@@zeuxlaught2797 Mission Impossible: Tom Cruise is sneaking into a lab, and to get to the restricted access, quickly crawls through a vent, but gets stuck. The next hour of the movie is just him getting more and more panicked as the team asks, "Can't you get out??" "I TOLD YOU!!! I CAN'T get OUT!!! Ehh!!... EGHH!! AHhhHH!! Whahahhhaaha!!!!"
@@bentonrp That would actually be a cool idea for a movie. Spend the whole first act showing him being a badass and then at the end of the first act he gets stuck.
What I’ve learned the most from theses stories is, if you’re crawling into a tight space, never let your shoulders go all the way in unless you’re comfortable staying there forever.
What I've learned is never crawl into a tight space unless it's a cardboard box in the middle of your living room to scare your cat, that's about as risky as I want to get with tight spaces.
I remember when Tommie got attacked by the alligator. It actually happened in Orange TX, about 20 miles from Beaumont. I moved to Orange literally a week before it happened. According to witnesses at the bar, they told him there was a large alligator in the water, he yelled "f--- that alligator!" and jumped in.
Has anyone ever thought that perhaps MrBallen has also saved lives from posting these stories? People either took more precaution in their adventures (cliffs, diving, chimneys etc) or just plain didn't take the risk. Thanks Mr B!!
It's probably true. I was just on a mountain bike ride in the desert heat and as I got further and further into this ride away from civilization I thought about Mr. Ballen a bit and turned around a little earlier than originally planned.
You're true. I live far away from mountains so I don't know much about the mountain safety. After these videos I realized how stupid and reckless I was when I went hiking on the mountains. I will be much more careful the next time.
Not long after I was married, my hubby took me fishing. We got out of the boat and were standing in thigh deep creek water near a drop off. When we look back we are horrified about how stupid we were. I wasn't from croc country but he was. I had no idea there were crocs in that creek, and he being blaze never gave it a thought. There is a God and when our time is not up, it is not up. No crocs that day. I also swam in the Sepik River in PNG. I kept asking the locals about Crocs - nah - no gat puk puk [crocs] And into the water we'd jump and float down to the next pier [It's a fast flowing river]. I kind of figured that the locals must have known whether they were safe or not. Now I know that the locals are sometimes the ones who should know better but become too complacent.
@@HK-SmoHKe I remember being there and smelling something that I hadn't before. I joked with my husband that it smelled like a dead body, even though I hadn't smelled one before. He said it was probably a sewer issue.
Out of all these stories, Emily's story with the spillway was the most infuriating of all. A life lost over something that you should really have enough common sense to stay away from. It's practically like the drain in a bath tub, what would you expect to happen when you approach it? Condolences to the family of all 3, such horrible ways to die...
He was a meth addict and that stuff makes you feel invincible. Once you have been up for days you cannot think straight anymore. Even though he was in there for five days, he most certainly died that first day. Probably in the morning, it would be hot already. We cannot be outside for more than a half hour before we feel like passing out. That had to have been awful, poor guy.
Its hard to understand how he thought he could possibly get out if he had to fight to get in. Yes I know some people are just stupid but we can't over look that he may have been stuffed into that pillar! Maybe something happened and the cop involved was afraid he would be fired or arrested over it and stuffed the body down the pillar not realizing he was still alive! Multiple possibilities to this one!
I often am amazed at how many people who's advice is rejected, are still keen to help the person who has foolishly gone into danger. They still have mercy.
Someone said, 'Go big or go home.' You ever hear the one about the guy who swam in a Yosemite national park geyser pool? The signs around it said, absolutely no swimming.
I was walking through mountains yesterday and was going to climb over a load of big boulders to get closer to a waterfall but because i have been watching your videos recently i changed my mind. You tamed me bro.
Tommy was the prime example of "nothing has ever happened to me, so I'll be fine" being an incorrect statement. I imagine the last thing going through his mind (besides the alligator's teeth) was "Oh god, I should have listened to everyone else."
A reoccuring theme in these stories involving water seems to be that many people just don't realize how powerful water can be when moving. Just a small stream that comes halfway up to your knees is enough to push you over. That spillway probably created massively strong currents that would be impossible to escape from once you got too close. Also, from a fluid dynamics perspective, the force of the current isn't linear. It isn't like the force 50 feet from the spillway is half that from 25 feet, etc. The current / pressure will grow exponentially, so you will be fooled into thinking the current isn't that strong, so I can swim halfway closer from where I am now -- at some point the water currents will go from weak to impossible to escape and it happens in just a couple feet.
Yeah a typical person can swim at what, a couple miles per hour? How fast do you think that spillway water is flowing as you get closer... Definitely faster than you can swim
growing up near lake Erie, I feel like this is "common sense" for the vast majority of people living near bodies of water. I guess it's hard to convey unless you've experienced a strong current, or wave. By the end of my trip to St. Maarten, i'd stay CLEAR of the ocean for swimming because the waves were so strong, nothing like I experienced swimming in the ocean in Cuba, and incomparable to swimming in the great lake even when windy. I went in about knee height, seeing kids half my age swimming I didn't think it was that bad... NO, I TOOK A TUMBLE. The waves came in so quickly, it knocked me off my feet and I did a roll or two fully submerged, from being in 2 feet of water. Being in the Niagara Region, we constantly hear about rescues happening in the gorge, near the whirlpool rapids (class 5). The rapids are in this sharp turn in the river, creating a corner with seemingly calm waters. tourists often think they can swim there, because google labels it as a "beach". Well, the undertow will get you.
Every time you do one of these “guy wriggles himself into a tight spot and dies there...” stories I have these crazy physical reactions, I have to move, fling out my arms, stand and jump around while breathing deeply. I will never ever try to wriggle into anything, but that is definitely high up on my list, if not the topper, of greatest fears.
Oh my god have you heard the story of that guy who got stuck in a sewer pipe with rats? He went face first into the pipe and got stuck with his arms by his sides so he literally couldn’t do anything, and rats started EATING HIS FACE!! it was the most horrified I’ve ever been reading a true story
I’m so claustrophobic that I can’t even watch movies where someone is in a tight spot and can’t move. I’ve gotten panic attacks and actually felt like I was in that position myself.
@@kaedancecharon6649 yeah,when I hear those stories, I don't need to fling my arms like op but I do take REALLY big deep breaths and get so anxious a là pre-panic attack! I'm not a fan of people crowding me, and if I have a blanket pulled up over my arms- I can't handle someone leaning over me or holding down the blanket for one reason or another, I GOTTA get those arms free 😝😫 it's a very scary and real feeling that I feel like ppl that don't have it just dont understand 🤷♀️
I was getting claustrophobic just listening to Ray's story. Being surrounded by a ton of people and can't move and being smothered to death. Has to be one of the worst ways to die. I HATE CROWDS LIKE THAT HAPPEN TO ME RESENTLY AND ALL I KEEP THINKING ABOUT WAS THIS IS GONNA BE A MR. BALLEN STORY. I will never go through that walkway at that game again. Your channel is saving lives. GREAT JOB!
His new intro should be “if you’re a fan of the strange, dark, and abusing the like button, then this channel is for you because that’s all we do here.”
Today's intro didn't encourage abuse of the like button. He straight up told people to share their acid with the like button. That is the opposite of abuse!
@@MrBallen You are the best storyteller I’ve ever heard man! Honestly the best thing to relax to after a long day of work and study! Keep up the incredible work!
This is honestly the series I didn’t know I needed. Now I’m obsessed and about 5 hours deep thinking that complete and utter stupidity of humanity knows no bounds
I used to feel boring for not doing exciting stuff like spelunking and cave diving but this series has changed my mind. I’m totally good without crawling into tight spaces 👍
Seriously ‼️‼️ I don't get it like who in their right mind likes to crawl into tight spaces for any reason whatsoever??? I don't have claustrophobia but suffocating in a tight space is literally my biggest fear.
The most exciting thing I've done is skydiving and I'm even reconsidering doing that again after watching this channel. Human error makes you question everything.
_"The name's Tommy. Where I'm from, I'm the local badass..."_ _"My name is Emily. Where I'm from, I'm the local genius."_ _"My name is Ray. Where I'm from, I'm the local Escape Artist."_ *"With our Powers combined, we are...* Dead.
About 1992 I went to a conference in New Orleans and the hotel was booked, so I was lodged in a related hotel way east of the city. The parking lot out back was surrounded by a chain link fence and warnings posted every 15 feet or so warning not to climb over due to alligators. Good advice.
An overwhelming amount of stories involve people wanting to go to places that are littered in danger signs, because they think they're special, and then regretting it for ever. There's moral here
@@unnamed715 exactly ! I really believe that every one of the story's is simply a classic example of natural selection. In every one of the story's by making extremely stupid decision those people essentially killed themselves, I mean the men from the first story was probably warned that there is an alligator IN THE WATER!!! what else do you need!!
3rd story: why didn’t he know not to do that?! If you have to put 1 arm up to even fit down the hole, how tf are you planning to get back up in that position? I just...🤦🏾♀️
I think his only thought as that he didn't want to go to jail . He was Only thinking of where to hide, not about leaving his hiding place. That is one sick story!
I think the main theme of all of these videos is: Safety precautions and signs exist for a reason. Also, I appreciate the way that you always tell these stories in a way that's respectful of the victims. Thank you for that.
I will never understand how people don't value their own lives &/or other's. I hope these stories serve as cautionary tales to prevent this type of behavior and bad decisions. Thank you Mr. Ballen, you do a good service to your fellow people.
That first guy was an absolute idiot, but at least he told his girlfriend to get out of the water. He knew he couldn't be saved and didn't want her to get eaten too.
@@robzyalise6566 I was mostly thinking "Why do you look at that pilar, that tiny opening that goes straight down and think you can go in there and out again while you have to go upwards". Some people just deserve whats happening to them....then again all the people in these stories deserved it cause they all did incredibly stupid things. Who the F goes to swim to a massive hole in a lake while one warning after another tells you "DONT GO THERE". Why would anyone think you can go to the edge with the water pouring in and not get sucked into it....some people..gjees.
@@Jorendo No matter how you look at it, it is unnecessary to say they deserved it. Are you out of your mind or do you have zero empathy for either the person who lost their life or that person's family mourning?
The thought of hanging there with that much water raining down on you and knowing this could be “it” - makes my stomach flip something not good.. Bless all of their souls. Good story telling Ballen!
Ohhh Yesssssss🙌🏼🖤🙌🏼 .....however have watched them multiple times 😆 this one will be no different! Cannot help myself, I enjoy rewatching with people & seeing instant enjoyment!😁
That last story gave me goosebumps. Just imagine realising you have made a critical mistake and youre trapped there just waiting to die. Either out of starvation, running out of air or a heart attack because of the stress and heat. All that and you are also in a horrible uncomfortable position that probably hurts like hell after a while.
I feel bad for Tommy’s girlfriend. Imagine how scary that would be to watch your loved one get attacked and killed by a gator and there was nothing you could do. Even if she called police they wouldn’t be able to help.
Been watching Mr.Ballen for like 3 months so far. I already made a mental note that if you see a dark hole, cave, water or something, dont go. Stay at home and just watch Mr.Ballen more
That last story really disturbed me. I can't even imagine what that was like to get stuck in such a tight place. I know he was a criminal but no one deserves to die like that. All alone, suffocating in a hot dark space knowing there is nothing he could do.
my brother and sister in law work at this very winco, and had already been employed when Ray died in the pillar. They really believed he must've got away. My brother was in the staff office when he ran in and said he saw him get to the roof access, but they didn't know where he went when they looked for him and he wasnt on the roof. honestly it still gives me the creeps
“no one deserves to die that way”... really? Do you know about the Holocaust, or WWI? Many people have died under far worse conditions- and not because of a single thing they did wrong. Dude was an idiot.
I've always had an unreasonably strong fear of dam spillways. The combination of being really unsettled by the thought of swimming near large, mostly submerged structures, and the fact that its literally just a big hole that can suck you in and kill you makes me so stressed. I don't understand how anyone would want to swim near it, especially when it is actively sucking in water.
The woman is a 41 yr old graduate student. She isn't a teenager, she is 41. She is smart enough to be a graduate student but ignores multiple ☢️ signs and cautions but chooses to disregard all of them. Smh
This just confirms that you should always listen to your bartender. Sincerely yours, a bartender. And for MrBallen's sake, please tell the like button to do otherwise
I don't get why they didn't tell him he couldn't swim???? Like I'd definitely think it over if someone told me there's huge alligators even if I was a cringe "rule breaker"
@@Emot10ns The story didn’t make it obvious maybe but no doubt the reason not to go swimming was surely not obscured. I can’t believe no one said, there are alligators in there. Tommy’s concrete was just missing some rebar.
The first story is crazy. Like if a bunch of people are telling me not to go swimming in a river, I'm probably going to be like you know what. I probably shouldn't be swimming in the river. Also side note, you are the best UA-camr for the strange, dark and mysterious delivered in the story format ❤
It literally triggers one my phobias and he does it so often in his stories and its awesome everytime. Whenever a story has someone drowning or stuck in a small space I literally start thinking what if that was me and I get rigid with fear. Love it!
Mr.Ballen’s stories teach me how there’s a diff between having fun and being dumb enough to ignore all danger signs. It’s there for a reason , not for decoration purposes.
I was there at the Lancaster story. Everything went back to normal literally the next day. Everyone went about their business and had zero idea what happened earlier I couldn't get it out of my mind every time I went back in the store
Jail usually seems like the worst endpoint (minus death) but can you imagine how bad Ray wished he had just gone to jail after he realized there’s no coming back from this.
Considering how bad cops are at searching based on these stories I am pretty sure Ray didn't need to go in the pillar. He was safe from finding where he was...
The whole concept of placing yourself into a space like that made my stomach turn. Talk about a self inflicted horror story. You can’t even kill yourself in that situation.
These stories (been binging) too often share a common thing. Signs say "keep away" or "danger" but gives no reason or seem benign. We see those signs too often where there are no dangers, or people are just being vain about kids being kids. I like the signs in Iceland, they tell you how you will die if you proceed beyond a certain point. Changing warning labels from "walls of text with kind words" or "keep away", to "YOU WILL DIE HERE" saves a lot of lives. My lawn obsessed neighbor has a "keep away" sign, so does the weirdo in the nearby woods who will shoot you on sight.
The majority of these stories honestly make me think “Why? Why would you possibly want to put yourself in any of those places?” I get curiosity but jeez
Many of these stories involve people who are only in those places because their uncaring bosses required it. Then there are people who go to these places because they're convinced they're going to have fun.
Genetics. That's why you are alive, ur kids will probably live to reproduce, and there will be less ppl around them doing this dumb crap as long as there's still natural selection.
I remember when the woman fell into the spillway. The amount of warning signs, cautions, buoys, etc she had to pass was mind boggling. Also-the length she had to swim to get there was a long way. There were also other swimmers trying to stop her. She was determined. The San Fran local papers have some great articles on it. Some that were present, and some of her family, have spoken publicly and they believe she went over intentionally. Its an incredibly sad and horrific story.
That was an incredibly stupid move ignoring the warning signs, buoy's, and other swimmer's warning her. Why take a chance loosing your life for curiosity. Very sad and could have lived had she took heed.
@@melt6894 Sometimes people do change their minds at the last minute, when they're really faced with death. I imagine that hole was quite terrifying up close, after all. But maybe it was just such a suicidal thing to do that it's easier to go with that than with it being an accident.
I almost had a panic attack just listening to that last story. Imagine how painful and terrifying the realization of what he had done when he went into that pillar was. I’m claustrophobic so even the thought of dying that way makes me want to cry.
It was most awful. I came back to this video just to rewatch that story, remembering it from months ago. Terrifying how a split second action can result in the most agonizing way to die...!
That means you are extremely unlikely to crawl into tight spaces where you won't be able to get out. Ironically, your fear makes it highly, highly unlikely that you'll ever be in that situation. :)
Ok, but if it was a MrBallen video it would have a super creepy backstory like someone living in the walls ala Parasite, but to be nice they only stole his carrots
Pretty much lol. Any human being, even an extremely drunk or high human being will see the word “alligators” on a sign and be like “no sirrrrrrrrr” Lol. That alligator made his home under that pier hoping a Tommy fell in lol...but he lucked out and got a super Tommy 😂
I don't have clostrophobia but that last story was so anxiety-inducing for me!! All the cave stories do that to me too. When I say I don't have clostrophobia...I'm fine inside elevators, small closets...places i can turn my whole body around without touching walls but stuff like being stuck in a pillar, cave, etc...make me so anxious to think about that I shudder and get nauseous. I could never ever hide from anything or anyone in a space like that!!!
So what I've learned today is... There is a reason for the do not swim signs on Texas rivers because they're full of alligators, don't ignore a battery of warning signs while swimming towards a giant drain, and don't steal cars and jump in random holes while running from the cops.
@@f3uibeghardt522 definitely. I lived in texas for a while and went hiking as frequently as I could and traveled as well, and never saw an alligator, I actually forgot there every were any there!
@@MKUltraXOXO-c3r I'm not sure what part of Texas you were in, but they inhabit the Southeastern region of the state, which is much greener and full of water and cypress swamps. A good place to see them is Brazos Bend State Park. There's a million of them there. Hell, I remember fishing there one time and accidentally catching a turtle, then a massive alligator saving me the effort of having to cut the line by swallowing the turtle whole.
your title is a lil more accurate for this episode. there probably aren’t any signs at grocery stores that say “don’t climb into the pillars” but common sense should tell you not to crawl into the pillars
Monster gators can be found in places you wouldn’t expect. I live in Florida and my wife is a wildlife photographer. We were hiking through the woods of a state park, Lake Louisa State Park, following a very narrow creek. It’s one of the many tiny creeks that ultimately fill the lake. There are many monster gators, 12-14’ long beasts, that live in the main lake and several of the other sizable lakes on the 20,000 acre park. A small creek like this is not anywhere you’d expect to see anything larger than 3-4’. Typically, smaller gators live in these small tributaries staying out of view of the monsters, since gators are cannibalistic and will eat smaller gators as food. We had let our dog off the leash, which is against the rules, but we were so far off the beaten path, we figured it be okay. As I followed the creek, I weaved to go around a large palmetto bush and our dog had went the other way around that bush. I was nearly stepped on a huge gator tail, at least 5” thick, so there was a big gator attached to it. I screamed, “gator!” and my wife knew what that meant, “Get the Godd**ned dog!” because he would be headed right toward the business end, with bone crushing jaws and teeth that penetrate like a .357 magnum round. She grabbed the dog’s leash and I heard the gator plunge into the water, more afraid of us than we were of him. Later we would go back, because they’re creatures of habit and usually stay in the same area. For years we would see this 10+foot gator hanging in that little creek. He must have had a good source of turtles, huge frogs or maybe hogs, because like most Florida state parks, that park is overrun with Ferrell hogs. We always see all,of the turned over earth they leave in their wake. Any gator, no matter how big, can hide in water 4” or more, so there are few totally safe places. Even a 14’ gator can lunge up from a four inch deep swamp, so it’s best to be safe, especially with dogs. Gators fear humans more than dogs. The reason that gator ate that man was because he was in the water at their hunting time, dawn and dusk. They have far less fear of us when they’re in the water and we go into their domain, but they will scamper when on land and see humans. Fact: no human has ever been attacked by a gator more than 4’ from the shoreline of a body of water, so all of that zig-zag running nonsense is just silly and ain’t going to happen. Gators feel uncomfortable on land and will not chase anyone. They lay at the water’s edge, totally submerged and when anything, dog, deer, hog or human lean over the water to get a drink or fill a canteen, they can lunge with lightning speed you can rarely out race. Once they clamp onto the animal’s head, they drag it down and drown it, since they can hold their breathe far longer than any mammal can. They can also perform the famous death roll, but drowning is their preferred way of killing. Death rolls are more for ripping the animal apart because their jaws cannot move side to side for chewing, just clamping with incredible force.
@@gladitsnotme Yeah, no surprise there. Florida, Texas, Louisiana, South Mississippi and any states that are on the Gulf Of Mexico is going to have gators, especially Florida and Louisiana which have populations of about a million each. Seeing a ten footer in the woods in a narrow creek was still a surprise to me even after more than 40 years in Florida.
I much prefer stories like this where people get themselves into situations by ignoring rules and doing dumb shit. Less upsetting than people just doing their jobs or something and ending up cooked alive or decapitated.
@Patrick Danforth I respect your point of view, and I do agree that we definitely should be aware of the dangers that are associated with alligators, but I do not necessarily think it negates that. Just because you name a dangerous animal something cute does not negate that it is dangerous.
Martiana Sanchez, Plot twist: " Tommy Woodward was a vegan." Tommy Woodwards last words: " Did I tell you I'm a vegan?" Tree Shaker: " Did I tell you I'm not vegan?"
and y'know the people who died while making a simple mistake. Which didn't really happen here (all these deaths were very avoidable), but in other videos it has.
I know I hate that it has to end ….. and it’s like during the real nail biters even though he is the one telling the story for some reason his voice and actions are still my “ safe place “ lol his personal story was very tense to get through 😬
I work at Winco and the pillar story was a MAJOR source of gossip when it happened. To this day we playfully tell each other they're gonna get thrown in the pillar if they do something wrong. :D
The fact that Emily held on for 20 minutes while thousands of gallons of water is pouring over Emily while she’s getting sucked in just shows how determined she was to live... it’s those little mistakes that cost you your whole life ..As Allstate would say “you’re in good hands” with MrBallen. He consistently uploads bangers! Keep up the great effort.
@@kkb892 also true like I would never do that but she was just trying to look at something that she thought was interesting and it just ended up dying over it... I understand it was stupid trust me I get it but she was also just “trying to live life” and ironically it’s what ended her
I actually live there where this lake is and you don't even have to get that close to start being pulled towards it. She probably realized she was too close when she started fighting a current. Almost happened to my husband when he was in his early 20's goofing off past the rope.
I grew up near a lake that my best friend's family owned. We swam in it quite a bit. It was man-made and had a small dam, and an even smaller spillway. This thing was no bigger than a manhole and it had a metal cage around it. We *still* never went anywhere near the damn thing, because who would? Oh ...right.
Crazy that I don't see anyone else commenting on how she held on to that drain wall for 20 whole minutes. That's pretty astounding, even if it ultimately wasn't long enough to save her.
I wonder how she might have been rescued at that point...a very long pole? A helicopter, lowering a Navy Seal? I suspect the spillway designers purposefully designed it to exclude the presence of humans, but couldn't they have built in an emergency ledge to stand on, just to give someone a chance? Or even an indentation with hand grips, to protect someone from the rushing water while they await rescue? An emergency shut off button? I realize that would not be easy, to say the least, to design for a mammoth cement pipe like this but...call a Netherlands engineering firm, they know their stuff about major water engineering systems!
Probably because she put herself in that situation ON HER OWN, that was a moronic thing to do, "Oh you want to have a look at the drain?" DO IT ON DRY LAND YA FUCKER!
When I was a kid my best friend, who was in a wheelchair, fell into a spillway behind our houses. We lived in the deep N. MN forest. The water surface was like glass but, the undertow took him unbelievably fast. It looked like he was shot out of a canon. I'm an excellent swimmer but, not that good. We were 8 years old when this happened. I felt so guilty, I couldn't even look his mom in her eyes. She ran over to me and Bearhugged the hell out of me. Then she apologized to me! My brain was like, wth is going on here. I didn't understand her mindset until I became a parent. I lost my own son 8 days before his 12th birthday. They, (my son and dad), were coming back from hunting during a blizzard and 2 semi's lost control and $hit went sideways real quick. By law, they were not supposed to be driving in any high profile vehicle when the wind exceeds 50-55 mph but, they ignored the law, because they were behind schedule. Sorry, for the long story.
Don't be sorry. Natural selection at work. We don't have that enough. It would be worse if these people were able to breed. Spread their stupidity to their kids by gene and example. We're already putting up way too many warning signs and stuff. Allowing the terminally stupid to take a big dump right into the gene pool.
I think we can all agree that Ray was thinking of absolutely nothing while doing this. You gotta be totally empty headed and ignoring every single survival instinct ever to do something like that
The only way out for Emily when she realized she was being pulled closer to the spillway was: diving in a few feet and swiming away from the spillway - under water, for the current was stronger on the surface of the water.
"they had nicknamed 2 of the alligators that were seen the most often - they named them cheeto and marshmallow" and the monster alligator was named mcdonald's sprite
I was actually at the grocery store in Lancaster and smelled the nasty smell. They closed the store down for a couple weeks. I remember hearing that stuff on the news and being in shock I smelled a dead dude.
@@shelby5809 there was a small amount of brown liquid seeping out but I didn’t know what it was. I assumed it was a dead animal. The whole checkout stunk so band because it was right by the door. I tried to go a week later and they had police tape around it and the store was shut down and then I heard on the news why and my wife got freaked out and I was like holy shit. That whole area is a terrible place to live anyways. I talked to a parole officer over there and she told me that LA County takes all their prisoners out there and releases them because it’s the outer edge of the county in the desert and they’re hoping that they don’t make their way back to the city and so we have a whole bunch of homeless criminals everywhere. That’s why I move my family back to Texas. That was actually the smartest move I’ve ever made. I went from making 240,000 a year and feeling like I was poor to making about 107,000 a year and living in the upper middle class. I went from having a 2000 square-foot three bedroom two bathroom house that had a $3200 a month mortgage to having a 3000 square-foot house with five bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms that cost me 1100 a month. Plus if you had and gas crime and the general cost of living it’s so different than California that it boggles my mind why ever lived there. Plus stuff like that happened all the time. I probably saw five dead bodies the three years I lived there as opposed to the zero I’ve seen living in Texas for pretty much The rest of my life besides the 13 years I spent the Marine Corps. We went to Walmart on Black Friday in Lancaster one time and there was a shooting in the parking lot over a freaking TV
I live in Lancaster and that was such a sad thing that happened. I just started watching your videos and was going to suggest this one. So happy you did it.
I used to be a little scared of these videos because “damn nature you SCARY!” but when I think about it, you’re definitely saving hella lives by doing these. And you tell it in a way that resinates with your audience, that’s dope. Not everyone can do that 👍🏾
@@Acolyte82 He's a straight talker about every story. And following them and remembering them can strengthen lots of people's survival instincts about situations they encounter that could potentially be dangerous. 🙂
@@Acolyte82 Well, you hear true life stories about seemingly normal situations in nearly of his videos, but the poor person or people in those situations did not know they were about to meet their own end. So it kind of makes you think twice about how safe and typical your own environment or situation is, and try to avoid a small mistake that can get out of hand and lead to doom and danger, doesn't it?
These are all so awful to imagine but you do such a vivid and detailed telling of the stories it’s almost like being in their positions. My gut was totally wrenched on that last one. Geez, that poor man. Well done, thank you, you have an unique ability to draw us in and become part of the story.
12:18 OSCAR THE GROUCHHH
Mission passed respect+++
Good eye!!!!
Hahaha good job👏
Why don't I see it?
I still can't see it
People who squeeze themselves into supertight spaces never cease to amaze me, what do they expect to happen?
These are people who have always had something on the other side to save them, I'm guessing...
i guess they learn from movies where protagonist is crawling up in small spaces.
@@zeuxlaught2797 Mission Impossible: Tom Cruise is sneaking into a lab, and to get to the restricted access, quickly crawls through a vent, but gets stuck.
The next hour of the movie is just him getting more and more panicked as the team asks, "Can't you get out??" "I TOLD YOU!!! I CAN'T get OUT!!! Ehh!!... EGHH!! AHhhHH!! Whahahhhaaha!!!!"
They're probably thinking if they can get in, they can just get out lol
@@bentonrp That would actually be a cool idea for a movie. Spend the whole first act showing him being a badass and then at the end of the first act he gets stuck.
What I’ve learned the most from theses stories is, if you’re crawling into a tight space, never let your shoulders go all the way in unless you’re comfortable staying there forever.
What I've learned is never crawl into a tight space unless it's a cardboard box in the middle of your living room to scare your cat, that's about as risky as I want to get with tight spaces.
Or just simply not crawl into tight spaces
Next month on Mr. Ballen-
"What Hunter Willoughby didn't realize, as he crawled into that narrow space up to his shoulders, was that......."
Sometimes I hear Mr Ballen narrating my life during my day and I feel like I’m going to unsuspectingly end up in one of his videos.
What I’ve learnt or taken away from these videos is to not go outside.
The signs: don’t swim
The owner: don’t swim
The bartender: don’t swim
The other staff: don’t swim
His girlfriend: don’t swim
Tommy: _swims_
That's the theme here...
- Lol, Tommy said, lmao
The Alligator: Hey, the water is nice 🤗
Tommy: dead
Stop spoiling.
I remember when Tommie got attacked by the alligator. It actually happened in Orange TX, about 20 miles from Beaumont. I moved to Orange literally a week before it happened. According to witnesses at the bar, they told him there was a large alligator in the water, he yelled "f--- that alligator!" and jumped in.
He sounds like a less charismatic Jake Paul
so stupid of him
Candidate for the Darwin Awards.
He sounds like a douche bag
Ahhh darwinism claiming the knuckle draggers from the gene pool.
"Ray thought one of the pillars would be the perfect hiding place"
Ray was right.
Lol! I can’t not hear all these kinds of comments in Morgan Freeman’s voice now :D
Fuckin way she goes....
@@rockywright3174 … friends of the road, Bud. Way she goes…
He sure did out smart them cops. Didn’t he?
Well... he wasn't wrong... He DID avoid jail for the rest of his life. ;o)
Has anyone ever thought that perhaps MrBallen has also saved lives from posting these stories? People either took more precaution in their adventures (cliffs, diving, chimneys etc) or just plain didn't take the risk. Thanks Mr B!!
It's probably true. I was just on a mountain bike ride in the desert heat and as I got further and further into this ride away from civilization I thought about Mr. Ballen a bit and turned around a little earlier than originally planned.
Except telling you to replace eye drops with acid 😂
But you are correct. I’m sure a lot of people are taking advice from these stories about being more careful and following safety rules and such
You're true. I live far away from mountains so I don't know much about the mountain safety. After these videos I realized how stupid and reckless I was when I went hiking on the mountains. I will be much more careful the next time.
Not long after I was married, my hubby took me fishing. We got out of the boat and were standing in thigh deep creek water near a drop off. When we look back we are horrified about how stupid we were. I wasn't from croc country but he was. I had no idea there were crocs in that creek, and he being blaze never gave it a thought. There is a God and when our time is not up, it is not up. No crocs that day. I also swam in the Sepik River in PNG. I kept asking the locals about Crocs - nah - no gat puk puk [crocs] And into the water we'd jump and float down to the next pier [It's a fast flowing river]. I kind of figured that the locals must have known whether they were safe or not. Now I know that the locals are sometimes the ones who should know better but become too complacent.
The last one made me feel sick physically. That's just like being in a coffin and buried alive - can't breathe, can't yell for help, can't move.
Was a crazy day at work when that happened , I was security at that winco on 10th an k
@@HK-SmoHKe I remember being there and smelling something that I hadn't before. I joked with my husband that it smelled like a dead body, even though I hadn't smelled one before. He said it was probably a sewer issue.
This definitely put me in that pillar.....i felt his suffering.....
@@catbravo994 swear to god you were there
@@Htown_babyyyyy The store is near my house. Thankfully I didn't go shopping the day the guy ran into the store.
Wow. People who did stupid mistakes. But you never called them stupid or being condescending out of respect. I really appreciated that. Good for you.
if i die in some absurd fashion, i want this man to talk about it
Foreal tho
Same
Make sure it's in your will, the competition is fierce
Easy peasy lemon squeezy...just go cave diving. Something always goes wrong.
Me too it would sound interesting but I don't know what my death would be ?
Although Tommy was being an idiot I think we really need to respect him for telling his gf to not save him so she wouldn't die
He had a heart, but not a brain.
@@jonseon5952 👏👏
Yeah. I'll give him props for that.
she couldn't save him anyway, what he did was tell her "don't be the fool i am/was" lol.
@@jonseon5952 trump supporter sorry mate couldn’t resist.
Emily looking at the signs " No Imma see what this death is about "
"It won't happen to me" the last words of every dumbass.
@@sboz86 natural selection works:)
The only signs she took seriously were the ones that said "Live, Laugh, Love"
Why are some smart people so dumb???
It’s like she look the death demon in the face and said one moment sir
Out of all these stories, Emily's story with the spillway was the most infuriating of all. A life lost over something that you should really have enough common sense to stay away from. It's practically like the drain in a bath tub, what would you expect to happen when you approach it? Condolences to the family of all 3, such horrible ways to die...
It sounds messed up but I don't think she wanted to see the next day
Worst water slide ever 1/5 on google maps.
Agreed! Really feel bad for her though. Must have been terrifying once she realized it was too late.
Darwin Award
Im afraid to go to graduate school..... it seems everyone who does in mr Ballens stories becomes a complete moron
Emily is the literal embodiment of "curiosity killed the cat"
And satisfaction didn't bring it back
Well she wasn't a cat so that's not literal whatsoever really.
@@gladtownghost "literal embodiment" of a phrase, bud. not a fucking cat??😂
@@goblinxgf1123 not literal then
@@gladtownghost i'm not explaining these words to you, if you wanna act oblivious go for it lmao
The "trapped in small spaces" ones are the worst. I get chills of horror imagining what those people felt.
I honestly would have been like fuck it, let the cops find me. I'm dumb but I'm not that dumb
Same
He was a meth addict and that stuff makes you feel invincible. Once you have been up for days you cannot think straight anymore. Even though he was in there for five days, he most certainly died that first day. Probably in the morning, it would be hot already. We cannot be outside for more than a half hour before we feel like passing out. That had to have been awful, poor guy.
YES! This channel seems full of "death by small spaces" which is my greatest fear! The anxiety is sickening but I can't stop watching them :/
Yeah well, the criminals who do it hiding from the cops get no sympathy from me.
Pro tip: Hiding in verticle shafts is really dumb. Also, before entering ANY tight space, concider; "how can I get out of there."
This last really bothers me because the police were already gone
"How can i get out of here?" is to rational of a question for some. 🤦♂️
Blown away by that man's stupidity... The bar has been raised again.
This can't stop me because i can't read!
Its hard to understand how he thought he could possibly get out if he had to fight to get in. Yes I know some people are just stupid but we can't over look that he may have been stuffed into that pillar! Maybe something happened and the cop involved was afraid he would be fired or arrested over it and stuffed the body down the pillar not realizing he was still alive! Multiple possibilities to this one!
I often am amazed at how many people who's advice is rejected, are still keen to help the person who has foolishly gone into danger. They still have mercy.
All three are winners. The first guy actually got to go swimming. Emily sure got a good look at the spill way, and Ray didn't get arrested. 'WINNING'
Bro well done! Dark but still amusingly true .
He's out of line, but he's right.
“Play stupid games win stupid prizes.”
Someone said, 'Go big or go home.'
You ever hear the one about the guy who swam in a Yosemite national park geyser pool? The signs around it said, absolutely no swimming.
yeah whether it's good or bad someone getting what they wanted gives me the same feeling
I was walking through mountains yesterday and was going to climb over a load of big boulders to get closer to a waterfall but because i have been watching your videos recently i changed my mind. You tamed me bro.
Good move.
I like the way you worded it
Good man. No need to get closer. Appreciate it from a distance so you can live to talk about it with others.
Great decision you probably would have made it to this channel.
“You tamed me bro”🤣
While trying to avoid a prison cell the dude ends up imprisoning himself in a far worse way.
right, I thought about how he'dve given anything to be in jail instead of in there...
How true! He got imprisoned, tortured, raped, and gave himself a life sentence! ...and the death penalty was issued, too.
@@bentonrp umm.. everything but raped....
and also burned alive!!!!!!
@@dineshpadhi9421 Yeah, roasted ! ... maybe not raped, but like, raped by the walls...
@@bentonrp the walls are his cell mates instead of the soap getting dropped he dropped himself
Tommy was the prime example of "nothing has ever happened to me, so I'll be fine" being an incorrect statement. I imagine the last thing going through his mind (besides the alligator's teeth) was "Oh god, I should have listened to everyone else."
I love how respectful Mr Ballen is to the stories victims as I sit here squirming thinking, "why would you do that!?"
LOL same bro im sitting here pausing the video yelling whyyyyyy
A reoccuring theme in these stories involving water seems to be that many people just don't realize how powerful water can be when moving. Just a small stream that comes halfway up to your knees is enough to push you over. That spillway probably created massively strong currents that would be impossible to escape from once you got too close. Also, from a fluid dynamics perspective, the force of the current isn't linear. It isn't like the force 50 feet from the spillway is half that from 25 feet, etc. The current / pressure will grow exponentially, so you will be fooled into thinking the current isn't that strong, so I can swim halfway closer from where I am now -- at some point the water currents will go from weak to impossible to escape and it happens in just a couple feet.
Even a shallow stream that goes up to your ankles can sweep you off your feet, happened to me many times especially when I was younger
Yeah a typical person can swim at what, a couple miles per hour? How fast do you think that spillway water is flowing as you get closer... Definitely faster than you can swim
If only she has a pickaxe…
growing up near lake Erie, I feel like this is "common sense" for the vast majority of people living near bodies of water. I guess it's hard to convey unless you've experienced a strong current, or wave.
By the end of my trip to St. Maarten, i'd stay CLEAR of the ocean for swimming because the waves were so strong, nothing like I experienced swimming in the ocean in Cuba, and incomparable to swimming in the great lake even when windy.
I went in about knee height, seeing kids half my age swimming I didn't think it was that bad... NO, I TOOK A TUMBLE. The waves came in so quickly, it knocked me off my feet and I did a roll or two fully submerged, from being in 2 feet of water.
Being in the Niagara Region, we constantly hear about rescues happening in the gorge, near the whirlpool rapids (class 5). The rapids are in this sharp turn in the river, creating a corner with seemingly calm waters. tourists often think they can swim there, because google labels it as a "beach". Well, the undertow will get you.
Dude, why write a book on obvious stuff.
Every time you do one of these “guy wriggles himself into a tight spot and dies there...” stories I have these crazy physical reactions, I have to move, fling out my arms, stand and jump around while breathing deeply. I will never ever try to wriggle into anything, but that is definitely high up on my list, if not the topper, of greatest fears.
Claustrophobia. The idea of being pinned somewhere and unable to move my arms/stand up at will terrifies me to my core.
Oh my god have you heard the story of that guy who got stuck in a sewer pipe with rats? He went face first into the pipe and got stuck with his arms by his sides so he literally couldn’t do anything, and rats started EATING HIS FACE!! it was the most horrified I’ve ever been reading a true story
I’m so claustrophobic that I can’t even watch movies where someone is in a tight spot and can’t move. I’ve gotten panic attacks and actually felt like I was in that position myself.
@@kaedancecharon6649 yeah,when I hear those stories, I don't need to fling my arms like op but I do take REALLY big deep breaths and get so anxious a là pre-panic attack! I'm not a fan of people crowding me, and if I have a blanket pulled up over my arms- I can't handle someone leaning over me or holding down the blanket for one reason or another, I GOTTA get those arms free 😝😫 it's a very scary and real feeling that I feel like ppl that don't have it just dont understand 🤷♀️
Ugh... literally, EVERY spelunking story!! I’m like, “Yeah, fuck THAT!! They’re dead...”
I was getting claustrophobic just listening to Ray's story. Being surrounded by a ton of people and can't move and being smothered to death. Has to be one of the worst ways to die. I HATE CROWDS LIKE THAT HAPPEN TO ME RESENTLY AND ALL I KEEP THINKING ABOUT WAS THIS IS GONNA BE A MR. BALLEN STORY. I will never go through that walkway at that game again. Your channel is saving lives. GREAT JOB!
That just happened a couple days ago at Halloween Itaewon.. 😭 154 people smashed to death... by people..
I knew Tommy would go swimming anyways. His facial hair screamed, “hold my beer”.
Lol
I'm reading the comments while I listen idk what's under there yet but my guess is it's a crocodile or an alligator
It really does
Well put!
@firefighterchick11...Best comment Ever. That one cracked me right up. Thanks
What has to be going through someone’s mind to shove themselves in this tight ass tomb without realizing they wouldn’t be able to get out is beyond me
Drugs?
Nothing. All these people deserve to be nominated for Darwin awards.
@@georgianikolidaki8262 that was my thought exactly. Especially gator dude, he should not have offspring.
I would think the crawlspace would have sufficed but clearly I don't think big-I mean tight- enough.
Maybe he just fell?
His new intro should be “if you’re a fan of the strange, dark, and abusing the like button, then this channel is for you because that’s all we do here.”
I spite yee with a thumbs up to all.
Today's intro didn't encourage abuse of the like button. He straight up told people to share their acid with the like button. That is the opposite of abuse!
Haha just maybe!
@@Bulgeofpersuasion acid eye drops sounds like one helluva time
@@MrBallen You are the best storyteller I’ve ever heard man! Honestly the best thing to relax to after a long day of work and study! Keep up the incredible work!
This is honestly the series I didn’t know I needed. Now I’m obsessed and about 5 hours deep thinking that complete and utter stupidity of humanity knows no bounds
“The black water was calm
And quiet” is the only description i need to know im never going into that water
Well, why was the water black to begin with, I mean really? That in itself would make ME not want to go in it!
Yes
@@barryallenflash1 Mud and other sorts of things.
If the water is black I’m not going in it
Black from the night sky would be the reason you gronks😂
I used to feel boring for not doing exciting stuff like spelunking and cave diving but this series has changed my mind. I’m totally good without crawling into tight spaces 👍
Yeah, those activities are for the young & dumb. I like living!
Seriously ‼️‼️ I don't get it like who in their right mind likes to crawl into tight spaces for any reason whatsoever??? I don't have claustrophobia but suffocating in a tight space is literally my biggest fear.
The most exciting thing I've done is skydiving and I'm even reconsidering doing that again after watching this channel. Human error makes you question everything.
Makes you feel really smart right?
Agreed
_"The name's Tommy. Where I'm from, I'm the local badass..."_
_"My name is Emily. Where I'm from, I'm the local genius."_
_"My name is Ray. Where I'm from, I'm the local Escape Artist."_
*"With our Powers combined, we are...*
Dead.
THATS TOO GOOD
Criminally underrated comment.
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾Nice
Made me LOL
Clever indeed. Three incredibly non-clever people.
About 1992 I went to a conference in New Orleans and the hotel was booked, so I was lodged in a related hotel way east of the city. The parking lot out back was surrounded by a chain link fence and warnings posted every 15 feet or so warning not to climb over due to alligators. Good advice.
An overwhelming amount of stories involve people wanting to go to places that are littered in danger signs, because they think they're special, and then regretting it for ever. There's moral here
We have signs in Australia warning of our salt water crocs and people still go into the water or camp next to river banks......it usually ends badly
Humanity at it's finest.
actually they regret it only for a brief time.
@@Stephan5916 I like to think of it as natural selection. 🤷♂️
@@unnamed715 exactly ! I really believe that every one of the story's is simply a classic example of natural selection. In every one of the story's by making extremely stupid decision those people essentially killed themselves, I mean the men from the first story was probably warned that there is an alligator IN THE WATER!!! what else do you need!!
3rd story: why didn’t he know not to do that?! If you have to put 1 arm up to even fit down the hole, how tf are you planning to get back up in that position? I just...🤦🏾♀️
And like? Was he planning on living there? The police had left. When was he planning on leaving? lol
@@JessicaSmith-yg9cn I think he was either high or he was murdered and stuffed in there
@@Ruebz_f30 he crawled in himself.
Criminals are usually dumb in general. He simply was, one of the dumber ones.
I think his only thought as that he didn't want to go to jail . He was Only thinking of where to hide, not about leaving his hiding place. That is one sick story!
I think the main theme of all of these videos is: Safety precautions and signs exist for a reason. Also, I appreciate the way that you always tell these stories in a way that's respectful of the victims. Thank you for that.
I will never understand how people don't value their own lives &/or other's. I hope these stories serve as cautionary tales to prevent this type of behavior and bad decisions. Thank you Mr. Ballen, you do a good service to your fellow people.
That first guy was an absolute idiot, but at least he told his girlfriend to get out of the water. He knew he couldn't be saved and didn't want her to get eaten too.
If I were the bartender, I would have called 911 right when he started walking towards the river.
He had be doing that for years and the guy who owned the restuarant was his friend so when he was told he couldn't do it he didn't care.
I wonder why the didn’t straight up say “there’s alligators in there”
@@yams.4308 it apparently did, some people are just destined to die in dumb ways because telling them they can't just makes them want to do it more
@@alonedownthere47
Oh
Why, WHY do people do things like this? The last one really got to me.
SAME. It made my claustrophobia kick in REALLY bad. I was sitting just....OOOH No.
@@robzyalise6566 I was mostly thinking "Why do you look at that pilar, that tiny opening that goes straight down and think you can go in there and out again while you have to go upwards". Some people just deserve whats happening to them....then again all the people in these stories deserved it cause they all did incredibly stupid things. Who the F goes to swim to a massive hole in a lake while one warning after another tells you "DONT GO THERE". Why would anyone think you can go to the edge with the water pouring in and not get sucked into it....some people..gjees.
SAME! That last one made my chest feel tight 😖
@@Jorendo No matter how you look at it, it is unnecessary to say they deserved it. Are you out of your mind or do you have zero empathy for either the person who lost their life or that person's family mourning?
@@Jorendo It is their own fault that they died like that, but that does not mean they deserved it!
MrBallen: "he could smell a horrible overwhelming smell"
Oh dang here we go
All the good ones start like that.
Reminds me of fnaf
I thought immediately: that's a decomposing body!!
I'm sorry but I couldnt help but laugh
just waiting for him to throw a curve ball one day - "and it was just someones mouldy food left in the sun"
The thought of hanging there with that much water raining down on you and knowing this could be “it” - makes my stomach flip something not good.. Bless all of their souls. Good story telling Ballen!
There’s an old saying - “If you’re gonna be dumb, you’ve gotta be tough.”
if you get knocked down you gotta get back up!
I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer but i know enough to know.
@@noelwhite6650 if you're gonna be dumb
My grandpa said this all the time
@@JAMES_IS_COOL1227 ya gotta be tough
When you’ve binged MrBallen to the point you’re caught up on all content...and then a fresh upload drops 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🍾
Yep
Same, now I’m trying to watch all the shorts
Very true
Ohhh Yesssssss🙌🏼🖤🙌🏼
.....however have watched them multiple times 😆 this one will be no different! Cannot help myself, I enjoy rewatching with people & seeing instant enjoyment!😁
@@genaro8390 that is where I'm at 🙃
That last story gave me goosebumps. Just imagine realising you have made a critical mistake and youre trapped there just waiting to die. Either out of starvation, running out of air or a heart attack because of the stress and heat. All that and you are also in a horrible uncomfortable position that probably hurts like hell after a while.
yeah. these stories are horrific
It is soo very brutal. I come back to this one just for that story just because of how unbelievably physically painful it is!
It gave me anxiety
I think I'd honestly rather set myself on fire...
@@alexandriaburnett2801 you would, I'm sure.
I feel bad for Tommy’s girlfriend. Imagine how scary that would be to watch your loved one get attacked and killed by a gator and there was nothing you could do. Even if she called police they wouldn’t be able to help.
Yeah but hopefully she took the horror and learned to start dating smart men.
Bro shut up stop spoiling keep ur comments to urself
@@barbarahomrighaus6852damn
@@barbarahomrighaus6852 what a horrible thing to say
@@barbarahomrighaus6852 some things you just keep in your head Barbara 🤣
Been watching Mr.Ballen for like 3 months so far. I already made a mental note that if you see a dark hole, cave, water or something, dont go. Stay at home and just watch Mr.Ballen more
Now this is how to start the day! The strange dark and mysterious! Bring it on and thank you for your service, sir!!!!!
Thanks so much!!!
Or finish the day, it's almost midnight here 😄
9PM here
10AM here lets go
@@jsmith8904 its 14:16 here in London
That last story really disturbed me. I can't even imagine what that was like to get stuck in such a tight place. I know he was a criminal but no one deserves to die like that. All alone, suffocating in a hot dark space knowing there is nothing he could do.
my brother and sister in law work at this very winco, and had already been employed when Ray died in the pillar. They really believed he must've got away. My brother was in the staff office when he ran in and said he saw him get to the roof access, but they didn't know where he went when they looked for him and he wasnt on the roof. honestly it still gives me the creeps
Well obviously he didn’t deserve that but his stupidity like the others had it coming
“no one deserves to die that way”... really? Do you know about the Holocaust, or WWI? Many people have died under far worse conditions- and not because of a single thing they did wrong. Dude was an idiot.
@@corablue5569 are you really trying to compare this to the Holocaust right now 😂 stfu
@@kaseyaceves6997 You are making my point for me- thank you.
When Emily decided to go towards the spillway, my first thought was, “Oh no. Girl, you’re weightless in water!”
Morgan Freeman narrating Tommy’s life:
“But in fact, he DID care, it turns out Tommy cared very much”.
🤣🤣🤣 This SHOULD NOT be as funny if I didn't have such an imagination 🤣🤣🤣🤣
🤣
He didn't care for long though
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Who all read that in Freemans voice😂☠💀
Best way to start the day
Agreed
yes
No, cocaine
Yh boi
Fo reals
I've always had an unreasonably strong fear of dam spillways. The combination of being really unsettled by the thought of swimming near large, mostly submerged structures, and the fact that its literally just a big hole that can suck you in and kill you makes me so stressed. I don't understand how anyone would want to swim near it, especially when it is actively sucking in water.
They're far enough away to not get caught in a current, but yeah I would never go if it was actively sucking water
It goes down? No it don’t go down. IT DO GO DOWN!
The woman is a 41 yr old graduate student. She isn't a teenager, she is 41. She is smart enough to be a graduate student but ignores multiple ☢️ signs and cautions but chooses to disregard all of them. Smh
@@caitchri2426 classic
@@ellybean5868 It sounds like a suicide to me.
I almost started to hyperventilate after hearing the last story, OMG! What a horrible way to die!
One minute after jumping in the water….Tommy cared.
OH WAIT. I CARE NOW! THE WATER MADE ME CARE MORE!
Lol yeah well deserved in my opinion
This just confirms that you should always listen to your bartender. Sincerely yours, a bartender. And for MrBallen's sake, please tell the like button to do otherwise
I don't get why they didn't tell him he couldn't swim???? Like I'd definitely think it over if someone told me there's huge alligators even if I was a cringe "rule breaker"
@@Emot10ns The story didn’t make it obvious maybe but no doubt the reason not to go swimming was surely not obscured. I can’t believe no one said, there are alligators in there. Tommy’s concrete was just missing some rebar.
Imagine seeing a small hole in a random part of a building and thinking “I should crawl in there”
It's like he knew he had to get out of the gene pool 😆
@@jsmith8904 🤣
Stories like that literally make my rib cage and chest hurt like phantom anxiety pain. Haha
😂😂😂
entering places was likely his way of being.
I love how he doesn’t come out and say these people are idiots, but it’s kinda implied.
LOL
Nah, its implied
My first video from MrBallen and I caught that right away that most of these "victims" were kinda DUMB!
Yes. These people are idiots!
@Jim Eagle excuse me?
The first story is crazy. Like if a bunch of people are telling me not to go swimming in a river, I'm probably going to be like you know what. I probably shouldn't be swimming in the river. Also side note, you are the best UA-camr for the strange, dark and mysterious delivered in the story format ❤
The stuck in a tiny space and can’t escape stories raise my anxiety but I can’t stop watching.
What blows me away is the number of people that get into a tight space then keep going until they are completely wedged. Ugh
it was the middle of summer too. we get it up to about 115 usually. he baked forsure
Same . Honestly like what tf dude jail isnt that bad just go to jail ffs . Died a nightmare death over dumb shii
Me too... I cannot understand people that go exploring caves and squeeze through tiny spaces... esp underwater..... 😫
It literally triggers one my phobias and he does it so often in his stories and its awesome everytime. Whenever a story has someone drowning or stuck in a small space I literally start thinking what if that was me and I get rigid with fear. Love it!
Mr.Ballen’s stories teach me how there’s a diff between having fun and being dumb enough to ignore all danger signs. It’s there for a reason , not for decoration purposes.
Exactly. Don't know why people choose to ignore the signs🤷
@@amatije probably to sue the establishment later smh -
@@dreelusion 😂
The name of this episode should be “play stupid games, win stupid prizes”
Yup people aren't to smart lol
@Chris Tombs 😄👍 You beat me to* it!
@Chris Tombs lol Oh Did I Effend...,, you ?and bring**@ out the troll in you for a mispelLing!?? I'm,"$%! sorey about that Grammor Natsi
Facts
I’m crying 😂😂
I was there at the Lancaster story. Everything went back to normal literally the next day. Everyone went about their business and had zero idea what happened earlier I couldn't get it out of my mind every time I went back in the store
Jail usually seems like the worst endpoint (minus death) but can you imagine how bad Ray wished he had just gone to jail after he realized there’s no coming back from this.
Considering how bad cops are at searching based on these stories I am pretty sure Ray didn't need to go in the pillar. He was safe from finding where he was...
I thought the same thing too
@@momchilandonov At least he found a good hiding spot. It was so good nobody could find him even when he wanted to be found.
@@momchilandonov they did not know they were up against the World Hide 'n Seek Champion.
Prison was definitely the preferable options there.
That third story must’ve been such a horrible way to die. That is the stuff of nightmares 🤢😱
I can't even imagine! 😳
Almost worse than being mauled and eaten alive by an alligator
@@BmgGunsAndStuff imagine knowing you re going ti dye and being foodless and waterless
Should have just turned himself in and lived to reform himself. Oh well.
The whole concept of placing yourself into a space like that made my stomach turn. Talk about a self inflicted horror story. You can’t even kill yourself in that situation.
Stories about people getting irretrievably trapped in tiny spaces are the only thing that make me feel physically ill. It is just too terrifying.
Same!
Felt a panic attack coming as the story was going!!!
Mr Ballen just tells the stories too well to not feel it!!!
Same here! Why?
Just why would anyone think that forcing yourself down a narrow space is a good place to hide? Or do anything for that matter.
Same here Julaine. My chest tightens up and I have to breath deep.
@@DominicNJ73
Same here ! The very thought of being in that horrific situation gives me panic attacks, making me want to claw for air !
These stories (been binging) too often share a common thing. Signs say "keep away" or "danger" but gives no reason or seem benign. We see those signs too often where there are no dangers, or people are just being vain about kids being kids.
I like the signs in Iceland, they tell you how you will die if you proceed beyond a certain point. Changing warning labels from "walls of text with kind words" or "keep away", to "YOU WILL DIE HERE" saves a lot of lives.
My lawn obsessed neighbor has a "keep away" sign, so does the weirdo in the nearby woods who will shoot you on sight.
The majority of these stories honestly make me think “Why? Why would you possibly want to put yourself in any of those places?” I get curiosity but jeez
Many of these stories involve people who are only in those places because their uncaring bosses required it. Then there are people who go to these places because they're convinced they're going to have fun.
Genetics. That's why you are alive, ur kids will probably live to reproduce, and there will be less ppl around them doing this dumb crap as long as there's still natural selection.
Because they were going for that elusive Darwin award!
It's elusive because there are already so many dumb people beating them to it.
Curiosity killed the Tommy
When I hear this I never knew how many people go missing just going on innocent adventures 🥲 changed my wild life forever 😂🤣
That man really ran from the cops and gave himself the death sentence instead.
Yeah man holy shit jail aint THAT bad fuck
he didn't put enough stats into intelligence, or maybe he was suffering from a nasty debuff of some sort. Meth?
Over a stolen vehicle 🤦🏻♀️
Pretty methed up if you ask me.
I remember when the woman fell into the spillway. The amount of warning signs, cautions, buoys, etc she had to pass was mind boggling. Also-the length she had to swim to get there was a long way. There were also other swimmers trying to stop her. She was determined. The San Fran local papers have some great articles on it.
Some that were present, and some of her family, have spoken publicly and they believe she went over intentionally. Its an incredibly sad and horrific story.
Then why did she hang on the edge for 20min? If she wanted to die, she wouldn’t have done that. Did she have second thoughts too late?
That was an incredibly stupid move ignoring the warning signs, buoy's, and other swimmer's warning her. Why take a chance loosing your life for curiosity. Very sad and could have lived had she took heed.
@@melt6894 Sometimes people do change their minds at the last minute, when they're really faced with death. I imagine that hole was quite terrifying up close, after all. But maybe it was just such a suicidal thing to do that it's easier to go with that than with it being an accident.
@@melt6894 there is no way to know she was actually there for 20 tbh. No one could get close or hear her.
@@Gl-my8fw it was stated in the video that she held on for 20 min
Who else loves the introductory theme music to these videos ? I love it ! Love all your videos Mr Ballen.Totally addicted .
It's called Epic Drama by Yunuet
I almost had a panic attack just listening to that last story. Imagine how painful and terrifying the realization of what he had done when he went into that pillar was. I’m claustrophobic so even the thought of dying that way makes me want to cry.
It was most awful. I came back to this video just to rewatch that story, remembering it from months ago.
Terrifying how a split second action can result in the most agonizing way to die...!
I know right, but unfortunatelly this isnt the only story in this direction from this channel so i am quite used to it right now.
That means you are extremely unlikely to crawl into tight spaces where you won't be able to get out. Ironically, your fear makes it highly, highly unlikely that you'll ever be in that situation. :)
@A Magnificent Cunt I literally have anxiety and claustrophobia so yes, cry. I meant exactly what I said.
I actually live less than a block from this Winco, I go there all the time. I remember this last story happening!
Ray was a real pillar of society. Literally 💀
He was up early, and on his feet... even to his last remaining days.
Oh, that's so bad 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Good one, horrible but good😂
MrBallen could be talking about how carrots disappeared from his kitchen and make it a 20 min story and I would still listen to it.
I completely see this
They were stalked by the celery...
Ok, but if it was a MrBallen video it would have a super creepy backstory like someone living in the walls ala Parasite, but to be nice they only stole his carrots
@@zac3392 haha!! I laughed way too hard at this! Good one!
Missing 411
Wow over 8 millions subscribers.. I’ve been watching you on FB all these years! I’m here to stay! Ty for such great real stories
“No swimming alligators”
Tommy: no I’m swimming
Alligator: hehe, yea we’re swimming
lol spat my drink out as I read that thanks for the laugh
Why punctuation errors can be fatal
punctuation
Tommy wasn’t attacked. He basically offered himself to the thing.
Honestly Emily too. I feel bad and all that, but she really did it to herself.
I’ve noticed that a lot of these stories are just about people who chose to totally disregarded all warnings and take foolish risks.
Yo based
Lol. Yep. Pretty much.
Pretty much lol. Any human being, even an extremely drunk or high human being will see the word “alligators” on a sign and be like “no sirrrrrrrrr” Lol. That alligator made his home under that pier hoping a Tommy fell in lol...but he lucked out and got a super Tommy 😂
*Doesn't fit in the pillar*
"Better just force myself in inch by inch."
*Gets stuck*
"Wait a second, maybe I've made a mistake."
Ikr? You'd think the, "Wait! I'd have to put my hand up over my head' would be enough for him to be like, 'nawww!'
I don't have clostrophobia but that last story was so anxiety-inducing for me!! All the cave stories do that to me too. When I say I don't have clostrophobia...I'm fine inside elevators, small closets...places i can turn my whole body around without touching walls but stuff like being stuck in a pillar, cave, etc...make me so anxious to think about that I shudder and get nauseous. I could never ever hide from anything or anyone in a space like that!!!
So what I've learned today is... There is a reason for the do not swim signs on Texas rivers because they're full of alligators, don't ignore a battery of warning signs while swimming towards a giant drain, and don't steal cars and jump in random holes while running from the cops.
People tend to associate gators more with Louisiana and Florida, but we do have a ton in Texas.
@@f3uibeghardt522 definitely. I lived in texas for a while and went hiking as frequently as I could and traveled as well, and never saw an alligator, I actually forgot there every were any there!
that fool was probably tweakin no way any sober person would hide for 7 hours and find 2 hiding spots
It sure doesn't stop the illegals from crossing to America!
@@MKUltraXOXO-c3r I'm not sure what part of Texas you were in, but they inhabit the Southeastern region of the state, which is much greener and full of water and cypress swamps. A good place to see them is Brazos Bend State Park. There's a million of them there. Hell, I remember fishing there one time and accidentally catching a turtle, then a massive alligator saving me the effort of having to cut the line by swallowing the turtle whole.
"Top 3 places you CAN'T go and people who went anyway" reads "Welcome to this week's top 3 Darwin Awards"
Oh my I spit my coffee out reading this comment 🤣😂😆
@yolo crone Great observation skills! Did you go to college to learn that?
I thought the exact same thing! What these people were thinking I will never understand. 😂
@@dfmasana4957 I thought it was hilarious because it was perfect for these stories. That kid can suck it.
your title is a lil more accurate for this episode. there probably aren’t any signs at grocery stores that say “don’t climb into the pillars” but common sense should tell you not to crawl into the pillars
Monster gators can be found in places you wouldn’t expect. I live in Florida and my wife is a wildlife photographer. We were hiking through the woods of a state park, Lake Louisa State Park, following a very narrow creek. It’s one of the many tiny creeks that ultimately fill the lake.
There are many monster gators, 12-14’ long beasts, that live in the main lake and several of the other sizable lakes on the 20,000 acre park. A small creek like this is not anywhere you’d expect to see anything larger than 3-4’. Typically, smaller gators live in these small tributaries staying out of view of the monsters, since gators are cannibalistic and will eat smaller gators as food.
We had let our dog off the leash, which is against the rules, but we were so far off the beaten path, we figured it be okay. As I followed the creek, I weaved to go around a large palmetto bush and our dog had went the other way around that bush. I was nearly stepped on a huge gator tail, at least 5” thick, so there was a big gator attached to it.
I screamed, “gator!” and my wife knew what that meant, “Get the Godd**ned dog!” because he would be headed right toward the business end, with bone crushing jaws and teeth that penetrate like a .357 magnum round. She grabbed the dog’s leash and I heard the gator plunge into the water, more afraid of us than we were of him.
Later we would go back, because they’re creatures of habit and usually stay in the same area. For years we would see this 10+foot gator hanging in that little creek. He must have had a good source of turtles, huge frogs or maybe hogs, because like most Florida state parks, that park is overrun with Ferrell hogs. We always see all,of the turned over earth they leave in their wake.
Any gator, no matter how big, can hide in water 4” or more, so there are few totally safe places. Even a 14’ gator can lunge up from a four inch deep swamp, so it’s best to be safe, especially with dogs. Gators fear humans more than dogs.
The reason that gator ate that man was because he was in the water at their hunting time, dawn and dusk. They have far less fear of us when they’re in the water and we go into their domain, but they will scamper when on land and see humans.
Fact: no human has ever been attacked by a gator more than 4’ from the shoreline of a body of water, so all of that zig-zag running nonsense is just silly and ain’t going to happen. Gators feel uncomfortable on land and will not chase anyone.
They lay at the water’s edge, totally submerged and when anything, dog, deer, hog or human lean over the water to get a drink or fill a canteen, they can lunge with lightning speed you can rarely out race. Once they clamp onto the animal’s head, they drag it down and drown it, since they can hold their breathe far longer than any mammal can.
They can also perform the famous death roll, but drowning is their preferred way of killing. Death rolls are more for ripping the animal apart because their jaws cannot move side to side for chewing, just clamping with incredible force.
Okay but Florida is where I would expect lol
@@gladitsnotme Yeah, no surprise there. Florida, Texas, Louisiana, South Mississippi and any states that are on the Gulf Of Mexico is going to have gators, especially Florida and Louisiana which have populations of about a million each. Seeing a ten footer in the woods in a narrow creek was still a surprise to me even after more than 40 years in Florida.
@@RoarOfWolverine we have Gators in eastern NC.
They don't seem afraid while in the water roaming through our swimming areas and peirs.
Dude you should know about florid state parks being infested with gators. All of Florida
Ray is the definition of natural selection
I much prefer stories like this where people get themselves into situations by ignoring rules and doing dumb shit. Less upsetting than people just doing their jobs or something and ending up cooked alive or decapitated.
I agree
I agree but the prolonged deaths where they get trapped in tight spaces and no - one can hear their cries for help, are stomach churning.
I couldn't help but laugh at the last one. that was so stupid. I don't understand how that seemed like a good idea unless he was high.
@@willhay6148 Yeahhhhh the last one gave me major anxiety and I'm not even that claustrophobic. But those pictures he showed...omg 😬😬😬
“Human are friends not food”, marshmallow and Cheeto knew, but Tree shaker did not
That's some Dr. Seuss shit
Tree sharker 😆.. I wouldn't even go near Marshmallow...
@Patrick Danforth I respect your point of view, and I do agree that we definitely should be aware of the dangers that are associated with alligators, but I do not necessarily think it negates that. Just because you name a dangerous animal something cute does not negate that it is dangerous.
@Patrick Danforth lul
Martiana Sanchez, Plot twist:
" Tommy Woodward was a vegan."
Tommy Woodwards last words: " Did I tell you I'm a vegan?" Tree Shaker: " Did I tell you I'm not vegan?"
The only bad part of these videos is when you hear "So that's gonna do it, guys".
and y'know the people who died while making a simple mistake. Which didn't really happen here (all these deaths were very avoidable), but in other videos it has.
I know I hate that it has to end ….. and it’s like during the real nail biters even though he is the one telling the story for some reason his voice and actions are still my “ safe place “ lol his personal story was very tense to get through 😬
I know right??😊☺💜😉
HEART-BREAKING !!! :((
Right?? 😪
I work at Winco and the pillar story was a MAJOR source of gossip when it happened. To this day we playfully tell each other they're gonna get thrown in the pillar if they do something wrong. :D
The fact that Emily held on for 20 minutes while thousands of gallons of water is pouring over Emily while she’s getting sucked in just shows how determined she was to live... it’s those little mistakes that cost you your whole life ..As Allstate would say “you’re in good hands” with MrBallen. He consistently uploads bangers! Keep up the great effort.
Respectfully, if she was determined to live she wouldn’t have went up so close
idk man, swimming toward a giant death hole isn't exactly what I'd call little mistakes.
@@kylep1903 that’s true but what I meant by little mistakes was not thinking about the current that pulled her
@@kkb892 also true like I would never do that but she was just trying to look at something that she thought was interesting and it just ended up dying over it... I understand it was stupid trust me I get it but she was also just “trying to live life” and ironically it’s what ended her
I actually live there where this lake is and you don't even have to get that close to start being pulled towards it. She probably realized she was too close when she started fighting a current. Almost happened to my husband when he was in his early 20's goofing off past the rope.
I get scared just looking at pictures of these spillways - I can't imagine how anyone could fathom swimming out to one..
Same here! They are some of the creepiest things I can imagine.
For real like why would they do that?? Just stupidly
ikr ? I always find that seeing a huge amount of water disappear into a black hole so creepy...
I grew up near a lake that my best friend's family owned. We swam in it quite a bit. It was man-made and had a small dam, and an even smaller spillway. This thing was no bigger than a manhole and it had a metal cage around it. We *still* never went anywhere near the damn thing, because who would? Oh ...right.
@@donzaleighanderson8139 People do Crazy thing and that how people get killed or hurt I hear stories about this Lake Berryessa spillway .
Crazy that I don't see anyone else commenting on how she held on to that drain wall for 20 whole minutes. That's pretty astounding, even if it ultimately wasn't long enough to save her.
Yet she lacked the intelligence to not go near it.. Even after passing the signs and going under the rope ..
I wonder how she might have been rescued at that point...a very long pole? A helicopter, lowering a Navy Seal?
I suspect the spillway designers purposefully designed it to exclude the presence of humans, but couldn't they have built in an emergency ledge to stand on, just to give someone a chance? Or even an indentation with hand grips, to protect someone from the rushing water while they await rescue?
An emergency shut off button? I realize that would not be easy, to say the least, to design for a mammoth cement pipe like this but...call a Netherlands engineering firm, they know their stuff about major water engineering systems!
@@danielwagman9794 Great questions. I’m gonna look into myself lol.
Probably because she put herself in that situation ON HER OWN, that was a moronic thing to do, "Oh you want to have a look at the drain?" DO IT ON DRY LAND YA FUCKER!
Even crazier, that spillway is called "Glory Hole" and no one commented on that xD
When I was a kid my best friend, who was in a wheelchair, fell into a spillway behind our houses. We lived in the deep N. MN forest. The water surface was like glass but, the undertow took him unbelievably fast. It looked like he was shot out of a canon. I'm an excellent swimmer but, not that good. We were 8 years old when this happened. I felt so guilty, I couldn't even look his mom in her eyes. She ran over to me and Bearhugged the hell out of me. Then she apologized to me! My brain was like, wth is going on here. I didn't understand her mindset until I became a parent. I lost my own son 8 days before his 12th birthday. They, (my son and dad), were coming back from hunting during a blizzard and 2 semi's lost control and $hit went sideways real quick. By law, they were not supposed to be driving in any high profile vehicle when the wind exceeds 50-55 mph but, they ignored the law, because they were behind schedule. Sorry, for the long story.
God bless you losing a child is a hard battle. Never give up. Keep pushing!! It’ll be okay
When u feel sorry for the lives lost but wanna scream "why???"
I really dont feel sorry for these. They arent tragedies.
Don't be sorry. Natural selection at work. We don't have that enough.
It would be worse if these people were able to breed. Spread their stupidity to their kids by gene and example.
We're already putting up way too many warning signs and stuff. Allowing the terminally stupid to take a big dump right into the gene pool.
@@KaeYoss Wow. that's so terrible to say.
@@KaeYoss Wow. that's so terrible to say.
@@Itsastrangeday too bad
I think we can all agree that Ray was thinking of absolutely nothing while doing this. You gotta be totally empty headed and ignoring every single survival instinct ever to do something like that
The way he describes the escapee’s descent into the column had me feeling breathless and claustrophobic! 😵
Omg I know! Literally same!
🥺😲
The only way out for Emily when she realized she was being pulled closer to the spillway was: diving in a few feet and swiming away from the spillway - under water, for the current was stronger on the surface of the water.
I'll never understand how people can get themselves into a vertical, smooth, deep, extremely narrow space. Like how do you expect to ever get out?
People underestimate how hard it is to pull or lift your own bodyweight.
My brother used to say "half of the people out there are below average". He was right ...
Tbh this Ray guy seem like he didn't had enough of a brain to begin with
@@sandydog426 the problem isnt lifting your own bodyweight, its the fact you cant move enough to even begin moving yourself at all
@@sandydog426 I can do a pull-up with one arm but you need to be able to bend your arm. That guy had no chance of escaping
"they had nicknamed 2 of the alligators that were seen the most often - they named them cheeto and marshmallow" and the monster alligator was named mcdonald's sprite
Another one is called whopper
They should have called cheeto and marshmallow...medium, & the monster alligator...extra-large definitely sounds like a Mcdonald's ad.
I was actually at the grocery store in Lancaster and smelled the nasty smell. They closed the store down for a couple weeks. I remember hearing that stuff on the news and being in shock I smelled a dead dude.
😯😯😯😯
Did you get to see the body juices?
@@shelby5809 there was a small amount of brown liquid seeping out but I didn’t know what it was. I assumed it was a dead animal. The whole checkout stunk so band because it was right by the door. I tried to go a week later and they had police tape around it and the store was shut down and then I heard on the news why and my wife got freaked out and I was like holy shit. That whole area is a terrible place to live anyways. I talked to a parole officer over there and she told me that LA County takes all their prisoners out there and releases them because it’s the outer edge of the county in the desert and they’re hoping that they don’t make their way back to the city and so we have a whole bunch of homeless criminals everywhere. That’s why I move my family back to Texas. That was actually the smartest move I’ve ever made. I went from making 240,000 a year and feeling like I was poor to making about 107,000 a year and living in the upper middle class. I went from having a 2000 square-foot three bedroom two bathroom house that had a $3200 a month mortgage to having a 3000 square-foot house with five bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms that cost me 1100 a month. Plus if you had and gas crime and the general cost of living it’s so different than California that it boggles my mind why ever lived there. Plus stuff like that happened all the time. I probably saw five dead bodies the three years I lived there as opposed to the zero I’ve seen living in Texas for pretty much The rest of my life besides the 13 years I spent the Marine Corps. We went to Walmart on Black Friday in Lancaster one time and there was a shooting in the parking lot over a freaking TV
@@shelby5809 ewie
Well, as you definitely now know death has a very distinct smell.
I live in Lancaster and that was such a sad thing that happened. I just started watching your videos and was going to suggest this one. So happy you did it.
I used to be a little scared of these videos because “damn nature you SCARY!” but when I think about it, you’re definitely saving hella lives by doing these. And you tell it in a way that resinates with your audience, that’s dope. Not everyone can do that 👍🏾
Yeah! He's a straight talker about every story, and it really heightens your survival instinct following them! :)
@@bentonrp what?
@@Acolyte82 He's a straight talker about every story. And following them and remembering them can strengthen lots of people's survival instincts about situations they encounter that could potentially be dangerous. 🙂
@@bentonrp what how
@@Acolyte82 Well, you hear true life stories about seemingly normal situations in nearly of his videos,
but the poor person or people in those situations did not know they were about to meet their own end.
So it kind of makes you think twice about how safe and typical your own environment or situation is,
and try to avoid a small mistake that can get out of hand and lead to doom and danger, doesn't it?
These are all so awful to imagine but you do such a vivid and detailed telling of the stories it’s almost like being in their positions. My gut was totally wrenched on that last one. Geez, that poor man. Well done, thank you, you have an unique ability to draw us in and become part of the story.
These stories should have their own series titled "I did something completely asinine and paid the ultimate price".
I know!!! All except for like 2 or 3 of the people in this series did it to themselves...
Yes!
🤣🤣🤣😆😆.... SO TRUE
Exactly! Why would you go to a spillway?? The signs are everywhere. Asinine is right
Google "Darwin Awards". Enuf said