Does TAPS Fake Their Evidence?

[Wootloops]

I know. Drats! Well, there's always next week, right? I'll keep trying. Honestly, I usually forget about the show and try to catch some of them on podcast later. If it hadn't been for you mentioning it today, I likely would have forgotten again. So, thanks! I'll try to remember next week now, haha.

They are only having one more show next week and then they are taking the summer off. Hopefully you get through ><.

Edited May 25, 2008 by Wootloops

[Korbus]

They are only having one more show next week and then they are taking the summer off. Hopefully you get through ><.

Darn! Well, I shall do my best...

[Shakezulah]

yes i believe it is www.beyondreality.planetparanormal.com

Thanks. Tonights show isn't up yet, though, so I guess I'll listen to last week's.

[Radian]

This one "weird Mass" is boring.

[Picturesque Orion]

Could you reword that please? I'm not quite sure what you mean exactly, but I'll try to answer anyway. You let me know if it answers your question, okay?

No, I don't believe TAPS is faking evidence. I actually believe at times they have been a little less analytical than I would like and are passing off things that should have been debunked off as credible evidence, though. I understand, of course, they are under time restrictions, etc...but with over 15 years experience, they shouldn't make such big mistakes, ya know? I think they have to be a little more careful, because there are tons of websites right now devoted to them being fakers. I don't believe that myself. But I see why some people do...there are unanswered questions. I would actually like for them to clear these issues up, and they have been a little bit lately on Beyond Reality Radio. So, they're starting to see it could damage their reputations, at least.

The point of this thread was to show what kind of claims are being made my the hardline skeptics out there. They make some interesting points, but I don't think it necessarily point to TAPS faking. If anything, the network or production company are using clever editing to do something like that. I think Jay and Grant are pretty solid in that regard.

I hope this answers your question. Please let me know if it did not. Thanks!

The air is a bit tense around here.

Well I quite disagree. The Atlantic Paranormal Society is one of the most decent ghost invenstigation teams you will ever find. What is special about this team is that they approach the evidence they claim (which is just a few) in a skeptical way. This in the ghost hunting world is in fact, very positive. If you look in the past seasons, most of TAPS's evidence is not very convincing, yet this is the kind of evidence that you will find in the paranormal field. You can't really expect much more than that.

In many of their investigations they have find little to no evidence at all. Sometimes two shows in a row, quite boring for the viewers right? But the messeage TAPS wants to comunicate to it's fans and viewers is that this field of the paranormal is very disappointing, and that you can't really expect to have total success in most of your investigations.

Yes I agree with you on one part, sometimes they let things go pass them too easily, but what you are seeing in these shows is only a small fraction of the whole investigations, they only represent the best moments of the investigation, when something actually happens. If you've watched some live shows you can see that most of the time they spent it sitting somewhere for hours trying to make contact.

About the sites. You will find this not only for TAPS but for many or possibly all the investigation teams which currently exist. And this doesn't only happen in the paranormal field, and not only on the science field ( TAPS is actually a scientific investigation team), you'll find this in most today's topics and fields. Some of them are true and very obvious (Most Haunted), but I don't think TAPS fits in this category. My main point is, you will find retractors in almost everywhere.

With this all said, I can say with all security that the TAPS team is legit, and that the the little evidence they've gathered is genuine.

Alex01.

[MasterPo]

And as far as hoaxes go, I reached a whole new level of respect for TAPS when they caught they Queen Mary hoax attempt. That was such a great catch, I believe, by Tango.

Or,

That was done purposely to show the audience they do know what a hoax looks like, how to catch a hoax and would catch one if played on them.

Just adding to the conspiracy theory.

[MasterPo]

I am listening to the TAPS radio show right now. And just at the beginning when they were talking about this season of Ghost Hunters, Grant said something like "Watch Ghost Hunters" and then, with a hint of bother in his voice Jason said "You mean Scifi's edited Ghost Hunters".

Hehehehe....yea, over the last 2 years I've heard them make several jabs and off-hand remarks about sci-fi and the producers. Probably is some friction there. But they're under contract and can't say or do much about it.

[Korbus]

The air is a bit tense around here.

Well I quite disagree. The Atlantic Paranormal Society is one of the most decent ghost invenstigation teams you will ever find. What is special about this team is that they approach the evidence they claim (which is just a few) in a skeptical way. This in the ghost hunting world is in fact, very positive. If you look in the past seasons, most of TAPS's evidence is not very convincing, yet this is the kind of evidence that you will find in the paranormal field. You can't really expect much more than that.

In many of their investigations they have find little to no evidence at all. Sometimes two shows in a row, quite boring for the viewers right? But the messeage TAPS wants to comunicate to it's fans and viewers is that this field of the paranormal is very disappointing, and that you can't really expect to have total success in most of your investigations.

Yes I agree with you on one part, sometimes they let things go pass them too easily, but what you are seeing in these shows is only a small fraction of the whole investigations, they only represent the best moments of the investigation, when something actually happens. If you've watched some live shows you can see that most of the time they spent it sitting somewhere for hours trying to make contact.

About the sites. You will find this not only for TAPS but for many or possibly all the investigation teams which currently exist. And this doesn't only happen in the paranormal field, and not only on the science field ( TAPS is actually a scientific investigation team), you'll find this in most today's topics and fields. Some of them are true and very obvious (Most Haunted), but I don't think TAPS fits in this category. My main point is, you will find retractors in almost everywhere.

With this all said, I can say with all security that the TAPS team is legit, and that the the little evidence they've gathered is genuine.

Alex01.

The air is actually not tense at all, Alex01. I think it's quite lovely. I am, however, trying to figure out where you think you and I disagree. Let me go over your post point by point:

I agree with you that TAPS is a good group. In fact, I've said this several times throughout the thread. And I basically said it again in the post you quoted. You're preaching to the choir, in this case.

As far as them finding little to no evidence on certain cases, I quite understand how it works. I've been watching Ghost Hunters for years, including all of the live specials, and even participate in investigations with my own paranormal group. So yes, I agree with you...sometimes you just don't find anything on your first trip. Or maybe there's nothing to find. And sometimes you just sit around waiting. That's a good deal of what goes on, you're right. Waiting.

I am also aware of the number of sites that act as watchdogs to the other paranormal television shows, Most Haunted in particular. But I think most of the people reading this thread kind of already understand Most Haunted is faked. Few people question TAPS on this board here, however. So I was curious to see how people would respond if I made a topic in which the spotlight was shone on TAPS a bit. We've gotten some good discussions going, I think.

As I said, my personal opinion is that TAPS isn't faking their evidence. I've simply not seen enough proof to make that claim. However, I do think that sometimes the truth is stretched a bit. This could easily be the fault of the network and production team with their clever editing. Jay and Grant seem to point toward this themselves on Beyond Reality Radio, which I listen to from time to time. I also wonder about the times when they've shown certain things as evidence in the reveal which really isn't all that paranormal. Marginal EVPs and the Crescent Hotel military figure come to mind, for instance. Some things I think they should have just debunked or had enough doubt about to throw out. Rhymes! Yay!

Anyway, I think I've said what I wanted. I think we really agree a lot more than what you seem to indicate. No harm done, however. Thank you for your response, my friend.

[Korbus]

Or,

That was done purposely to show the audience they do know what a hoax looks like, how to catch a hoax and would catch one if played on them.

Just adding to the conspiracy theory.

Haha, well done, sir!

[SurfinTiki39]

What I find odd and worrying is how episode after episode of the current season keeps bringing more and more amazing evidence. It's a bit suspicious but I have a feeling it's just that Sci Fi has been working hard to get them into the best possible places for investigations.

No... a more likely explanation is that they save the better episodes for the premiere and finale. They don't always air them in the ordered filmed.... Yeah, the episodes that have two investigaiton are probably in that order, (the first one of the city, then they always talk about, "we left that place and went here... or whatever) but Scifi can just easily pick the order they want the episodes to air in. Why not save the best for last?

[Picturesque Orion]

As I said, my personal opinion is that TAPS isn't faking their evidence. I've simply not seen enough proof to make that claim. However, I do think that sometimes the truth is stretched a bit. This could easily be the fault of the network and production team with their clever editing. Jay and Grant seem to point toward this themselves on Beyond Reality Radio, which I listen to from time to time. I also wonder about the times when they've shown certain things as evidence in the reveal which really isn't all that paranormal. Marginal EVPs and the Crescent Hotel military figure come to mind, for instance. Some things I think they should have just debunked or had enough doubt about to throw out. Rhymes! Yay!

I quite agree yes, sometimes I do not understand why the present some of their "evidence" in the reveal when it's not very convincing, but let's be flexible on this, on this field you can't just leave evidence beside without actually looking in into all the posibilities. I think that they focus on looking on the source, the cause, and the effects. When these three all appear as unknown then it might actually deserve to be deeply observed.

I was basically discussing the main title of this thread "Does TAPS fake their evidence?", because to be honest I have not read the whole thread, and have mainly focused on your posts, the author. But I guess you could forgive me since the thread has got quite a dense and long debate which I cannot attend.

This, however, is a very interesting thread and I truely hope it keeps on going. I will stop by from time to time.

Thank you for your response, my friend.

It's a pleasure, mate.

[Korbus]

But I guess you could forgive me since the thread has got quite a dense and long debate which I cannot attend.

This, however, is a very interesting thread and I truely hope it keeps on going. I will stop by from time to time.

It's a pleasure, mate.

No problem whatsoever. No harm done. I look forward to seeing you stop by again with any thoughts and opinions you have.

Take care!

[Pluto-x]

WOW... interesting piece B.S.P.

TAPS are not "Paranormal GODS". I don't care who you are, nobody is an expert in this field. Not even TAPS. Just because they have a TV show doesn't mean they know everything. They even say in their reveals to their clients. "We don't know what it is". But we caught something and wanted to show you anyway. They say that in most of their reveals to cover themselves. Don't believe everything you see on TV. That doesn't go just for TAPS. That goes for any group on TV.

[Radian]

I still hold more weight with TAPS than I would PRS anyday, but that's whole nother topic.

[Korbus]

It's very true...I'll take TAPS over the lads at Paranormal State anyday. But I agree with you up there, Pluto. TAPS are not paranormal Gods. But I think this is why this thread had been so interesting to read. Some in here think that they are infallible. Some think they are totally fake. Most lie somewhere in the middle. But it makes for an intriguing debate, I think.

[eveningsky339]

TAPS has confronted Pilgrim about the tampered FLIR evidence on the Manson Episode. It was the production team that decided to fix things up-- not TAPS.

I honestly don't think TAPS has changed much since the beginning of their show, and the evidence certainly hasn't gotten "more sensational". I remember in the first season dramatic music played every time Brian heard a thump and freaked out. Plus you had the chair in the Lighthouse moving, the EVP in Polish, the Eastern State Penitentary, etc. Those were all "dramatic" episodes with "dramatic" evidence and I don't think anything has changed in that regard.

As for the figure in the thermal with the hot "2", I highly doubt that was Grant. The first thing those guys assume when they see something like that is reflection, without fail. Grant must have been in a different position or stance compared to this supposed "reflection" because both of them were pretty blown away. Also note that the figure disappeared when they took another look through the thermal.

Does TAPS fake their evidence? I'll pose an equally valid question: Does toast poop hippopotamus gold? The answer is clearly no.

Does TAPS make mistakes in regard to their evidence? You bet they do! We're all human and it's perfectly understandable that they would overlook something (such as Grant moving the lamp) that they interpreted as evidence.

Now, Paranormal State on the other hand... those kids have more problems than a squirrel on an eight-lane highway...

[Pluto-x]

TAPS has confronted Pilgrim about the tampered FLIR evidence on the Manson Episode. It was the production team that decided to fix things up-- not TAPS.

I honestly don't think TAPS has changed much since the beginning of their show, and the evidence certainly hasn't gotten "more sensational". I remember in the first season dramatic music played every time Brian heard a thump and freaked out. Plus you had the chair in the Lighthouse moving, the EVP in Polish, the Eastern State Penitentary, etc. Those were all "dramatic" episodes with "dramatic" evidence and I don't think anything has changed in that regard.

As for the figure in the thermal with the hot "2", I highly doubt that was Grant. The first thing those guys assume when they see something like that is reflection, without fail. Grant must have been in a different position or stance compared to this supposed "reflection" because both of them were pretty blown away. Also note that the figure disappeared when they took another look through the thermal.

Does TAPS fake their evidence? I'll pose an equally valid question: Does toast poop hippopotamus gold? The answer is clearly no.

Does TAPS make mistakes in regard to their evidence? You bet they do! We're all human and it's perfectly understandable that they would overlook something (such as Grant moving the lamp) that they interpreted as evidence.

Now, Paranormal State on the other hand... those kids have more problems than a squirrel on an eight-lane highway...

Don't get me started on Paranormal State! LOL...

But I think Ghost Hunters IMO have changed a lot since their first season. For example, in the beginning it took "HARDCORE EVIDENCE" to convince Jason anything was Paranormal. Now it seems like they have added the personal experiences as a boost to their evidence when in the beginning personal experience weren't enough to go by. They have also started to present photos more often than they did in the beginning. Their equipment has gotten better such as the usage of the thermal cam. they never used the thermal cam in the first season until the end of the 1st season or beginning of the 2nd season? I don't remember exactly when it was introduced on their show. There's also less drama as Brian is gone from the show. There's been more investigating versus other things they use to do. I think they have collected better & more quality evidence because they have changed their methods a bit. There is ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT no matter who you are though. Nobody is perfect and there is no expert in our field. Not even TAPS. They even state it in their reveal as I said earlier. They will present something they cannot explain themselves. But they save credibility by giving it a waiver like we're just not sure what it is so they don't label it. I do that in my reveals. If I am not sure what it is, I won't label it at all. Just be honest.

[Korbus]

As for the figure in the thermal with the hot "2", I highly doubt that was Grant. The first thing those guys assume when they see something like that is reflection, without fail. Grant must have been in a different position or stance compared to this supposed "reflection" because both of them were pretty blown away. Also note that the figure disappeared when they took another look through the thermal.

Check that out and see if it gives you pause to reconsider your position at all. I think it is, at minimum, an interesting image.

Ps: My apologies for the smaller sized photo. There's a better image of it on page 3 of this thread, I believe.

Edited May 26, 2008 by Jason KB

[Pluto-x]

WOW... it does look a lot like Grant. I have to admit!?

[The Paranormal Skeptic]

Well IMO it is Grant. But even though we don't know for sure, it should have never went into evidence just for the fact it looks like his reflection, that alone is reason to rule it out as paranormal evidence. I feel that it was a sloppy mistake by TAPS.

Edited May 26, 2008 by Black_Swamp_Paranormal

[Pluto-x]

Wasn't that particular episode with this piece of evidence when they first introduced the thermal cam as their new tool? They were probably just learning how to use it. You see it on newer episodes all the time where they'll say they see tons of reflections. If it is him, definitely a huge mistake. Your right. It should of been ruled out.

[Wootloops]

No... a more likely explanation is that they save the better episodes for the premiere and finale. They don't always air them in the ordered filmed.... Yeah, the episodes that have two investigaiton are probably in that order, (the first one of the city, then they always talk about, "we left that place and went here... or whatever) but Scifi can just easily pick the order they want the episodes to air in. Why not save the best for last?

The problem was that all the episodes of the season garnered amazing evidence.

[The Paranormal Skeptic]

No excuse they should have been trained and ready to know how dismiss reflections. Honestly I felt they did what they preach against and that is passing off bad evidence. There was room to question and give a logical resonable explaination for this piece of evidence, yet they still considered it paranormal. Very sloppy, but that's my opinion nothing more,

[chewlip]

Check that out and see if it gives you pause to reconsider your position at all. I think it is, at minimum, an interesting image.

Ps: My apologies for the smaller sized photo. There's a better image of it on page 3 of this thread, I believe.

I thought on that episode, that they took time to try and re-create it with reflections and things, and they couldn't.

Here is a clip of it, and the subsequent debunking.

[Plainbob13]

Some people are just very good at attracting paranormal activity to them. There probably is some reasonable explanation but can't put one foward now other than to say I've seen it happen many many times. Some spiritualists claim ghosts can "feel" who is more open to them and are therefore more attracted to attemptiong communication/interaction with those people.

In some cases I do think it's possible, even likely, that someone played a trick or prank or even hoax on TAPS during an investigation and either they didn't catch it or that part was edited out. But I doubt little was a planned and purposeful fakery.

Wow. Then the baldFather and his merry band have to be the best. Cause they seem to find activity everwhere they go.