More Like Ancient FAILiens

What is it like to be an academic, talking about your legitimate research only to have it woven into a story of extraterrestrial interference in human history? This bonus episode features two conversations that Brandon and Toby had with experts featured on Ancient Aliens who aren’t ancient astronaut theorists! First, they talk with Jonathan Young, the curator of the Joseph Campbell Archives. In the second interview they chat with Dominic Steavu, associate professor of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. You can learn more about our guests here: Jonathan Young Website: folkstory.com His congregation: LiveOakGoleta.org Mythological Studies: Pacifica.edu Campbell archives: opusarchives.org/joseph-campbell-collection/ Joseph Campbell Foundation: jcf.org Dominic Steavu Faculty page: eastasian.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/dominic-steavu/

Let's finally just ask the big question: Just exactly how does Bigfoot fit into this whole doggone UFO thing? That's what we're answering once and for all in our exploration of the Ancient Aliens episode "Aliens and Bigfoot" (S4:E7). Luckily Toby and Brandon get help from journalist and documentarian David Farrier, creator of such wild and fascinating dives into culture as the doc Tickled and the Netflix series Dark Tourist. Not to mention a whole podcast on mysterious critters called The Cryptid Factor. So we were well-prepared to figure out if Bigfoots are hybrids of humans and apes, or if humans are hybrids of Bigfoots and aliens, or if ... aliens are ... hybrids of Bigfoots and ... humans? Okay so we lost our way in the forest, but that's no reason not to listen, because after all, the greatest threat in the woods may not be Bigfoot ... it may be us. Find David's work here: www.webworm.co More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free over at www.grabbagcollab.com Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Ever notice that the Sphinx’s head is kind of small compared to its body? Unsurprisingly, the Ancient Astronaut Theorists are on top of it and so much more. Journalist Maggie Rahr joins Brandon and Toby to delve into The Mysteries of the Sphinx. That’s Season 9, Episode 2. Be amazed by the Blinking Eye of the Lord, intrigued by the theory that ancient sarcophaguses (sarcophagi?) might be teleportation devices to other dimensions, confounded by some English guy who thinks the Sphinx is actually a dog, and other weird stuff. Listen to Maggie’s award-winning podcast, Carrie Low Vs. here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/carrie-low-vs/id1589263927 More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free over at www.grabbagcollab.com Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Giorgios Tsoukalos and Nick Pope go on a sort of disappointing field trip to Britain’s Area 51 and Brandon and Toby are right there with them in spirit. It’s Season 12, Episode 3, The Mystery of Rudloe Manor. We’ve got a stately British manor house sitting on an underground complex that might or might not have UFO stuff, a teenager who seems to have basically run a town in Wales, and Giorgios displaying an excellent respect for the law by getting the hell out when the cops come. More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free over at www.grabbagcollab.com Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Supposedly there was a period in pre-history where the planet was like Lord of the Rings. Can this be true? Toby and Brandon are joined by Jack Brewer to look into this. It turns out the answer is that, no, it is not true. But it’s not the destination, it’s the journey. We meet the giant Denisovans, the little Hobbits (not the going-on-a-quest type), and a guy traipsing around Europe with a replica of a skull that someone else found in a cave. We’re talking about Protoypes, Season 11, Episode 10. For more about the Emma Woods case, listen to Strange Arrivals, season 3, episodes 6-8. For more about Jack Brewer, visit: https://ufotrail.blogspot.com/ and https://www.expandingfrontiersresearch.org/ More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free over at www.grabbagcollab.com Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

You ever run into a smart kid and think, hmm, probably a human/alien hybrid? If so, the Ancient Astronaut Theorists have some “facts” you can use at cocktail parties. Brandon and Toby are joined by Sarah Carradine to discuss The Star Children (Season 7, Episode 3). We meet a child who joined Mensa at age 2, which must have been awesome for him, along with the Dalai Lama, Pythagoras’ adoptive brother/slave, and the nefarious black-eyed children who once scared a guy hanging out in his car at a mall parking lot. Brace yourself! For more about Sarah Carradine, visit: https://robhasawebsite.com/author/sarah-carradine/ More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

We are back at Skinwalker Ranch, where there is apparently an interdimensional portal somewhere, or something like that. Regardless, Toby and Brandon are joined by Erica Lukes for part two of their examination of The Mystery of Skinwalker Ranch (Season 15, Episode 10). We have a perp line-up of wolves, Skinwalkers who can alter their own DNA and an incident at Dead Man’s Curve! Also, dudes hanging out in fields holding guns. For more about Erica Lukes and Expanding Frontiers, visit: https://www.expandingfrontiersresearch.org/ More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

More like the Secrets of Glibtalker Ranch, amiright? We have giant wolves, poltergeists acting like 10-year-olds and quantum jiu jitsu. Fortunately, we are joined by Erika Lukes, an expert on Skinwalker Ranch who keeps Brandon and Toby sane as the Ancient Aliens and Skinwalker Ranch universes collide. And this is just Part 1 of our conversation about The Secrets of Skinwalker Ranch (Season 15, Episode 10)!  For more about Erica Lukes and Expanding Frontiers, visit: https://www.expandingfrontiersresearch.org/ More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Brandon went to Antarctica, but didn't see any giant pyramids, under-ice Nazi cities, or even have his boat attacked by a squadron of laser-firing alien craft. That's not the Antarctica that the Ancient Astronaut Theorists hold dear to their hearts. Anyway, you get the picture. We're talking about the Pyramids of Antarctica on this week's More Like Ancient Failiens. More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Ah yes, the Book of Enoch. Where would Ancient Aliens be without it? It is a question for which there is no answer. Fortunately, Toby and Brandon are joined by podcast and radio documentarian Pedro Mendes, who studied early Christianity and has a lot of answers, most of which are “that is not correct.” We’ve got ancient Ethiopian bibles, an alien hybrid Noah, and giants mating with Neanderthals. Seriously, what else could you want? Check out Pedro’s miniature photography here: https://www.instagram.com/pedro.mendes.miniature/ More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Ayahuasca and aliens, two great tastes that go great together? Maybe. While they don’t take ayahuasca or see any aliens, Brandon, Toby, and musician Aimee Mann try to work through an episode that is light on UFOs, but heavy on tenuous thematic connections. Other topics include whether angels’ wings depicted in art would actually work anatomically, poltergeists poppin’ bottles, and multiple universes. For more about Aimee Mann, visit: aimeemann.com More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Ever wonder what the academics on Ancient Aliens would say if they were given more than 20 seconds a clip? Well, wonder no more! Toby and Brandon are joined by Ancient Aliens subject matter expert Sabina Magliocco, from the University of British Columbia! They talk about the episode Magic of the Gods (Season 6, Episode 4) and what it’s like to be an expert on Ancient Aliens. Plus, the guy who did all the backflips in the Blues Brothers and a donkey you can fold up and put in your pocket! For more about Sabina, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabina_Magliocco More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Are mummies, vampires and zombies extraterrestrials? Even the ancient astronaut theorists aren’t willing to go there, but it was time for a Halloween-themed show, so this is what they were left with. Fortunately, comedian and actor Rekha Shankar is here to help Toby and Brandon make sense of this mess. We have human sacrifices, King Tut, head binding, and Voodoo. Also, is Ancient Aliens the Imagine Dragons of the UFO World? For more about Rekha, visit https://www.rekhashankar.com/ More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Is Earth the site of a war between different species of aliens? Hard to know, but both a retired Canadian military official and the sixth man to walk on the moon have a strong feeling that it’s happening. Toby and Brandon take a look at The Alien Wars, which are apparently less noticeable than the ones we are used to. Also, why would anyone lead an expedition into the Valley of Death? More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Did you know there’s a computer intelligence named Spectra that orbits the Earth and communicates telepathically with Uri Geller? Well, we’re pretty sure there isn’t, and even less sure that it qualifies as a deadly cult, but we aren’t credentialed Ancient Astronaut Theorists, so take it with a grain of salt… Janet Varney is back with Brandon and Toby for part 2 of Deadly Cults. Plus, Thuggees, mummies in the Andes and the God Helmet! For more about Janet Varney, visit: https://janetvarney.com/ More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Was Snoopy a trickster god? And if so…who besides Brandon is part of the cult? We discuss this pressing question and so much more when Janet Varney returns to More Like Ancient Fail-iens to discuss the episode “Aliens and Deadly Cults.” We talk about whether highly evolved beings have sexual traits, Caligula as an early PhotoShopper and whether dog leashes are alien tech. Also, the Son of Sam, the Brotherhood of the Snake and gratuitous Charles Manson photos. AND THIS IS JUST PART 1! For more about Janet Varney, visit: https://janetvarney.com/ More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

What’s the deal with bugs? There sure are a lot of them! Might some of them be extraterrestrials? Ancient Astronaut Theorists have some thoughts, as do Brandon, Toby and their special guest Natalia Reagan. Scarabs in Egyptian tombs, Ant People in the American Southwest, and a giant praying mantis extraterrestrial who might just be running the show. Plus, biomimetic weapons, locust swarms and an extraterrestrial named J-Rod. For more about Natalia Reagan, visit: https://nataliareagan.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/natalia13reagan/. More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Do you feel as though the missing element in Ancient Aliens is Tucker Carlson? If so, you’re in luck! Either way, in this episode, Toby and Brandon discuss the Countdown to Disclosure (Season 14, Episode 21), the least ancient of the Ancient Aliens episodes so far: Donald Trump, Project Blue Book, Roswell, the USS Nimitz, and so much more. More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Ever wonder about the sex lives of Angels? Erich von Daniken has. Toby and Brandon are joined by journalist and podcaster Suzanne Rico to discuss this and other pressing questions raised by Angels and Aliens (season 2, episode 7). Come for the Book of Enoch. Stay for the dubious geography. For more on Suzanne, visit: https://suzannerico.com/home More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.

Were aliens present in the Old West? If the movie Cowboys and Aliens is anything to go by, the answer is yes! Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Maggie Freleng joins Brandon and Toby to discuss Aliens and the Old West (Season 3, Episode 1). The Serpent Mound, crashed airships, Tombstone, Laguna del Diablo, giant birds, and so much more. For more about Maggie, visit www.maggiefreleng.com More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free on the Grab Bag Collab Patreon page. Follow Grab Bag Collab on Instagram and Facebook.