Share Your Thoughts on Destination Truth: Vietnam’s Bigfoot
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on July 11th, 2012
Last night was the season premiere of Destination Truth.
There were two back-to-back episodes, the first of which focused solely on Vietnam’s Bigfoot.
I haven’t watched it yet, but Cryptomundian CDC shared the following:
Saw the show last night.
You know, its amazing, there is so little actual evidence of a bigfoot type creature anywhere in the world, and when some “actual evidence” is found, in this case a series of footprint, this site and other crypto site say so little about it.
The footprint cast was examined by Dr Jeff Meldrum and he claimed it to be a significant find…yet NOTHING here about it.
I guess 40 year old second hand stories are more important here.CDC responds: July 11th, 2012 at 5:15 pm e
Here’s a short clip from the episode showing the thermal “hit” and one of the “footprints” found.
What do the rest of the Cryptomundians think about this episode and the evidence collected?
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
I think the shows were both excellent and the evidence was really cool, when they were showing the thermal of the “maybe” bigfoot it looked like you could see its arm like bent at the elbow and that it was on 2 legs, but i am biased because DT is one of my fav shows on TV.
It was interesting. Finding a decent footprint and possible more. My concern is with the camera pack that films their facial expressions instead of what they see. When Josh was chasing that animal I think it would have been more interesting if that video was facing whatever he was chasing.
Oh christ. Can we say predictable!!!!
The location of the footprints is the key.
There are remote villages and tribes in the Forest, but for the most part, the area is unpopulated and extremely remote.
To find bare footprints over 14 inches long on a jungle floor in the middle on nowhere…seems to rule out hoax.
I tend to agree with Loren that this could be a surviving population of Homo erectus, or yes, even a Neanderthal cousin.
At least he got a footprint, but it seems on some of the shows he finds just tourists traps
I thought it was a great show. I always enjoy the chase and the cultural experience showed on DT, but I thought that the footprints that they cast and photographed were great. I was stoked that they showed them to Meldrum also it added some credibility to the find. I could be wrong, but I think I remember them catching a scream or call in the distance-it would have been cool to compare it to other known animals in the region and see if it was something known or new.
On the plus side, the team went to great lengths and risks to find evidence, and it appears they did actually find some solid evidence. (As opposed to most other shows like this.) However, I don’t see how they expect to sneak up on any intelligent animal in the woods with Josh constantly yelling to his team. He doesn’t appear to have any hunting expertise.
On the negative side, Josh’s attempts to keep the show lighthearted are appreciated, but often fall flat – like walking around the marketplace in a wig and driving his rented scooter into the river.
Also, the editing for this show is totally formulaic with the rest of the genre when it comes to commercial breaks. Gasp! Cut to commercial.
And I agree with Jachaiss, I’d much rather see what the people are looking at rather than looking at their green, startled faces. Turn the cameras around!
I thought that this was an excellent premiere for the start of a hopefully long and interesting season, and I am still waiting for them to do an investigation of the North American Sasquatch and maybe even have a two hour long special if that’s possible for the network, as there are so many places to explore and so many areas to navigate in the United States, and more importantly, the Pacific Northwest.
Regarding the actual episode itself, I’d give it two thumbs up that are fairly high, but not all the way extended, due to a few reasons that still seem to drag on from all the episodes in the previous seasons prior to this one. Some of the features I did like was that they still have Ryder (she’s always been my absolute favorite on the show) and some of the past crew on the team, as well as some cool new members that I’m not fully familiar with. I also like the certain location they chose for the sightings and how they still have their humorous, funny side to them even in the most serious of situations, like crossing a busy street with dozens of cars, people, and mopeds. Josh Gates is funny, simple as that.
The evidence they got was very cool and it’s always nice to see Jeff Meldrum, one of my favorite subjects on Bigfoot and Sasquatch. While the footprint was a bit faint, it did show a lot of characteristics of both the Bigfoot in North America and the Yeren in China, but seems completely different than that of the Yeti footprint that they found in Nepal (or was it Bhutan?) when it comes to the toes and shape. Additionally, the evidence that they got on thermal seemed to show a large mass moving through the canopy and also appeared to be bipedal as it walked off. Lastly, the rock throwing was very cool, as the two new crew members reported experiencing as they were crossing over the rocks. I have had my own first hand experience and people with an educated view on the North American Bigfoot know that rock throwing is one of their prime characteristics.
However, there are a few improvements that I think need to be added in order to make the show better and more “scientifically valid” so to speak, especially when they’re doing their live investigations. First, when they see something in the forest and it starts to become distant, you don’t start hollering and yelling at the highest decibel possible “I SEE IT, THERE IT IS, FOLLOW ME!” and they don’t need to run after it like they’re in some kind of marathon, way too much noise. That could easily scare whatever they’re chasing off. You’d be better off making absolutely no noise and keeping your eyes glued to the thermal to see where the subject is moving.
Also, specific to this episode and the Bigfoot-like episodes, they need to do more research and find more eyewitness accounts to make a more bonafide ID as well as identify some of the specific attributes. Additionally, it wouldn’t hurt to research some of the characteristics of the other mysterious bipedal creatures around the globe, to get a general idea of what it may be like, as the Vietnamese Bigfoot seems very close to both the Sasquatch and the Yeren.
I do think there is a Bigfoot like creature living in Vietnam, mainly because all of the evidence they found on the trip as well as the characteristic rock throwing, the closely matching footprints, and the thermal evidence.
A few things need to be changed, but a very good episode nonetheless. 🙂
There is no video evidence, no fossil record, only eyewitness reports, yet I feel the evidence is compelling enough to open the possibility of this creature existing.
So…if it is possible this Bigfoot type creature does exist…ANYTHING is possible with unknown Hominid sightings in remote areas around the world.
It is exciting and could be the most amazing discovery of our time if one of these creatures is actually found.
Bigfoot believers here in the USA, you may be proven correct some day…or at least the possibility could be there if the Vietnam Bigfoot is found.
Well, no…the thing is, there *is* record of hominids living in the general area in the fossil record-Homo erectus. I’ve always had the impression that rock apes were smaller than the Sasquatch, so the rock ape just might be H. erectus, or something entirely new. Even if it is something new, evolution can act in a surprisingly short amount of time. Whatever it is, if it’s bipedal-which the evidence suggests-then it lends credence to Bigfoot, the Yeren, and the Yeti, hopefully enough to make mainstream science take a open, skeptical look at the evidence.
Interestingly enough, my dad did serve in Vietnam, so I asked him if he ever saw a large ape while he was there. Apparently, he never saw one or heard of them, but he did hear about the local tigers making things interesting from time to time.
Worst bigfoot show ever. They didn’t say “squatch” once, not even once!
😀
Nicky’s recent blog about the formulaic nature of all of these shows is spot on. DT is only marginally above the others because of Josh’s likeability and the occasional actual discovery of real evidence. But — Why cast only one print? They clearly observed a series of prints. They don’t carry enough powder?? They can’t get a left AND right? Or 2 rights for functional comparison to help rule out fakery? And why send Erin Ryder’s team separately into the cave with no casting material? Or at least go back in to cast the print she found in the cave?? On screen it actually looked better than the one they did cast. Again, did they only bring enough material for one cast?? If so, is this really a show interested in actually finding evidence?
I “enjoy” the show, but the emphasis on “entertainment” – especially in episodes like this one, where real possibilities develop- is exasperating …. And occasionally downright suspicious.
To find bare footprints over 14 inches long on a jungle floor in the middle on nowhere…seems to rule out hoax.
You’ve got to be kidding. It *might* “seem to rule out” a hoax by the locals, but shows like this are always at least a little dishonest. Would they fake a footprint? Maybe, maybe not, but the suspicion will always be attached to inconclusive evidence uncovered as part of a TV series.
I generally enjoy this show. Got to give Gates and his crew points for some of the things they go through. My only real comment is…bring back Jael.
I want to like this show, I really do. But, the canned format, endless and pointless night hikes, and Josh’s ego are really off putting. I watch when there is nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, else to watch.
Top 3 shows I never watch and never will.
1. Never Finding Bigfoot
2. Miss guided Ghost adventures
3. Destination non truth. If that crew found something it was because the producers put it there.
SPOILER ALERT — SPOILER ALERT — SPOILER ALERT — SPOILER ALERT — SPOILER ALERT — SPOILER ALERT — SPOILER ALERT — SPOILER ALERT — SPOILER ALERT —
Nothing of import will ever be found on any show of this type. That goes for Finding Bigfoot; this one; MonsterQuest; etc. etc. ad and I do mean nauseam.
END SPOILER ALERT — END SPOILER ALERT —
@Fhqwhgads
This is Destination Truth’s 5 season with 54 episodes total.
The best evidence this show has found so far was a hair sample from Bhutan showing unknown primate when DNA tested, a large footpring from the same region on a separate show, and the footprint they found on this week’s Veitnam episode.
Dr Jeff Meldrum examined the footprint casts from both episodes and found them to be from an upright walking primate. Dr Meldrum is an expert in his field and has spotted hoaxed footprints very easily in the past.
If this show was about “Hoaxing” evidence there would be a record of such behavior after 54 episodes…can you show us 1 piece of hoaxed evidence Destination Truth has supplied so far?
With a cynical view like you have, there is no point showing you any evidence short of a carcass.
@Oldphilospher
I think the problem is with the location, there isnt a Walmart nearby where they can pick up some more casting plaster.
I know from experience, when you are taking 3 to 5 hour hikes, you try and pack as light as you can. With all the camera equipment, motion detectors, food, water, etc, a 25 lb sack of plaster is about as much as you want to bring along. Divided up into small bags it is easier to manage, and I agree, there should have been an attempt to cast the footprint in the cave as that would probably have been a better print from the video we saw.
Destination Truth has always been one of my favorites. Didn’t like they starting taking the paranormal route…but oh well. Thoughtful…adventurous…good suspense…every now and then some valid evidence…good experts/eyewitnesses. You get the feeling Josh Gates really attempts to balance the research with the entertainment factor. Unlike another group of Squatch hunters who will remain nameless…
@CDC
I’ve watched Destination Truth many times before. I don’t have cable, so I’ll have to wait for this show to come on Hulu (or, since they don’t seem to be updating stuff from SyFy lately, Netflix) to see it. At any rate, I know the routine by now, down to the part about always conducting the search at night, like we recently heard from Mt. Sinai.
After making fun of the locals and their gross food, the team hires transportation that seems to be on the verge of breaking down — lots more fun and jokes. They spend the day travelling into the bush, spend an hour or so scounting before setting up base camp with concentric rings of cameras.
By the way, does anyone know how that outermost ring works? They don’t describe it in much detail, but give the impression that it’s something like the laser tripwires around a work of art. How that could work in dense vegetation, or for that matter hilly terrain, I’ve never understood. Also, it would seem like they would get a huge number of hits every time a squirrel, or at least a skunk, ‘possum, or raccoon passed through their detector. Where I come from at least, the woods are full of cat-sized varmints of every kind.
Having set up these detectors, they walk through the woods shouting at each other. After getting about 8 hours of night-time video, they call it an expedition and go home. Coming and going takes up to 10 times as much time as they spend in the field.
So is it a fun show? Yeah, but that’s about all it is. If finding evidence of cryptids were that easy, the Girl Scouts would have found them all by now. Besides, the way they mock the locals really bothers me. In more ways than one, Josh Gates is not Adam Davies.
As for Dr. Meldrum, I’m not qualified to assess his work. That does not mean that no one is qualified to assess his work. Whether it’s Bigfoot or the Higgs boson, I wait for the process to play out and a consensus to be reached among those with the proper expertise before jumping to a conclusion either way. Given all the fossil evidence of apes in the general area, to say nothing of Homo floresiensis, I’m not biased against it. I do regard anything spotted by an employee of SyFy, though, with the same skepticism I would once have attached to Bigfoot evidence turned up on an overnight camping expedition by an employee of P.T. Barnum. However, if it’s so easy for Josh Gates to find the evidence after one night, no doubt we will have that carcass, or better yet a live specimen, within a year or two. Right?
Not necessarily. There is a factor involved in this called “dumb luck”. IMO, the odds were far greater of them finding nothing, even if something was there. So they got lucky and found…something. My guess is that to get something more conclusive-or even a repeat of evidence like this-you would need to be prepared to be there for quite some time. And you still might come up with nil even if it exists in the geographical region, depending on the size of the population (less chance of documenting evidence from a smaller location). Another factor, of course, is if anyone with the access to funds to do so even takes this seriously enough to spend those funds on an expedition in search of solid evidence of the creature’s existence. Somehow, I imagine that asking for funds to search an area for a bipedal primate because a television crew obtained some evidence of it being in the area doesn’t look so good when you are applying for a research grant.
@Fhqwgads
If you watch this show bit, you will notice one thing as fact…they go places.
Most of us will never get the chance to go to Bhutan, Africa, and Vietnam, and seach for unknown animals…Josh Gates and his producers have.
When most folks watch the weak efforts of humor by Gates and his crew when on location, I watch the background to see how the people live. Example would be if you see a guy in the background on a lap top or cell phone, then maybe they are not in as remote a location as we think.
I satellite view areas, and in this case in Vietnam, there are no paved roads, no towns, not much of anything for hundreds of miles.
I then research the cryptid. In this case, the Vietnamese people who have the majority of the sightings, are villagers, with not much access to the outside world…if you think you have to wait to see this show, these people never will see it.
The Destination Truth producers are there because of the sightings of these villagers…I am not taking the word of any Destination Truth employee, I listen to the words from the people who live in a place I will never visit, or know more about then they do.
If they say it is there, who are we to say they are mistaken?
You dont want to “jump to conclusion” with Dr Meldrum, so why not at least accept his opinion that Gates found an actual footprint and not a hoax…again, who are we to suggest Dr Meldrum is mistaken?
@Whiterivefisherman
Just for a reference or comparison, what 3 show do you always watch, and always will?
1 The Kardashians?
2 Bad Girls Club?
3 Jersey Shore?
Basic cable has so much crap to choose from, don’t know why you would make a list.
@CDC
To be frank, I do *not* know that they go places; or rather, I do not know that the meaningful shots are in exotic locations. They pretty clearly do visit some places, like Narita Airport. I *suspect* that the cryptozoology shots are not staged in the woods and swamps of the US, but since it’s done at night, I can’t be sure.
The SyFy Network is not in the business of honestly collecting and evaluating scientific data. They’re in the business of attracting viewers with entertaining shows so that they can sell commercial spots to advertisers. So there’s the motive. They are also better at staging and editing video footage than I am, so they have the opportunity. (That last assertion is open to attack, based on the really crappy SyFy movies they’ve put out, but it’s still mostly true.) Motive + opportunity = suspicion.
…
You dont want to “jump to conclusion” with Dr Meldrum, so why not at least accept his opinion that Gates found an actual footprint and not a hoax…again, who are we to suggest Dr Meldrum is mistaken?
Add the word “tentatively” and I you’ve got a much stronger case. I am not willing to treat Dr. Meldrum’s professional opinion as established fact.
One reason I’m cautious is that Dr. Meldrum may be “an expert in his field and has spotted hoaxed footprints very easily in the past”, but he is an expert in hominid footprints, not human hoaxers. Let’s face it, most hoaxers are pretty stupid, and when you get a footprint the shape of a cartoon drawing all to uniform depth (no hint of a heel or ball of the foot) it really shouldn’t take an expert to say, “This looks like a fake.” A clever scam artist, though, would read what Dr. Meldrum has written and take note of the features he looks for to establish a plausiblie footprint. That’s what I would do if I knew he would be evaluting the data and I wanted to fool him. If I had a props department used to making monster suits, for example, I could combine the technical points Dr. Meldrum has already identified with the skill of my crew to make some pretty convincing footprints.
So we’ve got evidence from a suspicious source and a tentative identification of the evidence as valid. This comes from a part of the world where monkeys occur naturally and where apes are known to have once lived. Taken together, I think the case for this cryptid is certainly worthy of further study, but it is not definitively settled. Not yet.
In other words, it’s in the same state it was before Destination Truth made this expedition.
Destination Green Face.
Fhqwhgads: You can, actually, be certain if the spots are filmed in exotic locales or not. Quite simply, ID the foliage. (Most) foliage native to NA or even SA should not be present in Vietnam, or vice versa. The only exceptions to this rule would be invasive species. That being said, you would have to know the intended location’s native flora to be able to ID it. Still, if those shots were being staged in the United States, I suspect someone with the know-how would have called them out on it long before now. It’s not like DT is an obscure show.
@Garrus01
Fair enough. Besides, I think there would be a chance of people recognizing hills in the background, etc., if those scenes were filmed locally.
loved the episode…. was pretty cool.
but here’s the thing that gets me with these shows… and i love destination truth.
If you just got a bunch of “mysterious” tracks…. yet you gotta leave…. why the hell aren’t you leaving remote camera traps up in THAT location?
I mean if you just saw something moving… a real living thing… whatever it is… AND you just got footprints (of what we don’t know – could just be a normal animal)… why not try and capture photographic proof?
makes zero sense.