The Problem(s) I Have With Ghost Adventures

Many people love Ghost Adventures and rave about it being the best paranormal show on TV. I have heard many great things about it, so a couple months ago I decided to sit down and start watching it. While there are some aspects of the show that are amusing, after seeing numerous episodes, I have a lot of problems with the show, the crew, and how they conduct investigations. Where do I begin?

1.  They spend a significant amount of time interviewing random people passing by and showing re-enactments. While the strange people they often interview are sometimes amusing, it doesn’t leave much time to show the actual investigation. And how do three guys walking around in the streets, asking strangers questions, in any way prove paranormal activity or back up other claims? It just seems pointless to me.

2. When they conduct an investigation, they get locked in overnight. If some person were outside messing with them, they would automatically assume it’s paranormal, and would not be able to even go outside to investigate if someone were outdoors.

3. “Balls of energy” – or what I like to call bugs and dust. Seriously. Just because a bug is flying around at the same time you caught an EVP, that does not mean it is paranormal! It just isn’t. It’s a bug.

4. Orbs. I also really love how Zak Bagans, the main star, is always claiming that he doesn’t believe in orbs, but then always points out orbs that they catch. The truth is 99.9% of the time an orb is really just a light source reflecting on dust. I am not a believer in orbs, and to me that means that I would not show them to a client or present them as paranormal evidence.

5. Taunting and being disrespectful. From the moment they walk into a place, Zak immediately starts taunting and yelling at whatever entities are in the building. How would you feel if someone came into your house and did this to you? Ghosts are/were people, and if you’re disrespectful to them, they are likely not going to cooperate with you. Plus, part of the reason to conduct a paranormal investigation is to help those spirits who are still here. I feel so privileged whenever I have the opportunity to potentially communicate with entities, that I really can’t understand how someone could be so rude to them without being provoked.

6. Screaming/Running. I understand that we all get freaked out sometimes. But these guys take freaking out to a whole new level. Not only is it unprofessional, it’s just annoying.

7. Being “possessed”. How many episodes do these guys get possessed in? It seems like it happens a lot. How many times have I or anyone else I know in the field been possessed? Zero. Not saying that it can’t happen, but I am saying that it’s pretty rare. Too rare for it to take place every other episode. While I’m still contemplating whether they fake other evidence or not, I am certain that these possessions are not real.

Which brings me to my main concern with this show: This show does not help the paranormal community in trying to prove paranormal existence. If they’re faking evidence and personal experiences, accepting random claims as evidence, believing in “orbs” and “balls or energy” and acting unprofessional in general, what is the point of the show? If it’s about a few guys goofing off in allegedly haunted locations, then bravo. Mission accomplished. But if they’re setting out to prove paranormal evidence like they claim, then they have a long way to go.

Ghost Adventures is an amusing show and can be fun to watch, but don't be quick to accept any of their claims as actual paranormal evidence!