Ghost Hunters TV show - Fake?
Nov 12th, 2008 | By Fiona Broome | Category: Fiona's notes, Ghosts on television
“Is Ghost Hunters TV show a fake?” “Did TAPS fake their Halloween 2008 show?”
The emails have been pouring in, asking questions like these. I was going to ignore them, but the emails continue to flood my in-box.
I’ve looked at the Ghost Hunters TV show footage on YouTube and studied it frame-by-frame. I also listened closely to the audio, where a voice clearly says, “You’re not supposed to be here.”
Here’s my analysis.
“YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE”
That voice is alarmingly clear. During my own ghost hunts, I’ve never heard anything that audibly crisp or like someone was right there, saying it.
Then again, I rarely hear things audibly when I’m conducting research. I rarely capture any EVP, either. Audio is not one of my stronger areas.
However, Jason and Grant have documented increasingly clear EVPs during their research.
In my experience, this seems to be a skill — perhaps related to rapport with the spirits — and most ghost researchers improve as they investigate a variety of sites.
So, while this was a very unusual and audible voice, I think it’s possible in a profoundly haunted setting… and that’s what they chose for their Halloween show.
Also, at Jason’s MySpace blog, he points out that the voice was so clear, he asked if someone had said anything. (If anything irks me about Jason, it’s that he tends to be aggressively skeptical. This show was no exception.)
Likewise, it looked to me as if Grant was asking the producers if they were in the wrong location… if they weren’t actually supposed to be where they were at that moment.
So, I don’t think that Jason, Grant or the TAPS team faked the voice. I also trust the integrity of the SciFi channel.
There are other, natural explanations, but I don’t think that Jason, Grant or the SciFi channel set this up.
GRANT’S JACKET PULLED
The second controversial moment was the tug on Grant’s jacket… if it was that.
If you watch the video, frame by frame, you’ll see that the collar moves oddly just before Grant stumbles backwards.
However, the fishing line explanation doesn’t work. We might see the line highlighted by the cameras, or a shadow on the wall when the cameras moved in; on a live show, the production company couldn’t take that chance.
Here’s a bigger problem with the fishing line explanation: Grant’s jacket was open at the neck. If line had pulled on his jacket enough to throw him off balance, it would have jerked the neck opening of the jacket as it pulled him backwards, slightly choking him.
In my opinion, Grant perceived it as just his jacket, but he was actually forced backwards by something else. The only visual manifestation — besides Grant stumbling — was the movement at the collar a split second before he stepped backwards.
I can’t explain what did that. I have no idea, and can’t even guess.
Strange things happen in haunted places. That’s one reason we keep investigating them: We’re looking for explanations, but we often leave with more (and new) questions than answers.
The jacket tug baffles me.
NOT ENOUGH REACTION?
Several people have claimed that Grant’s body language, tone of voice, or other cues “give away” that he was faking the whole thing.
That’s not very good evidence of a hoax.
Anyone who has been on real ghost hunts knows that we get used to odd things happening. The “usual” anomalies stop surprising us after awhile. (This may be another reason why the manifestations become increasingly dramatic around experienced ghost hunters.)
But, if you’ve been with me on ghost hunts that turn dramatic — for example, with doors slamming repeatedly, or windows opening and closing on their own — you’ve seen me sigh and mutter, “I wish they wouldn’t do that. It’s really annoying.”
Things that scare other people don’t even surprise experienced ghost hunters, after we’ve encountered the phenomena enough times.
So, it’s a mistake to judge the authenticity of phenomena because an experienced ghost hunter doesn’t seem startled enough.
We just don’t startle as easily as someone with less ghost hunting experience.
Grant’s reaction (or lack of it) doesn’t prove anything.
A MATTER OF INTEGRITY
Jason and Grant are good friends. I see them at least once a year and we’ve chatted over breakfasts, lunches, dinners and at parties. We exchange emails when something is of mutual concern.
Grant is one of the most honest people I’ve ever met. He’s a really clean-living guy. Grant looks you straight in the eye when he talks with you. He never touches alcohol. He leaves parties even earlier in the evening than I do… and that’s saying a lot.
I know both Grant and his wife, and neither of them would make make things up. They’re squeaky-clean, and I’d trust Grant (or his wife) completely in any context.
Jason sometimes seems like an almost incorrigible skeptic. If anything, he’s likely to trivialize evidence that the rest of us point to as proof of a haunting. So, it’s absurd to think that he’d be part of a hoax. That’d be completely out of character.
Sure, Jason has a very dry wit, but he would never compromise his own integrity as a ghost hunter, the integrity of the TAPS team or the Ghost Hunters TV show. That’s not his style. If you’ve met him in real life or listened to him talk at any conference, you know that he’s rock-solid honest.
At this point, I would hope that Jason and Grant have earned enough money that they could retire tomorrow, if they wanted to.
If the show’s production company said, “We want you to fake this,” Jay and Grant would reply, “We’d quit rather than do that.”
And, they would.
They have no reason to compromise their integrity. None whatsoever.
DID IT HAPPEN?
It’s true. Some very odd things seemed to happen during the Ghost Hunters TV show on Halloween 2008.
Could they have been faked?
Yes, the voice might have come from a very well hidden microphone. But — if that voice was part of a hoax — I’m confident that Jason, Grant and the SciFi channel weren’t aware of it.
I wasn’t there to know what direction the voice came from, and what it was like, except for what was shown on the Ghost Hunters TV show… and frankly, that’s not enough information for me to judge.
I’ve said it often: It’s a mistake to judge what is (and isn’t) a real haunting, a real ghost photo or real EVPÂ unless you were there.
The incident with Grant’s jacket is another issue altogether. It couldn’t have been faked without Grant’s knowledge, and there’s zero chance he’d be part of a hoax.
All in all, I trust Jason and Grant. They say that they didn’t fake anything on the show, and I believe them.
But, I’m also aware that many people like a “good scare” on Halloween, and — starting the very next morning — they want to assure themselves that the whole thing wasn’t real, and scary things don’t wait for them in the darkness.
I think they’re the loudest detractors of the Halloween 2008 Ghost Hunters TV show.
Personally, I’ll keep watching the show and enjoy it tremendously.
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I agree with everything you said! I have seen shows where they have figured out that someone has set something up on purpose and they have figured it out. If it was fake then I am 100% sure they had no idea. I truly trust everything I have seen on Ghost Hunters and will forever continue to watch it!
I may also add I am new to this site and I am very impressed
“Fear Turtles,” we’ll have to agree to disagree.
I won’t bother arguing the complexities of setting up the jacket as you seem to describe. I’m not sure if you’re saying that Grant tugged his own collar, or what. (I’ve read less convoluted descriptions in double-blind test descriptions in M.I.T. theses.)
However, you’re talking about a string, and there is no way that they concealed a string extending back from Grant.
Further, the angle of the tug on the collar would necessitate a string on the outside of the jacket, which we would see as a shadow, at the very least.
I’m also not clear about the hand issue. I’m technically right handed but — like many artists (and Grant is an artist, as well) — I am nearly ambidextrous. So, if someone were to study which hand I use in a stressful environment — and in nearly complete darkness — they might leap to some wild conclusions as well.
Have you met Grant, and spent hours talking with him? Do you know him well?
From your comment, I doubt it. Anyone who has met Grant usually realizes, within minutes, that he’s as straightforward and honest as it gets.
I’d stake my reputation on that and, by making this post, I guess that I have.
Thanks, jamo! The skeptics seem to be all over this rumor, but I have yet to see an hoax explanation that makes sense to me.
Like you, I trust Jason and Grant completely.
Also, in another forum, a friend told me that he’d once heard a ghostly voice as clear as the one on the show. He’s not a ghost hunter. He’s one of those people who rarely talk about ghosts, and I didn’t even know that he believed in them… until he told me his startling story.
So, I’m more of a believer that the voice in the Halloween 2008 show could have been a ghost’s.
Thanks again for your comment!
A comment by “Fear Turtles” vanished after I posted my reply. I’m not sure if that was a glitch with the software, or if “Fear Turtles” deleted it.
In case it was the former, here’s exactly what he/she said, copied from the website’s cache of the comment:
===========
If you looked at the Jacket pull with only the hopes of finding a string, or fishingline. You have failed to understand the movement of the Jacket. Let me explain. A force moves the top edge of the collar downward. This causes the back side of the collar to be pushed back. So if a string where used it would have to be attached on the inside of the collar. Now this jacket has a liner. The string or what ever is ran inbetween the liner and the outer jacket. Now the fact that the collar does bulg out during this combind with the backwards movement of Grant give the illusion that it is being tugged backwards. Now because we can’t see the string we need to understand what it would look like if something was to grab Grants collar and hold or tub backwards. I say hold because Grant was moving so all we need is something to hold the collar stopping it from moveing with Grant. If this were to have happened Grants Jacket would have move in such a manner where the front would have moved up and over his shoulder This doesn’t happen.
Other event that are good indicators of this being a hoax is the fact that Grant pulled his collar up 1.5 minutes before the tug. You also see him fiddling with something with his right had at the base of his jacket. During this whole chain of events we never see him move his hand from the bottom edge of his jacket. This is extra interesting because I beleave he is Right handed. He was holding a recoder in his left hand at the time. And when the tug takes place he uses the left hand to readjust his collar. When he gets pulled backwards he fails to use his right arm to regain his balance. That is very unnatural.
===========
Fiona, so glad I stumbled onto this site. You are right on about Jay and Grant. I don’t know them at all personally, but watching many episodes repeatedly you get the feeling they would rather die than be frauds.
Also, in terms of the apparatus-in-the-coat theory, I believe grant is carrying some device in his right hand or pocket and hence favors his left hand at that moment. Perhaps it is the remote control for the expensive and completely silent mechanism they rigged up hoping it would look real on live TV… gimme a break…
I agree completely. Certain people enjoy believing in things, but like them to be vague enough to brush off when their head hits the pillow each night. Keep up the good work and attitude.
Fiona.
I watch Ghost Hunters every chance I get. I am sorry that I missed the show on Halloween night. I don’t know if this subect about “fake” is “TAPS or Ghost Hunters”. I’ve never seen TAPS before. But the lead person on Ghost Hunters, I can’t remember the names right now, does things I wouldn’t do. He challenges the spirits. The last episode I watched he told the spirit in the attic that hung himself, to hit him with a two-by-four like eh did with another person earlier that year. The leader of Ghost Hunters are also rude to the spirits. Don’t get me wrong, I fully enjoy the shows and never thought anything was fake. Even those guys and the way they do things on their investigations, I don’t believe they’d fake anything. Besides, what could they gain? Gaining a bad reputaion? Mistrust? I don’t think so.
If Fear Turtle did delete his previous entry, Can someone explain how. I probably added some idiotic comments here that needs to be deleted.
Nope I didn’t delete it. I have no reason too. I appreciate that you managed to save it still. Thanks.
Sure there is a way to hide the string. Grants jacket has a heavy liner. Most likely detachable. You run the string inbetween the liner and the outer jacket and attach one end to the collar of the outer jacket. As you can see in several of the pulls the inner liner does not move as much as the outer jacket. Thats because it is thick and offers more resistance. The string runs down to Grants Right hand. The string remains completely out of view. This is not a hard stunt to pull. And no the movement indicates a force pulling from within the jacket or a force pushing down from above. It is his body movement that makes it look more like a tug then the jacket movement. Just think about something holding your collar while you are moving forward. The weight of your body would cause you to continue forward while your lighter jacket would respond first. This would cause the front of the jacket to move up towards your neck. Give it a try. This is laws of physics at work. Grants Jacket does not represent what would truely happen of something grabbe and held your collar. Grant even stated that his whole jacket moved. Well the evidence at hand does not indicate that.
I’m sure Grant is a really nice guy. He has always seemed trust worthy in the show. But I fail to see how that would explain why this collar pull is not fake.
I am the founder of a paranormal investigative team based out of Indianapolis, Indiana. My team has actively been ghost hunting for 4 years. When you are out there in the field, sometimes you get NOTHING; other times you are overwhelmed with activity. But as you investigate, you lose your “jumpiness”…..things do not scare you as much, so your reaction would not be as great as the average person sitting at home, watching the show. The fact that Grant did not jump, does not mean anything……he has been doing this for YEARS! My team motto is “If you can see through it, run to it” - I used to run, but you get over the fear and actually get excited about the activity. I have also met Jason and Grant and have no doubt that the experiences they had on Halloween were legitimate and honest. Jason and Grant are GREAT guys with a lot of integrity. They would NEVER jeopardize their reputation, the reputation of the show, or let their friends/fans down. They are all actually very humble guys and I believe that everyone is jumping to conclusions on what happened Halloween night. I believe in Jason and Grant and stand by my opinion. I hope that everyone else can jump on MY band wagon and put your faith in “Ghost Hunters”.
Kimberly
Founder of B.I.G. of Indy
(Believe in Ghosts)
I have been a fan of the show since day one and was upset by what I saw on the live show.
I am also a 10 year veteran of the Hollywood VFX community and still to this day work on
feature films as a VFX Director.
I created these 3 movies to highlight the moments that
show exactly what Grant did on that night and the last one I believe proves beyond a doubt that it was a Hoax. A simple trick with a cord ran through his side belt loop around to the back belt loop and run up either the inside of his jacket or the lining and up to the tip of his collar.
The last one proves 3 points:
1 His collar was pulled down and not back.
2 the ONLY part of his jacket that moved was the collar fabric and there was no force applied to his jacket in any way that would cause him to either notice it or be pulled back or held in any way
3 and since statements one and two are true and using common sense you must conclude that
it was hoaxed.
Pleas spread this to any and all fans of the show.
Grant should come forward and apologize to us all for breaking our trust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlM-Uy8ODYQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n_HwoTKafY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8xJdYBVCXQ
Thanks
Sorry, FORMERGHFAN, but I still disagree. I doubt that you’ve talked to Grant to ask him exactly what he felt and why he stumbled back.
Okay, his collar was pulled down and not back. Maybe it was a short ghost, reaching up.
We don’t know exactly what he felt, that pulled him back. At the time, he interpreted it as something pulling on his jacket. After calming down and thinking about it, he may have reached a different conclusion.
I know that I’ve had second thoughts about my ghostly encounters. When I take the time to discard my assumptions, I often realize that something very different happened. In some cases, it’s as simple as, “Oh. I was wearing sandals. If I’d tripped over something physical, I’d have stubbed my toe or felt whatever-it-was against my foot.”
So, maybe when Grant thought about it, after the show, he was able to articulate the experience better.
It may sound absurd, but maybe it wasn’t something pulling him backwards by the jacket. Maybe he was in a vortex and the force of the energy around him pulled him back, while something in the vortex tugged on his collar.
Sure, that’s extreme, but I’m hoping to make a point here.
I know Grant and consider him a good friend. If you know his background, he has many reasons for living a totally honest life. It’s just not in his nature to lie, much less set up a hoax like the one you’re describing.
That said, James Randi would probably enjoy your videos. I hope you sent him the links. He makes a living claiming that just because something could be faked, it was a hoax.
I think you need to have more faith in Grant, and look for paranormal explanations. There are ways to use special effects tricks for almost everything we encounter in haunted places. That doesn’t disprove the authenticity of what happens, and it doesn’t prove that it’s a hoax.
FearTurtles, I’m not defending Grant just on the basis of him being a “nice guy.” I’ve known him for years, and I’m saying that it’s not in his character to take part in a hoax.
There’s also no logical reason for him to jeopardize his reputation — or the show’s — by taking part in a hoax. He’d walk away from the show before he’d do that.
When I consider those two factors, there is no way I’d believe that Grant faked what happened. So, either he experienced something that seemed paranormal to him… or they used a really good lookalike to replace Grant in the show.
Those are the only options that I can believe, and the latter is almost as preposterous as thinking that Grant was part of a hoax.
He’s as honest as it gets. Grant being dishonest is up there with my fourth grade teacher, Sister Marion, laughing at a dirty joke, or my grandmother attempting break dancing.
There are things that just don’t fit with certain people. I’ve known Grant for years. He’s not someone who’d take part in a hoax.
ghosthunter77, Thanks for your comments! I laughed when you said, “If you can see through it, run to it”! That’s the kind of thing an experienced ghost hunter says.
I’m glad that you’ve met Jason and Grant, so you know exactly what I’m talking about when I defend their integrity.
They’re everyday guys with tremendous humility. Sometimes, I think they have no idea how famous they really are. (The first time I saw Grant, he rushed up to me, shook my hand, and blurted, “You’re a legend!” I was so astonished and flattered, I didn’t know what to say. I mean, to me, he’s the famous one.)
I’m really glad that you posted your comments, and I hope that more people put their faith in Jason and Grant. They’ve earned it with years of unscripted, honest research on the shows and in real life.
Rich, thanks for your comments.
I think the original FearTurtles entry was lost due to a server error. Initially, I saw three copies of it, then two, and then all of them were gone. Every year, Hollow Hill’s server is under tremendous stress around Halloween. By October 2009, I’ll probably have to move to a more powerful server that can better handle the load. I expect that the heavy traffic caused the comment problem.
Also, I’m fairly certain that you’re describing Jason when you talk about one of the lead guys challenging the spirits. On camera, Jason can seem foolhardy at times, and even abrasive. I didn’t expect to like him when I met him. Then, I discovered that he’s someone whose “Yeah? Prove it!” attitude is mostly a defense. It also seems to me that he’s not the most patient guy after a long night of ghost hunting.
Sure, he does things that I wouldn’t risk. I also heartily disagree with some of his skeptical conclusions, if it’s a location where my research results were different. (For example, I found very strong evidence of paranormal energy at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans.)
But, Jason is an honest, everyday kind of guy. Tact is not his strong suit. He has one of those faces you can read, easily. I doubt that he’s a very good poker player.
He’s definitely not someone who’d participate in a hoax, and I appreciate his answers to the accusations, at his MySpace page.
Most people seem to be focusing on Grant in this controversy, but — like you — I don’t see any logical reason for either of the guys to be involved in a hoax.
Jason and Grant started their formal ghost hunting activities as The Atlantic Paranormal Society, also known as “TAPS.” Their early TV shows used that name, but soon switched to the show name of “Ghost Hunters.” That’s why people sometimes call them the TAPS guys (as I often do) but usually call them the Ghost Hunters.
My motto is just use common sense. What does you common sense tell you when you see the live video?
There are people I have known for years and years and were shocked when I discovered they were not the way I thought they were or presented themselves to me.
Vortex? Short Ghosts!?
Really?
FORMERGHFAN, Sure, I can work with that view.
My common sense tells me that Grant really experienced something that baffled him.
If you’ve known them in real life for years & years, I’m astonished that you’d question their integrity. That makes no sense to me.
A vortex is a possibility. It’s unlikely, but it’s possible. I’ve seen weird stuff than that.
I’m being a little ridiculous with the “short ghosts” comment.
That said, as ridiculous as vortices and short ghosts may sound, they’re more believable to me than the idea that Grant would be part of a hoax. The latter just doesn’t fit with anything that I know about Grant.
FAKE!!! 100 percent FAKE. I will NOT be convinced otherwise. If you watch Grant minutes (5 approx) prior to the first tug, he NEVER takes his right hand out of his pocket!!! He is seen fumbling with his right pocket as if he is setting up this blunder.
Grant is right handed and he’ll adjust his hood with his left hand after the first tug! He is a horrible actor! Prior to the tug, he walks candidly for a perfect camera view. The ghost responded on command. Please, give me a break. Grant is known to fabricate evidence (sheet tug, moving lamp, shadow man at Iron Island Museum) and many times his experiences have been questionable.
Jason seems to distance himself from the this cyclopean of a blooper and heck, I can’t blame the guy. Jason is caught between a rock and hard place for this is his best friend.
Now, does this mega blooper rate Jason and Grant as bad people? Heck no! I think they are excellent dads and probably good friends. Personally, I like them, however from a business standpoint I don’t trust them.
RT
http://www.itshaunted.com
Hi Rich-
When you talk about the lead investigator acting aggressively, I believe you’re actually thinking of Zak from Ghost Adventures, the show that’s on the Travel Channel. I watch both shows so I can understand the mix-up!
And that episode was pretty darned scary, if you ask me!
Hello, Ghostcat.
Yes, I was thinking “Ghost Adventures” with Zak, Erin and Nick. I really don’t understand why Zak wants to provoke ghosts/spirits.
Last night watching the episode “Edinburgh Vaults” Zak went in to provoke a ghost called “Mr. Boots” for no apperant reason that I saw. I did thought it was kinda funny that Zak has a fear of snakes though.
Fiona, What is your thoughts on “Ghost Adventure” and Zak’s methods?
hi as a ghost hunter myself i can totaly agree with you in regards to not reacting like most people would in that situation. i personly dont think the show is faked well at least not by the team anyway, they have had alot of good evedence over the last few years that just cant be faked. fiona i find the best way to get evps is to not always carry the recorder around with you but to leave it in a controlled room, we very rarely dont get some kind of evp or noises on an investigation. the best we have got is when we was investigating an old victorian school and caught either a little boy or girl singing a nursey rhyme it was the only time an evp sent shivers down my spine.lol.
to rich the method of provoking a spirit is normaly a last resort, my team tend to try that tactic if were not getting results and the rooms gone flat, it may be that zak used the same method and they just dont show the part wher their getting no results.
I will start off by saying what TAPS had happen to them on the halloween show I can’t say its real, but I can’t say they faked it. Its just so easy to say someone is faking something by just seeing on T.V. I’ve had a few unexplanable experinces myself. People say hey your crazy or this or that happened, but the stuff I experinced would make people scared out of their mind. Thats why I will be putting my own paranormal investagting team togeather soon. I want answers just like TAPS, GAC, and Paranormal state.
[...] major shows being caught faking their evidence like Sci-fi channel’s “Ghost Hunters” and A&E’s “Paranormal State” in order to boost their show’s [...]