If a show like Top Chef never found a meal, would you watch it? If Ice Road Truckers couldn't find snow, would you pay attention?Yet, every week, paranormal investigation shows like Ghost Hunters or Paranormal State hit the air and unveil the whole pile of absolute squat they found. Now, there's a new contender in the "Hey! Look! We found pretty much nothing!" category with the Discovery Channel's Ghost Lab.
Each week two thick slabs of Texas beef named Brad and Barry Klinge (right) take their Everyday Paranormal investigation team out into the wild haunted yonder. They come armed with their traveling "ghost lab" -- a 24-foot car hauler "capable of providing 200,000 watts of electricity to power audio, video and photo analysis stations; flat-screen televisions and an interactive touch-screen smartboard."
The lab also packs surveillance cameras, temperature, humidity and dew point data loggers various digital cameras, thermal imaging equipment, audio recorders and more than 8,000 feet of video cable. So, they can hear if a gnat breaks wind and detect a spilled Dr. Pepper. But I'm going to guess this Mystery Machine truck doesn't come packed with a lot of proof that ghosts exist.
The team then "consults with some of the world's foremost specialists in science measurements to devise and test theories during their investigations." (How are we measuring "science" these days?)
According to Discovery, Ghost Lab asks, "Is there more 'ghost activity' around water? Are spirits attached to specific items or locations? Is there a parallel universe?" I'll take a crack at saving some production costs and throw in some answers: "No. No. And, yes -- on Fringe."
There's nothing wrong with looking for ghosts. And, there's no sin in building spooky little shows around the often fruitless hobby. But can we declare a U.N. moratorium on these shows until one of them finds something more than a floating speck of dust flitting past the camera?
Oh, sorry. I meant "spirit orb."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-24-2009 @ 1:52AM
Mike said...
he TAPS paranormal team on Syfy has shown some weird stuff. They had one where a flashlight turned itself on and off at the hosts' request and have had numerous EVPs that are inexplicable. As for the rest, I gotta agree that the hosts are reall good at widening their eyes and looking shocked without ever proving why.
The England version has one female whose whole job it is is to scream at least onbce per episode. Again, they generally have great sites but no proof.
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10-24-2009 @ 1:07PM
Courtney Mroch said...
Ghost Lab sucks. Ghost Hunters and even Destination Truth has turned up some rather interesting evidence. But it's starting to get to be overkill with all these other shows that aren't really bringing anything new to audiences...except wanna be ghost hunters or actors...not sure which they're trying to be!
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10-24-2009 @ 6:51PM
GL said...
The issue isn't that some of the shows don't find anything, it's that shows like Ghost Lab are horrible.
Who decided what these shows really needed was more meatheads? Ghost Lab? Extreme Paranormal? Is Vince McMahon behind this?
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10-24-2009 @ 6:54PM
GL said...
Besides, debunking ghost stories is on a par with debunking myths. Go in, find out the wailing woman is a broken steam pipe in the basement....success. The lack of any real critical process may drag them down, but it doesn't seem to hurt Mythbusters.
10-25-2009 @ 6:28AM
Ricochet-Rabbit said...
I've watched a couple of episodes of this "Ghost Lab" and they both left me with two questions:
(1) Where did they find the idiot wth the deep pockets to finance this debacle?
(2) Can I have some too?
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10-29-2009 @ 10:57PM
kitchens said...
Thank you for telling the truth: these paranormal people take themselves way too seriously. Ghost stories are supposed to be scary, and this other stuff is like watching mold grow. At least Extreme Paranormal was amusing and creepy.
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1-02-2010 @ 10:12AM
Brendan said...
They need to bring back Scariest Places on Earth where they select a family to investigate these places.
11-03-2009 @ 11:09PM
Chuck said...
I want my hour back.
What was that? Did you hear that???
(cue bass drum and loud chord)
Coming up next on Discovery...
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11-10-2009 @ 7:45PM
kerry bordelon said...
That show is a freat comedy...But hey i take way better ghost picks than they ever will .And iI dont have all that useless equipment
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11-22-2009 @ 10:12AM
peanut said...
This show is great. I like to sit back with a beer and watch it. Berry and Brad really hit the nail on this one.
So far my favorite episode is episode 3 where they travel to Chicago to goto the Liars Club where there had been multiple murders in the same corner of the building years apart!
If you didn't already know you can watch the episodes online. Some are available on discovery channels website but all of them are available http://watch-ghost-lab-free-online.blogspot.com/.
I hope that this show continues to prosper and I hope that they hold integrity over ratings, unlike syfy's ghost hunters.
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11-22-2009 @ 7:13PM
ssparks said...
Dear John,
I would like to personally invite you to the Catfish Plantation in Waxahachie, Texas to see a real haunted location. The Everyday Paranormal investigated our restaurant and even though you find these type show distasteful, they did capture more evidence than dust. I challenge you to come to Waxahachie. Not only will I let you stay as long as it takes to witness something, but I promise you will get some of the best Southern Cuisine anywhere. I look forward to meeting you.
Shawn Sparks
General Manager/Co-Owner
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11-25-2009 @ 8:33PM
thisisdumb said...
whoever funded this is just retarded. mythbusters need to take a crack at busting this show.
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12-09-2009 @ 12:13AM
Ryan said...
Ghost Lab is a complete joke. The John Wilkes Booth episode was hillarious! "YEAH WE GOT HIM on EVP"! Did you guys hear that? The supposed EVP was complete crap. This show dis-credits The Discovery Channel! I'm surprised my DVR does not catagorize this as comedy! Check this out.....jshysuhge sqeek scaaaaaaa tic tic. Whoever that big goofball will say "Ugh hey guys we have Sam Houston on tape and he is saying he wants a diet Coke". That's about how frickin lame this show is! I done with this crappy excuse for a legitimate show. Seriously, these guys make me embarassed to say that I live her in Texas. What great ambassadors... Thank Discovery Channel!
Ryan
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12-13-2009 @ 8:42PM
Mark said...
Ghost Lab is a turd of a show. Aside from the fact that they don't find anything worth talking about, it's missing the thing that made me like Ghost Hunters in the first place -- likable personalities. Jay and Grant have got the every-day-blue-collar-guy thing down ... yes, they're overly serious sometimes, but they can crack up at themselves, too. These lard butts on Ghost Lab are not interesting whatsoever ... you can find any number of these kind of guys getting blasted watching the Steelers game at the local sports bar. Sorry, this ain't compelling viewing.
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12-16-2009 @ 10:42PM
Summer said...
I'm trying to find this one episode of GL where something says "I'll get you, i'll find you, I got you" and the girl gets sick after that. If you know what i'm talking about plz email me.
Wicked-child@hotmail.com
PS. Ghost Hunters is way better than any ghost show ! Always !
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12-17-2009 @ 6:48AM
Beverly James said...
These shows are trying to come up with hard evidence that something supernatural is truly out there. If you have ever had any type of experience with those who have passed, you would want definitve evidence that what you experienced could indeed be paranormal.
BAJ
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1-02-2010 @ 10:00AM
Brendan said...
When I see actual apparitions showing up on film on these shows,Thats when I will take them seriously.Orbs are nothing. Strange sounds can be made by the 10 plus tv camera crews following the hunters around. Maybe the spirits will show up when the show cast stop getting paid. Ghost Hunting is a hobby,not a 40hr a week job.
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1-02-2010 @ 10:12AM
Brendan said...
Picture this, Your a spirit and these people come to your haunt and provoke, insult, degrade your existance and treat you like some kind of deplorable animal. I would do 1 of 2 things: Don`t make my presence known.Or use all the energy I could muster up and smack them all up side the head. They have to remember ghosts and spirits were people too and if they wewren`t treated like that in life, they shouldent be treated like that in death.
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1-08-2010 @ 8:36AM
D Harvell said...
We don't have to go further than our apartment for a supernatural experience. We have clocks that change time (batteries removed), unexplained cold spots (base temp 72F, cold spots 45F), and an EVP I captured... my wife saying "Thank you!" to our dogs, because they followed a command. After her recorded "Thank you!", a voice in the recording says, "You're welcome!". Either the dogs learned how to speak English, or we caught an EVP. Until you experience something like this, I can totally understand your skepticism. As for my family... we have been converted into believers. And I think the brothers Klinge do a great job using the scientific method in prooving (or disprooving) hauntings.
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1-12-2010 @ 8:54PM
Matt said...
You may not like the medium, but the message is pretty clear, at least to anyone who has ever had an experience themselves or been on a professionally operated investigation. Between all of these shows there has been enough conclusive (yes, conclusive) evidence to prove we step out of our bodies and continue on after death, and that there are also non-human entities out there as well. That being said, I have to agree that most of these shows could be two minutes long without losing much - but that would remove the entertainment value we so love.
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