We were kicking back the Sunday after Thanksgiving, relaxing after 4 or 5 days of running around non-stop. We were watching football and whatever game was on was getting a bit slow so Jenn started searching around for something else to keep us awake for a few more hours. She lighted on A&E where they were in the midst of a Paranormal State marathon. We quickly got sucked in and watched for hours. Of course as soon as I walked away, I started mentally picking the show apart piece by piece, but while watching it, found it engrossing enough to keep me watching for hours.
As our 4 or 5 fans may have deduced over the years, the Derosby Brothers (and many other members of our family) are fans of ghosts and the supernatural in general. Alan’s even tossed around the idea of getting some equipment and going on road trips to bust or debunk. I for one would love to put on the gray jumpsuit and strap on the EM goggles. At any rate, the marathon got me thinking. I started comparing Paranormal State to the other “ghostly” reality shows and here’s what I came up with. Listed from best to worst, here’s my take on the Reality Ghostbuster genre of shows.
1.) Ghost Hunters (Ghost Hunters Academy and Ghost Hunters International) – The SyFy Channel: The benchmark for the genre. Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson, the founders of TAPS (The American Parnormal Society) from here in New England have the best trained and most professional staff, both experienced and likeable. They have the best equipment and most importantly, the most success with it. Not only are they extremely thourough in their placement of cameras, audio recorders, and even little flashlights, their attention to detail pays off as they tend to collect more actual evidence than any other show I’ve seen on TV.
The thing I like the most about them though, is the fact that they are not so quick to jump to conclusions. They are just as likely to debunk an event, especially in the earlier episodes. They bring their EMF detectors and have discovered everything from poor wiring creating EM hotspots to ventillation systems transferring sounds from one room to the next and even put their plumbing experience to work on one episode. They’ve even caught their clients trying to pull one over on them on more than one occasion. All in all, not only is it the best of the “reality Ghostbuster” lot, it’s one of my favorite shows on TV today.
2.) Ghost Lab – Discovery Channel, kind of like Ghost Hunters light. The Klinge brothers (Brad and Barry) have all the enthusiasm of Jason and Grant and certainly have the equipment to back it up.
But what they have in attitude, they sometimes lose in their short-sightedness. They come across to me as more cowboys than scientists, and where they definitely embody the spirit of the Ghostbusters from the movie, they lose that credibility that comes from being able to look for a more rational explanation to what’s going on around them. Still, it’s a great watch for a weekend afternoon.
3.) Ghost Adventures - The Travel Channel. Take the three biggest idiots you find in a random frat house at any college campus around the US, get them drunk, lock them in a dark building at midnight, then scare the living shit out of them. That pretty much covers what this show has to offer.
It’s a riot. Check out the episode where they go to Bobbie Mackie’s to get a good dose of what these guys are all about. Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin are great hosts and aa blast to watch and really entertain. Few ghosts, little proof, but worth the watch nonetheless.
4.) Paranormal State – A&E TV. This show definitely takes itself more seriously than the others. Ryan Buell and his crew are actually trying to save people from their demons. His earnest desire to help is endearing, but is quickly overshadowed by his blind belief in everything they run into with no apparent desire for any scepticsm. They’ve run into everything from poltergeists to natural spirits, and even a demon or two. He’s convinced himself that one demon in particular has it out for him and occasionally runs into his arch-enemy from time to time.
His crew never seems to be made up of the same people from one show to the next, the only constants being his longtime friend and cast member Sergei and resident “occult specialist” and team odd duck Eilfie. The crew has all the equipment but rarely seems to be able to catch even the slightest bit of EVP or photographical evidence. When they do, it’s automatically assumed to be of supernatural origin, no proof required. It’s frustrating to watch and at times uncomfortable. Buell and his team mean well though and where the show lacks all that is empirical, they make up for it in heart. And as an added plus, they got rid of that quack psychic Chip Coffey. If you want to see a charlatan of Patric Jane stature (of the Mentalist), tune in to that show. If you notice, it’s not on my list.
Does anyone else have a favorite? Am I alone in my love of these shows? What’s your take?
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