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Ghost Adventures – Baggy pants but cool investigations

There is little doubt Zak went to the William Shatner school of overacting, but his crazy over emphasis, baggy pants and gravity defying hair gives him his own unique charm. But, unlike the couch dwelling Ghost Hunters, Zak’s enthusiasm keeps him constantly moving. He’s ready to jump into that mine shaft or go down the creepy tunnel, even if it does mean Aaron is going to bang his head. Maybe he is a little excitable, but I still enjoy listening to him tell the "dark" history of the place they’re investigating. Plus, it’s better than the underwhelming tone of Ghost Hunters and Ghost Lab. His mannerisms and tone bring the story to life and it builds up excitement for the episode.

Aaron, or as I like to call him, "Shaggy" is one scared pup and half the fun is watching him react to his environment. If you go into a building in the middle of the night that’s supposed to be haunted and full of dark energy, I’m not sure why you get to the point of soiling yourself every time there’s a loud bump or bang near you. It never ceases to amuse me that as they’re all standing in the dark that inevitably Aaron will yell "Oh My God!" and go running across the room like he got a cattle prod in the backside. He then follows it up with, "Dude, I Swear To God!" It’s funny every time!

Speaking of cool investigations I watched the episode at the abandoned Remington factory, the company that makes weapons and munitions. Even in the daylight that place was creepy. The buildings are falling apart, there’s tons of holes in the floor, and not much about the place seems structurally sound any more. And from some of the pictures they showed, it doesn’t look all that different now than when it was in operation. If nothing else you get a glimpse into the working conditions of the day. Perhaps working in a cubicle isn’t so bad after all. :)

Their reliance on "orbs" hitting them in the back of the head or neck, which then causes odd behavior, headaches and in more than one case possession, is really bringing the whole show down. I’m not going to say that orbs of energy don’t exist and Zak and crew can believe in them all they want, but from what I’m seeing those are dust particles. With the night vision cameras everything looks like an orb, especially when you’re trudging through an abandoned building. I’m just not buying that those particles are an explanation of anything. If dust bunnies are ghosts my house is the most location on the planet!

The other drawback is the use of Frank’s box and the other voice database tools they have. I have to say, those seem pretty silly and don’t really bolster their scientific method or credibility. How is a spirit supposed to know what frequency a word is on? Is there some owner’s manual they refer to ahead of time? But again, I’m not tuning in for the scientific aspect (I’m not even sure there is one), I just think the places they go are really interesting.

Even though the show can come across as juvenile at times – the Halloween special certainly had them in hysterics, but at least they had a Halloween special – Zak, Nick and Aaron are still engaging to watch. They get up and move around. They don’t just sit in the corner and hope something comes their way. It’s not perfect by any means, and I don’t think they’ve actually captured a whole lot, but they still have enthusiasm for investigating. A little too quick to say something is paranormal for my tastes, but after three seasons I’m still tuning in and having fun.

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Ghost Hunters Academy – Almost making Ghost Lab look good

After just two episodes I stand in awe of the garbage the Ghost Hunters team will slap their name on. It’s almost neck and neck as to which is the dumber show, this horrid creation and the pathetic "contestants" they brought on board, or the tragic and inept antics of the Ghost Lab team and their claims of the paranormal. Just when you thought Ghost Hunters couldn’t get any worse, they spin off this bizarre creation.

Tune in to watch Steve and Tango try to act grown up as they travel across the country in their tricked out black Winnebago trying to teach a group of misfits what it’s like to participate in the non-paying world of paranormal investigations. A field of inquiry they can’t quite quantify, have a hard time justifying, and don’t really get paid for. Umm, what are we watching this for again?

I’ve only seen two episodes, but I can’t bring myself to watch any more. The very thought of seeing Heathyr with her fingers in her ears while the rest of the team discusses the location and it’s history makes my skin crawl. Morbid curiosity makes me want to tune in just to see how bad it gets, but common sense (and a heaping bottle of tequila) keeps me from actually clicking "Play". I just can’t do it. This show doesn’t have a single element that interests me, and like the regular Ghost Hunters this show and I have to part ways. It’s just not in the cards baby. It’s pretty bad when there are as many Ghost Hunter spinoffs as there are CSI spinoffs. When Ghost Hunters: Miami comes out, I’ll tune in. Until then, this show is going into the trash.

The last hope is Ghost Hunter International, but so far, that show is in the wind and MIA. And from the rumors I’ve seen who knows who’ll actually be coming back to do the show.

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Ghost Lab – Worst show on TV

I’m not sure which is worse, Ghost Lab or Ghost Hunters Academy. But then again, I’m not sure it really matters since both shows are complete crap. You would think with all the equipment Ghost Lab has at their disposal the show would be more rooted in science and scientific discovery (I mean that’s the whole point of their voiceover, right?). It turns out the show is nothing more than a couple of pranksters with a junior high mentality running around the country claiming that every place they visit is a breeding ground of the paranormal. That bathtub is haunted!

Brad and Barry are clueless and it’s painful to watch their process, not that they really have one. Their ideas are inept and with each episode they change their mind on what their data tells them. In one episode the values mean one thing, and then the very next segment (of the same show) the same values mean nothing to them. Come on, make up your mind. Is it important or not? Pick one and stick with it.

Every single thing that happens to them is the work of the paranormal. They hear a creak and it’s a spirit. A door closes and they call it a ghost. A picture comes out blurry and that is conclusive evidence they found something. I can’t bear to watch the show anymore because if someone farts in the other room, they’ll claim it’s paranormal.

You would expect a show that claims science holds the answers would be more on the side of debunking claims. But not these two. They don’t debunk a single thing. I’m beginning to think they don’t know what that word means. Truth is, I don’t think they know the meaning of a lot of words.

The episode that takes the cake and makes me want to scream is the episode involving John Wilkes Booth. This was the biggest load of nonsense I have ever seen on television (even more so than American Idol). Running around claiming they have John Wilkes Booth on tape was just pathetic. These guys should be ashamed. At the very least they should be embarrassed. It’s "Dumb and Dumber" go ghost hunting.

How these guys got a big trailer loaded with cool gear is the bigger mystery. Who’s financing this mess?

I can’t bring myself to watch the rest of the episodes I have recorded. It’s not like things will miraculously get better. Even if you polish a turd, it’s still a turd. I’m done with these dimwits.

The stupid, it hurts.

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End of the road for the Ghost Hunters

I never seen Ghost Hunters as anything more than entertainment. I never thought for a minute it had any true scientific value. I tuned in because of the interesting places they went. They got to "go behind the scenes" and got full access to places the rest of us wouldn’t be able to go. The idea of investigating a lighthouse in the dead of night, or a battleship or a sanatorium, just sounds like so much fun. How could you not be thrilled to do it?

The show was interesting because of the debunking they would do. I enjoyed the aspect of finding out what could make people think they had a spirit when in fact there were everyday explanations of what people saw, felt and heard. It was pretty obvious the mind was playing tricks and the power of suggestion is pretty powerful.

But now, Jay, Grant and the rest of the team are just too damn lazy to get off the couch to actually do any investigating or debunking for that matter. Do Kris and Amy have chronic fatigue, is that why they’re always sitting down?

And what is with this, "If you make a noise, we’ll leave" crap? If something makes a noise on your command doesn’t that mean you should stick around and check it out? What are you stupids doing?

Steve and Tango were still fun to watch, but even they seem more concerned with being pranksters than focusing on the task at hand. I’m beginning to wonder what kinds of bets they have going when we’re not watching.

Things have been going down hill all year, but the icing on the cake was when they became too involved in their "Inn" to do a Halloween special. This was always their most interesting location, but now they can’t be bothered. Even though the Pro Wrestlers detracted from the show, it was still wildly entertaining and interesting to watch. Now we just get to watch Steve fart on live television. Classy!

Was it the controversy over the jacket pulling incident that made them shy away? It’s been quite awhile since that incident took place, but the more I read about that, the K2 meter and some of the gadgets they use the more far fetched it all seems. Like I said, I never thought they were scientific in their approach, but armed with these hokey devices it just makes the whole experience laughable. And not in a clever, amusing way, but more of a sad and embarrassed way. Some goof builds a device with blinky lights in their basement and Jason and Grant can’t wait to go running around in the dark with it saying how cool it is and how no one else has one.

I’ve been an avid watcher for the past few years, but I’ve missed quite a few episodes this year and to be honest, I just don’t care. My interest is gone. I’ll probably catch up on them at some point, but right now there are a lot of others things I want to watch. This is the last year for me, the show and the crew just don’t interest me any more. I’m more inclined to tune in for Ghost Hunters International (if it ever comes back on) simply because the locations they go to are fascinating. But as for Ghost Hunters itself, this is the end of the road for me. We had a good run together, but I’m just not that into you.

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