Fans of Ghost Hunters and Real Housewives of Atlanta will come together next week for a special “crossover show”. The Real Housewives will become “special guest investigators” with TAPS, on Wednesday, December 1st.

Sure, it’s a bit baffling that Bravo and SyFy chose these two shows to merge into a special episode. I didn’t understand why until I saw the preview. You’ll understand once you see it, too.

As an aside, I used to watch Ghost Hunters semi-regularly. My husband only became interested in the show after Kris Williams joined the team. My husband noticed something that I hadn’t. The lighting and camera work in those earlier episodes made Williams’ attire nearly transparent. Every episode after that included constant queries from my husband: “Where’s Kris?”

So, male viewers were gained. When the gratuitous views ceased, my husband ceased viewing. My semi-regular viewing schedule ceased not long after that.

Funny that the preview of the upcoming episode inspired my husband to want to watch on Wednesday, although he watches neither show. Viewership mission accomplished.

If you are looking for entertainment, chances are high you’ll get what you hope for on Wednesday.  I’ve seen several comments on the web, from fans of Ghost Hunters who are seeking the drama that has been absent from the show since Brian Harnois left. Brian’s antics were part of the reason I watched the show, to be honest. Grant Wilson’s attractiveness was another.

We’ll see if there’s any drama to entertain us next week. I think that the show will bring something else: gratuitous camera shots.

Check out this screen shot from the preview. The camera’s focus on the blond woman as she walks up the stairs…much of the shot does not contain her head.

Watch the video preview here.

Screen shot from Ghost Hunters preview

—————————-

Copyright © 2010 Cherlyn Gardner Strong

Read more of Cherlyn’s posts as a contributor for Paranormal Utopia, or at Cherlyn’s Paranormal Old Pueblo website

On August 4, 1892, the bodies of Andrew Borden, 70, and Abby Borden, 65, were found axed to death in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts. The prime suspect for the murders was the Borden’s daughter Lizzie.

Lizzie insisted that she had been outside of the home and that the killer must have entered through an unlocked door.

Lizzie Borden

She was eventually acquitted of the murders, but many believe that Lizzie’s attorneys “outmaneuvered the prosecution and freed a killer.”

Since then, the home at 92 Second Street has changed hands a few times and today operates as a Bed & Breakfast.

Claims of hauntings surround the residence, due to the murders over a century ago.  The home was deemed #1 of all “Scariest Places on Earth” by the Travel Channel.

SyFy’s Ghost Hunters investigated the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast in 2005, but didn’t capture enough evidence to deem it haunted. Jason and Grant of TAPS felt that the history and allure of the house caused guests and visitors to expect to experience paranormal activity.

The owner of the home disagreed. She said, “Ghosts don’t work on cue.”

In 2008, History Channel’s MonsterQuest visited the home. Again, not much evidence to convince viewers of a haunting.

The website eHow has a page titled: “How to Spot a Ghost at the Lizzie Borden House“, rated as a “Moderately Easy Task” by the author. If you click through, there’s really no advice on “how” to spot the ghost, trust me.

People over the years who have had experiences at the home, state that the anniversary of the murders is the best time to experience haunting activity. Getting a room at the Borden house on the anniversary of the murders could be a “Moderately Difficult Task” unless you make your reservation far in advance.

This past January, I wrote an optimistic article about a new show on A & E called Paranormal Cops. I watched the premiere episode, then read countless reviews about the show written by others. There were quite a few negative reviews.

The phrases to describe the show weren’t really unique: “It’s just like Ghost Hunters”, “same synopsis”, “same investigation style”, “same equipment”, “I was hoping for something different.”

Personally, I was disappointed to not uncover a unique reason why the show didn’t appeal to some of the reviewers.

Sorry folks, but I stand by my original statement from January that paranormal investigators must adhere to the same methodologies. Yet, even if they all did, the sad reality is that mainstream science is not going to accept “proof” based on evidence gathered from any reality show. To keep audiences happy, I’m sure the networks are looking for that one group that does something radically “different” for the entertainment of us all.

For single overnight investigations, the only thing that should be different are the personalities involved.

Most groups split over personality differences within the teams than over differences in methodologies. The unique personalities on these shows are actually what gets me to tune in.  I’m not looking for proof when I tune into Syfy’s Ghost Hunters. Honestly, I tune in mostly due to my crush on Grant Wilson. Secondly, I tune in for the group’s passion toward the pursuit of some sort of proof the paranormal. What attracted me to Paranormal Cops was the different personality types coupled with something different: cop intuition. Cop intuition isn’t accepted by mainstream science. Yet, I believe in it enough to want to watch these investigators in action. Different people, same methods, same goals.

Some reviewers stated that due to the similarity to Ghost Hunters, Paranormal Cops was boring.

That statement confuses me.

Let me give an example that might make sense to the masses. Let’s say that you send Ghost Hunters to investigate a home. They gather the evidence and present it during the ‘Reveal” portion of the show. The next night, Paranormal Cops comes along to investigate the same location. Would the goal not be to replicate the findings of Ghost Hunters?

That scenario would be way too boring for most people, I know. Leaning a little too much toward scientific methodologies and away from entertainment.

While A & E debates on whether to air more Paranormal Cops episodes, I’m hoping that they, and the viewers, give this show the second chance it deserves.