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TAPS Caught Cheating

ProbeX

Graduate Poster
ProbeX
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
1,446
TAPS has been caught doing questionable things. And if you think that sounds too vague, here you go:

Coat Yank Analysis

Here's a longer version in which the narrator makes a couple added points that most other like vids seem to miss (like the right-handed/left-handed thing).

Here's a re-creation of the trick.
 
The show where nothing ever happens caught trying to make something happen again? That show is some of the worst woo on TV. Particularily when they try to present themselves as being objective skeptics. I'll watch it only if I feel like hurling invectives at the tv. I like how they try to pad out the show with the unnecessary drama, conflicts, and critiques of job performance.

TAPS sucks. Woo poo.
 
I mean, I don't see how this show can still be on television.

It's so BORING... it's dark and NOTHING HAPPENS.

Ohhh, look at the meter! Oh a temperature change!

whoohooo whoo hoooo
 
kittynh said:
I mean, I don't see how this show can still be on television.

It's so BORING... it's dark and NOTHING HAPPENS.

Ohhh, look at the meter! Oh a temperature change!

whoohooo whoo hoooo
Click to expand...

Now, if they were inside the space shuttle trying to find a gas leak, that would be boring; even if the video and audio was identical. In irony, referencing the pair of engineers who died a few years back of asphyxiation after climbing into a purged external tank, the shuttle can be a darned sight more risky.
 
I think Occam's razor applies here. The paranormal requires far more assumption than the mundane. Thus, if it can be shown that a purported paranormal event could have been staged, one must assume it was unless there is evidence to the contrary. I believe this is the general attitude of JREF in its approach to the MDC.
 
daSkeptic said:
I think Occam's razor applies here. The paranormal requires far more assumption than the mundane. Thus, if it can be shown that a purported paranormal event could have been staged, one must assume it was unless there is evidence to the contrary. I believe this is the general attitude of JREF in its approach to the MDC.
Click to expand...

That's just silly!

I'm not claiming to know if this was faked or not. I'm sure a polygraph would give a little more light on the subject.
Question... If the character could pass a polygraph, what would you say then?
 
TAPS made the mistake of foolishly taking on a live recording of their show and being sloppy enough in the course a few minutes, to bring down a house of cards that extends well beyond their own paranormal group.

While TAPS could never be taken as anything remotely approaching scientific investigation by most of us, they'd made bleevers out of a lot of viewers, spawning a near pandemic of spin-off "research" groups calling themselves part of the "TAPS family". In one fell swoop they took a proverbial cannon ball to their own show, and probably have knocked some (but not all) wind out of "ghost hunting" as a televised fad.
 
Let me play devil's advocate here for a second. I'm not going to pretend that the coat thing was 'paranormal' but that doesn't mean it was a hoax either. It could very well be something with that jacket and not intentional.

I love Ghost Hunters for full disclosure. That doesn't mean I think what they find are ghosts. But let's have some perspective; compared only to other paranormal and ghost hunting groups, TAPS is a skeptical group. It doesn't seem to be in their nature to fake stuff, which is why the show is so 'boring'. Hell, TAPS takes a ton of **** in the paranormal community because they are so 'close minded'.

I could be wrong. They may have started hoaxing. However, I just can't get excited over what could be just a stupid mistake.

Polygraph wouldn't mean much to me personally.
 
Polygraphs are pretty close about 90% of the time. Hardened criminals and self believing liars are hard to catch. I'm not sure this guy is one of those.

It does look pretty fishy to me. However, how do you prove deception?

No one can SEE the method and no one has confessed.
 
Gave more thought to these clips and my personal conclusion now is that the TAPS member's behavior seemed suspicious, but it no longer seems blatant enough to call it patently fraudulent. This still doesn't mean I fully accept what they do as paranormal and/or scientifically based. Just no longer totally convinced that this particular episode was a "stunt" in the specific way it's being portrayed.

Tyr, wrote this before seeing your response. Have to say I basically agree with you.
 
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Unless we are going to believe that ghosts go around tugging on people's collars it has to be fake. It's a bit different to getting a cold spot or electrical interference or whatever else it is that they pretend to measure.

He didn't seem very surprised by it either, you'd think even a hardened paranormal investigator would be amazed at the idea that some supernatural force was pulling at your clothes.
 
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This one is clearly faked. He isn't even very clever at it. His hand never strays far from the bottom of his jacket. If your jacket were getting paranormally tugged, would you nonchalantly leave your hand at your side?

Did you ever wonder why it's always Grant who has the paranormal movement experiences that can be explained with threads and fishing line? The chair moving at the lighthouse, the covers moving, and now this.
 
well and it's become a big hobby.

I don't really like TAPS, but they don't usually bring in some stupid psychic to "talk" to the dead people (or do they now?) I find that really annoying and how do you disprove a psychic?

Also I hate paranormal state where they exploit small children. It's frightening to me as a parent and teacher when they manipulate small children.
 
Speaking of cheating, wasn't it proven that TAPS faked/altered some FLIR footage?

Or am I mistaken?
 
The Professor said:
That's just silly!

I'm not claiming to know if this was faked or not. I'm sure a polygraph would give a little more light on the subject.
Question... If the character could pass a polygraph, what would you say then?
Click to expand...
.
Polygraphs are applied wool
 
The Professor said:
That's just silly!

I'm not claiming to know if this was faked or not. I'm sure a polygraph would give a little more light on the subject.
Question... If the character could pass a polygraph, what would you say then?
Click to expand...


Question... If I could pass a polygraph, stating that I was in fact *god*, how soon could I expect to have you onboard as a loyal worshipper?
 
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