Reuniting Ghost Hunters for a New Show "Ghost Nation"



Travel Channel has done some fun things like reviving Josh Gates and the new "Expedition Unknown" and the prior "Destination Truth" series that are so beloved. 

Then, they think about rehashing something that died a natural death - ghost hunters shows and their hosts. 


Some of the participants of previous ghost shows have had as many as four shows afterwards, all showing incrementally worse ratings and extremely short-lived lives. 

There's a reason - not only are ghost shows boring and routine, but the people hosting them lost their previous shows for a reason - viewer attrition and (yawn) hosts with no dynamics. They pull out the same bag of tricks, the same hackneyed lines, and are as stilted and self-conscious as any reality-show hosts that have paraded past us the last two decades.

It kind of reminds me of the Food Channel. They find one or two cooks and give them four shows to host.  Forget other cooks, other points of view, other dynamics. 

I beg producers to consider trying new researchers, new faces, perhaps even people with intelligence and charm like Josh Gates. 

With all that said, Jason Hawes, Dave Tango and Steve Gonsalves are going to launch a new show on the Travel Channel, "Ghost Nation." 

They are touting this as using new technology and being critical, debunking and the like, but we saw during "Ghost Hunters" evolution how they went from skeptical to "yes, yes, it's haunted!" and accepting horrid supposed EVPs. 

The death of "Ghost Hunters" show was more about the routine and lack of dynamics. After they learned to unscrew a flashlight and wave a KII meter around, it seemed they avoided any new techniques or methods. I honestly quit watching after season 4 or so when they grew too big for their britches. Gone was the trailer, the nagging wife and the drama among members. And gone was good evidence that impressed and skeptical researchers who debated it.

They all came to look like actors who showed up on time according to contract and did what they had to get done to get their check.

That being said, I will give the show a chance. Perhaps the men have learned something along the way, have a production team that won't reduce them to stupidity and tedium. If that is so, I will give a review a changed viewer. 

I'll be real honest - because the show stars prior show hosts, I am really not interested. Been there and done that. It's kind of like taking back your ex....





Comments