Help Get ‘Extreme Paranormal’ Off The Networks
A&E's Extreme Paranormal
If you have not read my review of the show, please do so.
After I talked about the show’s premiere episode I did not want to mention the show again and give anymore publicity to the show.
I recently read about an online petition that is going around that seeks to to get the producers of the show to remove it from the A&E network. It reads:
To: The A&E Television Network, Painless Entertainment, Brownstone Entertainment, Jim Casey, Joe Carolei, Drew Brown, Rob Hammersley, Robert Sharenow, Elaine Frontain Bryant
We the undersigned respectfully order that the the television show “Extreme Paranormal” be removed from the network immediately and all production of the show cease immediately as well.The show does NOT represent the true paranormal researcher, nor is it responsible ghost hunting. And it definitely is not adding any scientific validity to our field! But instead it makes a mockery of the field we all try to make as professional and credible as we can. No legitimate paranormal group acts the way that was displayed during this show.
This show is a prime example of why the public has such a bad perception of paranormal investigators and investigations. The show is dangerous and concerning and we respectfully order that it be removed from the network and all production on the show cease immediately.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
The last episode I watched was the “Voodoo” episode. I did not finish it because of the racist message it conveyed. Here we have men that have no idea what they are doing paranormal wise, yet think that they know a thing about Voodoo. In the show, they paint the religion as evil. Showing the stereotypical rituals that have been demonized by Hollywood.
The origins (and purpose) of Voodoo is not as it’s painted. It’s a very good religion when you get down to its core. Although there are a lot of denominations of it, the origins are not as “theatrical” as painted out to be.
Voodoo’s core belief is not about evil!
Extreme Paranormal focused on such theatrics. Adding “spooky” sound effects, rituals and focusing only on the negative; the team decides to bury one of their team members in their dire efforts to bring out the demons.
I’m seriously disgusted by this racist act. So much that I didn’t finish it and vowed to not write about them. Obviously I’m writing about then now, but it’s for a good cause.
If you feel that this show devalues parapsychology or the paranormal in general, please sign this petition.
You know you’re doing bad when even Chris Moon is shaking his head at you!
Written by Javier Ortega - javier@ghosttheory.com
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I agree & lets not forget Ghost Lab and all the other joke paranormal shows with kids and teens
Worse yet, did you see Stacy Horn’s latest post.
Stacy Horn – Extreme Paranormal and Bonita City
Her blog title makes more sense – Unbelievable because it’s unbelievable that they haven’t already yanked it.
Atrueoriginall,
I did read it. I saw the link from your website. (good work by the way)
I did not comment on it because it seems like Stacy Horn did a biased review on the show.
It’s a horrible show. They have a horrible team and an equally horrible radio program.
-Javier
That’s weird because I didn’t post it. I’ve got other Stacy Horn stuff in there but I refused to post that one just because, like you, I don’t want them to get any ink. Maybe you were reading something else of hers in there.
Atrueoriginall,
OK maybe that was it. I remember finding Stacy’s site through your site.
-Javier
Honestly, why would you care if it’s on the air? There are a few shows that I wished were off the air, but that’s just wrong, bc people have the right to watch what ever they want. If you don’t like the show, then don’t watch it. Now that I think about it, there’s two shows about ghost hunting that you don’t like…one being Extreme Paranormal and the other being the Penn State kids. I’ll admit, both shows I could care less about, but there’s one that i really like called, Ghost Adventures…which I find to be the best one out there. I use to watch Ghost Hunters, but I just got bored with the same old stuff. As for Ghost Adventures, I read that you didn’t like this one either, but I found it to be very entertaining, especially when I saw that brick being thrown across the room…still I always wondered if this show was fake, but then again if it was proved it was, then i’m sure it would lose ratings.
All I have to say is thank goodness that somebody is finally doing something to try and get this disgrace of a show off the air. I would love to hear a response and an apology to all of the real paranormal investigators and to the families of the deceased that these people are essentially making fun of from A&E.
Tazz,
I think this particular show is very disrespectful and racist in a way.
Yea, there are shows that I dislike and think are fake and don’t watch them for those same reasons.
Extreme Paranormal is on another level. They desecrate graves, demonize religions (that are not Christian/Catholic) and show disrespect for the dead and their families.
To top it off, shows like these is what gives the paranormal a bad name.
This is why I’m so adamant about getting this show off the air. The rest of the shows, I just don’t watch.
-Javier
Oh Okay. To be honest, I only caught the show a couple of times, so I really don’t have much to go on. I was also wondering what you thought about the show, Ghost adventures? Are these guys for real, or what? I actually like the show regardless, but after seeing the brick rising and being tossed make me a believer….also, the part where the ghost follows the guy out of the room.
Tazz,
I’ve seen “Ghost Adventures” twice I think. I remember not liking it. I don’t really want to judge it since I’ve not seen much of the show, this is why I rarely mention them.
One scene that stands out is this one….quite funny how he overreacts:
-Javier
You used the word “racist” solely as a means to incite. In order to apply it here, one would have to be in possession of an “Extreme Dictionary.” There was nothing about ethnicity addressed, overtly or tacitly, by this episode of Extreme Paranormal.
Did it not occur to you that this episode of EP actually raised the discussion about the applicability of the rituals of the Voodoo religion to paranormal research? Did you miss the fact that the Voodoo priestess interviewed for a large segment of the episode did so willingly, and that she was aware of what these investigators were attempting to do (as she acknowledged)?
May I further ask if it is not YOU who is (unintentionally, I hope) engaging in pejorative speech by trying to defend Voodoo from charges that you insist the show is making? The ritual shown was unusual, but no one (except you) has raised the possibility of its being “evil.”
Btw, The only thing i’m starting to hate about Ghost Adventures is the new equipment they come up with, it’s just ridiculous. Yea, I have to agree, these guys come off as tough guys trying to get the ghosts to do them harm, and then when something does happen they go off running scared. Oh and another thing they do that’s BS is when Zach get’s possessed….that’s just taking it over board. Regardless, the show is very entertaining, and I would want anyone to vote it off the air.
See More Than Your Hate,
I used the word “racist” because of what they portrayed the episode to be. It was an episode about demonic forces, “evil” voodoo priestess and one of the team members being “attacked” by these evil forces.
The ritual shown was unusual, but no one (except you) has raised the possibility of its being “evil.”
Are you kidding me? There is a strong racial undertone. Unless I missed the part in which the actually educated the public about the origins of Voodoo/Juju/Hoodoo, and not roll around in the ground, saying that they have been attacked while praying to the deities. Did they show how the religion (like all other religions) is balanced by good and evil? No. They only showed the part in which they tried to bring out the evil priestess and ended up getting attacked. The evilness of Voodoo. Give me a break
To me it was clear that these guys were out to put on a show about demons and evil forces using ancient African religions as the catalyst.
If you want to defend the show and say that it’s educational and raises intelligent points about Voodoo rituals and paranormal investigation, then that’s your prerogative.
-Javier
Javier Ortega
Do you work for paranormal investigators ghost haunting?
You know the show they debunk everything and show nothing to prove what it is, because a bald man and his sidekick are plumbers… are you filling out petitions for them too? Or do you support them?
Because I think they should be kicked off actually because their show is a joke… especially when they don’t believe in ghost… and if they don’t believe in ghost, how can they be ghost haunters…
empathy,
Naw..I don’t support anyone.
I’m sure that there are a lot of horrible shows out there, but none as demeaning as Extreme Paranormal.
-Javier
I agree with the “Dont like it? Don’t watch it!” mindset in a lot of cases, but Extreme Paranormal negatively affects paranormal investigators whether they watch the show or not. Public perception of the paranormal investigation field is shaped by what people see on tv. It’s one thing to see tv investigators do stupid things like use the equipment wrong (the average person won’t know that, anyway) or even run screaming from a ghost. It’s a whole other thing to see tv investigators setting fires and otherwise vandalizing the building they are investigating, and doing idiotic and dangerous things like burying each other alive, all for the sake of “research”. After seeing jackassed behavior like that, the average person is going to think twice before calling a paranormal investigator in to check out a possible haunting.
sparrow,
Thank you! your comment makes sense and makes a valid argument.
-Javier
Extreme Paranormal is not scheduled on A & E’s schedule for the 17th. The 24th is not up yet. The only thing I see are repeats of the first two shows being shown on Sunday.
[...] two here. If you feel the same way I do and you think this crosses the line in more ways than one, check out the article over at GhostTheory.com and use the link for the petition that has been posted or create your own personal letter and let [...]
Extreme Paranormal was a “special two-night event” not a regularly scheduled program. I’m pretty sure we won’t be seeing anymore episodes unless for some strange reason, A&E actually thinks the show was good and orders more.
A&E cares little about validity or offending anyone. As long as they make money and get advertising they will keep it on. I often notice cable channels that bleep profanity but leave in GD’s or JC’s which offends me deeply as a Christian. Frankly I just turn the channel.
However, if you really want to get rid of the show you need to contact the advertisers and threaten to boycott their products. If there is enough pressure these companies will threaten to pull ads which will in turn cause A&E to act. The all mighty dollar is the key.
Any other way is just not going to do it.
Sparrow: What point are you making? Are you saying that people might not take ghost hunting seriously? IMO, not even the real paranormal investigators know if they’re doing it right, so how can you judge anybody elses work in the field when there’s no sure way of investigating ghost.
Javier:I can’t seriously say that just bc this show exploits the Voodoo religion makes it racist. Unlike other Caribbean religions, it has a large, highly-developed system of belief relating to the dark side of the spirit. Black magic is practiced by priests and by secret societies that splinter off from the main communities. The existing belief in black magic, though not practiced regularly, is a source of many misconceptions about voodoo. Popular works of fiction and nonfiction and many movies (”Angel Heart,” for one) have strengthened these misconceptions and false notions about cannibalism and zombification. So maybe the guys were doing their show based on a Voodoo priestess who was presumed evil or on the dark side. I just don’t feel that they have to justify their selves by explaining to you the history on Voodoo.
Tazz,
I disagree.
The fact that these guys went to the site were many were buried, desecrated the land just to be “extreme” tells me otherwise. The fact that the team based the whole investigation on the “Evil” voodoo priestess Julia Brown instead of researching who she really was tells me otherwise.
The referred to the Creole grave site as “unholy grounds”. Why unholy? Maybe it was a bad choice of words on their part, but it bothers me.
Or the fact that they asks the spirits of these Creole people to appear before them…then when they see a shadow these guys chase the shadow yelling “Come back here you son of a bitch!”.
To you it might seem like they are just disrespectful, but to me their actions remind me of something else.
-Javier
I defintely signed this petition. I just saw this show the other day and was in shock at how they handled themselves. Even if this petition doesn’t work they will fail on their own. I certainly hope this isn’t how the public expects investigators to behave!
“Come back here you son of a bitch!”…..lol, that’s true entertainment….lmao. On Ghost Adventures, they do the same thing by provoking the spirits…well they atleast provoke the ones that do harm onto the living. Still, it’s a new spin on Ghost hunting, and I hear you on the disrespecting the dead, but isn’t that what all ghost hunters are doing when they don’t let the dead rest. Also, what i do like about the show is that they do things that i would never even think abouty doing, bc I don’t want to have it come back onto myself….but if they do it, hey, better them then me.
As for them not doing any research on the location….how do you come to believe this is true. I did some research and found some interesting on her, so i’m sure they did too. Although, I didn’t see anything on her being a Voodoo Priestess, but then again, if she did what she did then how can you deny she isn’t one.
http://plantationadventure.com/tour_14.asp
“ITS ALL TRUE!! Learn the chilling story of the lost city of Frenier and the Great West Indies Storm of 1915. Hear about the legendary Julia Brown, who predicted on the day she died, she would take half of Frenier with her, and did.. Her funeral was destroyed when wind and a wall of water from the storm carried and chased hundreds of people to their grisley death in the depths of Manchac Swamp. View crosses of graves of victims since reclaimed by Manchac swamp. Hear the stories of the multiple sightings of spirits in these swamps.VIEW THE MASS GRAVES of the victims of 1915 storm hidden in the depths of the Haunted swamp.
You are just stupid tossing around the “racist” word whenever its something that dont fit you.
The word “racist” loses its meaning more and more when people are using it in such a vague and questionable context.
I dont really think the guys are racists, they´re just immature and stupid.
But that doesnt make them racists, does it?
I think they called the place unholy bc of where it was located…it was a swamp where hundred of people parished. It wasn’t like it was blessed land , a cemetary, nor near a church, so IMO a swamp full of dead people who only ended up there was bc of a rogue wave makes it unholy. Would you call the 911 Twin Towers a holy place?
@JP
@Tazz
I’m Mexican and live in L.A. I can’t help but to look at situations like this and see the racial undertone. Here is an example:
Let’s pretend I was a “ghost hunter”.
Never in my right mind would I go to Egypt, do and investigation with a camera crew following me and start talking about this place being unholy. Never would I introduce the ancient belief or religion in a negative aspect, nor I would call the spirits of the people “sons of bitches”. Or even call their land unholy because it does not relate to my own believes.
You say that they are not racist, but are “immature and stupid”. You’re right. But it does not mean that they still don’t convey that racist undertone in their investigation. Why on earth would anyone with an IQ over 10 think that this “extreme” approach is intelligent? Why would anyone not think that these guys are disrespectful and do it in a racial way. I bet you that if they were to do an investigation in Gettysburg, the word “unholy” would not come up.
I’m not saying that they are hood-wearing people, but their actions show me that they are not intelligent enough to understand that what they are doing carries that racial tone.
-Javier
“I’m Mexican and live in L.A. I can’t help but to look at situations like this and see the racial undertone.”
I am sorry the show did suck, but to me you seem to be the racist as you are now playing the “I am Mexican” card.. Yes they were very disrespectful but in no way did they even try to be racist.
As long as people keep playing the racist game then racism will never stop. And if you want the show cancelled then by all means, but don’t try to play the racist stuff as many others “including Mexicans” I have linked here think you are wayyyy over reacting.
I can agree that they were very childish and would only hurt the people that do make a living trying to prove paranormal activities though.
The show didn’t put voodoo in a bad light, in fact I distinctly remember that they mentioned that voodoo practitioners put God at the center of their religion, which they wouldn’t have mentioned if they were trying to demonize it. I think if the typical viewer saw an actual animal sacrifice ritual, which is a part of real voodoo practice, they would develop a more negative view of voodoo than they would from anything that was portrayed in the show. You people need to chill out, it’s just a show, yes it’s far from the most credible show out there but they have as much right as anyone to do a show and if you don’t like it, that’s what the remote’s for!
i agree but also think they should take off ALL syfy Ghost Hunters…but i know, if it get’s ratings, they will keep it! I missed the days of when the media was looking for just documentaries.
All I hear is alot of crying going on. Only 1 thing to say.
If you don’t like it, don’t watch it.
If you don’t like it, don’t watch it.
Or watch it on youtube and debunk/make fun of it because that’s what these shows merit. (other than not watching at all as Mike suggests and which is what many, many people do indeed choose to do)
Anyone who dislikes the idiocy of these shows really should not continue to watch on TV and thus contribute to the ratings and advertising support.
So, good point, Mike.
Although i doubt that’s the kind of agreement you were looking for.
Every show on tv that features paranormal researchers has become a laughing stock. Creating evidence, using bogus techniques, dramatics and outright laughable content. Anyone who has ever done any serious research knows that 99.99999% of the time it’s the most boring thing anyone can be doing. Shows like Extreme Paranormal and Ghost Adventures are just ratings makers aimed at the seriously misinformed and armchair ghost hunter. They count on the ignorance of others to get their money-stained hooks into them, all the while just making a mockery of anyone who takes paranormal research seriously.