MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

Ballen Studios

The Strange, Dark & Mysterious delivered in podcast format.

Follow the MrBallen Podcast on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish twice a week—every Monday and Thursday. Prime members can listen to new episodes 1-month early and all episodes ad-free on Amazon Music. Wondery+ subscribers can listen ad-free in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

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Our Editor's Take

After surviving a near-death experience in Afghanistan, John Allen turned to storytelling. The Navy SEAL, better known as MrBallen, discovered his passion for true crime. MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories explores chilling stories and cryptic mysteries.

MrBallen is all too familiar with horror stories. His deployment in Afghanistan ended abruptly when a grenade bounced off his shoulder. The blast sent shrapnel flying into his hips and legs. Momentarily deaf and blind, he was sure he would bleed to death. Medics kept him alive. While recovering from his injuries, he turned to social media. He rose to popularity after sharing military stories on platforms like TikTok. But stories of his own experiences and time in the service soon became discussions with different interests.

MrBallen decided to explore the realms of a new topic on YouTube. It began with a short video in 2020 that discussed unsolved mysteries. It was an immediate success. His subsequent stories of serial killers and unexplainable disappearances gripped the Internet. His stories had become so captivating that he moved toward longer video content. The mini-documentaries expanded into MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories in 2022.

The podcast covers a myriad of true crimes. These include shocking thrillers and unexplainable disappearances. The episodes are so intense that they come with warnings. They are not for the fainthearted.

Listeners can join MrBallen for biweekly episodes. New episodes release every Monday, and bonus episodes come out on Thursdays.

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VER TRAILER

MrBallen Podcast Trailer

MrBallen Podcast Trailer

Hello fans of the Strange, Dark and Mysterious delivered in story format! Our first podcast episode will go live on the morning of February 14th, and from there on out we will be releasing 2 weekly podcasts! Mondays = NEW story only available in podcast form Thursdays = BONUS episode, Best of MrBallen's YouTube stories See you soon! Love, @mrballen See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episodios

Disponible el 02-11-2024

Today’s podcast will feature 3 medical horror stories. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#3 -- "Honking Boy" -- A doctor rushes to help a boy who's having trouble breathing, what he finds is truly absurd (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRzdiHG3_eY)#2 -- "Magic Elixir" -- A 1900's drink had serious consequences (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MpR4k3-edc)#1 -- "Shiny But Deadly" -- A healthy man suddenly becomes extremely sick, and doctors only clue being the man's very unusual side job (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn7eaj36dUY)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Swap Meet (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

Disponible el 30-10-2024

Swap Meet (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

In April 2009, in a crowded shopping center in broad daylight, a young woman was walking to her car, when suddenly a strange-looking man came out of some bushes and rushed toward her. The woman tried to get to her car and escape, but the man was too fast – he blocked her way and pulled out a gun. He put the gun to the woman’s head, and before she could even process what was happening, he fired. The woman fell to the ground and died. Then the man turned, calmly walked into the nearby woods, and disappeared. When police arrived, they found a baby in the backseat of the woman’s car – confused but unharmed. But they did not find a single piece of evidence at the scene, or any clue about the identity of the strange-looking man.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Monsters Among Us Vol. III

Disponible el 26-10-2024

Monsters Among Us Vol. III

Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories that will make you wonder how many monsters you may have encountered in your life. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#3 -- "Stumble" -- 3 people take pictures near a cliff (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCAXfw9MDxg)#2 -- "Psychopath" -- An evil person makes a horrifying decision (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRnPwaR_CW8)#1 -- "1st Date" -- Man has a terrifying experience on Tinder (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk8NEkZoJWc)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fan Favorite - "Common Ground"

Disponible el 23-10-2024

Fan Favorite - "Common Ground"

This story is a fan favorite from MrBallen's Medical Mysteries.A boy in Minnesota is rushed to the emergency room with one of the worst food poisoning cases the doctors have ever seen. A short while later, a little girl shows up with the same illness. Soon, cases are popping up throughout the state, leaving some on the brink of death as doctors scramble to figure out why.Listen Now: Wondery.fm/MBMMFor 100s more stories like this one, check out my YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @MrBallenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Disponible el 19-10-2024

In our lives, all of us have to make really difficult decisions from time to time. Sometimes we make the right call, and other times we don’t. Today’s story is about someone who did the latter, but really the story is about what this person did to try to fix their bad decision. Simply put, this story takes a totally unexpected turn, and unless you heard it before, there’s no way you’re going to see it comingStory name, preview & link to original YouTube video:#1 -- "Daydreamers" -- This story takes a totally unexpected turn, and unless you've heard it before, you won't see it coming (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIDTHwuLwSo)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Phantom of the Met (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

Disponible el 16-10-2024

The Phantom of the Met (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

On a summer night in 1980, the audience in New York’s world famous Metropolitan Opera House rose to their feet and applauded at the end of an international ballet performance. The dancers and musicians rushed backstage and congratulated each other on a great show, but one of the musicians was missing. Her prized violin sat on a chair in the orchestra pit. She had left it there during intermission of the ballet, and she had never come back. NYPD Detectives would soon descend on the Met, where they would find themselves chasing down stagehands, musicians, and one of the most famous Russian dancers in the world, desperately trying to discover what had happened to the violin player who just disappeared – while thousands of people were in the audience.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Butterfly Effect Vol. II

Disponible el 12-10-2024

Butterfly Effect Vol. II

Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories that all demonstrate how one seemingly small action can have massive ripple effects on the future. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#3 -- "Skills" -- An aspiring teacher makes an emotional decision... (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPfcCindxhg)#2 -- "Crash" -- A college student doesn't realize the significance of photos he took (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5U1vyQr_IY)#1 -- "Wires Crossed" -- A pilot flying over Europe twisted around in the cockpit of his plane to look at a panel of switches behind him. He took a deep breath, flipped the switch, and then waited… (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaGJBlKT8NA)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Bounty Hunter (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

Disponible el 09-10-2024

The Bounty Hunter (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

On the day after Thanksgiving in 1998, a police officer responded to a 9-1-1 call at an apartment in a Florida beach town. But the 9-1-1 call had been vague, so the officer did not know if he was responding to an accident, a break-in, or something else. He knocked on the front door, and nobody answered. He tried the doorknob, but it was locked. So the officer walked around the outside of the apartment, and he found an open window that led into the kitchen. The officer climbed in the window, and then made his way through the apartment – everything looked totally normal. Then he came to a door that was slightly cracked open. The officer opened the door, stepped into a small bedroom, and screamed, “Oh my God!”For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Into the Wilderness

Into the Wilderness

Today’s podcast will feature 4 stories that will remind you to take caution before your next outdoor adventure. The audio from all four stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#4 -- "Livestream" -- Man climbs Mt. Fuji in the winter (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtDAo7jS8Z4)#3 -- "Into the Wild" -- A major motion picture made about this well-known outdoor adventurer’s story (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHkpDWBmRO8)#2 -- "1 Way Trip" -- How quickly things can go wrong... (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RseUuG5Kl8Q)#1 -- "Gates of the Arctic" -- A father & son trip turns upside down (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtEfMtdnjo0)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Murder by the Slice (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

Murder by the Slice (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

On a spring night in 2009, a middle aged married couple was closing up the local pizza place they ran in a small Virginia mountain town. The husband walked to the back of the restaurant and grabbed a large bucket of ice. He carried the bucket out the back door, and dumped the ice into the grass. He stood up and felt the cool breeze on his face – it was a nice change from the hot pizza ovens he’d been working around all night. But then, he heard screaming coming from inside the restaurant. Without thinking, he dropped the bucket, and rushed back inside. But when he discovered what was happening, all he could do was turn around and run for his life.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

'Til Death Do Us Part

'Til Death Do Us Part

Today’s podcast will feature 3 horrifying stories about couple’s romantic vacations. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#3 -- "Honeymoon" -- Newlyweds travel to one of the most beautiful places in the world, but don't realize how dangerous it is (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tul0S0xFzh8)#2 -- "The Underwater Room" -- A vacation takes a horrible turn for the worst (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR2lSI12DA8)#1 -- "Embrace" -- Photographer captures a picture of something terrifying (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIcBvNbHKTs)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coach Killer (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

Coach Killer (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

On a February night in a secluded suburban neighborhood, a man sat down to eat at his dining room table. When suddenly, he heard a "POP, POP, POP" coming from somewhere nearby. The man dropped his fork on the plate and ran to the window at the front of his house, but everything outside looked completely normal and calm. Still, the man could not shake the feeling that something bad might have just happened. So he called the police and explained what happened, and they sent an officer out to investigate. But the officer saw the same thing the man had seen – everything looked normal and calm. So the police officer went back to the station, and the man finished his dinner. And neither imagined that a dead body would lay there, undiscovered in the neighborhood, for almost two full days.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Unexplained

The Unexplained

Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories of missing people that we just can’t explain. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#3 -- "Todd Geib" -- A man who goes missing after leaving a party (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/idNX6Dm6li8?feature=shared)#2 -- "40 Years Later…" -- Man found on a deserted Alaskan island (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/gdONLZ4EuO8?feature=shared)#1 -- "Acid Trip" -- The scene of a fatal crash, and one passenger goes unaccounted for... But how did he escape and where did he go? (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/RsKSqWj3HpQ?feature=shared)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sophomore Obsession (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

Sophomore Obsession (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

On a hot summer day in Illinois, police officers made their way through a field out in the middle of nowhere. They pushed aside the tall grass, and they could see and hear flies buzzing all around them. Suddenly, the officer at the front of the group stopped, crouched down, and called back to the others – he had finally found the body. The other officers rushed to him, and they all stared down at the dead young woman. The cops knew something like this would leave people in the small town nearby in complete shock, but they had no idea what their discovery would lead to. Because this dead young woman in the field would soon help solve a murder that had taken place across the border in Indiana, and lead police to a killer who had been on the run for two years.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fan Favorite - "The Curse of Veneto"

Fan Favorite - "The Curse of Veneto"

This story is a fan favorite from MrBallen's Medical Mysteries.In 1983, an Italian man finds himself completely unable to sleep, and when he looks in the mirror, his own eyes frighten him. A sense of doom washes over the man. He knows that within a year, he’ll be dead – because he’s just fallen prey to a centuries-old family curse.Listen Now: Wondery.fm/MBMMFor 100s more stories like this one, check out my YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @MrBallenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Figure in the Toy Store (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

The Figure in the Toy Store (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

Just before dawn on the last Saturday of June 2013, an employee at a Toys ‘R’ Us store in upstate New York was working in the stock room, when suddenly he heard an alarm going off somewhere inside the store. He radioed his manager to turn off that alarm, but the manager didn’t respond. Another employee went to the front office to check on the manager, and they found him unconscious and bleeding from a hole in his chest. Police and paramedics responded and rushed the man to the hospital, but sadly, he was dead on arrival. The store had been locked all morning, and the four surviving employees had been working in separate parts of the store. Each of them claimed to have seen nothing out of the ordinary that morning. And all investigators had to help them find the manager’s killer was surveillance footage of a shadowy figure moving in and out of the security camera’s view, almost like they were toying with the police.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Camping Horror Stories Vol. IV

Camping Horror Stories Vol. IV

Today’s podcast will feature 2 camping horror stories. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel and has been remastered for today's episode.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#2 -- "Pelican Valley" -- A beautiful camping spot with a dark secret (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/o-ywxRasv5s?feature=shared)#1 -- "Blood on the Mountain" -- A middle-aged fisherman cast his line out into the creek’s waters when he started to hear a voice from the woods. The hair on the man’s neck instantly stood up – because, to him, they didn’t sound friendly. (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/hn-sLWFe13w?feature=shared)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Life of the Party (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

The Life of the Party (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

On a winter morning in 2014, a woman walked through a massive two-story house in the beautiful ski town of Aspen, Colorado. She had come to see her friend, who’d just gotten back from a long vacation. The woman walked into the bedroom, but her friend wasn’t there. She called out, but there was no response. So she walked across the room and opened the door to a huge walk-in closet that her friend had transformed into a meditation room. The woman saw prayer flags hanging from the wall and candles spread out across the room. She glanced down and saw a pile of blankets and sheets on the floor. At first, she didn’t think anything about it – maybe her friend laid on the blankets and sheets when she was meditating. But as the woman turned to go, something caught her eye. She leaned down, looked closer at the blankets, and screamed. Beneath the blankets, she saw strands of her friend’s long blonde hair soaked in blood. With her hands shaking, she grabbed her phone and called the police. She told them that one of the richest and most well known women in Aspen had been murdered.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s podcast will feature 2 stories about drivers who left their route, and then bad things happened. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel and has been remastered for today's episode.Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:#2 -- "Highway Crash" -- Police officers make a mind-blowing discovery along a forested highway in England (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/oWOMY0JQdFs?feature=shared)#1 -- "Rumble" -- A rumbling sound in a forest in Arizona would be the start of a strange series of events (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/E3eAMAH4QcQ?feature=shared)For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Cold, Dark Basement (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

The Cold, Dark Basement (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

On a quiet morning in 1995, police cruisers, fire trucks, and ambulances raced down the road in a Queens, New York neighborhood toward an abandoned house that had caught on fire earlier that day. Minutes later, two homicide detectives stepped out of one of the vehicles and made their way inside the smoldering structure. After going down a hallway, they found a door that led to the basement. They descended the stairs, and when they reached the bottom, they froze, because there was something horrifying int he middle of the room. A dead body strapped to a chair. Neither man said a word. They just stared silently – praying – that this person had died before the mutilation had begun.For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.