Bigfoot

About the season

Believe in Bigfoot? Think it’s total BS? Laura spent a year in the woods and in the lab trying to answer that question, starting with a surprise: her long-lost cousin Grover Krantz was a tenured anthropologist and one of the world’s preeminent Sasquatch experts. What she found might surprise the staunchest non-believers.

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1. 1
   Grover28 min

   How did a veteran public radio producer end up in the Pacific Northwest, eyeing giant ground nests that might have been made by Bigfoot? Blame a man named Grover.

2. 2
   Distant Relatives or Kissing Cousins?28 min

   Just what is Bigfoot? A descendant of ancient apes, or a close human ancestor? Evolution experts and anthropologists weigh in.

3. 3
   The Evidence32 min

   Footprints, sounds, grainy pictures and the notorious Patterson-Gimlin film: skeptics and the certain make their case for what holds up.

4. 4
   Eyewitness33 min

   A Bigfoot sighting can change your life and even lead to obsession. Laura talks to dozens of eyewitnesses. If they didn’t see Bigfoot, what did they see?

5. 5
   A-C-G-T Spells B-G-F-T25 min

   Everywhere you go, you leave bits of yourself behind, and Bigfoot would too. DNA droppings are easier than ever to analyze, even without a body.

6. 6
   Bump in the Night28 min

   Tired of waiting for other people to find Bigfoot, Laura goes into Oregon’s Mt. Hood National Forest with seasoned ’Squatchers, and hears a few hair-raising stories after dark.

7. 7
   Taboo29 min

   Bigfoot can be tongue-in-cheek fun, but what happens when you take it seriously? The people who risked careers and reputations to seek out Sasquatch.

8. 8
   $a$quatch32 min

   On pizza boxes, beer, jerky and monster trucks: Bigfoot is everywhere, and for some people, he’s a real cash cow.

9. 9
   Why We Want to Believe34 min

   Why do people keep believing? Professional skeptic Michael Shermer on the nature of belief, and why the idea of Bigfoot holds such appeal.

• •
  Talking with Bob Gimlin15 min

  An extended conversation with Bob Gimlin, half of the duo who shot the Patterson-Gimlin film in 1967.

• •
  In Memory of Peter Byrne25 min

  A remembrance of Peter Byrne, the longest-surviving member of the Four Horsemen of Sasquatchery, with Laura’s 2017 interview.

• •
  Remembering Jeff Meldrum14 min

  An excerpt from one of Laura’s interviews with Jeff Meldrum, in memory of him.

• •
  Revisiting Harry & the Hendersons16 min

  Director William Dear on how he tried to capture the magic of Bigfoot on the big screen.

• •
  The Saucy Side of Sasquatch19 min

  Explicit. Virginia Wade, author of a series of Bigfoot erotica books, on the saucier side of Sasquatch.

• •
  Letters from Listeners9 min

  A musical performance from a Wild Thing fan, plus listener stories and letters.

• •
  The Patterson-Gimlin Film: Bigfoot or Big Fake?44 min

  Marq Evans and Tamir Ardon, director and producer of “Capturing Bigfoot,” on evidence that the famous film may be a fake.

• The AtlanticThe 50 Best Podcasts of 2018
• VoxReview and Q&A
• Los Angeles TimesWild Thing is like Serial for Sasquatches
• NPR · Weekend All Things ConsideredInterview with Shereen Marisol Meraji
• Smithsonian MagazineThe scientist who risked it all chasing Bigfoot
• The VergeBest podcasts of 2018
• The Irish TimesPodcast of the Week
• OutsideBest outdoor podcasts of all time

All press & appearances →

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