Ghost Hunters Recap Episode 5.18: Congress Theater

Posted by Ron Martin on 10.22.2009

This week on Ghost Hunters...the girls all wear revealing clothing. It must be hot in Chicago. Steve tries a new device that actually has something to do with ghost hunting and Alpha Team hear footsteps. Yes, footsteps! I know. I am as surprised as you.

Well kids, it's that time of the week again and after a one episode absence, I, your ghost host am back to guide you through the labyrinth of specters, poltergeists and knocks. Did I miss anything? You ready for this?

I am back from my annual vacation/research/ghost hunting trip to Salem, MA. I haven't reviewed all the evidence as of yet, but I can tell you I don't think I got as lucky with my ghost hunting as the last two years. I had a good run though, didn't I? Also visited Quincy, MA, but didn't find my way to the USS Salem, like TAPS. I did find the crypt of two US Presidents and the first ever Presidential library. Cool stuff that you should check out if you ever find yourself in the area.

I'd discuss it more, but we have bigger Ghost Hunters matters to deal with here. Apparently there is now going to be a Ghost Hunters live ghost hunt on Halloween night. Before you get all excited, from everything I can piece together, I believe it is happening on the internet and not TV. I also believe it's happening with the new Ghost Academy crew and not TAPS.

The link on the front page of Syfy.com has a picture of Steve and Tango who are the "leaders" of TAPS Academy. When you click the link, you get information about the show with a big picture of Jason and Grant. It does say join the Ghost Hunters, host Josh Gates of Destination Truth and the debut of Ghost Academy on Halloween night. It doesn't say whether its on SyFy or SyFy.com, but mentioned the Ghost Hunters marathon that is still scheduled (as far as TV listings go) to air on SyFy.

Now, after this announcement was made, Grant posted on his Twitter that he would be home for Halloween. I would remind everyone that the promotional material says Ghost Hunters, not Jason Hawes or Grant Wilson. I would also remind everyone that Tango and Steve are also members of Ghost Hunters. As of right now, it seems like a seven hour live ghost hunt by the kids of Ghost Academy on Syfy.com. That could change – who knows.

Unless I read his myspace update incorrectly, Dustin Pari also has plans for Halloween night so I am doubting any members of GHI being involved.

You guys know I've been down on TAPS in general, but I especially want no part of anything Steve and Tango related unless it's the entire team and it's on TV because I am not spending Halloween in front of a computer and I don't know how to record streaming video. A review of said show is unlikely, though I will sift through the "highlights" and keep those updated who may not be so otherwise.

All of this could have been avoided if they would have just given the special to GHI and let the Ghost Academy kids guest star. I should be running Syfy!

Either way, it's time for…



This week on Ghost Hunters
I am much more interested in the new Sci-Fi Original Ghost Town than Ghost Hunters. The team is in Chicago at a theater, there is new equipment that gets results and Tango has an experience. Grant declares this one of the weirdest places he's ever been – and he's probably been to Steve's house so that's saying something.

There's kind of a weird new opening. It's better than just flashing Jason and Grant in front of a Roto-Rooter truck, but it's still short.

Fake Day Job
Mario and Luigi are filming in the headquarter's bathroom again (at least that's what they've been accused of). Personally, I don't think it makes a difference. Lucky for us, the camera was on them when Kris happened to call. Kris is showing off the goods, whether they be new or just free of oversized sweatshirts at this point, I don't know for sure, but I would lean towards the former. She wants to go to Chicago. When she's wearing that shirt, it's hard to tell her no. Hey, we get Britt!! Yay! That means Amy might actually do some decent ghost hunting! I think I spy Kristyn as well – or however she is spelling her name these days. Jason is very excited. I will take that no further.

Case #1: Congress Theater, Chicago, Illinois

The Investigation
Jason and Grant are met by a roadie for Metallica – bunch of assholes (extra points if you get that reference). Roadie says there are lots of things that creep you out. This includes a projection room complete with one bedroom apartment where people walk out of windows/walls. Jason asks questions that are not "What kind of activity happens here?" That means he is really interested. Upstairs, all the light bulbs burn out and weird Roadie out. No lady in red, white or black – we get a lady in blue! That's a new one. I will be very impressed when we get a lady in periwinkle. I hope Roadie is on Ghost Academy. I would seriously consider reviewing it if it were.

Grant says that this is the biggest theater they've investigated and points out the problems they have acoustically investigating theaters. WHAT?!! A confessional that actually has information and not just "we're excited to investigate?" Is it my birthday?

Steve says he has new equipment that allows him to record and review a bunch of stuff at once. I think he stole it from Britt when Britt got out for a bathroom break and claimed it as his.

Kristyn is excited to be in Chicago. She looks different than the last time I saw her. Is it just her hair? I don't know. I don't think she's been on the show since last Halloween. Maybe the Essex hospital episode.

LIGHTS OUT!

Alpha Team is on the main floor and see things like half a second into the investigation. They think something moved, so Jason asks nicely (he said "please") for the ghost to move something again. They hear…wait for it…wait for it…FOOTSTEPS OF DOOM! They think someone is in the projection hallway. You know how this works…

COMMERCIALS.

There are lights coming in from the door as Jason heads up to the area of interest and sees nothing – or so he says. Before he is even done with that sentence, we see Grant racing up the stairs and Jason says he saw things moving. Uhm….okay? That was a really awkward cut. Jason has literally had the shit scared out of him so he checks out the restrooms. He knows its going to be messy so he makes Grant stay outside. Inside, its bad enough to cause a ghost to run out, slamming a stall door behind him. He didn't even flush. It's a ghost floater.

Team Cleavage is in the basement. Kris claims a moldy smell. I dunno…kind of like a basement? I wonder if they started these two down here because they knew girls would complain more about this kind of thing. We have Kristyn, so that means we must sit. They see shadows right away as well. Maybe it's because she has her hair back, but Kristyn looks very different. Kris ask the ghosts to make sounds and they get some sounds. Following the sounds, they find a whole new section of the basement…but that literally leads to nothing. Kris gives TAPS company line #43 about there being cameras that probably caught something.

Clown Team are up near the dressing rooms checking out the catwalk which Steve wants no part of. Tango gets a tapping sensation and that's good enough for…

COMMERCIALS.

Steve defaults that it's probably a bug, but after a quick investigation they decide it must be ghost tapping. Tango climbs out on the catwalk while Steve does not. More discussion of Tango's tapping, so they check for a draft. Steve looks disappointed that there's nothing for him to play with. The worst voiceover yet takes away from Clown Team.

Team California are in the projection room. The EMF is low in this room. Britt immediately wonders if this is because the power is off. Amy admires the projector which spurs Britt into his useless knowledge of projectors and why they use two. Amy couldn't look more disinterested even though she says "interesting." They also hear a strange crash making our teams 4 for 4. MOST HAUNTED PLACE EVER! Amy is upset that Tango took her spiderweb on the head thunder so she says they heard a door shutting, which she is quick to say may not be paranormal.

Clown Team is off to the basement. Let's see if they complain about the moldy smell. They gots the new equipment. Tango likes the real time analysis. Even with new fancy equipment Steve and Tango are stuck doing the analysis! I bet they don't do it on Ghost Academy. Steve is sick of not getting any jokes in so he does the "shave and a haircut" bit and gets a response to the surprise of no one. Five for five.

A commercial for the Halloween episodes still says that it's an episode countdown hosted by Josh Gates at Essex hospital with "live appearances" by Ghost Hunters and Ghost Academy. Even though they show them, they do not mention Jason or Grant by name, so I'm calling the old bait and switch. It's almost as if they're just going to have cameras set up in the place that you can watch on the internet. They are being very, very vague about the specifics.

TAPS has a 100% success rate with the "shave and a haircut" bit so why wouldn't they do it at every investigation. Steve says he knows the ghost is in here and if he gives them one more sign they will leave because that's what all good ghost hunters do. When they know there's a ghost, they leave. And these are the best in the business according to the media? Wow. Steve gives TAPS company line #43 and they pack up.

Team Cleavage is on the stage looking for EMF levels and get a sound in a couple of seconds. Six for six. Now the pressure on because with every switch you don't want to be the first team that doesn't experience something. The girls find a tall, creepy ass spiral staircase, but don't seem motivated to climb it. They try some EVP and don't get anything. This causes Kris to give TAPS company line #43 and they bolt.

Alpha Team is in the dressing rooms that light bulbs can not survive in. Grant calls the catwalk "Indiana Jones-like." Jason pulls a Steve and hangs out in the room. Grant keeps climbing stuff and sees how old the wires are, claiming that could be the reason the electricity doesn't work. We don't see them use it, but Jason declares they aren't even getting readings on the K-II. Jason declares old wiring as the reason the bulbs keep burning out. This week it's Grant promoting the Spalding Inn complete with logo. If you had "Alpha Team" in the office pool as the first team to not have an experience, you are tonight's big winners.

Clown Team is on the stage. They don't want to do anything so Tango declares that staying still enhances the natural ability to observe. As good an excuse to do EVP as any. They hear banging AND see shadows move – they are special!

COMMERCIALS.

Tango says he sees reflections off of sneakers and Clown Team become the third team of the night to run while we get up tempo creepy music. Tango saw something moving through the hallway, prompting him into TAPS company line #43.

Alpha Team is in the basement. They don't want to be left out again so they hear…FOOTSTEPS OF DOOM! Grant does an EMF because he can hear the transformers. Jason is amazed because he can feel the EMFs in his feet. They blame uncomfortableness on the high EMFS. They spout the digital recorder line and head upstairs.

Team California search for Freddy Krueger in the boiler room. Apparently, mobsters used to meet in this room back in the day. Then Fred Krueger killed them. Amy wants to know if the ghost is a boiler repairman. Britt tries to get the ghost to use a K-II. Damnit, Britt – I stood up for you, man! Britt asks why the K-II would flash for a moment and then just die out. Amy replies that K-IIs just do that sometimes. Does anyone else realize that this single sentence invalidates any evidence ever gained from a K-II? How can you trust a lit up K-II to be conversation from the ghost when sometimes K-IIs just light up randomly? While they are talking, something down there kicks out scaring the crap out them. Amy should talk to Jason – he knows where the bathrooms are.

Jason says the investigation was perfect.

We get a completely pointless segment where Alpha Team tells Roadie they're going to go over evidence.

WRAP UP.


The Analysis
A lot of personal experiences. They waste no time in jumping into finding stuff. Tango sees something floating in one of the cameras. Steve says it's not dust, it's airborne debris. I will let you think about that for a minute. Steve hears a whisper answer to Amy's question if Fred Krueger worked in the boiler room. The same team caught something with the thermal in the theater and get a couple of floating heat balls. HEAT BALLS!

The Reveal
Alpha Team goes through their regular spiel and then delve right into the personal experiences starting with Tango getting poked. Their phrase, not mine. Roadie brings up the light bulbs. Jason drops the old wiring theory. Grant tells about Kris/Kris hearing sounds. Now personal experiences for Clown Team and Alpha Team. Coincidentally, none of any of this stuff they all experienced was caught on camera. They play the EVP complete with frontload. Roadie says it doesn't sound any different than what's normally down there. To his credit, Grant says if it sound ambient, they'll dismiss it. We even get a bonus EVP that sounds like a single breath in the middle of a bunch of noise while Tango changes a tape. It's really, really weak. They show the thermal evidence. One of the heat signals moves around. Jason says it's strange and couldn't be anybody on their team. Grant get defensive saying he saw something that was odd and no one can tell him different! Jason says its an interesting case in lieu of calling the place haunted or not.
Roadie is impressed with the thermal imaging.

Cartalk. Grant loves it when the client listens to the evidence objectively. He pretty much says the thermal hit means the place is haunted without actually says it. Jason will have none of it. He just wants to…

Fitsbump.

Fin.


Overall:
This episode was just kind of there, wasn't it? It's getting to the point where hearing bumps, footsteps and seeing shadows is boring because they see this stuff every episode now. Jason and Grant were stuck in a situation where they knew they couldn't call the place haunted on personal experiences and the one mega-weak EVP, so they didn't call it at all (or it was left on the cutting room floor, so to speak)because it would negate their thermal hit if they went the other way.

After much hype, Steve's new equipment didn't get anything at all. I am wondering if they just aren't giving Steve random things for the show because of all the crap he's taken in comparison to Barry on GHI. Barry always has some crazy new contraption or theory and Steve just runs from spiders and tries to break stuff. Is this Steve fighting back?

We'll see. Until next week, peoples!