Ice and Fire (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)

Today’s story comes out of China, and it is a brutal story. There’s just no way to tell it without being sort of graphic, so with that in mind, this is definitely a mature audiences only type of story. That said, it is a fascinating story, and the ending is something that very few of you are going to see coming. It's going to feel kind of predictable throughout most of the story, and then the end completely changes your impression of the story.Story name, preview & link to original YouTube video:#1 -- "The Job Offer" -- A crazy mystery unravels after people begin going missing in a small city in China (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zykdjsg1V1c)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.

This is a special bonus episode of "You Can't"I’m going to tell two stories that prove that no matter what we think science can tell us about the natural world, the wilderness still holds secrets we cannot understand.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.

It was a frigid December day in a small logging town in Maine, roughly an hour’s drive from the US-Canadian border. And despite the falling snow, Christmas shoppers were out in full force. While most of the shoppers hurried from store to store, a small crowd had gathered in front of the police station. The shoppers watched as an officer stapled a poster to a telephone pole. Then, when he was done, they shuffled closer for a better view. The poster contained a forensic artist’s sketch of a middle-aged woman. She had a narrow face, thin nose, glasses, and bangs. And according to the text above the image, the police were looking for this woman in connection with a recent double homicide. The murders were shocking, but they were also the most exciting thing to happen in this part of rural Maine for as long as anyone could remember. So despite the cold, the shoppers stood there studying the sketch and discussing whether it looked like anyone they knew. They were so caught up in their conversation, no one noticed a bundled-up figure hurrying past on the sidewalk. This figure slowed just long enough to glance at the poster and recognize the face in the sketch, which bore a striking resemblance to their own. Then, before anyone could notice them, the figure turned and hurried off into the falling snow. 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.

Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. And today’s podcast features 3 stories that demonstrate that. 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 -- "The Oklahoma Problem" -- Woman discovers something buried in her past (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JPEtNglQ4o)#2 -- "The Dark Room" -- A man wakes up in total darkness with no memory of where he is, but his nightmare was just beginning (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7VtahvTLH4)#1 -- "Timothy Dexter" -- The most absurd rags to riches story ever... (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCvx4jikmsI)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.

Kat Torres has the insta-perfect life. She is rich, gorgeous and not ashamed to share it. Her posts about witchcraft and “alien baths” drew in over a million followers, all chasing the dream of a lifestyle like hers. But as she gathers more followers around her, the secrets beneath her fame grow darker and more dangerous.One woman sets out to bring back her best friend who has fallen under the spell of this modern-day guru. And what begins as a search for a missing friend soon puts her on a collision course with Kat.Based on the hit Brazilian podcast, journalist Chico Felitti uncovers a gripping story of influence, control, and those who dare to fight back.Listen to Don’t Cross Kat: Wondery.fm/DCK_MrBallenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On a night in March of 2017, a bonfire lit up the yard at a house party in Youngstown, Ohio. A group of friends in their 20s and 30s sat around the fire, drinking beer, talking, and having a good time. And as the night went on and they kept partying, they couldn’t imagine that this bonfire would soon help police solve one of the most horrific crimes the city of Youngstown had ever witnessed.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 borderline unbelievable stories that remain a mystery to this day. The audio from both of these 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:#2 -- "The Quarterback" -- Famous college quarterback goes missing (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf9ahZB9yfY)#1 -- "Waking Nightmare" -- A woman deals with a violent stalker (Original YouTube link -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD_Ot9aXy7s)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.

On a cold winter day in 2013, police officers rushed through the dense woods outside of a small town in Kentucky. They weaved their way through the trees, keeping their eyes peeled, and finally, one of them shouted out. He saw what they were looking for in the distance. The other officers quickly followed him into a clearing, and there, they saw a man with a long gray beard sitting in a large self-made camp. It looked like the man had been living out in the woods for months. The officers stared at him, and they almost couldn’t believe it, because they had finally tracked down the man who they thought could help solve a murder that had taken place a year earlier in a town 150 miles away.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.

This story is a fan favorite from MrBallen's Medical Mysteries.One night in 1944, over 300 patients at a mental hospital in Oregon become violently sick after eating dinner. Many of them die. An investigation is quickly launched to determine the source of this deadly illness. Was there something wrong with the food itself? Or could it have been the work of a deranged killer?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.

In 2002, two days after Halloween, a police officer stepped out of a house in the small town of Navasota, Texas. He shielded his eyes from the early morning sunlight, then ducked under the band of yellow tape that surrounded the house. The officer had been working all night and really needed a break. So he went down to the sidewalk and lit a cigarette. And as he smoked, his eyes fell on a muddy ditch that ran alongside the street. He saw something in the ditch that looked out of place. He walked closer and crouched down to examine the object. And when he saw what it was, his heart started racing. Because lying in the ditch was a mask. Under different circumstances, finding a mask two days after Halloween wouldn’t be that strange. But this wasn’t the kind of mask you’d buy at a costume shop... and the officer had found it 25 yards from the site of a murder.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.