T.A.P.S. was founded by Jason, a plumber who had some paranormal experiences he wanted to find explanations for. He was joined in building the organization by his best friend, Grant, also a plumber, who had his own questions. After more than a decade of building T.A.P.S., it has become one of the most respected paranormal-investigation groups in the country. The T.A.P.S. family of investigative groups has grown across the United States and has affiliates in 12 other countries.

The series, Ghost Hunters, now in its third season, will air an additional mini-season this fall that will include another live Halloween investigation. The popular SCI FI series has also been renewed for a fourth season, with episodes set to air in 2008.

Jason and Grant chatted via conference call from different locations with SCI FI Weekly about Ireland, Charlie Chaplin and getting time off.So you guys aren't together this time?

Jason: No. We try to avoid each other like the plague sometimes.

Grant That's right.

Jason: I mean, we love each other like brothers, don't get me wrong. Sometimes it's nice to see my wife and not Grant [laughs]. ... I'm sure Grant's wife agrees with that, too.

Grant [laughs] Absolutely.Tell me about the new mini-season you have coming up in June.

Jason: We have the Lisheen Ruins in Ireland, which was an incredible place to investigate.

Grant: That was the ruins of a guy's house that is just nothing but walls now. There's no floors, no ceiling. The house was built in the late 1800s.

Jason: He use to collect the mummy stuff, and he used to have it all through his house.

Grant: He was an archaeologist. But right now it's just in the middle of cow pasture. We had to have Dustin go in and shovel out all the cow patties [laughs].

Jason: [laughs] It was awesome. Poor Dustin.

Grant: He offered.

Jason: He did it happily. We didn't force him to do it. He didn't want to step in it either [laughs].

Grant: That was an interesting place. You've got to remember, this castle is in ruins now.I'm sure that created all sorts of problems for you guys and your technology.

Jason: Just being in Ireland created problems with our technology [laughs]. We used generators. We were able to make the investigation happen. It was a really interesting case, and it has a rath, which is an encirclement of trees the ancestors used to actually live in. There are claims of activity in there, too.

Grant: There are claims of apparitions and fairy activity. And not fairies like you picture with wings and pretty little dresses and crap. I mean, these things are feared by the Irish and respected by the Irish. And not necessarily friendly by any means.

Jason: Actually, they are vicious little creatures. ... It was an incredible experience that we'll never forget.Did you end up working with local investigators?

Jason: We have a T.A.P.S. family group over there, and they were able to join us on the investigation. And they also came with us to England as well. I know you investigated the Hellfire Caves in England. Why were you drawn to that location?

Jason: That's actually an old chalk mine that, after it was done being used for that, it was converted to a place for, I guess you'd call it a secret society, to go and hang out. There are a lot of different claims. There's claims of human sacrifices, and the strange thing is the room that they're claiming the human sacrifices happened [in] is 300 feet below ground, beneath a church.

Grant: They call it Heaven and Hell. The church was heaven and then 300 feet below it was the hell. Lots of s0tuff is going on.
And then you headed back to the States. What did you end up investigating?

Jason: We investigated a house two doors from the Manson murders ... really strange.

Grant: And we did the Jim Henson Studios in California, did an aircraft carrier, all sorts of stuff. What was it like with the house near the Manson house? What activity was going on there?

Jason: There was a lot of different claims of activity, from voices to apparitions to shadows, objects moving, and it was just a real interesting case, because in that whole area a lot of people are committing suicide and so forth, all within these groups of homes that are up in the hills. ... At one point, I guess they were digging the foundations and they found some old Indian remains.

Grant: There are a lot of people that died around there. One of the reports was even that [the homeowner's] friend was lifted off his bed and thrown against the wall.

Jason: He claims he was lifted off the bed and actually pushed off into the corner in the ceiling on the wall area.

Grant: But I think the one that was really interesting was the Jim Henson studios. You're walking around and there are Muppets all over the place.

Jason: Yes, that was kind of strange.

Grant: There's some interesting stuff there. I guess it used to be Charlie Chaplin's studios, too. What kind of claims do they have at the Henson Studios?

Jason: Actually some of the claims are that they see Charlie Chaplin walking around. There's a woman that's seen in the actual studio area. Again, voices, objects moving or doors opening and closing by themselves.

Grant: Fog coming in.

Jason: There is a lot of different claims over there, and it was really interesting to get to a place that's played such a role in our childhood, when you think about that. And then they call you in to investigate. Now, that was just huge for us.

Grant: Then we did a couple of local places, a couple homes, one where the kids' toys would turn on, and that was right in Warrick, right where we were from.Was there a child involved in that one?

Grant: Yes. There was a child there. We got to the bottom of a few things, but not everything.I understand you'll be doing another live broadcast on Halloween. Where are you going to be this time?

Grant: Waverly Hills. ... There is a lot of room.

Jason: That's the biggest part. There is a lot of room. Nobody is stepping on each other's toes, and I think that's awesome. You must have been glad to get home after all that traveling.

Jason: It's been a nice time off with the family and just readjusting and everything. Of course, you spend a lot of time back and forth on the road when you're filming. And you get to see some of the best areas out there. But yeah, it's definitely nice when you can take that break and just turn off the phones and spend time home. Are you still getting some plumbing in?

Jason: Yes, I am. I actually just put in a bathroom for somebody. Plumbing and ghost hunting. It sounds like you guys are going to continue to be busy. What's the future hold?

Jason: We've still got six more episodes to film for this season. And then there's 2008. I'm really looking forward to that and trying to get overseas again.

You've had a lot of success, from capturing some amazing footage to debunking some possible hauntings. What do you think sets your show apart from other shows that do similar types of investigations?

Jason: I think a lot of the difference is [that] if something happens we've got the cameras rolling. We don't aim at the floor and scream and run. I think that's a very big thing.You and your people have been beat up by ghosts. Most people would be out of there. You guys are like, "Oh yeah! Let's see if we can make the ghost do it again."

Grant: You're there not only for yourself but for the audience, and the audience wants to know what happened. You run out, you never get those answers. You've been investigating for a long time. I doubt you went out the door screaming before you had the audience.

Grant: Well, that's true.

Jason: That's not our way. That's not our style. How could we actually run out of a place and then come home and tell our kids not to fear these things?