Last Podcast on the Left: Last Update on the Left - Ep. 11

"Return to Skinwalker Ranch"

Date: January 9, 2026
Hosts: Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, Ed Larson

Episode Overview

This episode marks the hosts' long-awaited return to the infamous Skinwalker Ranch, exploring developments since their original multi-part series years ago. The conversation tracks the enduring mysteries, conspiracies, and cultural myths surrounding the ranch—considered by some the most paranormal-investigated property in the US. The hosts discuss the evolution of research, government involvement, the personal risks of paranormal investigation, and recent Skinwalker Ranch media projects, blending humor with deep-dive skepticism and fascination.

Key Discussion Points

Setting the Tone: Banter & Belly Talk

• (01:32-02:29) The episode starts with comedic banter about Marcus's belly, blending bodily humor with the “expanding” subject of Skinwalker Ranch.
  • Notable Quote: Henry: “If I have one sip of yeast, my body expands. But we're not just talking about our bodies expanding. No, no, we're talking about the ever-expanding coverage of the skin...” (02:29)

What is a Skinwalker? Origins & Lore

• (02:42-05:38) Ed jokes, “Aren’t we all skinwalkers because we have skin and we walk?” leading into Henry and Marcus’s explanation:
  • Origins as a Navajo legend (specifically Ute tribe—clarified at 05:45).
  • Skinwalkers are shamans who commit taboo acts (notably cannibalism) to gain power to shapeshift into animals for nefarious purposes.
  • The ranch is named after the “Trail of the Skinwalker”, feared as haunted and avoided by Native communities.
  • Notable Quote: Henry: “They give up their own humanity in order to be able to change form into various animals to do nefarious shit... It’s to leave. But it comes with a host of other negative associations and bad juju powers.” (05:04)

Skinwalker Ranch: History & Phenomena

• (05:52-07:20) Recap of the ranch:

  • 500-acre property in Utah’s Uinta Basin, notorious for UFOs, shapeshifting creatures, portals, poltergeist activity, and cattle mutilations.
  • “Most researched 500-acre plot of land in the world”—multiple scientific and pseudoscientific investigations.

• (07:01-08:53) Phenomena described:

  • Clouds that seem “stuck”

  • “Butthole portals” in the sky letting ships in and out

  • Giant dire wolves, poltergeist and teleporting cattle

  • Bizarre technical failures: Cameras and security gear disconnected in unexplainable ways

  • Notable Quote: Henry: “One thing that's also really weird about Skinwalker Ranch is portals... they literally saw buttholes gape in the sky and then ships would come in and out of the buttholes.” (07:01)

• (08:53-09:37) Ownership changes:

  • Sherman family’s experiences (e.g. giant wolves shot and shrugging off bullets).
  • Sold to Robert Bigelow, billionaire hotelier and space entrepreneur, who installed NIDS (National Institute for Discovery Science).

The Bigelow/NIDS Era & Government Involvement

• (09:16-14:13)

  • NIDS conducted extensive investigations for years, but Bigelow tightly controlled and hoarded their data.

  • Senator Harry Reid secured $22 million in government funding; research was shrouded in secrecy and ended inconclusively.

  • Government was interested in whether the phenomena could be weaponized.

  • Many findings were ambiguous; much “evidence” consisted of witness testimonies, some possibly using security guards as “barometers” for effect rather than objective detectors.

  • Notable Quote: Marcus: “It’s a study on how to study this stuff… because that’s one of the things paranormal activity... has really struggled with... How do we quantify this stuff?” (12:30)

Witness Testimony & Elusiveness of Evidence

• (12:50-14:13)

  • The hosts discuss the difficulties of capturing and interpreting paranormal evidence.

  • Many key researchers believed the most significant information was in anecdote and indirect effects rather than photos or traditional proof.

  • Notable Quote: Henry: “The measurements that they were using were coming from the humans that were there in their reactions to the phenomenon.” (10:55)

• George Knapp’s importance as an investigator and his mixed feelings about the podcast’s earlier coverage, which turned positive after hearing their work.

Media Hype, Secrecy, and the Power of “What If?”

• (15:16-17:41)
  • George Knapp’s integrity and frustration with lack of concrete evidence.
  • Why some alleged key photographic evidence hasn’t been released—fear of instant debunking or loss of relevance.
  • Keeping something “in the vault” sustains mystique, funding, and public attention.
• (17:41-18:03) Early mainstream coverage kept the ranch mysterious; post-TV era, now everyone knows its name.

Access, the Hitchhiker Effect, and Personal Risks

• (18:04-20:23) Ed asks if they can visit—tours are invite-only, typically access is tightly controlled.
• (18:51-19:06)
  • Marcus and Henry discuss the “Hitchhiker Effect”—investigators report bringing home paranormal phenomena (poltergeist activity, voices, blue orbs) that sometimes lead to health crises or lasting spiritual afflictions.
  • Notable Quote: Marcus: “Most people who go to Skinwalker Ranch ... brought something home with them. And what that something is, no one really knows.” (26:23)

Book Update: “Skinwalkers at the Pentagon”

• (22:59-25:53)
  • George Knapp, Colm Kelleher, and James McCaskey’s follow-up book examines what happened to government research post-NIDS.
  • Investigates AATIP, OSAP, and the tangled lineage between official government research agencies.
  • Points out the role of religious (specifically conservative Christian) resistance within government as a deterrent to continued research—some viewed phenomena as demonic and “dangerous.”

Hitchhiker Phenomenon in Depth

• (26:23-28:15)

  • “Hitchhiker effect” purportedly responsible for various illnesses and ongoing hauntings; one story involves a blue orb passing through a man who subsequently gets cancer.
  • Speculation Robert Bigelow sold the ranch after his wife developed fatal leukemia, believed to be connected to the ranch. (27:35)

• Myth-busting: Marcus refutes the “Indian burial ground” trope as a racist, media-invented cliché. (28:10-29:28)

Secret Materials & Theories

• (29:41-31:44)

  • Knapp’s reporting hints at rumors of “exotic materials” being moved around, possibly in private hands, and big secrets yet unrevealed.
  • Henry jokes about “insider information,” leading to playful Dr. Seuss references.
  • Discussion of serious health consequences among researchers (possibly autoimmune in nature, not radiation), with Knapp and others reporting poltergeist and health effects at home.

• Notable Quote: “Whatever it is, is making us very sick… Not unlike long COVID… they don’t know what the hell it is, because it’s not radiation poisoning, it’s something else.” (31:55)

Recent Ownership: Brandon Fugal and the TV Era

• (38:10-43:39)
  • Ranch bought by flamboyant real estate magnate Brandon Fugal, who initially sought anonymity but became a central reality TV figure (“Secrets of Skinwalker Ranch”).
  • Fugal’s “movie life”—owns iconic props, pop-culture enthusiast.
  • Fugal’s insistence: no fakery, his own research team, no reveal of his identity (the last was refused).
  • Fugal claims to have witnessed a classic disc-shaped UFO, shifting him from buyer to “experiencer”. (43:00)
• Tourism, waivers, lawsuits: Visitors must sign waivers accepting risk of “ghost cancer.” (40:33)
  • Notable Quote: Marcus: “Everyone who goes on Skinwalker Ranch does have to sign a waiver saying I might get ghost cancer.” (40:33)

The Ongoing Research & The TV Shows

• (44:14-48:48)
  • Colorful crew: “Dragon” the security chief, Jim Morse (ranch manager and sole “skinwalker” witness), and Dr. Eric Bard (principal investigator).
  • “Secrets of Skinwalker Ranch” TV show features a sincere, if sometimes awkward, attempt at documentation.
  • Recaps skeptical and enthusiastic researchers (like Dr. Travis Taylor, former “Rocket City Rednecks” host, now a believer).
  • Field stories: Reports of synchronicities, blue orbs, and more persistent “hitchhiker” events following research staff home. (51:27)

Identity, Humorous Digressions & Pop Culture

• (46:55-47:07)
  • “Dragon” nickname origin: initially ironic, now permanent, much to the real security chief’s dismay.
• Pop references: DC/Marvel, GNR parody, and jokes about a themed barbecue restaurant (“The Mutilated Cow”) keep the mood light but skeptical.

Final Thoughts: Paranormal Gaps, Skepticism, and the Unknown

• (53:02-55:47)
  • Physical effects (“don’t dig on the land”)—crew members developing mysterious symptoms (fluid on brain, etc).
  • Spiritual exhaustion: “The ranch got burnt out. …By the end of NIDS, activity had all but stopped” (37:46)
  • Marcus and Henry: Paranormal events remain “subtle,” elusive by conventional measurement. Analogy to technology gaps before microscopes made bacteria visible.
  • Notable Quote: Marcus: “I'm not gonna use a camera to take a picture of an atom... I think we're just in that same technology gap.” (55:04)
• (54:24-55:47)
  • Ed: “Seems like there’s nothing there.”
  • Henry: “It's more like it doesn't want you to have it. Whatever is there, it doesn't want you to have it.”
  • Marcus insists: “I think we just don't know how to record it... there's absolutely something there.”

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “They give up their own humanity in order to be able to change form into various animals to do nefarious shit.” – Henry, (05:04)
• “Is the mind talking about my belly going to be the start of this episode of last update on the left?” – Marcus, (01:58)
• “One thing that's also really weird about Skinwalker Ranch is portals... buttholes gape in the sky and then ships would come in and out of the buttholes.” – Henry, (07:01)
• “Most people who go to Skinwalker Ranch ... brought something home with them. And what that something is, no one really knows.” – Marcus, (26:23)
• “It’s a study on how to study this stuff… because that’s one of the things paranormal activity... has really struggled with.” – Marcus, (12:30)
• “Everyone who goes on Skinwalker Ranch does have to sign a waiver saying I might get ghost cancer.” – Marcus, (40:33)
• “I'm not gonna use a camera to take a picture of an atom... I think we're just in that same technology gap.” – Marcus, (55:04)
• "It's more like it doesn't want you to have it. Whatever is there, it doesn't want you to have it. And it's not yours to have, really." – Henry, (54:31)

Highlights & Memorable Moments

• Playful arguments over paranormal risk—who would actually visit Skinwalker Ranch.
• Running jokes about “butthole portals,” “ghost cancer,” and barbecue restaurants named after cattle mutilations.
• Marcus’s analogy of technology gaps in investigation: what’s missing might be the right instrument, not the phenomenon.
• Candid reflection on media cycles, UFOlogy, and the durability of unsolved mystery in pop culture.

Conclusion

This “Update” episode perfectly balances skeptical analysis, paranormal enthusiasm, and the show’s signature irreverent wit. The hosts remain undecided but fascinated: whatever happens at Skinwalker Ranch, they agree, it resists easy answers and may forever remain more legend than solvable case.

For superfans, references to previous Skinwalker Ranch episodes (circa 2016) and related books, documentaries, and reality series are sprinkled throughout. Newcomers get a thorough, funny, and insight-packed primer on why Skinwalker Ranch has endured as America's strangest supernatural legend.