217 replies to this topic

[profreader]

Okay, I looked all over to see if there was a thread for this show already; I didn't see one. I figured if "Ghost Hunters" was under "Candid Reality", then this would be too.

"I'm Josh Gates. My travels have taken me to the most exotic and mysterious places on Earth. I've seen some unexplainable things which have raised some strange questions. Now, I've pulled together a crack team armed with the latest technology to search for answers. I'm not sure what's out there waiting for me, but I know what I'm looking for: the truth."

I have to admit I'm a big cryptozoology fan -- so this could become a bigger addiction for me than our favorite ghost-hunting Roto-Rooter guys. My biggest hope would be that they could go to the Congo to search for the mokele mbembe (another supposed living dinosaur) but that would be doubtful given the state of world affairs.

Anyone else see this one?

[mentalpretzel]

I just saw it for the first time today. I had it recorded, but I'm not sure if that was the first episode or not, though.

I'm a nerd for the cryptozoology material, too (and the Ghost Hunters.) I'm a little bored with the regulation Nessie/Bigfoot shows, so it was cool to see them go searching for something new. Whatever the heck was in the jungle with them in Papua New Guinea was Huge, and as much as I'd like to put stock in the crocodile theory... it seemed taller than that.

Outside of that, I really got a kick out of Josh's pop references-- like the Lost smoke monster one. I'd definitely watch again.

[verve]

Where's Rob Mariano? Last year the SciFi Channel had a paranormal investigation show that it paired up with Ghost Hunters. Is this the same show? I remember Rob Mariano put on a Bigfoot suit during one investigation. Maybe it was Mariano who was shaking those trees in the jungle of Papua New Guinea.

[You are a Towel]

To me, the "thing" in the trees seemed to be a monkey jumping from tree to tree and rustling up the top branches of the trees, making an optical illusion of sorts and making it seem like something much bigger.

[profreader]

I watched some of that show with Rob Mariano -- "SciFi Investigates." There was a semi-interesting episode about The Mothman, but the rest -- meh. I get that there's a whole genre now of "we didn't manage to get any evidence, so make up your own mind" shows -- Ghost Hunters, Destination Truth -- so for me it all depends on whether the investigators are people I can watch for an hour (Josh from DT, yes. Rob M, big no.)

Good theory with the monkey-jumping-in-tree idea -- I wondered what could make a tree move like that. Finding out that there were crocodiles roaming around -- sheeeesh! I would not want to happen upon a 20 foot crocodile in a dark swampy forest.

[profreader]

I might be the only one watching this show ... which wouldn't be surprising. I saw the "Ghost/Naga" episode where they went to Thailand ... the bit where they got an EVP from the crematorium was creepy ... but I did think it was maybe a bit disrespectful to put a microphone in there. Also -- I know the host was trying to do all he could to be funny, but when he told the elderly woman they were going to arm wrestle, when she clearly did not know what he was saying ... it just made him look like a jerk.

[TorranceShipman]

I too am a lifelong cryptozoology fan (and amateur expert, in my humble opinion), and had been greatly looking forward to this show. Sadly, my hopes and expectations have been pretty much dashed. I can hardly bear the host, as I find him entirely unfunny, uninformed, and overly impressed with himself. To add to my humorless litany of complaints, I found each investigation and the overall episode production to be shoddy. I found myself eagerly hoping that the host would get spirited away by the Crocodile Monitor that was likely shaking that tree, but I will admit that the Thai crematorium EVP was pretty bitchin'.

[profreader]

I think the show is slowly finding a better formula -- in the "Tokoloshe" episode, we saw less of Josh trying to be funny, and more of the entire team's interactions "behind the scenes." It takes a little of the focus off the "We almost saw something, but then we didn't" angle -- which is good.

[UncleJemima]

when he told the elderly woman they were going to arm wrestle, when she clearly did not know what he was saying ... it just made him look like a jerk.

I saw the tokoloshe episode last night, and, yeah, the host is a bit jerky. I guess he's trying to be snarky, but when you go into a community that isn't yours and treat the people who live there in a semi-mocking way, it makes you look like an colonialist troll, IMO. For example, I would like to have known why that guy on the side of the road was dressed in the strange mask and outfit, instead I got, "oh, look at the weirdo. Keep your kids away because he's probably up to no good!"

[ninthsign]

...and had been greatly looking forward to this show. Sadly, my hopes and expectations have been pretty much dashed. I can hardly bear the host, as I find him entirely unfunny, uninformed, and overly impressed with himself. To add to my humorless litany of complaints, I found each investigation and the overall episode production to be shoddy...

I really disliked the host for this show. I couldn't believe that anyone found him amusing. One episode, he pushed one of his team members in the Mekong after talking about the condition of the water and seeing the care they were taking easing into the water for camera shots. I wonder if the guy got sick after ingesting some of that water. I would have popped him in the face.

Now I see that the host will be on the Ghost Hunters Live show. I am so not looking forward to seeing him again. Although I don't think he'll play around with Jason...he might get popped. Ohhh that would be some good tv.

[aquarian1]

I just now found this show. There is a marathon on Sci-Fi today. I do like that they cover more than Big Foot/Nessie/etc, but I don't know that I love the show. I will give the new season a chance though. At least this is on Sci-Fi and not History or something (I have a thing for programming actually matching the intent of the channel, even though no channels seem to follow their own title anymore).

ETA: of course they're showing a Big Foot episode now.

Edited by aquarian1, Mar 2, 2008 @ 4:28 PM.

[pink scare]

I DVRed some of the episodes during the marathon as I'd never seen this show before. One thing I dig about it is that the host doesn't seem to actually believe any of the mysterious "creatures" he is looking for are actually mysterious. I appreciate his skepticism, especially in contrast to the wide-eyed, die-hard believers on Ghost Hunters.

I mean, I'm sure there are lots of species out there that have not been identified by science, and I think it's totally plausible that some of them are being spotted by people who share their habitats, leading to stories passed around about mysterious creatures. It doesn't appear that Destination Truth has found any new species, though.

The host is kind of a jerk (making fun of locals) but I occasionally find him funny, in a TWoP way.

[thegourmez]

After watching Jeff (that's his name, right?) on GHI, I was charmed with his manner and good sense of humor. I must say, three episodes of Destination Truth later, I'm agreeing with all of the previous posters--he does seem to have very little patience with the locals. It doesn't help that he makes no attempt to speak other languages and that the translators are rarely seen onscreen, making it appear that he just expects everyone to speak English to him. It's very obnoxious and I don't know if I should blame him or editors. Maybe his humor just doesn't come across right on this show?

Eh, whatever, really. My more important question--why most all paranormal shows only do research at night? I'm not really a skeptic, willing to believe there are things I don't understand, but I'm not willing to believe that all these things only operate at night!

[lovemydogs]

I love this show and I love Josh, the host. I enjoy his antics, good sence of humor and the idea that he doesn't take himself to seriously. Hope it sticks around for awhile if not for the eye candy that is Josh.

[catspajamas]

I absolutely love this show and think Josh is hot. I mean, who stumbles around the Amazon in the middle of the night with nothing but a machete and a thermal imager? What a NUT!
I'm thinking, shouldn't you have a gun at last, or a bazooka??
I hope they actually find something a some point. The Yeti footprint just didn't do it for me.

[thegourmez]

I must admit, Josh seemed much more comfortable and actually funny, rather than offensive, in last night's episode (Vietnamese Nessie and BatMan) than in the previous ones I'd seen. So I'll still watch it for now. I think it's one of the downfalls of these hour long shows, though, that we're supposed to accept that Bat Man is a tool of political contrivance after they spent all of one night looking for it. I'm sure there research/investigating is more involved than that but we didn't see it, so I feel like he was grabbing at straws to explain the creature's cyclical appearance.

[OSM Mom]

I mean, who stumbles around the Amazon in the middle of the night with nothing but a machete and a thermal imager? What a NUT!
I'm thinking, shouldn't you have a gun at last, or a bazooka??

That was my thinking as well. Even if there is no 'monster' out there, there are certainly jaguars. And something broke those palm trees. I wish they had gone back to that spot when the sun came up, and look more closely at the trees.

[Eme]

Yes, yes and yes.
Josh is hot (in an almost balding kinda way);
He's sarcastic (in a twop kinda way);
and its annoying that they investigate only at night.

But I am going to go one step further....WHY after travelling for DAYS to get to a site, do they Only Stay ONE NIGHT?
That drives me crazeeeee!! Dude! You have just flown over from LA to Asia (a 15 hour flight, or whatever) and you muck through the rough terrain to get to some godforsaken spot ... and you can ONLY stay ONE NIGHT? That just makes no sense whatsoever. Mr. Eme and I discuss this at every episode. Why can't he stay a week? or even just a few nights? Do some more investigating?
Very frustrating to watch. Go-- Muck around in the middle of the night -- Don't see anything -- Rush home. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Also, I find it very annoying that the gal who goes out mucking about on location looks/acts scared. Dude! Stay Home! They are going to Nowheresville....if you don't like the dark, stay inside! I felt like her fears at one point encouraged him to turn around when he should have been going forward and investigating that wierdo shape on the road that raced back to the trees. Maybe Josh used her as an excuse to turn back, but it was annoying nonetheless.

BTW, Josh, if you are reading this -- Love You! Just stop being annoying.

[pink scare]

Josh is hot (in an almost balding kinda way)

Heh, I have no problem admitting on an anonymous website that I shallowly prefer guys who aren't balding. But Josh's personality almost overrides his male pattern baldness (and I note they don't shoot him from behind and above much).

The cameraman, Casey, on the other hand, is smoking hot.

I hope they actually find something a some point. The Yeti footprint just didn't do it for me.

The odds seem fairly decent--again, new species of animals are discovered all the time, and Josh is hunting in a lot of very remote locations. I agree about the Yeti print, it looked like a cartoon foot.

All of my favorite moments on this show have been non-cryptozoology-related: the time the whole crew ate the hallucinogenic nuts had me in stitches, and I love that they stop to eat the weirdest local food they can find.

Oh! And my favorite location was last week's batman. It was a lame investigation but the City of Stone in Zanzibar was amazing.

Edited by pink scare, Apr 4, 2008 @ 6:08 PM.

[Forn]

At the risk of sounding gullible, I actually think they dismissed the whole dinosaur/brontosaurus sitings a little too easily. It seemed like once they got into the area of the swamp, EVERYBODY they talked to had seen the thing.

I also agree their schedule seems awfully rushed. One night and they're gone. Seems like it should be a little more flexible depending on what they find/don't find.

And count me in with those who think running around the Amazon at night with just a machete is crazy. I couldn't help but think of Steve Irwin when they were in there.

[pink scare]

On the improbable chance that anyone is interested, a new season of Destination Truth begins this Wednesday (September 3), right after the new Ghost Hunters.

[dmcarter]

I actually watched the premiere because I'm a GH fan...when the host from this show was on GHI, he was much more entertaining than the GHI guys.

Really enjoyed last night's episode. Is anyone else watching and posting? Anyone?

<crickets chirp>

[Dea]

Aw, I did dmcarter mostly because it was on after GH but also because I find Josh to be entertaining. I was a bit disappointed in the OMG!Haunted abandoned mosque, but the Yeti / Yowie search in Australia was interesting. I like that Josh retains his skepticism about their findings.

Last night I howled with laughter when cameraman Casey bailed on the mosque with 7 minutes left. Not that I would have lasted the whole 30 minutes in there - I doubt I would have lasted 30 seconds. I give Ryder props for hanging in there.

[You are a Towel]

Okay, I missed the beginning. Is that new girl Josh's girlfriend? Did they keep the same beginning credits with that awesome shot of Josh riding the airport luggage conveyor looking forlorn? I think that's my favorite part of the show.

Edited by You are a Towel, Sep 5, 2008 @ 10:19 AM.

[dmcarter]

I used to catch bits of pieces of this show and, honestly, JOsh's voice was a little annoying, but he's kind of grown on me. Not to mention I love his cynicism combined with his goofyness.

The first bit about the Australian Bigfoot was interesting but I have to say that the girl needs to suck it up or go away. They can't find a girl who doesn't stand in the back and flutter about the boys doing silly, dangerous things? I mean seriously, what was with the whiney orders to not. go. anywhere.....the dude is going after bigfoot, he sees human shaped heat signatures in a non-pupulated area...and you think he's NOT going to go tearing off down the hill? Sorry, just my issues about how woman seem to come across in these things....

I got a kick out of the dessert in the jungle...and watching them sample the local sweet and sour chocolate balls (or whatever those were - visions of Chef selling salty chocolate balls in South Park running through my head) was pretty darn funny. I think I will be adding this show to my Wednesday night fix, at least for a while.

[truconfession]

The first bit about the Australian Bigfoot was interesting but I have to say that the girl needs to suck it up or go away. They can't find a girl who doesn't stand in the back and flutter about the boys doing silly, dangerous things? I mean seriously, what was with the whiney orders to not. go. anywhere.....the dude is going after bigfoot, he sees human shaped heat signatures in a non-pupulated area...and you think he's NOT going to go tearing off down the hill? Sorry, just my issues about how woman seem to come across in these things....

That is my only issue with this show. The girl GRATES to no end. Every time there seems to be a glimmer of a hope they found something this girls is whining about them not going out after it. Standing still is not going to help them catch something on video. She has done it multiple times and each time it has prevented further exploration into what they are seeing/hearing. She is way too panicky for the group. She needs to be dropped if cant she suck it up and realize that it's their job is to go out there and find things.



The episode as a whole was fun. I really wish they would have went chasing after the image on the thermal. If there are no people out there it has to be something. And there are no animals that I can think of that walk up right that smoothly.

The ghost place was interesting as well. There seemed to be something there with all the noise that was being made.

[pink scare]

I, for one, am thrilled this show is back. I really enjoy Josh's extremely dry wit and don't find him irritating at all. The female member of the team - Ryder? - on the other hand, is intolerable. How many times did she say "I don't want to be out here any more" in one episode? It's your job to be out there. If you don't like it, find a new job. She just reinforces the totally bogus stereotype that women are easily scared, frail, not adventurous, etc. She needs to be replaced ASAP.

Anyway, what I really love about this show is not so much the hunt for mystic beasts, but the locations we get to see. A lot of travel-type shows end up going places that are cool, but are conceivably on my list of places I'd like to visit. DT ends up in some of the most obscure places on earth--places I know I'll likely never see in person, but I really appreciate the opportunity to see them on tv. I mean, what travel show is going to go to a random village in the jungles of Malaysia? It's not like you can "tour" there. And I always love the sampling of local cuisine. It seems like every episode Josh puts the worst thing he's ever tasted in his mouth. "Creamed corn, ice, and grass jelly? I don't see any texture problems with that." I think he sometimes borders on Ugly American, but he's just saying what I know I would be thinking.... "Great, just spray that with WD-40! We're all going to die."

I also appreciate the way DT incorporates the crew into the show. Contrast with Ghost Hunters, which often (although not always) pretends the crew isn't there, but the viewer knows they are there, and it creates a kind of disconnect about the truthfulness of what's going on.

Edited by pink scare, Sep 7, 2008 @ 1:49 PM.

[SVNBob]

An interview with Josh on Slice of Sci-Fi #177. One interesting tidbit: the expeditions for a season all take place one right after the other; starting from California and traveling west around the planet.

[lovemydogs]

I am glad that the show is back on, as I love Josh and his humors take on things. Ryder,however, needs to go find a job on the Food Channel, where it's not so scary for her.

[dmcarter]

Pink scare wrote:

I, for one, am thrilled this show is back. I really enjoy Josh's extremely dry wit and don't find him irritating at all.

I have agree. The first time I caught the show I was doing laundry or something, and his voice was annoying (sorry, but true for me). But his sense of humor and attitude totally make up for that. By the end of the season opener, hearing his voice just meant something funny or interesting was going to happen.

I don't really see him bordering on ugly American - at least he's willing to try this stuff. And the sour chocolates in the car - parts of this show are like some college buddy road trip show mixed with intelligence and mystery.

Looking forward to tonight.