Donna Lacroix Talks: Secrets Behind Ghost Hunters
SyFy's Ghost Hunters
I will admit that when the first few shows of SyFy’s Ghost Hunters came out, I was enthralled. I saw the team as an honest set of folks who were out there to prove that most of claims that people were making of the paranormal, were explained by science. Their early episodes showed the team hard at work debunking supposed haunted homes and buildings. Coming up with some noises or voices that were not easily explainable.
Then came the visual evidence.
Rocking chairs, moving objects and a phantom silhouette in a prison catwalk were all captured on video. They evidence was subtle and ambiguous. Never did they rule out a hoax. As the show’s reputation grew more and more, so did theirr claims of ghostly evidence. Things became more overly-dramatic. Brian, the team’s tech guy, was more and more becoming a shell of a man. Appearing to be on the brink of a nervous breakdown, Jason and Grant decide to let him go. Soon after you start to see outrageous things being captured on tape. Shadows popping in and out of corners, Thermal images of ghostly kids running through walls and the ever so annoying “dude! I just felt something” screams seem to fill up each episode.
I stopped watching it. It seemed to me that these guys were not about debunking as much as they were about having new video evidence of a ghost each week. About this time is when other shows started to catch on. Ghost Adventures and Paranormal State being the top ones.
Recently I heard one of GhostDivas’ podcast in which they interviewed Donna Lacroix. A former TAPS team member. I love GhostDivas. These ladies are ruthless and funny.
In what at first appeared to be a disgruntled former-employee, Donna quickly made sense and defended her point of views about her former bosses.
In the interview she talks about some really juicy gossip:
- Ghost Hunters is a completely entertainment show.
- Jason and Grant are ‘the kings’ and they had their whipping-boy in Brian and that she feels that Brian was exploited to the point of mental abuse.
- Everyone is out to stab you in the back.
- Rumor has it that there is a staging crew.
One of the more interesting revelations is how Jason and Grant mentally abused Brian. Donna mentions how they were “brutal” and “mentally abusive” towards Brian Harnois.
No matter what truth is unearthed about these type of paranormal reality shows, their loyal fans will always blindly follow and believe the trash that is served. Real paranormal and parapsychological research is not done in a reality show. This is something their fans don’t understand.
Listen to the GhostDivas’ interview here.
Source: Masslive
We’ve all seen her, we’ve all loved her, and we’ve all missed her on the Ghost Hunters. Now Donna Lacroix, the original case manager from Ghost Hunters and investigator with Ghost Hunters International, is back and it’s not good.
Making a call-in appearance on the radio show “Ghost Divas,” Donna Lacroix let it all fly with one of the most difficult to listen to diatribes that I’ve ever had the displeasure of sitting through. Within a span of 30 minutes, Donna pulled out all the stops and in between ridiculous rants from the Ghost Divas she served up the following tidbits:
- Calling it ‘shenanigans’ and ‘sh*tty ethics’ she commented on the various shows where it was claimed that the GH team was investigating a place for the first time, when in fact it had been investigated numerous times by other paranormal teams…
Read more at Masslive.
Written by Javier Ortega - javier@ghosttheory.com
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I’m waiting for a member of the rumored “staging crew” to come forward. I don’t find this show credible at all and I don’t think it has had a positive impact on the field. I hope someone comes forward who can bury this show once and for all.
yum!
‘Real paranormal and parapsychological research is not done in a reality show.’
I’m by no means a fan of Ghost Hunters, but who sets the standards of what is real or not, based on it being on a reality show. I think it’s all total bullshit. But what I dont get is how you want to shit on this show, when in reality, ANY type of so called ‘paranormal investigation’ is just that, lame and bullshit.
i new it all along dont buy the lie
I used to watch this on youtube and I found the two ‘bosses’ so annoying. Brian is and was a fruit cake but he never deserved to be treated the way he was by those two. Jason is the boss with Grant as his loyal yes-man, they run around in buildings and have the lesser gods spend their weekend listening to hours and hours of static on tape. They never did any real work. The two guys at the bottom were the reason I watched. And more so for the comical drama then for the paranormal aspect.
This show was the only reason that I got interested in ghost hunting or lets just say watching other people ghost hunt. I’ll admit that I got a little bored with the show ever since they split up into subseries. Still as it may be, I found some of the evidence very compelling; for example, the chair moving by it’s self, the shadow people, and many other things that I just couldn’t explain. Also, IMO, the team doesn’t always find evidence with each investigation, so I can’t say that it’s just about the ratings with Taps…it’s more about proving a location as not being haunted. As for Brian, he was my favorite character, bc he was always getting in trouble and trying put the blame on someone else…Famous words, ” Dude Run.” I always felt like Jason and Grant were always picking on him though…And you can’t tell me that they didn’t get a kick out of how Steve and Brian would go at it, with Brian always trying to get Steve in trouble. I think now the show has grown to something more suited for the ratings..with all the break offs of the show.
I used to love this show too. When it first came out I was so excited. But now…now I see Jason and Grant as sell outs. I also see how they’re really hurting the field and not bringing anything new to the techniques. There is a LOT of room for improvement with their techniques, but when I find myself getting too critical that’s when I have to remind myself, “This is just a TV show. They’re in it for ratings, not truth.” Another GREAT article!
I read the main article and comments on Masslive, and the writer’s assumptions I think are correct. Donna is a disgruntled employee, taking a couple of sucker punches at the show and more importantly, the production company. Donna steps out to say that the show is entertainment at one point, yet she never sees anything getting faked, because they hid it from her, while mentioning that she was threatened and that the company will send their ‘minions’. Then she backtracks at scifake.com and states that she wasn’t trying to discredit anyone.
She strikes me as being neurotic and irresponsable (judging by her decisions on contract, loss of apartment, stepping in then stepping out of criticizing GH). Not to defend GH, but you really can’t trust her comments completely. She even admitted to being bitter about the show, and I’m sure she is even more bitter about how the show has progressed as an entertainment engine over the years, and the staff has made out from it, with spin-off show for Steve and Tango (I bet that show will really blow).
Honestly, she screwed up again with making these comments and then changing her position on them. She should’ve went and wrote a book on the show, at least she could have made some decent cash at the backend of the whole debacle, while getting out her frustrations in a therapeutic manner.
Unfortunately all these paranormal shows have issues to contend with. Either they keep it interesting or get canceled. The average American viewer is not going to be coming to this site so to them this is real and intriguing.
If you were getting paid big $$$$ to do this and also being pressured to keep the viewers watching, what would you do? There’s only so much you can do to keep it interesting and still not find anything. Viewers don’t want these shows to debunk ghosts. They want to be scared out of their wits thinking that yes, there was or may be a ghost in that building.
It’s easy to come here and spout off when you’re not involved. That’s not to say I support trickery and misleading information but find me a reality show on any subject anywhere that is actually real.
Guess what folks, reality shows are scripted and scenes are set up almost to the level of good old fashioned non-reality shows. Frankly it’s hard to figure just what constitutes reality on TV anymore.
Oh, another thing I forgot to add. (Hit submit too quick.) Donna has always been my favorite of the GH investigators. I always liked her style, sensibility and sincerity. Amy Bruni sort of embodies that, but I feel Kris was brought on to sex things up. She’s a decent investigator, but she’s also got a ‘tude that just doesn’t jive. She seemed like she was in it for the camera time and all that would bring rather than because she truly wanted to further the ghost field.
I agree with Courtney. Kris was brought in as a face and body to show, Donna seemed interested in investigating.
I agree with jbondo on the pressures of the TV show, there is only so much that can be done to keep it interesting, though I don’t think most people watch to be scared. I think they want to see what sort of evidence is found to either further their own beliefs.
Of course the problem with these shows as we have discussed in previous articles, are the depths that these shows go to present ‘reality’ situations and in general, the reality of the show, which of course, is far from reality. If they bottled the ‘Sightings and In search of’ model into these shows, they would proabably be just as good, if not better, than the current product, and in the least, believable.
Off subject:
I notice that GH didn’t do their Halloween show this year. Was that because last years show was such a farce that they figured they shouldn’t go in that direction ever again?
I think too much effort is being expended on a show that is little more than a live action version of Scooby Doo. Donna=Daphne, Shaggy=Brian, plenty of Velmas, etc. It has been an entertaining show with some interesting premises, but it is a tv show. Anyone who has ever loved something dies a little when it becomes popular and goes on television-punk rock, snowboarding, skateboarding, on and on. Once something is suited for television it is over or soon to be.
As a person who has experienced paranormal events at several times, places, alone and in groups, I contend that the paranormal is not the kind of thing to be televised docudrama and not meant to be entertainment to be absorbed by slackjawed millions on couches across the world. I enjoy the shenanigans of the Ghost Hunter shows (much as I don’t enjoy the copycat shows), but to think it is a serious way to pursue the scientific study of the world is a mistake.
Ok, for one… you can find things on the web that proves they have faked some evidence. Even testimonials about how they use lights to fake most of the shadows.
2. the person who mentioned the chair moving. That’s total B.S. He got up and the chair moved? I’ll bet you $50 he had a thin string tied to it. In fact he is one of the main ones who fake the evidence for the show which can be found on the web.
3. It is a TV show. They have to keep ratings up and you people blindly buy in to it thinking they are the real deal and kissing the ground they walk on. Getting paid phat dough for making appearances at conventions… it makes me sick.
4. Don’t start a team based on these asshat’s. This is not what real investigating is like.
Donna was the worst on GH and was hideous on GHI. She never seemed to have a clue and the way she speaks is SO annoying!! I am in no way defending GH or GHI but Donna is not a credible source. It’s amazing that she had no problem with GH UNTIL AFTER they fired her!!!! She is NOT credible. I am in no way defending GH or GHI but Donna is not a credible source.
Well she could have been credible, but approached it the wrong way, and flip-flopped on her comments. Just because she didn’t say anything while being on GH/GHI doesn’t mean anything, she probably had contractual obligations to uphold and you don’t bite the hand that feeds you, even with little pay.
Disgruntled ex employee or not, she isn’t really telling everyone anything that they didn’t already know – although it is interesting to see someone connected to a show who is brave (or stupid, considering legal contractual issues) enough to speak out about the things all sensible viewers had already figured out.
All of these paranormal “reality” shows are stupid, mindless entertainment. There would be a simple way to appease the critics and that would be to put a disclaimer on each and every episode that the events depicted are not necessarily based on actual paranormal events – since there is no proof anyplace that “The Paranormal” even exists.
These days, I’d much rather watch a show on the Science Channel which might delve into the actual physiological and/or psychological traits of the human mind which might cause someone to see shadows, hear voices, think things are moving on their own accord, etc etc.
You know, Real Science.
V,
You’re redundant and boring with your rhetoric. Donna is actually a very nice person and not hideous. I’m thinking you’re probably part of the crew! Wait, I retract that statement for your colloquialism demonstrates you may still be in grammar school!
She may be disgruntled; however, she has the courage to come forward. Her mistake …she spoke with Divas and she did NOT follow through with her accusations. BUT, saying she is hideous proves only that you are an infantile and probably jealous of her success.
Thanks,
Ron
http://www.scifake.com
Ron, actually, I am surprised you even noticed the grammatical prowess of the previous entry with your head being so far up the “disgruntled” “canned” “fired” “kicked to the curb” Donna’s ass. Oh, my apologies, she is a decent person just trying to show her flipflopping point of view…”Shinanigans” or was is “I’m not trying to discredit anyone at GH” (eyelash batting inserted here) . I pointed the eyelash batting out to you Ron so you could see it, as you have your head up Donna’s ass, are you a stalker fan of hers?
Cheers.
GH is purely entertainment and nothing more. It is obvious that they stage the ghostly moments. I watch it mainly to see what the cast of characters are up to, but do not believe the encounters with spirits at all. I do spend time wondering how they made the encounter happen though.
[...] ATrueOriginall left a comment on one of my other posts with an interesting observation. It was in reference to a mention I made on “Noteworthy Blogs: GhostTheory”. In that post I listed some specific GhostTheory articles which I felt made that a noteworthy blog, including “Donna Lacroix Talks: Secrets Behind Ghost Hunters.” [...]
I have to say a little something in defense of GH/TAPS. Of course I’ll be accused of being a person that will defend them no matter what because I’m a “fan” or whatever. Actually, if you knew me, you’d know that isn’t true. I am often disagreeing with them on their interpretation of things and the way they went about an investigation.
What did we have on shows about the paranormal before GH? Think about it. Ghosthunting/Paranormal Investigating has existed long before GH was on the air or even before TAPS itself was formed. What I saw on pretty much every show about the paranormal that included ghost hunters was a bunch of people that freaked out over every sound, believed everything they heard or saw (or thought they saw) was a ghost, made conclusions without a shred of evidence or evidence that was extremely shaky like orb pics, pics that were obviously smudges on mirrors/windows/TV’s or the camera strap, hair, or a finger in front of the lense and presented their conclusions as facts and usually had some hokey “psychic” or medium with them and took everything he/she said as fact.
Like it or not, GH came along and was a quite different show. No mediums or psychics, they actually looked for non paranormal explanations for things the client or themselves had experienced, they actually threw out things like orb pics calling them what they likely were…dust, moisture, bugs. They didn’t go into a place assuming it was haunted and they actually…get this…TOLD PEOPLE that they hadn’t found anything and they didn’t think the place had any activity.
They did things very close to the way I had always approached investigating supposed paranormal activity and had not heard of many other groups approaching it in such a manner.
Yes, I have problems with the show as it is currently. I liked the first couple of seasons much more. I don’t like the fact that they’ve gotten away from investigating private homes and instead now seem to do mostly “big name” venues. Sure, I liked them to do more well known places once in a while, but not all the time like they do now. I have other issues with things on GH. But I still have to say, after the absolute crap I described earlier that was pretty much all paranormal enthusiasts had before GH, GH was a breath of fresh air. Whether they are still worthy of being on TV and the adoration they get is up for debate, but I just have to say that I disagree that they haven’t done anything good for the field. The one unfortunate thing I would say has come from GH is the now numerous copycat shows that are just painful to watch and which include a lot of the same old crappola of other shows featuring paranormal investigators pre-GH. Even with the debatable issues with GH/TAPS now, I’d still much rather watch GH than Paranormal State (big joke), Ghost Adventures (bigger joke), or any of the other ones that have cropped up hoping to ride GH’s coat tails.
I agree with you Angela, GH raised interest in the paranormal and brought a different style of investigating as seen by the TV industry. I used to watch the first few seasons of GH because of that style and the content until the Halloween debacle a couple of years ago permanently snuffed my interest in that show. They deserve credit for their part in the current paranormal craze that is occuring. I wish GH hadn’t gone doucebag distributing the last couple of years and kept their focus, but money changed all that I’m sure. But you are also correct Angela, since GH first came out, there really isn’t any other shows that comes close to them, as most if not all are copies in one form or another. I just wish that National Geographics American Paranormal show focused on ghost investigations, for if they did, it would probably outdo GH.
Thanks for your comments Angela!
I enjoy the show, although I have to admit, boring as some people may have found it. I thought better of it in the earlier seasons when they seemed more skeptical.
I think I would like it a lot better if they made it more scientific, but considering the other shows it is up against, at least they aren’t as bad as Paranormal State, who really give paranormal investigators a bad name.
As for Donna, my dislike of her has only gone up since Ghost Hunters International. She and Barry feed off of each other, she’s more hysterical than he is though.
But neither of them come across as professional. Barry just seems like an attention seeker and as soon as he starts shouting about something it usually sets Donna off.
Donna has since asked that her comments be removed from websites and went on a several-month backpedal.
She was, and is, a hypochondriac drama queen.
Enjoy the show or don’t, but please don’t feed her delusions.