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Finding Bigfoot TV Show Was Ridiculous! 67

Finding Bigfoot Was The

Most Ridiculous Show On

TV, And Not Just For The

Obvious Reasons

by Rachel Souerbry

Here's a piece of information that will be
shocking to very few people: Animal Planet's
Finding Bigfoot isn't real. That's right, just like
Deadliest Catch and Man vs. Wild, this series is
carefully staged and edited to give the
appearance of a documentary. The hit TV show
has made it through multiple seasons without
showing a single real Sasquatch, riding a wave
of viewer suspense that seems almost endless.

Besides the relentless nighttime searches out in
the woods, there are many unintentionally
hilarious Finding Bigfoot moments. Who could
forget team member Bobo doing his "Sasquatch
calls," or the wild speculation about the habits
of these reclusive giant apes?
in the late '90s. The footage appears to capture Bigfoot. What's more, Holland's specialty is
what the hosts believe is a baby Bigfoot actually aquatics. She graduated from the
Is Bigfoot real? Who knows what new evidence
swinging around in the tree behind the festival- University of Washington's School of Aquatic
could turn up in the future. But for now, one
goers. Some believe that the animal is actually a and Fishery Sciences, where she worked in their
thing is very clear: Finding Bigfoot is easily one
pet monkey, but from that distance and in that Alaska Salmon Program. She also works closely
of the most ridiculous shows on TV.
light it is well and truly impossible to tell what it with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric
is. Don't worry, though – the Finding Bigfoot Administration) and her latest field research has
It's All Night Vision All The Time
crew was able to conclusively prove that it involved steelhead fish in Oregon. These are
wasn't a human after spending some time great biologist credentials, but they have nothing
Why film in the daytime (when you can actually
swinging around in the trees at the location. to do with primates or any other land animals.
see everything) when you can film at night?
Night vision cameras certainly add to the
The Cast Calls Their Search They Advise Waving Hi To Any
atmosphere of Finding Bigfoot, but they don't
give much authenticity to the proceedings. As "Bigfooting" Bigfoots You Encounter
anyone who has gone camping can tell you,
The stars of Finding Bigfoot have a particularly So, what should you do if you do run into
noises in the forest instantly become more
ominous in the dark. The crew reacts to every non-scientific term for their quest to find the Bigfoot while you're out hiking? According to
elusive beast: "Bigfooting." Even weirder, they the hosts of Finding Bigfoot, you should
snapped twig like it's a monumental revelation.
Much like most horror movies, the mysterious refer to groups of creatures as "Bigfoots." definitely attempt to engage the animal. Take
sounds heard by the crew are paired with Apparently "Bigfeet" sounded too silly. lots of photos, and even approach the Bigfoot, as
Matt Moneymaker explained:
dramatic music for an intense and scary effect
for the viewers. The team, however, claims they The Hosts Think Skeptics Can Be "If someone has an encounter, they should try
have a real reason for filming at night: Convinced By Looking At Sketchy to overcome their initial shock and horror, and
Sasquatches are nocturnal. Evidence be as overtly friendly as possible. Hold up your
hand and wave as if it’s a person you’ve been
wanting to meet. They’re not going to attack you
Sasquatch Calls Have To Be Heard To Finding Bigfoot researcher Cliff Barackman
– they might be a little puzzled, but they’re
Be Believed claims that converting skeptics is all about certainly not going to come up and bite your
education: "I was an elementary school teacher
head off. They’re totally cautious with humans.
How do you lure an elusive animal out of before I had this job, so I’m used to people not All you’re trying to do is befuddle it long
hiding? If you're the Finding Bigfoot crew, you knowing things that seem logical to me." enough so that it sticks around long enough and
bellow out a strange sound that's somewhere Barackman insists that the key is for people to doesn’t immediately run away. Maybe then, you
between the scream of "a woman being actually look at the photos, examine the will be able to very coolly reach for your
murdered in the woods" and a longer "Ohio footprint casts, or read a book about the subject camera."
howl" (whatever that is). The cast has a lot of before they come to a conclusion about Bigfoot's
justifications for why these calls sound like they existence. The fact that most of this "evidence" (Continued on Page 69)
do – they're similar to other primate is of poor quality doesn't seem to bother him; as
vocalizations, they've heard them in the woods, he says, "I personally think it’s a very
Bigfoots are developing primitive language – compelling subject, that’s 100 percent real. DARE TO BELIEVE,
but the end result is a bunch of adults stomping DARE TO BE HEARD
through the woods screaming at night. Their Biologist Doesn't Specialize In with
Primates ROB McCONNELL
The Show Follows Questionable Leads in
Team member Ranae Holland may be a research THE ‘X’ ZONE
Finding Bigfoot doesn't exactly use quality biologist, but her credentials as a Bigfoot skeptic on
evidence to launch its investigations. Case in are highly suspect. According to her bio, during THE ‘X’ ZONE RADIO/TV SHOW
point: one of the team's "leads" is an extremely childhood, she and her father bonded by www.xzoneradiotv.com
blurry video shot at a New York music festival watching shows and reading books about