On Wednesday, October 26, 2016, the Syfy Channel premiered Ghost Hunter’s last episode on their network. The season came to a close after twelve successful years on the network, but the show opened the door for many other paranormal shows that are filling television today. In honor of the hit series’ conclusion, here are ten of the most memorable episodes:
1. Eastern State Penitentiary
In season one, episode five, Ghost Hunters travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to investigate a nineteenth century prison, which housed famous mobster Al Capone for a time. This episode is most famous for former member Brian Harnois running out of the building yelling “Dude, run!” after supposedly seeing a shadow. The episode also features among the best evidence caught on camera, where a shadow figure appears to run down the cell block. The team returned to Eastern State in season two.
2. Waverly Hills Sanatorium
In season two, episode fourteen, Taps heads to Louisville, Kentucky for a two-day investigation of an old mental hospital. The first night, Jason and Grant capture incredible thermal footage of an apparition, that appears to be about three feet tall, running across the hall. Investigators Brian and Krystin Gartland see a similar figure with their own eyes on the second night. Ghost Hunters return to the haunted sanatorium in season seven for another frightful night.
3. St. Augustine Lighthouse
In season two, episode nineteen, the team travels to St. Augustine, Florida to investigate the state’s oldest lighthouse. Tech manager Steve Gonsalves tests new equipment inside the lighthouse; Jason and Grant hear voices as they escalate the spiraling staircase. However, the episode is most famous for its apparition that repeatedly peeks its head out over the railing at the very top of the lighthouse. Jason and Grant chase the figure up the steps, trying desperately to capture it on video.
4. Stanley Hotel
The team tackles another two-night investigation at the conclusion of season two, when they head to Estes Park, Colorado. The Stanley Hotel is famous for being the place where Stephen King wrote “The Shining.” On the first night, while Jason is asleep in room 401, he wakes to a sharp ping and finds that the closet door is open, and the class sitting next to his night stand is shattered. During the second night, while Grant is seated at a table with his cameraman, the table moves on its own. The crew would also repay another visit to the infamous hotel.
5. Fort Mifflin
For the season four premiere, Ghost Hunters return to Philadelphia to investigate a Revolutionary War fort. Not long before the arrival of the TAPS team, employees at the fort discovered a new underground area named Casemate 11. TAPS were the first to investigate the narrow halls of Casemate 11 where Grant “about craps his pants” when he sees an apparition of a man with a straggly beard, while he is in a small confinement. The dark, narrow paths of the casemate get the best of investigator in training, Kris Williams, and fellow investigator, Dave Tango, who both back out within minutes of exploring the region alone.
6. Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
The team investigates a historic insane asylum in Weston, West Virginia for the first time in season four, episode nine. During their initial investigation, Jason and Grant are shocked to witness a black mass crouch down and get sucked out of the room in front of them. The two also hear what sounds like a child’s laughter in the Civil War section. Being arguably the team’s best case, they return to the location for their 200th episode in season nine, where Grant Wilson and other former investigators return to take on the infamous asylum once more.
7. Alcatraz
In the season premiere of season six the TAPS team celebrates their 100th episode investigating the world’s most historic prison. During their investigation, the teams explores the numerous cell blocks trying to contact the spirits of America’s most infamous felons including The Bird Man and Al Capone. They focus their attention on Cell Block D, cell fourteen, where The Bird Man spent much of his time. In reviewing the evidence, the team found they captured a man’s voice that seems to be whispering “Harry Brunette 374,” the name and number of a former inmate.
8. Sloss Furnaces
In season six, episode twenty-three, TAPS conducts a two-day investigation at an old industrial site in Birmingham, Alabama with guest star, Meat Loaf. Because the factory was in operation before many of today’s safety laws, many of the employees died on the job. During the first night of investigation, co-founders Grant Wilson and Jason Hawes and special guest Meat Loaf see a shadow walk by a window at the end of the hall. On night two, investigators Amy Bruni and Adam Berry and Meat Loaf see a shadow figure staring at them in the tunnels. Meat Loaf and the team also successfully communicate with an entity named Paul using a K-2 meter on several occasions.
9. Pennhurst Asylum
In season seven episode two, TAPS adventures to Chester County, Pennsylvania to investigate a former, 100 acre, state mental institution. Almost mimicking the experiences at Sloss Furnaces, Jason and Grant see a short, shadow figure running around the halls of the Devon Building, while Adam and Amy hear voices in the tunnels after seeing something intercept lights on the laser grid. In the Quaker Building, Steve and Tango hear a loud bang that they discover to be a heavy, window frame that slammed on its own.
10. Pacific Aviation Museum
In season seven, episode ten, Ghost Hunters and special guest Josh Gates head to Hawaii to investigate the aviation museum at Pearl Harbor. The museum, which is housed in actual hangers, is supposedly haunted by soldiers who died during the December 7 attacks. Claims include seeing apparitions, hearing voices and footsteps, and a mannequin moving on its own. Adam and Amy are blown away when they see a ball of light illuminate on the second floor in hangar 79. The two fail to debunk the mysterious light. Later, Jason and Grant hear footsteps in the same area. The team also successfully communicates with a spirit using multiple flashlights.
Kudos to the best show television has ever known! The show will be missed by all its fans nationwide.
