TV-Reviewed

I thoroughly enjoyed the roundtable discussion. Though, I’m not exactly sure that was the best term to use for it. The reason being there was only Jason, Grant, Steve and Tango present. It would have been nice to have seen more TAPS members. At first, I thought this might detract from the enjoyment of the “discussion” but I was wrong. The insight into what drives Jason and Grant and, of course, Steve was absolutely worth tuning in for. One thing was clear right away, too: TAPS has become something bigger than I think Jay and Grant could ever have imagined.

For one thing, they have fans (heck, even groupies) all across the country. Seeing those people (of all ages) lined out the door, waiting for autographs to be signed, was proof of that. So was the fan mail that TAPS receives on a weekly basis–everything from customized beer steins to plastic models of the TAPS office. Though, boy, did Stevo ever get the strangest request. Yeah, I think I’d have turned down receiving an urn of somebody’s ashes. That’s just freaking creepy!

Speaking of Steve… I thoroughly enjoyed the segment showing some of the antics he and Tango get up to. I was in stitches by the end of it. I remember the one where Steve bet Tango to go under that floor where there were all those cobwebs and nasty critters crawling about–that was classic. But, it was the one where Steve had him playing Marco Polo that had me laughing until my sides hurt and tears were flowing from my eyes. Man, I hope those two never leave Ghost Hunters–They provide such good comedy relief!

Grant Wilson, Jason Hawes

Seriously, though, TAPS has made it a long way. However, as we learned, Jason and Grant aren’t taking it for granted. No. They’re, at their core, still the same ol’ Roto-Rooter plumbers they’ve always been. And I think just knowing they’re regular guys (Joe six-packs, if you will), says something about them and somehow lends more creedance in the evidence that they dig up. You just want to believe (and take on faith) what they have to say. Maybe that’s just me, though. Anyhow, any way you look at it…Ghost Hunters has become a phenomena unto its own–but that doesn’t mean it won’t end someday. At least, for now, the guys are holding true to their roots.

The highlight of the roundtable discussion came at the end. In fact, I got tired of them teasing me with it. I should have known that they wouldn’t show the quote on quote never-before-seen Ghost Hunters pilot episode until the end. Ugh! Of course, I enjoyed the rest of the episode, too, but I was waiting to see what it was that had sold Sci-Fi on the idea of Ghost Hunters. It’s ironic, too, on how closely the pilot resembles the finalized format of the show we all know and love today. And, believe it or not, that was five years ago! Five! And here I’ve been watching Ghost Hunters from the very beginning.

I think the coolest bit about seeing the pilot, though, was that seeing Steve and Brian were there as well as Jason and Grant of course. So, even they’ve been around for a while. It goes to show the level of loyalty TAPS has garnered in its members–That should say something. Speaking of Brian… It’d still be nice to know what exactly happened there. It was interesting Josh Gates never asked any questions about that. Hmm… I guess that might have cut too deeply. Obviously, there’s some tension there.

Anyhow. The All Access part was just as good as the roundtable discussion. The highlighted video reels of infrared and FLIR camera footage was fun to watch. Man, did that bring back some memories, as I’m sure it did for the guys. Great stuff. Just like the side-effect of some former investigation sites actually turning a profit off their exposure on the show in that, like Jason pointed out, they might be able to use these funds to further maintain their property’s historic integrity. Like the St. Augustine Lighthouse for example. Good stuff.

And it’s also good to know that Ghost Hunters doesn’t seem like it’ll be canceled anytime soon. And there’s going to be all new episodes right up through the end of December. Then, we’ve got Ghost Hunters International to look forward to…

Rating: 9.0