txriverotter

I know people love some of the "entertainers" out there supposedly doing paranormal investigation, and that's fine. To each his own. But those shows are not really about paranormal investigation.

They're made for entertainment. Lots of dramatic music, lots of yammering trying to sound deep, like they really are hunting down existential answers, when all they're really doing is trying to entertain.

I like paranormal investigation documentaries like this: no stupid sound effects or music, that make you wonder if you heard something real or made up and no phony, silly conversations. And they sit quietly and listen, or they let you see lengthy recordings of captures, without talking over it. They don't jump and run to a different room every time they supposedly hear a sound. They just work methodically through the house. They let things go still and quiet while the camera catches what it catches, and they ask questions then sit quietly and listen.

So much of paranormal investigation is just sitting quietly and listening, and recording for lengths of time after asking questions slowly, then listening back to see if you hear any answers.

It's not flashy. But so many of these show creators think every single viewer wants flashy. Not the case. Some of us want to see actual investigations, without all the extraneous BS.

This documentary comes so close to perfect in that regard. And I see that some are complaining and down-voting it because it's not like Baggins "style." Well, go watch his shows. Lord knows he puts his face out there front and center as often as he can, because it's about his celebrity, not about investigating.

I had my fill of Zac Baggins after watching one episode. They're "investigating" an old west town, and he literally has on toy cowboy hat and guns, trying to walk like he just rode horseback 700 miles to get there, then tells the camera "I can trigger ghosts and get 'em to react by shootin' these here guns." Then proceeds to shoot his toy guns.

Holy crap....

The main host is Nick Groff. Nick learned at the feet of Zac Bagans, who is not a paranormal investigator of any kind, and not a good showman. Nick's overuse of hackneyed cliches, trying to look cool and be some sort of paranormal superhero, is very hard to watch. It's so obvious he's trying to come off as badass.

But Katrina seems serious about her craft, and I don't understand why she's on his show and not her own. She's a much better as an investigator, in my opinion, and doesn't exaggerate everything. She's also empathetic with the living and the dead, and doesn't treat what she does solely as a form of entertainment, but rather trying to help people.

They've gotten some really interesting evidence and some amazing contact, and it's unnecessary to go overboard trying to make it more exciting. It's already exciting, and better when it's real.

I wish Nick had left Zac Bagans, and also left his "style" behind when he went out on his own. Instead it seems he took all the worst parts of Zac's ridiculous stunts, and has incorporated them into his show in a slightly different way. I'm waiting for him to get "possessed" like Zac does in every episode of his show.

Something else that bothers me is his constant mansplaining to Katrina. I know they explain what equipment they're using in every episode, so people who may be new and haven't watched previously will understand, but that's not what I'm talking about.

I'm referring to almost every time Katrina explains something, whether it's about some evidence they've captured or some history they've learned about a location, Nick will repeat exactly what she's just said back to her, but in slightly different terms as if he's giving her new information. It's just annoying af.

Also, he does a LOT of I, me, my when narrating or talking to the camera, as if he's the only one doing any of the investigating. And the way they're listed on the show is, ttderhe's the Host and Katrina is the co-host. Why aren't they both listed as co-hosts? It's all about ego.

I don't understand all the adoration for Nick in these reviews. He's not a bad guy, but he seems much more about entertaining than investigating and getting answers, or helping people.

I wish Katrina and Heather Taddy would get a show, with Michelle Belanger on every episode as the team medium. And I know Travel the Dead is on YouTube, and it's good, but I mean a show on regular television. I would watch every episode.