MYSTERY HUNTERS - General Review

Discovery Kids - Original Air Date: 2002-present

Everyone who wants to hunt ghosts should be forced to watch this show.  This Canadian kids' show is hosted by Araya and Christina, two average teens who, show after show, demonstrate above-average courage, intelligence, and skepticism.  Often, they visit the same well-known mystery sites and haunts that you see on other shows. Unlike the rest, though, they don't drag along "psychics" or excess crew members to freak out just before the commercial break.  What they do bring is both open minds and a willingness to do rational investigation.  Sometimes, they don't figure out what the root of the case is, but other times they draw very plausible conclusions -- conclusions ignored by higher-end shows aimed at "adults."  I mean, when Christina can -- on a whim -  fake a better-looking photo of an alien than a supposed "eyewitness," how hard can faking an alien photo be?  Back in the Lab, assisting the teens is Doubting Dave, a TV scientist who often reads spooky mail from viewers and offers rational explanations for the phenomena investigated on the show. (Sometimes he'll even teach a magic trick or two.)  The explanations Dave gives are simple, as the show is aimed at kids -- but a lot of so-called ghost busters could listen to them and learn a thing or three. It's also worth noting that I've seen Araya and Christina bravely walk into supposedly "haunted" places that I've seen adults on other shows leave screaming in terror.  So far, neither teen has ever uttered the words, "Dude, run!"  The kids stalwartness makes some of the "professional" investigators on other shows look downright silly.  Whether you're young or old, this show about hauntings and mysteries is worth checking out.