Ghost Hunters International Recap Episode 1.12: Hauntings of South Africa

Posted by Ron Martin on 08.07.2008

This week on Ghost Hunters International, our team hits the continent of Africa. There are challenges. There are experiments. There are more challenges. There are theories and lots of equipment. Yep, it's a Barry episode.

A week has come and gone, my friends and the GHI Five are still together! Whew! I was starting to sweat having to remember someone else's name. Can the team accomplish this task two weeks in a row? Let's recap what we have seen so far…

THE VICTIMS



Donna LaCroix
Left the show after an alleged flare up of Chromes Disease. Perhaps it was Chromes, perhaps it was something else…like poison. Just hypothesizing.



Kris Williams
After Donna's departure, Kris came over on loan from TAPS. She was around for all of one investigation and then just disappeared mid-show. No explanation or good-bye scene. Just gone. Interesting.



Brian Harnois
A staple of the show, Brian had been on every investigation GHI had been on. He disappeared at the exact same time as Kris Williams. Once again, no explanation is offered. Foul play is feared.

THE SUSPECTS

Brandy Green
This lady is so clandestine there isn't even a picture of her anywhere. Not that it would matter, a picture of her last week would look nothing like she looks this week. She's that good. Coincidentally, Brandy appeared just as Brian and Kris disappeared. Nobody knows who she is or where she came from. The whole thing is so suspicious that you almost want to dismiss her as a suspect because it would be too easy.



TAPS
Could it be that Jason and Grant are jealous of the success of GHI and are looking to eliminate the competition? Perhaps they want to be the only ghost hunting game in town. Don't think the fact that Kris Williams could have been an undercover spy and is hiding and taking out random GHI members hasn't crossed my mind.



Old Man Jenkins
Old Man Jenkins (pictured here as a ghoul of some sort) could be trying to scare the kids off while he searches for all the treasure in the castles around the world dressed as various ghostly and ghoulish characters.



Pac-Man
Pac-Man is upset that he is not getting his due during this new ghost hunting craze as the original ghost hunter. He was the first and will always be the most prolific.

How will the story progress? There's only one way to find out – and that's to watch…



TONIGHT ON GHOST HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL…

The team goes to South Africa. Guess what? Barry wants to challenge a spirit. No, really. Then it's on to a fortress where Barry will challenge a spirit. Later on, Barry challenges Joey Crawford to a hot dog eating contest and then challenges your mamma. Just because.



Brandy says the first ghost they are looking for is named Charlotte and she re-arranges flowers. Barry will challenge her to a flower re-arranging contest. Barry and Dustin have to ride in the second car because they are wearing sunglasses. Andy can wear sunglasses in the first car because he is a lead investigator. And he debunks things. Barry is worried about guests to whom Brandy very happily tells him they have the entire hotel booked – great there goes my plans for the weekend. That's the most happy I've seen Brandy so far. The girl likes her space – or she sees an opening to eliminate someone else.

Case #1: Nottingham Road Hotel, Kwazulu-natal, South Africa

The Investigation
Ouch. Spell check is going to hate that. Clive is our guide. Robb, how do you get a hat so white? There was war in this area. The hotel was near the railroad so there were a lot of military around. Our girl Charlotte was a hooker who fell in love with a soldier who died so she killed herself. If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that story. Guests have seen Charlotte here and there everywhere. Even on a staircase…imagine that; a ghost on a staircase. In case you were wondering, Barry does have a reflection so the vampire theory is out the window. This is a pretty nice hotel. You think Sci-fi will take care of the bill when I go there? This Charlotte gets around. She is in every room of the hotel making people forget about milkshakes and things.

I wonder if the guys get extra cash for wearing Ghost Hunters International shirts during investigations. You know how pizza delivery drivers get like an extra quarter a run if they put the little advertising light thing on top of their car during deliveries. Robb tells us what triggering devices are…HEY! Robb's hat is now black! I smell something fishy here. I bet that segment was not even recorded on the same day. Damn TV tricks. Anyways, in one room they've left a light and a TV on as trigger objects. Good thinking. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out.

LIGHTS OUT! (Except one room)

Robb and Andy are on the staircase and in Room 10. This is the room she killed herself in. They are doing a thermal sweep and Robb is immediately startled by a vase of flowers. I know, buddy, they're scary sometimes. Like Audrey II. This is the trigger room with everything on and the flowers. Everything seems alright until they hear a noise. Wait for it…wait….wait….

COMMERCIALS.

Robb looks directly into the camera and looks kind of like a spooked owl. They're hearing a conversation coming from the outside. I'd like to hear, but it's being drowned out by spooky music. They go outside to the source….and find a kid's party next door. I thought they had this place booked. Robb fights off the urge to stick around for pin on the donkey and punch in order to return to the investigation. Andy, on the other hand, will return later off camera to debunk something.

Random shot of Dustin in the control center for no good reason.

Dustin and Barry are in Room 11 doing an EVP session. Barry brought more equipment for an EVP then NASA uses to send rockets into orbit. That could be why the last one failed. They want the ghost to turn off the TV and the lights. The ghost is not cooperating. Barry is getting agitated.

Dustin, Barry and Andy are in Room 10 to debunk the faucets coming on by themselves. All that is really needed is Andy. The other two really are just there for legal purposes. Barry turns the hot faucet on until it is scolding hot and turns it off to see if it will come back on. It does. Something about the warming of the washers inside. Andy doesn't seem too impressed. This debunking at the junior high level. Dustin says their plumbing skills remind him of two other plumbers who became ghost hunters. He gets paid more money for the plug.

Back at command central, Andy, Robb and Dustin are talking about the EVP session in Room 10. And I quote:

Robb: "We put forward a lot of questions and tried a lot of different approaches. Now what I'd like to do now is .

Seriously, Robb, I understand it can get lonely on the road but I don't think now is the time or the forum, quite frankly, to be discussing naughty things you'd rather be doing than ghost hunting. I mean, I'd rather be doing that than writing this recap, but you don't hear me blathering on about it.

Oh yeah, the TV in the trigger room went off all by itself. Robb sends Andy up because he is the one who debunks things. Andy says it must be the sleep timer on the remote. I don't think Andy is happy with the level of debunking that has taken place here.

Brandy and Barry are in the kitchen. Brandy, ask the ghosts to make scrambled eggs! Brandy asks the ghost if it understands if it is dead. Barry sees something; Brandy feels cold. They see a light in the middle of pantry of some sort. Brandy wants the ghost to touch her hand, but gets an extreme cold. In a shocking swerve, Barry does not want to challenge it. He backs off. The ghost is so surprised that we need to go to…

COMMERCIALS.

We're back and Barry decides to play a game of "make crazy eyes at the camera." Victorious, he goes to get his equipment because it is cold and he needs to monitor the positive ions, which Robb tells us the more of means the better chance for a supernatural experience. Barry has fooled us all! He has turned the ghost challenge into a challenge of his own. In return, the ghost makes more positive ions and Barry's camera stop recording. Barry's equipment tells them there should be a storm outside. Barry assures everyone there is no storm outside. Twice. Just so we know for sure, we get a split screen showing indeed that there is no storm outside. That's good, otherwise those 8-year-olds at that party would be pissed.

Andy and Brandy are in Room 2. Brandy tries to out debunk Andy by using big words and saying that you can feel paralyzed while sleeping because the body shuts down. Oh, Brandy, you silly rookie. Do not try out debunk Andy. He makes you lay there and do nothing while he takes pictures. Why is Andy always taking pictures of Brandy? Andy challenges the ghost to press on his chest. He is no Barry, however, and gets nothing.

Robb calls the command center, central command. Geesh, Robb, you should know better.


The Analysis
The B's are on the job. I'm betting they find next to nothing. Brandy gets some sort of EVP that makes Barry's eyes pop out of his head. She has another one, but that's just too much for one segment, so she gets cut off.

The Reveal
Wow, we skip right to the reveal. Someone is feeling awful cocky today. They have something because the laptop is there. Robb tells about the adventures of Barry and Brandy. We even get the footage of Barry telling how there is no storm – there just isn't! on splitscreen. On the EVP a ghost tells Barry yes, after Barry says it's getting creepy in here. It's a man, which blows the whole Charlotte theory. The other EVP is in Room 11 and also involves Barry. Now in Room 2, Brandy and Andy have their own EVP. Andy is challenging the spirit to which the ghost says "Ask me." Robb gets all animated roleplaying the ghost wanting to beat up Andy. Clive is pretty depressed that the voices aren't Charlotte. Robb has to console him by telling him that maybe Charlotte just didn't want to be heard.

Status: Haunted.

Cartalk. Robb is talking on the walkie talkie about how they converted Clive. Brandy says the best is yet to come. What is this? Group cartalk all of a sudden?

Cape Town Castle, Cape Town, South Africa

The Investigation
Brandy says that the prisoners in this place were tortured, but she is now part of the sunglass brigade, so it could all be a rouse. Willem is the tour guide here and I think he may be a ghost himself. His accent is thick enough to need the dreaded subtitles. Things are moving very quickly. The editors are trying to get through this thing quick to get it all in methinks. The bell tower may or may not have a soldier hung from it. This is the first time they've had investigators. Robb says it's their job to find out whether or not there is anything paranormal here. So, no scrambled eggs, then?

They have a nice camera showing the courtyard. There aren't enough cameras across courtyards.

LIGHTS OUT!

Barry is in solitary confinement in the dungeon. This feel like and episode of MTV's Fear. He's still doing EVP until the thing in his hands moves. That's our cue.

COMMERCIALS.

It was the recorder that was hit. You can actually hear something hit the recorder. It came right after Barry asked for a sign. The ghost smacks him in the back of the ear, because, well, wouldn't you?

Barry and Dustin are in the dungeon. I am happy to announced that Dustin has been visor free the entire episode. Dustin hears music…so does Robb. Robb asks the ghost their names, but they respond with high pitched ringing. Sounds like feedback. Maybe it's the mikes. They keep hearing the ringing. I wonder if another team went in there if it wouldn't be the same.

Brandy and Dustin are in Lady Anne's Room at a large ass table, sitting on either side of it. The table is like one of those comical tables in TV shows that are so large you have to scream across to communicate. They do an uneventful EVP session.

Brandy and Barry are in the large cell doing EVP. The temperature is dropping, but nothing else is happening.

Wow, that investigation was the ghost hunting version of a wham-bam-thank you m'am. So, nothing with the belltower, then? Ooookay.

Willem says something, but I really have no clue what it was.

The Analysis
At least neither Brandy nor Barry have gay red headphones like Tango. The play some sound where Barry asks for noise…and gets noise. Barry is on a roll. He plays a clip of Brandy saying "We're not here to hurt you…" Before we get to find out what the ghost said, we gots to go to commercial. It's what we do. Next week, the team investigates the cast of the Blood Countess (Bathory, I assume).

The Findings
The noise made in Barry's EVP sounds like a breath or something. Robb wants everything double checked – NOW. Okay, it was. Oh, I guess the other EVP was actually during Brandy talking. There is some sort of whisper, but it's hard to make out.

The Reveal
They play the first EVP and Willem thinks it's a door closing. Kind of sounds like a door. Willem hears the second EVP as well. Now Robb shows the video clips of him and Dustin and the feedback sounding ringing. Willem says he has never heard that sound there before. They have secret piece of evidence that Andy declares "unbelievable." Well, we will see about that, now won't we? It's the clip of Barry and the recorder shaking. Willem becomes my best friend by using the word hornswoggled in a sentence. Robb says that there isn't enough evidence to declare a haunting.

Status: Not Haunted.

Willem is impressed that the ghost freaked out Barry.

Cartalk. Robb is happy that Willem was open-minded. Andy was cut off by my DVR. You have to be quicker, there, Andy.

Overall: This is what I would call a "meat and potatoes" episode. Nothing too spectacular, nothing too horrid. It's a reputation building episode. The EVPs weren't great, but they were at least something. Even with the fast cuts, it seemed like the energy was sucked out of this episode. I was very glad they didn't declare the second case haunted. I was afraid that they might. It shows how the team has grown since the first run of episodes. Brandy was a little more involved, but we still know nothing about this mystery girl. Pilgrim Films isn't really the best at comings and goings are they? I am pretty interested in the location next week. We'll see what happens.


Until next week, beware the ghost.