Zak Bagans to Host Paranormal Game Show
Ok, I won’t mince words here. I don’t like Zak Bagans. Maybe it’s because I’m not a 12-year-old girl who is more impressed by a guy taking his shirt off than actually investigating the paranormal in a serious and scientific manner. But who wants to see that, right? Anyways, it seems as though he hasn’t done enough to harm the name of paranormal investigating, so he’s hosting a new game show of sorts.
When conducting a serious, scientific investigation of paranormal phenomena, it's always best to start by exposing your abs.
“Paranormal Challenge” is a new series scheduled to premiere 9 p.m. June 17 on Travel Channel. Bagans will hosts the series, which will feature two teams on ghost-hunting missions.
A spokeswoman for the Travel Channel confirmed Monday afternoon that Bagans was at Rolling Hills filming an episode of his new series in early April. The episode is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. July 8, according to publicity coordinator Katelyn Balach.
In each episode of “Paranormal Challenge,” Bagans will invite two teams of amateur ghost hunters to spend the night locked down inside haunted hotspots. During the night, the teams put their paranormal skills to the test by conducting a ghost investigation with high-tech gear and their own knowledge. The teams will then present their findings to Bagans and a panel of three paranormal experts who judge the teams on teamwork, use of technology and evidence collected during the lockdown, according to a series description from Travel Channel.
The series has already filmed at Eastern State Penitentiary near Philadelphia, Pa., and an old prison in Mansfield, Ohio, and about a half dozen other locations.
Bagans had previously visited Rolling Hills for his other Travel Channel series, “Ghost Adventures.” The series featured Rolling Hills in an episode that originally aired in September 2010. (A new season of “Ghost Adventures” is scheduled to begin 9 p.m. May 13.)
Rolling Hills, which is said to have a high rate of paranormal activity, is a popular destination for ghost hunters and has been featured on several such programs. The 11-acre property has been used as a location for films.
The property opened in 1827 as the county poorhouse and has been greatly expanded over the years. It’s been the county orphanage and nursing home, and host to a succession of businesses.
Now I’m almost positive that I’ll get a few numbskulls commenting on this post about how I’m jealous of Zak Bagans. It happens pretty much anytime I goof on TAPS and “Ghost Hunters” and I’m sure it will happen now. Probably from some 12-year-old girl or some rube who thinks that everything on TV is real. So before I go any further, a disclaimer: I’m an actual paranormal investigator, I’ve been doing this for a number of years now, and I do not want my own TV show. So I’m not jealous of any “para-celebrities.” I like having a soul and not selling out my beliefs and my friends for piles of cash. Ok? Good 
That being said, I feel like a “game show” of this nature just further degrades the image of paranormal investigating. When there are so many groups out there trying so hard to get this field recognized as a true science, yahoos like Bagans and the various ghost hunters on the SyFy Channel keep making stupid shows to cash in on the ghost hunting craze. And the picture they paint is in no way accurate.
