I've been a long time fan of Syfy's hit TV show Ghost Hunters since the very first season. Back then, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson were often shown working during the day for Roto-Rooter, while at night investigating the paranormal. The show has certainly come a long way in seven years. Back then, the TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) team worked out of a little trailer. But now they're headquartered in their own brick building. They've upgraded with suped-up vans with all of the latest equipment, and the show has become its own franchise, spawning two spin-offs: Ghost Hunters International and Ghost Hunters Academy.
On August 15th, I had the opportunity to attend a media press conference with two members of the Ghost Hunters, the lovely Amy Bruni and the witty Adam Berry.
Having grown up in a house that might have been haunted, young Amy Bruni and her father ghost hunted on their own. Her hobby became a passion, and soon she was part of the TAPS West Team. Ms. Bruni first joined the Ghost Hunters in Season Four when the TAPS team made a trip out to California. Her presence gave the show a big shot of much-needed girl power, joining the equally awesome Kris Williams and often teaming up during investigations.
Adam Berry also experienced the paranormal as a child, but didn't have his life-transforming experience until after college. Adam competed for a spot on the TAPS team on the show Ghost Hunters Academy. He beat seven other cadets and made his appearance on Ghost Hunters in 2010. This seventh season is his first full season as a member of TAPS.
During the press conference, it was obvious that Amy and Adam were not only engaging, informative, and genuine, but they had a fantastic sense of humor. Their work might take them to the darkest corners of the country while searching for evidence of ghosts, but their ability to pull together as a team and have fun at the same time made them a joy to speak with.
When asked about some of the antics not often seen on camera...
Adam Berry: I mean [Amy's] always teasing me and playing tricks on me without me knowing it because I'm very gullible at times. And so she'll say things to me and I'll believe her immediately. And then she's like 'No, I'm not being for real of course.'
Amy Bruni: We just did an investigation recently where I stuck all this gaff tape on Adam's back and he investigated all night with this gaff tape on his back. And when he finally found it, he was like, 'How long has that been there?' and I said, 'It's been at least four hours and it's totally going to be on television.'
The show hasn't been without controversy. Skeptics galore allege that the show is faked - something TAPS members, especially founders Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, have vehemently denied. When asked about how they deal with skeptics...
Amy: Well, honestly sometimes I fell that being a skeptic is healthy - being a healthy skeptic. But then there are some that I think are almost taking it too far. They're very extreme in their skepticism, and they're not open to anything. A ghost could walk up to them and tap them on the shoulder and they'd still try to think of some sort of alternative explanation for it.
We're not out to prove ourselves. What we do is we collect our evidence, we investigate, we try to help our clients and we show what we find. And then we just kind of leave it up to everybody else to make their call on it. We just like to keep an open mind about it and entertain the notion that there might be something beyond what we think is there.
The investigation we see on TV fails to show all hard work involved behind the scenes. When asked to describe what an actual taping of an investigation was like, Amy and Adam gave us the lowdown...
Amy: Each case usually takes a week or two, so we're in that area for a week or two between the investigation, the analysis, the researching. We get [to the site] early. We're usually rolling up anywhere between 1-3 in the afternoon, and we're there until 5 or 6 in the morning. Some investigations are so large, we'll do two nights, but you really can't tell on the show. But it's a very long process.
Adam: And of course if continues after [the investigation]. It's all about going over the evidence and you have days of review to do, and it's very very exciting because every case is like a little Christmas present that you get to open and unwrap very slowly and then you find out.
Amy: Very slowly. We try to only do three or four hours of review at a time and take a break, get out, breathe some fresh air, see the sun every once in a while and go back at it.
With the second half of the season about to premier this week, Amy and Adam conveyed how excited they were about the new episodes. When asked what makes the upcoming season stand above compared to past seasons...
Amy: The evidence. Even Steve [Gonsalves] has said that this, as far as evidence goes, is the best evidence he's seen since he started. So I think as the equipment progresses, our ability to collect evidence progresses it has been pretty crazy. I just feel like the activity is really perking up this season.
Adam: Hands down, absolutely.
The mid-season return of Ghost Hunters premiers on Syfy this Wednesday, August 24th at 9/8 CST.
Here's an awesome preview of the premiere:
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