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Merrick Has Seen The Debut Episode Of GHOST HUNTERS ACADEMY!!
Merrick here...
GHOST HUNTERS ACADEMY, the latest offshoot in the GHOST HUNTERS franchise, premiers tonight on SyFy (still "The Sci Fi Channel" to those of us refusing to embrace the network's rebranding).
Whereas ongoing series GHOST HUNTERS and GHOST HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL feature experienced teams of paranormal investigators attempting to debunk reported 'hauntings', ACADEMY shows us what it takes to become a quality investigator. We're introduced to five candidates who, once trained, will receive the opportunity to investigate with either TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society - featured prominently in the original GHOST HUNTERS series) or the GHOST HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL team. Adding a reality show twist to already established formats and conceits, Academy members stand the risk of being shown the door should they misstep in a significant way.
Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson (founders of TAPS and the lead investigators on the original GHOST HUNTERS series) appear briefly here to set proceedings into motion, before deploying Academy recruits with TAPS veterans Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango - both charged with shaking down & sorting out these new kids.
Ghost hunting seems to be all the rage these days (I just flipped through two Christmas catalogs - both of them featured sections devoted to ghost hunting equipment and paraphernalia), and...with newer shows like PARANORMAL STATE and GHOST ADVENTURES now coming onto the scene...a spinoff of this nature is neither surprising or inappropriate. As a whole, Academy does a nice job of illuminating the painstaking minutiae involved in full-scale paranormal investigations - i.e. the stuff that already seems second nature to the other GH teams, and that viewers would not likely notice while watching a standard episode of ACADEMY's sister shows (like the significance of an investigator's position in a room they're studying).
But Academy comes up short in one critical regard: it assumes viewers are coming to the new series with an established understanding of many elements of ghost hunting - and that its audience brings with it a deep familiarity with the other GHOST HUNTERS series as well. For example: one of the...would these new folks be called "contestants"?...claims to be a medium, and that this is an ability not warmly embraced by TAPS. Another of the recruits hides what she claims to be highly "empathic" capacities...because she's afraid Gonsalves and Tango will frown upon her should they find out. But, why? I've seen damn near every episode of both GH series to date and, while I recall TAPS' lack of enthusiasm for mediums/empaths being perviously discussed, I don't remember a single detail of the matter off the top of my head. If a follower like me doesn't get it, new viewers will almost certainly be left asking why so much screen time/concern is devoted to such abstract matters. ACADEMY should be easily digestible to established TAPS/GHOST HUNTERS devotees, but I'm not sure it's going to pull in a broader audience.
GHA is very much akin to its progenitor series. And, with the Academy kids being sent to investigate locations at which TAPS has previously gathered significant evidence, it's a safe bet this new group may amass some pretty impressive data along the way. While the kids being trained aren't always the most charismatic lot (considering TAPS' penchant for associating themselves with "everyman" types, perhaps they shouldn't be), it's kinda fun watching Gonsalves...a police officer of sharp wit and monk-like placidity...systematically bust the balls of wide-eyed recruits. Some of them are desperate to kiss-ass in any way, most of 'em have no refined ghost hunting skills to speak of, and Gonsalves and Tango take no prisoners - but always nicely.
It'll be interesting to see how this develops once these recruits develop more skills, and once guidance from Tango and Gonsalves is no longer required. Will they become a reputable investigatory team in the own right? Will they end up being SCOOBY DOO rejects? Will, as this episode insinuates, some of this gang be bounced from the show entirely due to lack of sincerity, untruthfulness, or general incompetence? These are all uncertainties. Which...in the end...is really what these shows are all about.
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+ Expand All
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Now lets go take over the joint
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Just sayin'.
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SERIOUSLY?!
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Nov 11, 2009 2:27:27 PM CST
In the preview during the Live event
by danielplainviewonvacationinboston
on Halloween, they showed Gonsalves totally losing his shit on one of the 'recruits'. Can't wait to see that episode. I, like you, Merrick, have seen nearly (if not every one, I can't look back at the episode list and think of any misses) episode of both series, and am looking forward to this. And mediums are bull shit.
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...most of the time it seems like Merrick hates everything and that makes me sad.But, every once in awhile he reveals something he actually enjoys and it usually makes me sadder.
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Nov 11, 2009 2:30:08 PM CST
Like an intelligent person, I'll say this:
by danielplainviewonvacationinboston
If you aren't interested in the topic, don't join the damn talkback. Don't you have better things to do?
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Point an IR camera,mic and thermal probe at something,ask dumb questions of the "spirits" and call it ghost hunting.Let me know when any of these shows actually find something.
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Nov 11, 2009 2:32:51 PM CST
WHAT IS THAT? ITS GOING DOWN MY LEG??? ITS WET AND WARM
by glory_fades_immaxfischer
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I'll point you to the initial Eastern State Penitentiary episode of Ghost Hunters as well as the St. Augustine Lighthouse episode. In tell you know what you're talking about, shut the fuck up.
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Ghosts are not real - now go do something productive.
Check out the second clip here (which may have come from this site):
http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/10/south-park-ghost-hunters-billy-mays.html
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My my. Dyslexia is a problem, people.
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in this "academy".
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Grant and Jason have both said they choose not to use mediums because they do not believe they bring anything to the table that can stand any independent scrutiny. The South Park "parody" was bullshit. They should've went after shite like Paranormal State or that stupid show on the Travel Channel. I like GH although I do not like GHI so I'll check this show out.
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...how to use fishing line to move objects and open windows to move bottles when the camera is pointed away on this Academy? Stuff like that comes in handy when hunting ghosts.
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coaxial, sign me up
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I know people will say Paranormal state is a rip-off of Ghost Hunters which is sorta true. Paranormal got on TV, because of Ghost Hunters, but the organization was there before the show was on TV. I can't say for certain all the students on the show were there, but the organization did exist. If you want hard evidence go to the military Armory episode. Yet, I do agree the main show and even GHI is lacking my interest of late. The show needs to go back to investigating families in need and why the gang does what it does. As for your point, Merrick about the students not wanting to say they are psychic, there have been a number of times where they have stated that don't do that type of investigation and really don't want those people in the group. Its subtle, but its there.
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And do they pay a visit to the Blue Oyster?
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Did you see that thing? It's silly.
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Can't wait for more crappy unintelligible recordings of "ghosts" combined with night-vision camerawork. What, do ghosts disappear like cockroaches if you turn on the lightswitch?
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Goddamn it Merrick, nobody cares about ghost hunters. Shit, you're not supposed to own up to watching this garbage. Every fucking time, man. Every fucking time...
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...Peter James, the effete, new agey ghost hunter from FOX's old SIGHTINGS series. He didn't need expensive equipment -- he was so sensitive that he could walk into a haunted building and FEEL his way to the ectoplasm. He's a ghost now himself, tho'.
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You know its double to almost triple Mad Men's ratings and we have a talk back for that crap all the time. We need a Sons of Anarchy talkback, because that is the real best show on TV.
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SUCK IT, WHEDON!
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Maybe some more TBs will help.
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Really?
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Nov 11, 2009 3:42:10 PM CST
Guidence from two ninnies that get scared by everything?
by lockesbrokenleg
Steve - scared of heights, spiders, etc. Tango, jumps at every loud noise. Yeah, they will get guidance all right.
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So I enjoy watching Ghost Hunters. I know there's a very real chance it's all bullshit, but I don't care. EVPs and weird figures are creepy. Though, yeah, I only watch GH. I always thought English people were cooler, but that show of theirs (Most Haunted?) is ridiculous.
I'll check out Academy mainly because of Steve and Tango.
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Do I smell a crossover?
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I've seen this episode. The thing I feel bad about is that the girl who claims to be a medium is actually one of the more meticulous, thorough, no frills of the bunch. A couple of the guys are really silly, and the empath girl is ridiculous. I wonder if they're riding the medium girl as sort of a bait n switch.
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Top or bottom, I don't care - I just think he's hot. Something about Portuguese men .... *sigh* - or, alternatively, I would settle for watching Gonsalves fuck Dave Tango. There's some fun slashin the waiting for your horny fanfic types out there in interweb land.
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If we're going to have talkbacks based on ratings, all we'd talk about would be... I dunno, NCIS and Dancing With the Stars. There has to be some filter based on quality, and this show just don't make it through.
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Keep setting those high standards.
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Hmm. . . that's a good thought, actually. Getting the others hopes too high and then. . . Yeah. Definitely an interesting idea.
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been suckered into a show about absolutely nothing. Hang out with the editors at a bar one night, I've bet they've got some great stories. This show is no different than any other "reality" show, and its funny how some people cheer on The Amazing Randy, Penn & Teller, and the scientific community in general for going after bullshit artists - until they take aim at their favorite bit of pseudo-scientific hokum. Bravo to South Park for their recent send up of these losers.
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totally forgot about Swaggart, Falwell, and Baker, et al. Jesus and ghosts are magic everyone! Oops, I didn't mean "magic", I meant "money".
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watching it now. Boring as hell and you just want to start the bitch slapping and not stop until morning. We're GH fans and this show is just not what we thought it would be. They could have done a 2 hour special to get this out of the way. What? You guys lose Brian's number? Dude, call me!
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on one of these shows.
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they get cold spots near air con vents and never find shit. South Park said it best. "The gayest fucking show on television."
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Religion does not fight demons. It's a colossal mind fuck for the weak-brained. Thusly, the premise is complete bullshit. At least GH does it with fact based science. No rosaries, no holy water, and NO mediums/psychics etc. Will watch!
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Andy Andrews FTW. Add some Tango and Harnois and you gots hours and hours of sloppy mansex!
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I'd have a ghost threesome with Kris and Amy.
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So this gets a talkback but Supernatural doesn't? Seriously? You guys are becoming fascists of bad taste.
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how do i apply?
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omg!!!!!! what was that?????right there!!i just felt something!woa dude!
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Never even heard back from them. ...A-holes. Not even a "Thank You for applying! We will call you if we feel like it." letter.
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"experienced teams of paranormal investigators attempting to debunk reported 'hauntings'" --LOL. You crack me up. Sorry to rain on your parade there but ghost hunters, wrestling, Fox News are not real. They're make believe. I recommend you check out some REAL paranormal investigators at SAPS (http://www.skepticalanalysis.com). And if the plumbers ever do find some ghosts, send them over to the James Randi Foundation's Million Dollar Challenge where they will win a million bucks just for proving ghosts are real under proper scientific conditions. Since they seem to see ghosts all the time, this shouldn't be hard, right? WHAT WAS THAT?!!!
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WTF, this guy is afraid of every bug, spider, hights, germs and airplanes. If he ever really saw a ghost, he'd shit himself ! I wish Brian would come back and beat him up on TV
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How exactly can you replicate a haunting in James Randi's building? You would have to capture the ghost or convince it to follow you to James Randi's place to prove its existence to that pompous douche. I really do hate skeptics and atheists. Two hundred years ago they'd be railing against any theories about microbes because they themselves could not view them. As for why TAPS turns out the lights for an investigation, they explained that before. It is easier to use the FLIR if the lights are off which is yet another reason why Paranormal State is bullocks because they seem to always leave some lights on in the middle of their "investigations".
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