With 'Ghost Adventures' back for a new episode last night -- it means more 'Ghost Adventures' Scripps/Discovery episode numbering fun.

The source of the potential confusion: The host of this just-awful-program has tweeted earlier this week as well as today that this is a new season. Unfortunately, his own network doesn't reflect that. The 'Ghost Adventures' twitter posts simply refer to it as a new episode (not a season premiere) - but they also did retweet Bagan's 'season premiere' tweet. Travel Channel still has the episode belonging to the previous season. If you look at TV Listings sites, they have it as belonging to the previous season also. To be fair - the shows's website often re-writes history regarding episode numbers. About a month ago, they had episodes airing in season 17 ... but there was no season 16 on the site. Seasons just jumped from 15 to 17. The website has since renumbered some episodes - putting some episodes together in at least a somewhat logical order ... and hey, there's even a season 16 now. :-) Of course - the website season numbering (after the re-numbering) don't match up with even listings sites (or any tv database site anymore) - but at least agree with other sources for when the next season premieres (as well as agrees with futon's numbering). To make matters even more confusing: The shows 'watch' website has the episode as part of a new season -- contradicting the show's official website.

So we have the Saturday, 2/23 episode that the host is calling a new season ... the Travel Channel website calls an old season ... the Travel Channel 'watch' site calls a new season ... and zap2it calls an old season. (So does Futon, if it matters). Both Travel Channel, Zap2it, and Futon have next Saturday's episode as belonging to the previous season (Futon calling it a season finale) - with the new season's 1st episode being listed by Zap2it, Travel Channel, and Futon as being the episode airing March 9th as the first episode of the 'new season'.

I get that logically it makes little sense that after a broadcasting break - the first 2 episodes aired weekly are from the previous season, while the 3rd episode is a 'new' season ... but ... that's what the sites say. So I understand why the user has made the changes in both databases as the show host Zak Bagans has it as a new season premiere. On an aside - theScene has it as a season premiere also (for what it's worth).

So -- how to proceed? I don't much care either way ... but thought it should be posted so a policy decision can be made for future reference. By the way -- we're in for a rough March, I'm afraid, with this series. Travel Channel now has a 'new' season 18 listed where they are once again taking 2 previous episodes and 'mashing' them up to make a 'new' episode. That should be fun to sort out starting middle of March. :-)

A user took it upon him/herself at the other 2 major TV database sites to just blank out episodes in the last couple of days that has caused series locks and problems over there. It doesn't seem to be as many changes here yet -- but I'm betting the source confusion as well as the upcoming March mash-ups could cause confusion here as well.

So -- leave the entries as they are? Make the entries match up to the show website listings (at least as they are today)?

On a side note: This is just a fantastically stupid program. Unfortunately, my wife is a huge fan of these 'Ghost' shows ... with 'Ghost Adventures' being tops on that list. (About 3 years ago, she actually drove 5 hours to a weekend convention at a casino so she could meet and get a picture with the Ghost Adventures cast. I declined to accompany her on that trip). So -- because my wife expects this program to be available in Plex ready to watch every Sunday morning -- I have to be well-versed in this program and when new episodes are airing. Hence -- my familiarity with it's airings. If the wife is happy ... it's just better for everybody. :-)