Proof Positive
Encyclopedia
Proof Positive was a reality television
paranormal
investigation show broadcast by the SciFi Channel (now SyFy
) beginning in October 6, 2004 through December 8, 2004. It was shown as part of the "SciFi Wednesday" evening schedule line up in the United States
along with other reality television programs as Scare Tactics
and Ghost Hunters
. Proof Positive ran for ten episodes.
The show was hosted by actress Amanda Tapping
of Stargate SG-1
and Sanctuary.
, past life regression
, alien abductions and UFO sightings. During the fourth and final segment of the program, the show takes whatever evidence was gathered and hands it over to professionals for examination. For example; a video tape with alleged UFO footage would be examined by professional video or special effects experts to determine if the footage is genuine or fake. Once the evidence is examined, the show reveals the findings.
Only one of the segments in each episode would be given a proof positive. Before the commercial break at the end of the third segment, the audience would be asked which of the three segments they think would be concluded positive.
The program's purpose was to only validate the authenticity of evidence from a paranormal encounter and not to prove that the paranormal activity exists. For example, if a photo of a flying saucer was declared "proof positive" by the show, it does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that flying saucers exist. The show would simply validate that the photo was a picture of something unexplained, appearing in the sky, that was really there, and was not apparently faked in any way.
"Episode 102"
"Episode 103"
"Episode 104"
"Episode 105"
"Episode 106"
"Episode 107"
"Episode 108"
"Episode 109"
"Episode 110"
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
investigation show broadcast by the SciFi Channel (now SyFy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
) beginning in October 6, 2004 through December 8, 2004. It was shown as part of the "SciFi Wednesday" evening schedule line up in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
along with other reality television programs as Scare Tactics
Scare Tactics
Scare Tactics is a hidden camera/comedy television show, produced by Hallock Healey Entertainment. Its first two seasons aired from April 2003 to December 2004. After a hiatus, the show returned for a third season, beginning July 9, 2008. The first season of the show was hosted by Shannen Doherty....
and Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...
. Proof Positive ran for ten episodes.
The show was hosted by actress Amanda Tapping
Amanda Tapping
Amanda Tapping is an English-born Canadian actress, producer and director. She is best known for portraying Samantha Carter in the Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis...
of Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
and Sanctuary.
Episode format
During the first three segments of the program, the show investigated three different unexplained phenomena subjects such as ghost hauntings, remote viewingRemote viewing
Remote viewing is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen target using paranormal means, in particular, extra-sensory perception or "sensing with mind"...
, past life regression
Past life regression
Past life regression is a technique that uses hypnosis to recover what practitioners believe are memories of past lives or incarnations, though others regard them as fantasies or delusions. Past life regression is typically undertaken either in pursuit of a spiritual experience, or in a...
, alien abductions and UFO sightings. During the fourth and final segment of the program, the show takes whatever evidence was gathered and hands it over to professionals for examination. For example; a video tape with alleged UFO footage would be examined by professional video or special effects experts to determine if the footage is genuine or fake. Once the evidence is examined, the show reveals the findings.
- If the evidence is proven authentic, the show would conclude it as "Proof Positive."
- If the evidence is determined to be a hoax, or not paranormal related, the show would conclude it as "Proof Negative."
- If the evidence could not be verified, the show would give it a "Proof Inconclusive."
Only one of the segments in each episode would be given a proof positive. Before the commercial break at the end of the third segment, the audience would be asked which of the three segments they think would be concluded positive.
The program's purpose was to only validate the authenticity of evidence from a paranormal encounter and not to prove that the paranormal activity exists. For example, if a photo of a flying saucer was declared "proof positive" by the show, it does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that flying saucers exist. The show would simply validate that the photo was a picture of something unexplained, appearing in the sky, that was really there, and was not apparently faked in any way.
List of Proof Positive episodes
"Episode 101"- Policeman's Past Life - an Indiana detective believes he is a reincarnation of artist James Carroll BeckwithJames Carroll BeckwithJames Carroll Beckwith was an American landscape, portrait and genre painter whose Impressionist style led to his recognition in the late nineteenth century as a prominent figure in American art.-Biography:...
. Deemed "Proof Positive" - Michigan Lighthouse Ghost - a mysterious light appears within an inoperable light house. Deemed "Proof Negative"
- Roswell Rods - the show studies evidence of elongated, multi-winged "insects" called RodsRod (cryptozoology)In cryptozoology, ufology, and outdoor photography, rods are elongated artifacts produced by cameras that inadvertently capture several of a flying insect's wingbeats...
that are caught on videotape. Deemed "Proof Negative"
"Episode 102"
- Little Boy Ghost - a family believes the spirit of a seven-year old boy haunts their GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
home. Deemed "Proof Negative" - Psychic Artists - a psychic team draws images of deceased loved ones as evidence that they can communicate with the dead. Deemed "Proof Positive"
- Lizard Man Sightings - the show investigates a legend that a South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
swamp is haunted by a humanoid lizard creatureLizard Man of Scape Ore SwampThe Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp is a humanoid cryptid which is said to inhabit areas of swampland in and around Lee County, South Carolina along with the sewers and abandoned subways in towns near the swamp....
. Deemed "Proof Negative"
"Episode 103"
- Alien Abduction - a man presents evidence that he has been abducted by aliens. Deemed "Proof Negative"
- Firehouse Ghost - members of a fire house believe it is haunted by a firefighter who died in the 1920s. Deemed "Proof Inconclusive"
- Remote Viewing - the show explores psychic-viewing techniques once used by the CIA. Deemed "Proof Positive"
"Episode 104"
- Mexico UFO Sighting - a family shows their videotape evidence of a strange object in the night sky. Deemed "Proof Positive"
- Haunted Brothel - the show investigates a NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
brothelBrothelBrothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
where it is believed a spirit lurks in the VIP room. Deemed "Proof Negative" - Disaster Precognition - the show studies individuals who claim they have had dreams of disaster events before they happened. Deemed "Proof Inconclusive"
"Episode 105"
- Haunted Axe-Murder House - visitors to an axe-murder house in Villisca, IowaVillisca, IowaVillisca is a city in Montgomery County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,344 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Villisca is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land....
claim they see ghostly orbs. Deemed "Proof Negative" - Alien Residue - a woman claiming to have been abducted by aliens presents a strange substance as evidence. Deemed "Proof Negative"
- Confederate General Past Life - a ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
fire-fighter claims he is the reincarnation of American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
General John B. Gordon. Deemed "Proof Positive"
"Episode 106"
- Colorado UFO Sighting - a ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
man shows his video tape evidence of a UFO. Deemed "Proof Inconclusive" - Psychic Detectives - the show interviews two detectives who use psychic impressions to solve cold cases. Deemed "Proof Positive"
- Willard Library Ghost - security cameras supposedly catch a ghostly woman seen in an Indiana library. Deemed "Proof Negative"
"Episode 107"
- Junkyard Haunting - the spirit of a car-crash victim is believed to be caught on a wrecking yard security camera. Deemed "Proof Inconclusive"
- Roswell UFO Crash Material - the show tests material claimed to be extraterrestrial in origin. Deemed "Proof Negative"
- Aura Photography - the show studies human aurasAura (paranormal)In parapsychology and many forms of spiritual practice, an aura is a field of subtle, luminous radiation surrounding a person or object . The depiction of such an aura often connotes a person of particular power or holiness. Sometimes, however, it is said that all living things and all objects...
caught on film with a special camera. Deemed "Proof Positive"
"Episode 108"
- Illinois UFO Sighting - police officers claim to have chased after a UFO that flew over several rural towns in IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Deemed "Proof Positive" - Chupacabra - two biologists believe they have DNA evidence of a blood-sucking creatureChupacabraThe chupacabras is a legendary cryptid rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas. It is associated more recently with sightings of an allegedly unknown animal in Puerto Rico , Mexico, and the United States, especially in the latter's Latin American communities...
in Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Deemed "Proof Inconclusive" - Gettysburg Haunting - a ghost hunting team shows their video evidence of spirits lurking in a GettysburgBattle of GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
battlefield. Deemed "Proof Inconclusive"
"Episode 109"
- Lake Ogopogo Monster - the show investigates a Loch Ness MonsterLoch Ness MonsterThe Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
-like creature that is believed to lurk in a Canadian lake. Deemed "Proof Negative" - Haunted Restaurant - patrons believe the spirit of a young girl haunts a Baltimore restaurant. Deemed "Proof Positive"
- Spontaneous Combustion - a town in SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
is plagued by household objects that mysteriously burst into flame. Deemed "Proof Inconclusive"
"Episode 110"
- Telepathic Twins - the show investigates stories of possible psychic links between twins. Deemed "Proof Positive"
- Haunted Prison - the show investigates a West Virginia penitentiary supposedly haunted by ghosts of former inmates. Deemed "Proof Negative"
- The Electric Man - a man claims he emanates a field that causes electronic devices to malfunction. Deemed "Proof Negative"