Ope, Whatchya Think?

This episode dives into the curious life and experiments of Thomas Townsend Brown, the Ohio-born inventor behind the Biefield-Brown effect and lightweight "lifters" that reportedly hovered when powered. Hosts discuss his Navy work, classified projects, and how mainstream science dismissed or explained his results as ion wind while others claim anti‑gravity. Through casual debate and skeptical takes, the hosts explore vacuum tests, purple glows, Element 115 rumors, and the enduring gossip that ties Brown’s ideas to UFO propulsion and secret military programs.

In this episode the hosts trace the surprising saga of Old Abe, a bald eagle captured in Wisconsin who became the mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Regiment during the Civil War, surviving battles and earning legendary status. They cover his capture, wartime role, retirement, and lasting legacy in state symbols. Amid casual banter, local beer tasting and offbeat jokes, the conversation blends history with humor and personal stories about Wisconsin culture and remembrance.

This episode dives into the 2014 disappearance of Chris Regan in Iron River, Michigan, and the investigation that followed — missing car, messy apartment, and rumors tying the case to an affair with Kelly Cochran and her husband, Jason. Hosts recount the police search, recovered remains, confessions and convictions, and the small-town rumors — including allegations of further killings — while reflecting on how the case unfolded and teasing a follow-up episode.

The hosts drink, joke, and recount the tragic and eerie history of Chicago’s Congress Plaza Hotel — from suicides and sealed rooms to recurring apparitions like “Peg‑Leg Johnny” and the children said to have fallen from a window. Balancing drunken banter with historic detail, the episode explores why this grand hotel is famous for its hauntings and why visiting it feels both fascinating and unsettling.

In this episode the hosts, over drinks, explore the eerie legends of Deadwood, South Dakota, focusing on Seth Bullock — the town's first sheriff and founder of the Bullock Hotel — who is said to still patrol his hotel and nearby monuments. Guests, staff, and investigators report footsteps, moving objects, shadowy figures, EMF spikes, and disembodied voices that seem more authoritative than malicious, prompting discussion about why a man so devoted to order might linger after death.

This episode explores the history and controversies of a secretive religious group outside Shawano, Wisconsin — its founder who changed names multiple times, alleged abuse by members, and the town’s uneasy relationship with the compound. Hosts discuss reported incidents from the 1970s to today, including violent encounters, business dealings, legal battles, and the group’s shifting identity and beliefs.

On this Easter episode the hosts (Isaac, Josh, Jason and Tyler) drink, joke and unpack a wild archaeological discovery: a near-perfect circle of large stones found in Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan, first reported in 2007 with a mastodon carving and suggested dates around 9,000 years old. The conversation mixes skepticism, theories (hunting corrals, ritual or calendar use), regional context and controversy over whether the submerged site challenges assumptions about prehistoric North American cultures — all amid lively banter.

In this episode the hosts, drinking and joking their way through the Midwest, discuss the 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes that shook the central United States. They cover dramatic accounts — the Mississippi flowing backwards, ground liquefaction swallowing settlements, sand volcanoes, widespread aftershocks, and the mysterious, intraplate cause of the quake. The conversation mixes humor and disbelief with historical detail, touching on Native American reactions, the quakes massive geographic reach, and the lingering uncertainty about how — and whether — such an event could happen again.

In this episode the Ope Whatchya Think? crew gets drunk and dives into a strange 1994 mass UFO sighting along the Lake Michigan shoreline, where around 300 witnesses reported flickering, Christmas-light–like formations and radar returns seen by a National Weather Service employee. They discuss witness accounts, radar anomalies, MUFON investigations, theories ranging from weather phenomena to military tests or aliens, and the usual host banter and jokes.

On this loose, late-night episode the hosts mix booze, jokes, and folklore to explore Thunderbirds — giant bird-like beings from Native American legend and modern sightings across North America. They discuss petroglyphs, historical accounts, recent reports, and scientific possibilities while sharing local stories and laughter.

Hosts Tyler, Josh, Jason, Isaac and guest Ryan dive into the 2011 Joplin F5 tornado and the eerie reports from local children who described pale, radiant, butterfly-winged beings protecting them during the storm. The episode covers media coverage, the kids' matching drawings and testimonies, and debates possible explanations—from mass hallucination to supernatural guardians—amid rowdy banter and drinks.

In this episode the hosts dive into the eerie history of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin. They recount Wright’s life, his relationship that led him to build Taliesin, and the tragic 1914 attack and fire started by a servant that killed several people. The conversation covers subsequent fires, rebuilds, and local ghost stories linked to the estate, blending historical facts with the hosts’ banter and reactions.

Hosts and special guest Ryan Quinn explore the bizarre 1970s Enfield, Illinois monster sightings, recounting eyewitness reports of a three-legged, hissing creature, strange footprints, and locals firing shots. The episode blends folklore, investigation theories (escaped kangaroo, wild ape, or hoax) with the original reports. Expect irreverent banter, drinking jokes, and loud laughs as the crew teases out the weirdest details and spins absurd explanations for the mystery.

This episode dives into the infamous 2006 Chicago O'Hare UFO sighting, where airport employees and pilots reported a silent, saucer-shaped craft hovering over gate C-17 and leaving a temporary "blue hole" in the clouds. The hosts debate possible explanations — mass hysteria, military testing, drones, or genuine extraterrestrial visitors — and discuss how the FAA initially responded. With humorous banter and listener reactions, the hosts explore witness accounts, media coverage, and lingering questions about why the sighting didn’t show up on radar and why further investigation was limited.

The hosts get drunk and unpack Monroe native General Nathan F. Twining's role in early UFO history, covering the 1947 Twining Memo, Project Sign, Project Blue Book, and the Majestic 12 conspiracy. Expect local lore, chaotic banter, and a humorous, booze-soaked look at paranormal theory and small-town legends.

On this rowdy Midwest paranormal podcast the hosts drink strange beverages and recount the true 1820s story of Alexis St. Martin — a fur trapper left with a permanently open wound into his stomach — and Dr. William Beaumont, who used him to study digestion. The episode mixes dark humor, historical medical experiments, and ethical questions about how early science treated its human subjects, all against a backdrop of booze and banter.

In this episode the hosts swap stories about mysterious bottomless pits, starting with Minnesota’s Devil’s Kettle — a waterfall that seems to swallow water, dye and GPS trackers — and moving to the legend of Mel’s Hole, a strange well tied to Coast to Coast AM reports of impossible depths, hot ice, a cooked sheep and a seal‑like creature. Between jokes and bar banter, they discuss investigations, wild theories (from underground caves to interdimensional portals) and reports of military interest, leaving listeners with more questions than answers.

On this episode the hosts stumble through history and drink breaks as they recount the eerie Ridgeway legends. From 1840s miners and stagecoach routes to shape-shifting phantoms that appear as animals, headless riders, or the spirits of two tragic brothers, the guests debate whether the sightings are ghosts, skinwalkers, or generational hauntings. They mix facts about the lead-mining boom and Military Ridge with local folklore, personal anecdotes, and the chilling detail that similar sightings persist in Ridgeway to this day.

In this episode the hosts, over drinks and chaotic banter, explore the legend of Momo—the Missouri Monster—recounting 1971–72 sightings, foul odors, plaster casts of footprints, and the creature’s mysterious disappearance by the 1990s. Mixing humor with folklore, the episode balances skeptical theories and fond storytelling about a strange regional cryptid.

On this rambunctious podcast episode, the hosts revisit the strange history of Beaver Island: the rise of James Strang, his self-declared kingship among a Mormon splinter group, the violent clashes with Irish fishermen, and the mysterious rumors of buried treasure and counterfeit minting on the island. Through drunken banter and dark humor, they weigh Strang’s political successes, his controversial actions, and the chaotic aftermath that led to his assassination and the forced removal of his followers.

In this episode the hosts explore the creepy Kansas urban legend of the "Hamburger Man," a hooded figure in the Hutchinson sandhills who offers hamburgers that may be made from human flesh. The conversation blends folklore, eyewitness tales, and drunken banter as the hosts debate whether the story is a hoax, a tragic real person turned monster, or just small‑town scare tactics.

In this episode the hosts get drunk and dig into the 1953 Kinross Incident: an unidentified radar contact over Lake Superior and the baffling disappearance of an F-89 interceptor and its crew, plus a mysterious piece of metal later removed from Project Blue Book. Amid sake breaks, beer, and rowdy banter, they walk through the radar timeline, military response, eyewitness claims, and theories ranging from government cover-ups to magnetic fog and parallel timelines.

On this episode of Ope, Whatchya Think?, the hosts dig into the eerie legend of Avon Bottoms, a decaying southern Wisconsin floodplain near Broadhead reputed to harbor a swamp creature, haunted playground, and a dark history of dumped bodies. They share local sightings, DNR notes about unusual wildlife, personal reactions, and consider a road trip to explore the spooky site themselves.

In this unscripted, booze-fueled episode the hosts dig into a wave of 1897 Midwest UFO reports — cigar-shaped airships, bright lights, alleged wreckage, and witnesses from Eau Claire to Kalamazoo. They discuss historical context, possible explanations (from early dirigibles to aliens and time travel), and the odd details recorded in period newspapers and books. The episode is heavy on rambunctious banter, wild theories, and laugh-out-loud moments, with the hosts promising more follow-up episodes to investigate the mystery further.

In this beer-fueled episode the hosts trade jokes and local stories while digging into the life, union power and mysterious 1975 disappearance of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa. They summarize Hoffa’s rise and conviction, his links to organized crime and Richard Nixon, review the FBI investigations and popular theories (from stadium burials to horse farms and secret cremations), and touch on cultural takes like The Irishman and MythBusters.

The hosts drink, joke, and dive into the strange true story of Mike Markham — a Missouri man who claimed to build a time machine using a Jacob’s Ladder and stolen transformers, called into Coast to Coast AM, disappeared for two years, and reappeared in Ohio holding a mysterious device. The episode mixes skepticism, conspiracy chatter, and humor as the crew recounts Markham’s arrest, the blackout his experiments caused, Art Bell interviews, and theories linking the case to other time-travel legends.

Four tipsy hosts and one special guest unpack the strange true story of James Strang: a 19th‑century Mormon convert who claimed to have discovered metal plates, proclaimed himself King of Beaver Island, held a tin‑crowned coronation, and led a theocratic community. The episode covers Strang’s rise, conflicts with local fishermen over land and polygamy, his assassination in 1856, the forced exile of his followers, and the mysterious fate of the plates — all told with rambunctious banter and dark humor.

In this rambunctious two‑part episode the hosts dig into Wisconsin’s Aztalan mounds, exploring connections to Cahokia, reports of underwater and underground pyramid‑like structures at Rock Lake, and local sightings of a 20‑foot serpent nicknamed “Rocky.” Between spirited banter and drinks, they touch on ancient trade (copper from Keweenaw), strange lake lore, possible explanations (logs, otters, gators), and why these Midwestern mysteries still capture imaginations.

On this rambunctious episode of Ope, What You Think?, the hosts — drunk and irreverent — visit Aztalan, Wisconsin to explore its mysterious mounds, burial finds, and surprising Gulf Coast shell artifacts. They discuss mound types, a young woman’s wrapped burial with shell belts, connections to the Mississippian culture and Cahokia, and theories about ancient trade and cultural links — all mixed with humor, drinking, and outtakes. This is the first part of a planned multi-episode deep dive into Aztalan’s archaeology, history, and strange connections.

On this episode the hosts, over beers and banter, examine the 1961 Eagle River, Wisconsin sighting where farmer Joe Simonton said three Italian-looking humanoids emerged from a shiny craft, asked for water, and gave him four strange, tasteless pancakes. The U.S. Air Force investigated the report for Project Blue Book, confiscated the pancakes (now reportedly at Wright-Patterson), found only earthly ingredients but no salt, and left the case officially unexplained. The hosts mix humor and skepticism as they debate whether it was extraterrestrial, a prank, or something else.

In this special cigar-and-beer episode recorded live from the Pecatonica clubhouse, Tom Quinn recounts a chilling Tomahawk, Wisconsin sighting: two large winged humanoids fought above a riverside concert, sending crowds into a panic and one swooping low enough to brush the hosts before rocketing skyward. Josh, Tyler, and Isaac discuss local cryptid lore, media silence, similar Great Lakes sightings like Mothman and the Hodag, and debate whether these creatures are biological, dimensional, or being covered up.

In December 1977 a glowing red object descended over a park in Council Bluffs, Iowa, igniting a grass fire and leaving behind a heavy, cooling slab of unusual metal that formed blue crystals as it solidified. Firefighters and police recovered the half-ton alloy, which was later analyzed by researchers including Jacques Vallée and Dr. Gary Nolan; mass spectrometry showed a purified mix of metals not easily explained by natural meteors or conventional debris. The episode explores the eyewitness accounts, scientific testing, and competing theories — from satellite or military debris to exotic explanations like jettisoned material from an unknown craft — and why the case remains debated today.

Four friends on a beer-fueled Midwest podcast trade wild UFO and strange-light stories — from a grandma spotting a classic silver flying saucer to mysterious hillsides lit with no source and orange orbs streaking into the sky. The episode mixes humor, family memories, and conspiracy banter as they debate extraterrestrial, extra-dimensional, and metaphysical explanations while sharing local legends and personal encounters.

In 1903 the small town of Van Meter, Iowa, was terrorized by reports of a nine-foot, winged creature with leathery wings and a glowing horn that landed on rooftops, broke into buildings, emitted a foul stench, and resisted gunfire. Locals formed a posse, tracked the beast to an abandoned mine, and sealed the entrance after the sightings continued for several nights. The episode examines contemporary newspaper reports and eyewitness accounts, discusses possible explanations—from a surviving pterosaur or giant bat to mass hysteria or moonshine-fueled panic—and describes how Van Meter has embraced the legend with annual events and visitor signs today.

On this episode the hosts banter over snacks and drinks before diving into Duluth, Minnesota’s moored freighter the SS William A. Irvin. They explore the ship’s history as a flagship of U.S. Steel, a fatal 1964 boiler-room explosion, and local reports of shadowy figures, chains, and a ghostly child. The crew debates natural explanations versus the paranormal, describes haunted-ship tours at Canal Park, and invites listeners to visit and judge the eerie atmosphere for themselves.

In this short episode the Midwest Paranormal Podcast hosts Tyler, Isaac, Jason, and Josh interview Will Jackson from Nebraska. Will shares chilling stories including a Ouija board session that spelled out an unknown brother's name, a ghostly white horse and cowboy seen at the bottom of his driveway, and other eerie encounters. The conversation mixes spooky firsthand tales with band banter and Midwestern humor.

On this episode the hosts drink to Milwaukee and dive into the spooky history of the Pfister Hotel, a lavish Victorian landmark said to be haunted by its founder, Charles Pfister. They share reports of apparitions, disembodied voices, moving furniture, and electrical oddities — including anecdotes from professional baseball players who refused to stay there again. The crew reacts with humor and curiosity, debates the legitimacy of the sightings, and considers a return trip to drink in the lobby and investigate the hotel firsthand.

On this episode of Ope What You Think, the hosts dive into the legend of the Kensington Runestone — a 200-pound slab reportedly unearthed in 1898 that claims a group of Vikings reached Minnesota centuries ago. They discuss the runes, archaeological debates over authenticity, other Midwestern runestones, and share beer-fueled banter while weighing whether it’s a genuine Viking marker or a local hoax.

In this episode the hosts explore Shakers, a former 1894 brothel turned cigar bar in Milwaukee, tracing its Prohibition-era ties to the Capone network, grisly murders, and rumors of teenage prostitutes and trapdoors used for trafficking. They describe eerie reports from upstairs rooms (including a spirit called Molly), a menacing, active basement with sightings of eyes and aggressive activity, and the modern-day experience of ghost tours, rooftop access, and the bar’s historic charm.

Hosts trade jokes and beer before diving into reports of hauntings at Madison’s Orpheum Theater, a 1920s Art Deco venue famous for its historic air-conditioning unit and iconic sign. They discuss named apparitions like Pete the Projectionist, a shadowy head usher, a key-jingling night manager, a tall man by the bathrooms, and a low-lying mist thought to be a child, as well as phantom conversations, strange noises, and staff sightings. While some believe the theater’s age and acoustics explain the phenomena, others point to recurring staff accounts and ghost tours that keep the stories alive — leaving the hosts unsure whether the Orpheum is truly haunted or simply full of folklore and creaks.

Join the hosts as they recount the eerie legend of the Beast of Bray Road — a six- to seven-foot, dog-headed, bipedal creature reported around Elkhorn, Wisconsin. From the first sighting in 1936 to a wave of reports in the 1980s–90s, witness accounts describe glowing eyes, carcass-eating behavior, and scratched cars that sparked national attention and even inspired a horror movie. The episode explores local reactions, possible explanations (mangy bears, hoaxes, or a mutated cryptid), and how folklore, media coverage, and small-town life shaped the enduring mystery of Bray Road.

Join our hosts as they do an onsite interview with Greg and Des at Studio 301 in Portage, WI! This historic downtown building may be hiding some crazy secrets. Is the location haunted? Are there bodies hidden there? Did the hosts have too many drinks? Catch Ope, Whatchya Think?

On this episode the hosts introduce the show with a cold open and dive into Jason’s first-hand account of the Paulding Light in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. They describe the glowing orb seen near a logging road—its changing colors, size, and occasional electrical effects—and explain how it’s been reported since the 1960s. The conversation covers local legends (a brakeman’s ghost, a native spirit), scientific theories (headlight refraction, magnetic/iron effects), past student investigations, and why visitors still come to watch the mysterious light.

In this episode the hosts revisit the January 1987 Belleville, Wisconsin sightings — police lights seen over a quarry, a radar blip picked up by O'Hare, and a town meeting that turned a local sighting into a regional mystery. Multiple witnesses and later commemorative "UFO Days" kept the story alive. The hosts mix reporting with personal experience: a blurry photo, a local "space snake" sighting, theories from stars and Starlink to military craft, and the usual Midwestern humor and speculation. Listeners are invited to weigh in and share their own stories.

Ope, What You Think? is a bite-sized podcast about paranormal sightings, conspiracies, cryptids, UFOs, and true crime from the Midwest. Join our hosts weekly as they crack open a few cold ones, trade outrageous local stories, and give unfiltered opinions. Expect short tales, on-site interviews, quirky banter, and a little chaos — from hovering lights and stuck fingers to sasquatch stench and amphibian guests. Inebriated and opinionated, this is Ope What You Think.