Fiona Broome speaks plainly in this podcast about ghost hunting “reality shows” that aren’t real.
She starts by talking about the evolution of reality shows, documentaries, and ghost-related TV programming.
With special nods to the Blair Witch Project, Fear, A Haunting in Connecticut and TV shows such as Ghost Hunters and Ghost Lab, Fiona explains what’s real, what’s reality-based, and what’s hype to improve show ratings.
Mentioned in this podcast (links open in a new window):
Are Ghost TV Shows Real? (December 2009 podcast)
The Blair Witch Project (For Fiona’s articles about the Blair Witch Project locations, see The Real ‘Blair Witch’ Ghosts – part one and part two.)
A Haunting in Connecticut (2002)
The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)
Jon Peters‘ legendary Superman/spider connection (not office-safe)
Exorcisms and Demons (Fiona’s article)
Fakes – The ‘fake’ question, revisited (Fiona’s article)
Ghost Hunters TV shows – and the TAPS website
Ghost Lab – the Alcatraz episode (clips start after 7 second ad)
Click here to listen to this podcast on your computer (MP3)
Music at start & conclusion of podcast: Zombie, by Devin Anderson
[...] reality-based, and what’s hype to improve show ratings. … … More: Ghost-Hunting Reality Shows Share and [...]
My husband and I enjoy the show “Ghost Adventures” more than any of the others, although we do watch most of the others also. We noticed that in your article above you don’t even mention Ghost Adventures and we were just wondering why not?
Thanks!
Sharon & Shannon Gilley
Adams County Paranormal Investigations
Hi Sharon and Shannon,
Thanks for asking. I didn’t deliberately omit Ghost Adventures. At this point, there are too many shows for me to list when I’m writing stream-of-consciousness style. I just can’t remember all the names!
I’ve watched a couple of episodes of Ghost Adventures, and I like the guys. They have a good, straightforward approach to what they’re doing. I’m not always thrilled with the editing, or the history they’re given for the site, but that has nothing to do with them. It’s how TV shows are written & edited.
Personally and professionally, I think they have a great style and I can understand why people really like their show. It’s less by-the-numbers than many other shows I’ve seen, and I really like Zak’s sincerity.
But, their popularity is one reason why I decided not to be on their show last year. I’m a privacy fanatic, in a way, and I’d rather not be as recognizable as that show might have made me. I want people to know about things I discover more than about me.
Also, I don’t watch much TV. I don’t visit YouTube or Hulu or anything like that. I wish I had time to listen to more podcasts, but I don’t. I don’t even read many other ghost-related websites, unless I hear that someone else is working on the same quirky research angles as I am… and then it’s only to see if either of us is re-inventing the wheel.
It’s nothing personal. I’m looking forward to meeting the guys later this year when we’re all speaking at the same event.
Omissions are generally accidental. I write my articles directly on this website. Often, they’re written with voice recognition software, so what you read is exactly how I said it, out loud.
I also have a terrible memory for names, and if I can’t remember a person’s name or a show’s title, I’ll usually leave it out rather than garble it.
So, all that adds up to this: Leaving that show off the list was unintentional. I like the guys on the show, and it’s one of my favorite approaches to this kind of programming.
I hope that answers your question.
Cheerfully,
Fiona