If you’re already into the swing of the spooky programming available this month, then you’ve probably already caught at least one episode of Ghost Nation. Whether this is your first time watching Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves, and Dave Tango or you’ve been a fan since the previous incarnation of the show, things have changed for the better this year. Don’t worry, it’s as spooky and brilliant as it ever was, but this show is different in some surprising ways. We looked into the changes to the paranormal show and uncovered all the ways Ghost Nation is different from Ghost Hunters. We’ll also explore what it’s like to binge it again and share our observations on the second run-through of the new season.
Fans & Believers
Ghost Hunters premiered on October 6, 2004, and ran until October 26, 2016. Paranormal or not, that’s a decent run for any show. It’s not surprising that a show like GH would be so popular, given that almost half of Americans believe in ghosts and spirits. YouGov and The Huffington Post partnered up briefly back in 2013 to find out how common the belief in the paranormal truly is. They discovered that forty-five percent of people are sure they believe in ghosts. Another twenty-three percent aren’t sure about hauntings but also don’t discount them.
Not quite as many believe that the dead and the living can interact, but it’s still about one in three with another twenty-five percent on the fence. What surprised us most was the fact that about one-third of the people surveyed believe they’ve seen a ghost. Whether or not ghosts exist, an audience of believers is always waiting for something they can relate to. Ghost Hunters and shows like it have always been welcome in spite of what critics and naysayers might think. If you love ghost stories, whether you believe them or not, you certainly aren’t alone.
Ghost Hunters
The original Ghost Hunters show toured a plethora of haunted sites over the twelve years it ran. Stars Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson founded The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) and have worked with plenty of other investigators over the years. Included on that list are two notable members Steve Gonsalves, and Dave Tango. We’ll get back to them in a moment. On Ghost Hunters, they don’t just investigate paranormal activity. They try and disprove it. Despite the scientific approach, taking electromagnetic readings with a KII Meter, using an ion generator that may help spirits manifest, and other genuine scientific devices, skeptics still claim the show wasn’t finding anything real.
On and Off
After eleven seasons, the Ghost Hunters show parted ways with SyFy, though not before becoming the network’s longest-running reality show. However, the show is back this year on A&E. Jason Hawes may be the luckiest and most surprised by all of the success the show has had. He initially didn’t think the show would air for very long. Jason agreed to do it because he wanted to make sure it showed what genuine ghost hunters do to disprove or show evidence of hauntings. Jason isn’t returning to the new Ghost Hunters because he’s moved on to Ghost Nation. Why the big change? Well, it has a lot to do with the differences between the two shows.
Ghost Nation
Jason Hawes says his website still gets over a thousand hits a day. With that many people looking for help or attention, there’s bound to be some nonsense. Quite a few people want their fifteen minutes in the spotlight. However, there’s another underserved group. Some people need intervention and not the kind you get from a counselor, your family, or a rehab center. Some of them have real hauntings, or something unidentified going on that can only be either discounted or handled by paranormal specialists. Ghost Nation seeks to help all the people who can’t solve their own potentially paranormal problems. Unlike the original, they aren’t airing cuts and clips. It’s full footage from end to end. Moreover, they’re helping a whole slew of other paranormal investigators to reopen cases that have gone cold but haven’t been forgotten.
The show focuses on helping real people, especially families who have children affected by inexplicable weirdness. When the episodes end, that’s not the end for the people on the show. This time around, they aren’t going to leave people behind when the director calls, “Cut!” The crew of OG paranormal investigators, Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves, and Dave Tango, will stay in contact with the folks they help. However long it takes to root out the problem and support the people who’re in need, they’ll still be there after the show stops to help.
Another Go-Round
Whether you’ve seen it once and enjoyed the entertainment, or reviewed every detail to pick it apart, the show doesn’t change much in re-watching. Skeptics will always find some flaw or fault to pick at. Intriguingly, the hunters on Ghost Nation welcome that attitude. They want and expect people like us to take the paranormal with a grain of salt. Jason, Dave, and Steve don’t want spectacle for its own sake. They want to dig in and get to the bottom of things. They want answers, just like the people they’re helping. That unique and incredibly honest approach is what gives Ghost Nation its real edge. They don’t need to fake anything when they’re trying to prove there’s nothing to worry about. Though the series isn’t done airing yet, we’re confident in predicting that you can binge this to your heart’s content. It will be the same every time.
Final Thoughts
If you haven’t already watched the premiere of Ghost Nation, which aired last Friday, take the time to enjoy one of the best new ghost shows around. Already a fan of the godfathers of modern ghost hunting? You can enjoy them even more, with better motives, uncut footage, and a great new show. The only real difference is, it’s even better the second time around.
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