High Strange – Episode 06: “Let’s Talk Aliens”

Podcast by Tenderfoot TV & iHeartPodcasts | Released: March 13, 2026

Overview

This special episode features an unscripted roundtable discussion between Payne Lindsay (host), Cooper Skinner, and Dylan Harrington, reflecting on the season’s investigations into UFOs (now “UAPs”), cattle mutilations, government whistleblower events, and how to even define “proof” in an era overwhelmed by misinformation and technological skepticism. The conversation is candid and winding, filled with personal anecdotes, memorable moments from reporting, and lots of thoughtful, nuanced debate about both the seriousness and the absurdity of alien phenomena in pop culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Behind the Scenes: Congressional UAP Hearings

Timestamps: 05:34 – 14:36

• The team reflects on traveling to Washington D.C. on short notice to cover a congressional UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) hearing (ep.1).
• They describe the surreal, almost out-of-body feeling of being present at a historic whistleblower event, albeit relegated to an “auxiliary room” next door.
• The difference in room atmospheres:
  • Main Chamber: Dead serious, “stoic” (Payne Lindsay, 10:04).
  • Overflow Room: “People are clapping and gasping… laughing… It felt like we were in a room full of fans,” Cooper Skinner [10:27].
• Memorable Quote:
  • “Being there, it felt like a very historic event… This is disclosure happening.”
    — Payne Lindsay (13:32)
• They debate whether the revelation of crash retrieval programs and “non-human biologics” by whistleblower David Grusch (under oath) moved public and political understanding forward at all.

2. The Elusive Nature of “Proof”

Timestamps: 15:56 – 19:48

• The hosts get philosophical: what would constitute proof—beyond stories and testimony—when any evidence can potentially be faked (or dismissed)?
  • “What is proof to you? Actually?” — Cooper Skinner (16:01)
• Even with sensational claims (and hypothetically, even if aliens landed on the White House lawn), public opinion would still split along lines of trust, doubt, and conspiracy.
• Discussion on the numbness or “desensitization” of the public:
  • “People don’t really respond… maybe we almost went too far and now people don't even care about it.” — Payne Lindsay (17:34)
• Technology has muddied the waters: with AI, deepfakes, and drones, our senses are easier to fool than ever before.

3. Investigative Highlights: Archival UFO Cases & Cattle Mutilations

Timestamps: 19:48 – 32:09

• The show’s focus this season: investigating older, well-documented cases (e.g., from the 1970s & ‘80s) for which evidence is harder to dismiss as manufactured.
  • “That brings so much credibility to their stories.” — Payne Lindsay (19:48)
• In-depth segment on the famous Oregon cattle mutilations:
  • The team splits up while attending the McMinnville UFO Festival and pursues local stories.
  • Dylan describes his investigations in rural Oregon, interviewing ranchers and law enforcement.
    • “All of them told me the same story: this is a very real phenomenon… and they're all a little bit terrified.” — Dylan Harrington (27:08)
  • Details the largely unpublicized trauma of ranchers: multi-generational families losing cattle in a consistent, bizarre fashion (tongues, genitals removed with “surgical” precision, bones left untouched by scavengers, supposed absence of blood, and in some cases, animals flattened as if “dropped from a great height”).
  • Dylan admits to collecting physical evidence (shipped back to their office) for independent testing (26:06–27:08).

Notable Interaction:

• “When I saw this cow, my first thought was like, I gotta collect some samples of this fucking thing.”
  — Dylan Harrington (26:19)

• Ranchers see themselves as reluctant witnesses, seeking help—not publicity:

  • “They're not trying to sell anyone a story. They're basically saying, hands up, my animal got killed. Can anyone help me figure out how this is happening?” — Cooper Skinner (32:09)

4. Personal Experience vs. Public Mockery

Timestamps: 32:30 – 34:43

• Conversation about social stigma and the ridicule attached to claiming UFO/alien encounters, as seen in culture (e.g., South Park’s jokes at Whitley Strieber’s expense).
• The effect of pop culture in erasing space for serious discussion about these experiences.
• Comparison between fringe pop narratives and the subdued but sincere reality lived by witnesses.

5. Whitley Strieber’s “Implant”

Timestamps: 34:43 – 36:43

• The team discusses Whitley Strieber—the best-selling author who claims to have been abducted and implanted by non-humans.
• Cooper shares his personal interaction:
  • “To me, it felt like a BB, like from a BB gun. Maybe it wasn't like a skin tag… it was under his skin, like in his earlobe.” — Cooper Skinner (34:55)
• They debate how to separate Strieber’s real belief and experience from his literary embellishments.
• The implant, according to Strieber, sometimes “activates” and enhances his mental capacities:
  • “He believes this implant… makes him smarter, more creative, that it's not always on, and when it does turn on, he's more in tune and can access more of his own brain.” — Cooper Skinner (35:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the public’s attitude:

  • “It was nothing more than what we've heard since the '80s.”
    — Dylan Harrington on David Grusch’s testimony (15:57)

• On the paradox of disclosure:

  • “Even then, 50% of people would say that's bullshit, that's AI… The other half might believe it.”
    — Payne Lindsay (16:51)

• On life in the field:

  • “We thought you were missing for like, 24 hours. We were like, okay, we'll give it about 12 more hours before we call the police.”
    — Cooper Skinner (22:02)
  • “I cut off some samples of the dirt, I cut off some samples of the cow, and then I shipped it… back to our office, and they still sit in this office somewhere.”
    — Dylan Harrington (26:32)

• On the pop culture cliche of UFOs & cows:

  • “It's such an unbelievable thing that if you're not informed, I would totally understand why your first thought would be that this is entirely bullshit, but it's not made up at all.”
    — Cooper Skinner (27:56)

• On the human cost:

  • “I'll talk to you about it, because I still lose sleep about this. And they're hesitant about some extraterrestrial explanation, but they're also strangely like. But maybe, because everything else becomes equally as weird.”
    — Cooper Skinner (29:57)

Conclusion & Closing Remarks

• The team highlights that these are not just stories—they’re unsolved mysteries that shape the lives of real people, from ranchers to renowned writers like Whitley Strieber.
• The conversation underscores the impossibility of finding satisfying “proof” for everyone. But the continued search, open-mindedness, and skepticism are what fuel the show’s investigation.
• Tease: The hosts announce there are even more stories not yet covered, and a third season is in the works (36:43).

Episode Breakdown (Selected Timestamps)

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------------|----------------| | UAP Congressional Hearing Adventures | 05:34–14:36 | | What is Proof? Public Skepticism & Tech | 15:56–19:48 | | Classic Cases & Cattle Mutilations Investigated | 19:48–32:09 | | Social Stigma, Pop Culture & Owning Your Story | 32:30–34:43 | | Whitley Strieber’s Alien Implant Story | 34:43–36:43 |

Tone & Style

• The episode maintains a tone of open-minded skepticism—never falling for every story, but never glibly dismissing what’s genuinely strange.
• Candid, colloquial, and frequently irreverent (occasional profanity used for emphasis).
• Not afraid to show both the absurdity and the weight of the high strangeness at the heart of the subject.

For listeners considering a deep dive:

This episode is a perfect jumping-in point, offering a personal, sometimes funny, sometimes unsettling look at why chasing the truth about UFOs and aliens remains compelling, even when the story is stranger than ever.