continue developing and cranking out these cookie-cutter shows with slight variations on the theme and they are not going to let science, logic, or reason stand in their way

Giordano Bruno? Well…if I am to become a "martyr for science," then so be it. There are worse faits…like actually having to watch Ghost Hunters: College Edition with Steve being the teacher.

Yes, I remember the evp that said in Polish,I miss Adam, when they investigated a home that Adam lived in built by his grandparents or great grandparents.
His father was I think there at the reveal and confirmed what the evp said.
The evp, "there is no jean here" was when they went to the Presidio in San Francisco.Their next stop was also The Lullaby Lane baby store, also in San Francisco.This is were the family who owned the business thought perhasp, Jean a lady who worked for them was still hanging around,even though she had died.
In one episode where they visited the Stanely, Jay and Grant were down in the basement in the employee tunnel, and you clearly heard a voice say"Hello", as well as a laugh.This was so loud, it was caught on tape as well as by the SCI-FI sound guy with them.They heard it with their own ears.
Also, the very distressing evp from the "Manson" house very somewhat clear. The one sounded like "Take me to the Light",and the other one was in total panic.These too were pretty good.
Also, I don't recall the investigation,but I think it was some winery in New York or New Hampshire, but Jay and Grant clearly heard a disembodied voice,which SCI-FI sound guys caught on tape.It was funny because it was quite loud, and Steve and Dave in the next room didn't hear it at all.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I could have sworn that "I miss Adam" was in English, not Polish?

@ Nosfer: Yes, it was in English.

@ HollyDolly: As for the distressing "take me to the light" in the Manson House….uhh……no. That was so fake it hurt. If I'm not mistaken, that's also where the K-2 meter was introduced. To a cool reception by TAPS, I might add. That whole episode was an embarrassingly bad scam.

And as for the voices caught by Sci-Fi sound guys, I don't believe they qualify as EVPs. Supposedly, they are only picked up on one piece of equipment.

@CrowTRobot – Yep, Manson was the introduction of the initial K2.

I don't know if I will mention the FLIR issue at the Manson house or not!

Okay, for the benefit of those who still haven't read it, I will: "FLIR"

The "I miss Adam" was in English, but the rest of what they picked up puzzled them until they found out it was in Polish.

Now, that had always impressed me as some of the best EVPs they have ever recorded. However, since they don't post evidence for viewers to research, there is no way anyone will ever know what was said in Polish. If they had posted evidence, I could have let my mother hear it, and she would have translated it.

This is why GH's rule about not posting evidence makes them look not only arrogant but tinges everything they purportedly find.

Ah, memories … I remember posting about that episode what I will now: I speak Polish and grew up amid native speakers. It's a language I don't hear often anymore (since moving from Chicago), so when I do hear even a snippet of Polish or another Slavic language these days, my ears perk up like a dog. Bottom line, if that EVP was Polish … I'm the king of Prussia.

"In one episode where they visited the Stanely, Jay and Grant were down in the basement in the employee tunnel, and you clearly heard a voice say"Hello", as well as a laugh.This was so loud, it was caught on tape as well as by the SCI-FI sound guy with them.They heard it with their own ears."

To be honest, I've always thought that that "hello" sounded like a cat. The tone had a very feline-esque quality that's hard to describe. If you search YouTube, you'll find lots of videos of cats' meows that sound similar to words, including hello. Check 'em out and you'll see (rather, hear) what I mean. What's funny is that my mother and I watched this episode separately and came to the same conclusion about the cat hello independent of each other. (We love cats. What can I say!)

As for the strange laugh, I can't explain that as easily. My cat makes all sorts of odd noises that might sound pretty strange if made in a tunnel with an echo. Just sayin'.

I also completely agree about the camera. I don't know whether it was a deliberate hoax or a screwup-turned-hoax upon evidence discovery, but it's ridiculous for TAPS to claim that no visible shadow = ghost. What? Couldn't they have at least tested that theory out (that the camera would have picked up the shadow of the camera turner)?

Agree with the cat explanation. Cats are great at vocalizing, and even seem to raise their voice at the end like an audio question mark if they are confused about something.

Here's a video on YouTube where the cat really sounds like it's trying to mimic the human voice. The second vocalization by the animal struck me as quite similar to the Stanley one. Also, towards the end is another which could be interpreted as "help" to our ears:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmkx3cJzaZ4&feature=related

I really think that submitting that audio to an expert in the field (NOT paranormal) who has a good knowledge of animal vocalizations might have debunked that "great" piece of evidence.

Can't believe that at that time I sat up and watched the whole show. But that was before I began having some serious doubts about the show.

Good discussion, guys. Always a pleasure to visit this site.

Actually, Nosfer, I personally think cameras and audio recorders are the only tools a ghost hunter does need, besides his or her own powers of observation and critical thinking. If I went ghost hunting, it's all I'd carry. Then you just wait it out and see what happens.

But your point is well taken; gather as much scientific data as you can using whatever instruments are available. For instance, you could chart temperature, humidity, measurements like that to document the environmental conditions. As you suggest, if TAPS is going to use these instruments, they should certainly be trained on them by professionals. I suspect one of the reasons they don't seek training is because the experts would simply tell them, "You can't measure that using this device." And that would spoil all the fun!

Not that I'll ever actually go ghost hunting. I spook too easily. No, I don't believe in ghosts, but I can sure work myself into a fright plenty quick. Maybe that's one reason I'm so skeptical — I know what sorts of tricks my own mind has played on me in creaky old houses, late at night.

Me, I'd make Brian's "dude, run" performance look downright heroic …