John’s Paranormal Blog

I’ve mentioned in previous review that this is the first time that TAPS has gone to a location after I’ve been there to investigate. It’s definitely a different kind of viewing experience, because I can’t help but compare my own experience to what was ultimately shown. For me, it was quite revealing, not only in terms of how the team reacted to the site, but how they interpreted certain events.

Before getting into the “evidence”, I wanted to summarize my observations of the site from my investigation. Unfortunately, I was brought onto an investigation conducted by another regional group at the last minute; as a result, I did not have the resources and personnel of my own team, which I would have preferred for such a large site. I had only handheld video, audio, and a flashlight.

As seen on the show, the complex is massive. In many, many locations, the building was simply abandoned one day. Notices and pictures are still on the walls. Old medical supplies are all over the floor. Books, games, playing cards, letters from home, clothes, etc. are all still there, tossed around. It’s psychologically off-putting, to say the least. That’s not something that came through in the episode nearly as much as I thought it would.

The lack of power and light, combined with the debris made it very hard to navigate. Again, this was not something pointed out nearly enough in the episode. There are sections where the paint has peeled off the walls, so it’s incredibly loud when you walk around and the paint chips crack and crunch underfoot. And the sound carries like you would not believe.

Underneath the buildings, linking them all together, is a vast and incredibly confusing array of passageways. There’s no natural light down there, so turn off the flashlight, and it’s absolutely impossible to see. And if you get lost down there? It could take hours for someone to find you. Some of the passageways are long dead-ends. Not for the faint of heart. Again, not something I think was entirely apparent from the episode. I think it’s obvious that the team had someone around to get them from place to place (probably Tom, the client, who was also our guide at the time).

There are also things living in the complex. rats, cats, dogs, who knows what else. The rats sound like whispers on audio. The other animals leave “presents” in the tunnels. You can hear them in the distance in the tunnels as well. The entire area is surrounded by woods, so small game is rampant. Not only is it very hard to see the animals, but since the sound carries, the animals can make quite a racket.

When we were there, the main stories were about Shadow People in the main building (at least, the main building for us), both in the main room and in one spot on the second floor. Tom mostly talked about orbs in pictures (which I attributed to the massive amounts of dust). I don’t recall being told about a blue light in the tunnels or a ghost nurse.

I had one personal experience of note. It was in one of the patient rooms on the second floor of the main building. I noticed what looked like a wind chime hanging from the mesh over the window, and I thought it would be a good idea to ask questions. As I stood in the room, I felt something stroke my hair, right over the back of my neck, just behind my left ear. I called in another team member to conduct a more detailed EVP session and check for other readings, but there was nothing found.

The window in that room was not broken at the time, and nothing was coming through the vent high on the opposite wall. If there had been a source of air currents, the dust would have pointed us to the source, since it would be visibly moving in the direction of air flow. There was no such indication. But it was a personal experience, there was no corroborating data, and so I had to discount it.

Needless to say, I remember the locations that were shown in the show very well. I agree with the team that it was a creepy place, but I’m surprised that it affected them so strongly. I’ve only been actively investigating for a few years, and I was only occasionally unnerved (and mostly by how the place was just abandoned, with so many personal possessions left behind). Jason and Grant have been investigating for a lot longer.

I can’t help but wonder if their general level of discomfort had something to do with their reactions to the noises. Even the loud banging from the attic could have been from an animal (though, to be fair, it is a stretch). Most of the shadows and noises could have easily been small animals. I’m surprised that the possibility rarely came up.

Both of the EVPs also strike me as a bit of a stretch. Either of them could have been the result of movement of debris or, in the case of the morgue, shifting on the stainless steel surface. The heat anomaly didn’t impress me at all. It looked like a heat reflection on an object along the wall, which “disappeared” when the camera angle shifted slightly. If it looked like a figure at all, I think it’s an example of pattern recognition.

The “big moment” is the moving camera. One thing I noticed is that they never mention where the camera was located. That would have been good to know, under the circumstances. It’s pretty much impossible to explain why the camera would move like that without being there at the time, but to me, it looks like the camera itself is just carried along as the tripod is lifted and knocked over.

I certainly don’t think that they presented nearly enough “evidence” to suggest that it was actually haunted. What I saw was a lot of misinterpretation of natural noises and a couple of oddities that couldn’t quite be explained, blown out of proportion by the heightened anxiety caused by the location itself. My experience didn’t lead me to conclude that the site was haunted, and TAPS didn’t add anything to change my mind.

As a final note, a lot of fans (and critics) have asked TAPS to start using helmet cams. I think it’s hilarious that they chose to listen by coming up with the most ridiculous example of one I’ve ever seen. That’s the best they could come up with? I think there’s value in the idea, but something tells me they tried to make it look silly so they could have a justification not to use them.

I thought it would be interesting to give, before this episode, a few comments on what I observed during my investigation. Just to see how closely (or not) it is represented within the episode.

First, I must preface this by saying that I wasn’t investigating with my team, but rather, another team who requested someone from our team to help them out. So I didn’t have most of the equipment I usually would. I had video, audio, and my debunking skills. That’s about it, sad to say.

Second, the location is freakin’ huge. It’s hard to remember exactly which building was which. Most of my comments are global, however, so it shouldn’t matter.

So…here we go:

1) The location was an asylum, yes, but it was a huge complex, so different buildings and wings of buildings held different populations.

2) In many, many locations, the building was simply abandoned one day. Notices and pictures are still on the walls. Old medical supplies are all over the floor. Books, games, playing cards, letters from home, clothes…all still there, tossed around. It’s psychological a little off-putting, to say the least. A lot of the time, I found myself just reading something on the wall, or glancing at stacks of books on a dusty shelf…you feel what one might call “arrested history” all around you. If you’ve seen “I am Legend”, it was a bit like that.

3) Item #2 made it very hard to navigate, since there is no power. It’s very possible and very easy to trip and get hurt.

4) It is very, very dusty in the complex, and a lot of that dust is potentially toxic. We had to wear masks for safety.

5) Underneath the buildings, linking them all together, is a vast and incredibly confusing array of passageways. A lot of them have rooms on either side, so everything I said in item #2 (and #3) still applies, but even more so. There’s no natural light down there, so turn off the flashlight, and it’s absolutely impossible to see. And if you get lost down there? It could take hours for someone to find you. Some of the passageways are long dead-ends. Not for the faint of heart.

6) There are sections where the paint has peeled off the walls, so it’s incredibly loud when you walk around and the paint chips crack and crunch underfoot. And the sound carries like you would not believe.

7) There are also things living in the complex. rats, cats, dogs, who knows what else. The rats sound like whispers on audio. The other animals leave “presents” in the tunnels. You can hear them in the distance in the tunnels as well. REALLY creepy.

When we were there, the main stories were about Shadow People in the main building (at least, the main building for us), both in the main room and in one spot on the second floor. It should be interesting to see if anything new is added to the stories…and if TAPS just happens to find those things.

9) I had one personal experience of note. It was in one of the patient rooms on the second floor of the main building. I noticed what looked like a wind chime hanging from the mesh over the window, and I thought it would be a good idea to ask questions. Did it belong to someone who had lived there? What was their name? The usual. As I stood in the room, I felt something stroke my hair, right over the back of my neck, just behind my left ear. I called in another team member to conduct a more detailed EVP session and check for other readings, but there was nothing found.

The window in that room was not broken at the time, and nothing was coming through the vent high on the opposite wall. If there had been a source of air currents, the dust would have pointed us to the source, since it would be visibly moving in the direction of air flow. There was no such indication. But…it was a personal experience, there was no corroborating data, and so I had to discount it.

But I remember that wind chime very well, and I would be most interested if something happens in that room in this episode!

This is going to be an interesting episode to follow, if only in terms of how it is perceived on both sides of the fence. I don’t imagine many believers and TAPS supporters will take issue with it. If anything, I think they will lament the decision to have GHI investigate the Spalding Inn, rather than the more familiar faces. The skeptics and naysayers will likely claim a conflict of interest, and will point out that having a related team conduct the investigation and members of the TAPS team analyze the data undermines the notion of eliminating bias.

As always, I take a more moderate position. I have absolutely no problem with GHI conducting the investigation. Quite frankly, when comparing GHI to TAPS in recent months, GHI strikes me as the more “hungry” team. They haven’t fallen into a rut, and they’ve managed to avoid most of the usual questions about the authenticity of their actions. If anything, the downside to bringing GHI in might be that they remind the audience what TAPS has been missing.

Some people are going to take issue with that stance, but I think there are a few subtle things that happen on this investigation that can illustrate my point. First and foremost, for all his faults, Barry is more technically-minded than anyone currently on the TAPS team, and that is a big plus. He’s not perfect, of course, since many of his “theories” are based on conjecture at best, but he works within a fairly logical rationale.

But it’s not just Barry. I detect a greater sense of urgency from the entire team. When there’s a noise or a shadow, they immediately try to hunt down the source, and they begin attempts to debunk right away. It happens with TAPS, too, so it’s not a clear-cut difference. But it was a constant reaction, which speaks to how the team has trained together to respond to anything unusual.

The equipment is another point to consider. For the most part, they were using TAPS equipment, so there wasn’t anything particularly novel (besides Barry’s favorite toy, the “full spectrum” camera). But I liked what they did with the equipment, particularly when Joe told Robb that the bed was vibrating. Immediately, they took a geophone, audio recorder, and EMF meter and placed them in proximity, in the hopes of getting concurrent data.

And that’s one of those little things that could improve the investigations tremendously. One can quibble over the nature of any particular readings they might have gotten and whether the instruments are correct for the situation, but they were trying to correlate data. That’s a lot better than resting conclusions on the basis of a single source of data for a given event, which is what I’ve been saying all along.

Which is why some of the “evidence” was actually worth noting. It’s one thing if Robb gets a blast of warm air in the face; it’s another when it happens independently to Brandy. And it’s quite another when they both independently search the room for possible sources of the hot air. Is it possible it was the heating system, and they aren’t experienced enough with the principles of air convection to debunk the heating system thoroughly? Maybe, but that’s why it would have been worth noting and investigating further.

In recent comments, I’ve been taken to task for describing audible voices as “buried in the background noise”. Now is a good time to explain that, because there are three good examples in this episode to illustrate the point. When I say that an EVP or “disembodied voice” is buried in the background noise, I mean that the amplitude of the apparent voice does not exceed the amplitude of the background noise. Also, in such cases, the patterns of the waveform of the apparent voice, which are quite recognizable, cannot be distinguished from the general “chop” of the noise floor. The general rule of thumb is this: if standard noise reduction software wipes out the apparent EVP, then it was buried in the background noise and could very well be a result of pattern recognition (however unlikely that may sound).

A great example would be the “Hey” voice that Barry heard and Joe’s camcorder recorded. It was buried in the background noise because the visual representation of the soundwave, within the software, did not show it to be significantly different from the background noise at all. Barry clearly heard something, but it wasn’t caught to such a degree that it cannot be dismissed.

Another example shows the extreme opposite. The “Hi”, recorded over Brandy’s voice and recognizably not either Brandy or Angela, was so loud that it had a waveform that was actually larger than the waveform for Brandy’s speaking voice! That is quite interesting, and would have been worthy of further investigation. That it happened in conjunction with a personal experience makes it even more so.

Keeping that in mind, consider the EVP from the kitchen (”Cherry”). At first glance, it was hard to distinguish from the background noise. However, when looked at carefully (and I rewound a couple times to confirm it), it’s possible to see the waveforms for the two syllables of the word rising out of the background noise. It’s borderline, but once again, since it was in conjunction with both the reported activity and investigator experience, it bears closer consideration.

I did have some reservations. I really don’t like it when Robb and others pat Jason and Grant on the back for being “diehard skeptics”, because they’re anything but. Given how they buy into a lot of questionable theories, everyone in TAPS is a believer. Also, I’m not pleased with GHI following in the footsteps of TAPS with the “show me you’re here and I’ll leave” method of investigation. It doesn’t make a lick of sense!

I’m wary of Brandy’s EMF readings, but only because I’m not sure which kind of meter she was using. She was holding it on a diagonal, and many EMF meters will “spike” slightly when they shift from axis to axis. The way she was holding it could have unintentionally generated those unusual readings. But again, that’s just something worth double-checking; I’ve been able to explain a number of unusual EMF readings by fellow investigators by noting that very same effect.

I’m also not sure that I would have told Steve and Tango what the personal experiences were before reviewing the data. It introduced a bias into their review process. That said, it’s a bias that pretty much exists across the board, so it’s nothing new. I suppose I was just intrigued by the opportunity to see if people outside of the investigation would have a different or better perspective.

I still can’t say that there isn’t some degree of conflict of interest. The Spalding Inn is seeking reservations right off the TAPS website, and apparently some of the “Paranormal 101″ classes that they offer will be held at the Spalding Inn in the near future. That raises the ugly spectre of claims that they are using the show to promote their business venture. (And I can’t wait for the inevitable criticisms of the location itself, because some naysayers are too crass for words.)

The editors are really gearing up the audience for the next episode, which has me a little worried. I don’t think they’ve ever hyped an episode so far in advance and within the show itself. That leads me to think that they get some crazy “evidence”. Here’s the rub: this is also the first time that they will be going to a location that I’ve investigated before they have. I’m curious to see how our experiences mesh.

Case #1: Georgia Aquarium, GA
Case #2: Gaither Plantation, GA

A lot of people mentioned that this was one of the best episodes of the season thus far, and I must agree. I may not agree with all the their conclusions this week, or even all of their methods, but I do think they were a bit more invested than they’ve appeared in quite some time.

An interesting topic of discussion came up regarding the possibility of “haunted items”. Is it really possible for specific items to be haunted? To some, it sounds unreasonable and even silly. I’m not sure there’s much of a difference between a haunted house and a haunted pair of socks. Considering there’s no strict definition for what a haunting is, other than a collection of reports and “evidence” of unusual activity, there’s no way to know what the phenomena might be connected to or associated with. It could be anything or nothing.

The one thing that makes paranormal investigation so difficult is that we’re hard-wired to invent “theories” when things don’t quite add up. We try to close the gaps by taking what we know and building scenarios around it. We seek patterns, but we often lack the patience to delve deeply enough to get the fine details. This is why we regularly hear news reports linking anything and everything to some disease or anti-social behavior, and people believe it, no matter how illogical it might be. In the face of the disturbing unknown, we seek the comforts of patterns.

Some will say that’s the explanation for claims of the paranormal in general, but I believe it’s more complicated than that. I believe something is happening. I just don’t think the usual metaphysical explanations are particularly satisfying. Proving that something is actually happening, like a cold spot or even an EVP, is not proof of a “ghost”. It’s evidence that something measurable is happening, but that’s about it; it measures effect, rather than proving cause. Even when compelling “evidence” is found, we’re really no closer to proving the existence of ghosts.

Case #1: Georgia Aquarium, GA

The cold spot was interesting, even if it didn’t tell us very much. That spot in the room may always be a little colder. (Something similar to that was noted on a GHI episode, if I recall correctly.) With the iceberg exhibit in the general vicinity, there must be some interesting temperature effects anyway. And Jason gets it wrong, yet again, by claiming that the thermal could have detected it. Will they ever bother to learn how the FLIR system actually works?

I’m also not particularly impressed with Jason’s “jacket tug”, especially since he proposed leaving the room right after it happened. This is just like the situation with the K-II meter in the previous episode. Why, as an investigator, would you leave a room where you think you just experienced activity?

The EVP was once again buried in the background noise (this is becoming a familiar phrase of late), and frankly, I anticipate some claims of fraud. Not because I think there was any fraud, but because some will claim that the voice sounded a lot like Jason. In fact, at first, I thought it was Jason!

Case #2: Gaither Plantation, GA

The footsteps and footprint were interesting, but they raise obvious questions. The geophone detected vibration, but did they try to determine if the attic floor is susceptible to vibration when people are in other areas of the house? And why would a ghost have a discernible shoe tread? I’m not particularly convinced, even if I was rather intrigued.

As an aside: did Jason actually say that they regularly use the “flour on the floor” method when footsteps are reported? Because I don’t remember them doing that on the show in any other circumstance, and certainly not on any recent investigation. That was a bit disingenuous, if that’s what he said.

The opening cabinet door would have gotten my attention as well, but I would have been very skeptical. For one thing, we can’t see the bottom of the door, so it’s not the best possible scenario. And in my house, due to settling and air currents, my cabinet doors open by themselves all the time. It’s not unusual for the doors to be wide open.

I usually don’t talk about the investigations to come, but they’re already rubbing me the wrong way. The next episode highlights the Spalding Inn, an establishment that is owned by Jason and Grant. That alone is a bit sketchy, in my book. The episode after that, the spring season finale, is apparently taking place at a location I’ve investigated in the past. While it is a very daunting location, and some might find it “scary”, there was little “evidence” to be had. That’s not to say that they wouldn’t or couldn’t find anything on their investigation, but it does mean that I’m wary of what they will find.

Case #1: Belcourt Castle, RI
Case #2: Sacco’s Bowl Haven, MA

It’s been noted, in the past, that sometimes TAPS will say one thing on their website and do quite another on “Ghost Hunters”. I’ve often felt that the criticisms were a bit overstated, but that doesn’t mean that a point isn’t to be made. In this case, I’m referring to the stark differences between what Grant has said on the website regarding the K-II Meter and what is seen in the episode.

Leaving aside the continued inaccuracy regarding the K-II’s supposed ability to detect “magnetic fields and frequencies” (which would be meaningless if it were true, since the manufacturer admits that the lights don’t correlate with any true readings), Grant essentially says that TAPS is still evaluating the proper use of the device and that they are very careful to ensure that they don’t overreact to a false positive.

But is that care and consideration what we see in the actual episode? In one case, Jason says that he’ll take it as a signal from a spirit that he should leave a room if the K-II Meter goes off even once. Just once! How does that constitute anything close to clear intention or communication? How can that be excluded as a possible false positive? All he did, in essence, was wait for anything at all to trip off the device!

Later, when Jason and Grant are playing pool during another investigation (not a bad idea, despite how it sounds), they leave the K-II on the side of the table. Every time it goes off, Grant points to it as if it’s meaningful. I didn’t see any attempt to evaluate whether or not it could have been a false positive.

It’s entirely possible that such debunking is left on the cutting room floor, but the context doesn’t give me much reason to believe that. And that, in my opinion, is part of the problem. If the approach is meant to be scientific and technically astute, then jumping at every flicker of the K-II Meter should be out of the question.

This is not just true for the K-II Meter; I see the same thing happen with a lot of equipment, and certainly not just from TAPS. It’s a common mistake to make when you don’t understand the principles behind an instrument and its strengths and weaknesses. This is why I’ve always been critical of the lack of technically astute members on the current team.

Case #1: Belcourt Castle, RI

The EVP was once again buried in the background noise, and all those footsteps are less impressive when they’re not using the technology they were willing to highlight just a few episodes ago. (Could this have been aired out of chronological order? Sure, but the geophones can’t be that new, can they?)

The unusual thermal hit is a bit more intriguing, if only because I couldn’t immediately explain it. It is possibly some kind of reflection off the polished surface of the floor? I’m not sure how they could say that it resembled a footprint, but it was strange. I would want to investigate that further to understand exactly what was causing that effect in that particular part of the building.

But I think it’s unfortunate that the location was deemed “haunted” based on some long-term aggregate evaluation, rather than on the merits of what the audience was able to see.

Case #2: Sacco’s Bowl Haven, MA

This is the kind of investigation, by and large, that I can appreciate. The connection between the reported activity and the toilet was hilarious, as well as the observation that much of the activity was reported from a spot that was saturated with high EMF!

I found the reveal interesting, because they gave the client plenty of reasons why the location wasn’t haunted. The client is pleased to be able to tell the employees that the location has no ghosts to worry about, but what about the electrical panel problem? Wouldn’t they still be experiencing the effects of the high EMF? Somehow, I doubt the employees will be satisfied with “TAPS said there’s no ghost”!

Case #1: Cuban Club, FL
Case #2: Trelles Clinic, FL

While this is far from the most exciting episode, I think it’s now clear that everyone involved is responding on some level to the criticisms of the Halloween debacle. We’re four episodes into the new season, and while they’ve had a few annoying moments with the K-II Meter in hand, they have yet to pull out anything too controversial. They may be saving it for later in the season, but this is about as close to “business as usual” as it gets.

I’m still a bit concerned about the wear and tear on Jason and Grant, who still seem a lot less enthusiastic than in the past. Jason’s illness could have been little more than food poisoning; they are, after all, eating in a wide array of venues when they travel, and not everything agrees with one’s system. Thankfully, Grant was able to work things out with the extra hands on deck, and I thought he seemed a bit more relaxed during these cases.

I also think Kris and Amy are beginning to gel better as a team. If they insist on pairing up the two female investigators, at least they can avoid editing their footage to make them look flighty and incompetent. It’s slowly getting better, but that conversation about provoking and Amy’s inability to insult potential spirits was a bit ridiculous.

Still more annoying by far is the ongoing decision to emphasize the frat-boy mentality of the Steve and Tango team. It used to be mildly annoying, but it’s now to the point where I can say, with fair confidence, that I can tune out the show when they appear on screen during the investigation. Nine times out of ten, it’s only going to be some prank or general silliness that would detract from a real investigation and is clearly designed for the young female demographic.

Case #1: Cuban Club, FL

Grant and Britt were rather impressed with the flashlight, but I must disagree. I’ve used plenty of flashlights with the twist-top design, and all of them, in the right position, will turn on and off randomly, even when sitting still. Some might prefer to accuse them of using a remote switch, but that’s unnecessarily complicated as an explanation. The flashlight was visibly dimming here and there on its own, which definitely resembles a flashlight that is just barely in the “on” position. The location was deemed haunted based on this “evidence”, by and large, so this is not a minor point.

The footsteps on the staircase were interesting, but it would have been more impressive if the geophone from the previous episode had made a repeat appearance. Otherwise, in a room that large, it’s hard to argue that “footsteps on the stairs” is the only explanation for the sound, even if it matches the client’s reports.

Case #2: Trelles Clinic, FL

This actually reminded me of what can happen on an actual case. During the investigation, everything seems normal and uneventful, and the reported activity is easily debunked. And then, during the data review, there are a couple of odd items that beg for closer examination.

I wouldn’t place the EVP in that category; it was buried in the background noise (like so many tend to be lately) and didn’t quite sound like “Juan”, anyway. The moving camera was interesting, though. Could it have been someone messing with the team? Sure, but that’s hardly a definitive explanation. I would be tempted to conduct a limited repeat investigation, just to see what would happen under very strict traffic conditions.

The first two episodes left many fans less than inspired. The team has looked tired, as if stuck in a rut, and their methodology seemed to be equally conventional. As we’ve seen with GHI, an investigation with relatively little “evidence” can still be interesting and even exciting if the team is energetic and inventive. That’s not something that has been the case with TAPS for a while.

This episode may mark the beginning of a swing in the right direction, even if the team’s idea of “new equipment” is a bit quaint and amusing. At least they’re using something other than the K-II meter and the occasional FLIR sweep. (Has anyone else noticed that they don’t seem to bother monitoring the temperature and other environmental data anymore?)

In past seasons, they’ve noted footsteps on a regular basis. It almost seems to happen at every location these days. As such, it makes perfect sense for them to place vibration sensors wherever they seem to be hearing those footsteps. Their “geophone” essentially serves that purpose, though I had to wonder why it took them so long to think about it. I’m also not so sure why they needed someone from the ephemeral “TAPS R&D” to build such a device. Several existing items are readily available, and have been used by investigators for years!

Their new EMF alarm is more problematic. The principle is nothing new; many tri-field meters come with this function already, as seen on GHI and other venues. Mating the EMF alarm with actual readings allows for a visual scale to go along with the audible sound, and it’s easy enough to research what can set off a tri-field meter. This little black box of theirs has no readout, and there’s no way to know how well shielded that EMF meter at the heart of the device might be. For all we know, it’s a K-II meter surrounded by a box!

Speaking of the K-II, the usage during this case, at least on camera, was relatively inoffensive, and they acknowledged during the reveal that it merely produced interesting information, not proof of paranormal activity. Presuming that they were being honest when they said that the building was vacant when they recorded the sounds and the reaction of the geophones, I’m intrigued. It’s nothing definitive, because we don’t know the sensitivity of the devices offhand, but it’s a lot better than “we heard footsteps”.

Equally interesting is the incident where they heard the footsteps as they were staring at the geophone, ear to ground, and could not detect a vibration. There are plenty of explanations, of course, but they didn’t seem to look into them (at least, on-screen). Considering that they had different results while hearing roughly the same things, it’s something worthy of further exploration.

This was an episode with scant “evidence”, and the new equipment wasn’t the most impressive addition to an investigator’s arsenal, but they did show a bit more energy this time around. If they can continue to try different things as the season progresses, it might make up for a relatively slow beginning.

Case #1: Star Island,NH
Case #2: Kimball Castle, NH

After the disappointing start to the season, there was some hope that this episode would get the ball rolling with a bit more inspiration. Sadly, that was hardly the case. If anything, the editors chose to take two locations that could have easily stood on their own and compressed them into a single hour. The end result was an episode that did little to distinguish itself.

The team looked tired and more than a little bored in the season premiere, and the same applies here. Jason and Grant mentioned in earlier seasons, when the episode count was a lot lower, that they needed to take breaks to rest up and remain focused. Since then, the episode count has risen to more than 25 a season. Considering how many episodes show two investigations rather than one, that’s nearly 50 investigations. Add to that the filming demands, the travel time, and the seemingly endless conference and convention appearances, and they barely have a moment’s peace. Even GHI, with all that international travel, spreads out the filming schedule.

Now, that’s not an excuse; it’s what they signed up for, after all. But it does provide some perspective for their apparent lack of enthusiasm. They just don’t look like they’re enjoying it anymore. Of course, they’re all a little bit older and the long nights might be wearing on them more than they used to, but they just seem to be going through the motions.

Case #1: Star Island, NH

On the one hand, I can understand why they gave this location only the requisite half-episode treatment. Despite the size of the location and the various buildings to explore, the most exciting piece of “evidence” was a door that seemed to close on its own. The EVP was once again buried in the background noise, and the “footsteps” could have easily been the result of the loose wooden construction shifting in the stiff winter wind. Despite what Jason and Grant had to say about the lack of open windows, I suspect the wind still had something to do with that door closing.

On the other hand, this was a location with several buildings with reported activity, and there was barely any attempt to show the depth of their investigation. There were various comment about equipment being left in specific locations for the duration of the investigation, but we didn’t get to see them do very much.

Something tells me that the lasting debate from this episode will not be the “evidence”, but rather, discussion on Steve’s attitude about reading.

Case #2: Kimball Castle, NH

After trying to equate the American “castle” with the European castles, this certainly turned out to be a dud. The most exciting “evidence” from this investigation was the thermal cat (or rat, depending on scale interpretation). The editors certainly tried to play up whatever Steve and Tango thought they saw during the data review, but clearly, it was nothing special.

Which, sadly, is still my opinion of this young fifth season. So far, it’s nothing special. It’s more of the same. No innovation and no growth are worrisome sign. But we can be thankful that the K-II Meter was nowhere to be seen. That’s some small progress, right?

Case #1: Hannum House, PA
Case #2: Betsy Ross House, PA

It should be no surprise to anyone that this season of “Ghost Hunters” is all about the credibility. In the months since the most recent Halloween special, the accusations of fraud against TAPS have increased exponentially. To be fair, this is probably the most convincing evidence against them to date. While situations in the past have always involved edited show footage and clear post-production manipulation, thus making any definitive conclusion regarding TAPS members impossible, the Halloween special was live.

For their own part, Jason and Grant deny any shenanigans, so it’s still (as always) a matter of trust. For many, that trust remains intact, if a bit bruised. For others, it was the last straw, and they will join the many others who watch the show to see if they will bury themselves. Whatever the case might be, that places an enormous burden on the fifth season, especially on these first eight episodes that run in the spring. This run will be, whether they like it or not, a referendum on their credibility.

On the face of it, it should be easy enough to handle, especially if one assumes they were well-intentioned from the start. Ironically, the spinoff team GHI has already shown them the way. GHI recently ended its first season on a high note with closer team integration during investigations, stronger debunking, and more diverse and innovative equipment. They made plenty of mistakes, but there was never a moment that felt insincere.

In other words, GHI have become, in short order, the very thing that TAPS used to be, back at the beginning of the series. A lot of “Ghost Hunters” fans continue to claim that TAPS is the superior team (sometimes vehemently), so it follows suit that TAPS should try to demonstrate why with even stronger team identity, even better debunking skills, and even more impressive and innovative equipment and data analysis.

Case #1: Hannum House, PA

Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen at all in the first case. Far too much time is spent on the K-II meter, their dubious toy of choice, and it seems to be the highlight of their “evidence”. When Jason and Grant felt the bed vibrating, I found myself wishing they had that vibration sensor that GHI was using in a recent episode. That would have confirmed, better than the “ear to the ground” test, that the bed was actually moving.

I was also less than impressed with the EVPs. They weren’t significantly above the background noise, and I found it hard to figure out how they came to their conclusions about what was “said”. This is par for the course of late, however.

One thing that I did notice was the same team breakdown that was seen at the end of the fourth season: Jason and Grant as the experienced duo, Steve and Tango as the goofballs, and Kris and Amy as the foul-mouthed girly team. (Though, to be honest, I don’t mind foul-mouthed Kris so much.) Whether driven by the production staff or not, it might be better if they mixed things up a bit more.

And was there even a conclusion given to the case? For all that they rushed to the location to give the client piece of mind, they didn’t seem to draw anything definitive from what they gathered. Perhaps they realized that it was largely inconclusive.

Case #2: Betsy Ross House, PA

There’s a certain irony with this particular case. The story of Betsy Ross has been largely dismissed as a myth, created by a descendent of Ross circa the 1876 centennial celebrations. There’s no evidence that Ross actually created the first flag, and significant evidence to the contrary. It’s incidental to the case itself, but like some other “famous” locations, it does steal some of the thunder.

This EVP was a complete waste of time. Just looking at the sound profile as a whole, the “voice” is exactly the same level as the ambient noise. Why the team pointed to that as significant is hard to understand, especially since they once again give no conclusion for the case. (Maybe they’ve heard and responded to the criticism that drawing conclusions based on one investigation is bad practice.)

Based on this season premiere, I’m not sure any progress has been made. The team is still fractured along stereotypical lines, there was some minor debunking (but poor analysis of the audio), and they’re still using that damned K-II meter as a centerpiece of their investigative practice. More than that, they look tired and uninspired. I can’t help but wonder if they realize that they’ve fallen into a bit of a rut.

This season of GHI has been running on and off for about a year, and it’s been quite the journey. In my opinion, it’s been a steady process of improvement. As much fun as it was to have so many well-known ex-TAPS members on the show in its earliest incarnation, the team chemistry was questionable and their methods were sloppy and reactive.

Losing those members was nothing but good for GHI. Not because I hold anything against those individuals, since I found them fun to watch, but rebuilding the team gave Robb a chance to emerge as a stronger leader with a hand-picked team. I still believe that there’s a certain level of producer interference in the team construction; I can’t fathom any other justification for adding Joe Chin to the team. Dustin seems like a much better fit with Robb and Barry than Andy was, personality-wise, and the lack of inter-personal conflicts has been apparent.

Speaking of Barry, I continue to believe that he’s a much better investigator than the editors usually bother to show, even if he does buy into some questionable theories and assumptions. While team dynamic is certainly important as the foundation for the group’s growing success, Barry’s technical creativity gives this team an edge that TAPS has been sorely lacking of late. Even if the principles behind the tech are a bit sketchy, and Barry is given little time to explain his reasoning, it’s great to see someone trying to use actual instrumentation and equipment, rather than the latest gimmick of the week. (”Paranormal State”, I’m looking at you.)

Between the strong group dynamic and the experimentation, GHI is doing exactly what TAPS originally set out to do. They also seem to be more engaged in debunking “evidence”, which has been one of the main criticisms against TAPS in recent years. It’s also interesting to note that GHI is mostly criticized for being, on occasion, a bit too influenced by personal experiences. They haven’t been dogged by endless rumors of falsification, and they certainly haven’t had an incident like the infamous “collar” debacle from the recent “Ghost Hunters” Halloween special.

It’s worth mentioning the key differences, both in terms of strengths and weaknesses, because this was not the best investigation to close out the season. There was little to no debunking, little to no use of innovative approaches, and a whole lot of personal experiences and illogical theories. In other words, all of the things that play to the critics and naysayers.

Given the location, it’s hardly shocking that they picked up stray voices and noises in the background. There were some odd noises captured that matched the client’s reports, but there was no on-screen attempt to find or consider natural sources. And while I understand that Dustin is only repeating what a lot of EVP researchers contend in terms of this “universal” theory, it seems a lot more likely (given how faint these “voices” are) that it’s mostly pattern recognition.

In terms of the “evidence”, there just wasn’t much to see or hear, and that was disappointing. More concerning, however, is the announcement that Angela will be leaving the team. Angela wasn’t the most knowledgeable member of the team, but she provided some much needed balance. Considering how strong the team chemistry was becoming, I’m wary of yet another change for the second season. Of course, given the travel demands, it might be unavoidable.

GHI will be taking a bit of a hiatus now, so that the flagship for the franchise can kick off its fifth season. It will be interesting to see if TAPS has learned anything from their international cohorts, or if fans are in for more of the same.