Page 35 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - September 2021

The Moment of Truth - Walton Failed Test 35

with The Moment of Truth, a game show in FAILED
Travis Walton’s Alien

Abduction Lie Detection

Test That He FAILED!

A Moment of Truth (or not) for

the most famous
UFO abduction case in history

By Dr. Michael Shermer

Because I have a teenage daughter I am
relatively current on what’s popular in pop
culture. American Idol is the ne plus ultra in the
reality television genre (don’t let yourself get
hooked), and because Fox incestuously
promotes its other shows I was vaguely familiar

which contestants have to tell the truth under the
watchful wires of a lie detector in order to win the aliens abduct the other one as well. show to bring the case to a head. What does this
cash prizes. Contestants are put through a Coincidentally (not!), two weeks before mean? To be fair and balanced (!), possibly
battery of questions while hooked up to the Walton’s abduction, with the logging deadline nothing, because the polygraph test is unreliable.
polygraph, but are not told whether the growing near, NBC aired their prime-time In fact, I even thoroughly debunked it myself in
examiner determined from the readings whether made-for-television movie The UFO Incident, a two-part special for the Fox Family channel
or not they told the truth. Later, in front of about the 1961 Betty and Barney Hill abduction (watch Part 1 and Part 2 on YouTube).
millions of viewers and a live studio audience, case.
with their friends, co-workers, family, spouses, Given the shortcomings of both reality
or boyfriends and girlfriends (or ex’s) sitting on In the considered opinion of the late aviation television and the polygraph, I wrote to Travis
the set with them, they are asked the same journalist Philip Klass, in his 1988 book UFO- and asked him for his account of his experience
questions again. After each answer a female Abductions (Prometheus Books), Walton and his on Moment of Truth. I had met Walton once
voice says “That answer is…” and after a long buddies just made up the story as an excuse to before at my office in Altadena, California,
pause a “true” means the contestant continues account for their pending job incompletion. In where we filmed a segment for a television
up the ladder to $25,000, $100,000, $200,000 his investigation of the case, Klass discovered special on UFOs. I found him to be an
all the way to half a million bucks. A “false” that during the five days that Walton was exceptionally likeable man, a nice guy, and I
sends you packing for home. missing none of his family or co-workers found his account of this television show to be
showed any concern whatsoever for his safety most illuminating. As he wrote me on August
One night a woman was faced with her husband during several interviews by media and 21, 2009:
and ex-boyfriend and was asked if she wished interrogations by law enforcement agents. His
she had married the other guy. “Yes,” she said. brother Duane confessed: “He’s not even I normally would not have ever agreed to be on
“That answer is…true,” sounded the voice. She missing. He knows where he’s at, and I know such a show. After my fellow crewmen and I
won the money but lost the husband. I where he’s at.” passed polygraph tests from the Arizona state
remember thinking to myself, “you’d have to be police polygraph examiner I wrote in my book
a real pinhead to go on this show.” Although Walton passed a polygraph test that I was done addressing that aspect of it.
arranged by a UFO organization, Klass learned There the matter rested until last year when I
On July 31, 2008, I appeared on The Moment of that Walton dictated to the examiner what received the bad news from my employer of 11
Truth. The contestant was Travis Walton, questions would be asked. Further investigation years that over a hundred of those most recently
arguably the most famous alien abductee in by Klass led him to an earlier unpublished hired (which included me) would be
Earth history. I agreed to appear only if there polygraph test of Walton, conducted by Jack permanently laid off. Coincidentally I came
were no sexual allusions (alien probes aside). McCarthy, one of the top polygraph examiners home that day to receive a phone call from The
My question for Mr. Walton: “Do you have any in Arizona. McCarthy gave Klass his assessment Moment of Truth inviting me to be a contestant
evidence to support your claim of being of Walton’s story: “Gross deception!” He added with the possibility of winning up to $100,000.
abducted?” Of course he answered in the that Walton employed polygraph
affirmative, because for three decades Travis countermeasures, such as holding his breath. I’m no fool. I knew that the show’s public lure
Walton has been telling people that on the was to familiarize the audience with the
evening of November 5, 1975, he was “zapped” Now, 33 years later, Walton was once again in contestant’s friends& family and then shockingly
into a UFO while working as a logger in an the polygraph hot seat. His affirmative answer to disgrace him with a key “failed” question. I
Arizona National Forest. His evidence? His co- my question passed the truth test, because of wrote to several friends about my misgivings.
workers said they saw it happen. Five days later course Walton believes he has evidence in the The examiner was their man, with a vested
Walton called from a nearby payphone to report form of his friends’ corroborative story. The next interest in giving his employer the scandalous
that the aliens had let him go. question, for $100,000, was refreshingly Jerry Springer type “entertainment” that has
straight-forward: “Were you abducted by a UFO been the show’s stock in trade — to say nothing
And none too soon, because Walton and his co- on November 5, 1975.” Without hesitation he of saving them from awarding any prize money.
workers were about to miss their deadline of barked “Yes.” The voice in the sky once again I was made even more uneasy to learn that up to
November 10th to finish the logging job, after boomed: “That answer is…” then very few had won much of anything. The
which they would be docked 10 percent of the outrageous demands set down in their contract
contract, unless an “Act of God” prevented “False.” I couldn’t believe it. Neither could was the clincher. I declined their offer.
completion. Enter the UFO. Why aliens? For Walton, whose jaw dropped faster than a crashed
years Travis and his older brother Duane had flying saucer. At last, after a bestselling book
talked about the UFOs that they had seen in and popular film about his abduction, Fire in the (Continued on Page 36)
Arizona, and they even made a pact that if either Sky, after countless UFO conferences and media
one were ever abducted they would insist that appearances, it took a Fox reality television