A pair of possible Bigfoot encounters, a pulsating UFO filmed over a Polish village, and a Korean 'psychic survival' TV show that sparked controversy with a rather macabre challenge for its soothsaying contestants were among the weird and wondrous stories to cross our desk this past week.
In what one hopes is a sign that spring is right around the corner, this past week featured a pair of possible Bigfoot encounters that made the news. First, in South Dakota, a mountain lion hunter may have stumbled upon something far more fearsome when he attempted to lure one of the felines with a call resembling a distressed fawn and, in response, heard inexplicable tree knocks and what seemed to be an eerie guttural vocalization that sent him running. Later in the week, a family of three in Oklahoma reported seeing a large hair-covered bipedal figure that they were certain was a Sasquatch walking along a power line easement.
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This past week saw a trio of tantalizing videos showing possible paranormal activity pop up in the news. First, in Poland, a bewildered witness captured footage of a pulsating UFO that seemingly released a smaller glowing object that flew away on its own. Meanwhile, a thermal camera at an old courthouse in Ohio detected what appeared to be a ghostly figure lingering in an empty room. Some believed the anomaly could have been a woman once sentenced to death in the building, while skeptical observers argued the 'ghost' was merely a reflection. Lastly, a couple on a birthday getaway at a hotel in England filmed a peculiar black creature that may have been an elusive British big cat.
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By far the strangest story of the week came from Korea, where a new 'psychic survival' reality show came under fire for a rather macabre challenge. The program, titled 'Battle of Fates,' features a whopping 49 self-proclaimed mystics of various soothsaying specialties pitted against each other to determine who is truly the most gifted of them all. What no doubt sounded fantastic on paper soon led to controversy in the second episode when the players were given the name, picture, and birthday of a man and challenged to 'sense' how he had died. Alas, the subject of the misguided 'puzzle' was a firefighter who passed away in a tragic inferno over 20 years ago, drawing condemnation from his family and prompting a subsequent apology from the show's producers.
For more strange and unusual stories from the past week, check out the Coast to Coast AM website.