Tag: dead the whole time

#44 Frakes and geeks [S4E12 with Samm Levine]

#44 Frakes and geeks [S4E12 with Samm Levine]

Kyle is sitting out but we have guest-host actor and podcaster Samm Levine. Samm has watched the show before, and also had a neighbor who bragged about acting in an episode of Beyond Belief.

Samm is a hardline skeptic of all things supernatural. A big believer of known skeptic James Randy and the million-dollar challenge.

Samm has appeared recently on the show Movie Trivia Schmoedown.

Story 1: Witness To Murder – A ghost hunter who captured ghosts on film meets a mysterious end.

  • Samm tries to unpack Chris’s belief in ghosts.
  • In talking about the integrity of true stories in BB, Samm tells us the actual true story of Cool Runnings.
  • Most people find this story too be ridiculous and very writery.

Story 2: Roulette Wheel – A down on his luck gamboling addict finds himself on a mysterious winning streak.

  • Samm does not believe that odds could allow this to happen. Also, the pit boss would have thrown him out way earlier.
  • Chris thinks there are so many gambling stories that this could have happened.

Story 3: The Phrenologist’s Head – A doctor given a Phrenologist’s Head finds a smudge on it that leads to a miraculous discovery.

  • Samm explains that the doctors would have figured it out eventually upon surgery…And a lawsuit.
  • Chris believes that something could have happened to lead the doctor down the right path.
  • Jesse wonders if Freud’s ghost is involved in the smudging.

Story 4: The Bridge – A hiker crosses a shaky bridge and is helped by a mysterious woman who turns out to be more than she appears.

  • Jesse thinks the woman had her mom’s name in her subconscious and projected onto the woman.
  • Samm thinks it’s a single-source story where the woman miss remembered the events. points to Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink.

Story 5: The Cigar Box – A girl buys an antique, which turns out to belong to a neighbor.

  • This segment stars Campbell Lane, who does VO for the second half of BB.
  • Jesse thinks there are one too many coincidences.
  • Samm walks through how it could have happened – he was just a bitter old man who died after being denied his antique box by a little girl.

Friend of the podcast, Misty Stinnett (who has a new podcast Go Help Yourself) shares some self-help tips. But some are fact and some are fiction.

The story results are revealed.

  • Samm tells us a story of when he “met” Jonathan Frakes.
  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime.

#43 A good first draft [S4E11 with Jonathan Kite]

#43 A good first draft [S4E11 with Jonathan Kite]

Kyle is out, but joining us is the comedian, actor, and writer Jonathan Kite. Who has a new movie out – All The Creatures Are Stirring.

Jonathan is familiar with the show, but hasn’t seen it until now.

Jonathan talks about Nightmare on Elm Street’s origins, and how he’s seen a ghost in a girlfriend’s video.

Story 1: The Mystery Of Douglas Hibbard – A man, sick with the cold, checks into a motel and mysteriously stashes something in a safe.

  • Tiffany feels like it’s an urban legend.
  • Maybe the clerk just messed up the timing of events.

Story 2: Wheelchair Man – A  criminal with psychic abilities gives up his cronies after being pushed out of a heist.

  • Jesse doesn’t understand why a criminal would help the cops.
  • Jonathan doesn’t believe cops would give up a witness.
  • Tiffany just thinks burglars are dumb.

Story 3: The Vigil – A comatose woman about to be taken off life support finds a way to communicate with her boyfriend.

  • Everyone agrees it was a very forgettable story. But maybe that means it’s true?
  • Jesse thinks the boyfriend believed it enough, but it was just a coincidence.
  • Maybe it’s too fact to be fact?

Story 4: The Mandarin’s Bowl – After a family trip to China town, a young boy is revealed to be the reincarnation of an old pottery master.

  • Jonathan doesn’t understand why the master and student don’t ask more questions. Their reunion is very short.
  • Everyone agrees the parents would have freaked out more.
  • Tiffany thinks the most ridiculous stories are fact.

Story 5: Ghost Writer – A cruel man hires a ghostwriter who accidentally records a confession of a horrible crime.

  • Chris felt it was very similar to Batman Returns.
  • Chris pitches the boring theory. So boring that it’s fact.
  • Jonathan thinks it’s a good first draft but then it falls apart.

This week we call up a listener and have him play a game in which he needs to decide if our news headlines are real or made up.

The story results are revealed.

  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime.

 

#42 Futzing with the wrong drivers [S4E10]

#42 Futzing with the wrong drivers [S4E10]

Jesse pitches his Beyond Beliefe App which would randomize BB stories from all four seasons. This way you would get a fresh mix bag of stories each time.

This leads to a discussion of each host’s voting strategy and meta-game.

Story 1: Moonstruck Beach – An aspiring writer moves to a secluded town and finds herself the target of a dangerous man.

  • How can a ghost use printers and why wouldn’t the printer immediately warn her.
  • If it was true wouldn’t moonstruck beach be an actual book?
  • Tiffany wonders how many people need to die for this woman to get a best selling book?

Story 2: Healing Hands – A nurse caring for a dying patient, witnesses a strange visitor.

  • Jesse hates single-source stories.
  • Chris believes it, according to the ghostly rules.
  • Mark talks about how lazy he is.

Story 3: Aspen Sunny Side – A group of friends mountain biking get a bad feeling when one doesn’t return.

  • Most people have bad feelings all the time, so this could definitely have happened.
  • Kyle thinks it was accidental astral projection.
  • Tiffany wonders why no one just uses a phone.
  • Jesse found this story very complicated. None of the character actions make sense.

Story 4: Night Walker – A scammer is approached by his neighbor to scam her husband only to discover she isn’t exactly human.

  • Vampires? Everyone agrees this is just nuts.
  • Since there was another true vampire story on BB, could this one be true?
  • Kyle dives into the Vampire Rules and doesn’t know if she could hide her fangs.

Story 5: Hot Car – a couple, framed by a mysterious woman, get karmic retribution after being released from jail.

  • Did the woman confess to easily?
  • It’s a coincidence-based story, so the group believes it.

Friends of the podcast Max Labella and Ashley Walker join the studio and listen to audience-submitted stories.

The story results are revealed.

  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime.

#40 Leafing the witness [S4E8]

#40 Leafing the witness [S4E8]

We’ve returned with the back half of our fourth and final season. And if something feels oddly familiar about this week’s batch of stories… it’s because we watched this episode in the past and recorded an unreleased episode as a test pilot. And as a bonus, we will be releasing the pilot episode this Thursday in all it’s horrifying, awkward glory. Thankfully, we can barely remember what happened in last week’s episode, so this should be pretty fresh for us.

Story 1: Caitlin’s Candle – After being saved from a mugger by a candle with seemingly supernatural powers, a woman brings it home only to find out that it once belonged to her deceased mother.

  • Why would the mom hide jewelry in a candle? And WHY would a robber steal a candle?
  • Everyone thinks this is a ghost making elaborate plans. Kyle thinks maybe the mom did this all to teach the daughter to believe in herself.

Story 2: The Flower Jury – When a man is murdered in a flower shop, a detective uses an unconventional approach to solve the crime.

  • Chris and Mark have heard about plants being affected by positive and negative emotions.
  • Kyle thinks it’s ridiculous that we could believe in ghosts and spirits but not a plant.
  • Jesse thinks the detective made up the plant thing to trick the suspect into confessing.

Story 3: The Mentor – Magician brothers living in the shadows of Houdini attempt a new death-defying trick.

  • Jesse loved the unnecessary backflips in their routine.
  • Are these magicians real? No one knows. Maybe David Blaine was inspired by them?
  • The curse makes everyone feel like it could be written.

Story 4: The Old Bike – two brothers find an old bike and discover something mysterious inside the handlebar.

  • Everyone agrees hiding a note inside a handlebar is ludicrous.
  • Jesse thinks it’s mainly coincidental with some convoluted stuff added on.

Story 5: The Music Teacher – A renowned pianist has a creative block until he meets with his first piano teacher.

  • This is a classic dead the whole time story.
  • Everyone thinks the chocolate was added by the writers. Maybe he just had a mental block and the teacher used the chocolate to snap him out of it.

In lieu of a fake ad, for the remainder of the season, we’re asking the audience to be part of our show. Call or submit online your beyond belief stories. Or if you have any questions for us, ask away. Or just call and tell us you hate us. Anything goes! Leave us a voicemail at 818-254-9876, email us at info@beyondbeyondbelief.com, or send us a DM on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook @beyondbeliefpod.

The story results are revealed.

  • Chris gets an interesting score. The results are controversial.
  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime.

#B03 Guest stories: Close Call & Midnight Dog

#B03 Guest stories: Close Call & Midnight Dog

Misty Stinnett and Kelly Perron share their own beyond belief stories from our all-female panel of guests from Tuesday’s episode. These stories were fantastic and we didn’t want to edit them down, so we decided to release them as a bonus episode… enjoy!

#34 Uncomplicated playtime [S4E2]

#34 Uncomplicated playtime [S4E2]

The group discusses Frake’s use of illusions in the intro. Does he come up with them himself? They reminisce about Fox’s Breaking The Magician’s Code. And discover it was Valentino all along!

Story 1: Writer’s Agent—a slimy literature agent is haunted by a deceased client after he publishes her book.

  • Tiffany thinks maybe the whole thing was a sting by the police, including a phony book signing.
  • Kyle said he’s more or less played this scenario out in a game called Crack The Case.
  • Chris doesn’t believe any bit of this.

Story 2: Crypt Ghost—three kids find themselves in over their heads when they sneak into a cemetery to make a movie.

  • Jesse thinks the found footage element is just the writers ripping off The Blair Witch Project.
  • Tiffany thinks it sounds like an urban legend that kids could have believed in and then told.
  • Chris explains that ghostly markings are common and are on his list of The Ghostly Rules.

Story 3: The Doll—when Susan finally becomes an elementary school teacher she realizes one of the students may be someone from her past.

  • Kyle and Chris debate reincarnation.
  • Jesse and Tiffany don’t understand how this story got out. It’s a one-source story.

Story 4: Hubert’s Curse—when a construction worker doesn’t take a curse seriously, something strange starts happening to the tools.

  • The group thinks the ties to Merlin and the roundtable are ridiculous.
  • None of the hosts believe the curse is real, but they believe the carpenters believe it is.

Story 5: Shared Vision—a mysterious nurse diagnoses a sick child when all other hope is lost.

  • The group debates the supernatural logic. Is it a physic story, a ghost story, or a guardian angel story?
  • Jesse points out the writers are getting smart and tricked us by introducing the other elements first.
  • Tiffany thinks the nurse just noticed other subtle symptoms that the doctor missed.

Part 2 of our Ouija Adventure:

  • Chris and Mark decide to research Ouija boards by playing a game called Ouija or Noja. Real one-star reviews of Ouija boards are mixed in with fake ones, and it’s up to Kyle and Jesse to separate fact from fiction.

The story results are revealed.

  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime.

#32 The anomaly [S3E13]

#32 The anomaly [S3E13]

This is the season 3 finale! Will Mark win season three as he has with the previous two seasons? Will Chris get all five stories correct, as he’s never done in the history of this show?

Story 1: The Dealer—a shady blackjack dealer discovers the cards are stacked against him when a soldier sits down at his table.

  • Jesse doesn’t understand why the ghost would go through with this elaborate plan #GMEP
  • Chris doesn’t buy that the ghost would wait decades to come back and seek his revenge.

Story 2: Gratuity—a cab driver installs an insult machine for people who do not tip well, but fate steps in alongside a particular passenger.

  • The group discusses the pros and cons of tipping.
  • Everyone is surprised why this man isn’t fired.

Story 3: The Cake—a baker witnesses a frightening premonition after a mobster orders him to bake a special cake.

  • It’s very possible that this is just based on a mob hit.
  • Kyle thinks the baker is just stressed due to his dealings with the mob.

Story 4: 1st Time Offender—when a boy is arrested for theft, the judge lets him off with a warning, but only until a moment that’s beyond belief changes his mind.

  • This could just be a coincidence-based story.
  • Kyle thinks maybe this happened a long time ago.

Story 5: The Mirror of Truth—a beautician curses a vain woman, causing her to appear hideous.

  • Could be a psychological issue.
  • Could be a story that takes place in a different time.
  • Could be ripped off from The Twilight Zone.

The story results are revealed.

  • Chris is a statistical anomaly.
  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime.

The Season 3 results are revealed.

  •  Chris wins season 3! And the coin is a close second.

#26 You had me at haunted barbecue [S3E7]

#26 You had me at haunted barbecue [S3E7]

 

Tiffany is back from her vacation to India. She didn’t see any ghosts though. Also she may have an infectious rash on her hand or just a henna tattoo.

Story 1: Connie—a dead woman’s spirit or essence lives on in her husband’s new wives.

  • Jesse wonders what happened to the other women’s spirits. Did they just get booted out? Tiffany thinks the man was murdering his wives.
  • Who told this story? There are no witnesses.
  • Jesse thinks all the women are dying from some bird disease.

Story 2: Positive I.D.—a man is accused of a robbery that he didn’t commit, only to make a shocking discovery.

  • This is a perfectly reasonable story. But maybe too reasonable?
  • Tiffany sees it as an interesting example of nature vs. nurture.
  • Chris tries to utilize The Southern Rule.

Story 3: Trucker—a hitchhiker gets help from a mysterious truck driver.

  • Kyle is a fan of stories where people get super human strength in dire moments.
  • Kyle points out that this story is similar to another Beyond Belief story called The Tractor (which was fiction).
  • Tiffany thought Big Joe was the hitchhiker’s future self trying to teach him a lesson.
  • Chris dives into the ghostly rules: he doesn’t think a ghost can drive a vehicle. “Sounds like angel territory.”

Story 4: Cook Out—a dead relative’s grill saves lives at a family bbq.

  • Everyone agrees this is now the craziest story of Beyond Belief.
  • This could be a case of TFTBF.
  • Maybe the writers just elaborated the BBQ going crazy moment.

Story 5: The New House—a spirit intervenes when a fire starts in a new family’s home.

  • Tiffany thought it was a story about a mother’s instinct, but then it went in a wildly different direction.
  • Jesse thinks the info dump at the end could be the writer’s way of explaining all the factual details.
  • Kyle hoped the woman in the painting would have been moving around, Harry Potter style.

The story results are revealed:

  • The group plans on taking a mid season break, but agree thus far season 3 has been one wild ride.
  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime

#23 Ghosts, who dat? [S3E4 with Claire Berger & Christian Honce]

#23 Ghosts, who dat? [S3E4 with Claire Berger & Christian Honce]

 

Usual hosts Tiffany and Mark are out, but we have two guest hosts: returning champ/actor Claire Berger and screenwriter Christian Honce. Claire stars in a new movie Bad Exorcist available on iTunes or anywhere you watch cool movies. Christian explains that since he was a child he has nightmares literally every night. One in particular is about his mom with a creepy glowing figure behind her. Recently when visiting his mom, this vision came back to him and he grabbed her right before she backed up over their dog, nearly falling… fact or fiction?

Story 1: E-Mail—A couple buys a used computer and starts receiving mysterious emails from someone trapped in a tomb.

  • Jesse is yet again frustrated that there are so many female short haircuts.
  • Claire doesn’t understand why the story doesn’t focus more on husband’s unhealthy obsessed with the computer. Feels writery.
  • Jesse is annoyed that it’s never explained how the trapped man communicated with the new owners.
  • Christian thinks the man in the tomb was just emailing via a Blackberry.

Story 2: Blood Donor—after receiving a blood transfusion, a man finds that he can see murders as they happen.

  • Chris believes that if you hold onto a loved one’s possession after they’ve passed away you can often times connect with the them.
  • Jesse has a theory – he thinks the man who saved the woman was actually the murderer all along.
  • Christian thinks maybe the man is the murderer who has just repressed his memories.
  • Claire thinks there should be records of the blood transfusion if this is fact.
  • The group dissects the choice of naming a laptop a Renzlo Power 700.

Story 3: Epitaph—a gravestone craftsman is given orders to create an elaborate gravestone for a dead man against the wife’s wishes.

  • Jesse feels this is another case of Ghosts Make Elaborate Plans.
  • What’s the kernel of truth? Christian thinks it’s shady people taking advantage of people in emotional distress—the stone carver is so good at handwriting (since he does it for a living) that he forges the paperwork.
  • Quote of the story: “You know they say it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.” No one says that.
  • The southerner’s theory: Christian believes that if you change the characters to southerners, it can go a long way to explain how certain stories could have happened.

Story 4: Stitches in Time—a woman down on her luck has an odd dream of when her mother and her made a quilt together.

  • Jesse doesn’t understand why the grandmother would stuff a quilt with money and not tell anyone.
  • Claire argues that she is a woman who wants people to work hard and earn what they deserve.
  • Christian explains that if the money was in the quilt it would make noise when they used it.

Story 5: Soldier—a soldier in Vietnam is rescued from death by a strange man who turns out to be more than he seems.

  • Christian believes he’s heard this story before. But does that mean that it’s more likely fact or fiction? And is it possible it’s just an urban legend?
  • The group thinks maybe he had his dad’s dog tags the whole time and was just trying to impress a cute nurse.
  • For the most part, historical stories are fact based. Will it hold up?

Break: This week we play a game called TALL TALE TOMBSTONES, where we’re tasked to guess which bizarre tombstones are real and which are made up.

The story results are revealed:

  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime!

#21 Stop saying Willem Dafoe [S3E2]

#21 Stop saying Willem Dafoe [S3E2]

Turns out no one knows know how pawn shops work. Jesse points out that in season 3, Jonathan Frakes doesn’t do intro lines before the opening credits. No one else seems to care.

Story 1: One For The Road—a truck driver meets a friend at their usual spot, only to later make a chilling discovery.

  • Jesse points out that if this was pre-Sixth Sense, we would have all been blown away.
  • Mark thought all the set-ups revealing Hal was a ghost could have just been due to production issues.
  • Chris dives into the ghostly rules and wonders when exactly did Hal die?
  • Mark decides to go with a strategy this episode: supernatural = fiction/coincidence = fact.

Story 2: The Music Box—a woman wanting to buy a music box discovers something even more unexpected in the shop.

  • The group agrees this story doesn’t handle women well.
  • Tiffany thinks the story probably originated from a wedding announcement or engagement story that gets passed around.
  • If the friend Gale set the whole thing up, then it’s not a beyond belief story at all.
  • Jesse points out that Frakes is more aggressive with potential realistic possibilities in season 3.

Story 3: Two to One—a man strapped for cash has a dream of a robbery gone wrong at a pawn shop he frequents.

  • The group discusses how pawn shops work.
  • Chris believes in premonition. Mark believes we can dream the future.
  • Tiffany doesn’t know who can corroborate the man’s story. But what else is new?

Story 4: Damsel—when a woman visits a fortune teller in the search for Mr. Right, she learns that appearances can be deceiving.

  • Jesse and Mark believe this is all a scam set up by the psychic.
  • Tiffany doesn’t understand why someone would want to start a relationship after a violent encounter. Kyle points out the movie Speed as an obvious counter argument.
  • After talking about Willem Dafoe, Kyle cannot stop laughing for some reason.

Story 5: The Horn—a mortician visits an antique dealer and discovers a special item called a death horn, which may just save one of their lives.

  • Jonathan Frakes thinks the horn could have been blown by air from the AC. Really, Jonathan?
  • Chris points out old coffins that had bells attached for accidental deaths.
  • The group wonders if there was sexual tensions between the two leads.

Break: This week Chris tries to tell Mark about his fascinating experience with a psychic, but is interrupted by a mysterious sound.

The story results are revealed.

  • Turns out Mark’s coincidence theory worked!
  • To find out which stories are fact and which are fiction… you must listen to the podcast, or check out the full episode below or on Amazon Prime!