Category Archives: Travel Channel

Hotel Paranormal on TRVL

14 Tuesday Jul 2020

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Narrated by Dan Aykroyd, Hotel Paranormal debuted on The Travel Channel, officially known as TRVL, last Saturday, July 11th. Mr. Aykroyd, a serious believer in the paranormal, delivers a tempered dialog drawing viewers into the reenactments of various paranormal phenomena occurring in hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts. The official show website finally loaded just in time for the US debut, https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/hotel-paranormal. The show debuted internationally in Canada and then transitioned to the US market. It’s refreshing to see the cable channel branch out locating fresh faces—and very experienced experts in the field—and trying out new shows.

Dan Aykroyd narrates each episode.

The first season consists of 5 episodes, at least. The first one, “Paranormal Predator,” profiled 3 separate events. The first segment was the longest and retold Frank Ramirez’s chilling stay in a motel in Texas, 2017. This segment was also the most compelling. Actual video and photographs supplemented the story. All three segments featured realistic reenactments with minimal gimmicks.

Three paranormal experts reacted and responded to the segments. Michael J. Worden, author; Tim Weisberg, paranormal expert and radio host; and Linda Zimmerman, paranormal expert, calmly discuss different aspects of the hauntings. They do not overplay the event and speculate dramatically. They appear professional and rationale—something missing in US paranormal TV shows.

New episodes air on TRVL on Saturdays. The episodes replay on the following Sunday. If you missed an episode, view the episode guide https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/hotel-paranormal. For the first episode, the replays are listed here https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/hotel-paranormal/episodes/paranormal-predator.

Here’s the promotional trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9imIqvoo7g

Here’s a teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUrnS1Mxh2k

TRVL has a hit in the making. Polished and slick, Hotel Paranormal channels The Twilight Zone and offers new stories with a film noir touch.

Welcome to Pittsburgh!

07 Thursday Nov 2019

Posted by in Research, Travel Channel

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Tomorrow I head up to Pittsburgh, PA for the annual MAPACA (Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association) Conference. This year I am presenting my paper titled: “Travel Channel: Singlehandedly Delegitimizing the Paranormal Field.” My show is an early Thursday event scheduled at 1:45 PM. Upon my return, I will post excerpts of it. I’m looking forward to returning to Pitt–it has been many decades since I visited.

Hans Holzer: Entertainer Who Embraced the Paranormal

04 Friday Oct 2019

Posted by in discovery channel, Parapsychology, Travel Channel, Uncategorized

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There should be more truth in advertising new TV shows. According to the Discovery Channel, owner of Travel Channel, the new TV series The Holzer Files, is based on newly discovered tapes from Hans Holzer’s most famous cases. Really? They just now found these tapes? I don’t think so. In fact, their press release had several errors or misleading information. However, misleading audiences was nothing new to Holzer, who knew how to entertain.

Holzer died in New York City at the age of 89 in 2009. He was an established author, writing somewhere between 120-140 books on the occult and paranormal. Most of his books focused on the paranormal; however, he wrote several books on witchcraft. His interests were eccentric and varied.

Fleeing with his family from Vienna, Austria in 1938, Holzer was born in 1920. According to Holzer, he held a Master’s degree in Comparative Religion (names vary depending on publications) and a PhD in Parapsychology from the London College of Applied Science. Unfortunately, this school does not exist. In fact, it is doubtful he completed any advanced degrees.

Holzer entered the entertainment business early in his career. His interest in the paranormal shifted his focus to paranormal research-esque. Although Holzer employed several mediums, he merely recorded his investigations and did not conduct much research beyond the visits. Armed with a Polaroid, Holzer shunned all gadgetry. He preferred to take the word of the mediums and never fully validated their observations.

Some say he coined the term “other side,” but this term was already in use. Instead, Holzer popularized the term. He did not like the words “supernatural” or “belief.” One of his famous quotes is: “A ghost is only a fellow human being in trouble.” This may be the case.

He did not create the “Holzer Method,” the process of determining natural vibrations. Further, it is debatable if he actually applied scientific fact to observations/investigations. He is most known for investigating the Amityville house, claiming (erroneously) that Rolling Thunder, a Shinnecock Indian Chief, possessed Ronald DeFeo. It’s a shame. He may have been a qualified paranormal investigator, but his credibility was undermined by his fabrications.

It’s disappointing that Travel Channel is sensationalizing Holzer. Press releases and advertising should not claim that his tapes were recently uncovered. It should have stuck with the truth: A paranormal team is reinvestigating former cases investigated by Holzer.

Loch Ness Mystery: Giant Eel?

06 Friday Sep 2019

Posted by in Animals, Famous Locations, Loch Ness, Travel Channel, Uncategorized

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Tune into the Travel Channel on September 15th for the 2-hour documentary profiling the latest scientific research conducted in search of Nessie. Professor Neil Gemmel, University of Otago (New Zealand), collected 250 samples of DNA from Loch Ness. His team captured, extracted, and sequenced the samples, and the results were announced this week. Gemmel proclaimed, “We’ve used science to add another chapter to Loch Ness’ mystique.”

Turns out the samples support a very large eel swimming in Britain’s largest body of fresh water. Researchers created a comprehensible spectrum of life from the samples. None support a Jurassic-age reptile or unknown sea monster. Instead, the DNA showed that eels were quite plentiful in the loch.

Gemmell concluded that more research is needed. Catch the documentary on your local Travel Channel.

Andry Plantation: 10 Facts Before You View Haunted Towns

22 Saturday Jun 2019

Posted by in Haunted Towns, Hauntings, Historic Places, History, Paranormal, Plantations, Travel Channel, Uncategorized

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Andry Plantation: 10 Facts Before You View Haunted Towns

Season 2 of Haunted Towns, titled “Voodoo on the Bayou” sends the Tennessee Wraith Chasers to the largest slave revolt in American history. (Note: It’s not the largest on North American soil. That distinction goes to the 1739 Stono Rebellion commencing on September 9, 1739—when America was comprised of 13 colonies). The team heads to the Andry Plantation where the “German Coast Uprising of 1811” began.

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10 Facts to Know Before You View:

  1. Louisiana was not part of the Union at the time of the revolt. It was known as Territory of Orleans. It was admitted to the Union on April 30, 1812.
  2. The revolt was coordinated by Charles Deslondes (1780-January 15, 1811). He worked at the Andry Plantation.
  3. Manual Andry built the Andry Plantation in 1793. The main crop was sugar cane. The main house is 3,982 square feet with a separate guest house in back. The plantation is also known as “Woodland.” It makes researching confusing as there is another more well-known and well maintained plantation with the same name.
  4. The main house was built in the French Creole style. The plantation was abandoned in 2004 and is a fixer upper. It was listed for sale in 2016 for $550,000. The owners at that time had the plantation in their family since the 1920s.
  5. The revolt lasted 3 days. It commenced on January 8, 1811 and ended on the 10th.
  6. The path led to New Orleans and included 10 plantations.
  7. Reports vary as to the number of slaves involved. The number sits between 200-500 joining over the 3-day revolt.
  8. Again, numbers vary, but records show that between 20-100 slaves were killed. The heads were placed on poles and displayed. Fifty slaves were captured.
  9. Early Jazz pioneer Edouard (Edward) “Kid” Ory was born in the guest house on Christmas Day 1886.

KidOry

Enjoy the episode.

Mediocrity Is Travel Channel’s Business Plan

05 Wednesday Jun 2019

Posted by in Reviews, Travel Channel, TV Reviews, Uncategorized

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Mediocrity Is Travel Channel’s Business Plan

Travel Channel announced that the subpar and totally faked “paranormal” show Paranormal Caught on Camera has been renewed for a second season, ordering 26 new episodes. Hopefully, they will hire a new slate of “experts” and writers who actually vet and verify these stories.

Stop watching this crap. Travel Channel is single-handedly ruining the paranormal field, which is the basis for my 2019 academic conference presentations. Stay tuned.

Do Better, Travel Channel: The Orb that Didn’t Transform into a Ghost

28 Thursday Feb 2019

Posted by in Paranormal, Travel Channel, Uncategorized

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Do Better, Travel Channel: The Orb that Didn’t Transform into a Ghost

Travel Channel is undermining the paranormal community. The new series Paranormal Caught on Camera is a prime example how. The series debuted last week. There were serious errors and omissions in the researching for that episode. This week the misrepresentations continue in Episode 3. Travel Channel televises some truly compelling paranormal shows. Unfortunately, Paranormal Caught on Camera in not one of them.

Case in point: The video of an orb transforming into a face in a 2016 video. Elaine Hamer, mid-fifties, sought to capture a meteor shower around October 2016 at her Blackwood, South Wales, UK home. She was testing her camera phone at 1 AM on a Saturday morning. Her sister was assisting in the recording. Elaine noticed an orb floating in her dining room. She continued filming as the orb moved throughout the room. The orb transformed into a blurry mist and then appeared to rush the two women. The women scream; the video stopped shortly thereafter.

Elaine’s son-in-law, Jason Hughes, and self-professed Spiritualist uploaded the video to his YouTube channel. (Watch it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxJjfh4FgTU) The story was picked up by a local newspaper and was covered for a hot minute. Some 90,000 views (and 91 thumbs up versus 41 thumbs down) later, the video is now the property of a licensing company.

The video clip was briefly profiled in Episode 3. Afterwards certain people in the paranormal field attested to its authenticity and proclaimed it real and undisputable proof of a ghost. Jason was interviewed via video link to corroborate the proclamations. Sadly, it’s not undisputable.

First, at least one expert based her assessment on the erroneous fact that the video was shot in the daytime, stating that capturing orbs in the daytime is so difficult, thus it must be proof. The video was shot at 1 AM in the morning. At night. In a house. The orb could have easily been a flying bug or dust. Without a proper investigation, no one will know for certain.

Next, the segment fails to specify that the video was shot on a camera phone. Instead, the producers lead the audience to believe it was a digital camera by using the word “camera” instead of “camera phone.” Arguably, this is an important distinction. For one reason, it casts doubt on the story that the then 56-year old woman needed help using the video function on her phone. (Yes, it’s plausible, yet somehow not really)

Finally, the producers and Jason don’t disclose that Jason is a Spiritualist. He’s a believer. There’s nothing wrong with that. The issue is that everything he says will be biased toward his belief that the video is real and that the video captured a ghost. At no point is the video debunked. It is taken at face value, which is not criticism or assessment. It’s going along with the script in order to be on a T.V. show.

I’ve no doubt that the video is real. Yes, a real person videoed on her camera phone what appears to be a white circle moving across a room. That’s not the point. The point is whether or not the orb was an orb (meaning spiritual being taking the form of a ball of light) which transformed into a ghost. After watching the video online a few more times, I’m more convinced that the “ghost” was a reflection. At one point, it looks like a reflection from car lights entering through a window. Without knowing all the circumstances pertaining to the video and conducting subsequent investigations, no one will know for sure. Therefore, it is extremely premature for the experts and the producers to claim this is absolute proof of a ghost. It’s not. Not even close.

Another Segment from Paranormal Caught on Camera Called Out

22 Friday Feb 2019

Posted by in Hoaxes, Poltergeists, Scams, Travel Channel, Uncategorized

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Screen capture of the “poltergeist.”

Another Segment from Paranormal Caught on Camera Called Out

Travel Channel debuted the overhyped series Paranormal Caught on Camera this week. The series profiles numerous “paranormal” incidents occurring around the world. “Experts” are interviewed proclaiming the incidents legitimate with very, very little debunking. That’s a pity. The other day I cast suspicion upon the “Russian Bigfoot” segment. Now I’m calling out the Deerpark CBS School “poltergeist.”

First, I would like to express my deep dismay that no one at the popular cable channel did any Internet searches on these locations. Granted, I hold a M.A. degree in Library Science; however, I’m merely rooting through various credible websites—something someone at Travel Channel should have done.

The segment on the Deerpark CBS School in Cork, Ireland was too contrived. Simply stated: It was too staged. The first video clip showed a rear door slamming closed. Then a set a lockers rocked violently. Papers fell out of another locker adjacent to the rocking set. Finally, a “wet floor” sign aggressively flipped over. In the second video, a chair levitated in the background. A student backpack flew from the top of another set of lockers. Next, a poster flung from the wall. Finally, a chair slid across the floor. All of these are elaborate hoaxes.

Watch the video clips here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tUwg2Q1fKE and https://youtu.be/vh99uSI22BU.

It’s nearly embarrassing to go through the obvious. The dramatic slamming of the door catches the viewer’s attention. The aggressiveness of the rocking lockers is absurd. The papers in the other locker did not come from within the locker. Instead, they appeared to be perched ready to fly out. None of the other items inside were disturbed. The sign was not kicked, as one would expect, but flipped as if connected to wiring. The second video is worse. Most notably are 1) the poster being pulled from the wall (as if the upper corners are connected to wires), and 2) the chair dragged by one leg to the other side of the hallway (again, orchestrated by wires). Wouldn’t a ghost push the chair?

Even without viewing the videos (posted in early October 2017), one should consider the timing of the postings. The school hosted a Halloween event, where tickets were sold, to tour the “haunted” school shortly thereafter. Aaron Wolfe, one of the deputy principals, claimed that administrators just found out that the school was built on the former Green Gallows, a popular historic location where people were hung. In public. In the 19th century when nearly everyone attended public hangings.

The Facts

A school was built on the former grounds of the Green Gallows—just not Deerpark CBS. In 1852, construction began on the Old Greenmount School. In 1855, the school opened as St. Finbarr’s. The street name of Gallows Green Lane was changed to Green Street. (Admittedly, looking online at the old map, the Green Gallows was situated on Bandon Road—still a healthy walk from Deerpark) Deerpark sits on St. Patrick’s Road, a 10-minute walk away.

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Historic Map of Green Gallows area.

Incredulously, Mr. Wolfe attempted to link Deerpark’s building to that of an historic school. Maybe he presumed no one in America would Google it.

This is another example highlighting the egregious errors and misrepresentation of paranormal events to lure viewers to watch mediocre shows. Do better, Travel Channel!