Episodes

  • Chariots of the Gods with John Hodgman Pt. 2

    Chariots of the Gods with John Hodgman Pt. 2
    Jan 30 2026

    Brandon and Toby are joined by John Hodgman for part two of their look at Chariots of the Gods, a look at the movie made from the Erich von Daniken book that started the Ancient Aliens craziness. Huge desert drawings in Peru! Questionable use of drinking water during a desert expedition! And synths!

    Subscribe to hear this and other great podcasts early and ad free at ⁠grabbagcollab.com⁠.

    For more about John Hodgman, visit: ⁠https://www.johnhodgman.com/
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    45 mins
  • Chariots of the Gods with John Hodgman

    Chariots of the Gods with John Hodgman
    Jan 23 2026


    What if the entities that ancient peoples called gods were in fact aliens? Mind blown, right? It all started with Chariots of the Gods, the book by Erich von Daniken and then the film based on that book. Comedian John Hodgman joins Brandon and Toby to discuss the movie version and so much more. Witness the birth of the gods were aliens weirdness as the Ancient Astronaut Theorists did, with B-roll and weird 70s music.

    Subscribe to hear this and other great podcasts early and ad free at ⁠grabbagcollab.com⁠.

    For more about John Hodgman, visit: ⁠https://www.johnhodgman.com/⁠
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    48 mins
  • The Death and Ancient Life of Erich von Daniken

    The Death and Ancient Life of Erich von Daniken
    Jan 16 2026

    On Saturday, January 10, the Godfather of Ancient Astronaut Theorists, Erich Von Daniken, died at the age of 90. In this episode of More Like Ancient Failiens, Toby and Brandon look at EVD’s life, from his time as a hotelier and embezzler to the successes of Chariots of the Gods and its sequels, to the final form of Ancient Astronaut Theory, Ancient Aliens. We look at the ups and downs, the dubious claims, and the short-lived theme park that was not as exciting as the Alps.

    We also have some exciting news about where we’re taking our show in 2026. We’re calling it The Pivot, and it basically means we’ll be reviewing movies, TV shows, and crappy ‘89s docs about UFOs to show just how deep (or high) this whole thing really goes.

    Subscribe to hear this and other great podcasts early and ad free at grabbagcollab.com.

    “Erich Von Daniken’s Genesis” in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/31/archives/erich-von-danikens-genesis.html

    “Scholars Will Call it Nonsense” in Expedition Magazine: https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/scholars-will-call-it-nonsense/

    Erich Von Daniken Explained: https://everything.explained.today/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken/

    Short History Channel video on Erich Von Daniken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc1QUbSN9uo
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    50 mins
  • Special Report: Age of Disclosure: Disclosings with Keith Kloor, Part 2

    Special Report: Age of Disclosure: Disclosings with Keith Kloor, Part 2
    Jan 9 2026

    Part two of Brandon and Toby’s discussion with journalist Keith Kloor about the documentary film, The Age of Disclosure. In this episode, we discuss Lu Elizondo and The Observables (not a band, alas), the time Keith made Lu sad, and bubbles that warp both space and time. Plus, the culinary delights of roadkill.

    You can read Keith’s reporting about issues we talk about here:
    https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2021/ufos-once-consigned-to-conspiracy-theories-have-landed-in-mainstream-american-journalism/
    https://www.wired.com/story/will-the-new-york-times-ever-stop-reporting-on-ufos/
    https://gen.medium.com/americas-enduring-obsession-with-ufos-b582ca8f86cb
    https://issues.org/ufos-wont-go-away/
    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ufos-keep-appearing-in-the-news-heres-why-we-cant-quit-them/
    https://www.spytalk.co/p/star-drek-ufo-crank-luis-elizondo
    https://theintercept.com/2019/06/01/ufo-unidentified-history-channel-luis-elizondo-pentagon/
    https://keithkloor.substack.com/p/why-ufos-will-never-ever-go-away

    More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free over at www.grabbagcollab.com

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    57 mins
  • "The Age of Disclosure" with Keith Kloor, Pt. 1

    "The Age of Disclosure" with Keith Kloor, Pt. 1
    Jan 2 2026
    What is "The Age of Disclosure" and why is legacy media so obsessed with it? Toby and Brandon venture into a space that's slightly less ancient, but no less alien, than "Ancient Aliens" as they dig into the new documentary by Dan Farah, "The Age of Disclosure." With the help of freelance journalist Keith Kloor, we ask why so many government figures are so gaga for UFOs, why everyone from The New York Times to CNN is so uncritically gaga for the documentary, and why "Disclosure" is now mainstream enough to include Stephen Spielberg and the Epstein Files. Turn off your nuclear missiles and tune in to us!

    Check out Keith's work at https://substack.com/@keithkloor


    More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free over at www.grabbagcollab.com

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • The Relics of Roswell with Michel Gagné

    The Relics of Roswell with Michel Gagné
    Dec 19 2025
    Have you ever gone metal detecting and found a twisted piece of wire? Well, Giorgio Tsoukalos has and it was at a skip site near Roswell, NM! I know, right? Toby and Brandon are joined by podcaster Michel Gagne to get a handle on the Ancient Aliens episode “The Relics of Roswell” (S15:E2). This one has it all: a budding love story, some industrial grade aluminum and explosive cratering! Plus a dramatic Zoom call…

    For more about Michel, visit: ⁠https://www.paranoidplanet.ca/


    More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free over at www.grabbagcollab.com

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    54 mins
  • The Great Flood with Pedro Mendes

    The Great Flood with Pedro Mendes
    Dec 12 2025
    Not satisfied with small floods or even big floods? How about a great flood? Polymathic Canadian Pedro Mendes returns to the show to help Toby and Brandon bail water on the Ancient Aliens episode “The Great Flood” (S9:E8). Yes, we’ve got Gilgamesh. Yes, fallen angels once again seduce “our girls.” Yes, there are microbeads. No, it’s still not clear how it all fits together. But we don’t want God or aliens or whoever to wash us away again so board the ark with the Failiens gang and float to safety.

    https://m.youtube.com/@PedroMendesMiniature

    More Like Ancient Fail-iens is published early and ad-free over at www.grabbagcollab.com

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    52 mins
  • Conversations with Jonathan Young and Dominic Steavu

    Conversations with Jonathan Young and Dominic Steavu
    Dec 5 2025
    What is it like to be an academic, talking about your legitimate research only to have it woven into a story of extraterrestrial interference in human history? This bonus episode features two conversations that Brandon and Toby had with experts featured on Ancient Aliens who aren’t ancient astronaut theorists! First, they talk with Jonathan Young, the curator of the Joseph Campbell Archives. In the second interview they chat with Dominic Steavu, associate professor of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
    You can learn more about our guests here:
    Jonathan Young
    Website: folkstory.com
    His congregation: LiveOakGoleta.org
    Mythological Studies: Pacifica.edu
    Campbell archives: opusarchives.org/joseph-campbell-collection/
    Joseph Campbell Foundation: jcf.org
    Dominic Steavu
    Faculty page: eastasian.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/dominic-steavu/
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    1 hr and 16 mins