Season 1, Episode 8: Symphonic Spirits/Hovering Humanoid

Symphonic Spirits:
The team (Bill, Chi-Lan, and Larry) travels to Victor, NY to the Valentown Museum. A video sent to the team shows what appears to be a full-bodied apparition walking through the museum while a researcher stands by, not noticing the figure caught on camera.

(Figure is seen just right of the woman in picture)



The team first tries to recreate the video using Larry as the figure and keeping him out of focus but he was still too defined; you could tell there was definitely a person there and not a figure like in the video.  Next, using plexiglass, the team creates a reflection which turns out to be pretty good but still not quite like the video.  Larry just doesn't look creepy enough!  Lastly, they try a projection of Larry walking but again, the image is seen clearly and does not look like the video. 

I wonder why the team did not try to manipulate their trials using simple video editing that anyone could have done to create a hoax?  The images were too clear but with some editing, they may have been able to recreate the images more.  And with the reflection test, it seems like there is enough surfaces to reflect the image without using the plexiglass; maybe that could have explained a natural cause for the image?  Another blog also mentions that they used an IR light which creates too much light to effectively recreate the video. 

While reviewing their tests, the team suddenly hears piano keys being struck in the background.  Everyone pauses to find out where it is coming from.  When they reach the piano, there is no explanation for the sound.  They then hear what sounds like a stringed instrument and find an old guitar...with no strings.  This prompts the team to conduct a full investigation. 

Larry watches on the camera while Bill investigates the second floor and Chi-Lan takes the basement.  Bill attempts to stir up the energy in the building using a crank machine that sparks lightening due to reports of increased activity during lightening storms (this also creates a very cheesey and, in my opinion, unnecessary entertainmemt factor to the show).  Larry hears something moving which is not caught by the camera and feels as if he is not alone.  Chi-Lan also hears a groan, which was caught by the camera and later presented to the group (I was not able to get this EVP as it is property of the show, boo.).

The end result is that the video remains unexplained and the team finds that the place may in fact be haunted. 

Interesting side note: after reading other reviews on this case, some of which claimed that the museum has told patrons that the video was found to be hoaxed, I decided to call the museum myself.  I reached Kathryn White, president of the Victor Historical Society and who is responsible for the building.  She responded with "no comment" regarding whether the building is actually haunted and has not heard that the video was in fact hoaxed (I have a feeling those reports are coming from personal opinions of tour guides and/or visitors).  If you want a good discussion on the here-after, call her up, she has a lot to say! 

The sad part of our conversation was her disappointment with how the investigation took place and lack of support for the building itself.  A third party was used to host ghost hunts in the building and that group was the one to contact the producers; the Society was not involved in the process and did not even know what was happening until very close to taping.  In Kathryn's opinion, respect for the historical building was not shown by the film crew and third party and the show seeemed to not truley care about the building and how fragile it actually is.  The building will not survive much longer without financial help through donations and she wishes someone from the show would have been a support.  The building holds many important artifacts not only from history of the local area but of the country, which she feels is the more important issue than whether or not it is haunted.

Unfortunately, show business is business and the viewers (myself included) got what they wanted.  It was really interesting hearing her perspective and her passion behind this museum.  I wish I lived close enough to visit!  For more information about the museum and Historical Society and/or to donate, visit: http://www.valentown.org/valentown_home

Hovering Humanoid:
The other team (Ben, Jael, and Austin) travel to McKinney, Texas to find the mystery behind a humanoid figure captured on video in Monterey, Mexico.  The woman who took the video agreed to be interviewed in the US and she shared her belief that it could be some kind of UFO or Bruha (witch).

(This shows the figure hovering just right of mid-photo)

The uniqueness of this flying mystery is the consistent, straight path (despite strong wind currents) and lack of sound.  The teams first thought was that it could be someone flying a jet-pack, which turns out is possible in the area where the film was shot (there are only a few people in the world flying jet-packs).  Maybe a little over-excited, the team watches a trained flyer fly over a field to see if it looks like the object on film and Austin measures the sound frequency.  While it did look like a possibility, the jet-packs can only stay in flight for 30 seconds, much quicker than the video.  You can also hear the craft which doesn't match the eye-witness accounts.  

The team then tests the theory that it was someone on a zip-line traveling across the mountains, another strong possibility in the area where the video was taken.  Being the trusty stuntman, "Crash Test Dummy Austin" hops on a line and zips at the same speed and tries to match the shape.  The speed and consistency match but it is clearly someone on a zip line as you can see the line in the sun and doesn't match the strange shape in the video.  

Another theory is that it was simply trash floating in the wind.  Since the speed and height was so consistent, the team first tries to recreate the object using a bag filled with balloons and tied to a tether.   While the speed and height could remain consistent with this method, the bag still waved in the wind, very much unlike the video.  Ben comments that it would have to be perfect conditions for this theory to be possible.
The final attempt used the same bag of balloons but this time tied to a remote control plane.  This kept the bag very still with the same effect of floating straight, silent from a distance, and at a consistent speed.  In fact, this test looked remarkably similar to the video.  The team concluded that this must have been a hoax for the UFO enthusiasts standing by to witness.  

Season 1, episode 5: Blazing Horizon/Rollover

Blazing Horizon/Paulding Light
The first team (Bill, Jael, and Austin) travel to upper Michigan to investigate the legendary Paulding Light, a mysterious glowing light that appears almost on cue at night through a certain viewpoint of bare roads and telephone wires. No one seems to know why this happens and has become a ghost story after a railroad operator was killed near the site. The tale is that this man carries a light to warn people of oncoming trains. While this sad story does hold true, the light is more likely a natural occurrence that has not yet been explained. The team first tests the theory that it is a plane flying low over the area but the light from Austin's test flight is not steady or long enough. The second test was car lights from a distance, which the team thought might actually be the culprit. To me, if this were the case, the light would go in and out as cars are passing by but the light is strong and steady in one bright light. They discover that the light from Bill and Jael's drive-by is not even seen from the viewpoint's distance. The team then conducted an overnight investigation using cameras and audio recorders in hopes of catching evidence of the supposed train operator ghost, yielding no results. The team decided the lights to be inconclusive and let it remain a mystery.

During a recent radio show with Bill, one listener inquired about the case and asked if it could be some kind of natural occurrence with the rocks in the area. This theory sparked my interest as a definite possibility. Bill has also been testing the idea of granite holding onto spiritual energy at such haunted locations as The Stanley Hotel. I would love to see the team, or some other scientific investigation group, try this theory and put a rest to the mystery. It does seem entirely possible that certain rock in the area could be holding onto light or energy and release it when the sun goes down, or maybe we just can't see that energy until the light of the sun dims. If any readers know of updates, please let me know!

Rollover:
The other team (Ben, Chi-Lan, and Larry) travel to Texas to uncover the mystery of cars being pushed uphill over train tracks. The legend says that a school bus filled with children was hit by a train and several children died in the accident. Those children now push cars across the tracks so that other people will not suffer the same fate. If a car sits in neutral, the car will begin to move by unseen forces, uphill, and over the tracks. Additionally, if you sprinkle the car with powder, little fingerprints will appear. Great story!

The team first hops in a similar car to the one in the video sent to the show; lo and behold, the car moves on it's own while in neutral. Assuming that the fingerprints that appear are nothing more than previous fingerprints left behind (smart.), the team had wiped down the back of the car before starting the test and Ben uses his magic FBI print powder to look for prints left after "being pushed.". No evidence.  The team then tries an actual school bus to see if even something so big can be "pushed" over the tracks; and it does.  Using the same fingerprint test as before, the team again has no results.  Something is clearly making these vehicles move on their own.  The team then conducts a survey of the land to test the grade of the hill.  It looks at first glance like there is an uphill to the tracks and a downhill on the other side; however, the survey revealed that optical illusions are at work: there is actually a downhill over the tracks and the land surrounding makes it look like its uphill!

This optical illusion still blows my mind, its hard to wrap my head around it!  And I think its genius how the team tested these theories.  If anyone doubts the Fact or Faked team at large, this episode helps prove their credibility.  A ghost story would sure be romantic but sorry folks, its just not the case here.