Ivan Marx is one of the most infamous and polarizing figures to ever step into the Bigfoot world. In the 1970s, he burst onto the scene with bold claims, dramatic stories, and footage that sparked both excitement and skepticism. Marx had a talent for showmanship; he knew how to spin a tale, build suspense, and keep audiences hooked. But he also blurred the line between investigation and entertainment, producing films and “evidence” that many researchers quickly labeled as staged. Whether he was chasing Bigfoot across the Pacific Northwest or unveiling new footage, Marx operated with a flair that made him impossible to ignore.

Ray Wallace is one of the most infamous names in Bigfoot history, and for good reason. He left fake tracks, staged evidence, and bragged about fooling people long before social media made hoaxing easy. 

But here’s the part most folks don’t want to admit: Wallace’s hoaxes forced the field to evolve. His early fake prints in the late 1950s pushed researchers to develop better methods, studying dermal ridges, pressure releases, stride patterns, and soil compression. In a strange twist, his fakery helped sharpen the tools that real investigators still use today.

The Tracker Who Treated Bigfoot Like a Real Animal Long Before Anyone Else Did.

Bob Titmus is one of the most important and most debated names in early Bigfoot research. A taxidermist by trade and a tracker by instinct, Titmus approached the subject with a seriousness that set him apart from the showmen and storytellers of his era. He wasn’t chasing fame, cameras, or conferences. He was chasing signs: tracks, hair, movement patterns, and behavior. And he spent decades in the deep timber doing it.

Where science, tribal history, and field investigation meet.

Kathy Strain is one of the most respected voices in modern Bigfoot research because she brings something rare to the table: professional anthropology combined with decades of on‑the‑ground investigation. As a Forest Service archaeologist, she’s spent her career working directly with Native American tribes, documenting oral histories, cultural traditions, and long‑held beliefs about the “Hairy Man.” Her work gives the subject a depth and legitimacy that goes far beyond campfire stories.

Author Jack LaFountain has always been a storyteller at heart. An Air Force veteran, ordained minister, retired nurse, and writer of both faith‑based Westerns and award‑winning ghost stories, Jack brings a lifetime of experience to every tale he tells.

With 24 works of fiction that ride the line between history and the supernatural, his stories explore the frontier, the unknown, and the thin places where legend meets reality.

And hear me now, believe me later, he’s just getting started.

Fred Bradshaw never tried to become a Bigfoot personality. He didn’t write books, didn’t tour conferences, and didn’t build a public brand. Instead, he did something far more valuable: he went into the woods, followed the sign, and documented what he found with the steady, no‑nonsense approach of a man who understood the land.

Bradshaw was part of a generation of Pacific Northwest researchers who worked long before social media, long before YouTube, and long before the modern “Bigfoot industry.” His reputation came from consistency, field skill, and the respect of the people who actually lived in the timber.

Vance Orchard spent more than three decades writing for the Walla Walla Union‑Bulletin, covering the people, places, and rhythms of eastern Washington. He was a storyteller by trade, a community man by instinct, and a chronicler of the land long before he ever wrote a word about Bigfoot.

His shift into Sasquatch reporting wasn’t a gimmick or a stunt. It was a natural extension of his beat. Orchard talked to ranchers, loggers, hunters, and families who lived deep in the foothills, the kind of people who didn’t seek attention and didn’t embellish their stories. When they told him about strange tracks, heavy footsteps, or encounters in the timber, he listened with the same seriousness he gave to any other local event.

That simple act, taking witnesses seriously, changed the trajectory of Bigfoot research in the Blue Mountains.

We’re heading deep into one of the most mysterious stretches of land in the Eastern United States: the legendary Chestnut Ridge.

Running through Pennsylvania and into West Virginia, this region has earned its reputation as a hotspot for UFO sightings, cryptid encounters, and high strangeness that refuses to fit into any single category.

Our guest tonight, Chadwick Gales, has spent the last 12 years embedded in those woods. As the founder of Chestnut Ridge Paranormal, he has documented everything from three‑toed tracks to bizarre light anomalies and unsettling events that defy logical explanation. His boots‑on‑the‑ground research offers a rare look into one of America’s most active paranormal corridors.

Wes Sumerlin never chased fame, never pushed himself into the spotlight, and never tried to turn Bigfoot research into a performance. He was a woodsman first, a tracker second, and a researcher only because the evidence kept finding him.

Sumerlin had that rare kind of patience you only see in people who grew up living close to the land. He didn’t rush. He didn’t force meaning onto every broken branch. He watched. He listened. He let the woods tell him what mattered.

Jason J. Tavares has lived one of the most unexpectedly fascinating lives you’ll ever hear about. From his college years to military service, from travel to relationships, strange and unsettling experiences have followed him at every stage. Tonight, we’re diving into the haunted side of his journey, the moments he can’t explain, the encounters that stayed with him, and the mysteries that shaped his creative path.

Jason is a writer, director, producer, and author… and maybe, just maybe, a man touched by the unexplained.

Bobby Short was one of the most quietly influential Bigfoot researchers of the late 1990s and early 2000s. She wasn’t chasing fame, she wasn’t trying to be a personality, she was trying to preserve the human side of Bigfoot encounters. Her work focused on eyewitness testimony, historical accounts, and the emotional impact of encounters on ordinary people.

Thomas Marcum is the founder of The Crypto Crew Research Team, an organization specializing in cryptozoology and paranormal research.

He’s a Kentucky-based filmmaker, author, writer, researcher, and investigator, whose work bridges mystery, folklore, and raw indie authenticity. As the founder of TCC Research Team, he has built a loyal following by diving headfirst into cryptid lore, paranormal investigations, and regional legends.