Ghost Lab – Disturbing the Peace
Tonight a new series called Ghost Lab premiered on The Discovery Channel. The series promises to bring a fresh look to paranormal investigating and they certainly deliver in this first episode entitled Disturbing the Peace.
The team from Everyday Paranormal lead by Brad and Barry Klinge visited two locations in this first episode. They were the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium and the Myrtles Plantation.
In this episode they tell us of a theory they plan to explore and test called “Era Cues”. A haunted location sometimes is reported to have spirits from a certain time period or activity during a period in history. The Klinge brothers are testing the idea that paranormal activity can be triggered by promoting the particular time or era in some way. At the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium they decide to play music from the 50’s because much of the reported activity seems to be from that time. At the Myrtles Plantation they center on the Civil War era because on a previous investigation there they captured a terrific EVP “Colonel…Are you afraid?” So they ask a historian to speak about the Civil War and replay the recording during their investigation.
A unique idea that your editor here at Spectral Review has not seen done before on TV.
A second technique they presented in this first episode that we had not seen before was using a set of “digital data loggers”. A digital data logger takes continuous readings of temperature, humidity and EMF. In the past a “shadow person” was seen in a hallway at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium so they used the digital data loggers in a “linear sweep”. Using several digital data loggers placed about 4 feet apart they hope to be able to track an entity as it passes through the hall.
This episode captured two very good EVP, one at each location. They also captured a voice audible to the ear at the Myrtles Plantation of what sounded like a child singing or laughing.
Ghost Lab certainly looks to be a terrific and refreshing addition to the paranormal TV landscape. We are looking forward to seeing how future exploration using “Era Cues” triggers paranormal events. We are also intrigued by what other ideas Brad and Barry Klinge and their team will come up with in this series.
This first season of Ghost Lab will be 13 episodes and will air on Tuesdays at 10PM Eastern and again 3 hours later.
October 7th, 2009 at 10:27 am
SYFY’s \Ghosthunters\ better watch out. Everyday Paranormal seems way more rational and organized in their investigating than TAPS. And it’s just the first episode, but it also seems like they won’t fake evidence like Jay and Grant.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Nicoledee seems as though you have’nt been over at DSC forums. Does’nt look good over there.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Ghost Lab sucks. Ghost Adventures is a hundred times better.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Hey admin-
OMG…you gotta be kidding…”Era cues” are not new to the paranormal field and neither are data loggers. Truly Brad and Barry do not think it is “their” idea when it comes to era cues. They just happen to give it their own name. Their groups already out there that have been using data loggers for quite some time….come on. Give me a break.
October 7th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I hadn’t seen other TV people who have been on for 5 years do either “era cues” or use data loggers in a linear fashion like was done last night. Maybe I missed that episode, like I said the last year it’s been difficult to watch the plumbers.
I do interact with other groups from time to time but I have to admit I wasn’t aware that these techniques were common as you imply.
Dr Swank: I agree that Ghost Adventures is fun to watch. Zak is very entertaining especially the episode where he was possessed by the “nurse ghost”. I guess I’m more interested in seeing more believable paranormal investigation.
Are you guys going to watch next week?
October 7th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Adam, I’m tired of reading your pissing match. I’m sure all types of groups have used the same techniques, no matter what they call it, but they aren’t focusing on the techniques in a scientific manner like this show. That’s what made it a little different. Nothing more. Look, GH created their own sceptic audience when they faked evidence at the live Halloween special last year. They had their production crew hiding in a pantry producing noises. C’mon! Jay and Grant knew they were busted! (watch the youtube proof!) Now it’s hard to watch them with respect. The entertainment value to all of these shows have built their fan bases, nothing more. Unless you are on an actual hunt with any of these groups and experience your own proof it’s not really worth the argument! And Adam, learn how to spell and be grammatically correct if you want to be taken seriously in an argument!
October 7th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
What was done by GL is very much like the work that has been done by John Sabol for many years now. He has written about it extensively in his many “Ghost Excavator books. It has been done on TV; see John Sabol in action on Paranormal State Season Two, DVD additional footage “Raising Civil War Spirits”. Check out his site http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeoqapc/ghostexcavator/ John will be at Fort Mifflin on October 10th and 11th 2009 lecturing about his methods. Check out http://www.ecpic.org
October 7th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Hey Ghost reader go read some more books. So what! I screwed up in my spelling. And what the heck are you talking about techniques. They laid down a bunch of data loggers on the floor!
All I am stating is that the techniques being used by GL are not new.
Here is a quick sample I found online on groups that have been using data loggers. Oh wait…Ghost Reader and Admin don’t tell me…they saw GL last night and rannnn out first thing this morning and bought them and place them on their website. I really don’t think so.
http://www.assap.org/newsite/htmlfiles/Data%20loggers.html
http://ghostresearchinternational.com/equipment.html
October 7th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
I do remember the guys in Ghost Adventures using Native American music during their investigation of the La Purisima Mission a few weeks ago. That might qualify as an “era cue”. This method has been used by many experienced ghost hunters for a while. It may be that the Ghost Lab guys have put more of an emphasis on it, which isn’t a bad thing. Any claim to that method as their own wouldn’t be right if they actually did that. But you do have to give them credit for TRYING things that may or may not work. That is a good thing about the show. It’s the first show. Not a bad start. Try to think of each of the other show’s very first episode and how it is different from their most current one. Tombstone is next week , should be good.
October 11th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I have watched the episode a couple of times now, and it never says that Ghost Lab invented the idea, but it does say how they coined the phrase “era cue”. They did a good job describing exactly what it is and what it does. They also did a good job combining that technique with the idea of parallel universes and did a good, simple explanantion of it. One thing I think they do better than anyone else is defining exact moments and experiences from a past era. A group just playing Native American music is not as well thought out as having actual historical letters and conversations repeated. They basically took a generic idea and really focused in on the logic behind and turned it into their own. I applaud them.
And to Adam, the more you bad mouth these guys, the more popular you are making them. Blog posts count for nothing…ratings count for everything. The more people watch, the better the ratings. I for one want to see these guys stay around a long time. Discovery Channel blogs has only a handful of people making alot of negative comments. They must think by doing it directly on Discovery that it actually will hurt these guys. Keep up the good work Adam!
October 11th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Actually, mentioning the playing of Native American music by Ghost Adventures was a comparison to Ghost Lab playing rockabilly as an “era cue” to get a reaction. At the Preston Castle, Zak began acting like he was the “new” guard using terms a guard would have used. Basically the same as the taped comments played in Myrtles by Ghost Lab. Point being…nothing new.
The “Colonel…” EVP was great. How about replaying it aloud and then answering it as if in normal conversation? Just a thought. I only saw the episode one time, was the man living there during the Civil War a Colonel?
Anything ANYONE writes on here has next to zero effect on the show’s success either way. Just random opinions favoring different shows. I’d be interested to know what the Ghost Lab guys think about the Parabot that is going to be used on GA’s Halloween show. I think the one thing Ghost Hunters hasn’t made a point to do is use more experimental equipment.
One of the first things I did notice about Ghost Lab is the absence of loud background sound effects during the show like Ghost Hunters. Gets tiring to hear them say “did you hear that?” when all you hear is halloween background effects.
October 14th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Adam…WTF are you talking about going out and “buying” and “putting on a website” and “read more books”? I’m just hear reading everyone’s comments like you. Just that you seem to think your comments are more worthy than others here. I watch all of the shows and get entertained and laugh at how fake a lot of things are or how interesting things are as well. But as I said before, unless you are there to witness and feel and hear things for yourself then don’t place a whole lot of credibility on what the groups and the networks are trying to sell you. It’s just entertainment not something for you to hate on.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Im a member of a paranormal group and just like the majority of the peeps here i also watch all the paranormal shows on TV. I was also a fan of GH until all the staged evidence nonsense, I also feel that their recent bunch of episodes have been lackluster and a bit boring. I do like GA, those guys are fun to watch even if they can get a little over exuberent. As for Ghost Lab, i like some aspect but not others. They are open to experimentation and have some good ideas, “Era Cues” is good but not new. Been around for a while, i like the term they coined though and they did a good job implementing both the music and playing the colonels messages. Im not a fan of all the cheesy effects that Discovery channel adds, that just inflates what is really straigh up investigating. But i guess it works for ratings. They do seem to be quick to judge about what is haunted and what isnt. Im my own personal opinion 1 EVP and a cold spot, plus a personal experience is not tantamount to a haunting. Theyve had some good EVP’s and a pretty good shadow man pic. And they obviously work hard at ploughhing through the evidence, which ive noticed they go through their evidence during their downtime whilst other guys are in on their shift. This is a good technique i beleive and we do the same. Overall theyre an entertaining bunch (2 brothers anyway) and i look forward to see what else they have to offer.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
…..oh yes, and data loggers although not seen on any other Paranormal TV show are also a technique that other paranormal groups use. We use USB dataloggers for EMF and TEMP. I have to agree though i dont beleive they claimed that they are the first to use these techniques, they just promote them as being helpful.
October 14th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Not too impressed so far after two episodes. I’ll give it a season just to be fair. I find them a bit unprofessional and the head Klinge brother tends to rub me the wrong way. I also don’t seem to see much team chemistry. BUT, that’s why I’m giving it a season for my final judgment. I wish them good luck!
November 17th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
The ghost lab folks don’t seem to question their perception very much at all. We all unconsciously fill in the gaps in our senses with our expectations based on beliefs and past experiences. these guys don’t seem to be aware of that.
They also take way too much stock in the claims of their clients. They believe the histories given them and address the “ghosts” they are chasing as if their existence was factual rather than reputed. They don’t give leave any room open for the “presence” to be someone else, or maybe just residual energy or anything. They seem to have figured out a long time ago what they are searching for and are determined to find it weather it is real or not.
As for “Ghost Adventures,” I don’t believe it to be exactly a fake, but a complete mis-interpretation and mis-representation of their evidence/ experiences. For example in the episode with the well, they claim to have captured a “shadow person” in the basement when they first walk in, but the shadow has movement and scale and positioning consistent with being THEIR OWN shadow or that of one of the camera men. They never, ever, mention that this could be the case, although if they had any real experience/credibility in the paranormal field, they certainly would not ignore that possibility and would do anything they could to authenticate their evidence rather than just accepting it at face value. Ok, thanks for listening.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Ghost Hunters is WAY fake. Let’s lay this flashlight here out of camera view….OOH! The ghost turned it on! Sorry you didn’t get to see it though!
Ghost Lab is better.
December 10th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
I have been watching all these shows from the beginning.
I personally like Ghost Adventures, in how they only have the three of them doing the investigation and the filming, how they use trigger objects, and try to get reactions out of the possible ghosts, and I love how they put the evidence they found within the actual time/spot it happened. Zak can get a bit nutty, but I like him overall. I get a kick, and have fun watching this show. It is obvious that they are in it to get evidence and have experiences and to share it with us. Not sure how scientific they are because we don’t see much data analysis, except when they go to an “expert” to approve of one piece of data. Not sure if they are in it to help others…because they never show a conclusion with the clients. It is what it is, and I like it.
The Ghost Lab turned me off right from the beginning. Of course I drooled over all of their equipment and the fancy trailer, but their professionalism is lacking. They jump to conclusions way too fast about the data they gather. Also the show was claiming to be super scientific and I was excited about this, but after the first episode I felt they were far from scientific, and were just another half baked “group” jumping to conclusions. It seems like Brad is the BOSS and everyone else is in the background. I also get the feeling that the team members were carefully picked as to represent a vast array of diversity. I don’t get the feeling the crew comes from a paranormal background, but that is just me and my observations. I don’t feel like the other team members get to contribute much and are just bossed around. I would not want to be on their team.
I still like Ghost Hunters. I have gone through phases with their show, but overall I like what they try to do. I like the initial interviews, the bulk of the show, the data review and conclusions, and the reveal. Although I think it is funny how at the end they say to the client, “let’s get outta here” and they leave their computer sitting on the table. For a group trying to help people and to get evidence, I think they do a decent job. Things can get altered though when you are filming for a TV show, especially as long as they have ..
.
As for Ghost Hunter’s Academy, I like that we get to watch the rookies get a quick hard lesson on investigating, BUT I don’t like the goofy drama of who is gonna get booted and who is going to stay….very unrealistic and kinda cold, but I guess that is what the producers want. Seems like they were thrown into the situation with very little knowledge then yelled at for not knowing what to do. I never see Steve and Dave showing them how to use the equipment in the best way, giving lessons. It looks like a boot camp. I don’t ever remember Steve being so harsh with Dave when he was first joining up and learning the ropes. Ah….but it is just a TV show….all the bells and whistles so we keep watching. I do still watch this show, despite the unrealistic side of it.
Paranormal State….Well. I like it because they really really care about the clients. They have concern and truely seem to try to help. They do use psychics and psychologists which I think can be helpful. However as far as collecting good evidence in the name of paranormal science, I am not so sure. It would be cool to blend some qualities of the TAPS team with the Paranormal State team. Also it seems like at least 1/3 of their cases they claim to be “demons.” Not so sure about this….and calling on Lorraine Warren….with all the controversy she and her husband have had in this field.
Extreme Paranormal….UG! Just horrible, fake….bad. It may not be totally fake, but it seems like these guys sold out to the entertainment side, if they were ever really true paranormal investigators. I love how they show up to a remotes site and happen to have all the materials they need to pull off a “summoning” or elaborate ceremony to “call in the spirits.” There is something so wrong and just plain Hollywood with this. It is like a bad horror flick with a really bad script. Yes, I do think they memorize lines. Also what was up with them starting a fire, and sawing through the bars, in the New Mexico State Penn??? I hope they got permission to do that. Geeze the pain of watching this….
December 10th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Fredricka, it’s funny what you say about Ghost Lab being “team members were carefully picked”. With one exception the people on the show were all a part of Everyday Paranormal when I met them almost two years ago – long before the TV show. The exception I believe is Katie. Or at least she wasn’t with them when I went on an investigation with them at Myrtles Plantation.
So you are quite wrong…they are all just friends that share an interest into the paranormal.
I think each show you mention is similar in the respect that the producers want “someone in charge” – Zak, Grant and Jason etc.
Brad with Barry are certainly the leaders of their group but I’m certain they would agree with the statement that they rely heavily on Steve Harris, Steve Hock, Hector and Katie.
December 11th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
I had no idea that most of them were in that group before the show. No disrespect here. The way the show portrays it, it seems that the two brothers are very in charge and telling everyone what to do, and the show portrays that the others don’t have much say….that is how it looks on the show. I have no idea how it is in real life. I do see on the show that although the others don’t seem to have much say, they are heavily relied upon to collect and review evidence.
Yes each show there does seem to be someone that is more in charge, but for some reason the Klinge guys rub me the wrong way…maybe it is a personal thing? Maybe it is that they seem overbearing? In the other shows it seems like you see more feedback and ideas and inclusion from the non-lead members. (minus extreme paranormal, not sure what is going on there!)
TV can totally make things appear to be a certain way, and I am just basing my observations on what the TV seems to portray about these groups. In all honesty, who really knows the true group dynamics and how they really work?
I was just having fun critiquing the various shows since I watch most all of them.
Anyhow, didn’t mean to rub anyone the wrong way…
Thanks for the great feedback!!