Ripley's Believe It or Notcast

In 1824, a merchant working between Singapore and Bangkok saw what he thought was some kind of human animal—a creature with two heads, but only two arms, swimming in the Chao Phraya River.

This week, Brent and Ryan discuss the legendary conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker. These twins began as duck sellers in their humble village, traveled as sideshow performers, and eventually became wealthy slave-owners in the American South.

Show notes are on Ripleys.com. You can join the Notcast conversation on Twitter or drop us a line at [email protected].

Many have heard that Japanese game shows can be ruthless environments where anything goes.

This week, Brent and Ryan talk to American contestants and game show experts to separate the facts from the fiction.

Show notes are on Ripleys.com. You can join the Notcast conversation on Twitter or drop us a line at [email protected].

"An inventor needs enemies." These are the words of the man who brought electricity into the home, Thomas Edison. While many will argue the particulars of what he invented, Edison was perhaps the most influential man in technology during the turn of the century.

This week, Brent and Ryan talk to Dr. Paul Israel, the Director and General Editor of the Edison Papers at Rutgers University. They explore the competitive nature of the "Wizard of Menlo Park," and how this led him to be involved in the use of electricity for capital punishment.

Show notes are on Ripleys.com. You can join the Notcast conversation on Twitter or drop us a line at [email protected].

Picture a cramped tour bus packed with self-proclaimed human oddities, sword swallowers, fire-breathers, glass eaters, and vaudevillian-style performers all getting ready to take the stage.

This week on the Ripley's Believe It or Notcast, Brent and Ryan talk to Short E. Dangerously. At three-foot-three, Shorty had to have his lower half amputated when he was two years old. He walks on his hands, but, other than that, does everything a person typically does and more. Currently, he travels with the Hellzapoppin Sideshow, breathing fire, and jumping on glass.

Show notes are on Ripleys.com. You can join the Notcast conversation on Twitter or drop us a line at [email protected].

The conviction that demons exist, and that they exist to harass, derange, and smite human beings stretches back as far as religion itself.

This week on the Ripley's Believe It or Notcast, Brent and Ryan talk to Father Vincent Lampert, a Catholic priest and the official exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.  Father Lampert trained under long-time Italian exorcist, Father Carmine de Filippis, assisting in over 40 exorcisms.

Show notes are on Ripleys.com. You can join the Notcast conversation on Twitter or drop us a line at [email protected].

Travel Channel has brought Ripley's Believe It or Not! back to television with veteran actor Bruce Campbell introducing viewers to the strange, bizarre, and unusual.

This week on the Ripley's Believe It or Notcast, Brent and Ryan talk to Bruce about the show, asking him what it's like in the world-famous Ripley Warehouse. Bruce's Believe It or Not! instincts are also put to the test with some "Or Not" trivia. Bruce reveals his creepiest fan interaction, and even regales our hosts with his very own encounter with an unexplained flying object.

Show notes are on Ripleys.com. You can join the Notcast conversation on Twitter or drop us a line at [email protected].

WARNING: This story contains the descriptions of off limits places where people are not allowed to go. Listen, but watch your step. Things could get dangerous.

For even the most seasoned travelers—the ones who have been to every state and every continent—there are still places that for whatever reason—be they geographical, political, or even for your own personal safety—you just can’t visit.

We're taking you all the way from Snake Island in Brazil to the Vatican Archives to find out what makes these places off limits. Lonely Planet destinations editor Ben Buckner joins in to explain his favorite places no one is allowed to go, and aerospace historian Peter Merlin even discusses the mystery site of Area 51.

Show notes are on Ripleys.com. You can join the Notcast conversation on Twitter or drop us a line at [email protected].

What would happen if people actually captured Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster? This week Brent and Ryan talk to a Skunk Ape expert in the Everglades, then navigate the laws protecting Sasquatch in Skamania County, Washington. Show notes are on Ripleys.com. You can join the Notcast conversation on Twitter or drop us a line at [email protected].

For over 100 years, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! has been the home for all things incredibly hard to believe, but undeniably true. Join hosts Brent Donaldson and Ryan Clark as they talk to oddthorities around the world and delve deep into the strange, the bizarre, and the unusual.