Out of all the ghost hunting shows on television, Paranormal State seems to be the closest to offering a down-to-earth ghost hunting team that genuinely believes they can help people not only come to grips with what they perceive is haunting them or their homes but also give the audience a peek inside a real haunted dwelling.

So, every week, we tune in because, gosh darn it, their teaser commercials are so convincing. One minute a girl team member is looking into a camera saying something like “you don’t really belong here, but if you are here, please show that you are here,” and then something goes bump, she lets out a startled scream and we (the viewers) are led to believe that something just brushed past her. And, of course, it never shows up on tape and certainly wasn’t witnessed by the viewers at home.

So what can we make of all this? It certainly is entertaining for the first, second and even possibly third time we see this scenario play out on our screens, but at some point in time we have to ask ourselves, “will we ever really see a real live (or dead) ghost on television?” The answer is probably no. In fact, I’d love there to be someone with a lot of money who would put up say $10,000 to the first person who could capture the image of a ghost on live television, not taped and certainly not rigged to look like a ghost, like some vapor or a thin veil flapping in front of an industrial-strength fan that’s been hidden out of sight. Real money for a real ghost, do you think there’d be any takers?

Here’s something to ponder. Maybe what you see or don’t see is all you are ever going to see. Maybe ghosts do exist and maybe they do play little games like pinching someone or making rapping noises or blowing on the closest person’s neck, and maybe they are trying to communicate with the living and maybe it’s just too hard to get those actions on film or tape. What is particularly frustrating is when the ghost hunters on the television screen are telling you that they caught a voice on tape telling them to “get out” but when they play the tape it sounds more like “grrrth mmmpt,” so to make sure you hear it too, they always have the words “get out” printed on the bottom of the screen so you can believe that is what is being said.

Ah well, tell you what, it would be great if, after reading this, you let us know what you think about those shows and if you, personally, have ever had an unseen person brush up against you and whisper “grrrth mmmpt” in your ear. Then maybe we’d have something to talk about.