Really more a formality than anything else but SciFi has announced that the Ghost Hunters are returning for a fifth season. The shows ratings have remained strong as this unbelievable interest in the paranormal continues in this first decade of the new millennium.

Also wanted to mention we here at Spectral Review will be seeing the Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson presentation at the Lily Dale Auditorium this weekend. We will let you know what it was like.

Here is the press release from SciFi about the reneweli:

GHOST HUNTERS RETURNS TO SCI FI FOR SEASON 5

Beverly Hills, CA - July 20, 2008 - SCI FI’s hit reality series Ghost Hunters will return to the Channel for an exciting fifth season, it was announced today by Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Programming, SCI FI. America’s favorite paranormal plumbers, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, will deliver 25 episodes of spine-tingling investigations when the show returns in 2009.

In October 2004, SCI FI introduced Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson-plumbers by day, Ghost Hunters by night! Jason and Grant head up TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society), a close-knit organization of volunteer paranormal researchers - ordinary people who investigate and attempt to debunk claims of otherworldly activity. Enjoying record-high ratings throughout its run, Ghost Hunters remains one of cable’s hottest shows and is currently celebrating its best season ever. On April 9, an episode featuring a special investigation at a U.S. Air Force base attracted 1.8 million Adults 24-54, the best ever for a SCI FI original reality series telecast. Ghost Hunters also continues to prove immensely popular among female viewers, with this season scoring the highest viewership for any SCI FI original series ever among Women 18-49 and Women 25-54. In addition, this season has produced the top four telecasts among Women 25-54 and the top two telecasts among Women 18-49 in the Channel’s history.

The series’ successful spin-off, Ghost Hunters International, debuted in January 2008 to record ratings and enjoyed a successful 7-episode run, averaging over 2 million viewers during the winter season. On July 9, the series returned with the best performance since its series premiere in January, and enjoyed double-digit demo growth versus the winter season average. The phenomenal success of both series has cemented Ghost Hunters’ place as the #1 paranormal franchise in cable! Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters International are produced in association with Craig Piligian’s Pilgrim Films and Television (American Chopper, Dirty Jobs, The Ultimate Fighter). Piligian and Thomas Thayer, along with Rob Katz and Alan David, serve as executive producers.

SCI FI Channel is a television network where “what if” is what’s on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com ) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 93 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies.