Category Archives: Reality TV

Don’t Feed the Buell

15 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by in Famous People, In the News, Paranormal, paranormal state, Reality TV, Uncategorized

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Don’t Feed the Buell

According to the Urban Dictionary, the saying “Don’t feed the bears” is a cautionary statement made to E.R. doctors who may over-prescribe narcotics. “Hey, doc, don’t feed the bears” means don’t prescribe the meds or even handout the meds because the bears get hungry and will return for more.

An earlier metaphor using the same words directed people to not feed the bears (in this case people without money to pay for food) because they will remain lazy and not seek employment.

Although the meanings have evolved, the message is clear: Do Not Feed. Alternately, feed at own risk. Over the past week, my social media feed has quite a few references to Ryan Buell. After reading the posts, all I could think was: Please people. If you’re really a fan, stop feeding him. Do. Not. Feed. The. Buell.

Ryan D. Buell erupted on the paranormal scene while a college student. He founded the Paranormal Research Society (PRS) at Pennsylvania State University, a.k.a. PennState). The group garnered media attention and his popular paranormal TV show Paranormal State debuted in 2007. The show lasted 6 seasons, ending in 2011. Ryan enjoyed great status as a young Catholic man seeking answers from the paranormal world. He made connections with psychic Chip Coffey and paranormal investigator and demonologist Lorraine Warren. By all appearances he was setting up himself for a lucrative career in the paranormal field post graduation. However, his life took a turn. He didn’t graduate. Instead, he lost sight of himself and the road he was to follow.

The popular show ended in 2011. He quickly began to profit by selling DVDs of the show, books, and the like. Sadly, a lot of the items were paid for but not being shipped. This began to concern his fans. Shortly after, Buell announced he was battling pancreatic cancer.

In an effort to jumpstart his career, he announced a paranormal roadshow titled “Conversations with the Dead” in 2014. He booked other paranormal celebrities to join, he created a schedule with venue locations, he sold tickets, and then he cancelled. Unfortunately, he failed to reimburse most of his fans who had already pre-purchased tickets and paraphernalia. It ultimately cost him his friendship with Chip Coffey.

Last September 18, Buell was arrested and extradited back to Pennsylvania. He was facing 2 felony charges related to his refusal or inability to return a rental car. Eventually, bail was lowered and he bonded out. His hearing was last November. Today, Buell is out of jail.

There’s a great deal of speculation about Ryan’s erratic behavior. His own mother publicly implored his fans to stop enabling him. She drew attention by stating he wasn’t battling cancer but something else. Fans quickly surmised it was alcohol or drug abuse. Ryan seemed to lay low and remained silent…until this week.

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Ryan is back on Facebook. He is hocking signed copies of his book. For $45, he will send you a signed book. He’s even posted a video showing him mailing a package out. Undoubtedly to restore faith to all those people whom he stiffed in 2014. Although troubling, this isn’t the most serious issue. He is now live streaming Q&A (Question and Answer) sessions via Facebook. I watched a few.

He needs to stop. Merely looking at him, one can surmise there is something wrong. The 34-year-old 6’2” man has lost a lot of weight. A lot. He appears drowsy. I’m not a drug counselor; however, he was slurring his words. He looked out of it. Actually, he lacked focus. And it’s sad.

I wish that he would take time off, repair his personal life, fix his mental health, heal his body, and get it together. His fans are rooting for him to pull through this. But his fans are concerned. Very concerned. One can scroll through the comments which overwhelmingly beg and urge him to seek professional help. He won’t get the help until he is forced to. He must forage for food on his own. Don’t feed the Buell. If he is to recover, he must do it himself.

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Haunted Plank from the Amityville House Makes Travel Channel Debut

02 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by in Architecture, Curiosities, Famous Locations, Haunted Houses, Hoaxes, Museums, Paranormal, Reality TV, Travel Channel, Uncategorized

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Haunted Plank from the Amityville House Makes Travel Channel Debut

Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum returned last month with new episodes. The February 9th episode titled “Amityville Haunting, Ghost Army, and Fugitive Golfer” highlighted a piece of wood from the infamous Amityville Horror house. The demonic possession story was a hoax (see previous 2014 article at https://thehauntedlibrarian.com/2014/03/19/amityville-horror-hoax/); however, it doesn’t mean that this piece of wood doesn’t give off bad vibes. It means there may be another story, based on facts, that should be considered.

Interest in Amityville has not ebbed since the 1977 publication of the book, The Amityville Horror. The movie franchise alone has grossed over $170 million dollars. Add TV adaptations and books, and that’s one healthy moneymaker. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the book’s publication. Expect more media coverage.

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Given the interest in Amityville, the house makes the requisite rounds on paranormal shows. This is not the first, probably not the last either, time that Travel Channel has showcased the Amityville house. Paranormal Paparazzi (2012) incorporated the house in 3 segments in 2 episodes. One was particularly insightful. Kathy Lutz’s son and George’s step-son Christopher Quaratino claimed that George practiced black witchcraft in the home, causing the paranormal activity to spike. Needless to say, expect more books and versions to emerge.

Greg Newkirk, director of the Traveling Museum of the Paranormal and Occult, appeared on the Mysteries at the Museum episode discussing the plank. Greg and Dana Matthews co-founded the website Week in Weird, www.weekinweird.com, in 2007. Both Greg and Dana contribute articles, and postings are weekly. The articles are thought-provoking and quirky, while remaining true to the blog format: concise. The site has advertisements, a source of revenue; however, they don’t disrupt the reading of the articles. They’ve segued their site into 3 entities: Week in Weird (@WeekinWeird), Planet Weird (@WeirdHQ), and The Traveling Museum of the Paranormal & Occult (@theparamuseum). In 2013, they created the traveling museum to take their stories and artifacts on the road. They’ve collected artifacts from past paranormal investigations and allow the public to handle them. The museum is the modern-day version of curiosity cabinets which featured oddities and bizarre items and peaked in interest during the Victorian era. Visit http://paramuseum.com/ for 2017 dates and more information.

While it is easy to fall back on popular tales, the paranormal world has so much more to be explored. The Amityville plank is a reminder that the original story was made-up and exaggerated for profit. Instead of focusing on the heinous murders and concocting reasons for a demonic possession, readers should question whether George exploited the murders while practicing black magic. He didn’t move into a haunted house; however, he may have created the negative energy by dabbling in something beyond his comprehension.

Evidence Inadmissible in a Court of Law

17 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by in Dead Files, Murders, Reality TV, Travel Channel, TV Reviews, Uncategorized

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Evidence Inadmissible in a Court of Law

Some of The Dead Files episodes carry a disclosure stating that the evidence discovered and discussed are inadmissible in a court of law. Essentially, the disclosure means there may not be proof of a crime or proof to obtain an arrest and conviction. It’s an important disclosure. It also prevents Amy Allen from claiming a specific person committed a crime on TV. She may theorize; however, she shouldn’t conclusively make these assertions. In most of their cases, stories are collected and presented to Amy for possible confirmation that a crime may have been committed. In “Feeding the Fire,” the stories lead the viewers to believe that the man who confessed to the crime really didn’t commit the crime. This is a serious non-paranormal problem. Too many murders remain unresolved by people making false confessions.

This episode attempts to link the murder of Linda Jane Phillips to Henry Lee Lucas, a one-eyed drifter who claimed to killing hundreds, if not thousands, of women. Instead of setting the matter to rest, it creates many more unanswered questions.

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Linda Jane Phillips was born on October 27, 1943. The 26-year-old school teacher disappeared on August 8, 1970. Her mutilated body was found on August 10. She sustained 26 stab wounds. Further, she was sexually abused. Her death was established as August 9th. The case sat cold for 14 years.

Enter Henry Lee Lucas. Lucas had already killed his mother. He served time and was released in 1970. By 1975, he was back in jail. In 1984, he confessed to a slew of murders. Linda’s was one he listed.

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Lucas’ confession may have been false. The historian interviewed on the episode stated that police were unsure Lucas actually committed the murder. This was not always the case. Police in 1984 were all but certain. As proof, Lucas was able to discuss elements of the case; however, none of it was withheld from the media or it was things killers may know. Further, Lucas self-confessed to these crimes. Back in 1984, Kaufman County D.A. William Conradt seemed overly confident they caught their man. Conradt went on the record professing his firm belief Lucas did in fact murder Linda. He based his opinion on Lucas’ now famous quote: “There are just some things so terrible that you can’t forget them.”

Conradt was overzealous to close this case. He should have been more skeptical of the unsolicited confession. It is clear that Lucas sought “serial killer” status. Lucas’ number of victims shifted from 360 to 600 to 3,000. He recanted many of his “confessions.” In Texas, he was convicted of killing 11 people and received the death sentence for one. Then Governor George W. Bush commuted the sentence to serve 6 life sentences plus 210 years. Lucas died in jail of a heart attack in 2001 at the age of 64.

This episode highlights the ultimate tragedy in murder cases. Many self-professed killers didn’t commit the crimes. They were seeking fame, glory, audience appeal. Too many police departments are satisfied with confessions and refuse to re-open cases. The tragedy becomes two-fold. 1) Police departments lack interest in solving cases where the confessed killer turns out not to be the actual killer. And 2) Momentary closure pales in comparison when the victims’ families realize the killer is still at large. That just may be the case for Linda Jane Phillips.

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“Feeding the Fire”

17 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by in Curiosities, Dead Files, Paranormal, Reality TV, Travel Channel, Uncategorized

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“Feeding the Fire”

The Dead Files proffers interesting cases with unique perspectives on possible paranormal events. Nearly every episode adds to the paranormal discussion by highlighting a different possible reason for the encounters. Season 9, episode 11 “Feeding the Fire” was filmed in Kaufman, Texas. A 60-year-old man was convinced the paranormal activity ended his marriage. He lives on a large lot in one mobile home, while his ex-wife and three daughters line in another. Some of the pieces of “evidence” supporting the activity were images from phantom bruising. Phantom bruising crops up in several other TV series and movies. They are not immediate links to hauntings.

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Phantom bruising are bruises that appear for no particular reason. Rather the reason is unknown to the “victim.” Rarely discussed on ghost hunting shows is that phantom bruising is explainable in most circumstances. Legitimate reasons include vitamin deficiency, exercising, affects from medication, signs from aging, and diabetes. To be clear: Most phantom bruising is caused by real world reasons. That’s not saying that all phantom bruising can be explained away.

Vietnamese people call unexplained bruising “ghost bites.” These bruises show up in various locations—on the thigh, under the arm, etc. Noting locations helps debunk these events. It is helpful to take pictures to build a case for paranormal bruising of unknown origins. As always, document everything. As with a crime scene, each piece taken together creates the larger story. See the next blog on what I mean.

 

Ghost Brothers Returning on March 10, 2017

09 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by in Ghost Brothers, Ghost Hunting, Paranormal, Reality TV, Uncategorized

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Ghost Brothers Returning on March 10, 2017

Destination America’s sweetheart paranormal show featuring three friends jumps channels to TLC, premiering on “Friday Night Supernatural Strand” on March 10, 2017.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Ghost Brothers consists of Dalen Spratt, Juwan Mass, and Marcus Harvey. They’re bringing a unique sense of humor to “hit the most haunted places in America.” Ghost Brothers adds diversity to the paranormal lineup. What makes them unique is that they are African-American males hunting ghosts. This is a needed departure from the predominantly white male casts dominating the television genre. Paranormal investigators are a growing demographic that is becoming more diverse. This is welcomed news since the paranormal activity in the United States may include Native Americans, European explorers, Spanish Conquistadors, Civil War indentured slaves, and those of us with immigrant backgrounds.

While the inclusion of new team is exciting news, their locations are lackluster. There are so many supposedly haunted locations across the country, audiences are left wondering why they are investigating over-publicized spots. It’s a shame. In order for this show to break new ground, it must go to new places.

Dead Files Confronts a Psychic Vampire

27 Monday Feb 2017

Posted by in Psychics, Reality TV, Travel Channel, Uncategorized

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Dead Files Confronts a Psychic Vampire

Amy Allan returned to Florida in Season 8, Episode 10 show titled “It Feeds—Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.” The husband contacted the shows’ producers claiming that he and his family were encountering some strange occurrences. Little did they know, they were in the presence of a psychic vampire.

Spoiler Alert! The following blog discusses some of Amy’s conclusions from the episode.

The new episode revolved around a family whose daughter experienced scratches and the son was possibly bitten. Surprisingly, it took the attack on the 18-year-old son for the father to reach out to Travel Channel’s popular paranormal show. At the “Reveal,” Amy addressed the mother stating that she was a psychic vampire.

Important Note: Psychic vampires are not the ones discussed by Internet conspiracy nutcase Alex Jones. Instead, they are people who physically and/or emotionally exhaust their family and friends. Psychic vampires (psy vamp for short) are also called energy vampires. It is a living person who drains, thus feeds off, the energy of another. The “vampire” sucks the life force from someone else. Often the vampire doesn’t realize she is actually draining the energy from another. A classic trait of the vampire is a self-focused individual who wants to be the focus of attention. She may be depressed, angry, and negative. She thrives on the chaos of constant drama.

In this case, Amy confronted the mother as the psychic vampire and recommended she seek psycho-therapy. The daughter was the unintended “victim” of the attacks. Here, Amy suggested the daughter pursue Reiki, a holistic healing technique from Japan. Time will tell, possibly on Dead Files Revisited, whether the treatments worked.

Would You Kill Bigfoot? Alternatively, Should Bigfoot be Killed?

29 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by in Animals, Bigfoot, Conspiracy Theories, Destination America, In the News, Reality TV, Uncategorized

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Would You Kill Bigfoot? Alternatively, Should Bigfoot be Killed?

The philosophical question usually arises in a classroom, with a purely hypothetical situation. However, Destination America’s new TV show Killing Bigfoot attempts to tackle it.

The first season, 6-part series Killing Bigfoot debuts on February 4th. It follows the Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization (GCBRO) as they track down and ultimately kill Bigfoot. They justify this decision to fatally wound the elusive creature because it has reportedly been slaughtering farm animals and pets, while attacking homes. No actual proof exists to show this cryptozoological creature in the act, which has caused some tension in the field.

Bigfoot is a humanoid creature standing between 7-8 feet in height. He is a hairy beast who prefers a solitary life. Hence the inability to capture him on video, film, or camera phone. Native American legends told of such a beast, along with early American settlers. Since 1967, there have been over 3,000 sightings across the United States. However, no one has ever captured one. Nor have any skeletal remains been located.

In 2016, GCBRO started receiving reports on possible sightings. And the ethical/philosophical questions arose. Do they merely capture the beast? Or gun it down? Predictably, the club wants to kill it. They claim that a nuisance animal can be hunted down and killed. On the other hand, former group member Dr. Samuel Webb Sentell advises not to kill it. He argues that Bigfoot is classified as a humanoid, part man/part beast. Since these animals are reclusive, they show signs of intelligence. They live in families. Simply put: Killing Bigfoot equates to murder.

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The GCBRO rebuttal is that a killing is required to show science that Bigfoot exists. Further, they would like to harvest him in the name of science. Wow.

The first obstacle is locating the humanoid. Seems that the 6 episodes spend most of the time attempting to find one. The pesky, elusive creature truly enjoys hiding. Maybe he can hear and understand just what the hunt is about. And he objects.

Tune in February 4th on Destination America at 9 PM. Let me know what you think.

Bruce Campbell Is Seeking A Few Horror Freak Fans

18 Wednesday Jan 2017

Posted by in Casting Calls, Famous People, Horror Movies, In the News, Reality TV, Uncategorized

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Bruce Campbell Is Seeking A Few Horror Freak Fans

 

Comic-Con royalty Bruce Campbell is making a call. Are you prepared to answer? Last month Mr. Campbell posted a teaser about his new competition reality show centered on the horror movie genre. Several entertainment sites have posted brief summaries with a link to the Pitman Casting application. Be prepared; it’s thorough. For any horror movie aficionado, applying is mandatory. Heck. I did it.

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In 1979, Bruce Campbell with his friends Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert raised $300,000 to produce the low-budget horror classic The Evil Dead (1981). Written and directed by Raimi, The Evil Dead is set in a cabin deep in the wilderness where five college friends head for a mini-vacation only to encounter an evil entity, who kills them off one-by-one. Bruce Campbell played Ashley “Ash” J. Williams, a role that garnered him horror fan royalty. The movie earned $2.4 million in the US in its first run. Since then, it has earned over $29 million worldwide and spawned several sequels and the reboot TV series Ash vs Evil Dead on STARZ. Bruce Campbell brings a campiness to the character of Ash. He’s quirky, odd, with just enough bravado to save his life. He would be the perfect host for a locked-in group horror experience. Luckily, he will host and produce the series.

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The firm deadline is February 1, 2017 at 6 PM PST; however, early submissions are encouraged. Take a day or two to complete. There are short and long form questions, plus you must supply three people to provide character references, as well as two photographs and a copy of your driver’s license. Only people above the age of 18 will be considered. Pitman Casting reserves the right to request a psych and mental evaluations in the second round of casting.

Specifically, the production company is looking for people who are horror fans. Filmmakers, bloggers, cosplay actors/actresses, make-up people, paranormal enthusiasts, horror experts, and people who have growing paranormal collections. The ad does not state how many people will be selected, nor the number of locations for filming. Ultimately, the “horror freak fan will spend the night in a haunted location with Bruce Campbell.” And for a horror fan-girl like me, it would be groovy!

 

Follow the link to apply: http://ihorror.com/want-cast-horror-house-reality-show-bruce-campbell-heres/

True Ghost Stories Debuts with Sefton Paranormal

25 Friday Sep 2015

Posted by in Reality TV, True Ghost Stories

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True Ghosts Stories Debuts with Sefton Paranormal

Pamela May Sefton Paranormal

Pamela May, Sefton Paranormal.

True Ghost Stories TV series debuted Thursday, September 24th with a 42 minute free streaming episode from Sefton Paranormal (Liverpool, England). To view the episode, click https://www.teslawolfmedia.com/free-sample-streams/.

True Ghost Stories is a new paranormal reality series produced by Larry Overman, Crescent Mine owner from Ghost Mine, and Sherri Emily, longtime paranormal investigator. The concept is simple: Overman and Emily assembled paranormal teams from across the globe and will feature a team a week. In addition, the teams will produce episodes and broadcast via Tesla Wolf Media. This unique endeavor shows how paranormal teams operate and investigate private and public locations.

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True Ghost Stories premieres first episode.

The first team featured is Sefton Paranormal, from England. Sefton Paranormal investigated The Dome, Grand Central Hall in Liverpool, England. The episode includes footage from the investigation, as well as, post-investigation evidence review. This is a refreshing episode and lacks cheesy re-enactments and over-processed “gotcha” moments usually attributed to large-scale reality show productions. Definitely worth the view!