647 replies to this topic

[msbeesknees]

According to Animal Planet's website there will be 5 episodes. The first episode was last night:

SWAMP APE
Premiering Sunday, June 5, 10PM e/p

Bigfoot expert Matt Moneymaker takes his team to northern Florida to help a family that believes they have a bigfoot living on their property. The team meets with members of the Seminole nation, whose history with the creature allegedly goes back hundreds of years.

I must admit, anytime there is something on tv about Bigfoot, I'll watch it. Last night's show was like a Ghost Hunters for the Bigfoot. A team goes from location to location, talks to witnesses and does investigations in hopes of finding evidence to prove the existence of Mr. Squatch. So far I'm intrigued. Anyone else catch it?

Edited by TWoP Howard, Jun 6, 2011 @ 12:58 PM.
Fixed quote tags

[lovemydogs]

I thought the show was good. I've been wondering how come no one has done this in the past. I have high hopes for this show and will keep tuned in. Hope they have more than a hand full of shows though.

[walnutqueen]

I'm sorry I missed this; happily I've got the repeats (2 episodes have already aired) scheduled to record. As I was born & raised in the Pacific Northwest, and my nickname is derivative of the word, the spelling of sasquatch in the thread title bothers me. I'm with Jane Goodall - there's absolutely no evidence they exist, but I'd like to think they do. Having experienced the vast wilderness of British Columbia, its not hard to imagine something/someone able to avoid detection for generations.

[Ananayel]

It bugged the crap out of me that they kept calling it "squatch." Like nails on a chalkboard.

And seriously, if I got up one morning and found a huge nasty handprint on the inside of my door, I'd be out of there so fast. But cameras are so cheap now, and if they were having these problems for a while, why no cameras or recorders mounted to each outside wall of the building?

Also, when whoever was walking toward the FLIR blob and Bobo said "there it goes" and then we get a cut back to the guy standing alone, why didn't we get to see it "go" when we got to see everything else? Is it because when it finally moved, it was obvious it was a deer or something obviously not a bigfoot?

[msbeesknees]

Ah crap, I *did* misspell sasquatch, didn't I? I wonder if I can get a moderator to fix it?

I'm with lovemydogs and am frankly amazed that it took AP this long to do a show on the Squatch. Especially with the influx of paranormal shows on the air as of late. They have the Haunted, which is ghost-based but having a cryptozoology-based show makes a bit more sense. I just hope it doesn't blow.

[walnutqueen]

Ah crap, I *did* misspell sasquatch, didn't I? I wonder if I can get a moderator to fix it?

msbeesknees - don't sweat it - no doubt the mods would be happy to help out. I hope this series is better than some of the stuff I've seen out there; I know there's not anything in the way of scientific proof, but some anecdotal "evidence" is certainly compelling, and comes from apparently sane, normal people. I've heard a couple of pretty convincing tales, and had an almost-semi-encounter myself (or my imagination did!) several years ago. Hence my fascination with the subject.

[msbeesknees]

I've plead my case in the traffic forum walnutqueen. I hope it was the correct thing to do.

BTW, did anyone see the latest Bigfoot captured on some woman's (in Washington) iPhone? Check it out here.

[Quilt Fairy]

My issue with this show, based on one episode, is that these people are all Believers, with a capital B. They aren't bringing any healthy skepticism to the proceedings.

[msbeesknees]

Well since we're bringing up issues with the show, I'll add that the sound effects annoy the sh*t out of me. Especially when I'm leaning towards the tv listening really closely for a responsive "call-back" to the Squatch team's vocal grunts and all I hear are sound effects after a long quiet pause. Grrr.

[msbeesknees]

Tonight's ep. Bigfoot Crossing in Georgia was on and it was kind of rad. So I was just wondering you guys, was that last howl that Matt heard, just moments before the show ended, real or a sound effect? Because the woman next to him didn't hear it which I found really odd because it was LOUD. Also that capture of the heat signature of the figure behind the tree? Badass.

[lovemydogs]

Thanks for the link msbeesknees. That's awesome video, but then I'm a believer. Hope someone verifies the video.

[ubi]

Actually, the road crossing in Georgia was the first ep. I watched it last month. I didn't catch the begining, but it seemed obvious to me that the footage was a shadow caused by the headlights of the car going around the curve in the road (or some sort of video artifact) because 1) it glided in a straight line from right to left and 2) it never changed shape.

BTW, did anyone see the latest Bigfoot captured on some woman's (in Washington) iPhone? Check it out here.

I'm skeptical. It looks like a shadow and I would expect something that size and proximity would make sounds.

My issue with this show, based on one episode, is that these people are all Believers, with a capital B. They aren't bringing any healthy skepticism to the proceedings.

My thoughts exactly! They lost most of their credibility with me when they spent all that time chasing that shadow "crossing the road".

[Ananayel]

This Matt person appears to be a real jerk. He was totally wrong for charging off away from his partner in the dark, and it seems he only got his back up because Ranae was the first to confront him about it. If one of the other guys had done it, he probably would have admitted they were right. They all agreed with her, so why the 'tude, dude?

I think Ranae was someone added to the group to provide a "skeptical" voice, since the others seem to be the Ghost Adventures Crew of Bigfoot research. She doesn't seem to fit, and at least one of the guys doesn't have any respect for her.

And call me crazy, but the thermal shape Matt tore off after seemed to look quite like, and walk quite like, the PA or whoever they dress up in the suit to do their re-enactments.

[Asari]

I tried to watch the show for the first time (North Carolina ep) but after 10 minutes I was banging my head off the wall.

They don't know the first thing about proper investigative techniques; it's clear they have no clue about what they're doing. Ooh, someone heard a growly voice and don't know what else it could be? Apparently they've never heard of things called "bears" or "mountain lions" or "other large animals that aren't bigfoot." Sheesh.

That "blurry" thermal image of the candybar grab, if it wasn't a human hoax, was probably a bear.

I don't buy into ghosts either but the Ghost Adventures dudes have comraderie and a goofy charm that make them fun to watch. This bigfoot crew is crabby and unlikeable and have no redeeming qualities.

I'm with Jane Goodall - there's absolutely no evidence they exist, but I'd like to think they do. Having experienced the vast wilderness of British Columbia, its not hard to imagine something/someone able to avoid detection for generations.

I also live in original bigfoot country and also agree with Jane. For one individual creature to avoid detection would be plausible but not for a sustainable population of large primates living in the Pacific Northwest, or anywhere in North America. They can't all avoid detection for this many generations, one would have been shot by a hunter or hit by a car by now. Besides large primates have been found in tropical regions of Africa and Asia (humans had their origins in Africa), there's no real reason to expect to find a new species in temperate areas.

Though it would be exciting to find another large primate that is closely related to us, we could learn so much, not only about it but about ourselves.

[ubi]

I first saw the Florida ep yesterday and didn't realize there were ANY bigfoot in the panhandle before now. It seemed fairly obvious to me those people have a bear in their neighborhood. Would it have hurt them to call in a bear expert instead of assuming it was bigfoot? I had to laugh when they claimed that the Seminoles had seen Bigfoot "for thousands of years" because, no, they've only lived in south Florida for a couple hundred years. Speaking of which, I've seen Billy the Seminole before. Is he some sort of representative for the tribe?

I watched the new ep in North Carolina next and they lost what little credibility they had left. The blurry thermal image of the candy bar being taken was so fake it wasn't funny yet the investigators went out of their way to try to rationalize it being authentic! "The figure was short because it was a child bigfoot","the heat signatures matched because of temperature differences", etc. Can someone explain to me why a bigfoot would crawl up to a stump on its hands and knees, gingerly grab the candy, then (presumably) crawl away on its hands and knees out of view of the camera? And then there's how conveniently Mike(?) smacked the side of the tent back and set up the camera half-arsed and then decided to flee the scene for awhile...

The dramatics about Matt running off on his own was ridiculous. I'm not sure why they got so upset about it, actually, although I had to wonder why he didn't try to call out to the guy they saw walking in the woods. it's not like there was any chance of him sneaking up on him while running toward him at full speed.

I had to laugh about their attempt to sweep the area with volunteers and all they found was a dead deer which they immediately assumed had been injured by a bigfoot. I am guessing the woman is sppsd to be their token skeptic, but at least try to play your part, OK?

[Ananayel]

The blurry thermal image of the candy bar being taken was so fake it wasn't funny yet the investigators went out of their way to try to rationalize it being authentic! "The figure was short because it was a child bigfoot","the heat signatures matched because of temperature differences", etc. Can someone explain to me why a bigfoot would crawl up to a stump on its hands and knees, gingerly grab the candy, then (presumably) crawl away on its hands and knees out of view of the camera? And then there's how conveniently Mike(?) smacked the side of the tent back and set up the camera half-arsed and then decided to flee the scene for awhile...

But, but... the dude was someone Cliff had been in the woods with and would trust with his life! So therefore he would never ever do anything shady! They were in the woods together!

The dramatics about Matt running off on his own was ridiculous. I'm not sure why they got so upset about it, actually, although I had to wonder why he didn't try to call out to the guy they saw walking in the woods. it's not like there was any chance of him sneaking up on him while running toward him at full speed.

I get that it's a bad idea for safety reasons, also that you would always want two people to witness whatever, so that one person can't come back after having "dropped" the camera with some harebrained story. But Matt was such a monumental jerk about it, so I think most of the dramatics were about that. If he had just acknowledged that it was a stupid thing to do right off, it would have been dropped. And yeah, I'm becoming more sure that was just a guy walking in the woods - I'm sure news of their visit was out by that time, and it's not like the forest is a sealed-off area.

[ubi]

But, but... the dude was someone Cliff had been in the woods with and would trust with his life! So therefore he would never ever do anything shady! They were in the woods together!

Am I the only person who noticed this "Oh crap! I'm busted!" look on that friend's face when the initial results came back, only to be replace by a relieved one after they made that ridiculous excuse about it being warmer that day?

[lovemydogs]

Why did they not take a sample of the suspected sasquatch urine?

[ubi]

I wondered about that as well. Why don't they set up automatic cameras in the trees pointed at the hanging rabit cage, like they do on Monster Quest? How convenient all those people at the bar just happened to have bigfoot stories and were carrying their footprint casts with them! That woman was so lying about seeing a bigfoot jogging down the road beside to her car.

[ksgeo]

Asari:

I don't buy into ghosts either but the Ghost Adventures dudes have comraderie and a goofy charm that make them fun to watch. This bigfoot crew is crabby and unlikeable and have no redeeming qualities.

Lol I totally agree. No one has emerged as a Zak and they need one. Buff guy with tight t-shirts could only help. ;)

Ananayel:

It bugged the crap out of me that they kept calling it "squatch." Like nails on a chalkboard.

I can't get used to hearing "Bigfoots" either. It just sounds wrong. But what else would the plural be, "Bigfeet?" Maybe it should be like sheep or fish...call it Bigfoot regardless of the number. If I ever saw one all I would be able to say was "Holy Sh*t!"

I'll pretty much watch anything in this genre (Bigfoot, ghosts, UFOs, etc.) and this is no exception, but I'm disappointed. I was hoping for a more scientific, scholarly approach (despite my sexist t-shirt comment above). :)

[lovemydogs]

Shouldn't this be simpler than what they are making it? Certainly someone somewhere could back them financially to buy 200 hundred cameras and post them high up in the trees of supposed "hot-spots". I'm guessing Bigfoot could hear them and their crew tromping around the forest. Somebody needs to think outside the box.

[Adayinthelife]

Shouldn't this be simpler than what they are making it? Certainly someone somewhere could back them financially to buy 200 hundred cameras and post them high up in the trees of supposed "hot-spots". I'm guessing Bigfoot could hear them and their crew tromping around the forest. Somebody needs to think outside the box.

Oh but that might reveal that there's nothing at all! Seriously, I love how in most supposed videos of Bigfoot, the camera always looks like it was held by someone having an epileptic fit.

[walnutqueen]

I think Ranae was someone added to the group to provide a "skeptical" voice, since the others seem to be the Ghost Adventures Crew of Bigfoot research. She doesn't seem to fit, and at least one of the guys doesn't have any respect for her.

And at least one viewer doesn't, either!

Shouldn't this be simpler than what they are making it? Certainly someone somewhere could back them financially to buy 200 hundred cameras and post them high up in the trees of supposed "hot-spots".

ITA, lovemydogs - but I suspect these "believers" don't want to admit that they probably couldn't get any real scientific evidence - because there is none to be had. I'm so sick of the authoritative voice they use to describe "squatch" (HATE that term!) behavior, features, sounds, diet, hunting methods - soon they'll be telling me intimate details of their defecation habits and mating rituals. Oh, and if voice analysis is routinely used on recordings by law enforcement and scientists, can't they do the same to the supposed sasquatch calls to compare them to known animals and/or humans? Oh, no, wait - that is quasi-scientific, and therefore taboo. GRRR (me making a sasquatch roar).

[Ananayel]

That woman was so lying about seeing a bigfoot jogging down the road beside to her car.

She kind of cracked me up though - it was like a little kid making up a story on the fly. "He came running down the hill and I stopped my car, and then I was going 60 and blew past him, and then he was running beside the car, and then he broke this branch! That totally happened!"

My original point about the non-Ranae three being like the Ghost Adventures crew wasn't about their likability or camaraderie, it was about them being True Believers, who view every broken branch, every deer caught on thermal, every unidentified noise as proof positive of Bigfoot. And I would like to go on record saying that I do not approve of hanging BunBuns from trees as live bait. Poor BunBun!

Maybe they didn't have anything to put the urine in (which is another reason they're incompetent - what if they came across a clump of hair or something that could definitely be tested?), or maybe there's not really any information you can collect from urine.

Edited by Ananayel, Jun 20, 2011 @ 10:44 AM.

[msbeesknees]

Lord help me. I'm trying to embrace this show due to its "paranormal slash crypozoology" factor but it leaves me frustrated and wanting something more. I've seen better investigative searches on Destination Truth as well as other specials geared towards finding the Squatch. Plus the investigators aren't really all that likable. By the end of the first half hour of each episode, I'm totally flatlining.

[thorsrealm]

At first this show had a Ghosthunters feel. Now it feels more like those Alaska Goldrush idiots.

[Oldernotwiser]

Total BS. Who are they trying to kid?

[walnutqueen]

Total BS. Who are they trying to kid?

The majority of folks who're dumber than a squatch-baiting-stump?

[Oscem]

Maybe they didn't have anything to put the urine in (which is another reason they're incompetent - what if they came across a clump of hair or something that could definitely be tested?), or maybe there's not really any information you can collect from urine.

Well, I guess they could find out if the 'squatch' is pregnant :). Actually, since they always seem to be talking about Bigfoot in the male sense, does it reproduce by mitosis? Pretty soon, I'm expecting to find out that their version of Bigfoot loves to read Ernest Hemingway, has a love for white truffle souffle, and likes to bite the heads off of rats while listening to Ozzy Osbourne. For not having any real proof, they sure have invented a hell of a backstory.

Ranae reminds me of Carrie Brownstein, Fred Arminsen's comedy partner on Portlandia. She sounds just like her, looks like her, and the mannerisms are similar. It's been driving me nuts listening to her because Ranae's not the most dynamic personality on-camera.

The Destination Truth crew did this way better in their couple shows about trying to find the Yeti near Tibet, and they make me laugh, so I'd love to see them take these idiots on. And they did get a footprint (debatable) and some seemingly rock-solid DNA evidence of a hair sample that was analyzed and determined to be an unknown species of *something*, so I do think that there's a Bigfoot-type creature living somewhere in the world, but I don't think it's any of the places these dimwits have been investigating. I'm starting to think the Head Douchebag (can't remember his name) is finding some magic mushrooms before the night investigations, and every stump is Bigfoot to him.

[walnutqueen]

Get out of my head, Oscem. (Your post is what I'm thinking, but too lazy or insightful to type).

BTW, I totally missed the Destination Truth Yeti episode, but am super curious about the DNA samples. Now you've inspired me to research this - damn you! ;)