Do you believe in ghosts? Well, the Ghost Hunters on the Sci-Fi Network do...sort of. Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson head up TAPS--that's short for The Atlantic Paranormal Society.
They are plumbers by trade, but 15 years ago they answered the call of supernature, and now they are responsible for clearing your home's pipes and its spiritual pathways. They've had plenty of adventures, but don't call them ghostbusters.
We talked to them about the life of a Ghost Hunter.
TV.com: Hi guys. What do you have planned for season two and a half?
Grant: Well, we went to the hotel from The Shining.
Jason: That place was incredible. The nice thing was they closed down most of the place just for us. It's built right smack-dab between two mountains, on the side of one mountain. First off, the view is remarkable, but the place definitely has the creepy vibe.
Grant: We really can't get into too much detail, but I think it's definitely going to be a good episode and the fans are going to enjoy it.
TV.com: So, are you guys "ghostbusters?"
Jason:(Laughs) No we call ourselves paranormal researchers. We go and investigate claims of the paranormal.
TV.com: How do you know for sure when you are in the presence of paranormality?
Grant: You don't know for sure, but your body does tend to react: a tightness in the chest, stuff like that. But you can't use that as a basis to call something paranormal.
TV.com: How often, if ever, do you feel threatened?
Grant: In 15 years I have never felt threatened.
Jason: Honestly, the only time you really feel threatened is when you enter a homeowner's place, and you never know who's house you're walking into. It could be the home of someone perfectly normal, or it could be someone with some other issues.
TV.com: The homeowner sometimes affects the feelings?
Jason: Yes, just like on a plumbing call, you never know whose house you're walking into. I've walked into homes where a crack addict lived and I've walked into places where a police chief lived.
TV.com: The police chief is the weird one?
Jason: Yes.
TV.com: Do you worry you will anger the paranormal forces?
Jason: Whoever says that stuff is just going for shock value. It's not like you're going to get followed home by a spirit and beaten up by a demon. In 99 percent of these cases, it is nothing to be afraid of.
TV.com: Then, do you think there are evil and good spirits?
Grant: If these are the spirits of people who have died, then they are going to have the personalities of the people when they were living. There are styles of haunting that come off as negative, but most of the time it is just really harmless stuff.
TV.com: Do you have any memorable investigations?
Jason: On one call, we saw furniture move on its own, and one of our sound guys got leveled. But we have also seen a case where someone mixed a prescription drug with a hallucinogen and created a hallucinatory haunting--there was nothing paranormal going on. Once, a little old lady invited us in to look for a ghost, then 45 minutes later she was coming at us with a frying pan--she had forgotten she invited us in. One lady told us she always thought she was being watched, then we start the investigation and find a cookie jar shaped like a skull head filled to the brim with marijuana.
TV.com: So she was just being paranoid?
Jason: Yeah. Each case is so different, so you have to deal with each one differently.
TV.com: Do the victims seem grateful after you investigate?
Grant: Sometimes you debunk everything they think, and they get really mad.
Jason: Some people think it's a relative, and then you give them explanations for it, and they are very relieved.
TV.com: What do you think makes the Northeast such a hub of paranormal activity, Blair Witch, and so on?
Grant: I don't know if it really is. A lot of towns call themselves the most haunted town in America. In the Northeast you got a lot of history, changing seasons, old buildings, in the winter the nights are longer, people stay inside more, houses settle, they creak and pop. So we get a lot more claims, but I don't know if there is anything to them.
TV.com: What is your take on EMFs (Electro Magnetic Fields that are purported to be emissions of spirits).
Jason: I have very little trust in EMFs, I am a video and audio guy. If I can see it, it holds ground, but just telling me that an EMF reading is going up and down isn't going to do it for me.
Grant: You gotta understand that everything we do is kind of two-fold. We look for unexplainable EMF readings, but also we are looking at the nontech stuff because some of the side effects of having a high EMF are similar to those that people complain about: they feel uneasy, they feel eyes on them.
TV.com: Why do paranormal areas often emit cold spots?
Jason: There are a lot of different theories. One is that the spirit needs to draw energy to manifest itself.
Grant: Very little of this is fact; it's a lot of speculation and theory. The primary theory is that the entity needs to draw energy from somewhere, so why not draw it from the surrounding air.
TV.com: You guys never charge for any of these paranormal investigations. Do your spouses condone your escapades?
Grant: (Laughs) They are very supportive, they really sympathize with the people who are in need. But having a TV show takes us away from home a little more.
TV.com: So you're a lot busier than before?
Grant: Oh yeah, we used to get a few calls a month, now we have hundreds of people trying to get us to come out.
TV.com: You are both fiction writers. Has having a show made it easier for you to get any bites on screenplays or books?
Jason: We have no time at all. Having two full-time jobs and a family. Grant's got three kids, I have five--that is a full life.
TV.com: Thanks for talking to us guys, good luck with the show and the hunt.
Ghost Hunters airs every Wednesday at 9 p.m. on The Sci-Fi Channel.
Comments (25)
We are the DORSET GHOST INVESTIGATORS if you want to know the truth, If ghosts really exist? Please join us on our journey, we are 2 men on a mission all alone. We have done 21 episodes in the most scariest places in England so far and you can watch everything on our website and our youtube channel,Please subscribe to our youtube channel if you are interested in the paranormal.Thank YouGlen and Ahmedhttp://www.dorsetghostinvestigators.com
Hi I love ghost hunters My whole family watches it every wensday night Our favorite hunters are Jason Grant Brian And Steve . there is one hunter we really really hate and that Andy that creep is nothing but a pig and what we call down here in the Southern North Carolina Appalachian Mountains a suck up and a brown nose . he will do anything and go behind anybodys back to get what he wants . I would love to get a chance to just to slap his ugly face plum downright silly . He acts like he owns TAPS . Iwould love to see a ghost appear right in front of him right in his stinking uggly face and chasce his uggly self and bring his stinking brown nose back bitting attitude down a peg ir two . I would love to see that . Hunter get rid of Andy the ugly stinking backbiting creep and then you'll be a better show to watch .moreless
Probably the best of this genre due to the cast's personalities coming through as likable personable people. Some of the sites they visit are obviously contrived to try to increase business at their establishment but they have had some interesting venues i.e. St. Augustine's lighthouse and the old Fort. My main complaint, and it's a small one, is Jason's so quick to "pack it up" even before the so-called Dead Time (3:00 a.m.) when most phenomena happens. I understand his wife is not interested in this show of his (although I'm sure the extra money is nice!) and pressures him to make his trips as less of a hindrance as possible.
Hi, everyone, I think this show is one of the best I've ever seen. I have had experiences all my life including seeing a full body apparition when I was twelve that was in my bedroom. I think that Jason, Grant and the rest of the crew are right in trying to debunk what they can simply to keep the 'clean' hauntings in perspective. The show itself is enjoyable because the entire crew sticks to the truth which is important when investigating any situation of ths nature. Also, I applaud this crew for getting red hot and rolling when there are children involved. Well done, guys.
This is the best besides Meduim!
This show has introduced a new passion in my life. The paranormal. I no longer believe what I hear and actually have been out on my own investigations. Thanks to TAPS I now have the knowledge to perform my own and be successfull. I actually caught some pretty substantial EVP's in an old house. I just want to say thank you for being such a wonderful insperation and keep up the good work. I hope we can look forward to many years to come watching you guys debunk hauntings. Love you guys.
I watch your show every chance I get. I would have to say I'm a true believer. That might come from my Cherokee heritage, but whatever the case, I have actually had experiences myself. I think they way you conduct your show, by evidence, is great. That way, the non-believers can SEE the "experiences" that you cannot explain. You guys are great and hope this show never ends. Keep up the good work!
my husband and I absolutely love this show. Keep it coming!
I love every second of ghost hunters...they are the best nothing is fake and they are all real cases! That's what I love about it. LOL
XOXOX,
AMANDA
Ghost Hunters Roks My World...so much that I even bought the complete 1st season and I'm going to buy every single one soon!!!
XoXo,
Amanda
easily my favourite shwo from the u.s.<br />
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there pretty cool guys to try and disprove and question first, the camp as hell uk equivalent 'most haunted' is a spoof in comparisson, nice one taps dudes!
I think Ghost Hunters is only "The Best" show sci-fi has going right now.<br />
Great show!!!
i dunno if the site remembered this but here goes<br />
Coondog1234 Writes: Hey Jay, I heard you singing a clip of the thin lizzy song the boys are back in town on one of the ghost hunters show episodes, great song i have it in an mp3 file so I take it you like that song, I Love the show Im a huge fan, I love all the EVPs and the videos ive enhanced some of the EVPs with my Goldwave digital audio editor, I love editing and playing around with the wav files, So you guys are out of warick RI. not that far from me I live in ct and it was awesome when you guys did the ghost hunting at the music school place, way cool the TAPS team in CT does this get any better, well man gotta go I'll see you on ghost hunters this wednesdaymoreless
The new Brian adds so much to the show. I think its so funny when he cant wait to show what he found. excited and smirking. funny quotes too "what the heck was that?"
Would you ever consider setting up a ghost cam online for fans at one of the places youve witnessed paranormal activity?<br />
Have you ever thought of taking a dog with you on a case? Ive heard that pets have a kind of sixth sense.
You guys do a great job Thank you for helping so many people in so many ways I am sorry it takes so much time away from your families they are wonderful to stand behind you guys. I love the lighthouse. I am sleeping with the lights on tonight...
cool.
I like how they aren't Mediums. They only use PHYSICAL proof. Not 'I feel a weird sensation'.
i never miss a show and you guys are both hoties hehe
you guys are awesome!!! keep it up. i watch every week.
The show is great, it's just sad they've let that pathological liar Brian Harnois back onto the cast. Everyone seems to love this guy and he's been nothing but problems for the show since the earliest shows... all of the 'activity' is always focused around Brian, lending credibility to the fact that perhaps he's making stuff up.<br />
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There have been people that have tried to rook the TAPS team by getting them to visit famous haunted spots and then pulling stunts on them. Being famous and on National TV is a chance for businesses who rely on 'paranormal history' to draw in business will do ANYTHING to try and fool Jay and Grant... and they always get caught, which is funny.<br />
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But still... Brian has a very active imagination, and he is detrimental to the core unit of TAPS. He's a profound liar and drama queen so as a fan of the series (and what TAPS is trying to by debunking so-called haunted spots), it's sort of disenchanting that they've welcomed him back... probably because the show's producers insisted on it.moreless
I love the show. I wish they would have John Zaffis on more. He came to my college and did a presentation. Man, does that dude know how to creep people out!
I like that they concentrate on debunking things in people's houses. It's kind of like your parents coming into your room when you are 4 yrs old and checking the closets for the boogeyman....
Awesome!<br />