James defends Kings Island, I respond.

Fellow blogger and friend of the show James Gabbard took issue with some of the things I said in my review of the Ghost Hunters episode at Kings Island.

Check out his take on my review and on the episode here www.asimpleletter.com

A little background (in case you don't click on his blog). James worked at Kings Island in several shops in 2008. I worked in just about every shop from 2000 (or was it 99?) to 2008. We both worked in the Merchandise Department.

James agrees that it wasn't a great episode of Ghost Hunters....so we're cool on that.

James says that while the guys in the show are ghost hunters, their primary aim is to make an interesting TV show. I agree completely.

And if they wanted to make this more interesting, why not at least in that opening sequence discuss the rumors of hauntings all over the park? We've all seen episodes of this show (Remember that lighthouse) where there were 5-10 or even more little ghost stories explained.

Sometimes they'd narrow the investigation to a handful, but they acknowledged them at least. A spooky ghost hunting show is made MORE interesting by talking about MORE ghosts.

I didn't explain myself well at one point in my hasty response. At the end I mention that though Ghost Hunters was there for a week, we saw only a little bit. Well, mea cupla. That's the nature of reality TV I get it. But that doesn't change the fact that stumbling about the kiddie dark ride and the carousel with nothing but their naked eyes and flashlights isn't the standard of ghost hunting this show usually tries to live up too.

This story here talks about the powder mills and doesn't say there wasn't one on the site of KI. There might have been, but the reporter I emailed yesterday at the Cincinnati Enquirer was not aware of the it at the time we communicated. Maybe there was one, maybe not, but what a boring thing to mention when THERE HAVE BEEN REAL DEATHS at the park.

I suggested that these were ignored because of KI/Cedar Fair management not wanting to discuss them. James disagreed.

First the little girl in the blue dress they were after the whole episode is often seen in the waterpark, but there was not investigation there. James claims that the waterpark renovations were the reason for this. If there were lots of torn up construction out there, maybe that could be the case, for safety, but last photos I saw showed only them tearing up the old softball fields. Admittedly, could be more by now.

But James thinks it was to not reveal things before they're done out there. Well they've already revealed all the new attractions in a map and anyway the haunted zone out there I'm familiar with is behind On Shore (Matilda's now I think), not near the upgrades.

But here is my biggest issue with what James had to say.
"Tower Johnny was killed while climbing the Eiffel Tower and either being cut by wire cables or falling to his death. Black Sunday was three different deaths at the fault of the park. Racer Boy was supposedly a death from one of the carts on the Racer back at Coney Island, in which he fell out. There are tons of deaths at the park, and tons of spirits- but do you want to scare people into going into the park if the rides have killed people? No. That's likely why they first stuck to these stories."

That's Kings Island's problem, not TAPS. TAPS is trying to make an interesting show and hunt for ghosts. They investigated one area in depth and that area is barely utilized by the park anymore.

TAPS has told stories way more intense then some possible 1800s girl lost in a 1972 era restaurant. They usually do way more and they always spin it at tourist sites so as to not scare people off. In this case, they just didn't investigate.

I understand that looking over the whole park would have led to a long long long show. I understand limiting the investigation. But to not mention the rest. To ignore the most likely causes of any spiritual activity (assuming such exists) is not like TAPS in other episodes I have seen. That's why I think KI came down on them a little, but I'm blaming them too, since they probably agreed to the terms.

I also understand that there may be nothing to all the stories that I have heard. But then if they investigated them, they should have said they found nothing. And if they didn't they should have acknowledged that as well.

In the second half of the episode they communicate with ghosts with a flashlight system. They set up remote cameras, used infrared, they did a LOT more. They did, essentially what they always do.

But at Kings Island, they had flashlights to see with, and a digital recorder. That's it. No remotes, no infrared, no anything but walking about, seemingly at random outside of the International Restaurant.

Ghost Hunters want in to KI all the time and so I understand, they're usually refused. I do know some who have pulled it off and if I can get their stories, I'll publish them here. (Word is there are multiple ghosts in Attitudes/Rock Shop stock room).

Here a pro group got a swing at it, but they missed big time.

At lunch I'll share my two creepy KI stories with anyone willing to read.

Also, hell yes facebookers. This blog usually gets like 12 views a day. Yesterday we got 200.